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Logging Sets

The core of every workout — recording what you actually did for each set.

Basic set logging​

For each set, enter:

  1. Weight — The load used (prepopulated from your program's progression targets)
  2. Reps — How many reps you completed
  3. RIR or RPE (optional) — How hard the set felt. See RIR & RPE.

Tap Save Set to record it and move to the next one.

What gets prepopulated​

When you start a workout from a program, HyperIron fills in targets for each set:

  • Weight: Calculated from your progression schedule for the current week
  • Reps: Based on your rep target or rep range
  • RIR: The prescribed intensity for the current mesocycle phase

These are suggestions. Change anything that doesn't match reality — your logged values are what matter.

Reps adjust when you change the weight​

The weight and rep suggestions are linked. If you move off the suggested weight, HyperIron updates the suggested reps to hold the same RIR — the same proximity to failure your set was prescribed at.

For example, if your program suggests 65 lb × 15 @ 2 RIR and you bump the weight to 70 lb, the rep suggestion drops to about 12 — roughly what you'd manage at that heavier load with the same two reps in reserve. Go lighter and the suggested reps climb. Edit the RIR field too and the suggestion re-adjusts for the new effort level.

The estimate projects reps from your set's proximity to failure (reps + RIR) along a strength curve. That curve comes from the same rep-max equations behind your estimated 1RM: the Brzycki formula for lower-rep, near-failure sets and the Epley formula for higher-rep sets (the two agree at 10 reps to failure, so the handoff is seamless). See the formula references for the original sources. It's most accurate in the ~5–12 rep range and gets rougher at very high reps, so treat it as a starting point — your logged reps are what count. If you enter a weight but leave the reps field blank when logging, HyperIron records this adjusted suggestion.

Logging more than the basics​

Each set can also include:

  • Resistance type — Band, machine, cable, bodyweight, etc. (defaults to weight)
  • Advanced set techniques — Drop sets, rest-pause, myo-reps, etc. are logged as their component sets; there's no set-type field, so note the technique in the set notes if you want to spot it later
  • Tempo — Rep speed in E-P-C-P format; there's no tempo field, so note the prescription in the set notes
  • Partial reps — Extra partial-ROM reps beyond your full reps, noted in the set notes
  • Failure — Whether you reached concentric failure; log 0 RIR and add "to failure" in the set notes
  • Single-side work — Log one set covering both sides, at the per-side weight; there's no laterality selector (see Unilateral exercises)
  • Exercise modifiers — Bench angle, bands, stance, heel wedge per set
  • Equipment context — Grip, stance, attachment, machine settings
  • Notes — Free-form text for anything else

You don't need to fill in all of these. Most sets just need weight, reps, and maybe RIR.

Partial reps​

HyperIron counts the reps you enter in the Reps field at full value toward your volume. There's no separate partial-rep field, so partial-ROM reps aren't tracked as their own quantity and don't earn fractional volume credit — and they never feed 1RM estimates, which read your full reps only. If you tacked a few partials onto the end of a set (or ran lengthened partials), record them in the set Notes so the context isn't lost.

Failure​

There's no failure toggle on sets. If you took a set to concentric failure (couldn't complete another rep), log it at 0 RIR — that's the structured signal the app stores — and add "to failure" in the set Notes if you want an unambiguous record. Tracking failure helps with fatigue management — too many sets to failure increases recovery demands.

Dumbbell exercises​

Enter one dumbbell's weight — the load of a single bell, not the pair. If you press a pair of 50s, log 50.

For movements that use two dumbbells at once (dumbbell bench press, dumbbell shoulder press), HyperIron counts both bells toward your training volume automatically, so your tonnage lines up with the equivalent barbell lift. You never double the number yourself. Your estimated 1RM stays per-dumbbell — it reflects the strength of one arm's bell, not the combined load.

Single-dumbbell holds (goblet squats) count the one bell exactly as entered — no doubling. Single-arm and single-leg work uses this same one-implement, both-sides-counted convention — see Unilateral exercises below.

Each set remembers the convention it was logged under, so if an exercise's counting ever changes, your past sets still display at today's per-dumbbell weight — your history stays consistent without you doing anything.

Unilateral exercises​

For single-limb exercises (one-arm dumbbell rows, single-leg press), log one set that covers both sides, at the per-side weight and the per-side rep count:

Set 1: 70 lbs × 10 reps

That one set means both arms (or both legs) worked at 70 lbs for 10 reps apiece. HyperIron counts both sides toward your training volume automatically — the same way it counts both bells in a two-dumbbell press — so you never log or tally a side twice. Your estimated 1RM stays per-side.

If the two sides don't quite match (your weaker side gives out a rep or two early), log the lower rep count — that's the true output for the set.

For alternating exercises (walking lunges, alternating curls), log as a single set with the total rep count across both sides.

Supersets​

Exercises grouped as a superset in your program appear bracketed together in the workout, each tagged with its group position — A1, A2.

Log them in alternating rounds: one set of A1, one set of A2, then back to A1. After you save a set on a member, HyperIron highlights the group's next exercise — the member with the fewest logged sets — so you always know where to go next. If members have unequal set targets, a member that finishes early simply drops out of the rotation and the highlight keeps cycling through the rest.

Rest timing follows the group, not the individual exercise: on the web, superset members share one rest readout — logging a set on either member restarts the pair's rest, and both cards show the same value. On mobile, the rest timer is workout-wide (it counts up from your last logged set of any exercise), which already behaves this way within a superset.

Editing logged sets​

Made a mistake? Tap a logged set to edit the weight, reps, or any other field. Changes are saved immediately.

Tips​

  • Log honestly — The system works best with accurate data, even when sets don't go as planned
  • Don't skip RIR — Even a rough estimate helps HyperIron understand your effort level
  • Use notes sparingly — For things like "tweaked shoulder on set 3" that context can't capture otherwise