A workout log that shows what I lifted last time — nothing else
Exercise, sets × reps × kg, and the previous number right next to the input. How to describe it, how to use it in the gym, and how to read your progress after a month.
Leanfinit · 6 min read
The question you ask in the gym is always the same: what did I do last time? Every workout app answers it eventually — after a splash screen, a program suggestion, a social feed and a “go Pro” card. This guide builds the opposite: one screen per session, your last numbers already on it, and a monthly view so you can see whether you are getting stronger. It also explains how to use it well, because a log is only useful if you read it.
What a log needs — and what it does not
| Keep | Why | Skip |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise, sets, reps, weight | The four numbers that define a lift | Muscle-group diagrams |
| Last time, next to the input | So you decide in the moment, not after scrolling | Program templates |
| Date and a one-line note | “Shoulder sore”, “new bar” — context for next month | Calorie tracking, photos |
| Month view per exercise | Progress is only visible over weeks | Streaks, badges, feed |
Step 1 — Describe it
Say what you record, what you want to see, and one rule. Here is a complete description you can copy and adjust. The important sentence is the one about “last time”; it is the whole point of the app.
“A workout log. Each session has a date and a list of exercises. Each exercise row: name (pick from my list or type a new one), sets, reps, weight in kg, and an optional note. Next to each exercise show what I did last time for that exercise (sets × reps × kg and the date). A month view per exercise: best weight per week as a simple bar chart. Rule: highlight in green when today’s weight is higher than last time. Works offline, no account.”
Step 2 — Set up your exercise list before the gym
Type your 6–10 regular exercises at home, with the weight you used most recently, so the first session already shows “last time”. Use the names you say out loud — “bench”, “RDL”, “pull-ups” — not textbook names. You will be typing them with chalk on your hands.
Step 3 — Use it in the gym (the two-tap rule)
- 1Open to todayThe app should land on today’s session with yesterday’s list copied in. If you have to create a session first, ask for “start today with my last session’s exercises”.
- 2Change only what changedLast time is prefilled. You tap the weight and change 70 to 72.5. Two taps. If it takes more, fix the app, not your habit.
- 3One note per session, not per set“Slept badly”, “new shoes”. One line. Next month this is what explains the dip.
How to read it after a month
Look at one exercise at a time, over four weeks. Three patterns are worth knowing. A steady climb of 2.5 kg a week on a main lift is normal for the first months and will slow down — that is not failure. A flat line for three weeks usually means recovery, not effort: check your notes for sleep and soreness. A drop after a jump often means the jump was too big; add 1.25 kg next time instead of 2.5.
Changing it later
After a month you may want a body-weight field, or a timer between sets, or a second person in the same app. Describe the change in a sentence — “add a rest timer that starts when I tick a set” — and keep your history. Do not start over in a new app; the value of a log is the months already in it.
Describe your own app →
Takes a few sentences. Private, yours.