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Show HN: I made a community sourced fitness routine database

routinedb.com

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Re: Show HN: I made a community sourced fitness routine database

#161
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was just reading that the optimum reps count was somewhere between 8 and 12. I was doing something that suggested 16 reps and that felt a little more like cardio or something, and I dug into it and it is a whole debate, but what I got out of it was that for what I was doing eight or so is about right.

Just do whatever's difficult. Some days show up and do 10 sets of 3, some days show up and do 6 sets of 4. Total volume is the deciding factor (other than, of course, recovery). Mike Isratel's work on Maximum Recoverable Volume is probably the best piece of work for deciding things like rep ranges.

Also depends on what you’re doing. I have a hell of a time doing more than 3 reps on an overhead press unless I’m lifting light.

Re: Show HN: I made a community sourced fitness routine database

#162

Features I want to see in things like this: 1. Images/videos showing the exercises 2. Program generators. I have {equipment} and n days per week. Which programs work for me? Or, I have {goal} and n days per week, what should I do? The programs would be populated with exercises from the DB, programs could be exported, etc. 3. As much ELI5 info as possible - the barrier to exercise for a lot of people (myself included…

> 1. Images/videos showing the exercises And all the possible mistakes explained thoroughly. What I want of an exercise database is detailed information on how to do the exercises right so I would use proper muscles and prevent injury.

Exrx.net is still the grail, but recently someone created Musclewiki.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25854523

Re: Show HN: I made a community sourced fitness routine database

#163

This is in no way a critique of this project (which looks nice!) but my dream fitness program would be something like, "do all the things in this book, in order, and by the end of the book you'll be mostly fit". I'm sure it works great for some people but I get bogged down by choice paralysis when I'm presented with a list of workouts.

I haven't done this program, but I've always liked the way this guide is put together: https://www.julian.com/guide/muscle/

I like the way it’s written. As someone who’s been hitting the gym pretty hard for just about 90 days I can confirm that I really have seen huge results but I also didn’t take a rest day for the first 6 weeks.

Re: Show HN: I made a community sourced fitness routine database

#164
post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should look into the FitBod app. You tell the app what equipment you have and it does the programming for you, with short videos and text descriptions for form.

Fitbod is great, but no significant updates in a year. No additional exercises in the database from when I started, can’t log over 29 reps of a weighted exercise, lots of other niggles. Has this been your experience?

This has been my experience. Fitbod is a good example of solid product-market fit (for me at least) without followup execution.

After the first use I was sold and paid for the annual subscription. But it's so buggy (especially when paired with an Apple Watch) that I've nearly stopped using it.

When I first started, I used the app DESPITE the bugs. Eventually the bugs got too painful to deal with. Now I do What Feels Right when I work out. Probably a worse strategy, but I prefer it over fighting through the bugs. (I keep the subscription in hopes that they will improve their app.)

Re: Show HN: I made a community sourced fitness routine database

#165
post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fitbod is great, but no significant updates in a year. No additional exercises in the database from when I started, can’t log over 29 reps of a weighted exercise, lots of other niggles. Has this been your experience?

This has been my experience. Fitbod is a good example of solid product-market fit (for me at least) without followup execution. After the first use I was sold and paid for the annual subscription. But it's so buggy (especially when paired with an Apple Watch) that I've nearly stopped using it. When I first started, I used the app DESPITE the bugs. Eventually the bugs got too painful to deal with. Now I do What Feels…

Spot-on. Literally the only app I have ever recommended to friends, but it’s buggy nature now is so grating.

Re: Show HN: I made a community sourced fitness routine database

#166

This is in no way a critique of this project (which looks nice!) but my dream fitness program would be something like, "do all the things in this book, in order, and by the end of the book you'll be mostly fit". I'm sure it works great for some people but I get bogged down by choice paralysis when I'm presented with a list of workouts.

A few years ago I found a book which is basically this, called You Are Your Own Gym. It's full of body weight exercises, plus a 10-week program built on these exercises. It seemed like it was written for exactly me -- someone who doesn't like going to the gym, and doesn't like long boring cardio. I had some good success following the book's program on and off for a few years.

Then a couple months before the pandemic I joined the author's new subscription service called Mark Lauren On Demand. It's a library of workout videos and programs, organized by difficulty. It's like $8.99/month and I think it's the best thing I pay for. I'm definitely in the best shape I've ever been.

Workout videos are surely not a new idea, but I hadn't tried that format before this, and I like that the videos are literally him doing the exercises along with you, including warmup and cooldown. It means I can look at the timestamp and know exactly how long it'll take to do a workout that day. And I like that it's all scheduled out for me. I just have to show up (in my basement).

Book + workout program is at https://marklauren.com/

Re: Show HN: I made a community sourced fitness routine database

#167

Would be cool to have a section for crossfit style workout of the day and crossfit style mobility workouts.

Have you added any crossfit routines to routinedb? I would be interested in knowing how well they fit in to this format. Let me know if you have any feedback!

I'm consolidating feedback from other comments into this one, so it's in a single place.

First, "Have you added any crossfit routines to routinedb?" There are at least two on there as of the time of me writing this. The Murph [1] and Strict Nicole [2]. I hope you come up with a way to credit the originators of programs / workouts that people submit.

Some programs / workouts are given away for free to drum up business for trainers; others, such as crossfit WODs (work outs of the day), are used in competitions, and other programs are documented in a book that is sold and is a source of revenue for the author.

> Thanks for the feedback. "They're everywhere. They're in books, they're on sites, they're in magazines, they're on forums." - this is the problem I'm hoping to solve with RoutineDB.

What is the problem you're trying to solve for? Discoverability? If that's the case, then why don't you create a flowchart linking to various resources on the web.

Who is your audience?

I assume you're in tech, so you know there are some criteria for success and goals that should be set before going on to build something. There are different approaches depending on the constraints. Similarly, this applies to training. There is no "best program". A flowchart would be able to help people with identifying goals up front and then determining the appropriate on-boarding point.

As someone who has spent a lot of time reading blogs, forums, magazines, and books on strength and conditioning I don't see how this will help someone progress. This seems more like a dictionary of "workouts" than anything structured and progressive.

If you're not already familiar with some of the online strength communities, then I can offer up a few suggestions to look over ways that they structure training programs as opposed to workouts.

https://www.strongfirst.com/ - minimalist training in terms of equipment (focus is mostly body weight and kettlebells) and time investment. aimed at "general physical preparedness"

https://startingstrength.com/ - powerlifting and football

https://www.elitefts.com/education/training/workouts-program... - powerlifting with the 5/3/1 program popularized by Jim Wendler being associated with this site previously

https://www.crossfit.com/ - following the crossfit WODs (work out of the day) isn't what the top crossfitters do. The top crossfitters (as of a few years ago) focused on doing some sort of progressive overload of the big compound movements (squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, pull ups) followed by what they call(ed) "metcons" or metabolic conditioning sessions. That's where they would complete the "WODs". The metcons would follow some prescribed patter, too, they wouldn't be random.

http://danjohn.net/ - "the goal is to keep the goal the goal" pretty much sums up his no nonsense routines. coaches and competes at a lot of different levels

https://gymjones.com/ - responsible for the 300 physiques and Henry Cavil in Superman. Or at least Mark Twight the founder was

https://www.californiastrength.com/ https://www.burgenerstrength.com/ - olympic weightlifting

There are some good reads on those sites about programming and progression. There are trainers that maintain blogs discussing how to take untrained individuals and get them up to speed without hurting them. Going from 8-12 hours slumped at a chair to lifting weights off the floor definitely requires some progression.

There are also numerous websites dedicated to training for specific sports. So, going back to goals can help to figure out where to go.

[1] https://www.routinedb.com/routine/ckpx0a5th172811md0gddqba6 https://www.crossfit.com/workout/2005/08/18#/comments

[2] https://www.routinedb.com/routine/ckpx0rb3e276411mdvq9zjqla https://www.crossfit.com/190607

Re: Show HN: I made a community sourced fitness routine database

#168
post #57
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lazy lifter? That sounds exactly like a thing for me. I'm willing to trade upvotes here on HN for that method :)

I would also look into 5/3/1! It's a very easy to follow program, and doesn't take much time at all. Slow and steady gains. Granted, if you're a beginner, there are much quicker programs (since noob gains are a very real thing), but 5/3/1 is a very simple program to follow, can be repeated for an extremely long time, and isn't very intense stress on the body. I increased my lifts pretty drastically over 2 years, but…

I do 5/3/1 too. Switched from 5x5. It is simple to follow. It is not very tiring compare to 5x5. Give plenty of energy to do another routine

Re: Show HN: I made a community sourced fitness routine database

#169
Anecdotal - In Excel I can have one cell to track my 1RM in KG, and then use a percentage of that weight on any particular workout routine.

i.e. I follow a 10 week program that I repeat (you guessed it) every 10 weeks. At the end of the 10 weeks I will update the 1RM and the entire spreadsheet of ~120 rows of exercises, stretches, and warmups will immediately update to show me the correct weights to use.

Once you get past the beginner stages of exercise (learning movements, stretches, etc) fitness routines are just numbers on a page. For that reason I'll stick to Excel.

But this seems like a useful tool for those very new to the scene.

Re: Show HN: I made a community sourced fitness routine database

#170

Anecdotal - In Excel I can have one cell to track my 1RM in KG, and then use a percentage of that weight on any particular workout routine. i.e. I follow a 10 week program that I repeat (you guessed it) every 10 weeks. At the end of the 10 weeks I will update the 1RM and the entire spreadsheet of ~120 rows of exercises, stretches, and warmups will immediately update to show me the correct weights to use. Once you get…

Would an "export to spreadsheet" option be useful for you in this case?
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