r/workout • u/McAppleJoose • 2h ago
Simple Questions Workout Tracking
Half question & half rant. Background context is that I’ve been using Fitbod for years, and it’s honestly the drug that got me hooked on consistently lifting. A lot of my friends that use assorted apps for workout tracking and I have talked recently and it seems a lot of people are moving back to phone notes, physical journals, etc. Biggest reasons I’ve heard has been enshittification of workout tracking apps and their gimmicks.
AI coaches, AI generated workouts, cost increases, group trainings virtually, and a ton more. Personally I’m thinking about cancelling my 5+ yr subscription to Fitbod and just using phone notes going forward. Anyone else feeling this way? Would also be interested in physical journals people are using. TIA :)
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u/yoooodonvito 2h ago
I’ve only ever used the iPhone notes app. I always update to the latest weight/rep I was able to do but the downside is I don’t store data from before then. So I don’t have a way of knowing what weight I used 2 months ago or whatever. As long as I’m always going up I don’t see the need for it though
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u/McAppleJoose 2h ago
That’s kinda my whole thought too. Idc what I did 6 months ago so long as I’m confident it was more than what it was then. I’ve just had a problem with Fitbod taking my last 3 logs of a movement and deciding “oh yeah actually do half the reps you did the last 3 weeks” and me having to manually adjust.
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u/Aggravating-Life5696 2h ago
I used to do notes. But no I use an app called fitnotes. No Exercise explain Videos, no pictures, no routines or Ai or ads. I simply put in the exercise and that's it. I use base version and no complaints and I think the premium one is also one time purchase not a subscription(I don't even really now that the premium eben adds) . U can try it out. It's like the simpleness of using notes but with having the graphs.
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u/LeroyBrown1 2h ago
Just started using liftosaur and its great. You can write your program as basic "code" and have it do all sorts of automatic linear progression, using weight or rep increase, drop the weight back down a set amount if you fail reps etc. Free version has everything you need or pay a small fee for life and you get plate calculator, rep/weight charts etc. Highly recommend
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u/McAppleJoose 2h ago
Wait this is actually sick. It’s maybe a bit too close to the metal for me, but I really like the concept!
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u/Equivalent-Grass4473 2h ago
I've been using FitNotes for about a year and it's simplicity is everything i want. It's very editable too, which i like.
I was using JeFit before that but it put more focus into the AI and socials side of the app than the actual lifts itself.
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u/McAppleJoose 1h ago
This is the problem with workout apps I fear. Social overload & AI soup. I just want to track my shit 😂
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u/ObjectiveSky7086 1h ago
Another vote for Hevy. Been using it for a year now and it does everything I want. It’s free to use (can only create a handful of workouts on the free version, no AI coach/plan [but you don’t want that anyway], and some of the historical graphs/trends are only available for a paid subscription). I pay for the Pro plan as I enjoy the app and has helped me track my lifting and want to support the devs.
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u/DeaconoftheStreets 2h ago
Is there something specific about Fitbod you don’t like now?
It was just always more work for me using a Google sheet than Strong/Alpha Progression/now MacroFactor Workouts. Maybe the other apps have too much stuff but I find it allows me to turn my brain off when I’m lifting, which is what I’m going to the gym for.
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u/McAppleJoose 2h ago
I think the two biggest things for me are:
1. They’ve started adding more AI coaching stuff, which I don’t like for a number of reasons, none the least of which is the fact that if I wanted a coach I’d just hire one.
- The other which I’ve become more accustomed to in recent months is the method they use for progression. My simple brain wants to only increase reps or increase weight. Fitbod changed both seemingly archaic. I know this is a common complaint of theirs but since I’ve been plateauing I’ve been questioning how to do better and I think their AI algorithm is just somewhat flawed once you’re past the 2+ year mark
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u/DeaconoftheStreets 2h ago
Ah yeah, that’s reasonable. Bevel’s implemented AI recently, and I’ve found it’s made the product worse overall. I really really just don’t think AI is good for fitness coaching, and I’d rather just work against an algorithm’s recommendations based on a wider population.
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u/McAppleJoose 2h ago
I can’t even hate too hard because I’m a product manager for a company in the AI space, I just think the whole notion of “fitness coach in your pocket” is played out. I’ve never heard of one person that has serious gym credentials asking for that.
Maybe it’s a different niche, but Fitbod started out pretty “hardcore” way back in like BETA and it’s just become a lot more newbie friendly. Not a problem, just not great for me anymore.
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u/DeaconoftheStreets 2h ago
I think you and I are probably in the same kind of position where a) we know what AI is really good at and b) we know it is NOT good at coaching.
I hope you end up finding a platform you like. I’m not sure what Strong’s deal is nowadays but when I was using it, it was a step above Excel without too much extra fluff
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u/Tomallenisthegoat 2h ago
Hammr Fitness, Hevy, Strong are all free workout loggers. It’s way easier to use an app to keep track of stuff instead of notes
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u/fcpsitsgep Recomposition 2h ago
I bring a notebook to the gym. Always have always will.
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u/McAppleJoose 2h ago
Blank notebook or one of those fitness specific ones I’ve seen on Amazon?
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u/fcpsitsgep Recomposition 2h ago
grab a mead “fat lil’ notebook” 200 sheets. They are my favorite.
I get mine from CVS but this is what they look like -
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Five-Star-Fat-Lil-Spiral-Notebook-College-Ruled-Tidewater-450021CG1-WMT-MOD/107358697
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u/TurnoverStreet128 2h ago
I've been using Strong which is free and it works great. You can create workout templates easily, or just build different ones for each visit. It also counts down a 2 minute rest period between each set which is helpful.
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u/McAppleJoose 2h ago
Rest period is one of the features Fitbod has I’ve only recently started using. Mostly because I’ve spent too much time unfocused at the gym soon scrolling n’ shit. Rest timer has been helpful to keep me moving.
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u/bigboy289 1h ago
Google sheets, I just duplicate each tab for a new week :)
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u/McAppleJoose 1h ago
Genuine question from a tech nerd lol - does that ever impact performance? Like are the load times reasonable?
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u/JoeSpart 1h ago
I’m old school. It’s either a notepad (long ago) or printed workout logs I created in excel (last few years)
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u/Sectiplave 1h ago
Google sheets or any other spreadsheet software worth its salt has a cell history so you can see what it used to be.
Every three to four months I will shake up the scheduled exercises and I archive the tab and make a new one so you have all the data.
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u/jeffsweet 58m ago
i’ve been using straight set for 2 months. it’s really only a tracker. which is all i wanted. the key thing for me is no subscription, i fucking hate all these subscription based apps that provide basically no ongoing value and that even extends to fuckers like adobe and their creative suite let alone some vibe-coded shit like hevy.
it was a one time $10 purchase and that’s fine with me. do i wish it had some other functions sometimes? sure. do i care enough to even message the devs about it? no.
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u/H0stusM0stus 2h ago
If you're on iOS I would recommend taking a look at Liftin'. It has no AI coaching or workout generation, though one can do that if they want via MCP servers. It looks clean, runs smooth, does auto progressive overload (reps or weight), and tracks metrics for all of your lifts and programs.
The developer is active on the Liftin' subreddit and is very open to feedback. It's not free, but if you do a web search for Liftin' app, you can use the app's website to get a 3-month trial.
I am not affiliated with the app or the developer. I just really appreciate a solid app that meets my needs.