A weekly workout check in is five quick questions about last week, and the builder uses your answers to decide whether next week steps up, holds steady or eases off.
Please check with your doctor before starting a new plan, especially after a long break, an injury or if you take medication.
When do you see the check-in?
You see it when you answer "coming back for the next week" on the first question of the weekly plan builder. A first plan skips it, because there is no last week to talk about yet.
Five questions take about a minute. Skip them and the builder has no idea whether you flew through last week or crawled out of it.
What are the five questions, and why do they matter?
| Question | Answer | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Which week are you starting? | 2 to 12 | Weeks 4, 8 and 12 are planned easy weeks |
| How hard was last week? | 1 to 10 | Feeds your "strain" score |
| How tired or sore do you feel? | 1 to 10 | Also feeds strain, and can trigger a recovery week |
| How many sessions did you finish? | All, most, about half, only a few | Decides whether you earn a step up |
| Any pain or injury? | Yes or no | A yes means a recovery week |
Strain is the average of "how hard" and "how tired". It is the main number the builder follows when nothing else overrides it.
How do the answers add up?
The builder starts from your setup answers, then lets last week adjust the result. In order of priority:
- Pain, or tiredness of 9 or 10, or hardness 9+ together with tiredness 8+: recovery week. It is 30% lighter with one fewer workout day. Details in recovery week workout plan.
- Week 4, 8 or 12: planned easy week, 20% lighter with one fewer workout day. See deload week.
- Otherwise strain decides: 3 or less is +20%, up to 5 is +10%, up to 7.5 holds steady and above 7.5 is -10%.
- Sessions finished can cap the result: finishing "most" holds at best, "about half" holds or eases off with one fewer day and "only a few" is at least -10% with one fewer day.
Why does honesty matter so much?
Because the builder can't see you. It doesn't know that you rated last week 3/10 because you wanted to look tough. If you inflate the numbers, you get a lighter week than you need. If you shrink them, you get a heavier one than you can handle.
Scores are only useful when they are true. Our guide to rating your training week from 1 to 10 honestly has a scoring guide.
If you are still sore from last week, sore for days after working out explains what's normal. If recovery seems slower than it used to be, read why recovery takes longer after 30.
Where do you answer the check-in?
If you track with a notes app or a Word document, jot your answers down at the end of the week and take them to the builder. If you use an AI tool, the weekly plan text includes an end-of-week check-in with four questions for the tool to ask you. The AI tool is independent and does not represent Fatboy Fitness. Either way, the answers go back into the builder when you choose "Coming back".
Nothing is stored for you. The app doesn't save progress, so keep your answers somewhere you can find them.
FAQs
How long does the check-in take?
About a minute. It is five questions, two of them rated from 1 to 10.
What if I only finished a few sessions?
Say so. The builder holds you back or eases off with one fewer workout day, which gives you a smaller week you can complete. See only finished half your workouts.
Do I have to do a check-in every week?
Only when you come back for another plan. It is what makes the plan week by week rather than one-size-fits-all.
The bottom line
Five honest answers beat any amount of guessing. Do the check-in, take it to the builder and let next week respond to the week you really had. Build your weekly plan.
Go train, FATBOY.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Train at your own risk. If you have a health condition, take medication or are unsure whether exercise or a diet change is right for you, talk to your doctor first.
- weekly plan
- check-in
- recovery