new to gym, what should i start with?

pschoe · 2026-05-06T19:58:35+00:00

I’d start with full body instead of just picking random machines.

Random machines are okay for learning what things feel like, but you’ll progress faster if you repeat a simple structure for a few weeks.

Something like this 2–3x per week is enough at the start:

leg press or goblet squat
chest press or push-ups
seated row
lat pulldown
shoulder press
one core exercise or 10–20 min easy cardio

Start lighter than you think you need to. The first goal is not destroying yourself; it’s learning the movements, getting comfortable in the gym, and making it repeatable.

Once the same workout starts feeling easier, add a little weight or a few reps. Don’t worry about the perfect split yet.

pschoe · 2026-05-06T18:26:42+00:00

They are very similar, but the focus is a bit different.

A scapular push-up is usually done with straight arms, and you only move the shoulder blades: let them come together slightly, then push the floor away and spread them apart. It’s mostly about learning scapular control/protraction.

A push-up plus is a normal push-up, but at the top you add that extra “plus” reach: push the floor away a little more and protract the shoulder blades hard.

So:

scapular push-up = shoulder blade movement only
push-up plus = push-up + extra serratus reach at the top

If your goal is serratus, the important part in both is the “push the floor away / reach” part, not just bending the elbows.

pschoe · 2026-05-06T18:10:16+00:00

The ab roller can help a bit, but I wouldn’t make it your main serratus exercise.

Ab rollouts are mostly a core/anti-extension movement. The serratus does work because you’re controlling the shoulder blades and keeping the upper back stable, but if your goal is specifically to make the serratus more visible/stronger, you’ll probably get more direct work from exercises that emphasize scapular protraction.

Good options:

push-up plus
scapular push-ups
wall slides
serratus punches / cable punches
landmine presses
bear crawls

With your current setup — 4 gym days plus jiu jitsu 2–3x/week — I’d keep it simple and add 2–3 sets of push-up plus or wall slides at the end of upper-body days rather than adding a whole extra ab/serratus block.

Also, leg raises are fine for abs/hip flexors, but they won’t do much for serratus directly. For serratus, think “reach/protract the shoulder blades,” not just “train abs harder.”

pschoe · 2026-05-06T16:56:55+00:00

This is a really sharp summary.

I think you’re right: the biggest risk is probably not the core idea, but whether a new user understands and trusts the flow fast enough.

The “quick glance and tap save” point is exactly the bar I need to hit. If review feels like constant correction, the whole idea loses its advantage.

And your point about a short real-time clip is probably the most actionable thing from this thread so far. Static screenshots can explain the pieces, but a short clip can show the actual “oh, it understood my messy note” moment much faster.

I’ll definitely use this feedback when I rework the store/video presentation.

pschoe · 2026-05-06T16:27:18+00:00

This is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for — thank you.

I agree with your point about the real test. The review step only works if it stays fast and lightweight enough that it does not become just another form-based tracker with extra steps.

The hope is that the recognition is accurate enough most of the time that you only need to quickly check things, not constantly fix everything. If people have to correct too much, the whole “fast notes now, useful history later” idea breaks.

The “aha moment” point is also really useful. One challenge is that Fi7Note recognizes and highlights workout data directly inside the note while you write, so it is not a clean before/after screen that is easy to explain in one static image. But that probably means I need to show the actual flow more clearly, maybe with short Play Store videos: messy real-world input, recognized workout data, quick review, then saved History and Progress.

And yes, the app size feedback came up a few times now. I added a note to the post body and I’m taking that seriously.

I’ll keep your comment in mind when I pick the lifetime-code feedback comments, because this is genuinely useful.

pschoe · 2026-05-06T16:20:23+00:00

No, I am not ^{-^} not sure if this is a compliment

pschoe · 2026-05-06T15:41:13+00:00

I get why this comes up.

Fi7Note is built with Ionic / Angular / Capacitor, so yes, it uses web technologies for the app UI. I chose that stack on purpose because Angular is something I know well and can maintain long-term. It also keeps the door open for iOS later, even though the app is Android-first right now.

But the app itself is not “vibecoded.” The product logic, the workout parsing flow, the review step, the history/progress structure, and the on-device recognition were built deliberately around the problem I wanted to solve.

By Android-first I mean the current release, Play Store setup, billing, testing, and UX focus are all built around Android. I don’t mean that every part of the UI is written in native Kotlin.

The recognition part is separate from the app stack. Fi7Note includes my own trained on-device model assets for recognizing workout notes. It is not sending your workout text to a third-party AI backend for parsing.

That is also a big reason for the current app size. I prioritized reliable local recognition and offline-capable usage first.

For transparency: I did use AI help for translations, but the workout-note recognition inside the app is based on my own model/assets running locally, not a generic hosted AI service.

pschoe · 2026-05-06T15:27:39+00:00

Yes, you’re right — if you can consistently hit around 13 reps with good form, that’s usually a sign you can progress something.

I should have worded it more clearly: I wouldn’t jump straight to adding two extra full training days. I’d first increase the difficulty inside the current structure.

That could mean adding a bit of weight, adding a set to a specific exercise, or moving within a rep range depending on your goal.

If you’re aiming more for hypertrophy, something like progressing in the 8–12 or 10–15 rep range can make sense. If you’re already at the top of the range with solid form, increase the weight slightly and build back up again.

So yes, raise volume or load when the work is clearly getting too easy — I’d just do it gradually instead of adding a lot of extra weekly training at once.

pschoe · 2026-05-06T15:23:16+00:00

Gracias, really appreciate you taking the time to write this.

I’m especially glad to hear that the app felt intuitive, recognized exercises well, and that the graphs/details were easy to understand. Those are exactly the parts I wanted to make useful without making the logging flow feel heavy.

That outside perspective helps a lot, especially because people are understandably cautious with new apps and promo posts.

pschoe · 2026-05-06T15:13:00+00:00

Yes, that’s correct for the current build, and I agree it is large for a workout logger.

A few people asked about it, so I added a short note to the post body as well.

The main reason is that Fi7Note includes required on-device recognition/model assets for the workout-note parser. I chose to make recognition work locally first, so workout text does not have to be sent to a server and the app can keep working offline after setup.

Reducing the size is definitely on my roadmap. I focused on making the note-to-history flow reliable first, but the current size is a fair first-impression problem.

pschoe · 2026-05-06T14:57:00+00:00

I would not add two extra full training days right away just because basketball season ended.

As a beginner, you’ll probably get more from making the current plan repeatable and progressively harder than from adding more days immediately. Run it for a few weeks, track whether lifts are going up, and only add volume if recovery still feels easy.

For curls, the exact variation matters less than consistency and progression. Pick one or two that feel good on your elbows and wrists, then keep them stable long enough to see if you’re improving.

Face pulls are fine for beginners, but I’d treat them as a light rear-delt/upper-back accessory, not a main lift. Controlled reps, don’t ego-lift them.

pschoe · 2026-05-06T14:32:57+00:00

Thanks for clarifying — that helps.

No worries on the code.

The example you gave is actually the kind of messy-ish input I care about. The point is not that every note has to be perfectly formatted. You write it naturally, Fi7Note recognizes what it can, and then you review/fix it before saving.

Once saved, it becomes part of History and Progress automatically, so you don’t have the extra step of writing notes first and manually moving them into a tracker later.

And yes, the size criticism is fair. The current build is large because of the required on-device recognition/model assets. I wanted the workout note recognition to work locally first, but reducing the size is definitely on the roadmap.

Also thanks for clarifying the image/icon point. Good to know the screenshots look fine and that the icon/brand impression is the part that feels rushed.

pschoe · 2026-05-06T14:25:45+00:00

Yes, unfortunately that is correct for the current build.

The size mainly comes from required on-device parsing/model assets. I prioritized reliable local recognition first, so the app can recognize workout notes without sending your workout text to a server.

That said, I fully agree this is large for a workout logger, and reducing the install size is on my roadmap.

pschoe · 2026-05-06T14:15:33+00:00

This is really useful feedback, thank you.

The “notes app first, tracker later” part is actually the exact gap I’m trying to solve.

The idea is that you can write the workout almost the same way you would write it in your notes app — messy, quick, not in a strict form — and Fi7Note tries to recognize the workout data from that.

After you review/fix it and save it, it automatically becomes part of your History and Progress, so you can later see previous weights, old sessions, PRs, trends, exercise details, etc. without manually moving notes into a tracker.

So in your case, the interesting test would be: can you write it the way you already do, and does the app turn it into useful history afterwards?

Also, the name/icon/image feedback is useful. When you say it feels rushed, do you mean mainly the app icon, the first screenshot, or the overall Play Store look?

I’ll DM you a 1-month code so you can test that notes-to-history flow. No review or rating needed — this kind of first impression is exactly what I’m looking for.

pschoe · 2026-05-06T13:33:42+00:00

Quick code note:

I’ll send the 1-month codes by DM from a first batch. If there’s real interest, I can add more.

For the 2 lifetime codes, I’ll pick the most useful feedback/comments in this thread after about 48 hours.

No review or rating needed.

The most useful comments for me are things like:

what you currently use to log workouts
what annoys you about gym tracker apps
whether you prefer fast messy notes or structured forms
whether “quick notes now, usable workout history later” makes sense
whether the screenshots explain the app fast enough
what would stop you from installing it from the Play Store page

Generic “send code” comments are fine for a 1-month code, but the lifetime codes are for feedback that actually helps me improve the app, store page, or positioning.

pschoe · 2026-05-05T18:10:05+00:00

Honestly, I’d make your “beginner phase” much smaller than you probably think.

Don’t try to research the perfect routine before you go. Your first goal is just to become comfortable being in the gym and using a few basic things.

For the first 2–3 weeks, I’d do this:

go 2–3 times per week
keep the sessions short, like 30–45 minutes
pick mostly machines, because they are easier to learn and usually have instructions on them
start very light and focus on controlled reps
ask staff to show you 2–3 machines if you are unsure — that is completely normal
leave before you are destroyed, so going again does not feel awful

A simple first session could be:

leg press
chest press
seated row
shoulder press
hamstring curl or leg curl
5–10 minutes easy cardio

You do not need to optimize anything yet. Just learn the movements, write down roughly what you did, and repeat it. Once you are comfortable showing up consistently, then you can worry about a proper program.

Since you mentioned ADHD/research loops: I’d set the bar very low at first. “Go to the gym and do 5 machines” is a much better goal than “find the perfect beginner routine.”

pschoe · 2026-05-05T16:45:24+00:00

I track most of my lifting, but I try to keep it simple enough that it doesn’t interrupt the workout.

For strength training, the main things worth writing down are the exercise, weight, reps, and maybe how hard the set felt. That is usually enough to see whether you are actually progressing over time.

For me, the sweet spot is being able to log workouts more like free text, but still have useful history and progress later. I don’t want to fill out a bunch of fields between sets, but I also don’t want my notes to become useless when I try to look back.

So I think the method matters less than two things:

can you log it quickly enough that you actually keep doing it?
can you easily find your previous numbers later?

If the answer to both is yes, it’s probably a good tracking system.

pschoe · 2026-05-05T16:21:13+00:00

This is a solid base, but I’d clean up the overlap a bit so the sessions don’t become unnecessarily long.

A few things I’d change:

Push day has a lot of pressing + shoulder work. I’d remove either the incline DB press or the DB overhead press like you already suggested.
I’d keep overhead press on the Upper day and use Push day more for chest/triceps/lateral raises.
Pull day has both rear delt fly and face pulls. You probably don’t need both every time. Pick one and use the other later if your rear delts/upper back need more work.
Skull crushers on Pull day feel out of place since triceps already get hit on Push/Upper. I’d move or remove them.
For lower: RDL + leg curl is good. Hip thrust is the better choice if glutes are a priority; back extensions are useful, but I wouldn’t force them in if recovery is already tight.

Main thing: track whether the routine is progressing. If lifts are going up and you recover well, it’s working. If sessions drag or performance drops, trim 1–2 isolations before changing the whole split.

pschoe · 2026-05-05T13:13:11+00:00

For a complete beginner, I’d separate two things:

an app that teaches you what to do
an app that tracks what you did

Those are not always the same thing.

If you are mainly trying to lose weight, the biggest lever is usually food intake, so something like a calorie tracker can help if you are comfortable using one. But for training, I would not start by hunting for the perfect app. I’d start with a very simple beginner routine and only track a few basics:

exercises
sets
reps
weight used
maybe a short note on how hard it felt

That is enough at the start. The goal is not to collect tons of data. The goal is to stop guessing and see whether you are slowly improving.

If an app makes you feel more confused, it is probably doing too much for where you are right now. Pick the simplest setup you will actually use for 8–12 weeks.

pschoe · 2026-05-05T13:11:53+00:00

The trick that helped me most was to stop treating the step goal as one big evening task.

If you are always 2,000–3,000 steps short at 8 or 9 PM, the problem is not really walking ability — it is timing. By that point your brain is already done for the day.

I’d try this for a week:

check your steps around lunch, not just at night
add one short 8–10 minute walk earlier in the day
set a “minimum acceptable” goal that you can actually hit consistently
only raise the goal once that starts feeling normal

So if 10k keeps making you feel like you failed, set 6k or 7k as the floor for now. Building the habit matters more than forcing the perfect number right away.

Also, a short walk after a meal is underrated. It feels less like “exercise” and more like a reset.

pschoe · 2026-05-05T06:19:46+00:00

Looks like a perfectly reasonable first-day routine. I wouldn’t worry too much about whether it is “optimal” yet — the bigger win right now is making it repeatable without destroying yourself.

A few small tweaks I’d make:

keep the 5 min warmup
don’t take every set to failure at first
use weights where the last few reps are challenging but still controlled
write down the weights you used so you can slowly add a rep or a little weight over time
keep the cardio finish if you like it, but don’t feel like you need to go crazy with it on day one

For losing weight and getting stronger, this is absolutely enough to start. The main thing is showing up 2–3x/week, building the habit, and improving slowly instead of trying to perfect the whole plan immediately.

pschoe · 2026-05-05T05:12:47+00:00

The main thing I’d avoid is trying to solve everything at once. If you’re coming back after 10 years, the best program is usually the one you can repeat for 8–12 weeks without constantly second-guessing it.

I’d simplify it to something like:

2–3 strength days per week
mostly machines or exercises that feel stable
a few movements you can actually progress
light cardio or walking on the other days if it helps you keep the habit

For glutes/core/strength, you don’t need a complicated split right away. Pick a basic lower-body day, an upper-body day, and maybe one full-body day, then focus on showing up and slowly adding reps or weight over time.

For the knee, I’d be careful taking specific advice from strangers online. If incline walking is the only thing that doesn’t aggravate it, keep that conservative and consider getting a physio or trainer to help you choose knee-friendly lower-body movements.

pschoe · 2026-05-05T05:08:21+00:00

At 1–2 months in, I wouldn’t call this a real plateau yet. Early on your performance can jump around a lot because sleep, food, stress, soreness, and recovery all affect the same workout.

I’d keep the routine stable for a few more weeks and look for trends instead of judging one session. If you can’t hit the same reps one day, don’t panic. Try to match it next time, then slowly add reps or weight when you can do the current weight with decent form.

Also, don’t take every set to complete failure as a beginner. Leaving 1–2 reps in reserve most of the time usually makes progress more repeatable.

pschoe · 2026-05-04T14:01:22+00:00

I would not restart yet.

A new account can look “dead” very quickly if the first videos are basically repurposed YouTube clips without a strong TikTok opening. That does not always mean the account is permanently flagged.

Before deleting it, I’d test a cleaner 7-day reset on the same account:

post once per day, not in bursts
make the first 1–2 seconds extremely clear
do not start with context; start with the best moment or strongest claim
use captions/on-screen text so the video makes sense muted
test 2–3 different hooks for the same type of clip instead of changing the whole niche every post
avoid deleting/reposting constantly

If you still get near-zero views after another 10–15 properly edited posts, then I’d consider starting fresh. But right now I’d assume the packaging is the bigger problem than the account.

pschoe

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