User Guide

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Before you begin setting up the app, it's useful to have your body weight, and if available, your body fat percentage. While these details can be added later, they are an integral part of the initial setup.

Once you've downloaded the app, you'll need to create an account. This can be done by selecting the "Sign Up" option, conveniently located just below the SIGN IN button. During the sign-up process, you'll be asked for a phone number and email address. A verification code will be sent to these details to confirm your identity.

Your password needs to meet certain requirements for security purposes. It must include at least one capital letter, one lower-case letter, one number, and have a minimum length of eight characters.

After successfully signing up and verifying your account with the automated confirmation code, you'll be able to log in using your chosen username and password. In case you forget your password, the "Forgot Password" feature can be used to reset it.

Upon your first login, you'll encounter two prompts. The first is to set up your initial user information and preferences. To enable the nutrition section of the app to function optimally, you'll need to provide your Date of Birth, Gender, Weight, and Height. Please note, as of now, the Step Goal function is only available on iOS. We are actively working to make it compatible with Android.

The second prompt will provide you with links to the app's Terms and Conditions, Disclaimer, and Privacy Policy. Reviewing these documents is a necessary step due to the legal disclosure requirements of the App Stores.

To calculate your estimated daily calorie intake and macros, use the calculator icon located on the bottom bar within the nutrition section. As you track and input your body weight measurements, these calculations will be updated accordingly.

Your activity level should be chosen based on the extent of exercise and non-exercise activities you perform weekly. We divide activity into two categories:

1. General non-exercise activity, ranging from low to high. For instance, if you have a desk job with minimal activity, your non-exercise activity level would be considered "low".
2. Exercise sessions performed per week, each session assumed to last approximately one hour.

Next, you need to select a goal: cutting (losing fat), maintaining current weight, or bulking (gaining muscle). For the goals of cutting and bulking, a slider lets you set the Weekly Change Amount. This range extends from 0 to 1% of your body weight, or lean body mass if body fat is used. The chosen amount should be on the higher end for both cutting (to prevent muscle loss) and bulking (to avoid unnecessary fat gain). A future feature to look forward to is Reverse Dieting!

A diet type must be selected from the following options: Low Fat, Balanced, Reduced-Carb, or Ketogenic. Depending on the activity level you've chosen, a "recommended" tag will appear next to a suitable option. For high activity levels, the general recommendation is a low-fat diet, increasing carbohydrate intake to boost workout performance. However, some people might benefit from selecting a balanced diet to mitigate issues that can occur with a low-fat diet. For most people, especially those lifting weights, a ketogenic diet is not recommended. This option is available for those who specifically require it.

Once you've made your selections, your calculated Total Daily Energy Expenditure, Daily Calories, and Macros will appear. You have the option to manually adjust these figures by clicking the Macros Box, which will cause a pop-up to appear. The minimum fat intake is based on 0.4g per pound of lean body mass, while protein intake, depending on activity and goal, ranges from 0.8-1.2g per pound. Lower activity levels mean lower protein intake, and higher levels require more. During a cut, we recommend slightly higher protein intake.

Once you're satisfied with these numbers, click "Store Data". A pop-up will appear, allowing you to set the number of meals per day, ranging from 3 to 6. Here, you can view the distribution of calories and macros across these meals.

Click "Save" to store your personalized nutrition plan for tracking.

Once you've established your nutrition plan, you can monitor your daily intake using the main nutrition screen.

You have the option to name each meal for easy reference. To do this, simply click on the name, type your desired name into the text box in the pop-up, and then click the save disk icon next to the box. Once named, click "Done". The other options in this pop-up include "Save Meal" and "Get Saved Meal", which are handy for storing and retrieving meals you consume regularly. You can also use the "Clear Meal" function to start afresh.

To add a food item, click the "Add Food" button. A pop-up will appear, enabling you to search the USDA FoodData Database. You can either search using a barcode (you'll need to grant the app access to your phone's camera for this) or by typing the food's name into the text field. Sometimes, the app might need to be restarted to acknowledge this new permission.

Items with a green checkmark have been validated through meta-analysis by the USDA from the Foundation database, while other items also come from USDA-verified databases, but with slightly less validation. By default, the branded search is disabled due to the sheer number of items and their uncertain validity. However, you can enable this using the toggle. You can search for an item in the main search box and specify the brand name in the second text box.

Clicking an item will launch a pop-up where you can view the item's details, enter the quantity consumed, and add it to your meal tracker by clicking "Add Item". Many items have standard serving sizes, such as "1 egg". If you select "Use standard serving", you can specify 1 or more (or a fraction) of a standard serving, which is then converted into grams for ease of comparison. You can also input weights in ounces.

To remove an item from your meal plan, swipe left and select "Delete". Alternatively, click the item and choose "Remove Item" from its detail page.

You can click items within the meal planner to view their details and modify the amount consumed.

As you add or remove items, the app will automatically update your log for the day. These logs are stored in a database for future review and analysis.

As you track your food, the total calories and macros will display your remaining count for the day. You'll see progress circles for the daily totals, and for each meal, you'll see the "Remaining/Total" for calories and each macro. You can toggle to view total consumption as well.

Fiber and saturated fats are tracked alongside macros, with goal values set based on current recommendations. For fiber, the recommendation is 14g per 1000kCal, up to 20% of total carbs. For saturated fat, it should constitute less than 6-10% of daily calories.

To clear all meals, simply click the trash bin icon at the top of the screen.

The app is designed to encourage regular body weight check-ins every morning, or every other morning, to generate more data points for averaging. For consistency, it's recommended to take measurements first thing in the morning after using the restroom and before eating, drinking, or getting dressed.

To enter data, use the "+" symbol located at the top of the Body Weight Screen.

Taking body fat measurements weekly is more than sufficient. Body fat is an optional entry but serves as an excellent metric to track changes during a body re-composition. This also enables the app to use your Lean Body Mass.

As you enter data, logs will start appearing on the graph. After 7 days, the app will begin calculating 7-day averages, which are plotted on the graph as a blue line. Body weight averages are more indicative of trends than single measurements.

The app also calculates maintenance calories, providing valuable trending information during a body re-composition. Trends for these are typically more insightful than raw values. In addition, body fat graphs are available to visualize trending.

Information about your current goal, such as the date it was set (used for 7-day re-evaluations), and the weight loss/gain goal, is accessible.

The "Last x" data will show "Last 7" once more than 7 entries are available. This will display the amount of change over this time, as well as the percentage change of your body weight.

You can also view the body weight change over the entire period displayed on the graph.

The default display covers 30 days of data, but you can adjust this with the "No. Days" text box.

The step count feature (currently available only on iOS) tracks both daily and 7-day averages. Simply tap the step row to toggle between these.

Every 7 days, based on the goal set during nutrition calculation, the app assesses and suggests adjustments. For iOS users, the app compares your step count against your step goal and, in some cases, may recommend increasing your step count before reducing calories.

The app examines your past week's nutrition entries and, as long as you've been accurately logging your consumption, will dynamically calculate necessary adjustments. Perfect adherence to the plan isn't required. However, if your tracking deviates significantly from your plan, the app will prompt you to consider whether you want to stick to the plan and aim for better adherence the following week.

If you adhered to the program, but progress isn't aligning with goals, the app will make incremental adjustments. These are small daily adjustments to avoid overshooting or undershooting.

A disk logo at the bottom of the screen reveals all the measurements used in the graph. Measurements can be deleted here if entered in error.

The app features a workout generator that currently provides the following routines:

Upper Body Push Pull Legs: The options include 3, 4, or 5-day splits, with the 4 and 5-day versions offering extra upper body splits. These are designed as 8-week phases. Clicking "Change Phase" auto-generates a new phase by swapping out accessory workouts, using an algorithm that selects from a pool of interchangeable accessory exercises each time the "change phase" is tapped.

Lower Body Push Pull Legs: Similar to the upper body version, options include 3, 4, or 5-day splits, with the 4 and 5-day versions incorporating extra lower body splits. Designed for 8-week phases, you can generate a new phase by clicking "Change Phase", which also swaps out accessory workouts from a pool of interchangeable exercises.

Full Body: The options are categorized into three stages - Build (Stage 1), Perform (Stage 2), and Refine (Stage 3) - intended to be completed in order.

• Build: An excellent starting point for developing initial lean mass, focusing on basic plus accessory exercises for a well-rounded program. It also stimulates the central nervous system for large development signaling and is effective for rapidly increasing metabolism. Light (banded) sessions are recommended on off-days to keep the signaling going. This stage typically lasts 9-12 weeks.
• Perform: This stage involves multi-planar movements and strength. It leverages unilateral and rotational movements to express power and strength functionally. Add-on sessions are designed to improve joint balance and control movement through a range of motions. This stage also lasts 9-12 weeks.
• Refine: The final stage is a high-volume program designed to enhance muscle development. Add-on sessions focus on single muscle groups that need more development and are intended as low-intensity pump sessions. This stage is also a 9-12 week program.

You can get additional information about these full-body workouts by pressing the "Routine Info" button either from the generator screen or the main routine screen. These routines are designed as 3-4 week phases to be completed in order, as they progressively add volume and intensity while alternating training styles from strength, to hypertrophy, to muscle endurance. Exercises, rep ranges, and rest times vary with each phase. By clicking "Change Phase," you'll generate a new phase and the phase number will be displayed in the stage selection box.

Each exercise comes with a form video that can be watched for guidance, and you can swap exercises directly from the main workout screen.

After selecting your desired training, remember to save by clicking the Save disk at the top, or the "Save Routine" button in the middle or bottom of the screen.

Once saved, this routine will be readily accessible and runnable from the main training page.

The app gives you the flexibility to create your own personalized routine. From the main training page, you'll see a "+" button under each day/workout (such as workout 1). Clicking this button will allow you to add an exercise to that day's workout.

Clicking the "+" button takes you to the "Add Exercise" screen. Here, you can search for an exercise from the pre-loaded database. The search function is intuitive, allowing you to search by either the name of the exercise or the body part it targets. So, you could search for "Bench Press" or "Chest", for example.

The search results will display all the exercises matching your search. To add an exercise to your routine, simply click on it.

Once an exercise has been added to your routine, you can swipe left on it for more options. You'll have the ability to set your target rep range, edit or swap the exercise, or delete it completely.

Each preloaded exercise in the search results has an accompanying video icon. Clicking on this will play a form video for that exercise, giving you a visual guide to proper technique.

If the exercise you want to add is not preloaded in the database, you can manually enter it. To do this, click on "Manual Entry" from the "Add Exercise" screen. Fill in the required information (form videos are optional but can be helpful later on) and then click "Add Workout". This will add the exercise to your routine and also store it in the database. This means that the exercise will be included in the search results next time you search for it.

Continue this process for each day in your routine until your personal workout plan is complete.

Once your routine is set up and you're ready to begin, you can initiate the workout by clicking on the "Do Workout" button.

During the workout, the app will display the exercise name, set number, and total number of sets. For barbell exercises, it will also calculate and display the weight distribution for the barbell based on your input.

You can input the weight used in the "Weight" text box, with the plus and minus buttons incrementing the weight by units of 5. Similarly, you can log the number of reps performed in the "Reps" text box, with the increment buttons adjusting the reps by 1.

By clicking on the stopwatch, the app will log the current exercise, initiate the rest timer, and then move on to the next exercise. The duration of the rest timer is initially set in minutes, but it can be adjusted via the preferences section from the main app screen. If you wish to alter the rest time during your workout, you can add or subtract 30 seconds or stop the timer entirely.  A long press of the add/subtract 30 seconds can add or subtract 1 minute.

The "next" arrow will log the current exercise and progress to the next exercise without initiating the rest timer. Conversely, the "back" arrow will let you revert to the previous exercise. Please note that this could lead to duplicate log entries, so check your log if you use this function.

If you've performed an exercise previously and there are corresponding logs in the database, the most recent three entries will appear at the bottom of the workout screen. This feature is useful for tracking progress and determining when to increase weight or reps.

The top bar of the app provides several useful options:

• Form Video: Each pre-loaded exercise has a corresponding form video for you to refer to.
• Dumbbell Logo: This button will auto-calculate the weights required for warm-up sets.
• Calculator Logo: This button opens a one rep max (1RM) calculator.
• The “…” icon: Here you can find miscellaneous options such as changing the bar weight, locking your 1RM (which allows you to toggle reps while the app adjusts the weight to achieve the same 1RM), and viewing weight adjustment recommendations to keep you in the desired rep range.

To complete a workout, simply click the stopwatch or the "next" arrow until the end. The app will log your final exercise and show a pop-up log displaying all the tracked data from your workout. This includes total time, sets, reps, and volume.