The exercise alarm that makes you do squats or jumping jacks.
Prop your phone up, step back, and do 15 squats or 20 jumping jacks in view. Wakr counts the reps on your phone, and the alarm stops when you reach the target. There is no snooze.
Reps counted by the camera, not by a button you tap.
When the alarm rings, Wakr opens the front camera and counts repetitions as you do them. The progress bar only moves while the camera can see the movement, so there is nothing to tap and no way to skip ahead. Reach the target and the alarm stops.
Both checks are deliberately forgiving. A half squat counts, and so does a jumping jack with one arm lagging behind the other. The point is to get you upright and moving, not to grade your form at 6am.
What the camera looks for in each exercise.
Squats
Wakr tracks your hips, or your shoulders if you are framed closer, and counts a rep each time they sink well below where you were standing and come back up. Your standing height is measured again every few seconds, so stepping nearer or farther does not throw the count off.
Jumping jacks
A rep counts when your hands go from below your shoulders to above them and back down. If your feet are in the shot, they also have to jump wider than your shoulders and come back together. If the phone cannot see your feet, the arm movement is enough.
Missed reps still count
Fast reps are hard to catch. If the camera misses the bottom of a quick squat or the top of a jumping jack, the time you spend in the movement still fills the bar, so real effort is never stuck at zero.
Prefer the floor?
The push-up mission asks for 10 seconds of push-ups instead of a rep count, with the phone propped low. How the push-up alarm works.
Four things that make an exercise mission work first time.
- 1
Find a clear patch of floor.
Enough room to squat or jump without hitting furniture, ideally a few steps from the bed rather than beside it.
- 2
Prop the phone up and step back.
Lean it against something at about waist height so the front camera sees your hips and shoulders for squats, or your arms and shoulders for jumping jacks. Do not hold it.
- 3
Make sure there is light.
The camera needs to see you. A dark bedroom is the most common reason the count sits at zero, so plan to switch a light on first.
- 4
Practise once while you are awake.
Run the mission once the evening before, so you know where the phone goes before the morning you need it.
Choose an exercise that suits your body.
Do the mission somewhere safe, and stop if you feel pain, dizziness, or discomfort. Jumping is loud, so think about the flat below and anyone asleep nearby. If neither exercise is right for you, pick a gentler mission.
Which exercise to choose.
15 squats
Best for. A full-body wake-up that needs far less floor space and noise than jumping jacks. Fifteen squats gets blood moving without bothering the flat below.
Worth knowing. The camera needs to see your hips and shoulders, so prop the phone up and step back far enough to fit in frame. Skip it if squats are not appropriate for your knees or back.
20 jumping jacks
Best for. One of the most demanding missions in the catalog, and among the hardest to complete while still drowsy. Choose it when gentler missions have stopped working.
Worth knowing. Needs floor space, room for the phone to see your whole body, and consideration for anyone downstairs or asleep nearby. Skip it if jumping is not appropriate for your body or your building.
Exercise missions without a paywall or a snooze button.
Squats also appear in Alarmy, and push-ups in Wayk and Clucky. Wakr’s exercise missions work on the Free plan, have no snooze, and verify the movement without saving any footage.
On Wakr Pro, you can put an exercise first in a routine of up to five missions, then add one that takes you out of the room, such as brushing your teeth. The exercise gets you upright; the next mission keeps you from walking back to bed.
Compare mission alarm appsMake your next alarm a first step.
Choose a mission and start building mornings that move forward.
Available now on the App Store. Android is in development.