TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Overview

Strength Score was developed to help provide a clear, reliable way to assess your strength training progress and improvements in overall body composition. It's based on the concept of relative strength, which measures the amount of weight you can lift relative to your current body weight.


Strength Score addresses the limitations of traditional progress measures like scale weight or mirror assessments and offers an objective, goal-agnostic metric that improves regardless of whether you're focused on losing fat or building strength and muscle.

2. Strength Score Levels

There are 5 different levels to Strength Score:

  • Level 100-200 (Beginner)
  • Level 200-300 (Intermediate)
  • Level 300-400 (Advanced)
  • Level 400-500 (Expert)
  • Level 500-600 (Elite)

3. Muscle Group Scores

There are 5 different sub-scores that make up your Strength Score:

  • Legs
  • Chest
  • Back
  • Shoulders
  • Arms

Each of these is weighted appropriately based on the body mass they represent.

4. How Strength Score Is Calculated

Strength Score calculation involves several steps:

  1. Performance analysis across different exercises for each muscle group
  2. Calculation of estimated 1 rep max for exercises to determine absolute strength
  3. Application of a multiplier based on your scale weight
  4. Determination of Strength Score level for each muscle group
  5. Aggregation of muscle group scores, weighted by body mass
  6. Consideration of factors like age and sex for personalized scoring


For each muscle group, we analyze your performance across multiple exercises. We calculate your estimated 1 rep max for these exercises to normalize performance across different rep ranges. In some cases, muscle groups are broken down into sub-groups. For example, the 'leg' score considers both quad-focused and hamstring-focused exercises.


Your absolute strength is then adjusted based on your current body weight to determine your relative strength. This is what allows Strength Score to be an effective measure regardless of whether you're losing fat or gaining muscle.

5. The Concept of Relative Strength

At the heart of Strength Score is the concept of relative strength. This is the amount of weight you can lift relative to your current body weight. Relative strength is goal-agnostic, meaning it improves whether you're focused on fat loss or muscle gain.


Fat Loss Example:

Your weight decreases while your absolute strength stays the same or slightly improves. This results in improved relative strength.


Muscle Building Example:

Your absolute strength increases faster than any weight gain, also improving your relative strength.

This makes Strength Score a reliable indicator of progress regardless of your specific fitness goals.

6. Using Strength Score to Guide Progress

Strength Score helps inform the training approach your coach takes with you:

  • For those new to strength training with body fat to lose, the focus may be on simultaneous fat loss and strength/muscle building
  • For leaner individuals, the focus may shift to developing absolute strength
  • Coaches regularly assess Strength Score trends to ensure efficient progress

As your Strength Score improves, you should see noticeable changes in your body composition over time – getting leaner, stronger, and more muscular.

7. Strength Balance

Strength Balance is calculated using the same methodology as Strength Score, but its purpose is to show how well-balanced you are across muscle groups. Tracking your Strength Balance can help address imbalances in your muscular development and prevent issues with posture and strength progress.

8. Updates and Tracking

Your Strength Score is updated weekly, providing a regular checkpoint for your progress:

  • Updates occur every Sunday at 3:00 am EST
  • The score factors in your workouts from the past week and any changes in your scale weight
  • You can view your overall Strength Score and individual muscle group scores by tapping the Strength Score card and Strength Balance card on the Home screen

To see individual muscle group Strength Score changes:

  1. Tap Home on the bottom navigation bar
  2. Tap See what changed
  3. Choose a muscle group (e.g. Chest) and tap on View more
  4. You'll now see the progress on a 1-month, 3-month, or 6-month view for that specific muscle group

9. FAQ

Q: Why did my muscle group Strength Score drop even though I increased weight on an exercise?

A: This can happen due to how absolute strength is assessed when you make a weight progression. When you increase weight, you often initially decrease reps, which can temporarily result in a lower estimated 1 rep max. As you build up more reps at the new weight, your score should surpass your previous one.


Q: Will bodyweight exercises ever be part of Strength Score?

A: While we'd love to include bodyweight exercises, there are significant challenges in accurately assessing absolute strength for these exercises. We're continuing to think about this and currently factor in bodyweight exercises that allow for adding additional weight, such as pull-ups and dips.


Q: Why aren't abs part of my Strength Score?

A: Abs were not included as a main muscle group due to two main factors: (1) Visible abs are more related to body fat percentage than strength and (2) ab training and development doesn't follow the same proportions as other muscle groups in terms of absolute strength.


Q: Which exercises count towards Strength Score and Strength Balance?

A: Most common exercises found in our templates are covered. We're working on adding more exercises to the eligibility list. Currently, bodyweight exercises do not count towards your Strength Score and Strength Balance.


Q: When are Strength Score and Strength Balance updated?

A: Strength Score and Strength Balance are updated every Sunday at 3:00 am EST.