what is plain-text workout tracking?
the problem
most fitness apps lock your data in proprietary databases. years of training history — sets, reps, PRs, programs — trapped in a format only that app can read. if the company shuts down, pivots, or gets acquired, your data disappears with it.
you can't export it in a useful way. you can't search it with your own tools. you can't feed it to an AI agent or a spreadsheet without scraping and guessing. your training history is held hostage by whichever app you happened to start with.
the idea
every workout is a markdown file. human-readable. machine-parseable. future-proof. your training data is just text files in a folder — the same format developers have used for decades to store notes, docs, and knowledge bases.
open a workout file in any text editor and you can read it instantly. no special software required. no proprietary viewer. no API key. just text.
the format
workouts, cardio imports, and routines all use the same simple markdown structure. headings for exercises, metadata as key-value pairs, sets as list items.
## Barbell Row
- 60kg × 10
- 80kg × 5
- 80kg × 4
## Machine Fly
- 13.75kg × 12
- 13.75kg × 10
## Bench Press
## Overhead Press
## Cable Fly
why it matters
