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Gym & Exercise Module

Status: ✅ Complete
Last Updated: 2026-08-18

Overview​

Complete gym and exercise tracking system with exercise catalog, workout management, progress tracking, analytics, and mobility integration.

User Guide​

What is the Gym & Exercise Module?​

The Gym & Exercise Module is your complete training tracking system. It helps you:

  • Track every workout with detailed metrics
  • Build a personal exercise catalog
  • Monitor progress over time
  • Analyze training patterns and correlations
  • Identify muscle group imbalances

Key Principle: All training data is input IN ARC - you don't import from other apps. This ensures data integrity and enables powerful cross-domain analytics.

Quick add: paste shorthand lines to log a full workout. See Quick-add workout shorthand.

Exercise Catalog​

What is it? Your personal library of exercises, shared between gym workouts and mobility sessions.

How to use:

  1. Browse the catalog - Go to Exercises page to see all available exercises
  2. Search and filter - Find exercises by name, category, or muscle group
  3. Create custom exercises - Add your own exercises with categories and muscle groups
  4. Use in workouts - Select exercises from the catalog when logging workouts

Exercise Details:

  • Category - Exercise type (Strength, Cardio, Mobility, etc.)
  • Muscle Groups - Which muscles the exercise targets
  • Type - Compound, Isolation, etc.
  • Global vs Personal - Some exercises are available to everyone, others are your custom exercises

Logging Workouts​

How to log a workout:

  1. Go to Workout page
  2. Select your split - Choose from your weekly split labels (Push, Pull, Legs, etc.)
  3. Add exercises - Select exercises from your catalog
  4. Log your sets - Enter reps, weight, RPE/RIR, rest time, and other metrics
  5. Add session details - Start/end time, notes, overall session RPE
  6. Save - Your workout is logged and linked to today's day

Core Metrics (Always Available):

  • Reps - Number of repetitions
  • Sets - Number of sets completed
  • Load - Weight used
  • RIR/RPE - Reps in Reserve or Rate of Perceived Exertion
  • Rest Time - Time between sets

Additional Metrics (Optional):

  • ROM - Range of motion notes
  • Tempo/TUT - Time under tension
  • 1RM / %1RM - One-rep max calculations
  • Pause Duration - Pause at bottom/top of movement

Advanced Metrics (Optional):

  • e1RM - Estimated one-rep max
  • Velocity - Bar speed (if measured)
  • Fatigue Index - Session fatigue tracking
  • Intensity - Overall set intensity

Progress Tracking​

Exercise Analytics:

  • View progress graphs for any exercise (weight, reps, volume over time)
  • See trend analysis (improving, plateauing, declining)
  • Track personal records (PRs)
  • View frequency heatmaps (calendar-style visualization)

Muscle Group Analytics:

  • See training frequency by muscle group
  • Identify imbalances (e.g., "You haven't trained legs in 2 weeks")
  • Track volume and tonnage per muscle group
  • Get warnings for under-trained muscle groups

Workout Analytics:

  • Total volume and tonnage over time
  • Average RPE/RIR trends
  • Session duration tracking
  • Overall training load analysis

Correlation Analytics:

  • See how training affects sleep quality
  • Track training load vs mood/energy
  • Analyze RPE vs recovery metrics
  • Discover patterns across domains

Weekly Split System​

What is it? A customizable label system for organizing your training sessions.

How to use:

  1. Set up split labels - Go to Settings → Week Settings to customize your split labels
  2. Default labels: Push, Pull, Legs, Arms (you can change these)
  3. Tag each workout - Select a split label when logging a workout
  4. Track frequency - System shows how often you train each split

Benefits:

  • Organize training by muscle group or focus area
  • Track training frequency and balance
  • Identify gaps in your training schedule

Exercise Analytics​

How to view exercise analytics:

  1. Go to Exercises page
  2. Click on any exercise
  3. View Analytics tab to see:
    • Progress graphs (weight, reps, volume over time)
    • Trend analysis
    • Personal records
    • Frequency heatmap

What the analytics show:

  • Progress Graphs - Visualize your improvement over time
  • Trend Analysis - See if you're improving, plateauing, or declining
  • PR Tracking - Personal records automatically tracked
  • Frequency Heatmap - Calendar view showing when you trained this exercise

Integration with Mobility​

Shared Exercise Catalog:

  • Exercises in your catalog can be used in both gym workouts and mobility sessions
  • Same exercise, different context (strength training vs mobility work)
  • Unified tracking across all training types

Mobility Sessions:

  • Select exercises from the same catalog
  • Track duration, sets, reps, and notes
  • Separate from gym workouts but using the same exercise library

Best Practices​

  1. Log workouts immediately - Don't wait, log right after your session
  2. Be consistent with metrics - Use the same metrics (RPE or RIR) consistently
  3. Use split labels - Tag every workout to track training balance
  4. Review analytics regularly - Check muscle group analytics weekly to identify imbalances
  5. Track all exercises - Even accessory work helps build a complete picture

Common Questions​

Q: Do I need to log every metric?
A: No, only core metrics (reps, sets, load) are required. Additional and advanced metrics are optional but provide richer analytics.

Q: Can I import data from other apps?
A: No, ARC // OS is the input method. You log data directly in ARC to ensure data integrity and enable cross-domain analytics.

Q: How do I track progress?
A: Use the Exercise Analytics page to view progress graphs, trends, and PRs for any exercise. Muscle Group Analytics shows overall training balance.

Q: What's the difference between RPE and RIR?
A: RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) is how hard the set felt (1-10). RIR (Reps in Reserve) is how many reps you had left. Use whichever you prefer consistently.

Q: Can I edit workouts after logging?
A: Yes, you can edit any workout to add exercises, correct metrics, or update session details.

Implementation Details​

Exercise Catalog Management​

  • ✅ Exercise list/catalog page (browse, search, filter by category/muscle group)
  • ✅ Exercise creation/editing (form with categories, muscle groups, types)
  • ✅ Exercise data model (global/user-specific support)
  • ✅ Exercise integration with workouts (ExerciseSelector component)
  • ✅ Exercise integration with mobility sessions (shared catalog)
  • ✅ Exercise progress tracking & analytics (ExerciseAnalyticsPage, PR tracking)
  • ✅ Progress graphs: weight over time, reps over time, volume over time
  • ✅ Trend analysis: improving, plateauing, declining
  • ✅ Exercise frequency heatmaps (calendar-style visualization)
  • ✅ Exercise seeding (integrated into main seed script)

Workout (Training Session) Management​

  • ✅ Create workout UI (WorkoutPage with split label, start/end time, session notes)
  • ✅ Exercise entry form (TrainingEntryForm with all core/additional/advanced metrics)
  • ✅ Workout editing (edit session, add/remove exercises, reorder)
  • ✅ Workout history view (list, filter by date/split/muscle group)

Progress Tracking & Analytics​

  • ✅ Muscle group analytics (frequency, volume, warnings, API endpoint, frontend page)
  • ✅ Workout analytics (volume, tonnage, RPE/RIR, duration, session RPE trends)
  • ✅ Correlation analytics: Training volume vs sleep, load vs mood/energy, RPE vs recovery

Database Schema Updates​

  • ✅ TrainingEntry model updated (all advanced metrics fields added)
  • ✅ TypeScript types updated
  • ✅ Migration created and applied (all fields optional/nullable for backward compatibility)

Mobility Integration​

  • ✅ Mobility session exercise tracking (ExerciseSelector, duration, sets/reps, notes)
  • ✅ UI/UX requirements (default metrics display, form validation, mobile-friendly)

API Endpoints​

  • /api/exercises - Exercise catalog CRUD
  • /api/training - Workout CRUD
  • /api/training/analytics - Workout analytics
  • /api/training/analytics/correlations - Correlation analytics
  • /api/exercises/:exerciseId/analytics - Exercise analytics
  • /api/exercises/:exerciseId/frequency-heatmap - Frequency heatmap
  • /api/muscle-groups/analytics - Muscle group analytics

Frontend Pages​

  • Exercise Catalog (/exercises)
  • Workout Page (/workout)
  • Exercise Analytics (/exercises/:exerciseId/analytics)
  • Muscle Group Analytics (/analytics/muscle-groups)
  • Training Correlation Analytics (/analytics/training/correlations)