RhythmFitDownload

title: Blocks and phases description: What a "phase" actually is, and how blocks chain into a workout.

Blocks and phases

The whole RhythmFit mental model fits in two words. A workout is a list of blocks. Each block has a phase. Everything you see — the timer, the color, the coach voice, the metronome — is a function of which block is current and which phase it belongs to.

What lives on a block

When you build a workout (manually, via AI, or by importing a share), each block carries:

  • Name and label — what shows on the Execute screen ("Tabata round 3").
  • Duration — how many seconds the block lasts.
  • BPM — metronome tempo while the block is running.
  • Phase — one of six colors. Drives the visual + voice tone (see below).
  • Sound type — which metronome timbre to use (classic, plus the Pro-only library).
  • Pre-block notes — short spoken cues played before the rhythm starts. Each note is either a safety cue or a technique cue.
  • Confirmation step — optionally, after the pre-block notes finish the screen waits for you to tap Got it.
  • In-block reminders — short lines played during the rhythm, in sequence (one line = one read; two or more = cycled).
  • Cadence pattern — for tempo-strength blocks, a word for each beat (see cadence pattern).
  • Guided cues — structured follow-along sequences. A block uses either guided cues or in-block reminders, not both.
  • Loop count — repeat the same block N times without authoring it N times.
  • Side mode — for asymmetric blocks (left arm / right arm), an on-screen indicator.

The six phases

| Phase | Color | Typical use | | --------- | ------ | ---------------------------------------- | | Warm-up | Orange | Easy-pace ramp-up | | Work | Green | Main effort | | Rest | Blue | Recovery | | Cool-down | Pink | Wind-down | | Learning | Cyan | Technique drills, Learning Mode | | Alert | Red | Safety override, e.g. HR-zone-5 cooldown |

The color is more than decoration — the voice coach lowers its intensity for rest and cool-down, and transitions feel slightly different per phase.

How blocks chain into a workout

A workout's blocks list runs top to bottom, in order. Between blocks there are no automatic gaps — if you want 10 seconds of rest after a 20-second work block, the rest is a block of its own.

RhythmFit handles transitions for you:

  1. Each block plays its own pre-block notes first

    If pre-block notes exist, the coach reads them in order before the rhythm starts.

  2. If the block has a confirmation step, it waits for a tap

    Useful for learning movements — you confirm you've read the notes before the timer starts.

  3. Then the rhythm runs

    Metronome + timer + (optional) in-block reminders fire.

  4. The last N seconds embed a countdown

    The coach voice ticks "3 · 2 · 1" inside the block. There is no separate countdown block. The last block in a workout does not get the embedded countdown — it just ends.

  5. The next block begins immediately

    No global pause unless you set up an explicit rest block.

Why this matters

When you customize a workout you're not editing some opaque "session config" — you're rearranging blocks. Add a 10-second rest block, drop in a learning block at the start, duplicate a work/rest pair — these are the only operations. Everything you can describe in plain English maps to one or two block edits.

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