Custom Exercises
Create your own exercises when the built-in library doesn't have what you need.
Creating a custom exercise
- Open the exercise library
- Tap Create Exercise
- Enter a name
- Set muscle activation percentages
- Select the equipment it uses
- Optionally set a movement pattern, a bodyweight factor, and whether it uses two dumbbells
Each exercise name must be unique in your library. Names are compared case-insensitively, and you can't reuse the name of a built-in exercise — this keeps your history, volume, and PRs tied to a single exercise instead of splitting them across duplicates.
Setting muscle activations
The most important part of a custom exercise is its muscle activation percentages. These determine how the exercise counts toward your volume per muscle group.
For each muscle group the exercise targets, set a percentage (0–100):
- 100% — This is the primary target muscle. One set = one full effective set for this muscle.
- 50–80% — A significant secondary contributor. The muscle works hard but isn't the main focus.
- 20–50% — A supporting role. The muscle is involved but not heavily loaded.
Example: Incline Dumbbell Press
| Muscle | Activation | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Chest | 90% | Primary target, incline shifts some work to upper chest but overall chest activation is high |
| Front Delts | 60% | Significant involvement due to incline angle |
| Triceps | 50% | Assists in pressing but not the focus |
Tips for setting percentages
- Start with a similar library exercise and adjust. If you're creating "Close-Grip Bench Press," look at the regular bench press activations and increase triceps / decrease chest.
- Don't overthink it. Rough estimates are fine. The difference between 50% and 60% triceps activation is small in practice.
- Primary muscle should usually be 80–100%. If no muscle is above 50%, the exercise is very diffuse and may not be worth tracking per-muscle.
Default resistance type
Choose the resistance type that matches how you typically perform this exercise:
- Weight for barbell/dumbbell exercises
- Cable for cable exercises
- Machine for machine exercises
- Bodyweight for bodyweight exercises
- etc.
You can override this per set when logging, but the default saves time.
Two dumbbells (per-hand weight entry)
If the exercise is performed with a pair of dumbbells (or one handle per hand), turn on Uses two dumbbells. You'll then log the weight of one dumbbell, and the app counts both toward your training volume — the same convention as the built-in dumbbell exercises. Leave it off for single-implement movements (goblet squats, one-arm rows), where you log the total weight held. See Dumbbell exercises.
The exercise's detail view shows a Weight entry badge — One hand ×2 or Combined weight — so you always know which convention applies.
Editing custom exercises
Open the exercise from the library and tap Edit (mobile: on the exercise detail view; web: on the exercise page). You can change the name, muscle activations, equipment, movement pattern, bodyweight factor, and the two-dumbbell setting.
Changes apply to future logging. Past sets keep the convention they were logged under — each set records how it was entered, so your history, volume, and PRs stay correct even if you change the two-dumbbell setting later.
Deleting custom exercises
Remove a custom exercise from your library. Logged sets for this exercise remain in your workout history.