The admin problem

The spreadsheet works until the twelfth client

One tab per client is fine at three. At twelve it is a Sunday evening spent reconstructing who trained, who went quiet, and which version of the plan you actually sent.

A three-dimensional element representing training data being organised

It is not the spreadsheet. It is the second place.

A sheet holds data well enough. The trouble starts because the coaching does not happen in it, so every client ends up split across two systems that never agree.

  1. The plan exists twice

    Once in the file, once in the message you pasted it into. Edit one and the other is quietly wrong.

  2. The record is a matter of trust

    A cell says the session was done because you typed it there after asking. That is a memory of an answer, not a record.

  3. Context is stranded in threads

    Why you dropped the volume in March is in a conversation you would have to scroll to find, if you remember it happened.

  4. Nothing tells you who is drifting

    The sheet answers questions you ask it. It never raises one.

Where each thing ends up

The same five things a coach reaches for every week.

Where coaching information lives in a spreadsheet setup compared with IronFit
What you are looking forA sheet plus a chat appIronFit
This week's plan In an exported file, or pasted into a messageOn the client profile, in its current version
Whether they did it You ask them, and you record the answerCompletion logged against the plan itself
Last month's notes In whichever thread you were using thenIn the follow-up record under their name
A plan you already wrote Copied out of another client's tab and editedIn the plan library, ready to assign again
Who needs attention Reconstructed by hand, usually on a SundayVisible across the roster without asking

Moving a roster across

There is no import button. There is an order that makes it painless.

  1. Start with the plans, not the people

    Rebuild the three or four plans you actually reuse. Most coaches find the list is shorter than they expected.

  2. Add clients as they come up

    Add each one the next time you would have opened their tab anyway, rather than setting aside an evening for all of them.

  3. Let the old sheet go read-only

    Keep it for history. Stop writing to it, or you will keep both alive forever.

  4. Give it one full cycle

    The value shows up when a week's completion arrives without you having asked anyone for it.

See the client workflow

Fair questions

My spreadsheet works fine. Why change?

If it works, that is a real answer and you should keep it.

The coaches who switch usually do it at a specific moment: when the admin around coaching starts taking longer than the coaching, or when they get something wrong in front of a client because two versions of a plan disagreed.

Can I import my existing sheet?

There is no spreadsheet import. Clients and plans are set up inside the app. If you are moving a large roster, send an enquiry describing what you have and we will tell you what it involves.

Can I get my data back out?

Ask us before you commit a roster, and we will tell you exactly what the published build supports rather than promising something that is not approved yet.

Can I run both for a while?

You can, and most people do for a cycle or two. The one thing worth avoiding is editing plans in both places, because that reintroduces the disagreement you were trying to remove.

What if I make a mistake in a plan after assigning it?

You edit it and the client sees the update immediately, no separate correction message and no stale copy left with them.

Who enters the client's data, me or them?

You add them when you create their file in your roster, and they open their own account from their side when they start.

More answers

From the people using it

Four people who use IronFit, in their own words.

  • Adnan Abu Saleh, a coach in Surif, in his gym

    IronFit organized my whole gym. Every trainee knows their schedule, so I no longer have to follow fifty players a day with the same attention. I can leave the gym and it runs as if I were there.

    Adnan Abu Saleh Coach, SurifDirect feedbackTranslated from Arabic
  • The app is very useful. I now have one place to see today's workout and my whole schedule, instead of asking my coach every time or digging through chats. Everything is clear and organized, and that has kept me more consistent.

    Fadi Direct feedbackTranslated from Arabic
  • Practical and effective. The app is easy from the first use, and everything I need is there without the clutter: the plan is clear, the workouts are organized, and I can track my progress myself.

    Abed AbuFara Direct feedbackTranslated from Arabic
  • Great app

    A user Google Play reviewTranslated from Arabic

WhatsApp can't tell you who showed up

Put the roster somewhere it can answer back

Start with one client and one plan. That is enough to tell whether it fits how you work.

WhatsApp