Repcrow counts from what the camera sees, so placement matters more than anything else. Thirty seconds spent here saves a lot of tapping later.
The short version
- Landscape or portrait both work. Use the back camera if you can; it sees more, and the HUD is readable on the screen from a few metres away with the front camera too.
- Two to four metres away, so your whole body fits with room above your hands at the top of a thruster or a pull-up.
- Side-on or at 45° for squats, cleans, lunges and swings. Face-on is fine for burpees, jumping jacks and double-unders.
- About hip height. Lean it against a box, a plate on its edge or a bench. A cheap tripod is even better.
- Light in front of you, not behind. A bright garage door behind you turns you into a silhouette.
Pull-ups, toes-to-bar and muscle-ups
Step back far enough that the bar and your feet are both in frame. Repcrow watches your head pass the bar, so a camera too close that cuts the bar off will undercount.
Moving between stations
Repcrow locks on to you when you start and follows you between stations, even with other people in the frame. If you run out of the room, it picks you up again when you come back. If two stations are far apart, put the phone where it can see both.
Checking the frame
Before you start, the setup screen shows a tracking ring on you. Do two or three practice reps: if the count ticks, you're set. If it doesn't, step back or turn a little side-on.