Congratulations for starting your fitness journey - Now it’s time to get training and enjoy using the app!

Start by taking full advantage of all it’s features from measuring your bodyweight and picture progress, listening and watching my video demonstrations, inputting your workout weights to be reminded in your next workout, the customl timer feature, and so much more!

Also don’t forget to check out your additional documents such as the nutrition & lifestyle guide to start getting the best results.

Please get familiar with the app and with the different plans available. Alex can advise you on the best one for you after understanding your goals and challenges. Please email him at support@alexcrockford.com with information about your current weight, fitness level and goal. You can take a quick look into each plan in the app and read the summary to learn more.

We invite you to take a look into the nutrition plan in the app. Having the right nutrition in place is crucial. Please take a look into the document as an understanding of how to improve your nutrition, and how many calories you need to consume per day will get you closer to your goals.

We all know that success in your health & fitness journey comes down to being part of a community and feeling supported. There are so many ways to interact with our community and I can’t wait to see you thrive with our support!

If you want to feel involved and more accountable then get active on any platform you like, tagging Alex Crockford and you will be supported.

This is the main hub for our community for a safe place to share our journey with like minded people. A great place to motivate, uplift and encourage us all - whatever our goals! (If you aren’t accepted in the group then please check your Facebook messenger as I may need to verify your email.) Please click here to join.

Every week on a Monday 6pm (UK time) in the Facebook group, Alex goes live to answer any questions or concerns you have whenever you have them! It’s a fun time to interact with others in the community and ask me some specific questions you’re needing help with.

Yes, Alex is helping thousands of users worldwide. I know it seems hard to believe, it’s all part of the service! Please email here with any questions regarding your health, fitness & wellness journey. Alex can help you with anything to help you moving in the right direction. We aim to reply within 24 hours.

It totally depends on your goals and needs. In the app you can find plans that are designed to be done in the gym and plans that could be done at home or anywhere - with equipment or without equipment. We can help you select the plan that best meets your needs and goals if you need help.

You can email Alex at support@alexcrockford.com and tell us a bit about yourself and your fitness journey and goals. Alex would be happy to advise you on the best plan for you to follow.

You can also click each plan and check the read more option to understand more about the plan and how it could help you.

There is also a plan finder on the home page of the app to help you find your plan.

The best way to know what is the right weight for you, is to start with lifting a very light and comfortable weight and slowly increase from there until you find a weight that challenges your muscles but you’re still able to maintain safe and effective technique. Never use a weight that is too heavy for you as this could be dangerous and cause injury.

Coach mode is a pre-recorded full length video, allowing you to follow the session in real-time. The same as you would expect from YouTube videos. These aren’t suitable for gym workouts due to the multiple variables making it impossible to follow in real-time, such as different equipment, exercise order etc.

With In-app flow you can see the list of exercises, the timer for work and rest periods, your weights, and also a short video and audio demo of each exercise. Depending on the workout, the app flow might be automatic through the workout, or require you to manually interact with the app to trigger the next steps.

Every cycle is designed differently based on the plan. Usually, the initial cycles focus on laying down the foundation and as you advance, the cycles start pushing you further. Depending on the plan the cycle can also focus on specific parts of the body or a full-body approach.

We recommend you to read the cycle description to know more about the focus of each cycle.

Absolutely, you can use the workout filter feature to find the right session for you. You can select your workout based on the location, duration, fitness level and equipment available.

The filter feature can be found at the top of the plans page

The Challenges are focused on getting the community together to follow one plan for a short period of time. These challenges have an expiration date and are a fun way to give an extra boost to your standard training routine. The challenge plans use existing workouts from the app that but re-configured into a new plan.

A drop set is an advanced resistance training technique in which you focus on completing a set until failure (cant complete any more reps), or you reach the suggested reps. At this point, you reduce the weight immediately (or sometimes a small rest) and continue doing more reps of this exercise. This can continue 2 or 3 times or even more.

Striping sets are the same as drop sets but are usually applied only to the final set. There is usually less structure in the rep goal and you can keep lifting until failure, and reducing weight all the way until your have ‘stripped the bar’ for example.

The app is compatible with every iOS and Android device.

Tablets may work, however keep in mind that the app has not been developed for tablets so the features and experience may not be ideal.

Beside some exercises you can see a blue circle with an “i”. Please click it to read some notes Alex has prepared for that particular exercise. This will be helpful to follow the exercises as intended or to understand various training methods such as super-sets or drop sets etc.

Yes! If you love a session and want to access it easily, then you can click the favourite / heart icon on the workout summary screen.

This session will then appear on your favourites page, which can be accessed from the plans tab. You can also filter favourite sessions by using the filter feature on the favourites page, if you wanted to select a certain type of session or duration etc.

You can remove sessions from your favourite by de-selecting the heart icon.

The sessions are designed to be followed in order. That said, I understand that gyms can be crowded and sometimes machines / equipment might not be available. In those cases, if required, you can click ahead to other exercises that are available, and return to it once the machine / equipment is available. Hopefully, you don't need to change the order too much as there is a logic in the way they are presented in the plan.

For example, I understand that GymFit includes many supersets, so at any point you need to not do the supersets and do one exercise at a time then that is fine as well.

In GymAthlete plan for example, we don't have supersets and is a very standard training approach that you’ll find very easy to follow in the gym. The dumbbell or kettlebell plan are also easy to follow in the gym, because all you’ll need is a set of weights in a corner by yourself.

In many workouts there are exercises partnered together in supersets, trisets, giant sets or circuits. I have tried my best to create these workouts to suit most gyms, however the layout of gyms are all different and sometimes the gym is too busy to use multiple equipment at once.

In these cases it is completely fine to just do one exercise at a time and click to the next exercise in the app when you can do it. Use my workouts as a guide but if you need to make it your own based on the circumstance then that is great!

If this is frustrating for you then, in GymAthlete plan for example, we don't have supersets and it is a very standard training approach that you’ll find very easy to follow in the gym. The dumbbell or kettlebell plan are also easy to follow in the gym, because all you’ll need is a set of weights in a corner by yourself.

You can start a plan from scratch by clicking the first workout in the plan. This will trigger a popup asking you if you’d like to start the plan from scratch. Click yes and this should create a fresh plan for you. If this doesn’t work or there are any issues then please let us know. Once you have started a plan from scratch, you will not be able to access your previous attempt. All your workout weights are remembered for your future workouts don’t worry.

If you have finished all the plans in a full program for example, all of the GymFit plans - you can explore another gym program such as GymAthlete or single equipment plans such as kettlebell or dumbbell.

Another great option is to start the whole GymFit journey again. Your fitness and experience has changed a lot after completing all of the plans, so starting again will feel like starting again from a new place, seeing how far you’ve come with technique and maybe even the amount of weight you can lift.

Another final option is to select cycles within plans that you really enjoyed or got great results in, and staying there for longer. For example if GymFit2 cycle 3 was great for you, then you can explore what it’s like to extend this cycle out for 6-8 weeks if you like, or until your mind or body is bored with it and then try another one.

Enjoy, and let me know if you have any questions!

Yes, it’s possible to listen to your favorite songs while actively using the app. In case you face any issues please reach out to support@alexcrockford.com and we will be happy to help you.

I think this is the most important and useful way of measurement because this is most commonly what people are trying to change, how they look! As your bodyfat drops and you increase lean tissue, your body will start to transform, and photos are the best way to capture that. Take photos without your top on, from the front, back and side of your body. Do this before you start and then weekly afterwards, on the same day, at the same time of day, in the same place and ideally with the same lighting. This will help you maintain a consistent measurement. You can add these pictures regularly in the app, but don’t worry only you can see them!

Each session is divided into three parts: warm-ups, exercises and stretch. You must have all circles turned into blue on the left bar before a session is shown as complete.

If you are replacing an exercise or taking extra rest time, or manually moving ahead to another exercise, then make sure you click skip or allow the rest period to complete on each exercise to ensure the workout is fully complete with a blue circle.

Another option, if you missed exercises, you can can click the 3 dots on the top right of the workout summary screen and click ‘mark all as complete’ to fully complete the workout.

If you have limited internet connection you can download the workout for offline use. Please click the workout you will be doing and on the top right, click the three buttons and select download for offline mode. This will save the workout and you can follow it regardless of internet access. You can later delete the saved sessions, in settings, downloads section.

If you would like to delete sessions you previously downloaded for offline use, just follow these steps:

Select Profile on the right side button of the home page- then click the settings button on the top right.

Streaming

Streaming allows you to display coach mode videos on compatible devices directly from the app.

Feature available for Apple TV, Mac, Android TV and any ChromeCast enabled devices

Here is how you can stream for iOS users:

1. User’s mobile devices and streaming devices must be both connected to the same Wi-Fi network to make streaming possible. You may need to check your receiving device settings that it is set to receive.

2. Once in coach mode, go full screen and click the streaming button.

3. Select the device you would like to connect. Once the connection is done a check will appear indicating a successful connection.

4. Video playback controls are in sync and can be controlled from both TV and mobile, except volume controls (this can be changed only from the TV).

5. Video resolution of the coach mode video can be changed from the app

If you decide to stop the feed and disconnect just click again on the connected device.

Streaming allows you to display coach mode videos on compatible devices directly from the app.

Feature just compatible with Chromecast and Android TV (with Chromecast built).

Here is how Android users can stream:

1. User’s mobile devices and streaming devices must be both connected to the same Wi-Fi network to make streaming possible.

2. For Android users the streaming button will open up the Google cast device list popup.

3. Select the device you would like to connect. Once the connection is completed a check will appear indicating a successful connection.

4. Video playback controls are in sync and can be controlled from both TV and mobile, except volume controls (this can be managed only from the TV).

5. Video resolution of the coach mode video can be changed from the app

By clicking on the connected cast button users can find options to stop the feed and disconnect from the casted device.

What is Screen Mirroring?

Screen Mirroring is a feature that allows you to share a replica of your device screen into another one.

How can you enable it?

Follow the following steps depending on the device you want to connect:

Smart TV

1. Connect both Smart TV and iPhone to the same wifi network

2. Visit iPhone Control Center

3. Tap screen mirroring icon

4. Select your Smart TV from the list.

5. If prompted, enter the PIN shown in the TV in your iPhone.

Now your iPhone screen should be mirrored to your Smart TV.

Apple TV

1. Connect both Apple TV device and iPhone to the same wifi network

2. Visit iPhone Control Center

3. Tap screen mirroring icon

4. Select Apple TV from the list.

5. If prompted, enter the PIN shown in the TV in your iPhone

Now your iPhone screen should be mirrored to your Apple TV.

Apple AirPlay supported TV

1. Connect both your TV and iPhone to the same wifi network.

2. Go to the TV settings

3. Select AirPlay settings

4. Turn on Apple AirPlay

5. Visit iPhone Control Center.

6. Tap screen mirroring icon

What is Screen Cast?

ScreenCast allows Android users to display coach mode on compatible devices such as Chromecast, Android TV and many more.

How can you enable it from your phone?

Samsung

1. Connect both your TV and phone to the same wifi network

2. Visit the quick settings panel from your phone.

3. Tap the Smart View icon

4. Select your TV from the list.

5. If prompted, enter the PIN or allow access to complete the connection

Now your Samsung phone screen should be mirrored to your TV.

Google Pixel

1. Connect both your TV and phone to the same wifi network.

2. Open your phone's Settings app.

3. Tap Connected devices And then Connection preferences And then Cast.

4. On the list, tap the device where you want to show your screen.

Motorola

1. Connect both your TV and phone to the same wifi network

2. Visit the Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Cast

Or, from quick settings, touch the little screen

1. Select your TV from the list

2. If prompted, enter the PIN or allow access to complete the connection

Now your Motorola phone screen should be mirrored to your TV.

Yes! Simply double tap on the left side of the screen to rewind 10 seconds, and double tape the right side of the screen to fast forward 10 seconds. You can also scroll the progress bar at the bottom of the video.

Yes! 360, 540, 720 and 1080 resolutions are available for the videos. This is so that if you have internet issues you can reduce the resolution and still watch the video, whilst also watching great quality resolution if you have strong internet. You can tap the resolution box to change the resolution at the bottom right of the video screen.

A good diet filled with healthy nutritions ingredients will be essential to reach your fitness goals. You can find the nutrition guide in the app with amazing recipes that can make your life easy when planning how to lose weight or build muscle. Please remember the importance of eating 1g of protein per lb of body weight daily - critical for muscle growth.

Alex is here to help! Please reach out to him at support@alexcrockford.com and tell him a bit about your goals, training schedule and overall current nutrition.

If you’re interested in tracking your calories and macros then start by reading the section on 'How do I personalise my  nutrition plan?’ in the nutrition guide. This will link you to a calculation so you can get your personal calorie goal. If you send us the results or the screenshots of the calculation Alex will be able to get back to you with some specific advice. Alex can also help you with any questions you have about supplements too.

Alex generally takes protein powder, creatine, multivitamins, vitamin D, and Omega-3. Just keep in mind that nutrition and supplementation should be tailored to your individual needs. I'm sure Alex would be more than happy to help you with your nutrition!

First of all, if you haven't already, please take a look at the nutrition guide in the app. This guide simplifies all you need to know about healthy eating and supplementation and helps you improve your diet to achieve the best results for you.

Generally speaking, 3-5g per day is the ideal amount you should take.

It’s important to remember that even on our rest days we are still repairing and building the muscle that we have damaged in our workouts.

So on our rest days we still need to consume our protein goal from our entire diet, from food and supplements if they’re needed.

So, if you need a protein shake to help reach your protein goal of 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight (explained in the nutrition guide) then yes, you should have a protein shake on your rest day.

In order to bulk (build muscle mass) you need to eat more calories than you burn (calorie surplus). Clean bulking refers to doing this approach whilst still paying attention to healthy, nutrition ingredients and also achieving your calorie goal. Ideally a clean bulking will help you build muscle mass without any / too much fat. In comparison to a ‘dirty bulk’ which refers to when someone chooses to bulk and ends up eating way to much and not optimal foods, which leads to building muscle, but a lot of fat too….

The initial calorie estimation should take into account your activity, therefore you don’t need to eat the calories that My Fitness Pal thinks you burned. Keep to the calorie goal.

Don’t worry, sometimes it takes time to see the results coming in. Patience is really important as part of a fitness journey. Sometimes weight can fluctuate, but it could also mean you are building muscle. If your nutrition is right and you are consistently following the training plan but don’t see the results, then please email Alex at support@alexcrockford.com. He can advise you on what changes are required to see results quicker and can help you monitor your progress.

Cheat meals / unhealthy meals / processed food, is all part of a normal health and fitness journey. We can get great results without being perfect, it’s just about finding the right balance. It is recommended to plan non-optimal foods in your diet plan to ensure you can still stay on track.

Aim for at least 80% real, healthy, whole foods, and the remaining, whilst staying in your calorie goal can be not so healthy if it helps you stay on track and stay motivated too.

You can have anything in this journey in moderation, even alcohol. However it’s important to know what impact alcohol can have. Not only can alcoholic drinks sometimes be quite calorific, preventing weight loss progress, but it can also have a negative impact on your recovery, making it more difficult to build the results & momentum from your training. So, limit alcohol consumption and try not to drink too much before going to bed.

Welcome back!

If you are restarting after a break or injury please watch / listen this video

How heavy to lift!?⁣

You might have been smashing the bodyweight workouts, or even lifting some weights at home, but after all this time, since we first left the gym, it might have left your body less conditioned and your strength will have reduced. That’s ok! This is totally normal and don’t let it get you down. I recommend going in to your normal exercises with about 50%-60% of your previous weights. Gradually increase over weeks as your strength increases again.⁣ Muscle memory is real, so getting back to where you were before will happen quite quickly dont don’t go in with full intensity for at least a few weeks!

Don’t be hard on yourself!⁣

Just because you can’t lift as much, or do as much in the gym, it doesn’t mean you should feel bad about it! Fitness is a journey and we’ve been thrown a serious curveball since a year ago! It’s important to go in at your current level, enjoy the process and be patient as you get fitter again. ⁣⁣

Try not to get carried away...⁣

It’s so easy to get excited and lift too much, so lots of reps or train hard everyday, but this could leave your body with serious DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), which although is natural, it can be uncomfortable if it’s for days. You could also be put in a position to overtrain or injure yourself. So I recommend not lifting to failure for the first couple of weeks, and enjoy going through the motions. ⁣You’ll still get great results from just getting back into weight lifting without going to failure on each set!

Don’t forget bodyweight! ⁣

So many of us have fallen in love with bodyweight training, which is great! But don’t forget everything you’ve been utilising at home. Squats lunges pushups and core workouts can still be a major part of your workouts.⁣ Hopefully these bodyweight movements have kept you up with a good solid foundation to work from.

Work on recovery! ⁣

Gym workouts are going to be a new challenge for the body! Make sure you prioritise your warm up, cool down, stretches, good sleep of about 7-8 hours, lots of water of about 2l a day, good nutritive to dense foods and lots of protein to aid recovery, aiming for 1g per lb of bodyweight to give yourself the best chance to build muscle. ⁣so get that post workout protein shake in and and aim to have a good protein hit at all your main meals.

Supplementation

In addition to the protein shakes, and of course good quality nutrition from food, consider what else could help you get the most out of your new gym routine - such as a multivitamin to support your body’s health, creatine to build muscle & strength or a ZMA complex to help recovery further.

⁣Avoid changing too much at once⁣

Build a good foundation by building up strength and flexibility in your body, once you’ve achieved that then look to work on your diet, nutrition and how you fuel your body. Taking too much on at once only sets you up to fail. ⁣you could consider adding 1 day per week to the gym until that’s an achievable habit and then add another one. It’s really easy to get over excited and then give up when it becomes too hard to keep up with.

Stay connected!

We’ve seen a huge rise in fitness community over the past few years. So make sure you continue to feel supported by being part of our community and sharing your journey.

It’s completely normal that your muscles are sore after working out, in fact it’s a great sign that you did a good workout, well done! However this fitness journey is all about recovering quicker so that you don’t feel as sore and can workout comfortably again and keep moving your body. In your next workouts, be sure to decrease the intensity and just move through the workout without going to muscular failure, this will help reduce the soreness next time, as your fitness builds up.

I would first recommend that you read through the in app nutrition guide and fundamentals information, as this will explain all of the lifestyle aspects that not only help you become healthier but also recover quicker too.

The key pointers are:

-Hydration

-Enough protein

-Lots of healthy nutrition

-Good quality and quantity sleep

-Stretching

-Light movement / cardio

-Bath / sauna / cold water

-De-stress activities - meditation, breathwork, reading, yoga etc.

Importance of Sleeping

Sleep is critical for fat loss and overall health. When our sleep is deprived our hormones are out of balance and our cravings increase- making it harder to stick to our nutrition plans.

Prioritize having consistently 7-8 hours to improve fat loss and muscle building.

Active rest days

Active rest days are there to give your body time to recover from intense workouts. That doesn’t mean you have to completely stop moving. You could walk, swim, cycle or do yoga for example. Another alternative is to make the HomeFit workouts in the app low-intensity.

Unfortunately, lower back pain can appear at some moment in your fitness journey. Iif you are having pain please take a look into this advices:

REST

Obviously after an initial injury, muscle pull or spasm, you need to rest your back to prevent any further aggravation or damage. Lay or sit in comfortable positions and don't do any exercises that is painful.

MOVE

Once you feel that the acute pain has eased off, it's a good idea to get moving in a comfortable way. This will increase your circulation and help your lower back's recovery. I would start with walking.

STRETCH

When you feel that you can start to move your back and your hips, then stretching is a good way to start improving the range of motion of the muscles, that will have inevitably tightened up. Never push past pain and just follow what feels good.

STRENGTHEN

When the majority of the acute pain is gone and you feel comfortable to start using the lower back (and surrounding) muscles, then now is the time to start strengthening the area. This is where a lot of people go wrong, thinking they need to avoid using their back to protect it, when in actual fact, we need to get stronger to reduce the chronic pain.

MASSAGE

During your recovery from an injury, and even as a useful ongoing habit, massaging with a foam roller or receiving a massage is a great way to help release tension and pain in the lower back.

SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP

If your lower back pain is very persistent and is not improving, then make sure you take the time to see a specialist.

LISTEN TO THE SIGNS

Thinking back to before my back spasm this week, I ignored a few signs. Probably because I haven't had a lower back issue for so long. I had slept badly, over trained, and even felt a few warning signs during a stretch session the day before, and all it took was one vulnerable position to put me out! Listen to your body and then be careful.

For tight hamstrings, there are a number of stretches you can try and here are 4 examples for you:

 - seated single leg hamstring stretch

 - deep squat to hamstring stretch

 - hip flexor reach to hamstring stretch

 - lying hamstring stretch

Please note that you can do these everyday. Additionally, you can also follow the yoga plan in the app once a week minimum and this will really help.

Additionally here is a video that you can follow regularly to help your hamstring flexibility:

https://youtu.be/CKnlEt5n3Sk?si=6OpALGMq_AnhMpOu

If you identify you are having shoulder pain- a small pause is needed to recover.

Shoulder pain when pushing is usually down to postural / location issues of the shoulder joint. So we need to rebalance the shoulder position by stretching the chest, and strengthening the back. Please take a look at this video and some exercises you need to do daily.

Sleep is critical for fat loss and overall health. When our sleep is deprived our hormones are out of balance and our cravings increase- making it harder to stick to our nutrition plans.

Prioritize having consistently 7-8 hours to improve fat loss and muscle building.

Active rest days are there to give your body time to recover from intense workouts. That doesn’t mean you have to completely stop moving. You could walk, swim, cycle or do yoga for example. Another alternative is to make the HomeFit workouts in the app low-intensity.

It depends on how unwell you are and what kind of sickness it is.

This is where listening to your body and becoming more intuitive with your journey is important.

If you feel very unwell and you can’t comfortably move your body then you definitely need to take more rest before you start exercising again.

However if you feel a little unwell, and not feeling 100% but still feel like exercising then this is an opportunity to exercise still but being very cautious of the intensity.

Remember that when we exercise hard, we are stressing the body out more, which requires extra recovery, so this isn’t ideal on top of the recovery we already need when we are sick. This will only set you back further in your illness.

So you can still exercise but make sure it is a low intensity workout to increase bloody flow and make you feel good, without physically pushing yourself hard until you are back to 100%.

Click Profile at the bottom of the app homepage and then press Settings on the top right corner. There you will find the option to restore purchases which should make your plan visible again.

If you’re stuck on sync please send an email to support@alexcrockford.com and our technical team will resolve this issue.

Press password reset, if it’s not working please please send an email to support@alexcrockford.com and our technical team will resolve this issue.

If you need to change your email address, please click profile in the bottom right corner and then the settings button on the top right corner. There you will be able to change your email address.

If you decide to delete your account, please click profile in the bottom right corner and then the settings button on the top right corner. There you will be able to delete your account.

Before you do so please reach out to support@alexcrockford.com - maybe we can help in case you are having an issue with your account.

Please reach out to support@alexcrockford.com we will be happy to help you.

Please make sure to check your spam folder and if you haven’t received the newsletter please email us at support@alexcrockford.com and we will check for you.

In most cases the app will automatically update.

For iOS: You can head to the App Store and search for the app and press update in case a new version of the app is available.

For Android: Head to the Google Play Store, on the top right tap the profile icon. Then tap manage app & devices, there you can find the app and if an update is available, please tap update.

Alex currently doesn't have any specific recommendations or associated brands. He has used a variety of standard bands that he has found on Amazon for example. Any of the top search results are good.

In regards to following the Resistance Bands plan- ideally you are looking for the middle three weights from a standard five set of resistance bands. Most bands are sold in a five strengths- it is the middle three strengths that are the most appropriate.

Very soon Alex will be releasing his own ones so please keep a lookout for that :)

When it comes to training during Ramadan we suggest you read this really insightful article by fitness professional Faisal Abdalla.