Attach a photo or a short video of a lift in the ChatRPE composer, ask what you want to know, and the answer arrives in the same conversation that holds your loads, reps, and effort ratings.
Record the set, send it while you rest, and read the review before the next one.
What separates a useful form check from a vague one is almost entirely what you send and how you ask. The coach reads your clip on the turn you attach it, so a form check works out to a single well-built message rather than a back-and-forth.
Ask everything in the message that carries the clip
A video is analyzed in the turn it is attached and not afterwards. Ask a follow-up later in the same conversation and the coach is handed a note saying a video was attached earlier, with instructions to work from the answer it already gave. It is not re-watching anything. Photos last slightly longer: the newest set of images stays available for one immediate follow-up, then falls back to the same written record.
So front-load the message. Say which lift it is, give the load and reps, name what you want checked, and say what you already suspect:
"Squats, 225 lb for five at RPE 8. Filmed from the side. Check my depth and whether the bar drifts forward out of the hole, tell me which one to fix first, and say what in the video shows it."
Asking for the reasoning is worth the extra clause. When a reply names the rep or the position it is reacting to, you can go back to the footage and check it. A reply that only asserts "your depth is fine" gives you nothing to check.
If a question comes up a day later, reattach the clip rather than asking the coach to recall it. What survives in the conversation is its earlier description, which is a summary of the video and not a substitute for it.
Film the thing you are asking about
The camera has to show the fault for the answer to be about the fault. Match the angle to the question:
| Question | Angle | What has to stay in frame |
|---|---|---|
| Squat depth, bar path, hip hinge | Side on, camera near hip height | Whole body plus the bar, feet to head, for the full rep |
| Knees caving, uneven bar, stance | Front on or behind | Both feet and both knees, hips square in shot |
| Bench touch point and arch | Side on, slightly below shoulder | Bar, chest, and elbow together |
| Lockout, overhead position | Side on, stepped back | Full overhead reach without cropping the bar |
Stand close enough that the movement fills the frame and far enough that none of it leaves the frame. Framing beats camera quality here, because a photo is resized down to at most 1920 pixels on its long edge before it is sent. A lifter twenty feet away in a wide gym shot loses the detail the question was about.
Basic attaches up to two images to one message; Premium allows up to five. Send the bottom position from two angles at once, or put today's setup next to a photo from six weeks ago and ask what changed. A free account sends one image per message, with one image per day when signed in or one per week when using anonymous access.
Keep a video under 14 MB
Clips can be up to 14 MB, and every clip that attaches is one the coach watches. A larger file is compressed where the browser can do it; in the iPhone app, which is where most lifting clips are filmed, it cannot re-encode video, so an oversized clip is turned away at attach time with the limit named.
Trim the clip in Photos to the single set, or the single rep, before you attach it. A few seconds of the rep you are asking about is both smaller and easier to answer than forty seconds of setup and re-racking.
Video attachments require Premium specifically. A paid Basic plan sends images and text only. A still photo works on every plan and settles most depth and setup questions on its own, since those are visible in one frame. Choose video when the question is about timing, bar path, or the moment something changes mid-rep.
What it reads from a clip
ChatRPE reads the frames you sent the way a coach watching a replay would: depth, bar path, where the knees and hips travel, and what changes between the first rep and the last. It is a second opinion on what is visible, given by something that also knows what you have been lifting.
That history is the reason to ask here rather than in a standalone clip analyzer. Send the load, the reps, and the set's RPE alongside the clip, and the comment about your depth lands next to the effort you called and the weight you used instead of floating free. The squat guide covers what to do with a depth or knee cue once you have one, and how to log the detail that makes a recurring fault visible across sessions.
If the angle hides the movement, a confident answer is still an answer about a bad angle. Resend a clearer view instead of acting on it. Pain, or anything you suspect is an injury, needs a clinician. A video review cannot establish that a movement is safe for you.
The Siri shortcut, and what it is good for
On an iPhone, the "Analyze with ChatRPE" action in the Shortcuts app takes a photo and returns a spoken reply of a sentence or two. It is quick between sets for a single question about a position, and it can log what it sees.
It is not the surface for a considered form check. That path runs as a one-shot request: photos only, no tool access, and a thin slice of recent context rather than the conversation thread. Use the chat composer when you want a real read. The hands-free guide covers the rest of the Siri actions.
Frequently asked questions
What is a form check app?
It reviews a recording or image of an exercise and comments on visible technique. ChatRPE does it inside your training conversation, so the session's load, reps, and RPE are already in front of the coach when it answers.
Is there real-time form feedback while I lift?
The review arrives between sets. Record a set, send the clip or a photo while you rest, and read the answer before the next one. It works from recorded footage rather than a live camera view.
Do I need Premium?
For video, yes, and Premium specifically rather than any paid plan. Photo review works on every plan, including free. Basic allows up to two images per message and Premium up to five, which covers multi-angle and before-and-after comparisons without video. Paid plans have no daily or weekly image-count quota.
Why won't my video attach?
Almost always file size. Clips are limited to 14 MB so that every attached clip can be analyzed, and the iPhone app cannot shrink one for you. Trim to the set and attach it again.
Can I ask follow-up questions about the same clip?
Ask them in the message that carries the clip. A video is only analyzed on that turn, and photos survive one immediate follow-up. After that the coach is working from its own earlier description, so reattach the file if a later question needs the footage again.
Can ChatRPE rate my workout or routine too?
Yes, and it needs no upload. For a routine review, send the exercises, sets, frequency, and progression rule. For a session review, ask it to compare the workout against your recent logs. The workout planner guide covers how to make that review useful.
How does this work alongside an in-person coach?
Bring the clip and any recurring observations to them. They can assess technique in person and decide which cue fits you, and your saved notes document what happened between sessions. Save the cue with the workout so it is findable: "note that my heels rose on the last rep, check this next squat day." The workout log guide covers recording and correcting those entries.