If you have read our Fitbod App review, you know how much we enjoy and recommend the app. Fitbod is your all-in-one fitness tool that lets you put together effective workouts, track your training, and make fantastic gains at the gym, on the road, and in hotel rooms. But, of course, using the app effectively might be easier said than done, so we have put together this resource for you. Today, we will go over everything you need to know to use Fitbod effectively and make the most of your gym time.

Let us dive in.

What is Fitbod, anyway?

Let us quickly recap what Fitbod is before diving into this guide's meat and potatoes. Fitbod is a premium fitness app that allows you to put together effective workouts depending on your preferences, goals, available equipment, and other factors. The app takes just a few minutes to set up. First, you have to answer a few questions, and Fitbod uses your data to provide customized recommendations and progression for each workout. Fitbod also lets you track your progress and even provides custom graphs illustrating how things are going. The best part is that the app features a rich library of exercises, allowing you to customize your workouts as you see fit and educate yourself on proper technique.

How to use Fitbod: The initial Setup

The first step is to head over to Google Play or the Apple App Store and download Fitbod for your phone. Once downloaded and installed, the app will offer several questions you need to answer:

1. How experienced are you? Beginner, intermediate, or advanced?
2. What is your primary fitness goal? For example, strength, muscle mass, fat loss, trying something new, doing powerlifting, or learning Olympic weightlifting.
3. Where do you exercise? Large or small gym, hotel gym, garage gym, home, bodyweight only, etc. Most of the options will have you select what equipment you have available (e.g., dumbbells, barbells, etc.).
4. What muscle group did you train the last time? Chest, back, abs, etc.
5. How often would you like to work out? Again, you can pick from many options and select specific days of the week.

After the initial setup, the app asks you for basic personal information like your height, weight, age, and gender. After that, you are free to make your profile by adding your name, e-mail address, and password.

Once inside, Fitbod presents you with your first workout based on the information you have given it. In other words, it takes less than five minutes to set up, and you get a personal workout you can do right away. 

How to make the most of Fitbod

1. Which Training Mode to Select

The great thing about Fitbod is that the app gives you clear options for your training, and there is no confusion because each possibility is distinct. For example, you can pick an option to get stronger, but you also have one for pure powerlifting. While similar, the two are different enough, so you can choose the one that fits you best. Similarly, you can pick an option to increase muscle size, but you can also go for muscle tone and weight loss. 

Picking the correct mode or goal can feel overwhelming, but the process is relatively straightforward. It starts with sitting down and determining what fitness goals you want to achieve and how you would prefer to do so. For instance, men are more likely to enjoy heavy weight training, so picking powerlifting or strength training could work well. In contrast, women are most likely not as obsessed with gaining muscles and would benefit from a general fitness goal to get started.

Bodybuilding is also a decent option for many people because combining the principles with Fitbod's flexibility makes it easy to put together unique workouts for muscle growth. You can leverage numerous training methods, including push/pull/legs and upper/lower splits. However, these details we will demystify in another article.

You can also integrate some supersets and circutes in your workout. A superset is a term used to describe performing two exercises, back to back, with no rest. These exercises are typically strength or hypertrophy based and can be training the same muscle groups, or different ones. Once you have completed both exercises, you then rest. Circuits are very similar, however they generally include three more movements and target different muscle groups. A circuit is done in a rotating manner, with little to no rest periods between each round. Additionaly, non-strength and muscle-building-based movements can be included.

2. When to change your Training

You should change your training each time you set about achieving a new goal. For example, training for muscle gain is one thing, but working out for optimal fat loss is slightly different. So, each time you change your objectives, make the necessary changes inside the app. Doing so will change your workouts, allowing you to attack your goals better. You can also choose to switch things up to keep workouts engaging. For example, you can dabble in powerlifting for a while, switch to hypertrophy training, or do some bodyweight-only workouts. There is no single way to get fit. Try different things and adjust variables from time to time.

There is, of course, also an option to exclude specific exercises from a workout. You might not enjoy the handstand push-up, so why bother every time the app picks this up again? Just click "More" at the end of the exercise instructions and select "Exclude Exercise." The app will stop including the exercise in your future workouts. Exploring this section might contain some other benefits you could enjoy. For example, you can add warm-up sets in this hidden area, change from kilos to pounds, or add helpful notes for future workouts.

An essential part of changing your training is tracking muscle recovery and ensuring that you are not overtraining a specific body region. Fitbod is excellent because the app provides in-depth recovery tracking, allowing you to see how each muscle group is recovered based on what training you have done so far. The app also considers your recovery when making new suggestions, so you are free to let Fitbod lead you down new paths. Just note that workouts tracked outside of Fitbod are not considered in the recovery section, even when shared with the phone Health app.

It is also worth noting that Fitbod relies heavily on artificial intelligence (AI) to put together new workouts for you. The app collects information and develops training plans based on your feedback. An obvious benefit is that having new workouts all the time keeps things fresh and allows you to explore and learn new exercises. However, the problem is that doing new workouts all the time means you learn things more slowly, and the potential to do things incorrectly increases. So, it is essential to watch the videos carefully, check your technique in a mirror, film some of your training sets, or have a friend help you master proper form.

3. Save your favorite Workouts

The great thing about Fitbod is that it allows you to log every workout you do and save them for later use. The required menu for this activity is accessible using the three dots at the top right. You can choose to keep a workout for later use by selecting the "Save Workout" option. How it works is quite simple. To access a saved workout, click the "+New" button, which opens the menu to create a new workout. You can either create a new routine or select a previously saved workout. Simple as that. 

In case you missed saving a workout, no worries. All workouts are stored in the archive, and you do not lose access to them. You can also access your finished workouts under the "Log" section. The app presents you with data such as:

• How long it took you to complete the workout
• How many calories you burned
• Your volume of lifted weight

Of course, you might not enjoy such a style of constantly doing new workouts. Instead, you might prefer to stick to one workout plan for an extended period, repeatedly doing the same few workouts. In that case, a more straightforward app like Alpha Progression might be the better choice.

4. Share Workouts With Your Workout Buddy

These three dots at the top right allow you to share your favorite workout(s) with your gym buddy. Using an app does not mean training alone. The "Share Workout" feature in the app creates a unique URL that you can share using WhatsApp, text messages, or e-mail. Your workout buddy can click on this URL, and it all happens automatically. Doing so will load your workouts and match them with your gym buddy's profile and preferences – a true win-win.

Another sharing option happens when your workout is done. You can also share your results with the broader community. As far as sharing workout goes, it is up to you. For example, you might have had a great session and are now happy with a new personal best. In that case, share your progress with your gym buddy or even the broader community and ask for feedback.

5. Use the Plate Calculator

If you lift a significant weight, then this feature is for you. The Plate Calculator can be convenient for quickly figuring out the plates you need to use for a given weight. Swipe right on a set to access the Plate Calculator. And it calculates the number of plates you need on each side to achieve your lift, of course, considering the weight of your bar. Supported equipment: Olympic Bar, Standard Short Bar, EZ Bar, Yoke Bar, Trap (Hex) Bar, Swiss Bar, or Smith Machine (Custom Bar).

Unfortunately, this feature is available on iOS only. If you need this urgently, give Alpha Progression a try.

Fitbod and Apple Watch

For those in the Apple ecosystem, Fitbod is also available on Apple Watch. The smartwatch app allows you to 

• start and stop your workouts
• adjust reps and weights for the current set
• log sets and exercises
• view rest-timers and get haptic feedback

Fitbod also connects with the heart rate sensors from the Apple Watch and uses it to factor into the calories burned calculation. However, be aware that you must log the workout on the iPhone for your workout to be saved. In other words, you will always need to be connected to your iPhone when logging a finished workout.

To avoid double-counting in Apple Health and/or Fitbod, you should use only one app to track your workouts. Pro Tip: If you end your workout on the iPhone but leave the Apple Watch app open for three more minutes, Apple Fitness will be able to generate HR Recovery rate stats which you can then view and track in Apple Health.

How to use Fitbod when Traveling

The great thing about Fitbod is the fantastic versatility the app offers. The developers behind the app have genuinely thought about everything: your schedule, preferences, available equipment, goals, and much more. 

Because of its versatility, Fitbod is accommodating for people in various situations. So whether you train at the same gym year-round or find yourself traveling every week, the app works well with minimal setup. 

When traveling, all you have to do is adjust:  

• Create a new gym profile to add the available training equipment (if any)
• Adjust your training schedule (and specific days you can train on)

You can also tweak options like: 

• Fitness goals
• Whether you want circuits and supersets or not
• Cardio recommendations
• Workout duration

Once you have gone over these options under the "Your Gym" tab, the app will offer personalized training recommendations to keep you going. For example, let us say that you will be staying at a hotel, but you do not have access to the gym there. While not ideal, you can grab a couple of bodyweight workouts from Fitbod and stay on track with your training. 

A few more Words on Gym Profiles

The Fitbod app allows users to have multiple profiles they can switch between with ease. Each profile is unique because putting them together requires you to answer things like: 

• Available equipment
• Training goals
• Workout preferences
• Experience
• Workout duration
• Training split preferences
• Exercises to exclude

You can have various profiles based on where you are training or what you are in the mood for. For instance, you can put together a gym profile for when you are on the road and focus on bodyweight training suggestions. You can also put together profiles if you train at different gyms. That way, you can immediately switch from one profile to the next and get actionable training suggestions.

Access your gym profiles or create new ones by visiting your gym profile page inside the app. You will have the option to add a new profile and customize it, or access an existing one when you're traveling, visiting a new gym, or simply looking for a routine you can do at home.

Sine final Words

Fitbod is undoubtedly a leader in the space - and thanks to our partnership, you get the app with a 25% discount.

FAQs

How accurately does Fitbod calculate calories?

After completing a workout, Fitbod will estimate the calories burned. The app calculates this by considering the total volume of weight used in all exercises, the overall workout duration, and the personal physical attributes such as height, weight, gender, and age.

The reported number provides some helpful insights into the calories burned, but they are just estimates. A fitness tracker or smartwatch can help you get more accurate data if you are serious about measuring your burned calories. And if you have an Apple Watch, Fitbod can use that data to refine its calories burned reporting.

Can I use Fitbod without internet access?

The beauty of Fitbod is that you can access most of its features even if you find yourself without internet access. You can use the app, log workouts, and have all the data uploaded to Fitbod once your internet access comes back.