A web app that generates custom workout routines based on available ...

...equipment, fitness level, and time constraints, with video demonstrations and progress tracking.

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Freemium

People love using similar products but resist paying. You’ll need to either find who will pay or create additional value that’s worth paying for.

Should You Build It?

Build but think about differentiation and monetization.


Your are here

Your idea for a custom workout generator web app enters a popular and validated market, indicated by the high number of similar products (14) and significant user engagement (average 28 comments) around them. This confirms people are actively looking for solutions like yours. However, this is a double-edged sword: demand is clear, but competition is fierce. You're operating in a classic 'Freemium' space – users readily engage with free tools but show resistance to paying unless the value is exceptionally clear and differentiated. Your primary challenge isn't proving the need exists, but carving out a unique space and figuring out a compelling reason for users to pay amidst many free or low-cost alternatives. Success hinges on superior execution, clear differentiation, and a smart monetization strategy.

Recommendations

  1. Conduct deep competitive analysis beyond just features. Study the user feedback for apps like Workout.lol and MuscleWiki. Identify specific pain points mentioned (e.g., poor beginner guidance, confusing UI, lack of specific tracking, generic routines, hidden fees) and design your app to explicitly solve these better than competitors.
  2. Define a sharp Unique Value Proposition (UVP). Given the crowded market, 'custom workouts' isn't enough. What specific niche will you dominate? Is it hyper-personalization for users with specific home equipment? Superior injury-prevention focus? Workouts for niche fitness goals ignored by others? Your UVP must be the core reason someone chooses you over 13+ alternatives.
  3. Prioritize a flawless User Experience (UX), especially on mobile. Competitor feedback highlights issues with mobile layouts, confusing navigation, and onboarding. Ensure your video demos are seamlessly integrated and progress tracking is intuitive. A smooth, frustration-free experience can be a key differentiator.
  4. Address the 'Freemium' monetization challenge head-on. Identify which user segments derive the most value from the free tier (template point 1) and design premium features specifically for their next level needs (template point 2). Think beyond basic features – consider advanced analytics, AI-driven adaptive plans based on tracked performance, integrations, or specialized content verified by certified professionals.
  5. Explicitly address safety and beginner guidance concerns raised about competitors. Ensure exercise instructions are crystal clear, potentially offer different camera angles in videos, include warm-ups/cool-downs, and provide modifications. Building trust through safe, effective guidance is crucial, especially for less experienced users.
  6. Test your monetization model carefully before wide launch (template point 5). Given competitor criticism about pricing ('delusional') and hidden fees, transparency is key. Experiment with different value tiers or perhaps a one-time purchase option for specific programs, alongside subscriptions. Consider offering highly personalized coaching as a premium add-on (template point 4).

Questions

  1. Beyond 'customization', what specific, unmet need in the fitness app market does your product address so uniquely that users will bypass numerous free/established competitors and choose to pay for yours?
  2. Considering the strong negative reactions to hidden fees and perceived high costs in competitor feedback, how will you design your pricing and communicate value transparently to overcome the inherent user resistance to paying in this 'Freemium' category?
  3. How will you ensure your workout generation algorithm provides genuinely effective and safe routines, particularly for beginners, avoiding the pitfalls of 'odd programming' and 'potentially harmful exercises' highlighted in competitor critiques?

Your are here

Your idea for a custom workout generator web app enters a popular and validated market, indicated by the high number of similar products (14) and significant user engagement (average 28 comments) around them. This confirms people are actively looking for solutions like yours. However, this is a double-edged sword: demand is clear, but competition is fierce. You're operating in a classic 'Freemium' space – users readily engage with free tools but show resistance to paying unless the value is exceptionally clear and differentiated. Your primary challenge isn't proving the need exists, but carving out a unique space and figuring out a compelling reason for users to pay amidst many free or low-cost alternatives. Success hinges on superior execution, clear differentiation, and a smart monetization strategy.

Recommendations

  1. Conduct deep competitive analysis beyond just features. Study the user feedback for apps like Workout.lol and MuscleWiki. Identify specific pain points mentioned (e.g., poor beginner guidance, confusing UI, lack of specific tracking, generic routines, hidden fees) and design your app to explicitly solve these better than competitors.
  2. Define a sharp Unique Value Proposition (UVP). Given the crowded market, 'custom workouts' isn't enough. What specific niche will you dominate? Is it hyper-personalization for users with specific home equipment? Superior injury-prevention focus? Workouts for niche fitness goals ignored by others? Your UVP must be the core reason someone chooses you over 13+ alternatives.
  3. Prioritize a flawless User Experience (UX), especially on mobile. Competitor feedback highlights issues with mobile layouts, confusing navigation, and onboarding. Ensure your video demos are seamlessly integrated and progress tracking is intuitive. A smooth, frustration-free experience can be a key differentiator.
  4. Address the 'Freemium' monetization challenge head-on. Identify which user segments derive the most value from the free tier (template point 1) and design premium features specifically for their next level needs (template point 2). Think beyond basic features – consider advanced analytics, AI-driven adaptive plans based on tracked performance, integrations, or specialized content verified by certified professionals.
  5. Explicitly address safety and beginner guidance concerns raised about competitors. Ensure exercise instructions are crystal clear, potentially offer different camera angles in videos, include warm-ups/cool-downs, and provide modifications. Building trust through safe, effective guidance is crucial, especially for less experienced users.
  6. Test your monetization model carefully before wide launch (template point 5). Given competitor criticism about pricing ('delusional') and hidden fees, transparency is key. Experiment with different value tiers or perhaps a one-time purchase option for specific programs, alongside subscriptions. Consider offering highly personalized coaching as a premium add-on (template point 4).

Questions

  1. Beyond 'customization', what specific, unmet need in the fitness app market does your product address so uniquely that users will bypass numerous free/established competitors and choose to pay for yours?
  2. Considering the strong negative reactions to hidden fees and perceived high costs in competitor feedback, how will you design your pricing and communicate value transparently to overcome the inherent user resistance to paying in this 'Freemium' category?
  3. How will you ensure your workout generation algorithm provides genuinely effective and safe routines, particularly for beginners, avoiding the pitfalls of 'odd programming' and 'potentially harmful exercises' highlighted in competitor critiques?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 14
  • Engagement: High
    • Average number of comments: 28
  • Net use signal: 7.1%
    • Positive use signal: 17.0%
    • Negative use signal: 9.9%
  • Net buy signal: -2.9%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.8%
    • Negative buy signal: 3.7%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

Similar products

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IronIQ, an iOS app for effortless workouts.

10 Jul 2023 Health & Fitness

Hey! IronIQ is my attempt to make a workout app I’d actually like to use, and I’d really like feedback on it.Here’s a few features I’ve been particularly fond of:- [Beta] AI for personalized workout routines- 2K+ exercises with detailed how-to videos- Customizable rest timers, even on the Lock Screen- Track progress with intuitive charts and stats- Organized UI by day of the week, keeping it simple, also has themes and more little details- History and routines stored securely on iCloud without any data sharing back to me- Hassle-free option to buy once and remove adsExciting things I’m working on right now:- AI will actually add a routine to the app for you, not just text, and have more information for help in-workout- Timed endurance exercises- Supersets- Multiple language translationsHope this project is exciting to more than just me!

IronIQ workout app features and future plans.


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I built an app that personalizes home workouts

Hey HN,I’ve built and bootstrapped PARIAN. It designs personalized workouts so you reach your fitness goal quickly and efficiently. By training only with goal-specific exercises tailored to your experience level and preferred equipment (or just bodyweight), you skip the wasted time, effort, and disappointment. No more doom scrolling exercises, being overwhelmed by how to plan them, and being bombarded by noise from all the fitfluencers. You workout with confidence knowing each exercise is intentional and each session is moving you forward. Plus, you have the freedom to customize your program at any moment, ensuring the training is enjoyable - thus ensuring consistency.I believe fitness is not a lifestyle, but a core part of life and wanted to create something that will assist this pursuit of going after your fitness potential. And instill the excitement of all the new doors that will open up - bouldering, boxing, breakdancing, you name it. Being non technical I naturally leaned towards no-code platforms. Started building on Bubble in 2022 and launched the demo that December. I got some assistance from friends with html, css, and js along the way and officially launched the MVP in Feb 2023.The fitness app space is crowded, and ones that tailor workouts already exist—so why build this? Saturation is demand, and it’s easier to stand out in a crowd than to create your own market. When you break it down, most of the apps aren't personalized. Majority are workout trackers/loggers or just have a selection of pre-made workouts.The few apps that do personalize workouts create subpar programs with surface level tutorials and lack support, guidance, and customization.Additionally, even the most popular apps in this space have: — Questionable exercise selection — Exercise redundancy in the workouts — Excessive training volume — Require constant input throughout workoutsThe gap between 0 support and minimal structure (youtube/pdf plans), and hiring a personal trainer at a gym for hundreds of dollars is huge. While both have their time and place, I believe most would actually benefit working out with an app. Training from home, with bodyweight/available equipment is the fastest way to start that fitness journey - leveraging the device you spend the most time with. PARIAN is more than a workout tracker & planner - it’s a savvy training partner that guides you through personalized workouts and expedites your fitness journey.Just shipped an update, try a demo workout here — https://parianlabs.com/demo-workoutsFollow our journey — @parianlabs on instaFeedback and support is much appreciated!

Users expressed frustration over a hidden fee, account deletion issues, and unclear value proposition. Some found the UI unresponsive and had trouble with mobile layout. Positive feedback included excitement for StretchLab, preference for generated videos, and willingness to pay despite script requirements. Minor issues with navigation and demo links were noted. Comparisons with other services' pricing and a dramatic endorsement were also mentioned.

Users criticized the product for a hidden $10 fee post-account creation, account deletion issues, and lack of UI feedback for deletion. The value proposition was deemed unspecific and lacking personalization. There were complaints about the gym's bench shortage, excessive padding affecting mobile display, poor mobile optimization, and script requirements from major platforms. The navigation bar was reported as too squashed on desktop, and the $10/month fitness service was called delusional.


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A free and open-source web application to create workouts based on your available equipment and the muscles you want to train.

Workout.lol received positive feedback for its ease of use, intuitive design, and helpfulness in workout planning, especially for beginners. Users appreciate the simple workout steps, coherent exercises, and well-placed videos. Many congratulated Vincent on the launch and praised the app's aesthetic appeal and functionality. Suggestions include integrating a timer, performance tracking, difficulty levels, more personalization features like templates and quizzes, and the development of a mobile app. Some users experienced issues, such as a shuffle error, but overall, the app is seen as a great alternative to YouTube for weight training.

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Hey everyone,I here is a small open-source project I've been working on lately. I'd love to hear your thoughts and improvement ideas :)GitHub: [github.com/Vincenius/workout-lol](https://github.com/Vincenius/workout-lol)

The Show HN product, likely a fitness-related web app, has received mixed feedback. Users appreciate the clear exercise instructions, particularly for deadlifts, squats, bench presses, and pull-ups, and find the app great for beginners seeking gym guidance. The Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 method and Starting Strength program are well-regarded. However, there is criticism for promoting potentially harmful exercises, lack of deep content, and suboptimal structure for effectiveness. Users suggest the app could benefit from better structure, proof of workout superiority, and more guidance for new lifters. There's also a call for more variety in exercises and a preference for simple over complex routines. Some users find the randomized exercises unhelpful and the app's fitness approach suboptimal, while others are motivated by the resource and appreciate the ease of tracking workouts. Concerns about the necessity of diet in routines and the risk of injury for beginners are also mentioned. The app's UX/UI is praised, but there's a desire for more features like video size adjustments and workout history tracking. Overall, the app is seen as a useful tool with room for improvement.

The Show HN product or service has been criticized for promoting harmful and inefficient training for beginners, lacking clear instructions, and having a writing style that is not universally appreciated. Users find the pedagogical approach and article structure problematic, with a focus on ranting rather than evidence-based advice. The app is seen as lacking community features, with confusing terminology and suboptimal exercise programming. There are concerns about injury risk, lack of progress tracking, and the suitability of exercises for beginners. The UI/UX is considered overcomplicated, and there is a desire for more specific features and better guidance for new lifters.


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