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Moffitt mentioned the use of Perch technology, which is how the staff monitors the velocity-based training of each LSU football player, “We’re using the technology we have to our advantage to make sure everybody’s doing what they’re supposed to do.”

Discovering a baseline for each athlete—whether it’s an incoming freshman or a returning player—is just another way in which the Perch technology will help LSU in the coming weeks as it attempts to get its players back in shape.

Three weeks after Perch installed units on each of the 22 weight racks at LSU’s indoor football facility on Oct. 1, Tigers coach Ed Orgeron said he noticed differences in his team’s performance on the field.

Perch’s software-enabled hardware solution allows for instant adoption among professionals. In addition, the product's ease-of-install makes it a prime candidate for mass adoption in gyms all across the U.S.

... modernized equipment helped bring velocity-based training into the mainstream, but even that technology seems archaic in comparison to what is hanging on the LSU weight rack.

Meet the 10 startups in Techstars NYC’s summer 2018 class...Perch aims to improve physical training and coaching by installing a camera and tablet, which is mounted on gym equipment to track and display data like number of reps and velocity.

The system can spot the difference between “strong and explosive” motions, or someone who is “barely completing his reps.” Future versions of Perch’s system, he says, will be able to track not just barbells but other items used in workouts, like medicine balls and kettle bells.

A single sensor, for instance, an accelerometer in the form of a wearable device, can only collect an insufficient set of data. You’re not getting an entire picture of the quality of movement. Right now, the data we are receiving is pretty necessary.

Perch, a startup led by recent MIT student-athletes, is a smart system that uses cameras and machine learning to create and track workouts.

Imagine a high school weight room that has cameras mounted on equipment with immediate feedback on tablets so players can fix technique and receive motivation for the next set.

Scaling with you as you grow, Perch allows you to create workouts, surveys, assign velocity thresholds as well as deliver content directly to an on-rack tablet.

Weightlifting is not something anyone can jump into and expect results. It takes time and effort to get the movements and form down for changes to show. Perch could be the product an athlete needs to help them get that form down and prevent a potentially-serious injury from happening.

We believe Perch can be a tool used by the over 11 million Americans regularly performing weightlifting exercise, and encourage millions more to try strength training and experience the positive benefits.

Rothman, who played on MIT’s baseball team as an undergraduate, is co-founder of Perch, a company that uses 3-D cameras to assess the velocity of a weightlifter’s movements and provide instant feedback on how to improve form and minimize the risk of injury.

The goal is to push athletes to their max performance while working out, while helping them avoid injury – a cause near and dear to Rothman.