---
title: 'Getting Started'
description: 'What you need to know before you begin: principles, interface, edit and execution modes.'
slug: 'getting-started'
weight: 1
date: 2026-06-16
---

## What is TrainUs?

TrainUs is a training-tracking application. You create **exercises**, group them into **combos** (crossfit-style sequences, timed or not), then into **sessions**. Sessions can in turn be organized into **collections** — a multi-week program, for example.

When it's time to train, you launch a session in **Execution Mode**: the app guides you step by step, with a timer for timed combos, and keeps a record of everything you actually did (reps, weight, duration) so you can track your progress in the statistics.

> **Browser & install:** TrainUs needs a modern browser (Firefox 111+, Chrome 102+, Safari 16.4+). Private browsing is **not supported** because it disables the persistent storage the app relies on — you'll see a clear error message if your browser isn't compatible. Once loaded, the app works offline; look for the install icon (⬇) in the action bar to add it to your home screen as a PWA.

## The Big Picture: A Local App

TrainUs doesn't depend on any server. Everything — the app and your data — lives in your browser. There's no account to create: on first launch, the app simply generates an identifier for you.

### The Benefits

- **No account** to create, no password to remember.
- **Works offline** from the very first load — useful at a gym with no network.
- **Your data is yours**: it stays on your device, nobody else has access to it.

### The Trade-offs — and Their Solutions

This choice comes with two trade-offs, accepted from the start:

- **No automatic sync between devices** — if you use TrainUs on your phone and your computer, each keeps its own data. To make them work together, see the "Sync Two Devices" recipe in the [How-to Guides]({{< relref "guides-pratiques.en.md" >}}).
- **No automatic cloud backup** — if you lose your device, you lose your data, unless you've backed it up yourself. TrainUs reminds you regularly (a warning button appears once your last backup gets old) — see "Back Up Your Data" in the [How-to Guides]({{< relref "guides-pratiques.en.md" >}}).

Neither of these is an oversight: they're simple, manual solutions that require neither an account nor a server.

## Interface Overview

### Desktop

![Overview of TrainUs on a wide screen, Exercises screen: side menu, action bar, main content](overview-desktop.png)

On a wide screen, a fixed menu sits on the left, an action bar is in the top right (search, create, export...), and the page content fills the center.

### Mobile

![Overview of TrainUs on a small screen, Exercises screen: bottom navigation bar](overview-mobile.png)

On mobile, the menu becomes a bottom bar (icons only on very small screens), and the action bar stays at the top.

## The Two Modes

### Edit Mode

![Exercise edit form](edit-mode.png)

This is the mode where you build your material: creating or editing an exercise, combo, session, or collection, through regular forms.

### Execution Mode

![Session execution screen, current step and next step](execution-mode.png)

This is the mode where you train: you start a session (▶ button), and the app shows you the current exercise, the next one, and a timer if the current combo is timed.

You aren't limited to tapping the screen: a session can also be piloted from the keyboard, or from your headset buttons / lock-screen controls — handy when your phone stays in a pocket or armband. See [Headset / Media-Key Control]({{< relref "user-guide.en.md" >}}#headset--media-key-control) in the Reference for the full control mapping.

## Always the Same Three Screens

Whatever the type of item (exercise, combo, session, collection), you'll always find the same three screens: a **list**, a read-only **detail** view, and a **create / edit** screen. Once you've mastered one, you've mastered them all.

TrainUs can also be driven entirely from the keyboard (navigation, lists, forms) — the full list of shortcuts is documented in the [Reference]({{< relref "user-guide.en.md" >}}#keyboard-shortcuts).

## Going Further

- [How-to Guides]({{< relref "guides-pratiques.en.md" >}}) — concrete recipes: sending a session to a friend, backing up your data, syncing two devices...
- [Reference]({{< relref "user-guide.en.md" >}}) — every screen described in detail, with available actions and keyboard shortcuts.
- [Understanding TrainUs]({{< relref "comprendre.en.md" >}}) — the why behind the choices: local-first, JSON or database, how the timers work.
