What the score means
An activation score represents how strongly the measured muscle is engaging during a set. Higher numbers generally indicate more activation for that measured muscle under that setup.
The most meaningful comparisons are within the same person and muscle: set to set, left to right, or session to session under similar conditions.
What to compare
- The same exercise before and after a coaching cue.
- Left side versus right side with the same movement and load.
- A warm-up set versus a working set.
- The first set versus the final set to spot fatigue or compensation.
- A target muscle versus a likely compensator across similar sets.
What not to over-read
Do not treat one high or low number as a full diagnosis. Scores are affected by placement, fatigue, contact quality, exercise setup, and the person's recent training history.
Use the score to ask better coaching questions: what changed, what did the client feel, and did the next set improve?