How to set up your phone for AI form tracking
Published 30 September 2026 by TRACK AI Coach
An AI coach can only judge what the camera sees. Thirty seconds spent on your setup makes rep counting and form checks far more reliable. Here’s what matters most.
Distance: two to three metres
Your whole body needs to be in the frame, from head to feet (or hands to heels for floor exercises). Too close and your ankles or hands get cut off, so the coach can’t see your depth. Too far and you become small in the picture, which makes the tracking less precise. Two to three metres suits most rooms.
Height and orientation
- For standing exercises, prop the phone at about hip height, upright (portrait).
- For push-ups and planks, put it on the floor, side-on, ideally sideways (landscape) so your whole body fits.
- Keep the phone steady and roughly level. Leaning it against a water bottle or a shoe works fine.
Side-on or facing the camera?
A side view shows depth and angles: how low your squat goes, whether your back stays flat in a Romanian deadlift, and whether your hips sag. A front view shows what happens left to right: knees caving in, uneven arms in a shoulder press, or elbows drifting in a curl. Each exercise’s setup screen in TRACK AI tells you which view it prefers.
Setup for each exercise
- Squat: side-on, phone at about hip height, 2 to 3 metres away. Face the camera instead to check your knees.
- Push-up: phone on the floor about 2 metres to your side, in landscape if you can.
- Lunge: side-on at hip height, 2 to 3 metres away, with room to step forward or back.
- Romanian deadlift: side-on at hip height, 2 to 3 metres away. It’s the only view that shows your hinge.
- Bicep curl: facing the camera at chest height, 1.5 to 2.5 metres away, with at least your head to your hips in view.
- Shoulder press: facing the camera at chest height, 2 to 3 metres away, with room above your head for your hands.
- Jumping jacks: facing the camera, 2.5 to 3 metres away, with room for your arms overhead and your feet out wide.
- Plank: phone on the floor about 2 metres to your side, in landscape, with your head to your heels in the frame.
Light
Use even light from in front of you or from the side. The most common problem is a bright window behind you, which turns you into a silhouette. At night, switch on a main room light rather than relying on one lamp.
Clothing and background
Fitted clothes that contrast with the background help the camera find your joints; a baggy hoodie can hide your hips and elbows. Clear the floor around you, and make sure you’re the only person in the frame.
Troubleshooting
- “Step back so your whole body fits in the frame”: move further away, or tilt the phone so there’s space above your head and below your feet.
- Reps aren’t counting: make sure each rep reaches full depth and full lockout, and hold still for a second at the start so the coach can calibrate to you.
- The tracking looks jumpy: add light in front of you, and move anything behind you that could look like a person, such as a coat on a door.
- You can’t hear the coach: turn the volume up and check your phone isn’t on silent or in a focus mode.
Quick checklist
- Whole body visible, with a little space around you.
- Phone stable, at hip height or on the floor for floor exercises.
- Light in front of you, not behind.
- Fitted clothes, clear floor.
- Volume up: the coach talks to you.
- Hold still for a second at the start so it can calibrate to your body.
Ready? Pick an exercise and start a set. The coach guides you into position before the first rep.