Help

Getting started

The first time you sign in, a short setup asks when you train and for how long, your experience, the equipment you own (and your heaviest weights), what you can already do, and anything to avoid. It takes about 2 minutes. Finish, and your first week is ready on Today and Week.

Change any of it later in Settings (or tap Run setup again there). Upcoming days are rebuilt to match, except days that are locked or already logged.

Your workout

Each workout has up to four parts:

• Warm-up, to get moving for what's ahead.
• Strength (sets × reps of one lift) or Skill work (practice for the next step of a skill, such as your first pull-up).
• Metcon, the conditioning piece:
  • AMRAP: as many rounds as possible in the time.
  • EMOM: start the work at the top of every minute and rest for what's left of it.
  • For time: finish the work as fast as you can, before the time cap.
  • Intervals: rounds of work, each followed by a set rest.
  • Tabata: 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest, 8 rounds per movement.
• Cool-down, to stretch and bring your heart rate down.

Tap the ? next to any movement for its key points, and usually photos and step-by-step instructions, plus a link to demo videos.

Weights: the first time a lift comes up, build to a weight you could lift 2 more times and log every set. After that, HomeBox works out your weights from what you've logged, and adds a little when a session goes well. Metcon weights are shown as men/women standards ("Rx"); go lighter whenever you need to.

Timers

Both timers show on today's workout and on earlier days you haven't logged yet.

• Rest timer, in the strength card: tap Set 1 done after each set and your rest counts down. The rest time is set by the reps (longer for heavier sets), and you can change it, add 30 seconds, skip it or undo a set.
• Workout timer, below the metcon: a 10-second countdown, then a timer that matches the format. Tap + Round for each AMRAP round, Done when you finish a for-time workout, or Round done at the end of each interval. When it's over, it can put your time or rounds straight into the log.

Both keep your screen on while they run and pick up where they left off if the page reloads. Beeps play after you tap a timer button. On iPhone, the silent switch mutes them.

Logging

Under the workout, Log it asks for:

• The weight and reps of each strength set.
• Your metcon score: a time, rounds and reps, or total reps, depending on the format.
• Rx, if you did it as written.
• RPE, how hard it felt: 6 is easy, 8 means you had about 2 reps left, 10 is everything you had.
• Any notes.

Saving marks the day done and updates the weights of upcoming sessions of that lift. Missed a day? Tap Skip.

Your week and training blocks

Week shows all seven days: what's planned, what's done or skipped, locked days, and days with a note from your coach.

Training runs in blocks of 4–6 weeks: several build weeks, with metcons getting a little longer each week, then a deload week with lighter weights, fewer sets and shorter, easier metcons. Deloads let your body catch up so the next block goes better, so keep them easy. The Week page shows where you are ("Build week 2 of 4" or "Deload week").

In Settings → Training blocks you can change the block length or turn blocks off. You can also start a new block this week (after time off, say) or take a deload this week if you're run down.

Changing a workout

If you run your own programming (beta testers do):

• New workout replaces a day's workout.
• Swap trades one metcon movement for another that does a similar job.
• Lock keeps a day exactly as it is when your settings change or you regenerate the week.
• Regenerate week rebuilds upcoming days that aren't locked or logged.

If you're coached, your coach makes these changes and you log and skip. Days your coach edits are locked so they stay as planned.

Progress and Grow

Progress shows how many workouts you've done each week and your completion rate. It also charts your estimated one-rep max for each lift, and lists your benchmark bests and recent scores.

Grow suggests what to work on next: new personal records, lifts ready for more weight, the next skill step to test, benchmarks to retest, gaps in your training, and equipment that would open up the most new movements. When you can do a new skill step, tap Mark step … achieved on Grow (or raise it in Settings → Skills) and it starts showing up in your workouts.

Your coach

Your coach can see your workouts, logs, progress and settings, and can change your settings. Coaches can leave a note on any day. You'll see it at the top of that workout, and a "Coach note" tag on your week.

Account and privacy

• Change your password in Settings → Account. Forgot it? Tap Forgot password? on the sign-in page and we'll email you a link, as long as your account has an email address (add one in Settings → Account). Otherwise, ask your coach for a reset link.
• Emails: besides password resets, you get an email when your coach leaves a note on one of your workouts. Turn these off in Settings → Account.
• Dark mode: the button at the top switches light and dark. Settings → Appearance also has System, which follows your device.
• Your data: your workouts and logs are visible only to you and your coach.

Reporting a problem

HomeBox is in beta, so expect rough edges. When you spot one, tap the Report issue button on the right edge of the screen and describe what happened. Your report includes a screenshot of the page and its address, and goes to the HomeBox team through Marker.io, a bug-reporting service.

Questions