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Frequently Asked Questions

About Ganbaru
Using the App
Programs
Account
App Issues

Top FAQs

How is Ganbaru Method different from other fitness apps?

Ganbaru gives you the ultimate training experience and puts YOU back in control of your journey.

Instead of locking you into one rigid training plan, you get unrestricted access to our entire team of expert coaches and all of their programs, along with the ability to build & customise your workouts using their templates.

Want to combine lifting & running? Grow your glutes and get more athletic? Build peak strength & flexibility? We give you all the tools and personal guidance to do this.

And if you prefer to stick with one plan at a time, you absolutely can! Our coaches designed each program to be complete and tailored towards maximising your results.

How do I know which program is right for me?

Ganbaru features a variety of unique training styles designed by the best coaches in the world, which can make it hard to choose where to start!

That’s why we give you access to everything in your membership. Get the free trial and take your time to browse our extensive library.

Prefer to be told what to do? You get unlimited free access to our in-app community for life where you can ask our coaches anything. Tell us about yourself and your goals and we’ll help you choose the best program suited to your goals.

How long do Ganbaru workouts take?

Ganbaru workouts range from quick 15 minute burners and mobility workouts up to epic 90 minute lifting sessions for more advanced athletes. The majority of workouts will fall between 45-60 minutes.

You’ll see an individual breakdown of each workout within each program page in the app so you can plan your week.

What equipment do I need?

All of our workouts offer recommendations for just about any scenario, although some programs like our powerlifting or conditioning programs may require certain pieces like Barbells or Cardio equipment for the best results.

All programs can be performed in regular commercial gyms with free weights, CrossFit boxes and minimalist home/garage gym set ups. About half of our members train at home!

If a program requires specific equipment (e.g. gymnastic rings or kettlebells), we’ll let you know! 

If you need help with making modifications, just ask us in the community!

Can I combine Ganbaru workouts with other training?

Yes! This is one of the strengths of Ganbaru’s customisable platform. You can follow a muscle building program alongside a flexibility or running program, or learn to master your bodyweight with calisthenics while building your max strength under the bar.

This is a great way to reach your goals, set new ones and keep your training fun and meaningful for life.

Got an external program you want to run alongside a Ganbaru one? No problem. Just use our custom workout builder to upload it to your library and you can track everything in one place.

How do I cancel?

You can cancel your membership at anytime. You can follow this link here, hit the ‘Cancel’ button in the profile section of the Ganbaru app, or email us at support@ganbarumethod.com 

Of course, we want to do anything we can to keep you satisfied – so please don’t hesitate to reach out any time if you need help.

How can I get more help?

We’re here for you.

Send us an email at support@ganbaurmethod.com and our team will get back to you within 24 hours.

Using the App

How to add/remove programs

To add a program, find it in our Program Library and select “Program Details” to read more about the program, then select “Start Program” to add it to your plan. You can add as many programs to your plan at one time, although we generally recommend not combining several high-intensity programs together at once.

To view all programs in your plan and remove a program, tap the down arrow on the Home Screen, then tap “edit”

You can also build your own custom programs using our Program Builder. These will be featured in the “Custom Program” category.

How to add extra workouts

You can add individual workouts to an existing program by navigating to the Workout Library from the home page to browse, or tapping “Add Extra Workout” from your active program dashboard.

You can also build your own custom workouts using our Workout Builder.

How to reset my program

To reset a program, tap the ‘down’ arrow in your Home Screen, select ‘Edit’ and tap the reset button.

How do I track my workouts?

Within a workout you can track your weights, reps, sets and add time/date stamped notes. Depending on the exercise & training style, you’ll also be provided with pre-loaded countdown timers or interval timers to use alongside your training.

Workouts are pre-loaded with your required number of sets to log, but if you want to add/delete sets, feel free to do so.

How to use the intensity ratings?

Tracking your intensity is an extremely important key to your progress and remaining injury free. Constantly overshooting and too much too often can lead to burn out, while underperforming can lead to a stagnation in progress. 

Upon completion of each exercise in a workout, record the intensity using our custom Intensity Ratings. Post Workout, you’ll receive a review on your total perceived intensity and will be able to reflect after each workout and week to see daily/weekly trends in performance.

How to use the visual meal planner

Don’t want to track your macros? No worries! You have the perfect diet planner in the palm of your hand(s)! We use the science-based portion control method; The Zimbabwe Hand Jive, to provide portions based on your hand size. These portions will be personalised to you and will adjust as you make progress and log your intake.

How to log your nutrition

Ganbaru features an intuitive nutrition tracker for you to track your intake. Simply search across our extensive database or use the Barcode Scanner to find your food.

Some foods may not be available in your region, but once you add them to your plan they’ll remain in your database for future reference and will go to our team of nutritionists for verification before being added to the public database.

How to use the nutrition calculator

For personalised nutrition recommendations, simply enter your details and diet preferences (e.g. High Carb/Low Carb) into our intuitive calculator.

We accommodate for all nutrition preferences and experience levels. You can follow the plan as is or make your own specific adjustments to customise your plan further. As you begin to log your nutrition and progress each week, our In-App Diet Coach will start to make recommendations on any adjustments required to fine-tune the diet to your needs.

How to view my workout history

You can view your individual workout history via the Calendar icon in the main workouts dashboard.

How to use the countdown timer

Our in-app Countdown Timer will be preloaded with your intervals required for stretches, pauses or Time Capped workouts. Simply hit start and go! If you need to pause, restart or cancel the timer, simply tap the button to do so.

How to use the interval timer

Our in-app Interval Timer will be pre-loaded with your workout of the day. Simply hit start and go! If you need to pause, restart or skip an interval, you’ll have the option to do this.

If you made a mistake and need to cancel, simply hit the ‘x’ to reset the timer.

How accurate are the nutrition plans?

No nutrition calculator and plan can ever be perfectly accurate. However, we give you the tools to make it perfect for your situation. As you log your intake and results, the Diet Coach will start to make recommendations on how you should adjust things based on your progress

How extensive is Ganbaru's nutrition database?

Our database comes from both government databases and verified user-submitted entries and currently contains more than 800,000 verified items.

For staple food items such as meat, grains, fruit and vegetables, we have excellent coverage. You may find duplicates due to the crossover between different countries databases, but there will be minor differences between data.

We have a strong coverage across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand & Canada. Outside of these regions, our coverage is still being improved.

In the case that a certain food isn’t covered in our database, you can add them to YOUR personal database, including barcodes – even if they’re not in our public verified database yet.

All user submission are checked for accuracy by our team before being added to the public database.

We are continuing to work on developing our custom database by removing duplicates and errors, as well as developing more detailed nutrition data such as micronutrients. If you notice anything is incorrect, please ‘flag’ the item and our team can work on addressing it.

How to track your progress

You can track your progress directly within Ganbaru. Simply tap ‘Check In’ in the nutrition section and follow the prompts. You can provide as much detail as you like with measurements, though the most important ones will be girth measurements and bodyweight.

We recommend tracking your weight on a regular basis (daily, if feasible) to get a trend report over time, and girth measurements and photos on a fortnightly to monthly basis.

These results will directly influence the accuracy of the Diet Coach recommendations long term. The more information you’re able to provide, the better!

How to use the custom program builder

You can create your own Individual Workouts and Complete Programs on Ganbaru.

You’ll have access to our ENTIRE library of workouts and programs to use as templates, or use your own to create your masterpiece.

Simply tap – “Create New Workout/Program” and follow the prompts

Can I get personalised advice?

Yes! Ask any questions directly in the Community and one of our coaches will get back to you. 

If you’d prefer to remain anonymous to the other members, you can submit a question to support@ganbarumethod.com and it will be forwarded to our coaches.

About the Programs

How can I connect with my coaches when I have questions or need feedback?

We’re here for you!

Post a question in the Community. Provide details as to which program you’re following and we’ll get back to you ASAP!

Who wrote these programs?

All programs were written by our handpicked team of expert coaches in their respective fields. You can read more about us and the programs we wrote here.

Can I download a PDF version of the program?

We invested a considerable amount of research and development into making Ganbaru a unique and effortless training experience for you to log your workouts and get feedback. If you’re after a brief preview without getting into your workout, you can always view the overviews prior to commencing a workout. A PDF simply wouldn’t cut the level of experience we aim to deliver!

What programs can I follow?

Anything you like! We set up Ganbaru to allow you to not just run one program or workout, but several. Want to add some extra Conditioning or Flexibility to a strength routine? You absolutely can! Just pick the program and schedule it in.

How long do workouts take?

Workouts are anywhere between 15-70 minutes, with the majority falling within 45-60 minutes. All workouts have estimated times to complete for you to browse, but keep in mind that these workout times may vary based on your personal situation.

What equipment do I need?

This will all be listed out for you within the app in the Program Overview. It will vary based on workout, some are designed for bodyweight or light weights only, while others will need a complete gym. 

However, ALL programs offer substitution for minimalist environments. Just use the Switch Exercise feature to access our library for substitutions. If you need any extra advice, reach out to us in the Community!

How often do programs change?

This will vary based on the style of training. Some programs change every single week, while others will remain static for 3-6 weeks at a time to allow you more time to focus on weight/intensity progressions. 

What does RIR/AMRAP or other workout terms mean?

Check the Coach FAQs in the Pre Workout section of any workout to see specific definitions you’ll need to know for the workout.

Can I follow multiple programs at the same time?

Yes! We want you to create your own journey – not be stuck to follow a rigid plan that isn’t personal to you. We don’t recommend combining several intense programs at once (e.g. Powerlift: Peak with Push Pull Legs 2.0 or Engine: Peak) but many people choose to spread their training ‘week’ across a longer interval like 10 days, to allow them to fit more styles of workouts into a week.

Can I switch programs?

Yes! Training should be fun and flexible to suit your preferences. If you’re finding something isn’t a good fit for you, feel free to ask our coaches for advice – Or switch whenever you like!

How many days a week do I need to train?

This is completely up to you. You can run these programs at your own pace. All programs were written with a certain number of days per week in mind, but this is simply for scheduling purposes in the program design period. The human body will adapt to whatever schedule fits YOUR lifestyle. If you want to train everyday, multiple times a day, or only 2-3 times a week, you absolutely can.

Do I have to follow a program as-written?

No. You can modify plans as much as you like, and we offer you all the tools to do so. Add your own personalised notes, change out exercises or build your own program from scratch within Ganbaru to find your perfect fit.

Do you have programs for Home training?

Yes! The best start points may be our Calisthenics and Engine program series, but just about all programs can be modified to suit a home environment.

Account Help

How do I cancel my subscription?

We’re sorry to see you go! If you’re experiencing any issues at all, please contact us at support@ganbarumethod.com and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

To pause or cancel your subscription, please follow this link here

Do you offer student/military discounts?

A considerable investment was made into research and development to allow us to offer extremely competitive pricing year round. As such, we do NOT have any additional discounts available for military/concession students.

App Support

How do I submit a bug report?

Found a bug? The most common issue is a caching issue on your device. Try resetting your phone or deleting/reinstalling the app to see if the issue gets resolved.
If not, please triple tap within the app when you experience the bug to send a bug report direct to our development team.

If you’re unable to do this, please send us an email to support@ganbarumethod.com to report the issue. Please provide as much information as possible on what you were doing when you encountered the bug and any device information to help our team pinpoint the issue.