Data-collecting exercise device

1. A system, comprising:

an exercise device, comprising:

a rigid rod having a first end and a second end;

a plurality of light sources arranged in a row along at least a portion of an axis extending between the first end and the second end of the rigid rod;

at least one load sensor for detecting an applied longitudinal force;

a first processor coupled to the at least one load sensor and to the plurality of light sources, the first processor configured to:

obtain a first signal indicating a magnitude of the applied longitudinal force, and

cause a subset of the plurality of light sources to emit light, wherein a ratio of a number of light sources in the subset to a total number of the plurality of light sources represents the magnitude of the applied longitudinal force relative to a reference longitudinal force value; and

an external device, comprising:

a communication interface;

a display; and

a second processor coupled to the communication interface and to the display, wherein the second processor is configured to:

establish a communication link with the exercise device using the communication interface,

obtain data from the exercise device over the communication link, and

cause the display to present information associated with the exercise device.

2. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the information is first information, and wherein the second processor is further configured to provide second information to the exercise device over the communication link.

3. The exercise device recited in claim 2 , wherein the second information comprises information about the reference longitudinal force value.

4. The exercise device recited in claim 3 , wherein the information about the reference longitudinal force value comprises a plurality of parameters defining a target force profile.

5. The exercise device recited in claim 4 , wherein the plurality of parameters comprises at least one of an amount of time, a time interval, or a force magnitude.

6. The exercise device recited in claim 3 , wherein the information about the reference longitudinal force value comprises a mathematical function defining a target force profile.

7. The system recited in claim 2 , wherein the second information comprises configuration information for the exercise device.

8. The system recited in claim 7 , wherein the first processor is further configured to use the configuration information to cause a visual indicator of the exercise device to present a target for a user to follow and/or indicate to the user that the applied longitudinal force is too low, too high, or adequate.

9. The system recited in claim 7 , wherein the configuration information indicates a color and/or a brightness of at least one of the plurality of light sources.

10. The system recited in claim 7 , wherein the configuration information provides at least one configuration setting for the plurality of light sources, a haptic device, or an auditory device.

11. The system recited in claim 2 , wherein the second information comprises information about a previous workout or information about a goal previously established or achieved.

12. The system recited in claim 11 , wherein the first processor is further configured to use the second information to configure the exercise device for a workout.

13. The system recited in claim 2 , wherein the second information identifies at least one of: an exercise, a time of day, a day of a week, a target number of repetitions, a target amount of time per repetition, a target amount of time per set, a target amount of time per workout, a target amount of longitudinal force, or a target time under tension.

14. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the display is configured to provide workout guidance and/or real-time workout feedback.

15. The system recited in claim 14 , wherein the workout guidance and/or real-time workout feedback comprises a plot or graph.

16. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the external device comprises a mobile device.

17. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the information associated with the exercise device comprises information about at least one of: a type of exercise, a number of repetitions, a number of sets, the magnitude of the applied longitudinal force, the reference longitudinal force value, an amount of time during which the applied longitudinal force was applied, a time under tension, a status of the exercise device, a battery level, or a memory status.

18. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the information associated with the exercise device comprises at least one of: a date of a workout, a start time of the workout, an end time of the workout, a total time of the workout, an amount of time per repetition, an average magnitude of the applied longitudinal force, a total amount of force applied over all repetitions, a measure of the applied longitudinal force during each repetition, or an indication of whether the applied longitudinal force was compressive or expansive.

19. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the communication link is a wireless link.

20. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the display is configured to provide workout guidance by displaying a first plot or graph, and wherein the data from the exercise device comprises the magnitude of the applied longitudinal force, and wherein the information associated with the exercise device comprises a second plot or graph overlaying the first plot or graph and representing the magnitude of the applied longitudinal force.