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

workout.lol

231–240 of 290 posts

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

#231
post #136

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…

>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.

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

#232
post #136

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…

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.

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

#233
post #125
post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“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.

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.

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.

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

#234

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.

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…

>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).

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

#235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

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 sti…

> 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.

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

#236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 wan…

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.

>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.

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

#237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 wan…

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.

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.

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

#238

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…

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

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

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

#239
post #174

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…

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

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

#240

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.

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)
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