https://thearnavmenon.com/ Building an AI coach for the gym, written down. en https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-07-03/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-07-03/ Fri, 03 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Your workouts can now fit how you actually train · Fixed a greyed-out "Start Workout" that wouldn't generate · The Programme tab now always takes you back to the calendar · Fixed a jumbled program screen, and made the tab button take you back · Double-checked that your workouts really get saved, and closed two gaps · Your training history now survives losing your phone · Built a "digital twin" of each lifter, then let the data tell us an uncomfortable truth https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-07-02/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-07-02/ Thu, 02 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Swapping an exercise can now stick for good, not just for one workout · Removed the last "assume 4 days a week" leftover · The app now quotes your own lifts back to you before a set · Your injuries now actually shape the exercises you're given · Deleted the old workout builder we stopped using · Fixed a test that was checking an old, wrong number https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-30/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-30/ Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Your daily workout is now built instantly, no internet needed · The coach now commits your exercises once per block (groundwork) · New "queue" shape for programs (groundwork, nothing visible yet) · Removed the fake "12-week calendar" from the program https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-29/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-29/ Mon, 29 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT The workout no longer stops when the coach can't be reached · Removed an old, unused program-builder (cleanup) · The coach can now notice when a muscle is getting *too much* · Volume targets now match how often you actually train · Stop pushing muscle-builders into a powerlifter's "peak" · Stop the coach from going "offline" mid-workout · New bottom tab bar (the black one with the white block) https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-22/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-22/ Mon, 22 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT The app now remembers when a set hurt (groundwork) · Stopped a test from failing at random · Two clean-ups: a tidier memory, and choosing how a hand-added set counts · The last few screens now match the rest of the app https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-21/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-21/ Sun, 21 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT The coach now actually uses your gym machines https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-20/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-20/ Sat, 20 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Out with the camera, in with smarter equipment · Saving your injuries, and letting you add any gym machine · The setup flow starts its big makeover https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-19/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-19/ Fri, 19 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT The Progress tab now matches the rest of the app · A "how it works" page that explains the coach two ways · Tidied the muscle name on the day screen · The Program top card now knows when a workout is paused · A "how I designed it" page on the build-log site · The build-log website got a polish pass · The Program tab got the full redesign · The build-log site now updates itself · Two fixes to the mid-workout flow · Redesign playbook now includes a "what can we improve?" step https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-18/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-18/ Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Settings tab redesign (part 2): new features · Settings tab redesign (part 1): the look · Redesign finished: every workout screen now matches · The redesign goes live: the workout screens you see most · Starting the workout-screen redesign (the look-and-feel foundation) · Tidying up what happens when you pause a workout https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-17/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-17/ Wed, 17 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT A clearer "you've got a workout going" badge above the tab bar · Opening the Workout tab no longer secretly restarts a paused workout · Made the "live or paused" brain read its answer in one clean step · Removed the old crash-recovery workaround that could mark the wrong day · One brain now decides whether a workout is live or paused · Resuming a workout now refuses to replay if its exercises changed · Gave each workout a stable ID and saved day-status to the server · Three more cleanups toward the Workout/Programme fix · Stopped the Workout and Programme screens from crossing wires https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-16/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-16/ Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Rebuilt the Progress tab and made its numbers trustworthy · Fixed four sign-in / data-saving bugs · Made the UI removal official and tidied the task list https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-15/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-15/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Removed the new UI and went back to the old one · Fresh sign-ups got a workout plan that never reached the server · Made the "needs setup" check actually test the real code · Hotfix: the Progress screen wouldn't compile, so the whole app was broken https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-14/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-14/ Sun, 14 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Moving the "brains" of the app into the new shell, without flipping the switch · Coming back after a long break no longer fools the strength estimate · The Today screen: your next workout, one tap to start, one honest coach line · The Train program root: your plan drawn as a vertical day-spine · The drafting-rule system: drawing what the model knows vs. is still guessing · Built the StatusTick instrument: filled/hollow/undrawn day-status + today marker · Last piece: the goal/calibration/manual-log screens now wait for login before saving · The outbox now drops a save it knows will be rejected, instead of hammering it 5 times https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-13/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-13/ Sat, 13 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Built the Progress root: the capability ledger · When the app reopens an old paused workout, it now checks it's really yours first · Built the new "do the set" screen (numbers big, one tap to log, then it becomes the rest timer) · "Reset All" now truly empties the outbox, not just the on-disk copy · Make sure every new login gets a profile row, automatically · Started the real fix for the gym-save failures: wait for login before starting a workout · Built the Lens: a 6-blade camera-iris readiness gauge · Built the capability band: one component, three contexts · Proved the server was fine, then stopped the app from using the connection type that was hanging https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-12/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-12/ Fri, 12 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Sign-in no longer gives up too early on a good network (the real reason saves were failing) · The "reset app" button now actually gives you a fresh start (found from a gym-log crash) · Writing down what the auth work decided, so we don't forget · The database now hides everyone else's data from you · Fix: the end-to-end smoke test now sends a login token · The server now checks it's really you before saving your data · The app now uses your real login identity instead of a stand-in · A camera for the hand-drawn charts · Coach-voice constitution drafted · Two-day-a-week lifters can now onboard honestly · Manually-logged workouts now count toward your records · Three correctness fixes in the server-side learning functions · Security hardening: Keychain backup protection and DEBUG-only PII logging · Four concurrency fixes in the live workout loop: no double-counting, no stale results, no torn reads · Five performance fixes: less CPU, less memory, fewer wasteful reads · A fresh install can now reach Supabase · The app now quietly signs in behind the scenes · Three broken data paths in the trainee-model learning pipeline fixed · A brand-new install can now get past the front door · Built the new 3-tab layout, but kept it switched off https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-11/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-11/ Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT The new look's building blocks now exist in code · Dismissed banners now stay dismissed, and come back only when there's genuinely something new · The coach can no longer prescribe weights that don't exist, or jumps that don't make sense · The whole new look got turned into a build plan, and a panel of AIs made the big calls · Rest screen polish and the workout summary finally celebrates real records · Logging a set got honest: no forced effort rating, zero reps allowed, and you can skip · Your onboarding answers finally reach the coach · The Train tab got designed: the plan ahead, and the move dictionary · The app stops making promises it can't keep · The Progress tab got designed: your strength as a staircase · The Workout tab can finally start a brand-new day · The "what did today prove?" screen got designed · Spring cleaning: three stray copies of workout screens got thrown out · The workout screen itself got designed, with a motion expert at the table · The app's face got designed: the opening moment and the home screen · The welcome-flow blueprint got a hard second look and grew much sharper · Three expert reviewers walked through the whole app and wrote down everything wrong https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-10/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-10/ Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT The new look has a rulebook, and new users get a proper welcome · A whole chapter is finished: the coach that actually learns you · Fixed a spelling mix-up so the app remembers what you've seen · When you outgrow your goal, the app raises the bar and cheers https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-09/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-09/ Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT When you change your goal, your targets quietly catch up · Gave the athlete real strength targets to review and reach for https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-08/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-08/ Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Taught the app to actually grow more sure of itself over time · Turned on two coaching rules the AI already had the data for · Swept an old dead label out of saved user data · Finished the prompt-loader cleanup (the 6th copy) · Two small cleanups: tidy lift names, and one prompt loader · Built the "your training leveled up" goal check-in https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-07/ https://thearnavmenon.com/log/2026-06-07/ Sun, 07 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Closed out four "is the AI being honest?" decisions · Merged a batch of five safety-net fixes · Stopped bad workout "pattern" labels from sneaking in