FAQ
Questions about Rebound, answered
Both programs, the pain rules, race plans, Apple Watch, Apple Health and Garmin, pricing and HSA/FSA, and your data. Can't find your answer? Email help@reboundrunning.com.
FAQ
Getting started
Which door is for me?
Coming back from a knee or Achilles injury, and a professional has cleared you to return to running: Rebound Recovery, through the knee or the Achilles path. New to running, or starting again after a long break, with no current injury: Rebound Recovery too, through the no-injury door, which skips the injury questions and uses the stricter pain rules. Already running and not currently dealing with an injury: Rebound Training can keep a steady base, build weekly mileage, or prepare you for a race. Recovery graduates can move into Training when they're ready.
I've never run, or haven't in years. Is this for me?
Yes. The no-injury path is the same 13-stage walk/run build, from 1-minute run intervals to 30 continuous minutes, with the same pain rules watching every session. The intake skips the injury, surgery and clearance questions and asks about you, your activity and your goal. It does use the stricter pain rules, because a new ache has no known pattern behind it: 3 to 5 steps back rather than waiting for the morning. If you have everyday joint, bone or tendon pain of 3 or more right now, the intake will say the program isn't the right start yet and point you to a professional instead.
Is Rebound medical care?
No. Rebound is a fitness program with walk/run sessions and strength work that adapt to what you report. It doesn't diagnose or treat injuries, and it doesn't replace your physical therapist or doctor. If you report a warning sign, Rebound pauses your plan and points you to a professional.
Is there an app, or is Rebound a website?
Both. Rebound runs in the web browser on any phone or computer, so you can build your plan, log runs and follow your schedule from anywhere. The Rebound iPhone app does the same and adds two things a browser can't: sending your workout to an Apple Watch, and reading runs from Apple Health. There is no Android app; Android phones use Rebound in the browser.
Can I use kilometers instead of miles?
Yes. Choose miles or kilometers in Settings, and the distances and paces across your plan follow it. You can switch any time.
Does AI decide my plan?
No. Every decision about progressing, holding, stepping back or pausing comes from fixed, written rules that respond to what you report. AI (Anthropic's Claude) personalizes your plan within limits those rules set, turns free-text notes into something the rules can read, and writes plain-language explanations. It never makes a safety call, and Rebound works fully without it.
Who is behind Rebound?
Rebound was built by Ethan Block, a biomedical engineer who has worked in cancer diagnostics and cardiac monitoring. Rebound Running LLC is based in Texas. You can reach us at help@reboundrunning.com.
FAQ
Rebound Recovery
Do I need a doctor's clearance to start?
After a knee or Achilles injury, yes: at intake you confirm that a physical therapist, physician or other qualified professional has cleared you to return to running, and you must be 18 or older. If you've had knee surgery recently, or an Achilles repair less than 16 weeks ago, Rebound will ask you to wait until you're further along in healing. If you're not injured and are new to running or coming back after a long break, there is nothing to be cleared from: you confirm instead that you're not currently dealing with an injury, haven't had surgery on a knee or an Achilles in the last 12 months, and have been cleared for, or feel fully ready for, regular exercise. Either way, once you start you'll tell us how you feel before each run and after every session, and we'll pause your plan if you report sharp pain, swelling, a knee or ankle giving way, night pain, or pain that keeps building.
Which path is mine: knee, Achilles, or starting from scratch?
Cleared after a knee injury (runner's knee, meniscus, ACL, IT band, patellar tendon): the knee path. Cleared after an Achilles injury (tendinopathy, or a surgically repaired rupture): the Achilles path. Not injured, and new to running or back after a long break: start from scratch. All three put you on the same 13 stages; the intake questions, the strength work between runs and the pain rules follow the path.
What if I feel pain during a session?
Before each run, after each session and the next morning you're asked one question first: any joint, bone or tendon pain, even mild? No is a 0. Yes asks how much, 0 to 10, and where. The rules in How it adapts above decide: 0 to 2 continues; 3 to 5 at the place you named holds until the next morning's check and settles if the morning is back at or below where the run started; above 5 steps back at once; a 6 or more before a run or the next morning, sharp pain, swelling, a knee or ankle giving way, night pain, or pain that keeps building pause the plan. The 3 to 5 allowance belongs to the place you named at intake: your injured knee, or your injured Achilles. Pain of 3 to 5 anywhere else, on the other side, or on the stricter paths (IT band, an unspecified knee, a repaired Achilles rupture, or no injury) steps back right away and settles only at 2 or less. Muscle soreness in your thighs or calves doesn't count. AI never makes these calls.
What if I miss the morning check-in?
Nothing bad happens: no pause, no step back. The check-in is open on the day after the run only, and a morning nobody answered is simply unknown, so that run doesn't count as one of the two clean runs you need to step up. The next pre-run check asks how you feel and decides whether that day's run opens.
What happens when I finish the recovery program?
You graduate once you can run 30 minutes straight at a comfortable pace. Some people stop there. Others move on to Rebound Training to keep a steady base, build weekly mileage, or prepare for a race from 5k to marathon. It still asks about pain and can ease your plan when needed.
FAQ
The Achilles path
Does it matter where on the Achilles it hurts?
Yes, and the intake asks. Pain in the tendon itself, a few centimetres above the heel bone, is midportion pain; pain at the heel bone, where the tendon attaches, is insertional. The research the pain rules rest on studied midportion cases and excluded insertional ones, so only midportion pain that stays mild and settles by morning can earn the next stage; insertional pain, or an unsure answer, holds on it and steps up on clean runs. The calf work follows the answer too: insertional and unsure keep every calf exercise at floor range, with the heel never dropping below a step.
I had my Achilles rupture repaired. When can I start?
Not before 16 weeks after the repair, and that is a floor, not a target. Published return-to-running protocols range from about 16 to 24 weeks, with function deciding, so the intake also asks for your surgeon's or physical therapist's clearance to begin running, and for you to confirm six readiness items: no pain in daily life or rehab, walking without a limp, tiptoe walking, ten single-leg heel rises, single-leg balance, and feeling confident to run. The items come from expert consensus and are a conservative gate, not a validated test. An unmet item means the program isn't the right start yet, and nothing is saved. Once a plan is built, the stricter pain rules apply throughout.
My rupture was treated without surgery. Is there a path for me?
Not yet. A rupture treated without surgery, and Achilles operations other than a rupture repair, follow timelines your care team sets, and the program has no rules for them. The intake says so plainly and saves nothing. If your care team points you to a graded walk/run build once you're cleared, come back then.
What about morning stiffness?
The morning check-in asks about pain, not stiffness, and judges it against how the tendon felt before yesterday's run. A stiff first few steps that loosen quickly is common with this tendon and isn't a reading on its own; pain that is back at or below where the run started is a settled response. If the morning pain is higher than before the run, the plan holds or steps back.
FAQ
Rebound Training
Is Rebound Training medical care?
No. Rebound Training is a fitness product: a run plan built from your answers that adjusts to what you log. It doesn't diagnose or treat anything, and if you report a red flag it pauses the plan and tells you to see a professional.
I'm coming back from an injury, or I've never really run. Is this the right plan?
Start with Rebound Recovery instead: the knee or the Achilles path if you're coming back from an injury there, the no-injury door if you're new to running or starting again after a long break. Training assumes you're already running, not currently dealing with an injury, and have been cleared for, or feel fully ready for, regular run training. Recovery graduates move into Training when they're ready.
Do I need a race time to start?
No. With a recent race time your runs start on pace ranges. Without one they start on effort cues, like conversational or comfortably hard. Either way, once you have logged three easy runs inside three weeks, your pace ranges come from your own running and keep following it.
Can I set a goal time?
Not yet. Rebound plans your volume, sessions and taper around your race date and your current fitness. It doesn't take a goal time or goal pace, and it doesn't record your race result. Race day shows a pace estimated from your race time or your own recent runs, as a guide.
I don't have a race. Can I still use it?
Yes. Choose base training to keep easy running around your current weekly distance, with a lighter week every fourth week. Or set a weekly mileage target: Rebound works out how long the build takes, grows toward your number with cutback weeks, and holds it before the block ends. Neither option asks for a race date or adds a race taper.
Why does my race plan show a warning about an accelerated build?
Because your race is close for where your running is now. Rebound's standard rule grows your weekly distance by at most 10% over your last full load week, and your long run by at most 10% over your longest recent run. When there aren't enough weeks before race day for that rule to reach the long runs the race calls for, but a slightly faster build can, Rebound offers it with a warning: weekly distance grows by up to 11% a week and the long run by up to 15%. It changes how quickly your distances grow, not how fast you run; your paces still come from your race time or your own recent runs. Building faster carries more injury risk, so the plan starts only once you confirm it, and Rebound does not call it safe. A later race date or a shorter distance is the safer choice, and you can decline and keep the standard build, accepting that its longest runs fall short of what the race usually calls for. If you take the accelerated build, keep easy days easy, take the cutback weeks as written, and report any pain or swelling as soon as it appears.
Why does my plan say my long runs are shorter than my race calls for?
Your plan steps down when you report pain or have been running less than planned, and it never raises your distances back on its own. If that leaves your long runs below what your race usually calls for, the plan tells you so. It keeps adapting as you log, but a later race date or a shorter distance may fit better right now; you can change your goal from Adjust plan on the Plan tab.
How far ahead can I plan for a race, and what if it's very soon?
A race up to 52 weeks away is one plan. When it is more than 24 weeks out, the plan starts with base weeks of easy running and grows into the race block, so you don't have to set anything up later. A race more than 52 weeks away is more than one plan: choose a base block or a weekly mileage goal now and set the race when that plan is done. If a race is too soon to build toward safely from your current running, Rebound offers an accelerated build when one can reach race day, and otherwise won't build the plan and suggests a later race or a shorter distance.
What if I miss a run or do it on a different day?
Log it when you can. When you log, you can say the run was done on a different day, and it counts for that day. A run you haven't logged isn't treated as missed for three days, so logging a little late costs you nothing. If you can't do a run, tap Skip workout and the plan carries on with your next scheduled run. When you have been running less than planned, the weeks ahead are brought back in line with what you've actually done, rather than asking you to make up the difference.
Can I change my run days, volume or goal after I start?
Yes. On the Plan tab, tap Adjust plan and say what you need: too much volume, different run days, too easy, a busy stretch, or a new goal. Rebound rebuilds the weeks ahead and shows you the change before it applies. Reductions and day changes are always granted. An increase waits two weeks after the plan has cut your volume for pain or paused on a red flag.
What if something starts to hurt?
Report it in the twinge check after the run: any joint, bone or tendon pain, how much, and where. Pain of 4 to 6 holds the plan and turns your next quality session into an easy run; 7 or more, or 4 or more at the shin or foot, makes the next two runs easy and trims the volume ahead; sharp pain, swelling, a knee or ankle giving way, night pain, or pain that kept building as you ran pause the plan. Volume only ever comes down in response to what you report, never up.
FAQ
Apple Watch, Apple Health and Garmin
How do I connect my Apple Watch?
In the Rebound iPhone app, open Settings, then Connected apps. Under Which watch do you run with?, choose Apple Watch, then tap Send workouts to Apple Watch and allow Rebound to schedule workouts when your iPhone asks. You need an Apple Watch paired with that iPhone on watchOS 10 or newer. There is no separate Rebound app to install on the Watch: workouts go to Apple's own Workout app. To have the runs your Watch records fill in your log, connect Apple Health on the same screen. Sending workouts to a Watch isn't available from the website.
How do I get my workout on my Apple Watch?
Once Send workouts to Apple Watch is on, open the Rebound app on your iPhone and it sends your run to the Workout app on your Watch, listed under Rebound. Start it there like any other workout: it is a guided workout that walks you through the session, with a cue at each change, such as every switch between running and walking. On a Training plan the Watch holds today's run and your next scheduled run. On a Recovery plan it holds today's walk/run only, sent after you answer that day's pre-run pain check, because your answer can change the session. If your plan pauses, the workouts are removed from your Watch. The Watch records the run, but it doesn't log it in Rebound: you still confirm it in the app, and with Apple Health connected the time and distance are filled in for you.
How do I connect Apple Health, and what does Rebound read?
In the Rebound iPhone app, open Settings, then Connected apps, tap Connect Apple Health, and choose what to share when your iPhone asks. Rebound reads your workouts and heart rate so it can show what you ran next to what was planned, and so a run recorded by your watch or phone can fill in the time and distance of your log. Nothing logs itself: you review the run and confirm it, and you can say a workout wasn't yours. Rebound never writes anything to Apple Health, and nothing from Health is sent to the AI that writes your plan notes. While connected, Rebound keeps a short summary of each workout it reads (when, how long, how far, heart rate) on your account. Disconnecting stops that and deletes those summaries; to remove access fully, open the Health app, then Sharing, then Apps.
Does Rebound work with my Garmin watch?
Yes, through Apple Health on an iPhone. There is no direct Garmin connection yet; we plan to add one in the future. Today, Garmin Connect writes your runs to Apple Health and Rebound reads them from there. To set it up: in Garmin Connect, turn on sharing with Apple Health in its settings (under Connected Apps); in the Rebound iPhone app, connect Apple Health and choose Garmin under Which watch do you run with?. Garmin Connect only passes runs to Apple Health while it is open, so after a run open Garmin Connect (Rebound has an Open Garmin Connect button), let it finish syncing, then come back to Rebound and your run will be waiting for you to confirm. Rebound never changes anything in Garmin Connect, and it can't send workouts to a Garmin watch yet.
Does it work with Strava, Coros, Polar, Suunto or another watch?
There is no direct connection to Strava or other watch brands. Rebound reads runs from Apple Health on an iPhone, so a run reaches Rebound when the app that recorded it writes it to Apple Health. Most watch apps have an Apple Health setting, and some send runs only while their app is open: if a run is missing, open your watch's app, let it sync, then come back. You can always log a run by hand, with its time and distance, on any device.
FAQ
Pricing, HSA/FSA and your account
How much does it cost?
$7.99 a month after a free first week. The intake and your plan preview are free, and there's no card until you start a plan. Cancel any time from Settings; cancelling during the free week means you're never charged.
Is Recovery a subscription?
No. Recovery is one payment that covers your whole program, restarts included. Nothing renews and there is nothing to cancel.
Why is Recovery a program and Training a membership?
Recovery has an end: it builds from short walk/run intervals to 30 continuous minutes, whether you're returning after a knee or Achilles injury or starting from scratch. It is one payment: then you graduate, and nothing renews. Training is ongoing: a race plan ends on race day, a mileage plan ends after holding its target, and a base block ends after the weeks you chose. The membership is there for the next block or goal.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. The Training membership is cancelled from the settings page in the app, and if you cancel during your free week, you won't be charged. Recovery is one payment, so there is nothing to cancel.
Can I use my HSA or FSA to pay?
Possibly, when a provider recommends Rebound for recovery from a specific injury and your HSA or FSA administrator approves it. Injury-related expenses are not limited to knees, but Rebound currently offers an injury intake and a Letter of Medical Necessity template only for knee injuries, Achilles tendinopathy and a surgically repaired Achilles rupture; the tendinopathy letter names the condition as you reported it at intake, for your provider to confirm. Your provider must review and sign the template if they agree. The no-injury path has no letter, and Rebound Training is a general fitness membership. A letter does not guarantee reimbursement.
Do I need my own doctor or physical therapist to get the letter signed?
For now, yes. Bring the letter to a doctor, physical therapist, or other licensed provider you already see. If you don't have one, we're working on a way for an independent clinician to review and sign it, and we'll update this page when that's ready.
Is my health data private?
Yes. Your plan, session logs, and notes are locked to your account, so no other user can see them, and we don't sell your information. Card payments are handled by Stripe, so your card number never touches our servers. We use Claude, an AI model from Anthropic, to personalize and explain your plan and structure free-text notes and plan-change requests. For that it receives your plan answers, the effort and pain numbers you log, and what you write. We never attach your name, email address or any account identifier to a language-model request. Anthropic doesn't use this information to train its models. You can delete your training data anytime from settings, and the full details are in our Privacy Policy.
Find your next step in running.
Starting, returning, or already running: choose the path that fits today and preview your plan before you start.