How to set up your phone for camera workouts and AI rep counting
To get reliable rep counting from a camera workout app, prop your phone upright at about waist height, step back until your whole body is in the frame with some space around you, face a light source rather than having it behind you, wear clothes that contrast with the background, and clear the floor around you. Most counting errors come from the camera losing sight of a hand, foot or knee. The steps below fix the common causes.
1. Stand the phone up securely
Use a stand, a stack of books or a water bottle against a wall. The phone should not slide or tip when you jump. Upright (portrait) usually fits a standing body best; follow the app's own instruction if it asks for landscape.
2. Set the height and angle
Waist height pointing straight at you gives the most even view of your head and feet. If the phone sits on the floor, tilt it up slightly. A steep angle from very low or very high distorts your proportions, which makes squats and lunges harder to read.
3. Find the right distance
Step back until your whole body, from head to feet with your arms raised, fits in the frame with a little margin. For most phones in a living room that is roughly two to three metres. Then do one test rep: if your hands or feet leave the frame at the top or bottom of the movement, step back again.
4. Fix the lighting
Pose detection works best when your body is evenly lit. Reviews of camera rep counters note that lighting, clothing and parts of the body being hidden all affect how well the model tracks you (chatgate review of RepStandard).
- Face the window or lamp; don't stand with a bright window behind you.
- Avoid one strong side light that puts half of you in shadow.
- In the evening, turn on the main room light, not only a small lamp.
5. Wear clothes that stand out
Very loose clothing hides where your joints are, and clothes the same colour as the wall make your outline harder to see. Fitted clothes that contrast with the background help the app find your knees, hips and elbows.
6. Clear the space and the background
Move chairs, bags and pets out of the frame. Other people walking behind you can confuse tracking. Make sure you have room to move your arms and step sideways without hitting anything.
7. If you play on a TV
Seeing a small phone screen from three metres away is hard. Many camera fitness apps let you show the game on a TV: Active Arcade, for example, supports AirPlay and HDMI (NEX docs). Keep the phone where it can see you and look at the TV instead.
8. Know what happens to your video
Before you start, check whether the app processes camera images on your phone or sends them to a server. The App Store privacy label and the app's privacy policy should tell you. On-device processing means your video does not need to leave the phone.
Set realistic expectations
Camera rep counters are motivating and good at counting, but they are not a coach. They can miss a rep or count a half rep, and form feedback is guidance, not an assessment of your body.
This is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if you feel pain and talk to a professional about injuries.
Where Warmify fits
Warmify, the warm-up game we make, uses the phone camera to track your body on the device itself, count every rep and check your form 30 times a second. Camera images are processed entirely on your device; frames are never uploaded or stored. For playing on a big screen, Duo on the TV puts two phones head to head on one TV, and Versus online lets you face a random opponent or challenge a player by name. Seated Mode works if you are sitting at a desk.
Warmify starts as a 3-minute warm-up and gives free daily workouts, with an optional ad for one extra workout or a PRO upgrade. It makes no injury-prevention claims.
Compare: Warmify vs Active Arcade and Active Arcade alternatives.
