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System Manual

Welcome to StrengthNotes. This comprehensive guide covers the operational mechanics of the platform, from logging your first workout to tracking long-term lifestyle habits and interpreting your volume analytics.

1

Core Concepts

StrengthNotes is built around a unified database of your physical output and lifestyle inputs. Unlike fragmented apps, it combines Weightlifting, Calisthenics, and Cardio with daily habits and journaling.

monitor_weight Biometric Tracking

Your body weight is a crucial variable. It is factored into Total Volume calculations for all Bodyweight/Calisthenics exercises to ensure progressive overload tracking is accurate.

bar_chart Custom Exercises

You define the movements. Categorize them as Strength, Calisthenics, or Cardio to activate smart-fields across the app.

2

Step-by-Step Quickstart

1. How to Create an Exercise

  1. Navigate to the Exercises page from the main menu.
  2. Click the New Exercise button.
  3. Name it: Provide a clear name (e.g., "Barbell Squat" or "Pull-ups").
  4. Categorize it: Select Strength, Calisthenics, or Cardio. This controls what input fields appear.
  5. Configure Tracking: Toggle on the specific data points you care about (e.g., Reps, Weight, Tempo, Distance). Only enable what you actually intend to track.

2. How to Start a Workout

  1. Go to your Dashboard or Workout Log.
  2. Click New Workout.
  3. Select today's date (or backdate if you forgot to log yesterday).
  4. Once the workout is created, you will be taken to the Workout Detail page where you can begin adding individual sets.
  5. Pro Tip: If you are repeating a previous routine, use the Clone button on the Workout Log page to instantly copy the entire structure of a past workout into today.

3. How to Set a Goal

  1. Go to the Goals page.
  2. Click New Goal.
  3. Select the Exercise: The form will automatically adjust. If you select "Running", it will ask for Distance. If you select "Bench Press", it asks for Weight.
  4. Set the Target: Fill in the milestone you want to hit (e.g., 225 lbs for 1 rep).
  5. Goal Type: Choose whether this is a "One-Time" milestone or an "Ongoing" consistency goal.
  6. The system will automatically scan your past and future workouts to see if you've hit this standard.
3

Training & Logging Sets

Creating Workouts

Workouts are the container for your activity. A workout date acts as the master timestamp for all sets logged within it. You can log multiple workouts on the same day. To save time, you can clone past workouts directly from the Workout Log page to maintain your structure.

The Set Logger

When logging a set, the system dynamically adapts to the Exercise Type.

  • "Last Time" Memory: The logger automatically pulls your most recent performance for the selected exercise, displaying your previous reps, weight, and date directly alongside the input fields.
  • Smart Duplication: Click the "Save & Duplicate" icon to rapidly log multiple identical sets (e.g., 5 sets of 5 reps) without re-entering data.
  • Compound Sets / Supersets: Group exercises by sharing the same Activity ID (e.g., assigning "A1" to Bench Press and "A2" to Pull-ups) to denote supersets.
4

Goals & Heatmaps

The Standards/Goals system provides both single-milestone tracking and long-term consistency validation.

One-Time vs Ongoing Goals

A One-Time Goal (e.g., Deadlift 405lbs) is marked as "Achieved" forever once you log a set that meets or exceeds the target. An Ongoing Goal (e.g., Run 5 miles in under 40 minutes) requires constant maintenance and powers the consistency engines.

The Consistency Engines

Ongoing goals are scored via two visual engines:

  • 12-Month Calendar: Shows exact calendar months (Jan, Feb, etc.) and highlights the month if you hit the goal at least once within it.
  • 180-Day Heatmap: A dense pixel grid detailing the exact days you achieved the goal over the past 6 months. Hover over dots to see dates and status.

Smart Forms

When creating a goal, select the Exercise first. The form will dynamically hide irrelevant fields (e.g., hiding weight and distance for Calisthenics, or hiding reps for Cardio).

5

Lifestyle Tracking

Training does not exist in a vacuum. Managing your daily inputs is essential.

Habit Tracker

A rolling 7-day visual grid. Define habits (e.g., "Read 10 pages", "Stretching") and tap to toggle them Yes/No for any day of the week.

Daily Journal

A markdown-supported notepad assigned to dates. Highly effective for tracking subjective recovery, sleep notes, and diet reflections.

Alcohol Log

A zero-judgment quantitative log. Track units consumed on specific dates to find correlations between consumption and workout performance drops.

6

Analytics Formulas

Volume Calculation expand_more

Volume represents the total mechanical work expended.

Volume = (External Load + Body Weight) × Reps × Sets

Note: Body weight is only included if the Exercise is configured to include it (e.g., Pull-ups, Dips). For pure weightlifting (e.g., Bench Press), only External Load is calculated.

Tempo Specification expand_more

Tempo dictates the speed of the repetition. It is written as a 4-digit sequence (e.g., 4010).

  • [Digit 1] Eccentric: Lowering phase (seconds)
  • [Digit 2] Isometric: Pause at the bottom (seconds)
  • [Digit 3] Concentric: Lifting phase (seconds)
  • [Digit 4] Isometric: Pause at the top (seconds)
365-Day Contribution Graph expand_more
The large matrix on your dashboard tracks exactly which days you logged a workout. It holds a 365-day rolling window. The color intensity scales dynamically based on your volume compared to your heaviest days in that year.
7

Public Profiles

You can choose to make your training data accessible via a shareable public URL. This is perfect for sharing routines with friends or proving milestones to coaches.

What is visible:

  • Your Dashboard KPIs and Activity Graph
  • Your Workout Log history
  • Your Goals and Heatmaps

* Note: Your lifestyle tracking (Journal, Habits, Alcohol Log) and specific Scale Weight are ALWAYS kept strictly private.