Welcome to Metric

In this first module, we'll cover a quick-start guide to start tracking your velocity and logging workouts with Metric. Let's get you set up and recording your first set.

Quick setup guide

Getting started with Metric is straightforward. After downloading the app, you'll need to create a free training profile. While setting up your profile, make sure to enter your bodyweight - this enables Metric to track your strength & power performance in both absolute and relative to bodyweight.

Recording your first set

Recording your first set in Metric takes just a few simple steps:

Position your phone where it can see your full range of motion, including the barbell and plates throughout the movement. A mini tripod is ideal, but any stable surface and solid object works well.

1. From the home screen, tap "Record a set"
2. Enter your exercise and weight details
3. Choose Mode 1 for regular lifting or Mode 2 for explosive movements
4. Frame your shot and hit record

That's it! After your set, Metric will analyze your performance and provide immediate feedback on your velocity, range of motion, and technique.

Understanding your results

After each set, Metric takes you to the Set Review, showing you:

• Video playback with bar path tracking
• Personal record performance
• Performance trends to highlight recovery and progression
• Velocity, eccentric tempo and range of motion (ROM) readings for each rep

Logging workouts

Quick sets are great, but Metric's true power comes through in full workout tracking.

Starting a workout lets you record multiple exercises and sets while monitoring your progress throughout the session. The app handles both barbell movements and traditional exercises, with manual rep entry available for non-barbell exercises.

Load velocity profile

A key feature of workouts is the load-velocity profile system. After recording multiple sets of an exercise, Metric generates a profile showing the relationship between weight and speed. Your current workout appears in purple (or neon yellow for dark mode), with your previous session shown in grey, making it easy to compare and track improvements.

Customization in Metric

Metric adapts to your training style through its customization options. You can enable RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion) tracking to monitor subjective effort alongside objective metrics. The app will prompt you for RPE input after each set and incorporate this data into your performance profiles.

The metric preferences system lets you tailor what data you see and when you see it. You can:

• Adjust which stats appear in your set reviews
• Customize settings for specific exercises
• Configure the workout view to show only relevant stats

Many of the customizations can be applied app-wide or for specific exercises only, allowing you to calibrate your preferences for different exercises based on your training focus

Training history and performance tracking

Metric organizes your training data into three main sections:

Performance Analytics

Track your progress through key metrics including best weights, relative strength, power output, and estimated 1RM calculations. View trends across custom time periods and access a complete record of your personal bests organized by category.

Training History

Browse your complete training log to review past sessions, convert successful workouts into templates, or repeat previous workouts. Each session maintains its full set of performance data for reference.

Video Library

Access all your saved training footage in one place, with videos linked to their original performance data. Filter by exercise type and export clips with bar path tracking overlays when needed.

Next steps

We will dive deeper into all these features and more in later modules in the course!

As a strength coach, managing athlete data effectively is crucial to delivering results. While most coaches juggle multiple apps, spreadsheets, and messaging platforms, Metric's Coach Mode consolidates everything into one streamlined system. Whether you're coaching in-person, managing a team, or training remote clients, Metric has you covered.

Requires a Metric Pro Coach membership, subscription plans available directly in the Metric app.

Activating Coach Mode

Getting started with Metric's coaching features is simple. Navigate to the Account tab and activate the Coach Mode toggle. This transforms Metric from an individual workout planning and barbell tracking app into a comprehensive coaching tool, enabling you to manage multiple athletes, run group sessions, and track everyone's progress from a single device.

Building your athlete roster

Adding athletes to your organization takes just a few steps:

1. Open your roster from the home page or Account tab
2. Tap the add athlete button
3. Fill out the required fields in the top section (optional details can be added below)
4. Add them to your roster

If your invited athlete already uses Metric, ensure you enter the email associated with their existing account. This allows them to join your organization while maintaining their training history. Once added, athletes receive an email confirmation and their training profile will now sync to your coaching account.

Running multi-athlete workouts

Coach Mode streamlines group training sessions by allowing you to manage multiple athletes from a single device. Start a workout, select an athlete, and either begin with an empty workout or load a training template. Athletes can be easily switched by tapping profile pictures at the top of the screen, and new athletes can be added to the training flow on that device at any time.

This efficient workflow lets you focus on coaching while Metric handles data collection and organization behind the scenes.

Remote athletes

Every athlete in your organization receives full Pro access on their own device, included in your Pro Coach membership. you can choose to share this with them allowing them to log workouts remotely on their own device.

If an athlete has already registered their Metric profile before joining your organization, then they will be set up automatically, for athletes new to Metric they will need to activate their account and set a password. This is done in the Metric app on their device by going to Login, Forgot password, and then requesting a reset link.

As your remote athletes log their workouts, their data appears in real-time on your coaching dashboard. Note that training templates need to be shared manually, and since videos are stored locally, athletes need to export and share any training footage they want you to review.

Progress tracking and analysis

Coach Mode provides comprehensive visibility into your athletes' development through three main areas: performance analytics, training history, and video analysis. With Coach Mode active, you can switch between athletes in the performance and history tabs to review their training.‍

Performance analytics‍

The Performance tab offers detailed progress charts for every exercise your athletes perform. You can analyze their development through various metrics including best weights lifted, relative strength progression, power output trends, and estimated 1RM changes. A complete record of personal bests is also maintained, tracking everything from load and power records to velocity benchmarks at specific weights.

Training history‍

Check in to see if your athletes are completing their workouts, dive into the specifics of any session to review details and analyze individual sets. Convert these past workouts into templates for reuse in future programming.

Video Library

Videos are automatically organized and can be easily filtered by exercise or athlete name. This makes it simple to review technique development over time and provide detailed form feedback to your athletes.

NOTE: Videos in the library are only those stored locally on a specific device.

Managing your own training with a coach account

Coaches can easily manage their own workout alongside their athletes' by toggling Coach Mode off.

This instantly switches the app's focus to your own training profile and hides the coach features.

Getting started

These coaching features are available with a Metric Pro Coach membership, which you can subscribe to within the app. For larger teams needing expanded athlete roster sizes, custom solutions are available - contact us at Metric for details and custom plans for larger organizations.

Metric's Coach Mode transforms how you manage your athletes' training, whether they train in person or remotely. By automating velocity tracking and streamlining workout management into one simple platform, you can focus on what matters most - coaching your athletes.

Recording accurate velocity data with Metric

Metric uses computer vision to automatically track barbell velocity from video recorded on your smartphone. This guide covers everything you need to know to capture accurate training data.

How Metric's computer vision works

Computer vision algorithms analyze patterns of light, color, and shapes within video to track objects.

Metric's specialized computer vision system automatically detects and tracks barbells across over 60 exercises, requiring no manual plate target selection or range-of-motion marking. This automation makes the system both more reliable and significantly easier to use than other apps. Because Metric needs no other hardware outside your existing smart phone/table it is much lower friction and more affordable than traditional velocity tracking devices.

Equipment requirements and plate sizing

Metric's tracking system tracks circular weight plates on barbell exercises.

By default it is calibrated for standard 45cm Olympic plates, though you can easily customize this for different plate sizes before starting your recording.

While Metric supports all traditional barbell exercises, trap bar movements, Olympic lifts and their variations, and custom exercises, it's important to note that non-circular equipment like dumbbells or kettlebells aren't currently supported for velocity tracking.

These exercises can still be logged manually in the app.

Video framing guidelines

Recording in Metric is as easy as using any camera app. However, getting reliable data requires following a few basic video setup guidelines.

The key elements to recording for accurate and reliable data are position, framing, lighting, and stability.

Position and framing

For optimal tracking, position your device side on to the barbell. Metric can handle  side-on angles from 0º (directly at the end of the bar) up to 25º forward or back of the barbell.

The height of your device should match your exercise – positioning the device at waist height for most lifts is fine, while raising to chest height for overhead movements will improve reliability when tracking these sets.

Frame your recording to keep the athlete, barbell and plates within the video for the entire set, including setup and rack positions. Move the device closer or further away to achieve this, and If space is limited you can pinch the screen to zoom in or out on the video.

Lighting considerations

Good lighting is crucial for accurate tracking. While Metric can handle various lighting conditions, there are two situations to watch for.

• Dark plates in dark environments - which makes tracking hard due to a lack of contrast,
• and bright light sources near the barbell and lifter. Try adjusting your recording angle or switching sides of the barbell to reduce the amount and intensity of these lights in the video frame.

Device stability

For best results mount your device on a tripod or stabilize on a stable surface – any movement of the device during recording will be interpreted as barbell movement, affecting your velocity measurements. Handheld recording is not recommended.

Video import settings

When importing external footage rather than recording directly in the app, use the standard video mode of your devices camera app. Record at HD resolution and 60fps for optimal results.

While 4K video will work, it significantly increases processing time when these large files are imported into Metric. Avoid using specialized recording modes like cinematic or slow-motion, as these can interfere with tracking accuracy.

Submitting bug reports

If you encounter unexpected results, please let us know!

This feedback helps us continuously improve the system's handling of edge cases and unique gym conditions.

You can report issues directly through the set review menu in the app.

Understanding Metric's camera modes

Metric's patented computer vision system accurately tracks barbell movement using just your smartphone's camera. While the standard tracking mode (Mode 1) works excellently for most lifts, certain explosive movements may benefit from specialized camera settings for optimal tracking accuracy.

Camera modes overview

You'll find the camera mode options in the controls stack on the recording screen. While Mode 1 is the default setting, Modes 2 and 3 are available for specific lifting scenarios.

When to use mode 2 & mode 3

Advanced camera modes (Mode 2 and 3) are specifically designed for explosive lifting where barbell mean velocity exceeds 1.25m/s or peak velocity exceeds 1.8m/s. This typically includes movements like:

• Snatches
• Power cleans
• Loaded jumps
• Light load, high-velocity sets

These modes reduce motion blur in your video, providing Metric with a sharper image for tracking fast-moving barbells. However, this comes with an important trade-off: advanced modes don't perform well in low-light conditions.

Requirements for switching modes

Before switching to an advanced mode, ensure your training environment meets these criteria:

1. Well-lit environment (daylight or bright gym lighting)
2. Movement velocity exceeding 1.25m/s mean or 1.8m/s peak

If unsure, start with Mode 1 and review your footage. When playing back the video frame by frame, significant blur of the barbell and plates indicates that switching to an advanced mode might be beneficial.

Mode 2 vs Mode 3

Both Mode 2 and 3 provide identical motion blur reduction and will improve tracking accuracy for fast movements in good lighting. The key difference lies in their compatibility with artificial lighting:

• Mode 2 may introduce a flicker or strobing effect under certain artificial lighting conditions
• Mode 3 was developed to eliminate this strobing effect
• If you experience flickering in Mode 2, switch to Mode 3

Remember, Mode 1 is the most versatile and robust setting, suitable for most lifting scenarios including Olympic lifts and explosive movements below 1.25m/s mean velocity. Advanced modes should only be used when specific velocity and lighting conditions are met.

A Complete Guide to Editing Sets in Metric

Editing your sets in Metric is straightforward and flexible, whether you need to make changes during an active workout or after it's completed. Here's everything you need to know about modifying your recorded sets.

Key Editing Features

Removing False Repetitions

During certain exercises like trap bar jumps, setup or catch movements might be incorrectly detected as repetitions. You can easily remove these false reps:

• Navigate to the Set Review screen
• Scroll to the rep-by-rep table
• Tap the minus button on non-rep movements
• The set data, records, trends, and velocity loss scores will automatically recalculate

Modifying Set Details

If you've recorded a set with incorrect information, you can update it through the Set Review screen:

• Open the settings menu in the toolbar
• Select "Edit Set"
• Modify exercise name, weight, or linked athlete
• Save your changes

Workout-Level Modifications

From the workout overview screen, you can:

• Adjust training weights
• Update RPE or RIR values
• Delete individual sets by swiping left
• Remove entire exercises through the exercise options menu

Accessing Historical Workouts

All editing features are available for both active and completed workouts. Simply:

• Navigate to your training history
• Open the desired workout
• Make your modifications as needed

Real-Time Feedback in Metric

Metric offers several real-time audio feedback options to help you make better training decisions during your sets, not just after. This guide covers everything you need to know about using these features effectively in your training.

Getting started with feedback

All feedback features are accessible from the control stack on the left side of the recording screen. There are two main feedback systems available:

• Reactive feedback controls, offering read-out, target, and loss threshold options
• A fixed 1-second metronome

Each feature can be enabled independently before starting your recording, and all audio cues work through either your device speaker or connected Bluetooth devices.

The tempo metronome

The metronome provides a consistent 1-second beep to help maintain prescribed tempos during your lifts. This simple tool is particularly valuable for executing tempo prescriptions accurately, as most lifters tend to underestimate their eccentric timing and cut prescribed pauses short.

By maintaining controlled tempos throughout your sets, you can ensure proper execution of tempo prescriptions and track these improvements through Metric's eccentric tempo and pause metrics.

Velocity readouts

The velocity readout feature announces your chosen metric (mean velocity, peak velocity, or range of motion) after each repetition. This immediate feedback is especially useful when:

• Working on technique adjustments
• Testing different movement cues
• Validating form changes
• Maintaining movement intent throughout a set

Velocity targets

Velocity targets provide audio feedback based on a fixed velocity value - a chime for reps above the target, and a buzzer for those below. This feature supports several training approaches:

Velocity-based load progression

Start with higher velocity targets (e.g., 0.7m/s) and progressively lower them (0.65m/s, 0.6m/s) across training blocks. Lower velocity targets allow for heavier loads, creating a structured approach to strength progression while maintaining movement quality.

Movement intent

Use targets to maintain quality across higher-rep sets by establishing a minimum velocity threshold. This approach works particularly well in team training environments, where the audio feedback can drive healthy competition.

Working set weight selection

Set velocity targets to efficiently find optimal working weights without excessive warm-up sets. This method helps preserve energy for your main working sets while ensuring appropriate load selection.

Loss thresholds

The real-time feedback features in Metric transform traditional set prescriptions into responsive, data-driven training that adapts to your day-to-day readiness. By providing objective insights during your sets, these tools help optimize training decisions when they matter most - while you're actually lifting.

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Video Playback and Analysis in Metric

Your smartphone isn't just for scrolling between sets - with Metric, it becomes a powerful tool for analyzing and improving your training. By combining video analysis with precise velocity data, Metric can deliver insights that were previously only available at the elite level.

This guide covers everything you need to know about reviewing and managing your training videos in Metric.

Video playback features

After recording a set, Metric's set review screen gives you immediate access to your training footage. Video playback includes two key data overlays:

• A real-time bar path trace showing your barbell's movement through space
• Your chosen performance metric updating rep by rep

This combination of visual feedback and performance data transforms technique analysis, letting you see exactly how changes in your form affect measurable performance outcomes.

You can access your saved training videos through either the searchable video library or your training history, making it easy to track progress over time or share lifts with your coach.

Bar path analysis

The most distinctive element of Metric's video playback is the bright green bar path trace. This tracks the centre of your barbell through each repetition, with completed reps turning grey while the current rep displays in green.

Customizing video playback

Metric gives you full control over video playback appearance. Through the video settings menu, you can:

• Toggle the bar path overlay on/off
• Choose which performance metric to display
• Access these settings from any video playback screen

Managing your training videos

Metric offers flexible video management through the video settings page with three main storage approaches:

24-Hour storageBy default, Metric keeps your training videos available for 24 hours after recording. This temporary storage is perfect for immediate technique analysis while maintaining a low storage footprint. Even after videos are cleared, your performance data remains permanently saved in the app.

Video Library storageFor longer-term storage, you can save videos directly within Metric's video library. Either enable auto-save to store every video automatically, or manually select specific sets worth keeping during your workout.

Videos saved in-app are stored locally on the device where they were recorded.

Camera roll exportYou can also export your videos to your phone's camera roll, either automatically after each set or manually for selected videos. When exporting, the optional auto-trim feature can crop your videos to include just the lifting portions, helping manage storage space more efficiently. Choose between 1,3 & 5 second trim durations before and after your set.

Important note for coaches

Videos are stored locally on the recording device and don't automatically sync between devices. For remote coaching, athletes will need to export videos to their camera roll and share them separately.

Practical video analysis

While Metric makes video analysis fast and accessible, you probably don't need to go reviewing every set you perform. Instead, approach video analysis strategically. Review your lifts when you're working on technical changes, on your heaviest sets, or when something feels off in your execution.

By focusing your analysis on these crucial moments in your training, you'll get the most value from Metric's video features without sucking up all the spare time in your workouts.