Strength Score—a feature exclusive to Tonal—is a comprehensive system that measures total body strength for more than 100 moves. For each move, you get an accurate view of your strength with our fine-tuned algorithms and scoring system that uses all your historical workout data and tracks your progress as you get closer to your fitness goals. With detailed benchmarking information, Strength Score also enables you to see where your strength falls in comparison to other Tonal members so you have the opportunity to create personal goals that help you get stronger, faster. On average, Tonal members see their Strength Score increase by more than 25% within their first 90 days.
How Tonal Calculates Your Strength Score
Each body region has its own Strength Score—Upper Body, Lower Body, and Core. Your total score indicates your overall strength over time. Your Strength Score becomes more accurate the more workouts you do with Tonal.
Each body region consists of a number of muscle groups and they all have their own Strength Score. For example, your upper body Strength Score is calculated based on the strength of your back, biceps, chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Each body region consists of a number of muscle groups and they all have their own Strength Score. For example, your upper body Strength Score is calculated based on the strength of your back, biceps, chest, shoulders, and triceps.
To calculate a muscle group score, the Strength Score first evaluates each movement that you do, specifically making note of your best set from each workout. From these best sets across all of your historical workouts, Strength Score calculates a weighted average, giving extra importance to your recent workouts. This way, it takes several consecutive workouts with lower weights for a movement to see a significant decrease in your score. Similarly, your score won’t significantly increase until you repeatedly prove to Strength Score that you can lift a heavier weight across multiple workouts.
When scoring a muscle group and, subsequently, a body region, the movements you’ve done more often have a larger impact. If you’ve performed 100 sets of Bench Press but only 3 sets of Alternating Bench Press, your Bench Press score will have significantly more impact on your Chest and Upper Body scores.
By meticulously evaluating your strength and focusing on what you’ve done lately, your Strength Score represents what you’re currently capable of on your best day.
For additional context, men using Tonal typically have scores of 350–600, while typical scores for women range from 150–275. A Strength Score of 1000+ places you in around the 98th percentile of all Tonal users.
Why Strength Score Changes
Your Strength Score can increase when you do the following:
Lift a higher weight than your previous personal record for a movement.
Lift the same weight with more reps than your previous personal record for a movement.
Continue to lift weight close to your previous personal record for a movement.
Your Strength Score can decrease when:
You lift less weight for multiple workouts.
You reset your starting weights.
You do not hit the prescribed rep goal in a Live workout with duration-based sets
Your Strength Score does not change due to:
Doing warm up sets
Doing one or a few much lighter “deload” workouts
Doing off-trainer moves like pushups
Other users getting stronger over time or new users joining Tonal
Do not hit the prescribed rep goal in a Live workout with duration-based sets
Finding Your Strength Score
View your Strength Score on both the trainer and your smartphone:
Trainer: In the home screen under the weight dial.
Mobile app: In the home screen under your streak calendar.
To get a complete picture of your strength improvements, tap on the Strength Score card in the mobile app home screen. In this detailed view you can see:
How your Strength Score has changed over time
Your individual muscle group Strength Scores (simply tap on a Body Region)
How your Strength Score compares to other Tonal members
If you don’t have the app, download it for iOS or Android.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my Strength Score history change if the community gets stronger?
No. Strength Score is not a ranking of Tonal users. Other users and their scores won’t affect your progress.
Is my Strength Score based on my gender, age, height, or weight?
No. Strength Score does not take into account your gender, age, height, or weight when scoring your workouts.
Will a movement I’ve only performed a few times impact my strength score?
Yes. There is no minimum number of sets or workouts of a movement in order for it to factor into your Strength Score, however each movement’s impact on your Strength Score is based on how many times it’s been performed.
Do Strength Score calculations vary based on movement?
Yes. Strength Score takes into account how each movement requires neurological and muscular engagement. For example, lifting 50 lbs for a Bicep Curl set results in a higher score than lifting 50 lbs for a set of Goblet Squats.
Does the total Volume in a workout affect my Strength Score?
No. Strength Score finds the best set of each movement in a workout, so it doesn’t matter if you performed 3 or 6 sets of bench press in a workout.
Will lowering the weight on a final set of a movement result in a lower Strength Score?
No. Strength Score finds your best set for each movement in a workout, so lowering the weight when you’re fatigued will not impact your Strength Score.
Do Dynamic Weight Modes affect my Strength Score?
Yes. Strength Score takes into account Dynamic Weight Modes when evaluating your strength for a given movement. Lifting at the same weight, but with a Dynamic Weight Mode on, will result in a higher score.
Does a workout’s level affect my Strength Score?
No. A workout’s level has no effect on calculating your Strength Score, so if you’re Intermediate or Advanced, you can still do Beginner workouts without any fear of it impacting your score.
What’s the fastest way to increase my Strength Score?
Try out new programs and workouts! Your Strength Score will increase as you set new personal records for movements in varying muscle groups. Another way is to find the lowest scoring muscle group and do more sets that focus on those muscles at higher weights.
Why is my Strength Score not increasing?
Generally, focusing on one body region may cause your Strength Score to plateau. Join a program with your favorite Tonal Coach to make sure you get a full body workout and target areas for improvement.
I haven’t done strength training in a while. Why hasn’t my Strength Score decreased?
Strength Score doesn’t make any assumptions about your strength increases or decreases when you are away from Tonal. When you return to strength training on Tonal, your strength score will quickly calibrate to your newest strength levels.
I haven’t trained with Tonal in several months. Should I recalibrate my starting weights?
Yes. We recommend redoing your strength assessment if you haven’t worked out using Tonal in several months. Your Strength Score may change after completing the assessment and this helps Tonal set the appropriate weights for your current fitness level.
Is Strength Score the only way to measure my strength?
Strength comes in many forms—Strength Score is just one way to measure it. We look forward to equipping you with even more tools for measuring your progress as you get closer to your fitness goals with Tonal.
If you need further assistance, give us a call at 855-MY-TONAL.