Active Workout Guide

This guide covers everything you need to know about using the Active Workout screen in AtomFitness — from logging sets to using smart features that help you train more effectively.

📖 Related: See the Training Guide for creating workouts, splits, and using the AI split creator.

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Starting a Workout

There are several ways to start a workout:

Starting an Empty Workout

Don't have a planned workout? No problem:

1. Tap the + button in the Training tab
2. Select Start Empty Workout
3. Add exercises as you go using the + button

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The Workout Screen

When you start a workout, you'll see a comprehensive interface designed for efficient training:

Header Section

• Workout Name — Tap to edit the name
• Timer — Shows elapsed time (tap to pause)
• Menu (•••) — Access additional options

Exercise Card

• Exercise Name — Current exercise with image
• Set Counter — "Set 2 of 4" indicator
• Progressive Overload Indicator — Lightbulb icon when suggestions are available

Set Logging Area

• Completed Sets — Cards showing what you've already done
• Active Set — Input fields for current set
• Target Sets — Planned sets remaining

Bottom Navigation

Swipe or tap to navigate between exercises. The current exercise is highlighted.

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Logging Sets

Basic Set Logging

1. Enter Weight — Type the weight or use +/- buttons
2. Enter Reps — Number of repetitions completed
3. Complete Set — Tap the checkmark to log the set

Input Fields by Exercise Type

Different exercises show different input fields:

Quick Input Tips

• Tap a field — Opens the smart numpad for easy input
• Swipe on weight — Quick +/- 5 lb adjustments
• Tap completed set — Edit a previously logged set
• Long press set — Delete or mark as warmup

RPE Tracking (Rate of Perceived Exertion)

RPE helps track how hard each set felt:

Tracking RPE helps the app understand your true capacity for better recommendations.

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Smart Features

AtomFitness learns from your training history to make logging faster and more intelligent.

Auto-Fill Weight

The app automatically suggests weights based on:

1. Previous set in current workout (for consistency)
2. Last workout for this exercise
3. Progressive overload recommendations

You can always override the suggestion.

Progressive Overload Suggestions

When you see the lightbulb icon, the app has analyzed your recent performance and has a suggestion:

• Tap the lightbulb to see the recommendation
• View suggested weight increase with explanation
• Accept to apply the new weight, or Dismiss to ignore

See the Progressive Overload Guide for detailed information on how recommendations are calculated.

Personal Record Alerts

When you hit a new PR (Personal Record), you'll see:

• Trophy icon appears on the set
• Haptic feedback celebrates your achievement
• PR is recorded in your exercise history

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Timers

AtomFitness includes two independent timers you can use during your workout.

Accessing Timers

Tap the Timer button in the bottom toolbar to open the Timers modal. You'll see two sections:

• Set Rest Timer — For rest periods between sets
• Set Timer — A general-purpose countdown timer

Rest Timer

The rest timer helps you maintain consistent rest periods between sets.

Features:

• Countdown display — Shows time remaining with progress ring
• Tap to skip — Ready early? Tap the timer in the header to skip
• Auto-start — Optionally starts automatically after completing a set
• Saves your preference — When you select a rest duration, it becomes your new default

Quick Select Options: 30s, 45s, 60s, 90s, 2:00, 3:00, or enter a custom duration.

Customizing Default Rest Duration:

You can set your default rest timer in two ways:

1. During workout — Tap Timer in toolbar, select a duration (this saves as your new default)
2. In settings — Go to More → Settings → Workout Settings

General Timer

The general timer is a standalone countdown that runs independently from the rest timer. Use it for:

• Timed exercises or holds
• Tracking time under tension
• Any countdown you need during your workout

Features:

• Independent — Runs alongside the rest timer without interference
• Visual distinction — Displayed in white to differentiate from rest timer (which uses your primary color)
• No auto-save — Duration is not saved to your preferences

Quick Select Options: 30s, 45s, 60s, 90s, 2:00, 3:00, or enter a custom duration.

Timer Display in Header

When timers are active, they appear in the header next to the workout timer:

• Rest timer — Shows with your primary color and "Rest" label
• General timer — Shows in white with "Timer" label
• Position — Whichever timer starts first appears on the left
• Warning color — Both timers turn orange when 10 seconds or less remain
• Tap to cancel — Tap either timer to stop it

Timer Notifications

When a timer completes:

• Haptic vibration — Alerts at 10s, 3s, 2s, and completion
• Success feedback — Confirmation vibration when timer finishes
• Visual indicator — Green checkmark briefly appears (rest timer only)

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Exercise Navigation

Swipe Navigation

• Swipe left — Go to next exercise
• Swipe right — Go to previous exercise

Bottom Navigator

The horizontal bar at the bottom shows all exercises:

• Tap any exercise to jump directly to it
• Blue highlight indicates current exercise
• Checkmark shows completed exercises
• Progress dots show sets completed for each exercise

Exercise Order

Exercises appear in the order defined in your workout template. Complete them in any order you prefer — the app adapts to your flow.

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Managing Exercises

Adding Exercises Mid-Workout

1. Tap the + button (or swipe to the end)
2. Search or browse the exercise library
3. Select an exercise to add it to your workout

Swapping Exercises

Need to substitute an exercise?

1. Long press on the exercise card
2. Select Swap Exercise
3. Choose a replacement from the library

Removing Exercises

1. Long press on the exercise card
2. Select Remove Exercise
3. Confirm deletion

Note: Completed sets for removed exercises are still saved.

Reordering Exercises

During an active workout, exercises maintain their original order. To reorder, edit the workout template before starting.

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Plate Calculator

The Plate Calculator helps you quickly figure out which plates to load on the bar.

Opening the Calculator

1. Tap the calculator icon in the weight input area
2. Or access from the menu (•••) → Plate Calculator

Using the Calculator

1. Enter target weight — The total weight you want on the bar
2. Set bar weight — Default is 45 lbs (20 kg), adjust if using a different bar
3. View plates per side — Color-coded visual of plates needed

Plate Breakdown

The calculator shows plates needed per side:

Quick Apply

Tap Use This Weight to automatically fill in the weight field with your calculated total.

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Warmup Calculator

The Warmup Calculator generates a scientifically-backed warmup protocol for heavy lifts.

Opening the Calculator

1. Long press on an exercise
2. Select Generate Warmups

How It Works

Based on your working weight, the calculator generates progressively heavier warmup sets:

Adding Warmup Sets

1. Review the generated warmup protocol
2. Tap Add Warmup Sets to insert them before your working sets
3. Warmup sets are marked with a special indicator

Warmup Set Marking

• Warmup sets are labeled and visually distinct
• They don't count toward your "working sets" statistics
• Still logged for complete workout history

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Exercise History & Stats

Viewing Exercise History

1. Tap the chart icon on any exercise card
2. Or long press → View History

What You'll See

• Recent sessions — Last 10 workouts with this exercise
• Personal records — All-time bests for weight, reps, volume
• Progress chart — Visual trend of your performance
• Average stats — Typical weight, reps, and volume

Using History During Sets

Reference your history to:

• See what weight you used last time
• Check if you're on track for progression
• Review notes from previous sessions

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Live Activity & Dynamic Island

On supported iOS devices, AtomFitness displays workout information in the Dynamic Island and Lock Screen.

What's Displayed

• Current exercise name
• Set progress (e.g., "Set 2/4")
• Workout timer
• Rest timer (when resting)

Dynamic Island Interactions

• Tap — Opens the full workout screen
• Long press — Expands to show more details

Lock Screen Widget

Even with your phone locked, you can see:

• Current exercise and set
• Quick "Complete Set" button
• Rest timer countdown

Enabling Live Activity

Live Activity is enabled by default. To toggle:

1. Go to More → Settings → Workout Settings
2. Toggle Live Activity on or off

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Pausing & Resuming

Pausing a Workout

Need to take a break?

1. Tap the pause button (⏸) in the header
2. Or tap the timer to pause

When paused:

• Timer stops
• "PAUSED" indicator appears
• Workout state is preserved

Resuming

Tap the play button (▶) or timer to resume.

Background Persistence

Your workout persists even if you:

• Switch to another app
• Lock your phone
• Receive a phone call

The app automatically saves your progress. If the app closes unexpectedly, you can resume from where you left off.

Resuming an Interrupted Workout

If you close the app mid-workout:

1. Open AtomFitness
2. You'll see a "Resume Workout" prompt
3. Tap Resume to continue, or Discard to cancel

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Completing Your Workout

Finishing

When you've completed all exercises (or want to finish early):

1. Tap Finish Workout button
2. Review your workout summary
3. Optionally add:
   • Workout photo — Capture your post-workout selfie
   • Notes — Record how you felt, observations, etc.
4. Tap Save & Complete

Workout Summary

After completing, you'll see:

• Total duration
• Exercises completed
• Total sets
• Total volume (weight × reps)
• Personal records achieved
• Muscle groups worked

Canceling a Workout

Changed your mind?

1. Tap menu (•••) → Cancel Workout
2. Confirm cancellation
3. Note: Canceled workouts are not saved

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Workout Review

After completing a workout, you can review and edit your session.

Accessing Past Workouts

1. Go to Training → History
2. Tap any workout to view details

What You Can Edit

• Individual sets — Adjust weight, reps, or RPE
• Add sets — Insert forgotten sets
• Delete sets — Remove incorrect entries
• Workout notes — Add or edit notes
• Photo — Add or change the workout photo

Sharing Your Workout

From the workout review screen:

1. Tap Share
2. Choose your sharing method
3. Share your stats with friends!

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Tips & Best Practices

Before Your Workout

1. Review your plan — Know what exercises you'll be doing
2. Set your rest timer — Configure appropriate rest periods
3. Check your history — See what weights you used last time

During Your Workout

1. Log every set — Even failed attempts provide valuable data
2. Use RPE — Rate of Perceived Exertion helps calibrate future recommendations
3. Trust the suggestions — Smart defaults are based on your history
4. Take notes — Record anything unusual (fatigue, form issues, etc.)

After Your Workout

1. Review your session — Make sure all sets are logged correctly
2. Add a photo — Visual progress tracking is motivating
3. Write notes — Future you will thank present you

Maximizing Smart Features

1. Be consistent — Log every workout for better recommendations
2. Enter accurate data — The app learns from your inputs
3. Complete all reps or note failures — This helps the app understand your capacity
4. Don't skip warmups — Mark them as warmups for accurate statistics

Common Mistakes to Avoid

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Troubleshooting

Workout Won't Start

• Check your internet connection
• Make sure you're logged in
• Try restarting the app

Lost Progress

• Check Training → History for auto-saved workouts
• Look for "Resume Workout" prompt on app launch
• Contact support if data seems missing

Timer Issues

• Check notification permissions in device settings
• Ensure "Do Not Disturb" isn't blocking alerts
• Verify rest timer setting in Workout Settings

Live Activity Not Showing

• Requires iOS 16.1 or later
• Check Settings → AtomFitness → Live Activities is enabled
• Restart the app after enabling

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Getting Help

Need assistance during your workout?

• In-App Help: Tap (?) icons for contextual help
• Contact Support: More → Help & Support
• Community: Join our community for tips and advice

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Train hard, log smart, and watch your progress soar!