Fitness Guides & Resources

Welcome to the Motiweights resource center. Whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or you’re an experienced lifter looking to optimize your training, you’ll find valuable guides and resources here to help you reach your goals.

Getting Started Guides

For Complete Beginners

The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Strength Training

Everything you need to know to start your strength training journey safely and effectively. Learn about proper form, progressive overload, program design, and how to avoid common beginner mistakes.

Topics Covered:

• Why strength training matters
• Essential principles for beginners
• Sample workout programs
• Common mistakes to avoid
• Setting realistic goals

How It Works: Understanding Motiweights

Learn how Motiweights uses camera-based AI and computer vision to automatically track your workouts, generate personalized programs, and help you achieve your fitness goals faster than ever.

Topics Covered:

• Camera-based pose tracking technology
• Machine learning for rep counting
• The complete workout experience
• Privacy and data security
• Getting started with the app

For Home Trainers

Home Workouts vs Gym: Which is Better?

A comprehensive comparison to help you decide where to train for optimal results. Learn about the pros and cons of each approach and how to maximize your results regardless of where you train.

Topics Covered:

• Advantages and disadvantages of each
• Cost comparison
• Equipment options
• What you can achieve at home
• Making the best choice for your situation

Training Principles

Progressive Overload

Progressive Overload: The Science Behind Building Strength

Master the most important principle for continuous strength gains. Learn the science behind progressive overload and seven different ways to implement it in your training.

Topics Covered:

• What progressive overload is and why it matters
• Seven methods to progressively overload
• How fast you should progress
• Common mistakes to avoid
• Sample progressive overload programs
• Breaking through plateaus

Proper Form and Technique

Perfect Form: A Guide to the Big Three Lifts

Master proper technique for squats, bench press, and deadlifts—the foundation of any serious strength program. Learn setup, execution, common mistakes, and helpful cues for each lift.

Topics Covered:

• The barbell back squat
• The barbell bench press
• The conventional deadlift
• Common mistakes for each lift
• Programming the big three lifts
• Warm-up protocols

Training Mistakes to Avoid

10 Common Workout Mistakes That Sabotage Your Progress

Avoid these frequent training errors that waste time, increase injury risk, and prevent you from reaching your potential. Learn how to identify and fix each mistake.

Topics Covered:

• Poor exercise form
• Ignoring progressive overload
• Training with no program
• Neglecting compound movements
• Inadequate recovery
• Skipping warm-ups
• Not tracking workouts
• Comparing yourself to others

Nutrition Guides

Building Muscle

The Essential Nutrition Guide for Building Muscle

Master the fundamentals of eating for muscle growth and strength gains. Learn about caloric surplus, protein requirements, meal timing, and practical meal plans.

Topics Covered:

• The three pillars of muscle-building nutrition
• Protein, carbohydrate, and fat requirements
• Meal timing and frequency
• Sample meal plans
• Supplements that actually work
• Common nutrition mistakes
• Adjusting your diet over time

Recovery and Rest

Optimizing Recovery

The Complete Guide to Workout Recovery and Rest

Master the art of recovery to maximize muscle growth and performance. Learn why recovery matters and how to optimize it for your training.

Topics Covered:

• Understanding the recovery process
• The five pillars of recovery (sleep, nutrition, active recovery, rest days, stress management)
• Advanced recovery techniques
• Troubleshooting recovery issues
• Recovery for different training splits
• Tracking recovery markers

Training Programs and Approaches

Finding the Right Program

Different goals require different approaches. Here’s what works for various objectives:

For General Fitness and Health

Recommended Approach:

• Full-body training 3x per week
• Mix of compound and isolation exercises
• Moderate intensity
• Focus on consistency over perfection

Benefits:

• Time-efficient (3 workouts per week)
• Balanced muscle development
• Sustainable long-term
• Improves overall health markers

For Maximum Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy)

Recommended Approach:

• Upper/lower split or push/pull/legs
• 4-6 training days per week
• Moderate to high volume (10-20 sets per muscle per week)
• Rep ranges of 6-12
• Short to moderate rest periods (60-90 seconds)

Benefits:

• Maximizes muscle protein synthesis
• Allows high volume on each muscle group
• Frequent training stimulus
• Progressive overload across multiple exercises

For Maximum Strength

Recommended Approach:

• Focus on big compound lifts
• 3-5 training days per week
• Lower reps (1-5) on main lifts
• Higher reps (6-12) on accessories
• Longer rest periods (3-5 minutes for main lifts)

Benefits:

• Neurological adaptations for strength
• Practice with heavy weights
• Builds technique proficiency
• Direct carryover to 1-rep max strength

For Fat Loss While Maintaining Muscle

Recommended Approach:

• Maintain training intensity (don’t reduce weights)
• Slightly reduce volume if recovery is impaired
• 3-5 training days per week
• Prioritize compound movements
• Add moderate cardio 2-3x per week

Benefits:

• Preserves muscle mass during caloric deficit
• Maintains strength
• Increases calorie expenditure
• Improves body composition

Specialized Topics

Training Frequency

How often should you train each muscle group?

Once Per Week:

• Sufficient for maintenance
• Appropriate for extremely high volume sessions
• Common in bodybuilding “bro splits”
• Less optimal for strength development

Twice Per Week:

• Optimal for most people
• Allows higher total weekly volume
• Better for strength gains
• Good recovery time between sessions

Three+ Times Per Week:

• Can work for advanced trainees
• Requires excellent recovery
• Lower volume per session
• Good for skill practice (like powerlifting)

Rest Times Between Sets

How long should you rest?

Strength Training (1-5 reps):

• Rest: 3-5 minutes
• Reason: Full ATP and creatine phosphate recovery
• Allows maximal force production on each set

Hypertrophy (6-12 reps):

• Rest: 60-90 seconds
• Reason: Balances recovery with metabolic stress
• Creates optimal environment for muscle growth

Endurance (13+ reps):

• Rest: 30-60 seconds
• Reason: Trains work capacity
• Develops muscular endurance

General Guideline: Rest long enough to complete your target reps with good form, but not so long that your workout becomes inefficiently long.

Training to Failure

Should you train to muscular failure?

Pros:

• Ensures you’re working hard enough
• Maximizes muscle fiber recruitment
• Can accelerate hypertrophy in some cases

Cons:

• Increases recovery demands
• Higher injury risk
• Can impact subsequent sets and exercises
• Creates more fatigue than productive stimulus

Recommendation:

• Beginners: Stay 2-3 reps from failure
• Intermediate: Go to failure occasionally (last set of isolation exercises)
• Advanced: Use strategically in specific phases
• Never on heavy compound lifts (squat, deadlift, bench with heavy weight)

Deload Weeks

Taking planned breaks prevents overtraining.

When to Deload:

• Every 4-8 weeks of hard training
• When you feel excessively fatigued
• When performance decreases despite good effort
• When you have nagging aches and pains

How to Deload:

• Option 1: Same weights, 50% of normal volume
• Option 2: Same volume, 50-60% of normal weights
• Option 3: Complete week off (for very advanced trainees)

Benefits:

• Allows full recovery from accumulated fatigue
• Repairs minor tissue damage
• Resets nervous system
• Prepares body for next training phase
• Often return stronger after deload

Equipment Guides

Minimal Equipment Setup ($200-500)

Perfect for beginners or those with space constraints:

Essential Items:

• Adjustable dumbbells (5-50 lbs)
• Resistance bands
• Pull-up bar (doorway or wall-mounted)
• Yoga mat

What You Can Achieve:

• Full-body workouts
• Significant muscle growth (especially as a beginner)
• Strength development
• Fat loss and improved body composition

Intermediate Home Gym ($1,000-2,000)

For serious home trainers:

Equipment:

• Power rack or squat stand
• Olympic barbell and plates (300+ lbs)
• Adjustable bench (flat/incline)
• Adjustable dumbbells (5-75 lbs)
• Pull-up attachment

What You Can Achieve:

• Everything a beginner setup offers, plus:
• Serious strength development
• Years of progression without equipment limitations
• Most gym exercises can be replicated

Advanced Home Gym ($3,000+)

Professional-grade home facility:

Equipment:

• All intermediate equipment, plus:
• Cable pulley system
• Specialty bars (trap bar, safety squat bar)
• Additional weight plates
• Landmine attachment
• Heavy dumbbells (up to 100+ lbs)
• Platform for deadlifts

What You Can Achieve:

• Virtually everything available at commercial gyms
• Professional-level training environment
• Complete exercise variety

Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions? Check out our comprehensive FAQ page covering:

• General questions about Motiweights
• Features and functionality
• Pricing and subscriptions
• Privacy and security
• Technical requirements
• Troubleshooting
• Getting started
• Support and community

Additional Resources

Blog Articles

Visit our blog for regularly updated articles on:

• Training techniques and programs
• Nutrition strategies
• Recovery and injury prevention
• Motivation and mindset
• Success stories and transformations
• Latest research in exercise science

App Features

Learn about all the features Motiweights offers:

• AI-powered automatic rep counting
• Personalized workout plans
• Comprehensive progress tracking
• Smart form feedback
• Exercise library and demonstrations
• Workout history and calendar
• And much more…

Support

Need help with the app or have questions about your training?

• Email Support: [email protected]
• Support Page: motiweights.com/support
• FAQ: motiweights.com/faq
• Twitter: @motiweights1

We typically respond within 24-48 hours and are committed to helping you succeed.

Start Your Fitness Journey Today

Ready to transform your training with AI-powered workout tracking and personalized programming?

Download Motiweights and join our open beta:

• iOS Beta (TestFlight)
• Android Beta (Play Store)

Join Beta Program | Learn More About Features

Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced athlete, Motiweights provides the tools, guidance, and tracking you need to reach your fitness goals. Join our beta today and see the difference that smart, automatic workout tracking can make in your training.