Looking for tips for website usability

Howdy,

I've been using the foundation program for about a month now, and was hoping to get some tips about how people are using the website/dashboard/workout pages. Let me just start by saying that I'm really enjoying the progressions, especially with the handstands. I just have a few issues/annoyances I wanted feedback on.

First, the Personal Metrics part lags a ton when I try to click on the sliding bar, then resets, causing me to take 1min+ just for the three sliders. Minor annoyance, but after a month it's getting old. I wish I could just skip that part.

Second, when using the workout page (the little Flag icon), it doesn't list what the exercises/reps (other than the title, but I don't know what SL4/PC6/etc are, especially if I'm starting on a new exercise), so I have to either watch the video (which I don't want to do because I'm on my cell phone and in a public gym), or load four pages per exercise (the original workout page, then the scheduler page, then the exercise page and the iM page). Again, a relatively minor annoyance, but after a month it's getting old, and it would just be so much easier to be able to see the prescribed exercise/reps on the original workout page. Maybe there's a place to request this feature?

And third, it's a bit difficult to customize the schedule - I can't move a day around like I could when I was just following my own program (like bumping yesterday's workout to today). I get the idea of consistency, but such strictness is unrealistic, especially for an online program.

So here's my question: does anyone have a workaround for these issues? I've considered just using pen and paper and then going back to fill out the online part later, but that would require half an hour of extra work a week just to look everything up and write it out, then go back and fill it out later. Does anyone else have any tips/tricks?

Thanks!

I do the personal metrics on my laptop at home first thing in the morning so that part is done when I get to the gym.  Learning the elements is also done at home by studying the demo and looking at other peoples form checks and reading the coaches corrections so I can learn from other common mistakes.  I've been doing some of these PE1's for over a year so by now they are old friends.

When I get to the gym I log into the dashboard on my cell phone, click start workout, click edit then it gives you the reps and sets.  After I compete each element I log the reps I was able to complete.  When I get to the stretch course at the end I click completed workout thumb up.  Then I go to the stretch course page and use the audio only follow along.

You can move the days around the week view has the copy tool this feature was added a week or two ago.  Each Monday I plan my week I do my workout at the same time everyday rain or shine.  NOTHING else is ever scheduled during my GST time.  Discipline is freedom.  There is never any internal dialog like oh I will do that tomorrow, because I stick to my Monday plan.  An online course offers flexibility but to accomplish your goals will take dedication and discipline.

Yes adding the ability to move workouts is great and as a result I am giving the scheduler tool another try

Awesome, thanks Ryan - those are great tips. I'll probably end up doing something like that starting soon. And I'm sure as I get more familiar with the exercises it'll be easier. For instance, I'm still on RC/PE1 after four weeks, and that one is certainly easy enough to remember.

I definitely agree with the discipline aspect - I work out every other day day at 5:30am, rain or shine. But with that said, I do schedule a few breaks in there (like for the 4th of July or other holidays), and when I was doing my own routine it was easy enough to just do a workout a day ahead/later.

It seems that their online system is an evolving one, and seems to be relatively new, but I'm glad to see it's still changing/working through the kinks

Hi Michael,

-If the metrics lag -> file a help request.

-The daily tab under basic view does has thumbnails along with the reps. Watch the videos beforehand if you don't want to do it at the gym. You can't get around watching the videos if you want to be successful so you'll either need to plan ahead or watch them during workout.

-Many students far overcomplicate training by feeling a constant need to tinker with schedule. Pick a schedule before the week begins and commit to it. Holidays are predictable and can easily be accounted for before they happen that week.

Michael,

I do personal metrics at home with my morning coffee on home wifi.  Pretty fast.  Even if I do them on cell service, not bad.  If it's really too slow, might be something (as Cory said) could need help.  Responses to help requests here are *very* fast (thanks, Cory!)  My complaint is that I don't know what they're used for, but I have seen somewhere that there is something coming out that will utilize the metrics.

Regarding the video, it doesn't bother me to see a quick clip at the gym, but maybe it would be helpful to see a screenshot of the movement to remind us which one it is?

Regarding customizing the schedule, it is incredibly easy to customize from a desktop.  You can do it from the mobile phone also, but it's a little bit harder as you can't see the entire week as you're customizing it.  Even so, you do not need to re-do the entire schedule just for the odd day.  For example, I missed last Monday (July 4).  I entered the personal metrics and then just didn't enter anything about the workout.  On Tuesday I went back and started Monday's workout.  Then today I did Tuesday's workout.  Tomorrow I will be back on schedule.  The scheduler will allow you to go back and "start workout" from a previous day and then enter it as completed. Further, one week on vacation I just totally missed a day.  So I entered each as "not attempted" at the bottom.  It just shows up as a missed day on the scheduler, but it will still generate a workout for the following week.  It is very important to have all the information entered as accurately as possible when evaluating which step you should be on.

Hey Mark for me the personal metrics are a personal feedback mechanism that has drilled home how important proper sleep is.  I am a terrible night owl and for years only got 4 or 5 hours of sleep.  A few months of using the metrics have really allowed me to see how much better recovered I am with 7 hours.  If I fall back to old habits.  It always shows in how sore I am and how much less energy I have. 

21 hours ago, Cory Fair said:

Hi Michael,

-If the metrics lag -> file a help request.

-The daily tab under basic view does has thumbnails along with the reps. Watch the videos beforehand if you don't want to do it at the gym. You can't get around watching the videos if you want to be successful so you'll either need to plan ahead or watch them during workout.

-Many students far overcomplicate training by feeling a constant need to tinker with schedule. Pick a schedule before the week begins and commit to it. Holidays are predictable and can easily be accounted for before they happen that week.

Hey Cory,

Thanks for the repsonse.

First, where is the appropriate place to file a bug request? I don't actually need help, it seems more like a bug/glitch with the coding. I didn't want to spam the help request with things like that, but if that's the place to do it, then I can certainly report it there.

Second, the Basic View is exactly what I was looking for - a little image that shows the exercise with the sets and reps. Thanks for pointing that out, I think this will solve a lot of my frustrations.

And third, I think everyone in this thread is taking my comment about tinkering with the schedule a bit too seriously. Sorry if I wasn't vey clear on that originally - I have a super committed schedule when it comes to my workout routine, my comment was more on the difficulty with the usability of the scheduler rather than the desire to have a more flexible workout schedule. As several people pointed out, it is easy enough to do it from a desktop/laptop, I guess the issue I'm having is more with the mobile website.

Thanks for all the replies so far. It's nice that there's an active online community for support.

Useful info on this thread. 

I see the ability to move workouts, but I can't seem to move a workout from a Monday to a Sunday (the day before).  I sometimes travel on Monday, so I need to workout Sunday and the. I can keep on my MWF schedule.  Otherwise I have to workout tues and wed back to back which I'd rather not do (and my schedule tues will make working out pretty difficult)

Am I missing something?

thanks

Hi Michael, 

I do believe you have to change your schedule at the beginning of the week in order for it to take effect. So make the on Saturday after you have logged your whole week and see if it changes the following week for you. 

Let me know if you are still having troubles. 

Thanks. Just now (Sunday) I click 'change weekly template' it only gives me the option to start on mom, tue , or wed, but I'd like to start on Sunday. Is there somewhere else I should click?  I tried to just go to Monday and start the workout but I couldn't get it to do that either. 

Thanks for any advice you can provide. 

Mike