Support & FAQ

FitCove is a training app that builds personalized lifting and running programs. It uses training science principles — periodization, progressive overload, VDOT pacing — to create programs that adapt based on your performance and feedback.

FitCove runs on iPhone with iOS 26 or later. The optional Apple Watch companion (watchOS 11 or later) tracks runs with GPS and gives you audio coaching from your wrist. No watch? No problem — the iPhone app records outdoor runs with GPS on its own, and runs from a Garmin or other device can come in through Strava (see using other watches). Lifting workouts are logged on your iPhone.

When you first open the app, you'll go through a quick onboarding flow. Tell us your goals (strength, running, or both), experience level, available equipment, and how many days per week you want to train. FitCove builds a multi-week periodized program customized to you in seconds.

Every new user gets a 7-day free trial with full access to the entire app — no features held back. After the trial, FitCove is a paid subscription managed through the App Store. If you decide it's not for you, just cancel before the trial ends and you won't be charged. See our Pricing page for details.

FitCove adapts automatically based on your feedback. After each workout, rate how the exercises felt — if you select "Too Hard" or "Way Hard," the app will reduce weights for your next session. If the overall volume or schedule feels like too much, you can regenerate your plan from Profile > Regenerate Plan and adjust your training days or goals. Your workout history is preserved so the new plan picks up where you left off.

Go to Profile > Regenerate Plan. This takes you back through the onboarding flow where you can change your goals, training days, experience level, or anything else. Your old plan is archived automatically, and a new plan is generated based on your updated preferences.

You can generate up to 5 new plans per month. This includes your initial plan creation and any regenerations. The counter resets on the 1st of each month. Day-to-day changes — weight adjustments, exercise swaps, workout feedback — are unlimited and don't count toward this limit.

If you need to take a break (vacation, illness, busy week), you can simply skip workouts — there's no need to formally pause. When you come back, your plan continues from where you left off. If you've been away for an extended period and the weights feel too heavy, rate your first few workouts honestly and the adaptation engine will adjust back to the right level. If you've missed more than a week and the prescribed weights feel like too much, you can always regenerate your plan from Profile > Regenerate Plan and start fresh at a weight that feels right for you.

Missing a workout is totally fine — life happens. Your plan doesn't penalize you. The missed workout stays on your calendar and you can either complete it later or move on to the next scheduled session. Your progression and weights are based on the workouts you actually complete, not the ones you skip.

Yes — within the same week. On the Schedule tab, press and hold the workout card, choose Move to Different Day, and pick the new day.

Your plan and full history stay right where they are — nothing disappears. When you're ready for your next training block (say, after race day), go to Profile > Regenerate Plan to build your next program. Your workout history is preserved, so the new plan starts from where your training left off.

After each workout, you rate how each exercise felt: Too Easy, Just Right, Too Hard, or Way Hard. FitCove uses this feedback to adjust weights for your next session. "Just Right" means you're on track and the program handles progression through its built-in periodization. "Too Easy" bumps your weight up. Two consecutive "Too Hard" ratings triggers a decrease. The system gets smarter the more you train.

The fastest way is to give honest feedback after your next workout. If an exercise is too light, rate it "Too Easy" and the weight will increase. If it's too heavy, rate it "Too Hard." The adaptation engine adjusts per-exercise, so fixing one lift won't affect your others. If weights are way off across the board (e.g., you entered the wrong info during onboarding), consider regenerating your plan from Profile > Regenerate Plan with corrected details.

Yes. During a workout, tap Switch on any exercise to see curated alternatives that target the same muscle groups — useful when equipment is taken, something hurts, or you just prefer a different movement. When you pick a reason like "no equipment" or "too hard," the swap also applies to future workouts; choose "variety" and it's just for that day.

Absolutely. FitCove adjusts exercise selection based on your experience level. Beginners get programs focused on dumbbell and machine exercises with simpler movement patterns, while more experienced lifters get barbell-focused compound programs. As you progress, your program evolves with you.

FitCove supports a wide range of running goals: training for a specific race (5K through marathon), building endurance, improving your time at a specific distance, completing your first 5K or 10K, building a running habit, or maintaining your current fitness level.

FitCove uses VDOT-based pacing, a proven system based on Jack Daniels' running formula. You provide a recent race time or estimated fitness level, and we calculate your optimal training paces for easy runs, tempo runs, intervals, and long runs. Paces update as your fitness improves throughout the plan.

Paces are based on the race time or fitness estimate you provided during onboarding, and they're meant as guidelines — not strict rules. If a pace feels too fast or too slow on a given day, listen to your body and adjust. If your paces consistently feel off, you can regenerate your plan from Profile > Regenerate Plan and enter an updated recent race time or adjust your experience level. If you don't have a recent race, be conservative — it's better to start slightly easy and let the plan progress you naturally.

Yes — this is hybrid training, and it's one of FitCove's strengths. The app intelligently schedules your lifting and running sessions so they don't interfere with each other. Hard running days are separated from heavy lifting days, and mileage is adjusted to account for your total training load.

Yes. Open the scheduled run in your plan and tap Log a Completed Run — you can enter the run manually or import it from Strava if it was recorded there (e.g., on a Garmin or another app that syncs to Strava — see using other watches). Logged runs count toward your plan and adaptation just like runs tracked in FitCove.

Yes. Open the run and flip the toggle from Outdoor to Treadmill — your prescribed paces convert to treadmill speeds (mph or km/h) so you know exactly what to set the belt to. Since GPS can't measure a treadmill, log the run afterward with Log a Completed Run > Enter manually (distance and time), and it counts toward your plan like any other run.

A short intro when you start, each segment or interval as it begins (with its target pace), mile or kilometer splits, and periodic pace checks that tell you whether you're on pace, ahead, or behind. Announcements briefly lower your music volume and bring it right back — your playlist never pauses. You can turn split and pace announcements on or off in the app's settings.

The Apple Watch companion is built for runs: GPS tracking plus real-time audio coaching (pace alerts, interval cues) right from your wrist, no phone needed mid-run. Your run syncs back to your iPhone and HealthKit automatically. Lifting workouts are logged on your iPhone.

No. The Apple Watch is optional. You can use FitCove entirely on your iPhone — including GPS run tracking. The Watch companion is a bonus for runners who want tracking and audio coaching on their wrist. Have a Garmin or another watch? See using other watches.

Make sure both your iPhone and Apple Watch are connected (check the Watch app on your iPhone). Try opening the FitCove Watch app — this triggers a fresh sync. If workouts still aren't appearing, force-close and reopen the app on both devices. Data syncs via WatchConnectivity and HealthKit, so ensure FitCove has HealthKit permissions enabled in Settings > Health > Data Access. If the problem continues, contact us at support@thefitcove.com.

1. In FitCove, go to Profile and tap Strava.
2. Tap Connect with Strava. Your browser opens Strava's authorization page.
3. Sign in to Strava if needed, review the permissions, and tap Authorize. FitCove asks to view your activities — including private ones, so imports work no matter your Strava privacy settings — and to upload the runs you complete in FitCove.
4. You'll return to FitCove automatically. That's it — you're connected.

From then on, runs you complete in FitCove post to your Strava feed automatically, and runs recorded anywhere else that syncs to Strava can be imported into your plan (open the scheduled run > Log a Completed Run > Import from Strava). You can disconnect anytime from the same screen.

Yes. FitCove doesn't connect to other watches directly, but if your watch syncs to Strava, your runs flow into FitCove in a couple of taps:

1. One-time: link your watch to Strava (in Garmin Connect: More > Settings > Connected Apps > Strava — Coros, Fitbit, and most others have a similar option). Your runs will then land on Strava automatically.
2. One-time: connect Strava in FitCove (step-by-step guide).
3. After each run: open the scheduled run in FitCove and tap Log a Completed Run > Import from Strava, then pick the run.

Imported runs count toward your plan and adaptation exactly like runs tracked in FitCove. If a run isn't on Strava, you can always log it manually instead. And you don't need any watch at all — the iPhone app tracks outdoor runs with GPS on its own.

Yes — in both directions. Runs you complete in FitCove are automatically uploaded to your Strava feed, and runs you record elsewhere (e.g., on a Garmin or another app that syncs to Strava) can be imported into your plan. Connect from Profile > Strava — here's the step-by-step guide.

Check that your Strava account is still connected in Profile > Strava. If the connection looks active but runs aren't syncing, try disconnecting and reconnecting. Only runs completed after connecting will be uploaded — past runs won't backfill. If the issue persists, contact us at support@thefitcove.com.

We immediately delete the connection and its access tokens, and we strip the Strava-imported stats — pace, splits, heart rate, and other metrics — from runs you brought in from Strava. The simple record that you completed those workouts stays, since that's your own training log. Nothing on your Strava account is touched, and you can reconnect anytime.

Your data is stored securely on Amazon Web Services (AWS) with encryption at rest and in transit. We use industry-standard security practices. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Yes. Go to Profile > Privacy & Data > Export My Data to download a machine-readable file with your profile, completed workout history, and preferences — handy for your own records.

Yes. Go to Profile > Privacy & Data and tap Delete Account. Deletion is immediate and permanent — your account and all associated data are removed. One important note: deleting your account does not cancel an active App Store subscription — cancel that separately in Settings > your name > Subscriptions. You can also email us at support@thefitcove.com to request deletion.

Not from the app just yet. Email us at support@thefitcove.com and we'll update your email address or name for you.

Sign in with the same FitCove account and the same Apple ID, and your subscription comes with you. If the paywall appears anyway, tap Restore and it will re-validate your purchase with the App Store.

Anytime, through your Apple ID: Settings > your name > Subscriptions > FitCove > Cancel. Your access continues until the end of the current billing period. Note that deleting the app — or even deleting your FitCove account — does not cancel the subscription; it has to be cancelled through Apple.

Try force-closing the app and reopening it. Make sure you're on the latest version from the App Store. If the issue persists, email us at support@thefitcove.com with a description of what you were doing when the crash happened, and we'll look into it right away.

Workout data is saved to our servers when you complete a workout. If the app crashed mid-workout or you lost internet connection, the data may not have been uploaded. If it was a run, you can re-log it yourself: open the workout and tap Log a Completed Run to enter it manually or import it from Strava. For lifting workouts, contact us at support@thefitcove.com with the approximate date and workout, and we'll check on your data.