7 ms·

Show HN: A workout logger written using React/Redux

58 points by wheresvic1 9y ago

thecabinet 9y ago
Always nice to be able to log your bodyweight when you exercised
- wheresvic1 9y ago
  Yes, this is a crucial feature that is coming verrrry soon! It's especially motivating to see how well you have done compared to how much effort you put in. This plus some neat graphs on what your personal records are :)
wheresvic1 9y ago
A couple of other cool features in the works are - Add goals and ability to track weight - CSV export, take your data and use excel to make your own charts if you're looking for something specific - Youtube links to videos for exercises for proper form. A really cool long term feature would be to use some ML to allow exercise discovery / make workout recommendations based on goals. All feedback is welcome! (Edit: formatting)
- leppr 9y ago
  Personally : I don't really care about any of those features, what I'd need to use this service everiday is simply a more polished UX (unnecessary no-timeout notifications, the kg-lb thing, etc).
  - wheresvic1 9y ago
    Excellent, these notifications are starting to annoy me as well and a few people have mentioned the kg-lb thing so I'm definitely going to prioritize that. I think a sensible approach would be to set an account default but still provide the button to allow data input in whatever unit. Or is the button then totally unnecessary? What do you think?
    - delusionX 9y ago
      I personally think button is unnecessary. The most people will decide if they want to use lbs or kgs just once in the beginning (maybe it would be ok to create view for choosing right after registration) and this decision is based on metric system which is used in their region. If they want to change it at some point, it'd be still possible to do so in their profile settings.
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
- dyarosla 9y ago
  Feedback: A way to rearrange exercises A way to change the exercises I do in a workout over time (common practical point many gym trackers miss) Tracking a down or up set (weight starts at 100lb but next set you do 90lbs) These are all things you'll run into once you start using tracking/logging apps substantially. I've worked on my own tracker for these reasons and more, but can definitely attest that features for a logger come best by using it yourself for months to years before committing to new (potentially unimportant) features. Some of the features you mentioned (YouTube vid links for example) are not things you really want or need (and can clutter) a tracker- whose point is to TRACK not TEACH.
  - wheresvic1 9y ago
    Hi! Thank you very much for the feedback and I already have moving exercises around in the pipeline. This is a very useful feature and but mostly useful for post workout logging and I decided to defer it to the next release which should be in a month or so :) An easy way to increase/decrease weight is also a great idea. Cheers,
ahansen 9y ago
You may want to change the wording on the "Why Ewolo?" page. At a glance, it looks like you are saying it is: platform specific, not user friendly, and not flexible. That may just be for users like me who see the title, then go straight to reading the bullet points.
- wheresvic1 9y ago
  That's good advice - I will think about how to redo the text then. Thank you!
- wheresvic1 9y ago
  Reworked the text - hope it reads better now: https://ewolo.fitness/why-ewolo https://ewolo.fitness/why-ewolo
meesterdude 9y ago
why is it's only merit that it's built with react/redux? Is it not enough to solve a particular problem of workout tracking, that you must do so using the development framework of the day? also: > Account only required if you wish to save your workouts. this is a WORKOUT LOGGER. What am I doing, as a user, if not logging my workouts? There is no other value proposition. Users do not benefit from entering their workout histories and NOT hitting save - and this site only does one thing. It would be like seeing in a food store "checkout only required if you wish to purchase your items". As an effort to launch a product, it's commendable. Lots of checkboxes to hit, and not nothing to hit them. But if you're ACTUALLY trying to launch this as a real service... There is much to be desired - and it has nothing to do with CSV exports or using react to do it.
- wheresvic1 9y ago
  Hello and thanks for your feedback! Part of making this service was to learn React/Redux and see how different it is to Angular. I've read quite a bit but there's nothing quite like learning by doing something bigger than a todo app - the front-end is open sourced on Github and I plan on writing a few blog posts on what I've learnt building Ewolo, hence the title. Regarding the text, I wanted to let people know that they can try out the interface without needing an account. I agree with you that it sounds a bit dumb and I'll try to word this better :) If you have any more ideas on what it would take to really hit it out of the park, I'm all ears!
  - SmokkiX 9y ago
    I'm trying to learn React/Redux - do you have any tips/guides on learning how to get register/login working?
    - wheresvic1 9y ago
      Yes I can definitely try and help you to the best of my ability. Feel free to email me: vic@ewolo.fitness Also, just to let you know that my timezone is CET :)
  - 9y ago
evanspa 9y ago
Looks pretty cool. I also recently developed an app to track strength training workouts. I also used React/Redux for the web app. The iOS app is native though (supports offline mode and offers Watch app) and Android is in-progress. https://www.rikerapp.com https://www.rikerapp.com Good luck with your app!
- wheresvic1 9y ago
  Hey, I just checked out your app and a few quick notes: - the web version costs money after 90 days but the app is free. Why the differences? - it seems that I cannot add any other exercises apart from the ones provided, would be nice to be able to quickly log what I wanna do. - the records list view on mobile is a bit squished (i.e. I find it difficult to horizontally scroll) - no support for super-sets: I do a lot of circuit training and I somehow managed to add this feature to Ewolo using a rest parameter. I'm still not sure what the best way to model this data would be without making it cumbersome. Anyways, nice work though that you got a web and a native iOS app out there. It seems that making a nice, simple workout logger is not the easiest job. Good luck to you as well!
  - evanspa 9y ago
    Thanks for checking it out - really appreciate the feedback. Some responses: "the web version costs money after 90 days but the app is free. Why the differences?" Because the web version stores your data on my server (and thus making it syncable to all your devices) - and so for that capability (and to cover my server operational costs), it's a paid feature. But if just using the iOS app, all of your data is by default stored locally on the device (I'm using Sqlite for that), and so that's free (since I don't incur any operational costs for that). "it seems that I cannot add any other exercises apart from the ones provided, would be nice to be able to quickly log what I wanna do." I thought about that in the beginning, and ultimately decided against it for simplicity; and would instead go the route of incrementally adding more and more exercises myself to the app. But will perhaps re-think this. "the records list view on mobile is a bit squished (i.e. I find it difficult to horizontally scroll)" Will look into this. I'm currently using an OSS library for the records display, and so I'll see if there are params I can tweak. "no support for super-sets: I do a lot of circuit training and I somehow managed to add this feature to Ewolo using a rest parameter. I'm still not sure what the best way to model this data would be without making it cumbersome." I also struggle with how to model supersets - more so from a UX standpoint. You're totally right - you'd think a rep tracker would be easy, but as you get into it, there's quite a bit of complexity that emerges. I think I have a good way to handle supersets, but that will have to be for a future release...currently trying to get the Android app (and Gear app) done. Thanks again for the comments. [edit - typos etc]
guscost 9y ago
Nice work and nice idea, a clean and functional UI can be motivating in and of itself. But definitely rework this part: > To convert from kilograms to pounds, enter the weight in kgs and hit the convert button. To re-enable the button delete and re-add the exercise.
- wheresvic1 9y ago
  Thank you very much! Yes, it seems that the units are a real pain point. This will be customizable in the next release. Would you believe it if I told you that I myself use Kgs and need to convert every time? I had to make some decisions for an alpha release and this was one of them (I just picked the lower unit as default)!
  - alexchamberlain 9y ago
    What if I want to work in kgs?
  - guscost 9y ago
    It's more that functional buttons shouldn't just disappear like that. Why not have it change to "Convert to Kgs" when the input is in pounds?
emersonrsantos 9y ago
There is also /r/bodyweightfitness excellent recommended routine app on https://github.com/mazurio https://github.com/mazurio iOS and Android - compiled versions in http://www.bodyweightfitness.co.uk http://www.bodyweightfitness.co.uk
jefozabuss 9y ago
Iphone - Safari (incognito): - if I switch from kg to lbs via button I will see lbs only for new/re-added exercises with the same kg->lbs button (I can still convert but the label says lbs instead of kg) - if I register I get error with registration (maybe because of 2letters as full name?) however I hit register again with same data and now account already exists error.
dirtyaura 9y ago
Workout logging is an interesting product/User Interface problem. There are a lot of workout logger apps, but not a single one has emerged as a clear leader in the space. Why is that? Also, a lot of tech savvy people that go to gym, still use the trusted pen'n'paper approach. Why is that? One reason is that training regimes differ a lot - a single app is unlikely to be a good for strength training (training is build around 3-5 big movements with a few auxiliary exercises), body-building (more movements) and crossfitting. Other reason is that convenience of pen and paper input is still hard to beat, and for reason or another, people don't get enough value from the digital views to their training history and performance.
- _pmf_ 9y ago
  > Also, a lot of tech savvy people that go to gym, still use the trusted pen'n'paper approach. Why is that? Speaking for me: I need to track partial sets, shady reps, circle training setups and posture/alignment/speed reminders/observations to myself. Free text works best; the last thing I want to do when I'm shaking and sweating profusely is diddle around with how to enter something in a convoluted app setup. (To be fair, I do my "creative", i.e. SW design/architecture notetaking mostly on paper, too.)
- wheresvic1 9y ago
  THIS! I have been working out for the past 13 years and I've had exactly the same problem. I still leave my phone in the locker, take my iPod from 2007 for music and log my workouts on pen/paper. Recently, I've been hitting some plateaus and I desperately wanted to see what my progress has been over the years as a motivator and that's what lead me to make Ewolo. I'm starting to use it to log workouts directly in the gym but old habits die hard, haha.
  - NicoJuicy 9y ago
    Can you upload a demo of the sheet you are using ( the paper one)?
    - wheresvic1 9y ago
gavinpc 9y ago
Doesn't render anything at all if cookies are blocked. So many times but it's not getting to me.
- wheresvic1 9y ago
  Ruh ROH - you shouldn't really need cookies at all, I'll have a look asap and see what's wrong!
- wheresvic1 9y ago
  This is now fixed!
sAbakumoff 9y ago
Was it necessary to mention React/Redux in the title? What value does it bring?
- wheresvic1 9y ago
  I've been reading and doing tutorials but I wanted to build something useful to really be able to compare it with angular/jQuery (where most of my experience has been). I plan on writing a couple of blog posts on what I learnt as well plus the front-end is open-sourced on Github :) I've been using Ewolo heavily myself and thought that it might be useful for others as well.
  - sAbakumoff 9y ago
    React and redux have nothing to do with the product usability. No one gives a fig about what technology is being used under the hood if you only provide the link to the final product.
- sAbakumoff 9y ago
  Oh, it seems that react fanatics are not happy.
wissam124 9y ago
I have looked a while for a good app to log strength training workouts. I'd invite you guys to check out Progression App http://www.progression-app.com/ http://www.progression-app.com/. I honestly don't think there can be much better than that. It's only Android so admittedly doesn't solve the multi-platform issue.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
poops 9y ago
I actually built something similar using React/Redux, but I've been moving away in favor of plain old Javascript. Usually I'm working out at home and using my laptop, but if I'm out at a friend's house, I'm using an old iPad. There was a noticeable lag, doing certain things on the React/Redux stack, that disappeared when switching to plain JS. https://getsore.com https://getsore.com

58 points by wheresvic1 9y ago

thecabinet 9y ago

Always nice to be able to log your bodyweight when you exercised

wheresvic1 9y ago
Yes, this is a crucial feature that is coming verrrry soon! It's especially motivating to see how well you have done compared to how much effort you put in. This plus some neat graphs on what your personal records are :)

wheresvic1 9y ago

A couple of other cool features in the works are - Add goals and ability to track weight - CSV export, take your data and use excel to make your own charts if you're looking for something specific - Youtube links to videos for exercises for proper form. A really cool long term feature would be to use some ML to allow exercise discovery / make workout recommendations based on goals. All feedback is welcome! (Edit: formatting)

leppr 9y ago
Personally : I don't really care about any of those features, what I'd need to use this service everiday is simply a more polished UX (unnecessary no-timeout notifications, the kg-lb thing, etc).
- wheresvic1 9y ago
  Excellent, these notifications are starting to annoy me as well and a few people have mentioned the kg-lb thing so I'm definitely going to prioritize that. I think a sensible approach would be to set an account default but still provide the button to allow data input in whatever unit. Or is the button then totally unnecessary? What do you think?
  - delusionX 9y ago
    I personally think button is unnecessary. The most people will decide if they want to use lbs or kgs just once in the beginning (maybe it would be ok to create view for choosing right after registration) and this decision is based on metric system which is used in their region. If they want to change it at some point, it'd be still possible to do so in their profile settings.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
dyarosla 9y ago
Feedback: A way to rearrange exercises A way to change the exercises I do in a workout over time (common practical point many gym trackers miss) Tracking a down or up set (weight starts at 100lb but next set you do 90lbs) These are all things you'll run into once you start using tracking/logging apps substantially. I've worked on my own tracker for these reasons and more, but can definitely attest that features for a logger come best by using it yourself for months to years before committing to new (potentially unimportant) features. Some of the features you mentioned (YouTube vid links for example) are not things you really want or need (and can clutter) a tracker- whose point is to TRACK not TEACH.
- wheresvic1 9y ago
  Hi! Thank you very much for the feedback and I already have moving exercises around in the pipeline. This is a very useful feature and but mostly useful for post workout logging and I decided to defer it to the next release which should be in a month or so :) An easy way to increase/decrease weight is also a great idea. Cheers,

ahansen 9y ago

You may want to change the wording on the "Why Ewolo?" page. At a glance, it looks like you are saying it is: platform specific, not user friendly, and not flexible. That may just be for users like me who see the title, then go straight to reading the bullet points.

wheresvic1 9y ago
That's good advice - I will think about how to redo the text then. Thank you!
wheresvic1 9y ago
Reworked the text - hope it reads better now: https://ewolo.fitness/why-ewolo https://ewolo.fitness/why-ewolo

meesterdude 9y ago

why is it's only merit that it's built with react/redux? Is it not enough to solve a particular problem of workout tracking, that you must do so using the development framework of the day? also: > Account only required if you wish to save your workouts. this is a WORKOUT LOGGER. What am I doing, as a user, if not logging my workouts? There is no other value proposition. Users do not benefit from entering their workout histories and NOT hitting save - and this site only does one thing. It would be like seeing in a food store "checkout only required if you wish to purchase your items". As an effort to launch a product, it's commendable. Lots of checkboxes to hit, and not nothing to hit them. But if you're ACTUALLY trying to launch this as a real service... There is much to be desired - and it has nothing to do with CSV exports or using react to do it.

wheresvic1 9y ago
Hello and thanks for your feedback! Part of making this service was to learn React/Redux and see how different it is to Angular. I've read quite a bit but there's nothing quite like learning by doing something bigger than a todo app - the front-end is open sourced on Github and I plan on writing a few blog posts on what I've learnt building Ewolo, hence the title. Regarding the text, I wanted to let people know that they can try out the interface without needing an account. I agree with you that it sounds a bit dumb and I'll try to word this better :) If you have any more ideas on what it would take to really hit it out of the park, I'm all ears!
- SmokkiX 9y ago
  I'm trying to learn React/Redux - do you have any tips/guides on learning how to get register/login working?
  - wheresvic1 9y ago
    Yes I can definitely try and help you to the best of my ability. Feel free to email me: vic@ewolo.fitness Also, just to let you know that my timezone is CET :)
- 9y ago

evanspa 9y ago

Looks pretty cool. I also recently developed an app to track strength training workouts. I also used React/Redux for the web app. The iOS app is native though (supports offline mode and offers Watch app) and Android is in-progress. https://www.rikerapp.com https://www.rikerapp.com Good luck with your app!

wheresvic1 9y ago
Hey, I just checked out your app and a few quick notes: - the web version costs money after 90 days but the app is free. Why the differences? - it seems that I cannot add any other exercises apart from the ones provided, would be nice to be able to quickly log what I wanna do. - the records list view on mobile is a bit squished (i.e. I find it difficult to horizontally scroll) - no support for super-sets: I do a lot of circuit training and I somehow managed to add this feature to Ewolo using a rest parameter. I'm still not sure what the best way to model this data would be without making it cumbersome. Anyways, nice work though that you got a web and a native iOS app out there. It seems that making a nice, simple workout logger is not the easiest job. Good luck to you as well!
- evanspa 9y ago
  Thanks for checking it out - really appreciate the feedback. Some responses: "the web version costs money after 90 days but the app is free. Why the differences?" Because the web version stores your data on my server (and thus making it syncable to all your devices) - and so for that capability (and to cover my server operational costs), it's a paid feature. But if just using the iOS app, all of your data is by default stored locally on the device (I'm using Sqlite for that), and so that's free (since I don't incur any operational costs for that). "it seems that I cannot add any other exercises apart from the ones provided, would be nice to be able to quickly log what I wanna do." I thought about that in the beginning, and ultimately decided against it for simplicity; and would instead go the route of incrementally adding more and more exercises myself to the app. But will perhaps re-think this. "the records list view on mobile is a bit squished (i.e. I find it difficult to horizontally scroll)" Will look into this. I'm currently using an OSS library for the records display, and so I'll see if there are params I can tweak. "no support for super-sets: I do a lot of circuit training and I somehow managed to add this feature to Ewolo using a rest parameter. I'm still not sure what the best way to model this data would be without making it cumbersome." I also struggle with how to model supersets - more so from a UX standpoint. You're totally right - you'd think a rep tracker would be easy, but as you get into it, there's quite a bit of complexity that emerges. I think I have a good way to handle supersets, but that will have to be for a future release...currently trying to get the Android app (and Gear app) done. Thanks again for the comments. [edit - typos etc]

guscost 9y ago

Nice work and nice idea, a clean and functional UI can be motivating in and of itself. But definitely rework this part: > To convert from kilograms to pounds, enter the weight in kgs and hit the convert button. To re-enable the button delete and re-add the exercise.

wheresvic1 9y ago
Thank you very much! Yes, it seems that the units are a real pain point. This will be customizable in the next release. Would you believe it if I told you that I myself use Kgs and need to convert every time? I had to make some decisions for an alpha release and this was one of them (I just picked the lower unit as default)!
- alexchamberlain 9y ago
  What if I want to work in kgs?
- guscost 9y ago
  It's more that functional buttons shouldn't just disappear like that. Why not have it change to "Convert to Kgs" when the input is in pounds?

emersonrsantos 9y ago

There is also /r/bodyweightfitness excellent recommended routine app on https://github.com/mazurio https://github.com/mazurio iOS and Android - compiled versions in http://www.bodyweightfitness.co.uk http://www.bodyweightfitness.co.uk

jefozabuss 9y ago

Iphone - Safari (incognito): - if I switch from kg to lbs via button I will see lbs only for new/re-added exercises with the same kg->lbs button (I can still convert but the label says lbs instead of kg) - if I register I get error with registration (maybe because of 2letters as full name?) however I hit register again with same data and now account already exists error.

dirtyaura 9y ago

Workout logging is an interesting product/User Interface problem. There are a lot of workout logger apps, but not a single one has emerged as a clear leader in the space. Why is that? Also, a lot of tech savvy people that go to gym, still use the trusted pen'n'paper approach. Why is that? One reason is that training regimes differ a lot - a single app is unlikely to be a good for strength training (training is build around 3-5 big movements with a few auxiliary exercises), body-building (more movements) and crossfitting. Other reason is that convenience of pen and paper input is still hard to beat, and for reason or another, people don't get enough value from the digital views to their training history and performance.

_pmf_ 9y ago
> Also, a lot of tech savvy people that go to gym, still use the trusted pen'n'paper approach. Why is that? Speaking for me: I need to track partial sets, shady reps, circle training setups and posture/alignment/speed reminders/observations to myself. Free text works best; the last thing I want to do when I'm shaking and sweating profusely is diddle around with how to enter something in a convoluted app setup. (To be fair, I do my "creative", i.e. SW design/architecture notetaking mostly on paper, too.)
wheresvic1 9y ago
THIS! I have been working out for the past 13 years and I've had exactly the same problem. I still leave my phone in the locker, take my iPod from 2007 for music and log my workouts on pen/paper. Recently, I've been hitting some plateaus and I desperately wanted to see what my progress has been over the years as a motivator and that's what lead me to make Ewolo. I'm starting to use it to log workouts directly in the gym but old habits die hard, haha.
- NicoJuicy 9y ago
  Can you upload a demo of the sheet you are using ( the paper one)?
  - wheresvic1 9y ago

gavinpc 9y ago

Doesn't render anything at all if cookies are blocked. So many times but it's not getting to me.

wheresvic1 9y ago
Ruh ROH - you shouldn't really need cookies at all, I'll have a look asap and see what's wrong!
wheresvic1 9y ago
This is now fixed!

sAbakumoff 9y ago

Was it necessary to mention React/Redux in the title? What value does it bring?

wheresvic1 9y ago
I've been reading and doing tutorials but I wanted to build something useful to really be able to compare it with angular/jQuery (where most of my experience has been). I plan on writing a couple of blog posts on what I learnt as well plus the front-end is open-sourced on Github :) I've been using Ewolo heavily myself and thought that it might be useful for others as well.
- sAbakumoff 9y ago
  React and redux have nothing to do with the product usability. No one gives a fig about what technology is being used under the hood if you only provide the link to the final product.
sAbakumoff 9y ago
Oh, it seems that react fanatics are not happy.

wissam124 9y ago

I have looked a while for a good app to log strength training workouts. I'd invite you guys to check out Progression App http://www.progression-app.com/ http://www.progression-app.com/. I honestly don't think there can be much better than that. It's only Android so admittedly doesn't solve the multi-platform issue.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

poops 9y ago

I actually built something similar using React/Redux, but I've been moving away in favor of plain old Javascript. Usually I'm working out at home and using my laptop, but if I'm out at a friend's house, I'm using an old iPad. There was a noticeable lag, doing certain things on the React/Redux stack, that disappeared when switching to plain JS. https://getsore.com https://getsore.com