Liftwerk
Minimal strength training tracker for iPhone. Routines, workout history, analytics, and supplement tracking, with no subscription, no ads, no account required, and full data export.
The Problem
I was trying out several different apps, but none of them quite won me over. Between monthly subscriptions, features I don't need, and the fact that most of them seemed designed for people who want to share their workouts and build a community around that. I just wanted something simple that didn't try to do too many things.
The Decisions
The decisions were simple: don't include everything that bothers me about other apps, and keep the features I find useful. No community features, the workouts are just for me, and there's only one sharing option in case a trainer is guiding you. No AI trainer, no useless features. Just the essentials. For example, supplement tracking, which is closely tied to gym workouts. Or the option to log unilateral exercises, something I haven't seen in many apps, even the most popular ones.
How to build an app.
Liftwerk taught me everything at once: Xcode, the full iOS development flow, how to test properly, how to chase bugs, and how to use AI to read, write, and reason about code. I learned to wear the designer and developer hat at the same time, to build the whole ecosystem from scratch including the landing page, the App Store presence, and the icons. And maybe more importantly, having gone through the whole process once, I now know how to do it again.