RockSteady User Guide

The Boulder Never Rests, and Neither Do You.

Welcome to RockSteady, your comprehensive fitness companion designed to help you push your limits every day. This guide covers everything you need to know to get the most out of the app.

---

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started
2. Home Tab
3. Exercise Tab
4. Weights Tab
5. Calendar Tab
6. Classes Tab
7. Recovery Tab
8. Social Tab
9. Goals Tab
10. Progress Tab
11. Sports Tab
12. Profile Tab
13. Settings Tab
14. Export Tab
15. Apple Watch App
16. Tips & Best Practices
17. Frequently Asked Questions

---

Getting Started

First Launch Setup

When you first open RockSteady, you'll be guided through a brief setup process:

1. Create Your Account

RockSteady accounts power the social features—connecting with friends, sharing activities, and viewing your friends' workouts. You can create an account two ways:

• Sign in with Apple: The fastest option. Apple provides your name and an email (which may be a private relay address). There's no separate password to remember.
• Email and password: Enter an email address and create a password. You can optionally opt in to occasional app update emails.

If you forget your password, use "Forgot Password?" on the sign-in screen. (This doesn't apply to Sign in with Apple, which Apple manages for you.)

Note: You can track workouts and activities without an account, but social features (the feed, friends, and sharing) require one.

2. Start Your Subscription

RockSteady is a subscription app with a single plan that unlocks every feature:

• Monthly: $4.99 / month
• Annual: $49.99 / year (best value)

New subscribers start with a 7-day free trial—you won't be charged during the trial, and it converts to a paid subscription afterward unless you cancel at least 24 hours before it ends. You can manage or cancel anytime in iOS Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions. Billing, renewals, and refunds are handled by Apple through your App Store account.

Tip: Tap Restore Purchases on the subscription screen if you've already subscribed and are reinstalling or setting up a new device.

3. Location Permissions

To track your outdoor cardio activities with GPS, RockSteady needs location access.

• When prompted, tap "Allow While Using App" or "Allow Always"
• "Allow Always" enables background tracking if you switch apps during a workout
• You can change this later in Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → RockSteady

4. Apple Health (Optional)

RockSteady can sync your workouts to Apple Health for a complete fitness picture. This is opt-in—turn it on in Settings → Apple Health, or grant access when prompted.

• When enabled, workouts you log on your iPhone are saved to the Health app
• Heart rate data from Apple Watch enhances workout summaries
• Your health data stays on your device and in your private iCloud—RockSteady doesn't store it on our servers. You can change access anytime in the Health app under Sharing.

5. Setting Your Fitness Goals

RockSteady personalizes your experience based on your fitness goals. You'll be asked to choose from options like:

Your goal affects the daily recommendations you see on the Home tab. You can change your goal anytime in Profile → Fitness Goal.

---

Home Tab

The Home tab is your daily dashboard—the first thing you see when opening RockSteady.

Hero Section

At the top, you'll see the RockSteady logo and tagline: "Slow is steady, steady is strong." This serves as your daily motivation reminder.

Today's Recommendation

Based on your fitness goal and recent activity, RockSteady suggests what type of workout to do today:

• Strength Day: Focus on lifting and resistance training
• Cardio Day: Get your heart pumping with running, cycling, or other cardio
• Recovery Day: Take it easy with stretching, yoga, or light activity
• Active Recovery: Light movement to aid recovery while staying active

The recommendation considers:

• Your fitness goal
• How many days since your last workout of each type
• Your weekly activity balance
• The current day of the week

Tip: You don't have to follow the recommendation! It's a suggestion to help you stay balanced.

Quick Stats

Below the recommendation, you'll see your key statistics at a glance:

---

Exercise Tab

The Exercise tab is your central hub for all cardio and athletic activities, organized into four categories.

Outdoor Cardio (GPS Tracking)

Track your outdoor activities with real-time GPS mapping:

Starting an Outdoor Session

1. Tap the activity you want to do
2. Wait for GPS to acquire your location (you'll see a map appear)
3. Tap "Start" when ready
4. Your route will be tracked on the map in real-time

During Your Session

You'll see live stats including:

• Time: How long you've been active
• Distance: How far you've traveled (in your preferred units)
• Pace: Your current and average pace
• Speed: For speed-based activities like cycling (and sports such as skiing, snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding, and horseback riding), RockSteady shows speed in mph or kph instead of pace
• Map: Your route drawn in real-time

Controls During Tracking

• Pause: Tap to pause your session (useful for water breaks, traffic stops)
• Resume: Tap to continue after pausing
• Stop: Hold to end your session

Saving Your Session

After stopping:

1. Review your session summary (distance, time, pace, route)
2. Add a title (optional)
3. Add notes (optional)
4. Rate your intensity (1-10 scale)
5. Tap Save

Indoor Cardio (Timer-Based)

For gym equipment and indoor activities:

Starting an Indoor Session

1. Select your activity type
2. Tap "Start" to begin the timer
3. Work out on your equipment
4. Tap "Stop" when finished

Saving Indoor Sessions

After stopping, you can add:

• Title: Name your session
• Notes: Any relevant details
• Intensity Rating: 1-10 scale
• Distance (optional): If your machine displays it
• Calories (optional): If your machine displays it

Fitness Classes

Timer-based tracking for fitness class activities:

Sports Activities

Log recreational and competitive sports with optional GPS tracking:

Ball Sports

Combat Sports

Other Sports

---

Weights Tab

The Weights tab is your strength training command center with a powerful new interface.

Workout Library

RockSteady includes a comprehensive library of pre-built workout routines organized by:

• Push/Pull/Legs: Classic bodybuilding split
• Upper/Lower: Two-day split focusing on upper and lower body
• Full Body: Complete workouts targeting all muscle groups
• Body Part Specific: Target individual muscle groups

Starting a Workout

1. Browse the workout library or your custom workouts
2. Tap a workout to see its exercises
3. Tap "Start Workout" to begin
4. The workout timer starts automatically

Workout Timer

At the top of the workout screen, you'll see an elapsed time display:

⏱ 00:45:23

• Timer starts when you open the workout
• Continues running even if you background the app
• Only stops when you complete the workout or force-quit the app
• Helps you track total workout duration accurately

Logging Sets with Horizontal Scroll Cards

For each exercise, you'll see:

1. Exercise Name: The current exercise
2. Set Cards: Horizontally scrollable cards showing logged sets
3. Input Fields: Weight and reps entry
4. Log Set Button: Add the current set

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Bench Press                                    │
│  ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────────────────┐  │
│  │ Set 1  │ │ Set 2  │ │  Weight: [135]     │  │
│  │ 135×10 │ │ 155×8  │ │  Reps:   [10 ]     │  │
│  │        │ │        │ │  [Log Set]         │  │
│  └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────────────────┘  │
│  ← scroll to view/edit sets                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Editing and Deleting Sets

• Tap any set card to open the edit sheet
• Change weight or reps and tap Save
• Delete the set by tapping the Delete button
• Changes are reflected immediately in the scroll view

Completing a Workout

When you're done:

1. Tap "Complete Workout" at the bottom
2. The workout summary appears automatically

Workout Summary View

After completing a workout, you'll see a comprehensive summary:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│      ✓ Workout Complete!            │
│         Push Day                    │
│                                     │
│  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐        │
│  │ Duration │  │ Exercises│        │
│  │  45:23   │  │    5     │        │
│  └──────────┘  └──────────┘        │
│  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐        │
│  │ Total    │  │ Volume   │        │
│  │ Sets: 18 │  │ 12.5K lb │        │
│  └──────────┘  └──────────┘        │
│                                     │
│  Exercise Details                   │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │ Bench Press      4 sets     │   │
│  │ Max: 185 lb  Vol: 4,960 lb  │   │
│  │ Progress: ▁▂▄▆ (sparkline)  │   │
│  └─────────────────────────────┘   │
│                                     │
│  [Share to Feed]  [Done]           │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Summary Statistics

• Duration: Total workout time (HH:MM:SS)
• Exercises: Number of exercises completed
• Total Sets: Sum of all sets across exercises
• Volume: Total weight lifted (weight × reps)

Sparkline Progress Charts

Each exercise shows a mini chart of your historical progress:

• X-axis: Previous workout dates
• Y-axis: Max weight lifted
• Instantly see if you're progressing

Personal Records

When you beat a previous best—such as a new max weight or volume on an exercise—RockSteady detects it automatically and shows a Personal Record (PR) celebration. Your records are tracked over time so you can see your strongest lifts at a glance.

Exercise Information

Tap the info icon (ℹ️) next to any exercise to see:

• Proper form description
• Target muscles
• Video tutorial link (opens in browser)
• Tips for the exercise

Creating Custom Workouts

Build your own routines:

1. Go to Weights → Custom Workouts
2. Tap "Create New Workout"
3. Name your workout
4. Add exercises from the exercise library (80+ exercises)
5. Set target sets and reps for each exercise
6. Tap Save

Your custom workouts use the same timer, set cards, and summary features as standard workouts.

Exercise Browser

Explore all 80+ available exercises:

1. Tap "Browse Exercises" in the Weights tab
2. Filter by muscle group or equipment
3. Tap any exercise to see details
4. Add exercises to custom workouts directly

---

Calendar Tab

The Calendar tab gives you a historical view of all your activities organized by date.

Viewing Your Calendar

• Current Month: Displayed by default with activity indicators on each day
• Navigate Months: Swipe left/right or tap the arrows to change months
• Activity Dots: Days with logged activities show colored dots:
• 🔵 Blue dot: Strength training
• 🟢 Green dot: Cardio activity
• 🟣 Purple dot: Recovery
• 🟠 Orange dot: Sports

Viewing a Specific Day

Tap any date to see all activities logged that day:

• Workout details (exercises, sets, reps, volume)
• Cardio sessions (distance, time, pace)
• Recovery activities
• Sports sessions

Logging Past Activities

Forgot to log a workout? You can add it retroactively:

1. Tap the date you want to add an activity to
2. Tap "Add Activity" or the + button
3. Choose the activity type
4. Fill in the details
5. Tap Save

---

Classes Tab

The Classes tab provides guided video content for various fitness disciplines.

Available Class Types

Using Video Classes

1. Select a class category (Yoga, Pilates, or Mobility)
2. Browse available videos
3. Tap to play and follow along
4. Log the activity when finished

---

Recovery Tab

Rest and recovery are essential parts of fitness. The Recovery tab helps you track passive recovery activities.

Available Recovery Activities

Logging Recovery Activities

1. Tap the recovery activity you did
2. Set the duration (in minutes)
3. Set the temperature (for sauna/cold plunge)
4. Add optional notes
5. Tap Log Activity

Recovery Stats

The Recovery tab shows:

• Total Recovery Time: All-time minutes spent on recovery
• Sessions: Number of recovery activities logged
• Recent Activities: Your latest recovery sessions

Why Track Recovery?

• Helps maintain workout/recovery balance
• Reminds you that rest is productive
• Shows patterns in your recovery habits
• Contributes to your overall fitness picture

---

Social Tab

Connect with friends and share your fitness journey.

Activity Feed

The main social view shows:

• Posts from friends you follow
• Workout completions with stats
• Achievement milestones
• Activity summaries

Interacting with Posts

• Like: Tap the heart icon to encourage your friends
• Comment: Tap the comment icon to leave a message
• View Details: Tap a post to see more information

Adding Friends

1. Go to Social → Friends (or tap the friends icon)
2. Use the Search users bar to find a friend by name
3. Tap a result to view their profile and send a friend request

Your friend will receive a notification and can accept or decline.

Managing Friends

View your friends list to:

• See who you're following
• Accept pending friend requests
• Remove friends if needed

Social Posting Preferences

Control what you share automatically:

1. Go to Settings → Social Posting
2. For each activity type, choose:
• Always Post: Automatically share after completing
• Ask Me: Prompt to share or skip each time
• Never Post: Keep activities private

Activity types you can configure:

• Outdoor Cardio
• Indoor Cardio
• Weight Training
• Recovery
• Sports

Privacy Notes

• Your activities are only visible to friends you've connected with
• You can delete your own posts
• Your detailed workout data (sets, reps, weights) is not shared—only summaries

---

Goals Tab

Set and track your fitness goals.

Setting Goals

Choose your primary fitness goal:

Goal Tracking

• View progress toward weekly targets
• See streaks and consistency metrics
• Adjust goals as your fitness evolves

---

Progress Tab

The Progress tab visualizes your fitness journey over time.

Available Views

Activity Summary

See totals and averages for:

• Cardio sessions and total distance
• Strength training sessions and volume
• Recovery activities
• Sports sessions

Weekly/Monthly Trends

Charts showing:

• Workout frequency over time
• Distance trends
• Activity type distribution
• Weight progression for exercises

Understanding Your Progress

The Progress tab helps answer questions like:

• Am I working out consistently?
• Is my mileage increasing over time?
• Am I balancing different activity types?
• Are my lifts getting stronger?

---

Sports Tab

Quick access to log sports activities (also available in the Exercise tab).

Logging a Sports Activity

1. Tap the sport you played
2. Set the duration
3. Rate your intensity (1-10)
4. Choose how to classify it (Cardio/Strength/Mixed)
5. Add title and notes (optional)
6. Tap Log Activity

---

Profile Tab

Manage your account and view your stats.

Profile Information

Profile Photo

• Tap your photo to change it
• Choose from your photo library
• Your photo appears on your social posts

Display Name

• Tap Edit to change your name
• This is how friends see you in the app

Bio

• Add a short bio about yourself
• Visible on your profile to friends

Your Stats

Quick view of your all-time statistics:

• Total workouts
• Total cardio sessions
• Total distance
• Total volume lifted

---

Settings Tab

Configure app behavior and preferences.

Units

Choose your preferred measurement system:

Social Posting Preferences

Configure auto-posting for each activity type.

Show Daily Recommendation

Toggle whether to display the daily workout suggestion on your Home tab.

Notifications

Configure workout reminders and social notifications, including which notifications show a badge on the app icon.

Apple Health

Toggle Sync Workouts to Apple Health. When enabled, workouts you log on your iPhone are saved to the Health app so they appear in Health and Fitness. This is off until you turn it on, and you can change access anytime in the Health app under Sharing.

Back Up to iCloud

Toggle Back Up to iCloud to back up your workouts, runs, and activity history to your own private iCloud account, so you can restore it after reinstalling or on a new device. Your backup stays in your iCloud—RockSteady can't read it. The screen shows your last backup time, and you can restore a backup onto the current device. (See also the Backup & Data FAQ.)

Account

• Log Out: Returns you to the sign-in screen. Your data stays on this device, and your profile remains in the cloud—sign back in to access social features and sync.
• Delete Account: Permanently deletes your profile, posts, comments, likes, and friend connections from RockSteady. Your local workout data remains on this device. This cannot be undone.

---

Export Tab

Export your fitness data in various formats.

Available Export Formats

Exporting Data

1. Go to the Export tab
2. Select the data type to export
3. Choose the format
4. Select date range (optional)
5. Tap Export
6. Share or save the file

---

Apple Watch App

RockSteady includes a companion Apple Watch app for on-wrist workout tracking.

Watch App Structure

The Watch app mirrors the iOS app's organization:

Exercise Menu (Watch)

Outdoor Cardio

• Run, Walk, Ruck, Bike, Open Water Swim
• GPS tracking with live stats
• Heart rate monitoring via Apple Watch sensors

Indoor Cardio

• Treadmill, Elliptical, Stationary Bike, Rowing, Stair Climber
• Lap Swimming with stroke detection
• Jump Rope, HIIT, Other Cardio

Fitness Classes

• Yoga, Pilates, Stretching, Foam Rolling, Mobility Work
• Timer-based tracking

Sports

All 20+ sports available on iOS:

• Ball sports (Basketball, Soccer, Tennis, etc.)
• Combat sports (Boxing, Martial Arts, Wrestling, Fencing)
• Other sports (Climbing, Skiing, Surfing, etc.)

Weights on Watch

Simplified weight tracking interface:

• Quick set logging
• Exercise selection
• Syncs with iOS app

Recovery on Watch

Log passive recovery directly from your wrist:

• Sauna: Log heat therapy sessions
• Cold Plunge: Log cold exposure with temperature
• Massage: Log massage sessions
• Meditation: Log mindfulness sessions

HealthKit Integration

The Watch app writes workouts directly to HealthKit:

• Heart rate data
• Calories burned
• Active minutes
• Workout routes (GPS activities)

Syncing with iPhone

• Data syncs automatically when Watch and iPhone are connected
• Historical data available on both devices
• Social posting can be triggered from Watch

---

Tips & Best Practices

Getting the Most from RockSteady

1. Log Consistently: Even "bad" workouts count! Tracking everything gives you accurate progress data.
2. Use the Timer: Let the workout timer run for accurate duration tracking.
3. Review Sparklines: Check your progress charts to see if you're getting stronger.
4. Don't Skip Recovery: Logging recovery activities reminds you that rest is part of fitness.
5. Connect with Friends: Social accountability helps you stay motivated.

Workout Tips

• Warm up before strength training or intense cardio
• Log sets in real-time during workouts so you don't forget
• Use the exercise info to learn proper form
• Edit sets if you make a mistake—tap the card to fix it
• Progress gradually—small increases add up over time

Cardio Tips

• Wait for GPS lock before starting outdoor activities for accurate tracking
• Stay consistent with routes to compare performances
• Mix indoor and outdoor to keep things interesting
• Rate intensity honestly to track your effort over time

Watch App Tips

• Start from Watch for immediate tracking without pulling out your phone
• Use Exercise menu for quick access to all activity types
• Log recovery on Watch after sauna/cold plunge sessions

Social Tips

• Encourage friends with likes and comments
• Share selectively—quality over quantity
• Celebrate milestones when friends hit achievements

---

Frequently Asked Questions

General

Q: Is my data backed up?

A: Your activity history and GPS routes are stored locally on your device. You can turn on Back Up to iCloud in Settings to back up that history to your own private iCloud and restore it on a new device. Apple Watch sessions sync to your iPhone through your private iCloud automatically. Social data (your profile, posts, and friends) is stored securely on our backend, so it returns when you sign back in.

Q: Can I use RockSteady offline?

A: Yes, for most features. GPS tracking works offline (uses device GPS). Social features require internet. Your data syncs when you're back online.

Q: Does RockSteady sync with Apple Health?

A: Yes, if you opt in. Turn on Sync Workouts to Apple Health in Settings, and your logged workouts (including heart rate data from Apple Watch) are written to the Health app.

Weights

Q: How does the workout timer work?

A: The timer starts when you open a workout and continues even if you background the app. It only stops when you complete the workout or force-quit the app.

Q: Can I edit or delete logged sets?

A: Yes! Tap any set card in the horizontal scroll view to open the edit sheet. You can change weight/reps or delete the set entirely.

Q: What are the sparklines in the workout summary?

A: Sparklines are mini charts showing your historical max weight for each exercise, so you can see your progress over time.

Cardio

Q: GPS tracking seems inaccurate. What can I do?

A:

• Wait for GPS to fully lock before starting
• Ensure location permissions are set to "Always" or "While Using"
• Avoid areas with tall buildings or heavy tree cover
• Make sure your phone isn't in power saving mode

Q: Can I track swimming?

A: Yes! Use Lap Swimming (Indoor Cardio) for pool workouts or Open Water Swim (Outdoor Cardio) for lakes/oceans with GPS tracking.

Watch App

Q: Do I need my iPhone nearby to use the Watch app?

A: For basic tracking, no. GPS and heart rate work independently. For syncing and social features, you'll need to connect to your iPhone eventually.

Q: Why isn't my workout showing on my iPhone?

A: Give it a moment to sync. Make sure both devices are connected (via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi). Try opening the RockSteady app on your iPhone.

Social

Q: Can I make my profile private?

A: Your activities are only visible to friends you've accepted. Other users can find your profile by name in search so they can send you a friend request, but they can't see your activities unless you accept them as a friend. To stay completely private, simply don't accept requests or add friends—and remember only activity summaries are ever shared, never your detailed sets, reps, and weights.

Q: How do I delete a post?

A: Tap on your post and select the delete option.

---

Glossary

---

Contact & Feedback

We love hearing from our users! Your feedback helps make RockSteady better.

Providing Feedback

• Email us at seanc@rocksteady-fitness.com, or use the contact form at rocksteady-fitness.com
• Leave a review on the App Store—it genuinely helps

Reporting Bugs

When reporting a bug, please include:

1. What you were trying to do
2. What happened instead
3. Steps to reproduce the issue
4. Your device model and iOS/watchOS version
5. Screenshots if helpful

---

Thank you for using RockSteady! Slow is steady, steady is strong.

---

Last updated: June 2026