Tempo 101

Congratulations, you’re now officially part of the Tempo Team (or as our community likes to call themselves, the Temponians, but more on that later)!

If you’re new to Tempo, you may be wondering where to start. We’ll do our best here to cover the Tempo basics and answer any outstanding questions you may already have. And if you’re a veteran Tempo athlete, take a look, you still might learn something new.

As Tempo has feature updates, we’ll be sure to keep this post updated with the latest and greatest.

Once powered on (just press that button located right behind the Tempo screen on the lower right), you should be prompted to set-up your WiFi connection and create an account.

You will be able to create your account using the email address you used to purchase your Tempo.

This is it, your first time training with Tempo! This is the start of something awesome, we promise.

Before you power on your Tempo, make sure you’ve got everything you need:

✓ Water: You’ll definitely be working up a sweat, so make sure you have something to sip on during your rest periods.

✓ Towel: Again, you. Will. Get. Sweaty.

✓ Footwear: No shoes, no service? Not around here. We suggest wearing whatever you feel is most comfortable on your feet, including going au naturel. If you plan to wear shoes, do some research to make sure your shoes are well suited for strength training (avoid shoes that are overly padded) and if you go with just socks or nothing at all, just know you may asked to jump, so make sure you don’t slip!

✓ Gear: For the rest of your body, where whatever you want that will allow you to train without issue or discomfort.

✓ Mat: You’ll need to station yourself about 8 clear feet away from your Tempo. Give that mat an unfurl to know where you’ll be standing

✓ Weight Collars: When putting your weight collars on your dumbbells or barbell, you may notice the collars feel a bit tight. If so, pull the black lever far enough back to hear a click; this should loosen the collar enough for you to put on and take off your collars with ease.

✓ Leaderboard: You'll notice during class a panel to the right of your screen. This is the leaderboard and shows you how you're stacking up against other Temponians in the class (both in live and on-demand classes) in real time. You'll be able to see the leaderboard based on reps and volume (which is the number of reps multiplied by the weight you're using and point values assigned to body weight exercises).

✓ Heart Rate Monitor: Strap that bad boy on! It’ll be really useful as our coaches speak to heart rate zones and we use data from your heart rate to calculate your calorie burn.

We recommend snuggly strapping the monitor to your upper arm (between your shoulder and elbow) or right below your elbow. When you press your monitor to turn it on, there will be a blue light on top and a green light on bottom. The green light needs to sit on an area of good blood flow, like your muscle, to get an accurate reading. Avoid any areas that have been tattooed. Remember, all bodies are different, so if you're noticing some readings that don't make sense, try placing your monitor somewhere else until you get a consistent reading on your Tempo.

When you’re done with your monitor, just press it again to turn it off.

Your very first class is going to be an introductory course with our Head Coach Melissa. Even if you’re an experienced athlete, we make this a required class as this is when your Tempo gets to meet you too! Your performance in this class will help Tempo learn more about you and begin to provide weight recommendations. In this class, Coach Melissa will also walk you through everything you see on your Tempo screen (you can also read more about what you see on screen here) and run you through a workout to get you acquainted with all of the Tempo equipment and give you a taste of what to expect from other Tempo classes.

Please note that if you’re a beginner and this class feels too tough, don’t be discouraged! It’s only up from here! Remember that you can always tap the screen to pause the class and take things at your own pace. And if weights feel too heavy, remember to adjust the weights by following the on-screen cues (located near the timer) so that Tempo has an accurate understanding of your current fitness.

After the class you’ll see a post-class report including how many calories you burned, your ranking on the leaderboard, and more. As you continue to train with Tempo, it will learn from your class performance and continue to recommend challenging weights in future classes.

Tempo has hundreds of classes with more added every single week.

It can be overwhelming to know where to start, but there’s a couple ways to go about it:

1. Take a Program: Whether you’re looking to lean out, gain muscle mass, or learn the basics of strength training, we have a program for you!

Our programs are weeks-long series of classes that are all aimed towards different end goals that take the guesswork out of knowing what classes to take and when to train. Your entire training plan is determined by the program plan.

You’ll find the programs by going to your profile page and tapping “Join a Program” to see what programs we have to offer and to enroll. Please note that once you join a program you won’t be able to see other programs unless you leave the program. If you leave a program and return to it, you will lose your previous progress. You can read more about our programs here.

2. Pick Your Own Sweat-venture: It’s great to have choices ain’t it? Go to the “Class” tab and see what strikes your fancy. You’ll see classes that were recently added, featured classes that are popular in the community, and other thematic collections.

You can also filter classes by clicking one of the main class categories and choosing class duration, muscle group, and/or coach.

3. Live Classes: Live from Your Tempo, it’s your class! You’ll see our daily live class schedule on the “Live” tab on the bottom of your Tempo screen. You’ll be able to preview classes and sign up for the live classes from here.

Make sure to power on your Tempo and be ready to join any live class you’re signed up for at least 5 minutes before the scheduled start time to ensure you get into the class without issue.

Missed the live class or want to do a repeat? Live classes are usually added to the on-demand library within 2 business days.

4. Favorites: Loved that class and can’t wait to do it again or want to try later? We totally understand. When viewing a class, you’ll see an outline of a heart in the upper right corner. Just tap it and it’ll turn red — now it’s a part of your favorites! After a class, you’ll also be able be given the option to add it to your favorites.

Tempo is a pretty low-maintenance workout partner, there are just a few things to remember.

Download our App: The Tempo app isn’t required to use your Tempo, but it will certainly enhance your experience! You’ll be able to add classes to your calendar, preview classes, and enjoy our bodyweight and banded classes while away from your Tempo!

Our Android app is currently in development with a target release of early this year.

Join the Community: You’re now among thousands of other Tempo members around the country responsible for thousands upon thousands of reps completed and millions of pounds lifted and they’d love to meet you.

You can join our Official Tempo Facebook Group here. You’ll be able to interact with other members, get previews of new features, get the latest news from the Tempo team, and hangout with our coaches.

Speaking of our coaches, you can also follow them all on Instagram:

That about covers the basics! We hope this was helpful! If you have any additional questions, we’d love to know. Just shoot us an email at hello@tempo.fit or ask the community in the Facebook Group.

Can’t wait to see you in class!