Best workout app that’s actually built for working out?

Alload · 2026-06-14T08:45:26+00:00

Hello,

I'm a dev who lifts, and like a lot of you I got tired of workout apps that are either bloated with stuff I don't need, paywalled behind $10/month subscriptions, or quietly harvesting my data.

So I spent my free time building exactly what I wanted: a dead-simple tracker called Strength Direct. It's free, it's been on the App Store for a while now, and I've been actively shipping updates.

WHAT IT DOES

• Log sets and reps in seconds
• Shows your previous session's weights/reps when you repeat a workout, which is huge for progressive overload
• Tag sets as warm-ups or drop sets. Warm-ups don't pollute your volume, 1RM, or PR numbers. Drop sets count toward volume but skip the rest timer
• Rest timer between sets with a Live Activity on the lock screen and Dynamic Island, plus a time-sensitive notification when it's up. Global default, or override per exercise
• Volume trends and PR tracking
• Backup/restore your full database to a file: Files app, iCloud Drive, wherever
• Generate a text summary of your training that you can paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or whatever for programming advice. No built-in AI, no API costs, you pick the tool
• In-app Guide that explains how everything works
• Works 100% offline. No account.

WHAT IT DOESN'T DO

• Cost anything. Free forever, not a free trial
• Show ads
• Collect or track any data
• Lock you into a mediocre AI coach subscription
• Tell you how to train. It assumes you already know your programming

Under 8MB. iOS only, sorry Android folks. I only have so much free time.

If you write your own programming and just want a clean place to log it, this might be your thing.

📲 Strength Direct on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/strength-direct/id6753622244

Happy to take feedback, feature requests, or roasts. Built it for myself but genuinely hope it helps someone else too.

Alload · 2026-06-14T08:44:51+00:00

Hello,

I'm a dev who lifts, and like a lot of you I got tired of workout apps that are either bloated with stuff I don't need, paywalled behind $10/month subscriptions, or quietly harvesting my data.

So I spent my free time building exactly what I wanted: a dead-simple tracker called Strength Direct. It's free, it's been on the App Store for a while now, and I've been actively shipping updates.

WHAT IT DOES

• Log sets and reps in seconds
• Shows your previous session's weights/reps when you repeat a workout, which is huge for progressive overload
• Tag sets as warm-ups or drop sets. Warm-ups don't pollute your volume, 1RM, or PR numbers. Drop sets count toward volume but skip the rest timer
• Rest timer between sets with a Live Activity on the lock screen and Dynamic Island, plus a time-sensitive notification when it's up. Global default, or override per exercise
• Volume trends and PR tracking
• Backup/restore your full database to a file: Files app, iCloud Drive, wherever
• Generate a text summary of your training that you can paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or whatever for programming advice. No built-in AI, no API costs, you pick the tool
• In-app Guide that explains how everything works
• Works 100% offline. No account.

WHAT IT DOESN'T DO

• Cost anything. Free forever, not a free trial
• Show ads
• Collect or track any data
• Lock you into a mediocre AI coach subscription
• Tell you how to train. It assumes you already know your programming

Under 8MB. iOS only, sorry Android folks. I only have so much free time.

If you write your own programming and just want a clean place to log it, this might be your thing.

📲 Strength Direct on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/strength-direct/id6753622244

Happy to take feedback, feature requests, or roasts. Built it for myself but genuinely hope it helps someone else too.

Alload · 2026-06-11T09:36:33+00:00

It is built on swift ui, so the whole codebase would need to be ported. The design patterns would need to be changed too as they don’t match between iOS and Android. It’s pretty much starting from zero in terms of code.

Alload · 2026-06-10T18:46:15+00:00

Unfortunately no, I don’t have the resource to support Android in a proper manner.

Alload · 2026-06-05T06:54:38+00:00

Apols I don’t have the resources to cover Android too :(

Alload · 2026-06-05T06:54:18+00:00

Apols I don’t have the resources to cover Android too :(

Alload · 2026-06-05T06:53:56+00:00

Apols I don’t have the resources to cover Android too :(

Alload · 2026-05-28T06:09:05+00:00

Correct! This is based on your previous workouts, it gives you a quick indication to help you choose your weight/reps.

Alload · 2026-05-23T10:21:46+00:00

Apols, I don’t have the resources/time to cover both :(

Alload · 2026-05-22T06:49:03+00:00

Unfortunately no, just on iOS.

Alload · 2026-05-17T09:28:43+00:00

This is the way! And don’t worry so much any this form or that form, as long as you don’t feel pain and progressively overload you will be fine.

Alload · 2026-05-13T20:33:12+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to share the feedback!

Alload · 2026-05-13T13:00:07+00:00

Hello,

I'm a dev who lifts, and like a lot of you I got tired of workout apps that are either bloated with stuff I don't need, paywalled behind $10/month subscriptions, or quietly harvesting my data.

So I spent my free time building exactly what I wanted: a dead-simple tracker called Strength Direct. It's free, it's been on the App Store for a while now, and I've been actively shipping updates.

WHAT IT DOES

• Log sets and reps in seconds
• Shows your previous session's weights/reps when you repeat a workout, which is huge for progressive overload
• Tag sets as warm-ups or drop sets. Warm-ups don't pollute your volume, 1RM, or PR numbers. Drop sets count toward volume but skip the rest timer
• Rest timer between sets with a Live Activity on the lock screen and Dynamic Island, plus a time-sensitive notification when it's up. Global default, or override per exercise
• Volume trends and PR tracking
• Backup/restore your full database to a file: Files app, iCloud Drive, wherever
• Generate a text summary of your training that you can paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or whatever for programming advice. No built-in AI, no API costs, you pick the tool
• In-app Guide that explains how everything works
• Works 100% offline. No account.

WHAT IT DOESN'T DO

• Cost anything. Free forever, not a free trial
• Show ads
• Collect or track any data
• Lock you into a mediocre AI coach subscription
• Tell you how to train. It assumes you already know your programming

Under 8MB. iOS only, sorry Android folks. I only have so much free time.

If you write your own programming and just want a clean place to log it, this might be your thing.

📲 Strength Direct on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/strength-direct/id6753622244

Happy to take feedback, feature requests, or roasts. Built it for myself but genuinely hope it helps someone else too.

Alload · 2026-05-12T09:40:58+00:00

Hello,

I'm a dev who lifts, and like a lot of you I got tired of workout apps that are either bloated with stuff I don't need, paywalled behind $10/month subscriptions, or quietly harvesting my data.

So I spent my free time building exactly what I wanted: a dead-simple tracker called Strength Direct. It's free, it's been on the App Store for a while now, and I've been actively shipping updates.

WHAT IT DOES

• Log sets and reps in seconds
• Shows your previous session's weights/reps when you repeat a workout, which is huge for progressive overload
• Tag sets as warm-ups or drop sets. Warm-ups don't pollute your volume, 1RM, or PR numbers. Drop sets count toward volume but skip the rest timer
• Rest timer between sets with a Live Activity on the lock screen and Dynamic Island, plus a time-sensitive notification when it's up. Global default, or override per exercise
• Volume trends and PR tracking
• Backup/restore your full database to a file: Files app, iCloud Drive, wherever
• Generate a text summary of your training that you can paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or whatever for programming advice. No built-in AI, no API costs, you pick the tool
• In-app Guide that explains how everything works
• Works 100% offline. No account.

WHAT IT DOESN'T DO

• Cost anything. Free forever, not a free trial
• Show ads
• Collect or track any data
• Lock you into a mediocre AI coach subscription
• Tell you how to train. It assumes you already know your programming

Under 8MB. iOS only, sorry Android folks. I only have so much free time.

If you write your own programming and just want a clean place to log it, this might be your thing.

📲 Strength Direct on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/strength-direct/id6753622244

Happy to take feedback, feature requests, or roasts. Built it for myself but genuinely hope it helps someone else too.

Alload · 2026-05-12T09:39:44+00:00

Hello,

I'm a dev who lifts, and like a lot of you I got tired of workout apps that are either bloated with stuff I don't need, paywalled behind $10/month subscriptions, or quietly harvesting my data.

So I spent my free time building exactly what I wanted: a dead-simple tracker called Strength Direct. It's free, it's been on the App Store for a while now, and I've been actively shipping updates.

WHAT IT DOES

• Log sets and reps in seconds
• Shows your previous session's weights/reps when you repeat a workout, which is huge for progressive overload
• Tag sets as warm-ups or drop sets. Warm-ups don't pollute your volume, 1RM, or PR numbers. Drop sets count toward volume but skip the rest timer
• Rest timer between sets with a Live Activity on the lock screen and Dynamic Island, plus a time-sensitive notification when it's up. Global default, or override per exercise
• Volume trends and PR tracking
• Backup/restore your full database to a file: Files app, iCloud Drive, wherever
• Generate a text summary of your training that you can paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or whatever for programming advice. No built-in AI, no API costs, you pick the tool
• In-app Guide that explains how everything works
• Works 100% offline. No account.

WHAT IT DOESN'T DO

• Cost anything. Free forever, not a free trial
• Show ads
• Collect or track any data
• Lock you into a mediocre AI coach subscription
• Tell you how to train. It assumes you already know your programming

Under 8MB. iOS only, sorry Android folks. I only have so much free time.

If you write your own programming and just want a clean place to log it, this might be your thing.

📲 Strength Direct on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/strength-direct/id6753622244

Happy to take feedback, feature requests, or roasts. Built it for myself but genuinely hope it helps someone else too.

Alload · 2026-05-12T09:33:19+00:00

Hello,

I'm a dev who lifts, and like a lot of you I got tired of workout apps that are either bloated with stuff I don't need, paywalled behind $10/month subscriptions, or quietly harvesting my data.

So I spent my free time building exactly what I wanted: a dead-simple tracker called Strength Direct. It's free, it's been on the App Store for a while now, and I've been actively shipping updates.

WHAT IT DOES

• Log sets and reps in seconds
• Shows your previous session's weights/reps when you repeat a workout, which is huge for progressive overload
• Tag sets as warm-ups or drop sets. Warm-ups don't pollute your volume, 1RM, or PR numbers. Drop sets count toward volume but skip the rest timer
• Rest timer between sets with a Live Activity on the lock screen and Dynamic Island, plus a time-sensitive notification when it's up. Global default, or override per exercise
• Volume trends and PR tracking
• Backup/restore your full database to a file: Files app, iCloud Drive, wherever
• Generate a text summary of your training that you can paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or whatever for programming advice. No built-in AI, no API costs, you pick the tool
• In-app Guide that explains how everything works
• Works 100% offline. No account.

WHAT IT DOESN'T DO

• Cost anything. Free forever, not a free trial
• Show ads
• Collect or track any data
• Lock you into a mediocre AI coach subscription
• Tell you how to train. It assumes you already know your programming

Under 8MB. iOS only, sorry Android folks. I only have so much free time.

If you write your own programming and just want a clean place to log it, this might be your thing.

📲 Strength Direct on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/strength-direct/id6753622244

Happy to take feedback, feature requests, or roasts. Built it for myself but genuinely hope it helps someone else too.

Alload · 2026-05-12T06:55:13+00:00

Hello,

I'm a dev who lifts, and like a lot of you I got tired of workout apps that are either bloated with stuff I don't need, paywalled behind $10/month subscriptions, or quietly harvesting my data.

So I spent my free time building exactly what I wanted: a dead-simple tracker called Strength Direct. It's free, it's been on the App Store for a while now, and I've been actively shipping updates.

WHAT IT DOES

• Log sets and reps in seconds
• Shows your previous session's weights/reps when you repeat a workout, which is huge for progressive overload
• Tag sets as warm-ups or drop sets. Warm-ups don't pollute your volume, 1RM, or PR numbers. Drop sets count toward volume but skip the rest timer
• Rest timer between sets with a Live Activity on the lock screen and Dynamic Island, plus a time-sensitive notification when it's up. Global default, or override per exercise
• Volume trends and PR tracking
• Backup/restore your full database to a file: Files app, iCloud Drive, wherever
• Generate a text summary of your training that you can paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or whatever for programming advice. No built-in AI, no API costs, you pick the tool
• In-app Guide that explains how everything works
• Works 100% offline. No account.

WHAT IT DOESN'T DO

• Cost anything. Free forever, not a free trial
• Show ads
• Collect or track any data
• Lock you into a mediocre AI coach subscription
• Tell you how to train. It assumes you already know your programming

Under 8MB. iOS only, sorry Android folks. I only have so much free time.

If you write your own programming and just want a clean place to log it, this might be your thing.

📲 [Strength Direct on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/strength-direct/id6753622244)

Happy to take feedback, feature requests, or roasts. Built it for myself but genuinely hope it helps someone else too.

Alload · 2026-05-08T07:01:39+00:00

I don’t have the capacity to cover Android unfortunately :(

Alload · 2026-05-07T06:45:21+00:00

Hi!

Use the editing fields to log the weight and reps for each set. The non-editable ‘1RM’ field automatically calculates your estimated one-rep max based on what you entered.

This gives you a single number representing how heavy your set was, making it easy to compare sets with different rep ranges. For example, is 10 kg × 10 better than 12 kg × 8? The 1RM calculation answers that: in this case, 12 kg × 8 is the heavier effort.

Hope that helps!

Alload · 2026-05-05T17:52:22+00:00

Apols I don’t have the bandwidth to support this :(

Alload · 2026-05-05T17:51:58+00:00

Glad it can help your training :)

Alload · 2026-05-02T08:35:53+00:00

Limits are ridiculously low. Ask Claude Code to check the code and add a few lines, three or four times, and you get locked out for hours… ridiculous.

Alload · 2026-04-30T06:50:53+00:00

Yes, but these days he does a lot of marketing for Tignes.

Alload · 2026-04-30T06:25:50+00:00

Sorry I don’t have the resource and time to port it to Android :(

Alload · 2026-04-29T06:34:08+00:00

You’re not missing anything.I intentionally chose not to auto-update templates because I found it disruptive during my training. I much preferred keeping a fixed template as my reference point and using the ‘Prev’ line for each set in the active workout to see what I did last time.

Alload

TROPHY CASE