- NFL quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a broken ankle last year and spent the offseason rehabbing.
- Prescott said he used an artificial intelligence workout machine, which he has invested in, to fix his squat form during rehab.
- Before the machine, Prescott was putting too much weight on his bad leg and risked re-injury.
Dak Prescott says an AI-driven workout machine was a key device that helped him return from a season-ending injury in 2020 to lead his team, the Dallas Cowboys, back into playoff contention this year.
The 28-year-old quarterback suffered a broken right ankle in October of last year, which kept him off the field for the last 11 games of the season.
Prescott said he used the OxeFit XP1, which he helped fund the development of as an investor in summer 2020 and helped launch a consumer version of the machine called the XS1 on December 15, during his rehab. He said the device's AI technology analyzed his squatting form and found that he was putting too much weight on his injured leg. Then it instructed him on how to fix it to help make his rehab more safe and efficient.
"After the data, I went back and saw that I was favoring one side over the other, and actually I was favoring the injured leg more than the other leg because I was consciously trying to use that leg," Prescott told Insider. "Then just being able to go back I was able to squat normal and was able to fix that."
Prescott progressed through his rehab so efficiently that the Cowboys made him the highest-paid player in the NFL when they signed him to a four-year, $160 million contract in March before he was even fully recovered.
"I was able just to get back to squatting and get back to doing all my single leg work in the safest way and knowing I'm not hurting myself," Prescott said.
Leaving too much weight on the injured leg could have caused Prescott to get hurt again
Favoring one leg over the other during squats is a common fitness error known as side dominance — a subconcious mistake that's barely noticeable for people, given that everyone typically has a dominant side of their body.
Prescott, who is right-handed, would generally favor the right side of his body while squatting, which included his injured right ankle.
Prescott said he didn't know how his rehab or season would have turned out if he hadn't used the XP1's AI to fix his squatting form, but it's possible he would have suffered another injury if he didn't make that adjustment, according to celebrity trainer Mike Boyle.
Boyle told Insider that favoring one leg while squatting can reduce the overall strength and muscle that squatting is supposed to build. But even worse, it can increase the chance re-injury based on the stress moving to other parts of the body and can cause a back injury.
Prescott says the XP1 helped him correct that mistake to progress through his rehab safely, and he believes the technology could be useful for all athletes to help make their workouts as efficient and safe as possible.
He started by lobbying the Cowboys — along with some teammates — to get an XP1 in their training facility.