Our Movement Assessment Technologies’ Muscle Meter Review is an honest assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. It is written by a professional in the field of manual therapy.
Muscle Meter Review Overview
In brief, our Movement Assessment Technologies’ Muscle Meter review concludes it is an excellent value; in fact, it is hands down the best value in the hand dynamometer market. It is robust, easy to use, and is expandable while including more options than the competitors.
Read below why we think our Muscle Meter review concludes this is an easy choice for your clinic, gym, or studio.
Be sure to follow our links for the best price available on the Muscle Meter.
What is a Hand Dynamometer?
A hand dynamometer is a device you can hold in your hand and use to measure someone’s force output. So you might use it to measure how much force they can withstand in hip flexion before you’re able to push their foot down. Or you could test someone’s maximum strength in a curling exercise.
Who Uses a Hand Dynamometer?
Dynamometers can safely be used by anyone. And the information they provide is relevant to anyone interested in how their strength is increasing, decreasing, or maintaining. So whether your recovering from injury or tracking your gains, a dynamometer is an excellent way to bring some objectivity to your testing.
In the professional world, hand dynamometers are most commonly used by:
- Personal trainers & strength coaches
- Clinicians: PTs & PTAs, OTs
- Fitness professionals
7 Reasons to Choose Muscle Assessment Technologies’ Muscle Meter?
There are several reasons why our Muscle Meter review recommends this handheld dynamometer over the competition. (And check out Best Handheld Dynamometer: Comparison & Review to see just who that competition is.)
These are the reasons why our Muscle Assessment Technologies’ Muscle Meter review thinks this device stands above the competition:
- Actual push and pull functions (most competitors only have push, then use a strap for pulling forces)
- Big, clear LED screen
- Minimal buttons: that means fewer things that can malfunction
- By far the cheapest: presents real competition to devices that are 4x more expensive!
- Excellent, easy to use app (with lots of options)
- Outstanding video manuals and interface
- Produced by a company with a singular passion for accurate manual testing
1. Push and Pull Features
The pull feature really make the Muscle Meter stand out. The Muscle Meter’s pull feature requires a quick removal of the rubber pad, and then is much safer than the alternative brands’ workaround of having clients give maximum force into a pad that can wiggle.
2. Screen Size
We like the bright screen compared to the 5x more expensive MiniFet 2 (smaller, 1 color). It provides you the info you need at a glance. And, unlike the ActivForce 2, it actually has a screen. The screen is also well protected in the case.
3. Buttons and Hardware
Ever wonder what happened to the buttons on your smart phone? It’s a simple fact that the fewer buttons something has, the less there is that can go wrong. The Muscle Meter only has three, and that’s good in that it allows an even spread of use but also having instant access to what you need for quick testing.
4. Affordability
Cost isn’t everything, particularly when you’re looking to invest in a piece of equipment that you want to use for years. But the great thing about the Muscle Meter is that it is both the most affordable handheld dynamometer on the market, and also the best.
Movement Assessment Technologies’ advertising calls the Muscle Meter the “most affordable” system on the market, and it is. It’s nearly $100 below the Activforce 2, and around $1000 below the Lafayette and Microfet 2 models.
5. That App! (Measurz)
The app, Measurz, is excellent (see below) but requires a subscription. While many may not be wild about that, Measurz is much more than a muscle testing app. It may save you money in the long run as you could potentially use it to consolidate your needs and cancel other subscriptions.
6. Excellent Education
If you want to do simple force testing, the Muscle Meter can handle that quickly and easily. But there is so much more to MAT’s Muscle Meter, and they want to show you. MAT has provided excellent education platforms for:
- The Muscle Meter as a stand-alone dynamometer
- Use of the Muscle Meter with the Measurz app
- A wide scope of full-body testing using over many fields through certification in movement assessment.
7. Movement Assessment Technologies: the Minds behind the Meter
The Muscle Meter is designed by Movement Assessment Technologies, an Australia-based company founded by physios who are passionate for increasing objectivity within muscle testing. I’ve experienced super fast, considerate responses to my questions. You can read a bit more about them below.
Potential disadvantages of the Muscle Meter
While our MAT Muscle Meter review finds that is an excellent value, there are a couple of items you should consider before purchasing:
- Subscription cost for app (if you want to use it) (but it’s an awesome app…see below)
- Based in Australia, so you’ll need to pay for shipping and expect slightly longer wait time
That said, our MAT Muscle Meter review finds that the benefits of the Muscle Meter really outweigh these potential disadvantages. And at its price point, you could buy seven Muscle Meters with Measurz subscriptions for the price of one MicroFet 2 or Lafayette with software.
Measurz App
An enormous selling point for Movement Assessment Technologies’ (MAT) Muscle Meter is the Measurz App. While this does add to the cost of the device (after the 2 month free trial), it has benefits beyond just muscle testing. So no Muscle Meter review is really complete without considering the Measurz app.
Below you can see the general fields available for testing using Measurz. (The numbers in the bubbles are the number of tests within each category.)
The app contains batteries of tests for:
- range of motion (using your phone or tablet as goniometer)
- speed and endurance
- sleep cycles
- balance and proprioception
- and more
As you can see, MAT is interested in assessment well beyond muscular force exertion. They have training for assessing speed, endurance, anaerobic activities, and more. With the Measurz app you can customize tests for clients, use voice-to-text feature to dictate notes, and use the built-in goniometer and stopwatch.
Some of the tests for the knee.
So while there is some buy in, the Measurz app may pay for itself by letting you cancel some other subscriptions.
Another major selling point for Measurz is that, when you subscribe, you double your warranty length from 1 to 2 years. This is the longest standard warranty among the competitors.
Who is Movement Assessment Technologies?
Looking for an Australia-based start up founded by physiotherapists who geek out over accuracy in manual testing? Then Movement Assessment Technologies (MAT) is the company for you!
Movement Assessment Technologies has an unmeasurable (!) commitment, investigation, and investment in bringing more objectivity, consistency, and client-based application to muscle testing. Their products and education also move into range of motion, anaerobic testing, speed and endurance, and more. It definitely worth the time to check out their website to see what all they’re up to.
MAT offers courses in manual testing, and their exams go far beyond just muscle force tests. You can find out a bit more about that by reading about the Measurz app.
You can bundle your purchase of the Muscle Meter with additional analysis tools to take advantage of their full curriculum.
Movement Assessment Technologies’ Muscle Meter Review Conclusion
Our Movement Assessment Technologies Muscle Meter review concludes that this is the best handheld dynamometer available. Conveniently, it’s also the cheapest professional-grade handheld dynamometer on the market.
We love the ease of use, durability, thorough but intuitive app, and the approachability and passion of the MAT team. If you’re looking to learn more about accurate testing using a handheld dynamometer, then you might also want to consider their courses.
To see our full comparison article, check out Best Handheld Dynamometer: Comparison & Review.
