Form checker app

What it can catch

• Range: stopping short on squats, push-ups and curls.
• Tempo: rushing reps or bouncing out of the bottom.
• Setup: standing too close, out of frame, or at the wrong angle.

What it can't do

A camera can't feel pain, read your injury history or replace hands-on coaching. If something hurts, stop and get it checked.

What good form feedback looks like

• Specific: "go a bit deeper" or "keep your chest up" instead of "bad rep".
• Timely: during or right after the rep, so you can fix the next one.
• Not constant: one cue at a time, repeated only when the same thing keeps happening.
• Consistent: the same rule applied every rep, so your score means something.

Getting the most from camera feedback

• Set the phone up where it can see your whole body, at about waist height.
• Use the side view for squats and push-ups if the app recommends it, because depth is easier to see.
• Start lighter than usual. It's easier to learn a new cue at a comfortable effort.
• Watch your form score across a set. A drop in the last few reps tells you where to stop the set next time.

When you still need a person

A camera app is good at measuring range, depth, tempo and some alignment. It isn't a coach watching from every angle, and it can't feel what your body is doing. For heavy lifting, complex Olympic lifts, or if you're working around pain or an injury, a qualified coach or physio in person is worth it.

Many people use both: a few sessions with a coach to learn the lifts, then an app to keep practice honest between sessions.

Exercises Apex One scores

Apex One gives a 0 to 100 form score on every rep of its 10 camera-tracked exercises: squats, push-ups, lunges, bicep curls, deadlifts, bent-over rows, overhead presses, sit-ups, jumping jacks and high knees. The coach speaks up when the same issue keeps happening. Rehab programs are voice-led and don't use the camera.

A simple way to use form scores

Do your normal set and look at the rep-by-rep scores afterwards. If your first reps score well and the last few drop, that's fatigue: stop the set a rep or two earlier next time, or rest a little longer. If the scores are low from the first rep, the weight or variation is probably too hard right now, or there's a technique issue to work on.

Over weeks, aim for a steady or rising average score as your reps or weight go up. That means you're getting stronger without letting form slide.

Questions to ask about any form app

• Which exercises does it actually analyse?
• Does it tell you what to fix, or just give a score?
• Does it upload your video?
• Can you try it free first?

Common form issues by exercise

Squats: not reaching depth, knees caving in, heels lifting, chest dropping. Push-ups: hips sagging, half range, elbows flaring wide. Lunges: front knee drifting inward, short range. Curls: swinging the body, elbows drifting forward. Deadlifts: rounding the back, bar drifting away from the legs. Overhead press: arching the lower back.

A camera app can pick up the ones that show up as body angles and range. Things like grip, breathing and how heavy a weight feels are still up to you.

Learning a cue

When you get a cue, focus on that one thing for the next few reps. Trying to fix everything at once usually fixes nothing. If the same cue keeps coming up, lower the weight or slow the tempo for a session while the pattern improves.

Over a few weeks, watch whether your average form score rises. That's a good sign the movement is becoming more consistent.

Recording yourself

Even without an app, filming a set from the side and watching it back is one of the best ways to check form. A form checker app does that automatically in real time, and Apex One keeps the video on your phone.

What a form checker can and can't see

A phone camera can see joint angles: how deep a squat goes, whether hips sag in a push-up, whether elbows drift in a curl. That covers most common form faults in bodyweight and dumbbell training.

It can't feel what you feel. It won't know if a joint hurts, and it can't judge grip or breathing. Treat the score as a second pair of eyes, not a coach who knows your history.

Getting a reliable reading

• Put the phone side-on at about hip height, 2 to 3 metres away.
• Make sure your whole body is in frame, head to feet.
• Use decent light and avoid a busy background behind you.
• Wear clothes that show your joint positions, not baggy layers.

Which moves Apex One checks

Apex One checks form and counts reps on 10 moves: squats, push-ups, lunges, bicep curls, deadlifts, bent-over rows, overhead presses, sit-ups, jumping jacks and high knees. Rehab programs don't use the camera at all.

Form faults it catches most often

• Squats: not reaching depth, or standing only part way up.
• Push-ups: hips sagging or piking, and partial range at the bottom.
• Lunges: short range or losing balance.
• Curls: swinging the body to lift the weight.
• Overhead press: not locking out overhead.

How Apex One cues you

Short voice cues during the set, like “lower a little farther if comfortable”, then a quick summary at the end.

Count every rep with your phone

Questions

Keep exploring

• Form checkApex One
• Squat form checkerApex One
• Deadlift form checkerApex One
• Rep counter appGuide
• Apex One vs a personal trainerApex One