Learn velocity-based training.
A growing library of articles, guides and reference material. Everything from your first setup to advanced programming and the science behind the numbers.
The essentials for every new ORCA owner.
Getting started with your ORCA sensor
Unbox, charge, pair, mount, and run your first session. Full step-by-step manual.
ORCA app user manual (athlete)
Complete tour of every screen and feature in the ORCA Strength athlete app, including Pro-only capabilities.
ORCA Coach user manual
Full walkthrough of the Coach app: roster, programming, live monitoring, testing campaigns, and reporting.
Behind the numbers.
Why two IMUs beat one
The sensor fusion behind ORCA's ±0.02 m/s accuracy: two 6-axis IMUs cross-referenced at 200 Hz to reconstruct the true 3D bar path.
Why a cable tether lies to you
Tethered systems are accurate on a strict vertical pull, and silently biased everywhere else. The failure mode, in detail.
Calibrating against a lab reference
How ORCA was validated: reference standard, sample-by-sample protocol, and what ±0.02 m/s actually represents.
From silicon to screen
PCB layout, hardware-timed firmware, on-device fusion, and the app pipeline: engineering the full data path at 200 Hz.
Designing a 38-gram sensor that survives a barbell
Coupled multiphysics FEA, joint material selection and drop testing behind a 38 g housing built for real gym use.
Understand velocity-based training from the ground up.
What is velocity-based training?
The core concept, its history, and why it changed strength training forever.
Why VBT beats percentage-based programming
The limits of %1RM, daily fluctuations in strength, and how velocity accounts for readiness.
Understanding velocity zones
Strength-speed, speed-strength, accelerative strength: how to prescribe by intent, not just load.
Mean vs. peak velocity: which one matters?
When to use each metric, and why most coaches get this wrong.
Put VBT to work in your programming.
Estimating 1RM without maxing out
How load-velocity profiles predict your true max. Safer, faster, and more repeatable than a real 1RM test.
Programming with velocity-loss cutoffs
The 10 / 20 / 30% rule, when to stop a set, and how VL translates to hypertrophy vs. strength.
Autoregulation with VBT
Adjusting daily load based on how the bar actually moves. Practical implementation for real athletes.
Readiness monitoring with bar speed
Detect fatigue, undertraining, and overreaching before your performance drops.
How VBT applies to your discipline.
VBT for powerlifting
Building competition peaks, managing meet-day loading, and testing openers with velocity.
VBT for Olympic weightlifting
Bar speed thresholds for cleans, snatches, and jerks. Why classical lifts are especially velocity-sensitive.
VBT for team sports
Force-velocity profiling for football, hockey, rugby, and cycling athletes.