Show HN: Workout.lol – a web app to easily create a workout routine

[Vincenius]

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)

[atchoo]

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]

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)

[admiral33]

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

[femiagbabiaka]

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.

[shreyas056]

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.

[bjornasm]

>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.

[taccicardia]

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.

[makestuff]

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.

[dr_petes]

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.”

[hooverd]

> "Bayesian hammer curl" wtf, my eye is twitching.

adjust your priors, bro.

[mynegation]

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.

[kortex]

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.

[goostavos]

>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.

[itointegral]

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.

[squirtlebonflow]

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.

[Medh_Suk]

School teacher said this, stayed with me ever since:

1) Best workout is the one you can do regularly.

2) Slowest way to get in shape is to try to do it as fast as possible.

[steve_adams_86]

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.

[shubhamjain]

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.

[ano88888]

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.

[Vincenius]

Thanks a lot!!

[edpichler]

Awesome execution. I totally agree.

[herculity275]

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.

[Brendinooo]

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?

[Daneel_]

“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.

[TA_34545677]

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]

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

[beaker52]

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!

[lukko]

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...

[NoImmatureAdHom]

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?

[pacifika]

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]

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.

[xwdv]

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.

[jasfi]

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]

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 :)

[throwawaaarrgh]

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!!

[h1fra]

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

[phillipsmg]

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]

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 :)

[felixguendling]

Very nice! What can be added is to group exercises in beginner, medium and advanced and add warmup and stretching routines.

[Vincenius]

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 :)

[riialist]

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?

[Navarr]

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.

[kortex]

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.

[fknorangesite]

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/

[abound]

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]

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

[sander1095]

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]

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!

[buss_jan]

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.

[jimparkins]

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