[HN Gopher] Show HN: Workout.lol - a web app to easily create a ...
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       Show HN: Workout.lol - a web app to easily create a workout routine
        
       Hey everyone,  I here is a small open-source project I've been
       working on lately. I'd love to hear your thoughts and improvement
       ideas :)  GitHub: [github.com/Vincenius/workout-
       lol](https://github.com/Vincenius/workout-lol)
        
       Author : Vincenius
       Score  : 859 points
       Date   : 2023-07-10 06:01 UTC (16 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (workout.lol)
 (TXT) w3m dump (workout.lol)
        
       | stevofolife wrote:
       | I just want to say I personally like the UX. Good job!
        
       | aiibe wrote:
       | Very cool web app!
        
       | herculity275 wrote:
       | I do feel like most beginner/intermediate lifters with gym access
       | would be better served just picking a standard full-body workout
       | routine (e.g. GZCLP) and sticking to it. Figuring out which
       | muscle groups you'd like to be targeting with specialized
       | exercises is not something you should be doing as a novice.
        
         | Aerroon wrote:
         | > _would be better served just picking a standard full-body
         | workout routine (e.g. GZCLP)_
         | 
         | But many people aren't going to follow those routines. It's my
         | impression that deadlifts and squats aren't good exercises for
         | this use case because of the danger they present.
         | 
         | Sure, they might be "completely safe" when "done correctly",
         | but somebody using an app and trying to mimic exercises they
         | see in videos or pictures is only guessing at whether they do
         | the exercises correctly. To build muscle you need progressive
         | overload, but that also means that "doing the exercises
         | correctly" gets even more difficult. With most other lifts it's
         | not that big of a deal, but with squats and deadlifts the
         | weights get really high. A dropped barbell with squat weights
         | can easily lead to injury. Hell, it can lead to injury when
         | it's even just lifted the wrong way.
         | 
         | And when you remove those two lifts then a lot of 'standard
         | full body workout' regimes don't work anymore.
        
           | lukas099 wrote:
           | Post proof that deadlifts and squats present unique danger.
        
             | kjkjadksj wrote:
             | Compare a barbell squat to a bodyweight pistol squat. What
             | does a beginner hitting failure look like with either? For
             | the pistol squat you can't get up and just maybe fall over
             | 1 foot onto your yoga mat, or just use your other leg to
             | balance and stand. The barbell back squat failure is
             | absolutely ugly in comparison. You are down and can't get
             | up, maybe you try and push anyway with your back vs legs,
             | thats a lot of weight supported by an out of form spine
             | now, ooff. Knowing how and when to safely bail and drop
             | weight out of an olympic lift is not something any beginner
             | would just naturally know to do.
        
               | Jcampuzano2 wrote:
               | This is why there is such a thing as a power rack/squat
               | rack. You can fail completely safely with this equipment.
               | 
               | If you are an olympic lifter, almost everyone is taught
               | how to bail these lifts from the beginning with the empty
               | bar. Most people aren't and lift in racks built just to
               | be able to safely lift heavy. Its on you if you don't
               | actually set up the safety bars for yourself.
        
           | matwood wrote:
           | As humans we squat and dead lift all day. Every single person
           | should learn how to do those two movements with some
           | proficiency and intention. They should be part of basis of
           | any weight program focused on health and longevity.
           | 
           | And while progressive overload is needed, no one is going
           | from the bar to massive weight overnight. Also, not everyone
           | needs to have the goal of being a power lifter. Peter Attia
           | talks about wanting his older clients to be able to a 45lb
           | kettlebell squat, the average weight of a toddler grandkid
           | for example.
        
             | somethingreen wrote:
             | That specific suggested program is a 5x3 with 85% effort.
             | People following it will be lifting considerable percentage
             | of their body weight very quickly. Without proper muscle
             | control, joint conditioning, knowledge of how to deal with
             | minor injuries etc. Good program with a trainer, ok for a
             | highly motivated individual with strength goals, terrible
             | for an average beginner.
        
               | goostavos wrote:
               | >People following it will be lifting considerable
               | percentage of their body weight very quickly.
               | 
               | That's what we call a benefit. The reason those people
               | are suddenly lifting their body weight? They've gotten
               | stronger! Deadlift from day 1, people. Your back will
               | thank you. If you're worried about it, ask someone to
               | check your form at the gym (most people are friendly!),
               | or just post it online (I did this when I first started
               | lifting).
               | 
               | Being able to bend over and pick something heavy up off
               | the ground is a pretty fundamentally important human
               | movement.
        
             | datavirtue wrote:
             | Not with weight on their back. You should seek professional
             | advice for weight training. I learned that trainers don't
             | even let people touch a bar for a year as they repair and
             | strengthen their core. It's all body weight and PVC pipes
             | to develop form.
        
               | jayGlow wrote:
               | if your trainers aren't letting you touch weights for a
               | year you need better trainers. form is important but
               | perfect is the enemy of good enough. if you try and be
               | absolutely perfect before progressing at all you'll never
               | move an inch.
        
               | goostavos wrote:
               | These threads are always insane. You can pick up a bar
               | the first day you step into a gym. The body is an
               | adaptation machine. Apply stress. Adapt. Repeat.
               | 
               | A trainer spending a year "strengthening your core" is
               | called theft.
        
               | procinct wrote:
               | Not trying to argue with you, but that sounds more like a
               | rehab programme than a programme designed for someone who
               | is fully able and just wants to start resistance
               | training. The bar is generally a fine starting point for
               | most people but smaller dumbbells could also be used if
               | the bar was too heavy. Also, you should be squatting in a
               | cage with safeties, which mitigates a lot of the risk
               | when squatting. It absolutely should not take a healthy
               | abled person a year to start squatting 20kg.
        
               | matwood wrote:
               | > Not with weight on their back.
               | 
               | Yeah, people do worse in real life. They pick up stuff of
               | varying weights all the time at odd angles.
        
               | Jcampuzano2 wrote:
               | Unless you are elderly or disabled in some kind of way,
               | if you can't survive putting a bar on your back and
               | squatting, you are a weak (physically) human. I'm not
               | joking.
               | 
               | I'm a man and know more about mens standards, but if you
               | can't back squat at least 1x your bodyweight you are
               | probably pretty weak. Similar for deadlift. And these are
               | just bare minimums. Most humans are FAR more capable than
               | this. Maybe just multiply these by 0.5 for a women just
               | based on genetic strength differences.
               | 
               | You can start with the bar if you want, you will
               | eventually learn through experience based on your body
               | your form for squatting. And the internet as well as
               | being able to record yourself are readily available for
               | practically everyone. Given that you can definitely learn
               | the basics of form without necessary needing a trainer.
        
           | kjkjadksj wrote:
           | Building muscle happens in the kitchen more than the gym. For
           | stuff like squats, I agree a barbell squat for beginners is
           | just to aggressive. Holding the bar alone is just
           | uncomfortable until you develop significant back muscles to
           | hold it off your spine. Theres plenty of squat variations
           | though that don't require moving a disk slipping amount of
           | weight to get a good burn in your legs.
        
         | capableweb wrote:
         | This strikes me as a general comment about workouts, not about
         | this application specifically, correct? I see nothing to
         | indicate this application is targeting novices in particular.
        
           | hk__2 wrote:
           | I don't see anything either that indicate it's targetting
           | people experienced with the matter; it just targets everyone.
        
           | suddenclarity wrote:
           | That's kinda the issue. Who does it target? You pick an
           | equipment and a muscle, and it builds a workout with six
           | exercises to target that one specific muscle. Your
           | performance will suffer and it will take countless of gym
           | sessions to go through the full body. Who would benefit from
           | this workout?
           | 
           | It's one thing to use such a tool to find new exercises to
           | target a specific body part but then you should probably use
           | the source the tool is importing videos from, not build a
           | full workout just to see.
        
             | rob74 wrote:
             | TBF, you can also select several muscle groups. But yes,
             | consulting a specialist is definitely better...
        
         | ghosty141 wrote:
         | The issue with most of those workouts is that they often
         | incorporate ,,unhealthy" exercises like squats (with weights)
         | or situps. I find it really hard to find one that focuses on
         | health rather than building muscle.
        
           | holoduke wrote:
           | Building muscle is possibly the most healthy thing you can
           | do. Within limits if course. But it ensures a framework
           | arround your sensitive ligaments your body build becomes
           | straight and symmetrical. All ingredients for a injury free
           | life. It should be mandatory for everyone to exercise 3 times
           | a week and build up some muscle. Just like the good old cave
           | days.
        
           | matwood wrote:
           | Sigh...squats considered unhealthy? A new lifter should be
           | focused on form and technique for every weighted exercise.
           | 
           | Muscle does not 'build' without eating. Size comes from
           | calories plus progressive loading.
           | 
           | As for as health goes, every person (particularly those
           | untrained) would be more healthy with more strength. More
           | strength means less likely to injure oneself in everyday
           | movements and less likely to have events like falls as they
           | get older. And to loop back around to the top, squats are key
           | part of this type of health.
        
           | bmj wrote:
           | Strength training !== bulking up
           | 
           | High (comparative) weight + low reps builds strength (and
           | muscle recruitment) without (necessarily) building lots of
           | new muscle fibers. Muscle hypertrophy happens most often with
           | lower weights and higher repetitions, plus loads of calories.
           | A program like "Starting Strength" is not about hypertrophy.
           | 
           | Any exercise is potentially "unhealthy," particularly if it
           | requires specialized movements. You can learn proper form for
           | "base" lifts like the squat and deadlift without any
           | equipment at first.
        
           | alfons_foobar wrote:
           | ... how are squats "unhealthy"?
        
             | faichai wrote:
             | If you're new to lifting, your form is likely to be
             | terrible, it's easy to do some damage to your lower back
             | and knees.
        
               | taccicardia wrote:
               | i've seen this mentality floating around and i don't
               | quite understand it. i think the real problem is this
               | sense of competition and machismo where new lifters feel
               | like they have to be good at it on day one and can't
               | employ a little humility and patience to work on their
               | mobility. these movements are essential and it blows my
               | mind the excuses people will make not do do them.
               | 
               | to anyone here who routinely jumps to one plate without
               | warming up and struggles to hit depth: know that i pity
               | you, but you can still back off and get good at these
               | movements if you really care.
        
               | hospitalJail wrote:
               | I'm a fan of squats, I did 340lbs last week, heaviest
               | 385lbs.
               | 
               | I got injured doing a 225lb warmup on squats. If I had to
               | diagnose what actually happened, I'm overly tight and the
               | synovial fluid caused some injury.
               | 
               | But that injury lasted 1-2 months, I just didn't squat.
               | I've been neglecting stretching for to long.
        
               | ulucs wrote:
               | If you are new to lifting, you probably shouldn't be
               | handling weights that can damage your lower back and
               | knees. You will learn the correct form as you progress.
               | Ego is more dangerous than squats.
        
               | kjkjadksj wrote:
               | This is why bodyweight or lower weight squats like goblet
               | are safer. Failure with bodyweight squat doesnt put you
               | out two months. Very easy to add too much weight in the
               | squat rack. Asking beginners to know good form on day 1
               | squatting means they need a trainer.
        
               | lukas099 wrote:
               | Just to let you know there is not really any good
               | evidence for anything you are saying.
        
               | anakaine wrote:
               | Not unless you chuck a whole lot of weight on
               | inappropriately. The advice for almost all newbies is to
               | start with the bar. Even then they could put some weight
               | on and still not be at any risk at all. The issues don't
               | show up for quite some time with inappropriate form, or u
               | til quite a bit of weight is put on prematurely. Starting
               | off with dome youtube videos is just fine. Getting help
               | when you eventually want to progress further and get more
               | serious is recommended.
        
           | morgengold wrote:
           | Why are Squats with weights "unhealthy"?
        
             | datavirtue wrote:
             | Because you can hold a squat with only body weight and
             | improve faster that squatting with barbells.
        
               | OkayPhysicist wrote:
               | That's absurd, like saying "You can walk a mile and
               | improve faster than running a marathon" is absurd. To
               | anyone who isn't out of shape to the point of immobility,
               | body weight squats are barely exertion.
        
               | lukas099 wrote:
               | What is your evidence that bodyweight squats let you
               | 'improve faster' than barbell squats.
               | 
               | I admit you're probably right if your goal is to get good
               | at bodyweight squat...
        
           | OkayPhysicist wrote:
           | Squats are not unhealthy. They are probably the single most
           | useful exercises you can put your body through: high exertion
           | activity for your largest muscle groups means it's a better
           | calorie burner than most people's cardio routines, they work
           | out your core and other stabilizing muscles, which helps you
           | not hurt yourself anywhere else in the gym, and they (in
           | conjunction with deadlifts) build the muscles human beings
           | actually use to move heavy objects.
        
         | siva7 wrote:
         | Could you explain why this is considered bad to just pick the
         | muscle groups you want to train as a novice?
        
           | taccicardia wrote:
           | let's consider two movements: a deadlift and a prone
           | hamstring curl.
           | 
           | the deadlift is something you've done a million times whether
           | you know it or not, though the novice is probably more
           | uncoordinated than they realize at higher weights. like it
           | would be a struggle if not dangerous to move a couch, for
           | example. this is a very practical skill to develop, and
           | you're still "targeting" the same muscle group as...
           | 
           | ...a prone hamstring curl. how often do you find yourself
           | prone and flexing your knees against a load? probably never,
           | right? how do you contextualize a movement like this to
           | someone's day to day? what i mean is, what is even compelling
           | about a movement like this and what does it actually _mean_
           | to someone just starting out?
           | 
           | i'm the world's biggest proponent of "keep it simple, stupid"
           | when it comes to working out, especially as a novice. super
           | detailed split routines are more often than not overwhelming
           | and set people up to develop bad habits while never
           | meaningfully addressing the core issue that drive many people
           | to go to the gym in the first place: people suck at moving.
        
           | sjamaan wrote:
           | "Targeted" exercises tend to be body-builder type stuff which
           | can only really be done with light weights. Instead, bigger
           | compound movements like squat and deadlift can be
           | incrementally trained leading up to much, much heavier
           | weights and they train the body as an integrated whole.
           | 
           | In daily life, the body is used to move with many muscle
           | groups working together. By using a targeted exercise, you
           | can create muscle imbalances and injury is more likely
           | (especially stuff like tendonitis).
        
           | lukas099 wrote:
           | It's not actually bad, it's just not the current Internet
           | fad. If you like to work out that way, you should do it.
        
             | hospitalJail wrote:
             | Maybe, although do people have success doing strength
             | training individual muscle groups? I've only heard of this
             | for bodybuilding.
             | 
             | I don't think I'd put a beginner on a bodybuilding program.
             | 
             | Not to mention, compounds mean learning the correct form
             | for 4 lifts, where isolation means learning the form for
             | ~30 lifts.
        
               | lukas099 wrote:
               | If you are deep into powerlifting or have been lifting
               | for 15 years, sure, there will be a noticeable difference
               | between training for strength and training for
               | hypertrophy.
        
           | matwood wrote:
           | Lack of time is one of the biggest reasons people stop
           | lifting. Standard full body programs are going to be more
           | efficient time wise than picking muscle groups. For example,
           | a program with a lot of rows and presses needs little to no
           | biceps or tricep work.
        
         | Brendinooo wrote:
         | Not sure exactly what you're arguing here but I think I
         | disagree quite a bit.
         | 
         | I've been lifting for about six months, and I think this is the
         | longest stretch I've been able to go without getting bored with
         | it, because I'm at a gym this time and have access to a ton of
         | equipment.
         | 
         | Variety can really make a difference, and some will say it's
         | good for your muscles anyways to do different exercises that
         | are targeting the same muscle groups.
         | 
         | And the point of apps like this is that it makes it easy to say
         | "today is push day, push is chest and triceps, show me chest
         | and triceps exercises." What's wrong with a novice saying that?
        
           | maerF0x0 wrote:
           | Variety can make the difference in motivation. If that's what
           | you lack, then so be it.
           | 
           | But it's detrimental to a progressive/scienctific-like
           | approach to lifting.
           | 
           | We want to know that over time we're getting progressive
           | overload. That means you need consistency to watch that 1)
           | The weight goes up for the same reps, or 2) the reps go up
           | for the same weight (or 3, both). Unfortunately exercises are
           | not direct replacements for each other meaning you cannot
           | simply do the same for a variety of (eg:) bicep curls.
           | 
           | Once someone gets past what linear progression can achieve
           | (see Strong lifts 5x5 app for example) then we start to do
           | periodization or other plateau breaking patterns.
        
             | bjornasm wrote:
             | >But it's detrimental to a progressive/scienctific-like
             | approach to lifting.
             | 
             | Uh, sources for that? As I powerlifter I have lifted with
             | world class lifter who have a huge variations in their
             | exercises. Bands,chains, boxes, pause/no pause, grip width,
             | stance width.
        
             | Brendinooo wrote:
             | I'm stronger than I was six months ago. Seems like a good
             | thing. If that stops being true, I can adjust later.
             | 
             | Variety has also helped me do weightlifting without
             | injuring myself. I hurt my back pretty badly doing back
             | squats, probably because I was leaning forward too far,
             | probably because I was overcompensating due to quad
             | dominance. Because of an app like this website I was able
             | to discover and try different squat variants that are
             | helping me fill out the core and glute muscles I was
             | lacking. Again, seems like a good thing.
        
             | lukas099 wrote:
             | Post proof that exercise variety is detrimental to
             | achieving lifting goals. I'll concede that if you are
             | competing in a strength sport, it is best to focus on the
             | movements in that sport.
        
               | procinct wrote:
               | They're likely just meaning it makes it harder to
               | progressive overload. If you stick to a programme, you
               | know it's just about modifying weight, reps, rest, time
               | under tension etc. But if you are changing exercises
               | constantly, it can be difficult to know what weight or
               | rep range will get the right results from that exercise
               | since it's not really comparable to another exercise.
        
               | lukas099 wrote:
               | It might be harder to _track_ your progress, but progress
               | will be made nevertheless.
        
           | blitzar wrote:
           | I have found it essential to have a plan on the day. No
           | thinking or deciding, just look at the piece of paper and it
           | says do X 3x10 times, and you do it. Then look at the next
           | thing to do.
           | 
           | Do the thinking every 4-6 weeks as you rotate the plan - but
           | also repetition lets you track some progress (reps / weight /
           | how hard set was).
        
             | anakaine wrote:
             | This is so incredibly important. As a beginner you can
             | basically hit anything often enough and see progress. Once
             | you hit intermediate and the gains slow down you really do
             | need to walk in with a plan. The plan let's you not think
             | and just work. Just working and not thinking, and basically
             | just being told what to do (even if it is just telling
             | yourself) let's you get through the workout repeatably, and
             | with experiencing less of the grind. It also means you hit
             | the body parts with incremental progressive overload in a
             | planned and repeatable fashion, causing growth. And every
             | 6-10 weeks you get the fun of changing it up.
             | 
             | And then there's the days where stuff doesn't quite work,
             | but you have turned up anyhow. Those are days I chalk up to
             | fun.
        
             | Brendinooo wrote:
             | I've been using the Strong app to save workout templates
             | (in a broad push/pull/leg framework) so I have a list of
             | stuff to do each time, but if I'm bored with an exercise or
             | (more typically) someone's been using the rack for 30
             | minutes and I need to move on, that's when I'll look for an
             | alternative exercise. Apps like Strong or Fitbod or this
             | new site are great in this scenario - can filter by what
             | you have and will show you how to do it.
        
           | matwood wrote:
           | > without getting bored with it
           | 
           | You're not going to like this, but lifting is about finding
           | joy in the grind (like a lot of life). Gains are often
           | incremental, but add up over time. For me, lifting is my
           | alone time to listen to music and think. The lifting part is
           | automatic.
        
             | davedx wrote:
             | Gatekeeping weight lifting? Come on. Let people work out
             | the way that works for them.
        
               | matwood wrote:
               | I don't think of it as gate keeping at all. I'm being
               | honest that anything you do for a long period of time
               | becomes about discipline and not motivation. People say
               | things to me like 'you must really like working out!' I
               | don't think about it in a like not like way. It's just
               | something I know is good for me and I do it.
               | 
               | And the reason I mentioned accepting the grind is because
               | exercise is a life long activity. There is only so much
               | novelty, so the faster someone finds the discipline to do
               | it beyond novelty motivation, the better.
        
             | Brendinooo wrote:
             | I've clocked 4300 miles on my running app since 2011, after
             | growing up hating running, so I'm aware of the grind. But
             | there are different ways to run and some are more enjoyable
             | to different people. I have to believe this is true in the
             | lifting world as well.
             | 
             | If I would have told someone "I don't like running on the
             | treadmill or on the track, it's super boring", the better
             | response would have been to tell me that there are
             | different ways to find enjoyment in running rather than
             | just saying I should suck it up. For me, that was running
             | in flat-ish urban-ish settings to take in the sights while
             | signing up for an occasional race to give me something to
             | work for. I never liked running in the rain so I
             | just...didn't, unless I was on a training plan for an
             | upcoming race or otherwise couldn't work around it. And so
             | on.
             | 
             | For my lifting: variety, access to a sauna, and a public
             | setting that allows me to watch and talk to other people
             | have helped a lot. I'll see how far it carries me! (And I
             | welcome more advice for making it enjoyable.)
        
               | matwood wrote:
               | Of course find what works for you, but 4300 miles even in
               | your ideal setting ends up being discipline based over
               | motivation. By that point you're running because you're
               | supposed to run, not necessarily because you want to run.
               | That's what I mean about lifting.
               | 
               | There's only so much novelty in a squat, so you have to
               | find something beyond that. For me it was powerlifting,
               | for others it's getting bigger, and others it's getting
               | better in their sport.
               | 
               | Also, I deal with people and complex problems all day
               | long. The gym is my retreat. I speak to no one and focus
               | on the relatively simple task of picking up a weight.
        
               | hultner wrote:
               | Not sure I agree. At a point in my youth I ran 3000 miles
               | in a year based on motivation (college competition, I was
               | really motivated to keep the number one spot in the
               | leaderboard).
        
           | goostavos wrote:
           | >What's wrong with a novice saying that?
           | 
           | Only real risk is people getting confused or frustrated as to
           | why they're not making any progress. "Doing a bunch of stuff"
           | is very different from _training_.
           | 
           | Progressive overload is the thing that needs drilled into the
           | newbie's head. None of this is complicated, but doing a bunch
           | of random stuff every time you enter the gym is a really good
           | way to feel like your doing something all while accomplishing
           | very little.
           | 
           | I've been lifting for almost a decade at this point. My
           | philosophy on it boils down to: it's grueling, so... if
           | you're going to do it, you should get the most bang for your
           | buck. That said, changing up the routine _in a structured_
           | manner is definitely a good idea very once and awhile (if
           | only to deload for a bit).
        
         | bjornasm wrote:
         | I disagree with you. Its over 10 years ago I medaled in an
         | national powerlifting competition. Nowadays I just want to lift
         | some weights, and have no intention of following a set program
         | ad I have no end goals other than to keep healthy and fit. I'm
         | pretty sure im not the only one who likes some variation
         | without going full crossfit.
        
           | herculity275 wrote:
           | But you're _not_ a novice, you clearly know what you 're
           | doing. I'm saying that somebody who's just starting out and
           | doesn't know how to do a proper squat shouldn't be tinkering
           | with their sets too much.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | Daneel_ wrote:
         | "Just picking a standard full-body workout routine" - that's
         | the issue, I have no idea what the names of standard routines
         | are or where to find them. I'd love to know several. I know
         | none.
         | 
         | Like many things, knowing the name or term of what you're
         | looking for is the gateway - without that you're stuck
         | floundering.
        
           | 50 wrote:
           | see https://stronglifts.com/, reasonable program/philosophy
           | to abide by - i came across it on here on hn, if i recall
           | correctly
        
           | ulucs wrote:
           | Starting strength is the most classic one:
           | https://startingstrength.com/get-started/programs
           | 
           | Or you know, you could go into a couple of fitness forums and
           | see which programs pop up again and again.
        
             | somethingreen wrote:
             | Please don't do SS as a beginner, unless you are sure
             | lifting heavy is what you want and are positive you'll be
             | able to get through setbacks.
             | 
             | Absolutely, read SS the book and apply its wisdom to
             | corresponding lifts in the bodybuilding program you'll pick
             | up instead. Then, once you are comfortable in the gym,
             | slowly progress to add heavier lifts/sessions into your
             | program. From there decide if you want to prioritize
             | either.
        
               | lukas099 wrote:
               | The main problem with SS for me is that encourages you to
               | push through extreme exhaustion, because weight resets
               | are based on failure to complete reps, and completely
               | ignore Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). I got a lot
               | stronger on SS, but the last few weeks were killer and
               | ended with injuries for me.
        
             | anthonypasq wrote:
             | starting strength was designed by a high school football
             | coach who was trying to make high school athletes stronger.
             | its a terrible framework for the average joe who wants to
             | look better with their shirt off.
        
           | maerF0x0 wrote:
           | Here's one that I came up with. Little science, but it's
           | worked wonders on me.
           | 
           | Simply do 5 sets of 5 reps of the following exercises in
           | groups. Do 2-3x per week as your schedule allows. You can
           | super set the push/pull exercise, but not the leg. Take no
           | less than 1 minute rest between the PP supersets, or the leg
           | sets.
           | 
           | 1. Bench press , Row, Squat
           | 
           | 2. Overhead press, Pull up (weighted if need be), Deadlift
           | 
           | 3. Bicep curl, Tricep press, calves
           | 
           | 4. Abs, core, or lower back (1x per week)
           | 
           | Other details
           | 
           | - if the workout takes longer than you have time for, you can
           | break up the 1-4 across more days (eg lift 4 or 6 days a week
           | with pattern of 1&3, 2&4, 1&3, 2&4 (1&3, 2&4)
           | 
           | - add some weight every workout, even if it's the minimum 2.5
           | plates, or buy 1.25 micro plates to bring to the gym - once
           | you are unable to add weight every workout, start to try and
           | add weight every week - Every 12 weeks take a 1 week deload
           | where you do 3x 10 reps of the above with about 50% of what
           | you can actually lift
           | 
           | If you're a "hard gainer" continue with the above and for a
           | 12 week block try the following tactics.
           | 
           | 1. Eat a costco rotisserie chicken each day (or equivalent
           | calories + grams of protein in any other food)
           | 
           | 2. Add a Liter, Half Gallon, or Gallon of milk (progressively
           | experiment starting small), Or equivalent calories and grams
           | of protein
           | 
           | If you follow the above consistently for a year or two you
           | will be ahead of something like 95% of gym goers. You might
           | be behind optimal, but you'll be way ahead of most people.
        
           | anigbrowl wrote:
           | You can figure out the basics in a couple of hours of
           | reading. You don't need to process it all at once. I started
           | lifting with some dumbbells I found on the street and just
           | practiced moving them around slowly with light weights
           | attached while figuring out which muscles different movements
           | activated, then searched for simple terms like 'dumbbell
           | shoulder exercises'.
        
             | datavirtue wrote:
             | Absolute waste of time unless you are able to do dragon
             | flags and hold a horse stance for more than a minute.
             | People's hips and core are jelly and you are suggesting
             | they start lifting weights?
        
               | anigbrowl wrote:
               | GP was asking about terminology, most of your other
               | assumptions are also wrong.
        
           | [deleted]
        
           | taccicardia wrote:
           | [dead]
        
         | hospitalJail wrote:
         | 100% with you. A few full body lifts + cardio is what most
         | people need.
         | 
         | This might be useful for physical therapists or body builders
         | though.
        
           | datavirtue wrote:
           | The amount of horrible, dumb fitness advice on here is almost
           | surprising.
        
             | hospitalJail wrote:
             | "Post bod"
        
       | blfr wrote:
       | Great app from the UX/UI perspective. The progression from saving
       | in the browser and only requiring an account later is very nice
       | as well. Perhaps the only thing missing is a start over button.
       | 
       | As for exercise selection, it returns a lot of niche moves and
       | exotic variants. Which makes it interesting but probably not a
       | good fit for someone who would be most likely to use this app,
       | ie. isn't an intermediate+ body builder already. Occasionally the
       | recommendations are just bad (crunches).
       | 
       | Certainly a welcome addition for someone looking for variety
       | though.
        
       | rmshin wrote:
       | First off, this is an amazing app as others here have already
       | mentioned-congratulations for launching!
       | 
       | In terms of improvement ideas (not that you're short of
       | additional suggestions), I've recently started going to the gym
       | again to train for a specific sport (100m/200m sprints). I need
       | do a lot of plyo & power work and this involves more
       | advanced/specific movements such as cleans, snatches, box jumps,
       | etc.
       | 
       | Would really be amazing to expand the workouts to involve
       | different kinds of training (e.g. strength vs power vs speed vs
       | stability ...). Will look into the project later and see if I can
       | contribute somehow, and happy to discuss further if you're
       | interested :)
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Thanks! Sounds like a good idea.
         | 
         | Feel free to check out the repository and let me know if you
         | have any questions :)
        
       | wkillerud wrote:
       | You might do well to clarify that you use MuscleWiki content with
       | permission.
       | 
       | The way you phrase things on the site, I was left with the
       | impression that you were in fact stealing the content while at
       | the same time asking for donations, which is morally questionable
       | at best.
       | 
       | I had to dig around in their copyright section before I found
       | this:
       | 
       | > Some content may be used free of charge without prior consent.
       | The .gif files, text, videos which can be found on youtube.com
       | and muscle information can be used with the MuscleWiki branding
       | and with links back to musclewiki.com.
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Thanks for the feedback! I will think of a better wording.
         | 
         | I was even in contact with the people from MuscleWiki (super
         | cool people) and they said it's fine for me to use their data
         | if I keep my product free and don't generate profit
        
       | sigmonsays wrote:
       | how can you take this TLD seriously? .lol?
       | 
       | am I laughing at my workouts now?
        
       | bbstats wrote:
       | I can't work out my core with my body weight?
        
         | extragood wrote:
         | Planks are the best
        
       | abound wrote:
       | As other folks have noted, this is a nice web app, but not well-
       | suited for coming up with a real training plan that meets an
       | individual's health goals.
       | 
       | For my own personal goals, I've enjoyed/had success with doing
       | variations of Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 workout for roughly a decade,
       | and recently made a simple (and much, much uglier) web app [1] to
       | record my lifts, suggest one-rep max targets, calculate weight
       | for each set, etc. It's not nearly as flexible as the tool in
       | this post (built mostly for 5/3/1 + power lifts) and doesn't have
       | any options except self-hosting (for now), but one can specify
       | their full routine in a JSON-formatted config, and then do their
       | routine.
       | 
       | [1] https://github.com/bcspragu/stronk
        
         | weakfish wrote:
         | I'm a huge 5/3/1 fan and have been thinking of building my own
         | version of this!
         | 
         | Would you be open to contributions, instead? I'd love to at
         | least add some design to the front-end
        
       | jimparkins wrote:
       | as you have asked for feedback -
       | 
       | I think there is a fundamental issue with the flow. The first
       | step should be to choose the fundamental benefit the person is
       | looking to achieve
       | 
       | Upper / Back / Lower / Cardio or similar high level categories
       | that even novices can understand. I hesitate to say push pull or
       | as this is industry specific                  Upper - I want a
       | bigger chest or more defined shoulders        Back - I want a
       | wider back or a more defined back        Lower - I want bigger
       | glutes, defined abs, clearer separation between butt and legs,
       | bigger legs        Cardio - I want better overall stamina
       | 
       | Next how much time I have
       | 
       | Next equipment that I have
       | 
       | Next a visual representation on the skeleton of what this looks
       | like in terms of targeting
       | 
       | Next excersizes
        
       | somethingreen wrote:
       | Good job! Couple suggestions:
       | 
       | - Put heavy compound movements before isolation - tiring
       | themselves before compounds is what I see a lot of beginners do.
       | 
       | - Consider encoding exercise selection in URL so it can be
       | bookmarked/shared.
       | 
       | - Dip bars?
        
       | RamblingCTO wrote:
       | Why can't I train arms and neck? :(
        
         | aniforprez wrote:
         | Why can't I train my calves?
         | 
         | I also hope the prompt to select "what do you want to use" is
         | changed to "what equipment do you have".
        
           | Vincenius wrote:
           | Updated the prompt :)
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Probably there are no exercises for your selected equipment /
         | difficulty settings in my database
        
         | jasfi wrote:
         | Neck? Increased sleep apnea risk.
        
           | RamblingCTO wrote:
           | source?
           | 
           | I do muay thai and it's essential for clinching and is part
           | of my training anyway.
        
             | jasfi wrote:
             | Search on sleep apnea and neck size. Your neck can be
             | strong, actually, it's just that past a certain size your
             | risk increases. That may not be a problem for you.
        
               | RamblingCTO wrote:
               | OK thanks haha, yeah I don't have that big of a neck
        
       | imtemplain wrote:
       | [dead]
        
       | fabk wrote:
       | I wrote an R script to help me generate my own workouts.
       | 
       | What it actually does is schedule (distribute) the desired muscle
       | groups across days according to your specification of:
       | - volume: # sets to do on each workout day of that muscle group
       | - frequency: # days between workout days of that muscle group
       | 
       | The goal is to avoid having some days at the gym be huge (many
       | exercises) while others are small (fewer exercises). The script
       | uses simulated annealing to try to even out the schedule as much
       | as possible.
       | 
       | I am afraid I do not have a website or write-up but the code is
       | here: https://github.com/fabkury/caltre. I have been actually
       | using this script for years and it has made my gym scheduling
       | effortless. I can just focus on the "meta parameters", e.g.:
       | 
       | INPUT:                 muscle group,`X sets per training
       | day`,`train every X        days`       back,9,4         chest,9,4
       | quads,8,4         biceps,7,3         shoulder,6,4
       | abdominal,4,2         calf,4,5         anterior forearm,5,6
       | posterior forearm,5,6
       | 
       | OUTPUT: It tells you what to do on each training day, as many
       | days you want (it is an "infinite roll"). Here are 9 days to
       | exemplify:                 day 1:       chest 9       biceps 7
       | day 2:       quads 8       abdominal 4            day 3:
       | back 9       calf 4       anterior forearm 5            day 4:
       | biceps 7       shoulder 6       abdominal 4            day 5:
       | chest 9       posterior forearm 5            day 6:       quads 8
       | abdominal 4              day 7:       back 9       biceps 7
       | day 8:       shoulder 6       abdominal 4       calf 4
       | day 9:       chest 9       anterior forearm 5            day X:
       | ...
       | 
       | Kind regards.
        
       | Physkal wrote:
       | Love the low barrier of entry! Would love if you added
       | stretching. Great job.
        
         | krisroadruck wrote:
         | Weight lifting done properly IS stretching. Full range of
         | motion is a big deal for hypertrophy.
         | 
         | Static stretching is essentially worthless, and can actually be
         | detrimental to performance: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-
         | csmr/Fulltext/2014/05000/The_E....
         | 
         | The thing to do for weight lifting is do some light warm up
         | cardio (5-10 minutes on your favorite hamster wheel variant -
         | elliptical, treadmill, bike) to get your core temp up, then do
         | a few warm up sets before big compound movements to improve
         | blood flow to the target muscles and lubricate the joints.
         | 
         | Before doing your working sets on bench/squat/deadlift, do a
         | few sets at a much lower weight. Like this:
         | 
         | Warm-up set 1: Start with the empty bar and warm up for a few
         | reps there.
         | 
         | Warm-Up Set 2: 40-50% of your first set x 5 reps (if the empty
         | bar falls into this percentage- skip this step).
         | 
         | Warm-Up Set 3: 60-65% of your first set x 3-5 reps
         | 
         | Warm-Up Set 4: 70-80% of your first set x 3 reps
         | 
         | Warm-up set 5: 85-90% of your first set x 1-3 reps
         | 
         | Warm-Up Set 6: 90-95% of your first set x 1-3 reps
         | 
         | Now do your working sets.
         | 
         | If you aren't lifting that much weight (bench press for
         | example) you can skip a few of these and start at say 60-65% of
         | your working weight.
        
       | uni_baconcat wrote:
       | Excellent idea!
        
       | gajnadsgjoas wrote:
       | Any ideas why when I click on a video icon small window pops up
       | but nothing happens?
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | It should show a preview video. Does it happen for all videos?
         | Maybe it's a broken one on some exercise
        
       | riialist wrote:
       | This is very cool!
       | 
       | I've been looking for an to keep track of my routine for getting
       | my back in order after a broken vertebra. Many of exercises I'm
       | doing can be found in this app already, and using this app is so
       | straight-forward that I take this to test right-away.
       | 
       | Nevertheless, I would like to know if it will be possible to add
       | own exercises also?
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Thanks! So far, I didn't plan to add custom exercises. It would
         | be possible to self-host it and add your own exercises to the
         | database.
         | 
         | Maybe I'll add this feature in the future, but it's not the
         | priority right now :)
        
       | criley2 wrote:
       | This looks cool but I find it kind of hard to use.
       | 
       | My thoughts while using:
       | 
       | - Hmm, I want to get a full body workout, maybe spread across
       | multiple sessions per week.
       | 
       | - Click on muscles? But... I'm not trying to do some advanced
       | accessory lift. I need a whole body workout. Big compound lifts
       | building a foundation of fitness and form for life. I guess I'll
       | click on all the muscles...? Why am I even clicking on muscles?
       | I'm not a professional who is targeting something. I just want to
       | be healthy.
       | 
       | - Wow, it recommended 15 exercises for a single workout?
       | That's.... insanity.
       | 
       | I'm guessing this is only intended to be a single-use workout
       | tool for someone who is already doing a set routine with a bigger
       | philosophy around it. "Oh it's an upper body pull day, I need
       | this tool to figure out an example of 2 things I could fit into
       | my existing routine" and not "Here's a weekly routine targeting
       | multiple muscle groups with rest days and here's how to follow
       | it". Perhaps the author of the tool thinks "routine" and
       | "workout" are the same thing, but this is a workout tool, not a
       | routine tool (a routine combines multiple workouts under a
       | philosophy of achieving progress, and this tool just doesn't do
       | that).
       | 
       | Looks nice but I don't need help customizing the fine details of
       | my routine, I need something that actually understands routines
       | at a higher level, and understands rest vs work across multiple
       | work days to maximize results.
        
       | defanor wrote:
       | A few issues spotted:
       | 
       | - It is not obvious how to get back to equipment selection: the
       | history does not change, and it was not apparent that those step
       | numbers are buttons.
       | 
       | - With JS off, there is an empty page in the beginning.
       | 
       | - The website does not allow to select forearms after choosing
       | just "bodyweigh[t]" and "pull-up bar" as equipment, even though
       | musclewiki.com shows chin-ups as an exercise for forearms.
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Thanks for the feedback! I'll think of ways to improve that
        
       | throwawaaarrgh wrote:
       | Hey author! Please don't be discouraged by negative feedback
       | here. This is legitimately a great app and it'll only get better
       | as you fine tune it over time. Thanks for your efforts and keep
       | going!!
        
       | mandeepj wrote:
       | Congrats on the launch!
       | 
       | I don't think just showing arm for 'bodyweight' is accurate. How
       | about full body instead?
        
       | theonlybutlet wrote:
       | Great tool and the little video, even better.
        
       | mrleinad wrote:
       | I love it! There are a few bugs though. If I select a set of
       | equipment and proceed until I get the exercises, but then go back
       | and change the equipment, it doesn't seem to update itself.
        
       | LelouBil wrote:
       | I was looking for something exactly like this just yesterday !
        
       | sander1095 wrote:
       | I think this misses an initial step: Your goal. I'm not very
       | experienced with all the different types of gym equipment and
       | what you use them for.
       | 
       | I'd love to see recommendations if my goal would be to build up
       | some muscle and lose weight, and why this would be recommended.
       | 
       | Then this would be very useful for me
        
         | hashmush wrote:
         | Yes! I agree, it'd also be nice if the "select equipment you
         | want to use" instead was "select what you have available".
         | 
         | I'm a noob. I have some stuff. Show me what I can do with it!
        
       | hnuser9001 wrote:
       | This is reminiscent of the Fitbod app on App Store/Google Play.
       | If you're looking for inspiration, check it out.
        
       | jrnkntl wrote:
       | Nice work and pleasant to use. One improvement idea I have after
       | getting to the exercise list is to add a warmup routine for the
       | chosen muscle groups. Before beginning the exercices.
        
       | shadowfax92 wrote:
       | This is incredible! Love how simple and intuitive it is.
        
       | Navarr wrote:
       | As someone completely inexperienced with exercise, the biggest
       | drawback about this app is asking what muscles I want to focus
       | on.
       | 
       | _I don't know_. I want to lose weight and be in just a better
       | physical condition. Maybe then I'm not a target user, which is
       | totally fine! But wanted to add that feedback in case I was.
        
         | fknorangesite wrote:
         | No joke the /r/fitness wiki/FAQ is one of the best
         | straightforward guides for new-to-fitness people out there.
         | Mainly, I think, because it's not trying to sell you anything.
         | 
         | https://thefitness.wiki/
        
         | kortex wrote:
         | Probably all of them on average then, but especially big
         | groups, core, and erector muscles. Most humans who have to hit
         | the gym in order to stay fit spend too much time sedentary.
         | They need back and core strength to prevent back issues later
         | in life, glute, hamstring, quad and calf to keep legs strong
         | and mitigate knees doing weird things.
         | 
         | Most of aforementioned humans also likely need to move heavy
         | objects from time to time without throwing out their back.
         | 
         | I read once that deadlifts are the single best exercise you can
         | do for desk bod. If I only have 10 minutes to work out, I do
         | deadlifts. Next I try to get abs, obliques, back stabilizers,
         | etc., then some squats and leg work. I do chin/pull/push ups
         | between the core and leg stuff.
        
       | efields wrote:
       | The UI overall here is incredibly welcoming. It presents
       | everything it's going to do with straightforward controls and
       | smart UI labeling. Kudos.
        
       | stoicfungi wrote:
       | very cool.
        
       | katzskat wrote:
       | This is great!
        
       | tom___n wrote:
       | Very nice, thank you for creating this! I love how it looks on
       | mobile device, definitely will start using it.
        
       | shubhamjain wrote:
       | What an awesome execution. This app goes to show how you can
       | build an excellent product even in a crowded market like Fitness.
       | There must be gazillion workout builders out there, but OP's is
       | the first one that I have seen which shows every exercise with
       | example videos, and allows you to build exact workout you need
       | without multiple google searches.
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Thanks a lot!!
        
           | hamasho wrote:
           | This is truly fantastic, thank you!
           | 
           | The overall experiences are so great. And I have strong
           | respect for apps like this where I can enjoy a lot of
           | features without being required to create an account. I
           | understand it's difficult in corporations where KPIs like
           | registration rate matters. But even when given a choice, it
           | must be challenging to design seamless UX/UI and write code
           | which works well with both locally stored data (without an
           | account) and remotely stored data (with an account). I hope
           | more apps adopt this approach. There are very few examples.
           | Excalidraw is the one that comes to mind.
           | 
           | Anyway I really love your app, thank you! I'll use this in
           | the next gym session (if I finally hit the gym...)
        
         | ano88888 wrote:
         | it is very well made.It gives me confidence that every vertical
         | is up for grabs if you really pay attention to details and
         | attack from your own unqiue angle. No softwre or solution is
         | feature complete or done.
        
       | k2xl wrote:
       | Very cool but it shows me workouts requiring a pull up bar when I
       | said I don't have it (only selected body weight and dumbbell then
       | chose biceps and back)
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Thanks for the report - I fixed it in the database :)
        
       | jasfi wrote:
       | Something like this is definitely needed. I like how you start by
       | selecting what you have access to.
       | 
       | It would be great if a yoga mat were another option. Then you
       | could link to videos of yoga moves, just as you do with other
       | exercises.
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Good idea! Actually, I already have data for yoga in my
         | database - I just didn't add it because I wasn't sure if it's
         | possible to generate random yoga workouts or if they need to
         | follow an order to make sense
         | 
         | I'll think of a way to add it :)
        
           | jasfi wrote:
           | I don't think they need to follow any order, but some people
           | might like doing them in various orders.
        
             | AmericanChopper wrote:
             | I'm sure a lot of yoga instructors would cringe at this
             | comment. Yoga routines generally start out with same few
             | basic warm up moves, they generally focus on a particular
             | area of the body, working up to more difficult poses as the
             | routine goes on, and end with some lighter stretching to
             | cool off, most typically finishing with savasana (aka lying
             | down on your back).
             | 
             | You could probably algorithmically generate routines like
             | this, but I wouldn't suggest a randomly generated one for
             | best results (or safety). There's a few really good
             | instructors on YouTube, and I'd personally recommend
             | looking there if you're after a thoughtfully composed
             | routine to follow.
        
               | jasfi wrote:
               | The site is missing warmups in general, and would be a
               | good addition. Perhaps there some warmups would only be
               | for specific exercise types. E.g. yoga warmups for yoga
               | moves.
        
               | [deleted]
        
       | masteruvpuppetz wrote:
       | This is so good
        
       | andy_ppp wrote:
       | Great app! Consider in a copy and paste sharing feature ala
       | Wordle and make sure to add in the streaks count too.
        
       | anitakirkovska wrote:
       | OK the person who built this should win something. Thank you for
       | creating this <3
        
       | 4booru wrote:
       | [dead]
        
       | RaCaS123 wrote:
       | Excellent - is it possible to add advice re reps/sets?
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Thanks! Yeah, that's a point on my bucket list :)
        
       | siva7 wrote:
       | Straight to the point without marketing bullshit. Excellent
       | execution.
        
       | aembleton wrote:
       | Can you make the videos larger?
        
       | pacifika wrote:
       | Love the site, and the workflow.
       | 
       | As a non native speaker I understand you're trying to keep the
       | instructions brief but I have to read them multiple times to
       | understand what to do.
       | 
       | You could add some physiotherapy exercises with a stick as well.
        
         | bgoldste wrote:
         | Also love the site.
         | 
         | > As a non native speaker I understand you're trying to keep
         | the instructions brief but I have to read them multiple times
         | to understand what to do.
         | 
         | I'm a native speaker and I frequently experience this reading
         | workout instructions. Something about exercise language in
         | general feels very clunky.
        
           | Tildey wrote:
           | I found it's a form of jargon, and once you know more about
           | the field, it becomes much clearer.
           | 
           | Before I started working out at all, I found it really hard
           | to follow any workout instructions (even videos). I couldn't
           | tell if what I was doing felt right or if my form was off in
           | some important way.
           | 
           | After a few sessions with a personal trainer/physical
           | therapist, and just getting comfortable with the sensations
           | and movements, I found it much easier to figure out what I'm
           | supposed to be doing from an instruction. I had more of the
           | building blocks that I knew were correct already.
           | 
           | Text is still inherently a difficult way to instruct
           | movements though.
        
           | BoorishBears wrote:
           | I was still worried about where the LLM fit into all this,
           | but I think we've found an opening!
        
       | buss_jan wrote:
       | This is great. Chapeau. It's a little strange to select the
       | muscle group one wants to target, what about a few primary and
       | secondary dimensions such as explosiveness, endurance, strength,
       | fat loss or aesthetics. Some way to more broadly describe what
       | one is trying to accomplish.
        
       | hk__2 wrote:
       | Very cool!
       | 
       | Is it a choice or a limitation of MuscleWiki that videos
       | exclusively show men?
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Thanks! I just found later that MuscleWiki also has videos of
         | women (not sure if they have it of all exercises though). I
         | want to add an option to choose the video format in the future
         | :)
        
           | hiisukun wrote:
           | Just a casual +1 on this request, and thanks for the great
           | website. I would also request a "I am not sure" option for
           | the which muscles to train at the start.
        
       | TA_34545677 wrote:
       | Just came here to say this, as someone who is visiting gyms for
       | nearly 2 decades now and who has failed several times in
       | launching whatever-fancy-app-product:
       | 
       | WOW!
       | 
       | WOW!!
       | 
       | WOW!!!
       | 
       | not only did you create something (thats step 1), you created
       | something that works (you released a working version, clap clap),
       | you created something with a real usecase (not the next get-rich-
       | crypto-bro-app), AND:
       | 
       | from your current version, i see gazillion ways of
       | extending/expanding the product.
       | 
       | Keep going - dont listen to the others :)
       | 
       | (if you think about monetization: Just watch a couple of these
       | fitfluencer channels, and you will get tons of inspiration - also
       | out of sport-channels, you will find lot of marketing ideas)
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Thanks a lot!! Yeah, there is still a lot of room for extending
         | this. I don't plan to monetize it at the moment but maybe in
         | the future :)
         | 
         | So far it's just a fun side project which I enjoy working on
        
           | TA_34545677 wrote:
           | Haha, read all the feedback you got now x hours later:
           | 
           | - so many improvements to pick up, in all directions
           | 
           | - now you have an endless list of todos :)
           | 
           | regards
        
       | jerrygoyal wrote:
       | I find exercise set to be quite limited. no exercise for biceps
       | and only 1 for triceps when choosing bodyweight.
        
       | brodouevencode wrote:
       | The suggested exercises seem rather targeted to gen-pop or
       | general fitness. Feature request: have workouts that target based
       | on goals - i.e. power, strength, aesthetics, endurance, etc. and
       | attribute them accordingly.
        
       | felixguendling wrote:
       | Very nice! What can be added is to group exercises in beginner,
       | medium and advanced and add warmup and stretching routines.
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Thanks! The beginner / intermediate / advanced selection is
         | available on the screen where you select the muscles. Adding
         | warm-ups and stretching rountines is on my list :)
        
           | Physkal wrote:
           | Thanks I had to check twice. My eyes glossed right over that
           | and went straight to the muscle group.
        
           | bjornasm wrote:
           | Just make sure it doesn't end up to advanced and convoluted
           | (maybe an advanced mode/easy mode?). Really nice work :)
        
       | bitsinthesky wrote:
       | This is awesome!
        
       | andyjohnson0 wrote:
       | This is great. I love the simple, effective UX.
        
       | keyle wrote:
       | This is a great approach you took on something that's been done a
       | gezillion times. My thanks!
        
       | heap_perms wrote:
       | This is great. I like the no-nonsense design, I especially like
       | the inline-approach in the video, where it kind of just pops up.
       | I was afraid it would be a link, but turned out to be very
       | smoothly integrated video, only slightly interrupting flow.
        
       | tiku wrote:
       | I don't need a workout routine. I need someone that checks if I
       | arrive at the gym. There is no service for that. Once I am at the
       | gym I work out.
        
         | peepee1982 wrote:
         | I think software (or a service) won't be the solution to your
         | problem. I know some people are trying to solve this with
         | gamification or accountability apps, but in my experience those
         | only work short-term because they don't address the core issues
         | responsible for the lack of motivation, although I'm sure they
         | help establish good habits in some cases.
         | 
         | Lack of motivation usually stems from a lack of energy, which
         | can stem from both physiological as well as psychological
         | issues, which can stem from spiritual issues (the sense of self
         | and how it relates to your environment).
         | 
         | If I'm well rested and in harmony with my authentic self, I
         | usually don't have a problem finding the motivation to do
         | things that are good for me.
        
         | bhaskara2 wrote:
         | Will you be able to elaborate on this? How would a service
         | check if you arrive at the gym, and even if it does how will
         | that motivate you to go to the gym.
        
         | Tildey wrote:
         | A personal trainer is the service you're looking for. Or a gym
         | friend group
        
         | krisroadruck wrote:
         | Two options:
         | 
         | -- Accountability Coach
         | 
         | -- Personal trainer
         | 
         | Of the 2, personal trainer is probably better if you are new to
         | the gym (been lifting 0-2 years) because they will also help
         | you nail technique/form so you don't get yourself injured
         | swinging around ego lifts.
         | 
         | You don't have to pay a lot for this either - don't get the
         | $120/hr folks at big 24 hour gyms, find a private gym where one
         | trainer might be working with about 6-8 folks at any one time.
         | They will queue up each set of exercises for you, check your
         | form and then do the same for someone else while you are doing
         | the bulk of the work.
         | 
         | The place I go to charges $45 per 90 minute session for this
         | and it's great. I don't need to figure out my workout, track my
         | weights/reps for progressive overload or anything. They take
         | care of all of that. I just show up, do the work and get on
         | with my day.
        
         | wiseowise wrote:
         | MaaS (Motivation as a service). You send some a sum of money
         | and if you don't arrive at gym service keeps it.
        
           | BoorishBears wrote:
           | This was a thing and raised millions:
           | https://breakingmuscle.com/tech-review-gympact-the-
           | benefits-...
        
       | h1fra wrote:
       | Very nice, I was looking to build something similar.
       | 
       | Definitely needs a fullscreen mode with timer and video. Plus a
       | way to configure step reps/timer :D
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Adding a timer is next on my bucket list :)
        
         | brigandish wrote:
         | I second steps/reps. I'd also add the reps done in the workout
         | history in the profile.
        
       | p0w3n3d wrote:
       | Thank you, this is very helpful, as I need often to do
       | stabilisation excercises. Also your domain choice is excellent,
       | sir!
        
       | badrequest wrote:
       | IMHO "body weight" should be preselected in the "equipment I have
       | available" input. Not sure of a situation where I would be
       | capable of working out, but not have access to my own body
       | weight.
        
         | kortex wrote:
         | Wheelchair bound would be capable of some workouts, but not all
         | body weight.
         | 
         | Actually what would be more useful than pre-selecting body
         | weight, would be a setting to mark certain
         | groups/muscles/appendages as injured, missing, disabled, or
         | weakened.
        
         | adr1an wrote:
         | Agreed. I'd love to see some calisthenics/ functional training
         | repertoires here. For now, I stick to darebee.com database (I
         | like their PDFs) or free plans from fitnessblender (I like
         | their videos)
        
       | deskandastool wrote:
       | Any reason why the head is disabled as a selectable muscle? I
       | have been told by multiple people that this is an area of
       | improvement for me
        
       | hamasho wrote:
       | If you don't mind, can I ask why you use plain JavaScript rather
       | than TypeScript?
       | 
       | The product is truly remarkable, so what technologies used under
       | the hood doesn't matter, but I think TypeScript is natural
       | choice, especially if you 1) start a project from scratch in
       | 2023, 2) have complex local states like choosing equipment and
       | body parts, and proceeding exercises step by step until completed
       | in a single page, and 3) have complex data structure (like
       | exercises, histories, and seamless connection between locally
       | stored data and remotely stored data used only after
       | registering).
       | 
       | edit: typo
        
         | kaesve wrote:
         | Not the OP, but I still start most of my projects without
         | TypeScript, especially if I'm working on it by myself. I do
         | appreciate TypeScript, and I will happily use it in any bigger
         | project or when I have collaborators. But there's just
         | something that I really enjoy about being able to start a
         | project without any build steps or installing stuff. I love to
         | be able to just jam out some code and open a file in a browser
         | to run it, or rsync it to my server and share it with my
         | friends.
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Sure. To be honest, it's mostly because of laziness. I'm more
         | used to plain JS than to TypeScript, so I'm faster this way.
         | 
         | I also always thought TS is a bit too much for small apps like
         | this, but I get that it would make sense to use it if others
         | want to contribute as well.
        
           | hamasho wrote:
           | Thanks! It's reasonable. But I'm pretty sure yours is more
           | complex than many typical SaaS or CRUD-based websites.
        
       | trewqasdf wrote:
       | The UX is efficient to get started. I would also like to have
       | something similar for office ergonomics, like stretching your
       | back or neck when taking a break from the 'puter.
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Thanks! Maybe this is something for you: https://stretch15.com/
         | 
         | This was actually the website that inspired me for workout.lol
         | :D
        
       | NoImmatureAdHom wrote:
       | I'd like to echo the sentiments about this app not providing
       | enough guidance, and also ask the HN community a question: is
       | there an app out there that does provide lots of guidance?
       | 
       | I've been doing 3 days / week GZCL with this for a year:
       | https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.braindead.g...
       | 
       | It's a 2/5. It works, kinda. I suffer from moderate ADHD and need
       | an app that requires little decision-making. Big buttons, pre-
       | programmed workouts, etc. It does that pretty well.
       | 
       | co.braindead.gzcl doesn't do several things I want: --Tell me
       | what to do with no ambiguity (GZCL often has "accessory
       | exercises" that are a free-for-all. No, I need the app to tell me
       | exactly what to do. Which exercise, how many reps, what weight,
       | what rest interval). --Explain what's going on. What is "TM"? Why
       | is it always zero? --Facilitate deloading weeks + make reasonable
       | calculations and / or expose the calculations --be FOSS --allow
       | data export --offline-first
       | 
       | Is there anything out there that does this, or a significant
       | subset?
        
       | phillipsmg wrote:
       | This is really neat. Barrier to entry is super low. Congrats!
       | 
       | I'd love the same but for meal plans, if you fancy building
       | something else
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Thanks! Yeah, that would be cool - I'd be interested in that as
         | well.
         | 
         | I guess I'm still busy for a while with this project, but I'll
         | keep it in the back of my mind :)
        
       | ahmadhamza19 wrote:
       | this is perfect!
        
       | stanislavb wrote:
       | I love that it's a web app
        
       | rzmmm wrote:
       | Seems to work nicely. I like how it saves the workout even
       | without registering.
        
       | willhackett wrote:
       | This is fantastic! I'll be using this in the AM.
        
       | datavirtue wrote:
       | Very nice to be able to look up body weight exercises and get a
       | short video instantly. Very nice.
       | 
       | I wouldn't target weight lifting at all. These people already
       | know everything. Most of them can't hold a horse stance for more
       | than 30 seconds but they can squat with 200 lbs on their back. I
       | used to be one of those people. All bulked up and weak as fuck.
       | 
       | Don't encourage people to lift weights until they can lift their
       | own weight.
        
       | have_faith wrote:
       | Is there an open database for muscles / muscle groups with
       | relationships to exercises?
        
         | dodos wrote:
         | I'm not sure if this is exactly what you are looking for, but
         | there have been a couple discussions here about musclewiki in
         | the past.
         | 
         | https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=musclewiki.com
        
           | have_faith wrote:
           | I noticed that workout.lol was scraping data from there. The
           | website itself says that it's fine to re-use the data but I
           | was imagining more a SQL database with an explicit license
           | etc.
        
         | tonyone wrote:
         | www.musclewiki.com Edit: I just saw that this is the source for
         | workout.lol
        
       | xwdv wrote:
       | The fitness industry runs on the idea that you need a hundred
       | variation of exercises to get fit. The truth is, you don't need
       | really more than a dozen. There are the five or six boring core
       | lifts that everyone knows, and then maybe a handful of accessory
       | exercises to hit some specific areas, and that's it.
       | 
       | By doing the same exercises over and over, you build adaption
       | (muscle growth) which forces you to increase weight or reps to
       | raise difficulty over time. Eventually you get very strong
       | muscles and are moving a good amount of mass.
       | 
       | By doing too many variants, you just waste time and never truly
       | "adapt" to movements.
        
       | skellyclock wrote:
       | Pretty cool. Would love a site like this except for flexibility.
       | Bookmarked.
        
       | shubhamjain0594 wrote:
       | https://www.trxstar.co.uk/
       | 
       | This was created by the students I had supervised this fall. It
       | is very similar catering to more TRX crowd, though Workout.lol
       | has a very beautiful UI :)
        
       | seagullriffic wrote:
       | Very well done. It would be good if the video pop-overs were a
       | bit larger by default (even double the size) as on my resolution
       | screen they're pretty small. One of the videos was face-on
       | (mountain climber) so I couldn't see really what was going on
       | with the legs.
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | Thanks! Improving the video sizes is on my list and will
         | hopefully come soon :)
        
       | bjornasm wrote:
       | What a great webapp, so simple and good. Love that it is straight
       | to the point, choose what you have to work with, what you want to
       | work on and boom there is the exercises with an added film - go
       | work out. Toying with the idea of putting up a screen with this
       | in my home gym so friends and family easily can get a program for
       | when they come to workout.
        
       | lukevdp wrote:
       | Looks great, but I just tried on my mobile and after selecting
       | equipment, there's no way to get to the next step
        
         | Vincenius wrote:
         | There was a small bug with the button on some browsers - should
         | be fixed now :)
        
         | stefanvdw1 wrote:
         | It seems you have to click on the next step in the stepper
         | above. But I agree that a "next" button would make more sense
        
       | Liam2010 wrote:
       | [dead]
        
       | lukko wrote:
       | Really great! The way of filtering by equipment available, and
       | then body part is nice and intuitive.
       | 
       | I found this article interesting [0]. It's about a fitness site
       | from 1999 (https://exrx.net), that is still an incredibly dense
       | and useful resource for fitness and nutrition. Makes me miss the
       | 90's internet, but also I think shows we often hugely
       | overcomplicate UI/UX.
       | 
       | [0] https://www.newyorker.com/culture/rabbit-holes/the-
       | internets...
        
       | petemir wrote:
       | Great execution! Thanks for sharing. I wonder if you'd thought
       | about integrating with wger [0], i.e. exporting the workouts from
       | your app and creating it there.
       | 
       | [0] https://github.com/wger-project/wger/
        
       | atchoo wrote:
       | Everyone is very complementary so can I be allowed to be the
       | debbie downer? As a web app, it's neat! Functionally, not a fan
       | as yet.
       | 
       | I've lifted for a couple of decades. I put in the muscles for a
       | pull workout I will be doing today and the results are... dumb.
       | "Dumbbell superman" nah not going to do that. Two types of hammer
       | curl? Nah that's a waste of time. "Bayesian hammer curl" wtf, my
       | eye is twitching. Two types of dead-lift only differentiated with
       | different shaped weights? Nope that's dumb too. It's also
       | suggesting exercises at the wrong level e.g. bands or dead-
       | lifting a kettlebell. I'd need to put all my gym's kettlebells
       | onto a bar for a useful dead-lift :) It also had no vertical pull
       | like a chinup/lat-pull for a back workout which is kinda
       | criminal.
       | 
       | For a beginner, they won't know it's dumb, so this is kind of
       | harmful. They need to use a more carefully designed complete
       | split / full-body-workout, because it matters how multiple days
       | combine, not just a single day.
       | 
       | For an intermediate/advanced lifter, clearer goals are more
       | useful e.g. PL or BB, and then planning
       | intensity/loading/waves/deloads etc. for constant progression.
       | What I find most useful is deep dive discussion by an expert for
       | most effective exercises and how to get the most of out of them
       | with subtleties about grips and cues to increase mind-muscle-
       | connection etc. Suggestions for how to swap out exercises to work
       | around injuries or focus on weak points is very useful. The
       | lifter can then iterate and swap exercises in and out of their
       | routine to keep it fresh and useful.
        
         | davidguetta wrote:
         | Yeah, the idea is great ("what can you do with the equipment
         | you have") but that also kinda promote a bit of fuckarounditis
         | (https://leangains.com/fuckarounditis/) by asking the user
         | "what muscle do you really wanna target", instead of
         | emphasizing a better approach of lifting overall which is
         | strong "functional" compound movements such as the big 6 (bench
         | press / squat / deadlift / pull ups / rows / overhead press)
        
           | dehrmann wrote:
           | > fuckarounditis
           | 
           | Just punched in my muscles for today, and I'd agree.
           | 
           | It's leg and core day. For legs, it gave me barbell suitcase
           | deadlifts and barbell Bulgarian split squats. They're not
           | bad, but they overcomplicate things, and this is especially
           | bad for beginners. What I'm actually going to do are squats
           | and RDLs.
        
           | tunesmith wrote:
           | But if you're asking "what can you do with the equipment you
           | have" you might not be able to do the big six. What if you
           | only have bodyweight and dumbbells?
        
             | Jcampuzano2 wrote:
             | Then it could be smart about recommending the next best
             | thing.
             | 
             | For example -> Don't have a barbell but have adjustable
             | DB's?
             | 
             | Replace Bench for DB bench
             | 
             | Replace Squat for goblet squat or split squat.
             | 
             | Replace OHP for DB OHP
             | 
             | Replace Deadlift for DB RDL
             | 
             | Replace Row for DB Row
             | 
             | Almost anybody can find something to hang off of for pull-
             | ups so I'd say suck it up and find something.
             | 
             | Personally I would tell any new lifter that sure DB's and
             | calisthenics work. But if you are one for optimizing/want
             | the most gains in the least time, you NEED to find a
             | barbell/squat rack at the very least.
             | 
             | A new lifter can literally put 200+ pounds on their
             | squat/deadlift in 6 months or less. You will outgrow DB's
             | pretty fast if you're really serious.
             | 
             | Note: I am an avid lifter and have been for 10+ years. You
             | will rarely see somebody who is both natural and relatively
             | big who does not focus on the big lifts, or at LEAST has a
             | strength base built from the big lifts.
        
           | jeffhuys wrote:
           | That link does a lot of talking without really explaining
           | what you DO have to do.
        
             | davidguetta wrote:
             | Well you didn't read it then. It's actually extremely clear
             | about doing DEADLIFT / SQUATS / BENCH PRESS/ CHIN or PULL
             | UPS / OVERHEAD PRESS.
             | 
             | I can understand you may not like the 'troll' / provocative
             | way of writing tho, it's not for everybody
        
               | haswell wrote:
               | > _I can understand you may not like the 'troll' /
               | provocative way of writing tho, it's not for everybody_
               | 
               | Not the other commenter, but some feedback: while I'm not
               | a fan of the writing style, and I'm ok with that, my
               | issue is really presentation and information density.
               | 
               | It takes a rather dedicated reader to find useful
               | information in between paragraph after paragraph of
               | ranting. And since I'm not skilled at lifting, I'm more
               | interested in hearing what you think is useful than
               | wading through a dozen ways to belittle what people are
               | already doing.
               | 
               | I think you could increase your reach by making the
               | problem/solution clearer. I'm just starting to dabble
               | with weights, and I'm actively seeking good resources.
               | I'm not inclined to add your blog to my research plan
               | based on this.
               | 
               | Hoping this comes across as constructive and in the
               | spirit it was intended.
        
               | davidguetta wrote:
               | I'm not the author of the article. But if you want a
               | provocative answer:
               | 
               | In general your attitude is wanting easy shiny articles
               | instead of really going deep in why and what works well
               | or no, going past the writing style, especially when it's
               | told by someone who is showing many results for him and
               | others well... you kind of illustrate the point of people
               | who end up with shiny and useless workout, don't
               | eventually stick to the gym because "they don't feel like
               | it" at some point.
               | 
               | No one really serious about sports (either lifting or
               | martial arts) is going to spend more time pleasing you or
               | make you feel better if you're not able to see that
               | results speak for themselves. You have to be self
               | motivated, it's not my job to do it. I've seen article
               | mentionned at least 10 times as "best fitness article".
               | If you don't like the style when it's one of the best
               | articles, it's your problem, not the author's one.
               | 
               | But if you really want an answer for you if you are
               | starting => just do the "starting strength" program. It's
               | the simplest one and most effective. When you can bench
               | 100kg in 3 months, you can read more about leangains.
        
               | haswell wrote:
               | > _I 'm not the author of the article_
               | 
               | Ahh, fair enough, I misinterpreted one of your earlier
               | comments.
               | 
               | > _In general your attitude is wanting easy shiny
               | articles instead of really going deep in why and what
               | works well or no_
               | 
               | That's not what I want at all. I'm happy to go deep. I
               | love long-form content. I'm starting to investigate
               | weights after sinking hundreds of hours into Yoga
               | fundamentals.
               | 
               | I'm just in the stage of deciding where I'll invest my
               | time next, and what I'm calling out are what amount to
               | pedagogical issues with the structure. Simply put, there
               | are more effective ways of conveying the same level of
               | depth by focusing on the structure of information. If you
               | were the author, this would have been feedback. Since
               | you're not, it sounds like I'm just trashing the article,
               | which is not my intent.
        
               | wpietri wrote:
               | Yeah, I have no idea if he's right. But he's very clear.
        
               | davidguetta wrote:
               | From experience it's really nice as a starter because
               | 
               | - at a low level strength is as much important as looks
               | 
               | - it's a lot more fun to carry heavy weight than do 100
               | curls with low weights
               | 
               | - it's a very quick routine. I got some results with
               | 40min x 3 a week
               | 
               | Note that leangains is just not only strength trainign
               | but a quite 'opinionated' diet based on Intermittent
               | fasting on which I have actually strong doubts on the
               | 'necessity', but which is defintely showing results
        
               | addisonl wrote:
               | A massive article filled with ranting and raving is
               | anything but "extremely clear"
        
               | lcnPylGDnU4H9OF wrote:
               | A massive article filled with ranting and raving which
               | eventually communicates a point is many things, possibly
               | including "extremely clear".
        
             | rkapsoro wrote:
             | https://startingstrength.com/get-started
        
               | jeffhuys wrote:
               | Thank you. That website is a LOT less pretentious.
        
               | tru1ock wrote:
               | Leangains is a great resource. Do not let the tone
               | distract from the content. The content there went
               | mainstream much later(IF) especially so he was ahead of
               | the curve.
               | 
               | An IF protocol with a daily energizer routine worked
               | wonders for me.
               | 
               | Some great reads: https://www.amazon.com/Kettlebell-
               | Simple-Sinister-Revised-Up...
               | https://www.amazon.com/Strength-Rules-Stronger-Almost-
               | Anyone...
        
               | zeku wrote:
               | Leangains is a relic of time. Martin Berkharn(the guy who
               | made it) was a VERY prolific poster on the
               | bodybuilding.com forums around 2005-2012 or something
               | like that. The tone of his entire brand is born out of
               | that forum and style of communication. You had to fight
               | for your life on there if you wanted to communicate.
               | 
               | I'm not excusing his tone btw just explaining.
        
               | Wojtkie wrote:
               | the bodybuilding.com forums from that time were something
               | else.
        
             | squirtlebonflow wrote:
             | [dead]
        
           | lukas099 wrote:
           | Post proof that your preferred style of workout is better
           | overall.
        
             | davidguetta wrote:
             | I don't care about proving it to you at all. There's
             | thousands of bodybuilding ressources on the net if you're
             | really interested, and the website I linked show a lof of
             | before / after pictures.
             | 
             | And in reality it's not better than any other one that
             | focuses on the big 6. What I like wit LG is that the idea
             | is to be "very focused on what really matters" which is
             | compound motions and reaching failure points. Personally I
             | got results with 3x40 min workout per week, which is very
             | small. And it's not just the workout, you have to follow a
             | precise (natural) diet.
        
         | steve_adams_86 wrote:
         | At the risk of sounding clueless, I think a good workout app
         | can never be comprehensive and one-size-fits-all. I think they
         | should be based around a clear and well-articulated philosophy
         | and specific goals which lean towards highly opinionated.
         | 
         | Maybe you want to build upon dat ass or strengthen your hips to
         | reduce injury. These are wildly different goals. One app should
         | not aspire to do both meaningfully. However, an app focused on
         | dat ass or injury prevention programs? Stellar ideas I think,
         | and they can be executed on effectively.
         | 
         | Targeting a body part is also a weird concept. Target it to do
         | what, and how? Why?
         | 
         | My goto after 15 years is lifting at a relatively low weight
         | (kettlebells and barbell) and bodyweight progressions using
         | tempo patterns. I used to go heavy and do fewer reps and sets
         | because I wanted to maximize strength and minimize time working
         | out, but learned over time that you really do max out strength
         | and neglect a lot of other things. I was getting really strong
         | for some random dude sitting at a desk all day, but try as I
         | might, I was losing mobility and hurting myself despite an
         | intense focus on form and checking in on how I was feeling and
         | getting experienced people to review my program, lifts, and
         | progression. To get to that point I had to learn a lot and make
         | a ton of mistakes already.
         | 
         | Tempo lets me focus on form better, find compound movements I
         | can move through safely in broader ranges of motion, and get my
         | heart rate up higher for more of my session rather than in
         | exhausting bursts. I injure myself less, my mobility and
         | strength are better rounded, and I don't need to eat like a
         | bear to prevent wasted effort. I love it. I've turned into a
         | fat ass recently but that's unrelated; I'd probably be more of
         | a fat ass had I kept lifting hard and eating harder. The point
         | is, what works well for me (and others without a doubt) is
         | certainly not something that I'd get from most generic workout
         | apps I've encountered. And if I did, it would have been
         | accidental. There is usually no clear reason or philosophy
         | behind _why_ you 're doing what you're doing; it's just another
         | workout in the database piped into your program. Just do it,
         | because do it.
         | 
         | I think the programming I do today a relatively nuanced fitness
         | foundation, and apps rarely ever touch on these matters or how
         | to make decisions about them. They treat exercise like a very
         | static, linear thing. Pick the movement, pick the gear, do the
         | thing, you exercised. But bodies are so dynamic, movements
         | yield different results under different loads, and people have
         | very broad ranges of goals. It isn't good enough.
         | 
         | Want to get huge? There are lots of ways to do that. Want to do
         | it based on the equipment you've got? Sure, we can narrow it
         | down a bit now. Do you have any physical limitations? We can
         | narrow it down even more. I think you can make a useful app out
         | of this singular goal (and some people have, I think). But a
         | random "what gear do you have and which muscles do you want to
         | work" app is kind of like... I mean, what does working the
         | muscle mean? What are you actually going to end up doing, and
         | why?
         | 
         | I also agree completely on the point about potential harm. I
         | think this is another reason to build an app around very
         | specific methodologies and goals. There's more opportunity to
         | hone in on great explanations of safe form and equipment usage,
         | explain methods, and generally get the beginner acquainted with
         | effective implementation of the movements and overall
         | strategies.
         | 
         | But again, I'm quite literally a fat ass and I don't really
         | know much about this stuff. I have lifted some weights, done a
         | bad job at it a lot for a long time, and found ways in which it
         | worked here and there. My sense is that we need to be specific
         | and targeted, not all-encompassing, if we want to create great
         | programs.
        
         | taccicardia wrote:
         | i have to agree. and i agree with other posters' sentiment of
         | "who is this for?" hitting the randomizer on a bunch of
         | exercises is just awful programming, full stop. the app is
         | snappy and kind of novel, but i'm not exaggerating when i say
         | this is one of the most pointless workout apps i've seen, and
         | i've used a lot.
        
         | hooverd wrote:
         | > "Bayesian hammer curl" wtf, my eye is twitching.
         | 
         | adjust your priors, bro.
        
         | dr_petes wrote:
         | I've known plenty of people who will ask 1,000 questions about
         | lifting before ever going to the gym. I think this app is great
         | for people who are just getting into it, and want something
         | that feels like a definitive answer.
         | 
         | Im sure after a few months of this, you'll find better
         | information on how to progress, but I'd recommend this to
         | anyone texting me "hey what should I do at the gym."
        
         | femiagbabiaka wrote:
         | To this point, Renaissance Periodization has an app with
         | similar functionality, but whose programming is MUCH more sane.
         | And they're some of the best in the biz. It costs though:
         | https://go.rpstrength.com/hypertrophy-app.
         | 
         | If you're new to lifting, you can just do starting strength and
         | you'll be fine.
        
         | makestuff wrote:
         | For anyone else just starting out this seems to be highly
         | suggested for beginners https://www.boostcamp.app/reddit-ppl.
         | 
         | I have been doing it for a few months and the app makes it
         | really easy to track. They have a premium version that lets you
         | sub workouts or you can "donate" to the creator of the program.
         | I gave them like $10 since I have gotten so much value out of
         | it.
        
         | kortex wrote:
         | Conversely, I'm a novely-a-holic and love trying out new,
         | different, and obscure things. I also don't always go to the
         | same gyms (there's about 3 ymca's equidistant to me, and they
         | have different weight rooms with different machines and
         | popularity). I also know some exercises but not a ton of
         | variety. So it's hugely beneficial for me to see the different
         | options available.
        
         | itointegral wrote:
         | Same here, I got variations of the same exercise. Haven't
         | lifted for nearly as long as you have, but in my limited
         | experience the order I got was also sub optimal: started with
         | ab exercises, ended with big compound lifts. It would be a good
         | idea to order the exercises based on the amount/size/etc. of
         | the muscle groups they use.
        
         | bjornasm wrote:
         | >For a beginner, they won't know it's dumb, so this is kind of
         | harmful.
         | 
         | Oh please its not harmful to do deadlifts with a bar and then
         | kettlebells or whatever.
         | 
         | > What I find most useful is deep dive discussion by an expert
         | for most effective exercises and how to get the most of out of
         | them with subtleties about grips and cues to increase mind-
         | muscle-connection etc. Suggestions for how to swap out
         | exercises to work around injuries or focus on weak points is
         | very useful. The lifter can then iterate and swap exercises in
         | and out of their routine to keep it fresh and useful.
         | 
         | And that is fine and can be found at your physio, a great
         | yourube channel, online coach, some crossfit, powerlifting or
         | weightlifting coaches. But that was probably not the aim of
         | this webapp.
        
           | atchoo wrote:
           | Harmful as in giving bad advice.
        
             | junon wrote:
             | This might actually get me to start working out, it's
             | exactly the kind of resource I've been looking for. I'd
             | wager you wouldn't say "no, keep not working out", right?
             | If it gets people motivated to start, why not?
        
         | mynegation wrote:
         | I hope it is a start and something progressively more useful
         | will be built on this. In addition to points you mentioned, I'd
         | say my biggest item on the wish list is giving me the weight
         | and reps progression over time. E.g. I put my age, weight,
         | current RM and goals and get a schedule of major lifts and
         | accessories that says do X for Y sets of Z reps with W weight
         | this week and here is what you do next week etc.
        
         | goostavos wrote:
         | >Two types of hammer curl?
         | 
         | I agree. Not enough. We need more curl variations. Also, the
         | app should make it clear that they need to be done in a squat
         | rack.
        
         | squirtlebonflow wrote:
         | I have to agree. It suggested 13 exercises for me, most of
         | which I've never heard of and have no desire to learn.
         | 
         | I'll stick with squat/deadlift/weighted pullups every day - no
         | need to complicate shit.
        
           | bjornasm wrote:
           | Then this is not the site for you obviously. Why would you
           | want a excercise suggestion app if you only want to do these
           | tree excercises?
        
         | admiral33 wrote:
         | I agree.
         | 
         | OP made a nice site for exploring different types of movements
         | for a muscle group. That being said the simplicity seems geared
         | towards those just starting out with training but the site
         | surfaces too many (in my experience) accessory exercises and
         | movements I wouldn't try without a PT guiding me.
         | 
         | If you are a true beginner and you are drawn to a site like
         | OP's you're probably looking for a training program. You can
         | find many comprehensive programs online [1] but when you're
         | starting out the information is overwhelming. Whichever routine
         | you choose keep in the back of your mind that the CDC
         | recommends that you engage all major muscle groups in a muscle
         | strengthening activity at least twice a week[2].
         | 
         | Targeting every muscle group individually takes too much time,
         | this is why most resistance training programs include a handful
         | of exercises that train many muscles at once. Those are called
         | compound exercises. Look up each exercise listed in your
         | program and determine if it is a compound exercise. Those are
         | the foundation of your program.
         | 
         | You will probably fail your commitment to whatever program
         | you've chosen in the next 2 weeks. Some days you will need to
         | shorten your resistance workout for whatever reason. The
         | compound exercises are the ones that you should still complete
         | on those days. Some days you will skip the workout entirely.
         | Still try to meet the CDC recommendation for the week by
         | adapting your program and then recommit the following week.
         | 
         | Diet is a tangetial topic, but you will need adequate protein
         | in order to progress your training.
         | 
         | Eventually you will notice a difference between the person you
         | are when you're consistent with it and the person you are when
         | you're not. At that point there's no going back. The workouts
         | get more challenging, but regularly challenging yourself is
         | something you look forward to.
         | 
         | [1]: https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-
         | bu...
         | 
         | [2]:
         | https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm
        
           | lukas099 wrote:
           | I don't really think compounds save all that much time
           | because the rest period required for them is so much longer
           | than for isolation movements. If you prefer compounds, great
           | (so do I), but there's been so much gospel online about them
           | and I don't think it's substantiated.
        
             | eep_social wrote:
             | Disagree. In the gp's context, which I understand to be a
             | new lifter skipping a set or superset due to time
             | constraints, this is good advice. Simply performing the
             | lift rep takes time, better to skip ten skull crushers than
             | ten squats.
             | 
             | Rest matters a lot less when you're estimating rep x weight
             | combos rather than dialed into rep counts that bring you
             | within one of failure. An untrained lifter should be seeing
             | gains so fast that the weight changes every week, in some
             | cases they may not even be able to adjust in sufficiently
             | small increments -- for example progressing a 10lb bicep
             | curl to 12lbs is only possible if you have a 12lb weight or
             | +2lb accessory but jumping to 15 would be too much.
        
         | shreyas056 wrote:
         | I think this is a great tool for a long-time Gym goer who wants
         | to quickly check out some new movements instead of what they
         | have been doing for years, to get out of the rut. For example
         | for the glutes and lower back I don't know many workouts, I
         | just stick to 2-3 movements I know. I can quickly use this to
         | just mix it up once in a while and add it to my repertoire
         | gradually.
        
           | anigbrowl wrote:
           | There are already many websites/videos where you can find
           | lists of exercises by muscle group etc. - like MuscleWiki,
           | from which all the exercises are drawn. I guess this is
           | helpful if you want a simple UI with attached videos, but I
           | share GP's concerns that it doesn't give new lifters any real
           | guidance about putting things together, or allow much input
           | on reps/weights.
           | 
           | I lift 6 days/week and just keep my 2-3 hour workouts in my
           | head. I sometimes think I should write everything down to
           | have a log of accomplishments and so on, but otoh knowing
           | what I'm capable of at any given time is sufficient for me. I
           | change up my weights/reps/sets whenever I feel like it and
           | keep a mental overview of the the current week. I know how
           | I'm progressing from how I feel and look and whether I'm
           | gaining weight; I change exercises in or out on about a
           | monthly basis.
           | 
           | Maybe it's easier for me because I work out at home so I
           | don't have to care about packing things into a gym schedule,
           | worrying about availability of weights/machines etc.
        
       | beaker52 wrote:
       | This is awesome. Exactly what I want. Equipment, muscle group
       | selection, simply ui, autoplay straight to the point videos -
       | nothing between me and working out. It's pretty much the perfect
       | UX for me because anything that's not aimed doing the work turns
       | me off. Thank you!
        
       | yaccz wrote:
       | I'm satisfied by https://www.strengthlog.com/
        
       | hospitalJail wrote:
       | Good job making it open source.
       | 
       | Btw, this might be useful for physical therapists (Not personal
       | trainers, but the doctors who rehab you).
        
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