AI Pose Analysis and Kinematic Profiling of Range-of-Motion Variations in Resistance Training

This study develops an AI-based pose estimation pipeline for quantifying movement kinematics in resistance training. Using videos from Wolf et al. (2025), comprising 303 recordings of 26 participants performing eight upper-body exercises under full (fROM) and lengthened partial (pROM) conditions, we extract joint-angle trajectories using five distinct deep-learning pose estimation models and a unified signal-processing framework. From these trajectories, we derive repetition-level metrics including range of motion (ROM) and repetition duration. We use these outputs as dependent variables in a crossed random-effects model that accounts for participant-, exercise-, and model-level variability to assess systematic differences between ROM conditions. Results indicate that pROM reduces range of motion without significantly affecting repetition duration. Variance decomposition shows that pROM increases both between-participant and between-exercise variability, suggesting reduced consistency in execution. To enable cross-exercise comparison, we model ROM on a logarithmic scale and define %ROM as the proportion of fROM achieved under pROM. While the estimated mean is approximately 56%, significant heterogeneity across exercises indicates that lengthened partials are not characterized by a fixed proportion of full ROM. The results demonstrate that AI-based motion analysis can provide reliable kinematic insights to inform evidence-based training recommendations.