title: Pre-block vs in-block notes description: When the voice coach talks before a phase vs during a phase.
Pre-block vs in-block notes
The coach voice has two distinct modes — and choosing the right one for the right content is the difference between a workout that feels calm and one that feels naggy.
Pre-block notes
Played before the rhythm engine starts. Short, taught-by-a-coach content that needs your attention.
Each pre-block note is one of two kinds:
- Safety — non-negotiable, e.g. "Keep your back flat", "Don't lock out your knees". Reserved for cues that prevent injury.
- Technique — best-practice form, e.g. "Drive through your heels", "Initiate from the hip". Pure performance.
The coach reads them in order. If the block has a confirmation step, the screen waits for you to tap Got it after the last note. Otherwise the rhythm starts automatically.
In-block notes (reminders)
Played during the rhythm, while the metronome is ticking. The coach speaks at lower intensity and the metronome ducks to a whisper so the voice cuts through.
Behavior depends on how many lines you have:
- One line — read once, near the start of the block. Drops away.
- Two or more lines — cycled in order, evenly spaced across the block's duration.
In-block reminders are best as sustained-form cues — the kind of thing a coach would call out mid-set. "Stay light on your feet", "Keep breathing", "Two more". Not "Now squat down" — that's a cadence cue, not a reminder.
Why the distinction matters
Two reasons, both about timing:
1. Cognitive load. Pre-block notes happen when nothing else is demanding your attention. You're standing still, listening. Reading a 4-line technique breakdown is fine. In-block reminders compete with your breathing, your movement, your music — they must be short (≤ 5 words is the soft limit) or they get tuned out.
2. The metronome relationship. Pre-block runs the coach with the metronome stopped — full volume, clear delivery. In-block runs the coach over a ducked metronome — clear but blended.
Keeping notes short
When the AI builds a workout, it budgets speaking time so the voice never overruns the block. If you author notes by hand, follow the same instinct:
- Short blocks (under 20 seconds) should have at most one very short pre-block note — or none.
- Longer blocks can carry more pre-block notes, but keep each one to a single sentence of ten words or fewer.
- In-block reminders only make sense on blocks of 30 seconds or more, and each should be five words or fewer.
If the coach is still talking when the countdown should start, your notes are too long — trim them.
Guided cues are an either/or
If a block uses guided cues (a structured follow-along sequence — see the Tai Chi / yoga templates), it can't also use in-block reminders. The two modes overlap. The block editor enforces this with a toggle.