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docs: file 2026-07-18 design Q&A into docs/design/ Raw notes captured on mbp during design brainstorm: exercise input types, cardio scope, muscle-group tagging, deload/reroll, session output format, 1RM/load approximation, warm-up handling, sync approach. Filed here rather than lost when clearing mbp scratch.
Author: Max Johnson <me@maxj.phd> · 2026-07-21 19:45 UTC
Commit: 0d71ef3bd677f32179ae1ef3a803860b1d6631b0
Parent: 57a4824
1 file changed, +26 insertions, -0 deletions
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1 +
2 + 1. overload
3 + 2. designed for multiple users, I am tempted to market it to personal trainers for managing their various clients.
4 + 3. We should have several types of weight input, starting with bodyweight, machine, and freeweight
5 + 4. Cardio is in scope, we might just consider cardio to be a targeted body part for simplicity. (ie swimming would target both back and cardio and more)
6 + 5. Good default, should be configurable. I think we can get away with the code being entirely agnostic about bodyparts, treating them as an abstraction
7 + 6. I think a workout should have several unordered body part tags rather than one focused body part. we can consider whether to allow more granular control over how hard each muscle is targeted.
8 + 7. Decided at time of exercise creation, no default step on machine
9 + 8. no sets or reps in the config for an individual exercise
10 + 9. Is there some form of deload where its triggered by one bad session but an above average performance in the next session can put you back on track?
11 + 10. just 1-5 integers
12 + 11. exercise count
13 + 12. I think the suggestion system should have a slight preference (which we will tune)for suggesting an exercise that targets the same muscles but was done less recently
14 + 13. Generate a list of muscles to warm up but do not get specific.
15 + 14. we should add a reroll button that tries to suggest a next closest option that the user can flip thru to look for something they can do or skip that exercise.
16 + 15. Dump at the end, I prefer to handwrite during the session
17 + 16. i have a notebook (physical)
18 + 17. No free text notes, app is not a journal
19 + 18. multi page fine
20 + 19. Nothing but the prescription and maybe an arrow indicating if the weight/effort is higher than last time or lower or unchanged
21 + 20. Ill handle it
22 + 21. native tui for now, probably a webview eventually -> pwa app
23 + 22. syncthing the sqlite for now
24 + 23. just the mbp
25 + 24. Conceptually 1rm is interesting, but I want to do research and figure out the actual best practice way to approximate loads across differents reps.
26 + 25. We may add a feature where you can generate a diagnostic session designed to help the app figure out your capabilities.