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Say you've joined a squat challenge on Cadoo with a few friends, and there's real money riding on it. When you finish your reps, you want to know the count is right — and so does everyone else in the game. That's exactly what Cadoo is built to do. Using your phone's camera plus AI pose tracking, Cadoo watches your body move and counts your squats for you, so nobody has to take anyone's word for it.
Here's how it works, in plain terms.
How Cadoo counts your squats
When you record, your phone's camera and AI pose tracking follow the way your body moves — mapping key points like your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles, and watching them travel through space. For squats, Cadoo pays close attention to your hips dropping and rising, measured against your shoulders and knees.
The rule is simple: one clean movement down and back up counts as one rep. Sink into the squat, stand back up, and that's a rep on the board.
Practice mode: get set before it counts
Before a rep ever counts, Cadoo walks you through a quick setup so your reps land accurately. You'll see an outline on the screen — line your body up so you fit inside it, then hold still for a moment while Cadoo locks on. Next you'll do a practice rep to confirm everything looks good, and then you're ready to record for real.
Because the camera is the source of truth, good framing makes all the difference. Film yourself side-on with your whole body in view and decent lighting, and Cadoo can see your movement clearly — which means an accurate count.
How form scoring works (and why some reps don't count)
Every rep gets a form score from 0 to 100%. Reps that fall below the quality bar (around 40%) don't count toward your total — they're logged as attempted, but not credited. For squats, Cadoo looks at three things:
- Depth — bend your knees and sink to about parallel, with your thighs roughly level with the floor. A shallow squat won't count.
- Stand tall — come all the way back up and fully stand at the top of each rep.
- Upright torso — keep your chest up instead of collapsing forward.
In the app you'll see your attempted reps, your credited reps, and your average form score — so you always know how many counted and how clean your reps were.
What this means for you
This is what keeps Cadoo games fair. When money's on the line, everyone deserves to know the reps are real. Only credited reps count toward winning, so nobody can pad their numbers, the pot stays protected, and every player competes on a level field. You do the work, and the camera confirms it — for you and for everyone else in the game.
Tips to get every rep counted
- Film side-on so your squat depth is clearly visible.
- Keep your whole body in the frame, from head to feet.
- Record in good lighting so the camera can see you clearly.
- Hit your depth on every rep — sink to about parallel.
- Prop your phone somewhere steady so the view doesn't wobble.
And it's not just squats — Cadoo scores your other bodyweight moves, including pushups, situps, pullups, dips, and plank, the very same way.
Frequently asked questions
How does Cadoo count squats?
The camera and AI pose tracking watch your hips drop and rise. One clean squat down and back up is one rep.
Why didn't a squat count?
Each rep is form-scored. Squats that don't reach about parallel, or reps where you don't fully stand up, score low and aren't credited.
What's the best camera angle?
Side-on, with your whole body in frame and good lighting, so your squat depth is clearly visible.
