We have listed the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) we get about PFT21. Please review them before submitting a question. If you still have a question after reviewing the FAQs, please Contact Us.
We get asked this a lot because people initially think we created new exercises or created new equipment to work out with. The fact is we did neither. What we do is use tried and true exercises in a way that fits our busy lifestyle in the 21st century. We are used to having information at our fingertips and getting it quickly. We also tend to get bored quickly, especially with exercising. That's why there are so many different exercise programs or fads that come and go.
Lifting weights and doing cardio is still the best way to get and stay in shape. But how do you “just” lift weights and "do" cardio without getting bored and losing interest. The answer is constant variation. You will never do the same workout twice with PFT21. We change the workouts to challenge your body and keep it interesting. We also address wanting information quickly. When you’re in the middle of your workout and you have a question about how to do the next exercise, you want to see an example quickly. We provide images and GIFs instantaneously when you tap the exercise — even if you don’t have an internet connection or you’re in airplane mode at the gym. So, with varying tried and true exercises and providing instantaneous images and GIFs, we've tailored PFT21 to the 21st Century lifestyle.
3B-11 is the program number for the introductory workout program for PFT21. The first number indicates the number of days you plan on working out. The options are 3, 4 or 5 days per week. The letter indicates the Exercise Level you choose. The options are "B" for Beginner, "I" for Intermediate and "A" for Advanced. The first number after the dash indicates the Abs Level you choose. The options are Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3. The last number indicates the Cardio Level you choose. The options are Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3. So, 3B-11 means working out 3 days per week with the Beginner Level, Level 1 Abs and Level 1 Cardio.
Yes. PFT21 has a Mobile Web App. Unlike Native Apps that are downloaded and installed through either Apple’s App Store or Google Play, Web Apps are fully responsive-designed sites that look and feel like an app. Web Apps are first accessed through a browser and then “installed” on your home screen. Our Web App will place an icon on your home page that you can arrange just like Native Apps. The app will also use the full screen. To “install” the app, follow the directions below.
For iPhones:
For Android:
We recommend everyone start with a Beginner program — either the 3B-11, 4B-11 or 5B-11 program, depending on the number of days you plan on working out each week. If you are just starting to workout or have not lifted weights in awhile, you want to stay at this level for some time. If you are experienced at lifting weights, we still recommend starting with this program just to get a feel for how it works. Then, you may want to transition to the Intermediate Level when you feel comfortable with it. We recommend using the Intermediate Level at least 2-3 months before attempting the Advanced Level. The Advanced Level Regular (Reg) is difficult and takes 2+ hours per session. If you're ready to do the advanced exercises, but don't have enough time for the Regular Advanced Level, use the Modified (Mod) or Number Sets/Reps (Nbr) Advanced Options.
We don't list a weight to use because the exercises appear in different orders with different Sets and Reps. Take the Bench Press, for instance. If you normally start your chest workout with the Bench Press and you use one plate (usually 45 lbs.) on each side, you will not be able to lift that much if the Bench Press comes up as the last exercise of the day. You may have to use 35 lbs., 25 lbs. or something lighter. And that's OK! You want to use weight where you can do the listed Sets and Reps with proper form, while still working your muscles. You will start getting a feel for what weight you should use to work out with.
With that being said, start with very light weight, especially if you have never lifted weights before or it has been some time since you were last in a gym. For dumbbells, you may want to start with the lightest dumbbell in your gym, typically 5 lbs. (sometimes, gyms will have dumbbells as light as 1 lb.). For barbells, you may want to start with just the bar itself. And, even with light weight, have your workout partner spot you. Remember, the goal is to do the listed number of Sets and Reps with proper form. The goal is not to lift the most weight.
We created different options for the Advanced Level program because, while it is a great workout for those members who are ready for the Advanced Level exercises, it does take a long time (2+ hours) to complete. It consists of 5 exercises per body part (+1 for legs), 3-5 Sets and 6-12 Reps (calf reps get doubled). If you have the time, the Advanced Regular (Reg), is the program for you. It is our original Advanced Level workout and uses all the Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced exercises.
If you want to use all the exercises available in the PFT21 program, but just don’t have the time for the Advanced Reg program, we developed two other options. They are the Modified (Mod) and Number (Nbr) programs. Both programs use all the Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced exercises in our program.
The format for our Advanced Mod program is the same as our Intermediate Level program, which is our most popular program. The difference is the Advanced Mod program uses all the exercises available in PFT21 while the Intermediate Level program only uses the Beginner and Intermediate exercises. So, the format for both programs are the same: 4 exercises per body part (+1 for legs), 3-4 Sets and 6-10 Reps (calf reps get doubled). ). The Advanced Mod program is a great all-around workout that uses all of our exercises but reduces the time it takes to complete since you are doing one less exercise per body part and the max sets and reps decrease.
The Advanced Nbr program, which changes the number of sets and reps, falls in between the Advanced Reg and Advanced Mod programs. We’ve kept the number of exercises the same as the Advanced Reg program, but changed the number of sets (3-4) and reps (6-10) to match the Intermediate Level program. So, if you want to do 5 exercises per body part, but like the sets and reps options from the Intermediate Level program, the Advanced Nbr program is for you. It will still reduce the time it takes to complete compared to the Advanced Reg program, just not as much as the Advanced Mod program.
So, if you have the time and are ready for the Advanced exercises, the Advanced Reg program is the option for you. If you are ready for the Advanced exercises, but don’t have enough time, the Advanced Mod program is the option for you. The Advanced Nbr program is for you if you fall somewhere in between. Experiment with each and see which is the best option for you.
While the format of both are the same, 4 exercises per body part (+1 for legs), 3-4 Sets and 6-10 Reps (calf reps get doubled), the exercises used to create the workouts are different. The Intermediate Level program uses only our Beginner and Intermediate exercises to create the workouts. The Advanced Mod Level uses all of our Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Level exercises to create the workouts. So, if you’re ready for Advanced exercises, but don’t have the time for the Advanced Reg workouts, the Advanced Mod program is the workout for you.
When you look at the different exercise groups, you will see different color links and highlights. Green indicates the Beginner Level. Yellow indicates the Intermediate Level. Blue indicates the Advanced Level.
It varies. A good estimate would be 30-45 minutes for the Beginner Level, 1-1 1/2 hours for the Intermediate Level and 2+ hours for the Advanced Level. Those include using Level 1 Abs. If you increase the Level for Abs, your workout will take a little longer. Then, you need to add in the Cardio Level you plan to use. Level 1 Cardio ranges from 10-15 minutes, Level 2 Cardio ranges from 15-25 minutes and Level 3 Cardio ranges from 25-40 minutes. Keep in mind these are just estimates — you're actual program and the time it takes you to complete it may vary.
A good rule of thumb is to take about 1 minute between Sets and 3 minutes between Exercises. Think of this as a good baseline. You may need/want a little more time and that is fine. If you increase the time, we recommend making it consistent and not overly long. You do not want your body to cool down too much between Sets and Exercises.
Another option is to decrease the time. You could decrease the time between Sets to 30 seconds and the time between Exercises to 2 minutes. This will increase the intensity of your workout and decrease the total amount of time for your workout. We do not recommend this for people just starting to work out. Only consider decreasing the time between Sets and Exercises once you are comfortable with lifting weights and the PFT21 program in general. Whether you choose our baseline time frames or something different, check with your doctor to see what they recommend for you.
You many run into a situation where the exercise listed requires a certain piece of equipment and you're gym does not have it. First, check with the gym staff to see if they have the equipment listed. If they do, great — you found it. If they don't, they may have something similar so you will be able to perform the same exercise. For example, your gym may not have a bench with a back support and barbell support rack for doing Military Presses, but they may have a machine for doing Military Presses. You would just use that machine for Military Presses. If the gym does not have something similar to use for a listed exercise, you could look at the different Exercise Contents section for each body part and find another exercise to substitute for it. If you do that, you just want to use the same exercise every time the exercise without the equipment gets listed. You could also ask the gym staff what would be a similar exercise to substitute for the one without the equipment. And, of course, you could always chat or email us to find a similiar exercise.
For the Level 1 Abs, if you are not able to do the listed number of Reps, do as many as you can. Try to do the listed number of Sets. So, if you can only do 5 Sit-ups, do 5, rest, do another Set of 5, rest and then do the last Set, if 3 Sets are listed. Everyone has to start somewhere. As you keep working out, you will be able to do more. For Level 1 Cardio, if you are not able to do the listed amount of time at first, start by doing half the listed amount (or a quarter of it) if you can. Remember, everyone has to start somewhere. Again, as you keep working out, you will be able to do more. If you are just starting to work out, it's even more important to check with your doctor before starting PFT21 or any other fitness program.
We recommend you work out with a partner when using PFT21 or any other fitness program. But, it is not mandatory to do so. You can do all of the exercises in this program by yourself. Often, though, they are easier if you have a partner. A workout partner can help you get the weights into the starting position, spot you as you are doing the exercises and, most importantly, help keep you safe. If you choose not to work out with a partner, make sure there are other people nearby in the gym that could help you if you needed it.
Typically, this will only occur the first time you create a workout or the first time you create a workout after you've cleared the cache on your device. The amount of time it takes depends on your phone/computer and your internet connection. After the first time, the Workouts page will load quickly. The reason it takes longer for the Workouts page to load is because we are loading all the images and GIFs of the exercises upfront. We did this on purpose. This way, if you want to see an example of how to perform an exercise, you could just tap the exercise name and the image will display instantaneously. So, even if you don’t have an internet connection while you are working out or you work out in airplane mode because you don't want to be disturbed, you will still be able to see the images and GIFs.
In the Free Membership Area, only the first exercise of each Exercise Group has both Images and Animations (i.e. Bench Press, BB Curls, Squats, etc.). All of the other exercises only have Images. The Animations are an added value in the Membership Area. Every exercise in the Membership Area has both Images and Animations.
In the Free Membership Area, we provide Weekly Workout Tips that include mostly General Workout Tips and Safety Tips. We also include some specific Exercise Tips (i.e. Bench Press, Squats, BB Curls, etc.). In the Membership Area, we provide Daily Workout Tips that include mostly specific Exercise Tips. We also include some General Workout Tips and Safety Tips.
If you joined our Free Membership Area, you will never get billed — we don't even ask for a credit card. If you join our Membership Area, your first payment is made the day you join a paid membership plan. Your billing date is that same date. So, if you joined a monthly plan on 4/9, your next billing date would be 5/9. If you joined a quarterly plan on 4/9, your next billing date would be 7/9. If you joined an annual plan on 4/9, your next billing date would be 4/9 of the next year. If you joined on the 31st, your billing date would be the last day of the month. This also applies to February. If your billing date is normally at the end of the month (29th, 30th or 31st), in February, you will be billed on the last day of February.