Pocket Trainer Tutorial
Because there are many things going on behind the scenes that are not immediately apparent and we want you to get the most from Pocket Trainer (PT), please take a few moments to review this brief tutorial.
First, understand PT is your personal trainer. Based on information you provide, PT creates and delivers an entire fitness program designed just for you! PT tells you what to do, when and how to do it. You will not hit any plateaus as PT automatically monitors your progress and updates your program when appropriate. And with over 300 exercises and more being added all the time, you will never get bored with your workouts!
PT was created with complete balance in mind and periodizes your program automatically every 4-6 wks (depending on the experience level you have chosen and your compliance with the program) to shift the training objective from stability, endurance, hypertrophy (i.e.; muscle building for you guys, toning for you women!), strength or power which prevents your progress from plateauing and greatly reduces the chance of injury and over training. You must train for different objectives using differing training modalities to continuously fend off adaptation. For example; if you were to focus your entire program on hypertrophy (muscle gain/toning), your body would adapt to that particular training stimulus in a relatively short period of time and your progress would stall. This holds true no matter what your specific goal is. It is crucial to constantly change training modalities/objectives... PT does just that!
We have included a "demo" workout that can be accessed via the menu while in the program. This is also to help familiarize you with PT's features and functions prior to starting your program.
Creating and updating your User profile
Complete the personal information fields. Because your BMI (Body Mass Index) is calculated by your height and weight it is important that you are accurate when entering this information. Your calculated BMI and the experience level you have chosen determines the exercises selected for your program...so be honest! Select the equipment that you will have available to use for your program. PT will not include any exercises using equipment you did not select.
If at any time, you feel that you chose the wrong exercise level, you can update your user profile while you are in the program from the BlackBerry menu by selecting "user profile". You can also change the equipment you have available as often as needed from the BlackBerry menu by selecting "user profile".
Ready to begin your program!
After creating you user profile, you are ready to begin. You will come to a page that asks you how much time you have to exercise that day. While we recommend that you train for 60 minutes per session, we understand your busy lives do not always allow that. You can choose 20, 40, or 60 minutes which you must select one of before each workout.
Because some of the exercises in PT's database are only prescribed when training at home or when you travel, you must also select whether you are training at "home/travel" or "at a gym/facility". You will then highlight and select "workout preview".
Workout Preview
On the "Workout Preview" screen you can preview your workout for the day and familiarize yourself with the exercises you will be performing prior to starting the workout. When you highlight and select any of the listed exercises, you will be able view the selected exercise in detail. You will see two images; one of the starting position and one of the ending position. At the bottom of the page you will notice three icons: The orange note pad when selected will show you a written detailed description of how to perform the exercise selected. The purple video camera when selected will show you a high quality video of the exercise selected. The light blue exclamation point when selected will allow you to view helpful information and tips on correcting the most common problems people have with that exercise. Pressing the back arrow button on your BlackBerry allows you to go back through the screens to the "workout preview" page at any time. When you are finished previewing your session and are ready to begin the workout, scroll to the bottom of the "workout preview" page, highlight and select "Let's do it!"
Starting a workout and choosing an alternate exercise
After selecting "Let's do it!" you are immediately taken to the first exercise of your workout. The number of sets and repetitions to be performed is indicated, which PT automatically tracks and advances for you. You will notice "Start now" flashing on the screen letting you know to begin the exercise. At the bottom of the page you will see the same three icons listed above as well as two additional icons: The green arrow is to select an alternate exercise. This should be selected if you see an exercise that your doctor says you should avoid, you have a pain you cannot get rid of, or you feel you aren't performing the exercise correctly and you have done all the suggestions in the question/answer (light blue exclamation point). If you can't perform the alternate exercise and select "skip" again the program will remove that exercise category for the remainder of that workout. The dark blue thumbs up should be selected when you are finished completing each exercise so PT can move you to the next exercise or rest period.
Go to the next exercise or rest period
When you have completed the first exercise, highlight and select the dark blue thumbs up icon at the bottom of the screen. Depending on where you are in a workout, the next screen will either show the next exercise or your rest period. If an exercise appears, perform the exercise immediately("start now" will be flashing). If the rest period screen appears, rest or stretch for the time shown on the screen. PT will alert you when you have 15 seconds left to rest so you can get ready for the next exercise which will automatically appear when the rest timer hits 0.
While on the rest period screen you can view the upcoming exercises in the same manner you would on the "workout preview" screen.
Keep advancing through all your sets and rest periods in this manner until the end of your workout.
Entering exercise information for your history
While on the rest period screen, you can and should enter the amount of weight and/or time used and also the # of repetitions completed for the exercises just performed. Once the info is entered in the appropriate field, highlight and click "submit". If you do not "submit" this information, PT cannot track your history to show your progress.
Behind the scenes, PT knows how many workouts you have completed and when to progress you to the next phase/level (you will be alerted when this happens). Select "Workout History" from your BlackBerry menu to view your history at any time. Highlight and select any exercise to view detailed information.
Remember, PT creates the program for you! You just login and workout. A true personal trainer!
Still have questions?
Q: What does the blackberry menu key do?
A: While PT is open, the menu key will give you some options. You can edit your "User Profile" which is where you will go to add/delete equipment or change personal information. PT can be configured to either "Use English units" or "Use metric units". You can review your "workout history", the "core activation video", "warm-up video", your "program recommendations", a "demo workout" to practice using PT's features and functions before beginning your program, or this "Tutorial/FAQ". If you have a technical problem you can "contact support" or "make a suggestion" if you have an idea to make PT better. You can also "close" the program from the menu.
Q: How do I choose the appropriate amount of weight for an exercise?
A: You want to select a weight that allows you to complete the prescribed # of repetitions. If you are able to complete more than two additional repetitions, you need to increase weight. If you are unable to complete the prescribed # of repetitions, you need to decrease weight.
Q: I notice when I am on certain screens, like the actual exercise screen for example, and I try to press the “back” key on my blackberry it asks me if I want to leave Pocket Trainer. Why does it do this and why can’t I back up?
A: There should be no need to back up. Remember, this is like being with a personal trainer. Everything is being logged behind the scenes so you don't want to disrupt your workout. Instead of the "back" key, you may wish to select the blackberry "menu" key and see if that will take you where you would like to go.
Q: Why are the same exercises I just did being previewed on the rest period screen?
A: The same exercises will be shown until all the sets have been completed for that particular exercise or group of exercises.
Q: When the timer goes off why doesn’t Pocket Trainer bring me right back to my exercise screen automatically no matter where I am in the program?
A: When you finish viewing what you are looking at and press the "back" key you will be on the exercise screen ready to begin again. PT allows a little flexibility here as some of the things you may be viewing could be important for your workout like reviewing the "core activation" video.
Q: Will I lose my workout if I close out of Pocket Trainer before I complete my workout?
A: Yes. Your workout history will be there for any exercises you did complete; however, PT will not advance you to the next workout until you complete the workout.
Q: On the rest period screen, Pocket Trainer is asking me to enter the amount of weight used. What if I didn’t use weight?
A: If you didn’t use weight, just leave it blank.
Q: What if I am ready to start my next set before my rest period ends?
A: Many people don't realize that the amount of rest given is a crucial part of seeing success. If the exercises are not challenging, you may need to add weight.
Q: PT shows an exercise I don’t have equipment for. What should I do?
A: First, make sure you have selected the appropriate equipment in you user profile. Although your equipment selection may be correct, there may be a rare occasion this will still occur. Highlight and select the green arrow icon to go to an alternate exercise.