Training guides
How strength and conditioning numbers are defined and calculated, with Method as the worked example.
For athletes
Exporting your training data from Method: CSV and PDF, exactly what is in each
Your training log is yours. This page lists the exact CSV columns Method writes, the three PDF documents it produces, where each export lives, and the limits on range and size.
ExplainerUpdated 4 min read
How to choose a workout tracker app: the questions that actually separate them
Most workout tracker comparisons rank apps by features. This guide sorts them by the job you need done, lists the questions worth asking, and says plainly which kind Method is and who should look elsewhere.
ExplainerUpdated 4 min read
Strength training program tracker: what to look for, and how Method does it
A logger records sets. A program tracker holds the plan, schedules it, logs against it, and keeps the two connected. This page lists the capabilities that matter and states exactly what Method does and does not do for each.
ExplainerUpdated 4 min read
The best workout app for powerlifting depends on how your program is written
Powerlifting training is unusually program-shaped: percentages, top sets, back-offs, RPE, long rests. The right app depends on where the program comes from. This page sorts the options by that question, with each app's fit stated honestly.
ExplainerUpdated 4 min read
Where Method runs: iPhone, Apple Watch, and web
A plain list of the devices Method runs on, the minimum versions, what each surface is for, and what Method does not support, so nobody installs it and finds out the hard way.
ExplainerUpdated 3 min read
Apple Health workout sync in Method: what imports, what writes back, and what does not
Method imports workouts from Apple Health in the background, including Apple Watch and Apple Fitness workouts and anything Strava or other apps write to Health. This page lists the activity types, the fields, the timing, and the edges.
ExplainerUpdated 5 min read
Cardio on Apple Watch with Method: what the Watch app records and how it reaches your history
Method's Watch app is for cardio only. This page lists what it records, how it talks to the phone, what becomes a split in your history, and the edges, so you know exactly what to expect before you strap it on.
ExplainerUpdated 3 min read
Deload weeks: what they are, how to write one, and how they show up in your log
A deload is a planned easy week, not a missed week. This guide covers the common ways to write one, how to build it in a few edits in Method, and why a deload looks different from a skipped week in your history.
GuideUpdated 4 min read
Estimated 1RM: the formula, why reps in reserve belong in it, and how Method calculates yours
An estimated 1RM turns any hard set into a single comparable number. This guide gives the formula, shows why reps in reserve must be counted, explains which sets to exclude, and walks through how Method computes one point per training day.
GuideUpdated 4 min read
Fast workout logging: what actually makes logging quick, and how Method is built for it
Fast logging is mostly about removing decisions. When the set, the target, and a suggested load are already on screen and the rest timer starts when you tick the set, the only input left is what changed. This page lists what Method does to get there.
ExplainerUpdated 4 min read
Fitness tracker apps by use case: wearable dashboards, workout loggers, endurance apps, and planners
Step counts, gym logs, GPS runs, and written programs are tracked by different kinds of app. This guide separates them, explains how they share data through Apple Health, and places Method honestly among them.
ExplainerUpdated 3 min read
How Method suggests a load: the calculation, the inputs, and when it stays quiet
A suggested load is a calculation from your own log, not a recommendation engine. This guide shows the two-step formula, which set Method reads, how it rounds, and every reason a set might show no suggestion.
GuideUpdated 4 min read
How to judge reps in reserve: a practical method for rating sets honestly
RIR is a judgement, and judgements can be trained. This guide gives a calibration routine, the bar-speed and effort cues that matter, the common ways ratings drift, and what Method does with the value so you know why it is worth getting right.
GuideUpdated 4 min read
How to program workouts in advance and log against the plan
Programming in advance means deciding the work before the day arrives so the gym is execution, not decision-making. This guide covers what to write down, how far ahead to plan, and how Method keeps the plan and the log connected.
ExplainerUpdated 5 min read
Method's notifications: exactly what it sends, when, and what you can turn off
A training app earns the right to interrupt you by being specific. This page lists each notification Method can send, the rule that triggers it, the time it arrives, and the switch that turns it off.
ExplainerUpdated 3 min read
Muscle coverage with effective sets: how to count which muscles your training reached
Counting sets per muscle is only useful if the rule is stated. This guide gives the effective sets rule, explains why secondary muscles count half and why warm-ups count nothing, and shows how Method keeps every number decomposable.
GuideUpdated 4 min read
Offline workout logging: what a tracker has to get right when the gym has no signal
Basements, steel-framed gyms, and airplane mode are normal training conditions. This guide sets out what an offline-capable logger must do, and shows how Method saves drafts on the phone, syncs when it can, and never discards your work on a conflict.
GuideUpdated 3 min read
Planned vs completed training: why a tracker should never overwrite the plan with the log
A plan is an intention. A log is a fact. Trackers that overwrite one with the other lose the ability to tell you where you deviated. Method stores the prescription with every completed workout and keeps the two apart in history, analytics, and counts.
GuideUpdated 3 min read
Progression schemes you can actually write down: linear, double progression, RIR-based, and relative loads
Progression is the rule that turns one week's prescription into the next. This guide gives four schemes as written prescriptions, shows what each asks you to decide, and maps each to Method's prescription fields so you can build it rather than describe it.
GuideUpdated 5 min read
Rest timer on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island: how per-set rest should work
A rest timer is only useful if it starts itself, knows how long this set's rest is, and is visible without unlocking the phone. This guide lists the rules a timer should follow and describes exactly how Method's Live Activity timer behaves, including the edge cases.
GuideUpdated 4 min read
RIR vs RPE: what each means, how they convert, and how Method stores both
RIR counts the reps you had left. RPE scores how hard the set felt out of 10. They convert exactly, and Method keeps one number underneath so switching your preference re-labels everything without losing anything.
GuideUpdated 4 min read
The best setup for people who lift and run: one app, or a logger plus an endurance app
Lifting apps ignore your runs and running apps ignore your lifting, so most hybrid training ends up split across two histories. This page lays out the two workable setups, one app or a connected pair, and states each option's fit honestly.
ExplainerUpdated 3 min read
Training streaks and consistency: how to count them without lying to yourself
Streaks motivate until they mislead. This guide gives a definition that counts what you actually planned and did, explains why today without a session yet should not break a run, and shows how Method computes activity, partial sessions, and streaks.
GuideUpdated 3 min read
Warm-up sets: how to write them, how to log them, and why they stay out of your numbers
Warm-up sets prepare a lift and should be recorded, but they are not a strength expression and should not move your numbers. This guide covers writing them into a plan, logging them, and exactly how Method keeps them out of analytics.
GuideUpdated 4 min read
Workout app vs spreadsheet: what the sheet actually does better, and what it costs you
Spreadsheet training templates persist because they are genuinely good at things most apps are bad at. This page gives the sheet its due, states what it costs in the gym, and lists what to demand from an app before leaving one.
ExplainerUpdated 4 min read
Your Method account: sign-in options, password rules, deleting your account, and who owns the data
The boring page that should exist for every app you give your training history to. Sign-in methods, the exact password policy, how deletion works and when it is blocked, and how to get your data out first.
ExplainerUpdated 3 min read
For coaches
Coaching check-ins: what to ask, how often, and how to read the answers
A check-in is a fixed set of questions a client answers on a rhythm you set. This guide gives you a weekly template, an intake list, a way to choose the rhythm, and a way to read answers beside the log. It ends with how Method does each of these.
GuideUpdated 9 min read
How to choose online coaching software: the questions that actually separate the platforms
Most coaching software lists rank platforms by feature count. This guide sorts them by the coaching you run, lists the questions that actually separate them, and says plainly which kind Method is and who should look elsewhere.
ExplainerUpdated 11 min read