Nova for trainers — complete user guide (Web)

This guide walks you through everything you do as a trainer in Nova on web (novafitness.no): from logging in, to building training programs, following up with your clients, setting up your own storefront, and taking payments. No prior knowledge needed. Follow the sections in order the first time, or jump straight to what you're wondering about using the table of contents.

Platform: Web (Chrome recommended), on a PC or Mac. Web is the main platform for the heavy trainer tasks — the drag-and-drop workout builder, periodization, and the storefront editor with live preview are all best done here. You keep 100% of your earnings — Nova takes 0% commission.

A few features are mobile-app only (Android/iPhone) and aren't on web: barcode scanning of food, health integration (Health Connect / Apple Health), and Polar heart rate strap. If you're missing those on web, that's intentional — use the mobile app for them.

Getting started
Creating an account and logging in
The trainer dashboard — overview and navigation
Clients and CRM
Library — programs, workouts, and exercises
Workout builder — drag-and-drop, supersets, periodization
Assigning a workout or program
Chatting with your clients
Storefront editor — your own public page
The public storefront page
Booking and availability
Group sessions
Payments and Stripe
Subscriptions and client limits
Custom domains (Elite)
Settings
Troubleshooting — common questions

1. Getting started

What you need

A PC or Mac with a modern browser. Chrome is recommended.
An email address you have access to.
An internet connection.

How to open Nova on web

Go to https://novafitness.no/ in your browser.
You'll land on the landing page. Tap Log in if you have an account, or Create account / Get started to register.

Tip: Bookmark novafitness.no/dashboard — that takes you straight to your dashboard next time you're logged in.

2. Creating an account and logging in

Creating an account

Tap Create account on the landing page.
Choose the Trainer role.
Fill in:
- Name — what your clients will see.
- Email — one you have access to.
- Password — at least 12 characters, with upper- and lowercase letters, at least one number and one special character (for example, StrongTrainer!2026).
Confirm the password.
Tap Register.

You're then taken to the trainer dashboard.

Confirm your email

The first time, you'll often see a yellow confirm your email notice at the top of the dashboard. Tap the link to be sent a fresh confirmation email, open it, and confirm. You can use the dashboard in the meantime.

Logging in

Tap Log in.
Enter your email and password.
You'll land automatically on /dashboard.

Common messages

"Password is too weak" — add more characters, a number, or a special character.
"Email is already in use" — you probably already have an account. Tap Log in instead.
"Passwords don't match" — make sure both fields are exactly the same.

If you log in with a client account on web, you're sent to the client area, not the trainer dashboard. The trainer dashboard is only for trainer accounts.

When you log in, you land on the dashboard (/dashboard). It's your command center.

On desktop, navigation lives in a sidebar on the left. You can click the NOVA logo at the top to collapse the menu to narrow icons and free up space.

The main items are:

Dashboard — this overview.
Clients — your client list and CRM.
Library — your workouts, programs, and exercises.
Chat — messages with your clients (shows a number if you have unread).
Forms — forms you send to clients (e.g. intake forms), and their responses.
Settings — profile, subscription, payments.

At the bottom of the menu you'll find things like My storefront (storefront editor), Group sessions, Availability, My bookings, a shortcut to Stripe, and Log out.

Tip: You can jump between the main pages with the keyboard shortcuts Alt+1 through Alt+6. Press ? to see all shortcuts.

On a narrow screen (mobile/tablet), the menu lives behind the menu button at the top.

What you see on the dashboard

Subscription status in the top right: which tier you're on (Free/Basic/ Pro/Elite), how many clients you have, and a link to manage your subscription.
Get Started checklist (for new trainers): complete your profile, invite an athlete, build a program, assign it, and send a message. It disappears once you're done.
Revenue — turnover for the last 30 days (once you've connected Stripe, see section 13).
Business analytics — key numbers like client retention, average workouts per client, trend vs. last month, and new clients.
Client health — how many clients are active, at risk, or inactive.
Requests (leads) — new inquiries from athletes you can accept or decline.
Clients who need attention — those who haven't trained in a while.
Birthdays — upcoming birthdays among your clients.

Tip: Empty panels show "no data yet" until you have clients and workouts. That's normal for a brand-new account.

4. Clients and CRM

Under Clients you'll find all your athletes, with a built-in CRM (notes, tags, and activity).

The client list

Click Clients in the menu.
Each client shows up with a name, an activity indicator (green/yellow/red light based on how active they are), and a subscription status (for example, paying online client or in-person client).
Click a client to open their profile.

Inviting / adding clients

You can invite a new client from the client list. Enter the client's info and Nova creates a request / invitation. Athletes can also find you via the marketplace in the mobile app or via your storefront page and send a request that shows up on your dashboard.

The client profile

Open a client and you'll find, among other things:

Notes — write private notes about the client. They're saved and stay there.
Tags — add or remove labels.
Assigned programs and workouts — what the client is training on now, and an option to assign more.
Progress — training history, volume over time, PR timeline, and monthly report.
Goals and body measurements — measurements and progress photos the client has shared.
Nutrition — the client's food diary (if they share it).

Tip: Notes save automatically. If you leave the client and come back, the note should still be there.

5. Library — programs, workouts, and exercises

Under Library you gather all your professional content.

The library typically has three parts:

Workouts (templates) — single sessions you build and reuse.
Programs — multiple workouts arranged over weeks (periodization).
Exercises — Nova's built-in exercise library plus your own exercises.

Creating a new workout or program

Tap the new-item button, give it a title, and you're taken into the workout builder.

Duplicating

Each card has a menu (three dots) where you can duplicate a workout or program — handy when a new program is similar to an existing one. You can also delete.

Your own exercises

Can't find an exercise in Nova's library? You can create your own exercise with a name, muscle group, and optional media. You can also fork (copy) one of Nova's exercises and customize it.

Tip: The exercise list in the builder combines Nova's built-in exercises with your own, so you search everything in one place.

6. Workout builder — drag-and-drop, supersets, periodization

The workout builder is where you build the actual training. It's designed for web and is by far the best place to build programs.

Drag-and-drop exercises

Open a workout in the builder.
On the left/side panel is the exercise library. Search for an exercise.
Drag the exercise into a section (block) in the workout.
Change the order by dragging exercises up/down.

Sections (blocks)

A workout is divided into sections — typically Warm-up, Main, and Cool-down. You can add, rename, and remove sections.

Sets, reps, and parameters per exercise

For each exercise you set the targets: sets, reps, kg, rest, and — depending on the exercise type — fields like RIR, RPE, duration, tempo, or % of 1RM. You can choose which fields the exercise uses, and set different targets per set when needed.

Supersets

To pair two (or more) exercises as a superset:

Place the exercises right after each other in the same section.
Use the link together action to make them a superset.
The superset shows up clearly grouped. The client alternates between the exercises, and the rest only comes after the last exercise in the round.

Periodization (multiple weeks)

For a program, you can build out multiple weeks and put different workouts on each week. You can copy an entire week to another week to build progression quickly.

Saving

Changes are saved when you save the workout/program. The order you set should be intact next time you open it.

Tip: Build one solid "template" workout, duplicate it, and adjust weight/reps for the next week — it's often faster than building from scratch every time.

7. Assigning a workout or program

Once the workout or program is ready, you assign it to one or more clients.

Go to Clients and open a client (or pick several from the client list).
Choose assign program / workout.
Pick the template you want to assign.
Confirm.

The assigned workout shows up for the client in the mobile app, ready to be done in the workout player. You can also assign the same program to several clients at once from the client list.

Tip: To check that it worked, open the client profile — the assigned program should show under the client's active programs.

8. Chatting with your clients

Under Chat you talk directly with your clients in real time.

Click Chat in the menu.
Pick a conversation from the list on the left.
Write a message and send.

You can also:

Send text and images/attachments.
Use message templates for things you send often.
Schedule a message for a later time.
Send a broadcast to multiple clients at once.
Send a payment link to a client (requires Stripe, see section 13).

A number next to Chat in the menu shows how many unread messages you have.

Tip: Voice messages play back in chat on web, but the actual recording of voice messages is done in the mobile app.

9. Storefront editor — your own public page

Your storefront is your public sales page on Nova — where athletes get to know you and send a request or buy from you. You'll find the editor under My storefront at the bottom of the menu.

The editor has two sides: a form on the left where you fill everything in, and a live preview on the right that updates as you type.

Step 1 — pick a layout

Choose one of 5 layouts (structures). The layout controls the shape of the page, not the colors:

Standard — top menu, two-column hero (text + image), and a service grid.
Conversion — split hero with price/CTA and a row of pricing tiers; sells hard.
Editorial — a large full-image hero and a calm, centered story.
Showcase — full-image hero with large image cards and a fixed booking bar at the bottom.
Focus — calm and narrow: centered image, name, and one clear button.

Step 2 — pick a theme (colors)

Choose one of 5 themes. The theme controls the colors, independently of the layout:

Carbon — dark, green accent.
Frost — light, cool blue-green.
Slate — dark blue-gray, light blue accent.
Sand — light and warm, orange accent.
Bold — all black with a custom accent color you choose yourself.

Tip: Layout and theme are completely independent — every combination is allowed. Watch the live preview and pick what looks best for your name and your photos.

Step 3 — fill in content

The form is divided into sections you fill out:

Hero — name, tagline/slogan, and main image.
About me — a longer text about you (line breaks are preserved).
Services — the most important section: add the services you sell, each with a title, description, price, and what's included. You can have several, reorder them, and switch them on/off.
Certifications, specialties, gallery, testimonials, FAQ, social links, and legal links.

A SEO health score helps you see whether the page has enough content to be found in search.

Step 4 — pick a slug (web address)

Set a slug — the short address the page gets: novafitness.no/<your-slug>. We recommend your name (for example, lars-trainer).

Step 5 — publish

When you're happy, tap Publish.

You need to have filled in at least your name, tagline, and one active service to be able to publish.
After publishing, you get a confirmation and a link to the public page.

You can also unpublish the page later, and change anything you like — changes only go live when you publish again.

Tip: The live preview updates instantly when you switch layout or theme. If you use the Bold theme, play with the accent color until the contrast is good (light text on a dark background).

10. The public storefront page

The published page lives at novafitness.no/<your-slug> and is what athletes see.

On the page, a visitor can:

See you presented in the chosen layout and theme.
Read About me, where long text can be expanded with "Show more".
Browse your services and open an individual service page for details, pricing, and what's included.
Send you a request (lead) via the contact form — it shows up on your dashboard under requests.
Book a session via the booking widget if the service is an in-person/1:1 session (see the next section).

Tip: Test your own page in an incognito window so you see it the way an athlete does. Check that it looks tidy, and try all 5 themes once — pay especially close attention to text contrast.

You're also in the trainer directory. Besides the storefront you get a public profile page (novafitness.no/t/…) and appear in the directory at novafitness.no/trenere, where customers browse by municipality and search by name and specialty. Make sure municipality, photo, and specialties are filled in on your profile so you show up there.

11. Booking and availability

For athletes to be able to book sessions with you, you need to set up when you're available.

Setting availability

Open Availability at the bottom of the menu.
Enter the times you're free for sessions.
Optionally connect Google Calendar to avoid double-booking.

Once availability is set and a service is marked as an in-person/1:1 session, athletes can book directly from the public service page. They pick a day, an open time slot, and (for paid services) which product to use.

Your bookings

Under My bookings you'll see all upcoming and past bookings.

Tip: If you haven't set availability, the booking widget will say there are no open slots — so remember this step before you send people to the page.

12. Group sessions

If you run group training, you'll find Group sessions at the bottom of the menu.

Here you can:

Create locations and group sessions.
Sell drop-in, clip card, and subscription products.
Register attendance at a session — on web you can show/print a QR code that participants scan.

Tip: The QR scanning as a participant happens in the mobile app, but you as the trainer manage sessions, products, and the attendance list from here on web.

13. Payments and Stripe

Nova uses Stripe for payments. You keep 100% — Nova takes no commission on your earnings.

Connecting Stripe (receive payments)

Go to Settings → Payments, or use Connect Stripe on the dashboard.
You're sent to Stripe's onboarding to create/link your account.
When you're done, you're sent back to Nova and the status shows as connected.

Once Stripe is connected, you'll see the revenue card on the dashboard with turnover for the last 30 days, available balance, and pending balance. You can open the Stripe dashboard directly from the menu for the full picture.

Testing payments (test mode)

If you want to test that a payment goes through without using real money, use test mode and Stripe's test cards:

Card number: 4242 4242 4242 4242
Expiry: any future date
CVC: any three digits

After a successful test payment, you're sent back to Nova with a confirmation.

Tip: Never use a real card when testing. The test card above only works in test mode.

14. Subscriptions and client limits

Your Nova subscription determines how many clients you can have:

Tier	Max clients
Free	3
Basic	10
Pro	25
Elite	Unlimited

You see your tier in the top right of the dashboard. Manage subscription / Settings → Subscription lets you upgrade or downgrade via Stripe.

If a payment fails

You get a period with full access (grace period) while Stripe tries again.
If it runs out without payment, a lockout overlay appears in the dashboard with two options: update payment or downgrade to Free. If you downgrade to Free, you keep your 3 oldest clients; the rest are disconnected.

Tip: Custom domains are an Elite feature. If you need one, you'll need to upgrade to Elite first (see the next section).

15. Custom domains (Elite)

As an Elite trainer, you can connect your own domain (for example, yourname.com) to your storefront, instead of novafitness.no/<slug>.

Go to the storefront editor and open the custom domain section (or via settings).
Enter your domain and add it.
Follow the wizard:
- Verify ownership by adding a TXT record with your domain provider.
- Then add the A records Nova provides, and tap Check status.
- Once everything is in place and SSL is ready, the domain shows as live.

Tip: DNS changes can take a little while to propagate. If you see a "pending" status for a while, that's normal — use Check status after a bit. If you're not on Elite, you'll see an invitation to upgrade instead.

16. Settings

Under Settings you manage your account and your business. The pages are divided into:

Profile — profile photo/avatar, name and details, pricing, and certificates.
Subscription — current tier and the option to change plans.
Payments — Stripe connection (receive payments) and revenue overview.
Security — change password.
Language — switch between Norwegian, English, German, French, and Spanish.
Theme — light/dark appearance for the dashboard itself.

Tip: For security, you're logged out automatically after a longer period of inactivity. Just log back in.

17. Troubleshooting — common questions

I keep getting sent to the login page. Your session may have expired after inactivity. Log in again. Check that you have an internet connection, and try reloading the page.

I logged in but don't land on the dashboard. The dashboard is only for trainer accounts. If you log in with a client account, you're sent to the client area. Check that you're using your trainer account.

A panel spins/loads forever. Empty panels should show "no data yet" when you don't have clients or workouts. If it keeps spinning, reload the page. If it persists, note which page and let support know.

Storefront changes aren't showing up on the public page. Changes only go live when you tap Publish. Publish again after your edits, and refresh the public page (ideally in an incognito window).

I can't publish the storefront. You need to have filled in at least your name, tagline, and at least one active service. Check that those are in place.

A specific theme makes text hard to read. Note which theme + layout combination it was. If you're using Bold, adjust the accent color until the contrast is good. Send a screenshot if you can.

I didn't get back to Nova after Stripe. Go back to the dashboard manually and reload the page — the status usually updates shortly after. Always test with test mode and the test card 4242 4242 4242 4242, never with real cards.

The booking widget shows no open slots. You need to set Availability first (see section 11), and the service must be marked as an in-person/1:1 session.

I can't find barcode scanning / health / Polar on web. Those are only in the mobile app, not on web. It's not a bug.

The text is in the wrong language or I see strange code-like words. Switch language under Settings → Language. If something still looks off, note exactly which text and which page, and let support know.

Need more help?

Contact Nova support via the support page. It helps to have ready: what you did, what happened, which page you were on, your browser, and a screenshot — that helps us help you faster.

Last updated: 2026-08-20.