3 Tips for your First Volt Workout
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If you’re new to the #VoltFamily—get ready! You’re about to see what working out with a personalized, adaptive, and ever-evolving training plan can do for your body (and your fitness goals). The Volt app was designed to deliver the most effective training methodology, gleaned from decades of exercise science research, through a powerful, patent-pending technology called Smart Sets that adjusts each workout to optimize your results. We’re SO excited for you to try Volt for yourself—so here’s what you need to know before you tap that Start Workout button.
1) Commit to 60 Minutes
It takes time to get used to any new workout routine—and if you’re new to the gym in general, finding the right equipment (where’s the squat rack?) and areas designated for different exercises (where should I do my planks?) can take a while. That’s why it’s important to set aside a good chunk of time to go through your first workout with Volt. Depending on how fast you move through the exercises, most workouts take between 45 to 75 minutes to complete—so we recommend planning at least an hour for your first workout, to give you enough time to get a real feel for Volt’s training. (We’re also working to build in more flexibility around workout duration, so stay tuned!)
2) Customize for Your Equipment
While every Volt workout is designed by certified strength & conditioning specialists (coaches with specific expertise in the science of constructing effective programs), there’s ALWAYS room to customize your workout. We built in a unique feature that lets you swap out any movement in your workout plan for an alternative, without compromising your training results—giving you the power to tailor your training to your movement preferences, available equipment, previous injuries, and more.
Check the Workout Overview section on the home screen to what movements are slated for your workout, then use Movement Replacements to make each workout your own! Tap any movement, then tap the Replace icon in the top right to make a change—you can also do this in real-time during your workout. Volt’s training AI, Cortex, will intelligently recommend six alternative movements from the same general category (like upper-body pull), or you can choose any option from our menu of 1,000+ exercises, each with its own set of step-by-step instructions, quick coaching cues, and high-res technique videos. (So you’ll always find something that works for you!)
3) Try a Finisher!
Volt offers 30+ add-on workout routines (located at the bottom of the home screen under Training Extras) to help you reach your specific training goal. Want a little extra burn at the end of your workout? Try a Finisher—a short routine that targets a specific goal (like Grip Strength or Core Stability) or torches some more calories (like Metabolic Conditioning). You’ll also find Primers—pre-workout routines (like Shoulder Health) that work to prime your body for training—as well as Speed, Agility, Quickness drills, and more. Use these Training Extras to create recovery routines for your off days, or to just add a little something extra to your workouts.
Anatomy of a Volt Workout
Now that you’ve got some tips under your belt, let’s break down the layout of your workout. Every Volt workout follows the same order—Readiness Check-in, Warm-up, Workout, and Summary—so here’s a quick guide to each phase of your workout.
Readiness Check-in
This quick 5-question survey lives at the beginning of each workout, to help gauge your readiness to train. Volt tracks your soreness, stress, mood, energy, and sleep quality before each workout, then displays the day’s score (and overall average) at the end of your workout, in the Workout Summary. Note: You can always skip the Readiness Check-in if you’re short on time.
Warm-up
The best workouts start with a good warm-up. The warm-up is an important phase of any workout, because it helps your heart and lungs start pumping more blood to working muscles (literally warming you up!) and can help prevent injury during training. Volt provides several warm-up options before your workout begins—but even if you choose not to do one of Volt’s warm-ups, we still recommend taking 5-10 minutes to raise your heart rate gradually before jumping into your workout.
Workout
After the warm-up, it’s time to work! Your custom workout plan is uniquely tailored to your goals, strength levels, and training experience, but many Volt workouts follow a similar overall structure, based on best practices in exercise science. Typically, you’ll start with any explosive or plyometric movements (like jumps), move into strength-focused pairings (like squats and rows, or bench press and deadlift), and then end with core strength and injury prevention work (like planks and balance movements). Note: Remember, you can always replace any exercise in your program!
Summary
After you hit that Finish Workout button, you’ll see a dynamic, shareable Workout Summary of what you accomplished during your training. The Workout Summary shows a breakdown of what traits your workout focused on (like strength or durability), the primary movements in your workout, your Readiness Check-in score and average, the percentage of sets you completed, and the total tonnage (weight lifted) for the day. At the top, you’ll also see your all-time workouts—as well as your current streak. Tap the Share button at the bottom to generate a snapshot of your session to share on social (and don’t forget to tag us @voltathletics so we can boost your post!).
Good luck on your first workout! And if you have any questions or feedback for our team here at Volt HQ, please reach out to support@voltathletics.com—we’re always here to help.
Learn more about Christye and read her other posts | @CoachChristye
