Workouts

Starting a workout

There are three ways to start a workout from the Workout tab.

From the recommendation slate

Three workout suggestions appear near the top of the screen. Tap any card to see a summary, then tap Start to begin. See Workout Recommendations for how these are generated.

From the plan card (Today's Plan)

If you have an active routine or program, the Today's Plan card shows your scheduled session. Tap the main Start button to begin. The button label reflects what's planned (e.g. "Start Push Day", "Start Run").

From the exercise picker

Scroll down to the Log a workout section and tap it to open the exercise picker. Browse or search for exercises, select one or more, then tap Start workout to begin an empty session with those exercises loaded.

You can also tap Start empty to open a blank workout and add exercises as you go.

Today's adjustments

Before you start, you can record how today is going with three on-demand options. Open Today's adjustments from the Today's Plan card. All are optional.

Make today easier — Cuts today's volume and duration by 20% (for strength and cardio, whichever you haven't started yet). Choose this if you're feeling fatigued, slightly under the weather, or have carried-over soreness. It won't change a session you've already started today, and it doesn't apply if you're already in a deload week (training is automatically reduced then).

Keep full sets today — For days you feel recovered: restores the sets the engine trimmed for muscle recovery, for today only. Weight is unchanged, and it won't change a session you've already started today. The control tells you when it can't do anything — it's greyed out with an explanation if your exercises are already at full volume, during a deload week (those reductions are the deload's), or while "Make today easier" is on (the two pull today in opposite directions). It also doesn't lift other kinds of volume reduction: a whole-body training-load cap or a specific exercise's deload recommendation still applies and is named when it does.

Log how recovered you feel — A 1–10 self-report (Terrible → Fully recovered). This is a daily check-in used to spot fatigue building up across the week — it does not change today's session. It feeds a slow, aggregate trend signal rather than an immediate prescription change.

You can change any option at any time. "Make today easier" and "Keep full sets today" each apply only for the rest of today.

Today's plan — the CTA row

The CTA row sits at the top of the plan card: a switch icon button on the left, the main Start button in the centre, and a preview icon button on the right.

Start button — Begins the scheduled session. The label updates to reflect what's planned. If a session is already in progress, tapping resumes it. The button shows a loading spinner while programme or cardio prescription data is being fetched.

Preview (eye icon) — Opens a read-only summary of today's planned exercises, sets, and coaching notes before you commit to starting. Useful for checking what's ahead without beginning the timer.

Switch icon — Expands three options below the CTA row:

• Switch day — Move to a different day in your current programme (e.g. swap Monday's session for Wednesday's).
• Switch routine — Open the routine picker and start a different routine instead.
• Switch to Cardio / Switch to Strength — If both a strength session and a cardio session are prescribed today, toggle which one you want to start first. Only available when both modalities are scheduled.

Tracking sets

Each exercise uses one of seven tracking types depending on what it measures.

Weight x Reps — Enter the weight lifted and number of reps completed. The app shows the target weight and rep range above the input. Previous sets are listed below.

Reps Only — Enter the number of reps with no weight field. Used for bodyweight exercises like press-ups and pull-ups.

Reps in Time — Enter reps completed within a fixed time window (e.g. max push-ups in 60 seconds).

Duration — Enter how long you held or performed the exercise (e.g. plank, wall sit). Tap the timer icon to use a live countdown instead of entering the time manually.

Continuous Duration — For free-flow sessions with no discrete sets (e.g. yoga, stretching). You track one continuous duration rather than logging individual sets.

Distance — Enter the distance covered per attempt (e.g. broad jump, flexibility reach). This is not a GPS map type.

Pace/Distance (GPS) — Records a GPS-tracked run, ride, or walk. Tap the map icon in the exercise header to open the full-screen GPS view. See 2.8 GPS tracking.

To add a set, tap the + button at the bottom of the exercise card. To delete a set, swipe it left.

Logging effort (RPE)

RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) is a 1–10 scale for how hard a set or session felt. 1 is easy walking; 10 is maximum effort.

Per-exercise RPE — Tap the effort (gauge) icon in the add-set row at the bottom of an exercise card to rate that specific exercise. The coaching engine uses this to adjust future targets for that exercise.

Session RPE — At the end of the workout, the complete screen asks for an overall session effort rating. This feeds into your calorie estimate and session coaching data.

If you skip RPE, targets still update using other signals (reps completed, weight used), but the estimate is less precise.

Rest timers

A rest timer starts automatically after each completed set (if enabled in your preferences). The timer runs in the background — you can add notes, browse other exercises, or lock your screen while it counts down.

A vibration and audio alert fires when the timer reaches zero. The rest duration auto-completes and the next set is ready.

Changing the rest duration

Tap the timer display in the workout toolbar to adjust the duration for the current exercise. Changes persist for the remainder of the session; rest duration is set per exercise (on its detail page), so they don't affect other workouts unless you update that exercise's default there.

Skipping the timer

Tap Skip on the timer overlay to dismiss it early.

Supersets

A superset pairs two exercises so you alternate sets between them rather than completing all sets of one before moving to the other.

Creating a superset

Tap the ⋮ menu on an exercise card and select Superset. The superset modal lists exercises currently in your workout that are eligible to be paired. Tap one to create the pairing.

Supersets are numbered (Group 1, Group 2, etc.) and shown with a shared indicator on both exercise cards. You can join an existing group or create a new one.

Removing from a superset

Open the superset modal for the exercise and tap Remove from superset.

Note: GPS and continuous-duration exercises (e.g. yoga, long runs) cannot be added to supersets.

GPS tracking during a workout

Any exercise with the Distance & Pace tracking type can record a GPS route.

Starting GPS recording

When you tap to begin a set on a GPS exercise, the app requests location permission if not already granted. Recording starts automatically with the set.

Full-screen GPS view

Tap the map icon on the exercise card to enter full-screen mode. This shows your live route, current pace, distance, elapsed time, and heart rate (if a monitor is connected). Tap back to return to the workout without interrupting recording.

After the set

When you complete the set, the route is saved and a summary (distance, average pace, elevation) appears in the set row. Tap the route on the workout detail screen to view the full map.

Heart rate during a workout

Live monitor (Bluetooth)

If you have a paired Bluetooth heart rate monitor (Premium), your BPM displays in real time in the workout toolbar throughout the session. See Heart Rate Monitor for pairing instructions.

Post-workout enrichment via health platform

If you don't have a live monitor, the app automatically imports HR data from Apple Health (iOS) or Health Connect (Android) after you complete a workout, provided the health platform has a matching recording. This happens in the background and updates your workout detail within a few minutes.

Exercise notes and pain flagging

Notes

Tap the notes icon (speech bubble) on an exercise card to add a free-text note for that exercise. Notes are visible on the workout detail screen and in exercise history. Use this for cues, setup reminders, or anything else you want to remember.

Pain flag

Tap the ⋮ menu and select Flag pain. A pain indicator appears on the exercise card and is recorded in your history. If you flag the same exercise across three or more sessions, a coaching card appears on the Workout screen suggesting you consult a physiotherapist.

Swapping, removing, and adding exercises mid-workout

Removing an exercise

Tap the ⋮ menu on the exercise card and select Remove. If the exercise has logged sets, you'll be asked to confirm. Removed exercises are not saved in the final workout.

Swapping an exercise

Tap the ⋮ menu and select Swap exercise. This opens the alternatives picker, which lists the exercises configured as alternatives for the current exercise. Links work in both directions — an exercise that lists yours as an alternative appears here too. Alternatives from a different activity category carry a Mix label. Selecting a replacement carries over any target data from the original exercise where it is compatible.

Adding an exercise

Scroll to the bottom of the exercise list and tap Add exercises. This opens the full exercise picker where you can search, filter, and select one or more exercises to append to the current workout. Added exercises are populated with coaching targets in the same way as a planned workout — the engine looks up your history for each exercise and sets weight, reps, and coaching notes accordingly.

Completing a workout

When you're ready to finish, tap Complete (or the checkmark in the toolbar).

The complete screen shows:

• Elapsed time and the option to adjust start/end times if needed
• Session RPE slider
• Session notes field (free text)
• Heart rate summary (if HR data is available)
• Distance summary (for GPS workouts)
• Incomplete sets notice if any sets weren't logged — you can mark all as complete here
• Save as routine option if this was an ad-hoc session you want to repeat

Tap Complete workout to save. Your activity points, calorie estimate, and coaching data are updated immediately.

Logging a past workout

If you completed a workout but forgot to log it in real time, scroll down to the Log a workout section on the Workout screen and tap Log a past workout.

This opens the exercise picker, where you can select exercises and build the session. When you tap complete, you'll be asked to enter the start and end time so the workout is saved with the correct timestamp and feeds your historical data correctly.

Forgotten workout prompt

If the app detects you started a session but stopped logging (for example, the timer ran for several hours with no sets entered), it will show a prompt when you next open the app:

• Continue — Resume the session as-is.
• End now — Complete and save with the current timestamp.
• End at [suggested time] — Save using the last detected activity time, which is usually the most accurate option.

Editing a past workout

Open any past workout from the Workout tab's history list, then tap the edit icon (pencil) in the top right.

What you can edit:

• Start and end times
• Workout-level RPE and notes
• Distance (for GPS exercises — you can override the recorded distance)
• Individual exercises (swap them)
• Remove exercises from the record

What you cannot change after saving:

• Sets already logged (weight, reps, duration values)
• The order sets were completed in

Viewing workout detail

Tap any workout in the history list to open its detail screen.

Summary card — Duration, estimated calories, session RPE, and distance if applicable.

HR graph — If heart rate data is available (from a live monitor or post-workout health sync), a graph of BPM over time is shown, with zone distribution below it.

PB badges — Any personal bests set during this session are highlighted with a badge on the relevant exercise. Tap a PB badge to see your history for that exercise.

Exercise sections — Each exercise lists every set logged, including weight, reps, and any equipment used. Tap an exercise name to go to the exercise's detail page.

Route map — GPS exercises show a map of the route. Tap to expand.

Lock-screen controls & Live Activity

While a workout is running, FitSum keeps your session visible on the lock screen so you can track and control it without unlocking your phone. The implementation depends on your platform:

• iOS — FitSum runs a Live Activity on the lock screen and in the Dynamic Island (requires iOS 16.2 or later). Tapping it opens the workout in the app.
• Android — FitSum runs a persistent foreground-service notification with lock-screen controls.

If Live Activities are turned off in your iOS settings, or your device is older than iOS 16.2, the workout continues normally without lock-screen presence — no session data is lost.

What's shown

• Current exercise and set progress (e.g. "Set 2/4")
• Elapsed workout time, or a rest-timer countdown when resting
• GPS distance and pace for cardio sessions
• Live heart rate (BPM) when a monitor is connected

Lock-screen buttons

• Skip — End the current rest timer immediately
• +30 s — Add 30 seconds to the rest timer
• Pause / Resume — Pause or resume the whole workout
• Mark Complete — Log the next strength or endurance set using its stored target values, without opening the app. This only appears when a next set is pending and has enough stored target data to complete silently.

When you finish a workout, a brief "Workout Complete" banner is shown on iOS before the Live Activity is dismissed.