Safety & regulatory information
What myPotential does, what it doesn't do, and where the CHOP Exercise Program comes from.
What myPotential is
myPotential is an iPhone and Apple Watch app — a workout companion for people following the CHOP exercise program. It displays a structured daily session plan based on the CHOP Exercise Program — an 8-month, 242-session graduated exercise program that progresses from recumbent to upright training.
The app displays your live heart-rate data from a compatible device (Apple Watch, AirPods Pro with heart-rate sensing, or a Bluetooth heart-rate monitor) alongside a target range calculated from your age. When your heart rate moves outside that range, it provides a quiet audio or haptic cue — a pacing reminder, not a clinical alert.
Your session history, profile, and heart-rate data stay on your device. There are no accounts, no sign-up, and no health data on our servers.
What myPotential is not
myPotential is not a medical device. In the United States, it has not been reviewed, cleared, or approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
myPotential does not:
- Diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent any disease or condition
- Provide medical advice, clinical decision support, or replace the judgment of a healthcare professional
- Monitor heart rate for medical purposes, detect arrhythmias, or alert you to clinically significant heart-rate events
- Prescribe, recommend, or adjust medication or treatment
Talk to your doctor before starting any new exercise program. Stop immediately if you feel dizzy, lightheaded, or unwell.
About the CHOP Exercise Program
The CHOP Exercise Program was developed by researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and UT Southwestern, and has been studied in peer-reviewed exercise research. The full program is available as a free PDF from the original source.
Important: this research is about the CHOP Exercise Program itself — not about this app. myPotential has not undergone independent clinical validation. The app displays the program's session structure and calculates target ranges using the same formula the program specifies — it does not create or modify the program.
How heart-rate ranges are calculated
The app estimates your maximum heart rate using the Tanaka formula (208 − 0.7 × age), a well-established age-predicted model. Target ranges are calculated as percentages of this estimate, following the CHOP protocol's zone definitions.
This is a population-based estimate. Individual maximum heart rates vary. The app relies on consumer devices for heart-rate data and does not guarantee clinical accuracy. If you'd like different target ranges, you can set custom ranges in the app's Preferences.
Compatible devices
The app displays heart-rate data from:
- Apple Watch (wrist-based optical sensor)
- AirPods Pro (generation 3 or later, in-ear optical sensor; requires iOS 26+)
- Bluetooth Low Energy heart-rate monitors (chest strap or armband)
The app does not connect to medical-grade monitoring equipment. All heart-rate data comes from your own consumer devices.
Beta blockers
Beta blockers change how heart rate responds to exercise, so heart-rate-based pacing isn't reliable for people taking them. myPotential can't provide heart-rate-based pacing in that case. Perceived-exertion-based pacing is not yet available in myPotential.
Privacy
Profile, session history, and heart-rate data are stored locally on your device. Heart rate and workouts flow through HealthKit under Apple's privacy framework. Anonymous usage counts (screen views, feature usage) help us understand how the app is used. No heart-rate values, names, email addresses, or device identifiers are collected.
Read the full privacy policy.