This is one of the most common questions we get. AI Check-Ins and AI Forms are two completely separate features in FitMetrics — but they work beautifully together. Here's how they differ and when to use each one.
Quick Summary
AI Check-Ins | AI Forms | |
What it is | Automated messages sent to your clients | Custom forms your clients fill out |
Direction | Coach → Client (outbound) | Client → Coach (inbound) |
Purpose | Deliver personalized feedback, data summaries, and AI coaching | Collect information from clients (questionnaires, assessments, intake forms) |
Uses client data? | Yes — pulls real-time data from Trainerize and FitMetrics automatically | No — the client manually enters their answers |
AI involved? | Yes — AI generates personalized coaching feedback | Optional — AI can analyze form responses after submission |
Where to find it |
AI Check-Ins — Automated Smart Messages
AI Check-Ins are automated messages that FitMetrics sends to your clients on a schedule you define. Think of them as your AI coaching assistant that delivers personalized weekly feedback without you writing a single message.
How it works:
You create a template using smart placeholders (e.g., #{{client_first_name}}, #{{avg_calories_eaten}}, #{{ai_coach_feedback}})
You assign that template to clients with a schedule (e.g., every Monday at 9am)
FitMetrics automatically pulls each client's real data, generates AI feedback, and sends the message via Trainerize or Telegram
Example output a client receives:
Week (Mar 17 - Mar 23) Feedback Hey Sarah, great work this week! Calories Goal: 1,800 Average Eaten: 1,756 — right on target. Workouts: 4 out of 5 completed (80%) Weight: 68.2 kg → down 0.3 kg from last week. [AI-generated personalized coaching feedback here]
Key features:
100+ smart placeholders across nutrition, weight, workouts, habits, WHOOP, Oura, and more
AI-generated coaching feedback that adapts to each client's data
Schedule weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly — up to 4 check-ins per client (up to 10 on the Business package)
Choose who sends it: AI Message Sender, assigned coach, or a specific trainer
Test and preview with real client data before going live
AI Forms — Custom Data Collection
AI Forms are custom forms that you build and share with your clients to collect information. They replace tools like Google Forms or Typeform — but are fully integrated into FitMetrics.
How it works:
You build a form with questions (text, multiple choice, scales, file uploads, etc.)
You share a link with your client (or embed it in an AI Check-In message)
The client fills it out and submits
Responses are saved to their client profile for you to review
Common use cases:
Welcome / onboarding questionnaires
Weekly self-reported check-in forms ("How did your week go?")
Medical history assessments
Nutrition intake forms
Progress review questionnaires
Why the Confusion Happens
Many coaches create a form in AI Forms and name it something like "Weekly Check-In" or "Client Check-In Form." This is a perfectly valid use case — you're collecting self-reported data from your client.
But this is not the same as the AI Check-Ins feature, which is about sending automated, data-driven messages to clients.
Here's the simple way to remember it:
AI Forms = your client talks to you (fills out a form)
AI Check-Ins = you (via AI) talk to your client (sends a personalized message)
How They Work Together
The real power comes from combining both features. Here's a common workflow:
Sunday: An AI Check-In sends your client a message with a link to your "Weekly Check-In" form (using the form link placeholder)
Sunday/Monday: The client fills out the form with subjective data (how they felt, challenges, questions)
Monday: A second AI Check-In fires — this time with the #{{ai_coach_feedback}} placeholder that reads both the client's Trainerize data and their form submission, then generates a comprehensive coaching response
This gives you the best of both worlds: objective data (from Trainerize) + subjective data (from the form) = deeply personalized AI coaching.
Still Not Sure Which One You Need?
I want to... | Use this |
Send my clients a weekly summary of their nutrition, workouts, and progress | |
Ask my clients to fill out a questionnaire each week | |
Have AI write personalized coaching feedback based on real data | |
Collect medical history or onboarding info from new clients | |
Send a form link inside an automated message | Both — use AI Check-Ins to deliver the AI Forms link |
Have AI read a client's form answers and generate feedback | Both — enable "AI Form Submission" as a data source in your AI Prompt |