With all that behind him, what next for the Texan?
Venture capital and investing in wellness tech obviously.
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Electro-muscular what?
PowerDot is an electric muscle stimulation equipment.
Thankfully, PowerDot takes a different tack.
It positions itself as a smart muscle recovery and performance tool.
It doesnt claim to make you fitter, but it might lend a helping hand to your recovery.
The tech behind the premise is fairly simple and is nothing new.
Note, these systems dont actually heal you, but they can lessen your perception of pain.
The machine uses transcutaneous electrical signals (TENS) to instigate neuromuscular contractions.
In other words, electricity makes your muscle spasm in a controlled fashion.
The jury is still out on whether TENS actually works.
But whats the worst that could happen?
Actually, quite a lot.
What else is in the box besides the manual?
On first impressions, the Dots are cute, light, and appear well-made.
And here things got kind of frustrating.
Getting down to businesswith the PowerDot
My first attempt to pair the dots was challenging.
Only one of the dots paired and activated as it should have.
No matter what I tried, I couldnt get the second Dot to pair.
It turns out it was faulty, PowerDot swiftly replaced this and are analyzing the dodgy unit.
I will update this piece when we know the cause of the problem.
As I spend many hours each week pedaling, Im often carting round sore, heavy legs.
I thought one of the PowerDots massage programs, designed for recovery, would suit me best.
So, one evening, I sat down in my chair and began.
Its also worth pointing out that the electrode pads dont stick well over hair.
If youve never used a TENS system before you will probably be startled by the sensation.
Its not painful, its not really even uncomfortable after a while, but its certainly unusual.
Just out of curiosity, I turned the power up as far as I dared.
I wimped out with severe muscular engagement long before I reached PowerDots full potential.
The massage setting is fairly simple, it runs for about 20 minutes and goes through three phases.
Each phase causes your muscle to contract in a slightly different way.
I can safely report, the fresh feeling the morning after wasnt a one off.
The massage setting is just one of many tweaks available on the PowerDot.
The TENS gear also has muscle strength, endurance, and wellness programs.
The strength and endurance programs claim to increase athletic performance and muscle hypertrophy (eg, gains).
Normally, this injury starts to rear its ugly head when Im doing too much and not recovering adequately.
In some ways though, it lured me into a false sense of security.
Even though I felt great, I didnt have any energy.
A $350 one to be precise.
Yeah, the PowerDot Duo costs $350 US.
For an app and what is in reality a fairly simple collection of electronics, that feels pretty steep.
A quick search for a TENS machine will throw up a raft of cheaper alternatives.
Its trivial in the grand scheme of things, but its a running cost worth keeping in mind.
I must admit, Im far more impressed with this rig than I thought I would be.
Besides being well-made, it has actually taken my recovery to a new level.
Having the gear means I take recovery seriously which undoubedtly helps too.
While it might not transform me into an athlete, I certainly feel like one.
Story byMatthew Beedham
Matthew is the editor of SHIFT.
He likes electric cars, and other things with wheels, wings, or hulls.
