What is a Sports Encoder for: Uses, Benefits and Practical Cases

Updated on 26 de June de 2026 by Adrián Escobar Morales

If you’ve been strength training or working with athletes for a while, you’ve probably heard of sports encoders and velocity-based training (VBT). But maybe you’re not sure what exactly an encoder does, if you really need one, or how having one would change your way of training.

In this article we explain it to you with specific use cases, without unnecessary technicalities.

What is a sports encoder and how does it work?

A sports encoder (also called linear encoder or linear position transducer) is a device that measures the speed at which a barbell or any object it is connected to moves during a strength exercise. It is attached to the base of a dumbbell with magnets or to the floor, and a thin cable is hooked to the bar. When you lift it, the cable extends and the encoder calculates the speed, strength and power of each repetition in real time.

The data is sent via Bluetooth to an app on your mobile or tablet, where you can see in real time the speed of each repetition and how it evolves throughout the series.

What exactly is a sports encoder for?

1. Know exactly how much weight to put on the bar each day

This is probably the most valuable use for most coaches and athletes. The problem with traditional 1RM percentage programming is that 1RM changes every day depending on fatigue, sleep, stress or diet. If your 1RM squat is 120 kg but you arrive tired to training today, working at 80% (96 kg) may be too much or too little.

The encoder solves this: at the beginning of each session you perform a repetition with a submaximal load and the device estimate your 1RM for the day in seconds, allowing you to adjust the load precisely to your actual state that day — without going to failure, without missing a session on a 1RM test.

2. Control the actual training volume (not the number of repetitions)

The number of repetitions is a very imprecise measure of actual effort. Ten repetitions at 70% of 1RM on a rest day are not the same as ten repetitions at 70% when you have been training for three days in a row. Execution speed is an objective measure of real effort.

With an encoder you can set a speed stall threshold per set — for example, stop when the speed has dropped 20% from the first repetition. Thus, the actual volume of each series is automatically adapted to the athlete’s condition, not to a fixed number of repetitions programmed weeks before.

3. Detect fatigue before it is noticeable in performance

The speed of execution drops before the athlete subjectively notices that he is tired. If the speed under a regular load begins to drop from session to session, it is an early sign of accumulated fatigue that allows you to reduce the load before overtraining.

It is especially useful in periods of high competitive load, when the athlete is motivated and tends to ignore signs of fatigue.

4. Make training more effective and efficient

The scientific research is clear: You don’t need to get close to failure to maximize strength gains.. With speed losses of 10-20% per set you get the same results in maximum strength as training up to 45% speed loss — but with much less fatigue and better adaptations in speed and power.

Without an encoder, applying these principles is practically impossible. With one, it’s automatic.

5. Individualize training in groups and teams

In a group of athletes, even if they all work at the same %RM, the degree of real effort is different for each one. Some fail at repetition 6, others might do 12. The encoder allows each athlete works with the same level of real effort regardless of their individual characteristics, simply stopping when each one reaches their personal speed loss threshold.

Who needs a sports encoder?

What variables exactly does a sports encoder measure?

• Average speed: average speed during the entire concentric phase. It is the variable most used to control relative intensity.
• Average propulsive speed (VMP): average speed during the phase in which the athlete applies active force, excluding the deceleration phase. More precise than average speed for light loads.
• Maximum speed: peak speed during repetition. Useful to evaluate explosiveness.
• Power: calculated from the speed and the mass displaced.
• Estimated 1RM: calculated from the athlete’s individual load-speed profile.
• Intra-series speed loss: speed drop between the first and last repetition of the series, expressed as a percentage.

What differentiates the ADR Encoder from other encoders on the market?

The sports encoder market has grown a lot in recent years. The main differences between devices are accuracy, portability and price. He ADR Encoder is positioned as the most economical scientifically validated encoder on the market, with studies from independent universities that guarantee its precision and reliability.

Unlike other encoders of similar price, the ADR Encoder has scientific validations published in impact journals, which makes it also suitable for use in university research and teaching. His free app ADR System no subscription required — one-time payment and unlimited access to all features, cloud history and multi-athlete management.

Conclusion: do you need a sports encoder?

If you seriously strength train or work with athletes, the answer is almost always yes. Not because it is essential for training — you can train well without one — but because gives you information that is impossible to obtain otherwise: the actual condition of the athlete that day, the actual effective volume of each set, and early signs of fatigue before they become a problem.

The question is not whether you need an encoder, but whether the benefit justifies the cost. With the ADR Encoder at €249 with free app included and scientific validation, the answer for most serious coaches and athletes is clear.

→ See the ADR Encoder and its technical specifications

Adrián Escobar Morales