Adaptive Coaching
SparkyFitness can help during and after a workout, not just plan it:
- Smart alternatives when you need to swap an exercise (busy machine, missing equipment, an injury).
- How did it feel? feedback after a workout: too easy, just right or too hard, plus pain or discomfort.
- Adaptive suggestions that use that feedback for the next session, and always say why.
- Variation hints when an accessory exercise shows up in almost every workout.
- Lower music during cues (mobile app) so beeps and spoken cues are easy to hear over your own music.
Alternatives, feedback and adaptive suggestions work on the web and in the mobile app, and through the AI assistant and MCP server. Lowering music during cues is a mobile app setting.
Smart alternatives
Replacing an exercise opens a Suggested tab with ranked alternatives instead of a blank search.
| Where | How |
|---|---|
| Mobile, live workout | ⋯ on an exercise → Replace exercise |
| Mobile, editing a workout or preset | ⋯ on an exercise → Replace exercise |
| Web, workout player | The ⇄ button on an exercise card |
| Web, preset editor | Replace exercise on an exercise |
Alternatives must train the same primary muscles and be the same kind of exercise (a rowing machine never replaces a lift). They are ranked by:
- how closely the primary muscles match,
- the same equipment (in Similar mode),
- the same movement pattern (for example, compound push),
- how recently you did them, and whether they are already in your library.
Each result shows why it was suggested ("Same muscles", "Done recently", …).
- Other equipment shows only exercises that use none of the original's equipment. Use it when a machine is taken, you train at home, or a grip hurts.
- Results marked New come from Free Exercise DB and are added to your library when you pick one. They appear only while the Free Exercise DB provider is active in your settings. If the server can't reach it, only your library is shown.
- Exercises already in the workout are left out.
- Free search is always one tap away (Search all exercises, or the Search / My Exercises tab).
No suggestions?
An exercise with no primary muscles recorded can't be ranked. Add its muscles in the exercise library and suggestions appear.
Workout feedback: "How did it feel?"
After finishing a workout you're asked how it felt. Every answer saves as you tap; there's no Save button.
| Question | Answers |
|---|---|
| How did it feel? | Too easy · Just right · Too hard |
| Any pain or discomfort? | On/off, then optionally which exercises and a note |
| Rate each exercise (optional) | Too easy · Just right · Too hard, per exercise |
Where you can give or change it:
| Where | How |
|---|---|
| Mobile | The workout complete screen, and later the workout's detail screen |
| Web | The "Workout complete" dialog, and later by expanding the workout in your diary |
| AI assistant | "Today's workout felt too hard and my left knee hurt" |
Feedback is shared like the rest of your diary: people with Manage Diary can see and record it for you, and people with View Reports can see it. See Family & Friends Sharing.
Adaptive suggestions
When you start a workout, each exercise's suggested weight takes your recent feedback into account. The rules are simple and predictable:
| What happened recently | What changes today | Message you see |
|---|---|---|
| Pain in this exercise last time | 10% lighter, never heavier, and alternatives are offered | "Lighter today: you reported pain here last time." |
| Pain in this exercise two sessions running | 10% lighter; an alternative is recommended | "Lighter today: pain here two sessions running…" |
| Pain last workout, exercise not named | No weight increase | "Holding weight: you reported discomfort…" |
| Too hard last time | No weight increase | "Holding weight: last time felt too hard." |
| Too hard two sessions running | 10% lighter | "Lighter today: too hard two sessions running." |
| No feedback, but your last sets were logged at RPE 9.5+ or 0 RIR | No weight increase | "Holding weight: your last sets were near max effort." |
| Too easy two sessions running | One step heavier (your preset's increment, else 2.5 kg / 5 lb) | "A step heavier: too easy two sessions running." |
- Weights are rounded down to a loadable step (2.5 kg or 5 lb) and always drop at least one step on a lighter day.
- Only feedback from the last 21 days counts, and interval/WOD workouts are never adjusted.
- Every change is a suggestion. Tap Use my usual to go back to the normal suggestion for that exercise (and Use the adjusted suggestion to switch back again).
- This builds on Progression: feedback can pause or add to it, but never replaces it.
Turning it off
Adaptive suggestions are on by default. Until you give feedback, the only thing that can change is holding the weight when your last sets were logged at near-max effort (RPE 9.5+ or 0 RIR). To turn them off:
| Where | How |
|---|---|
| Web | Settings → Guided workouts → Adaptive workout suggestions |
| Mobile | Settings → Workout Settings → Adaptive suggestions |
It's one account setting, so turning it off on one device turns it off everywhere. With it off, suggestions behave exactly as they did before feedback existed.
Variation hints
If an accessory exercise (anything that isn't a compound lift) appears in 6 or more workouts within 28 days, you'll see "You've done this in most recent workouts. Try a variation?" with a shortcut to its alternatives. Compound lifts such as squats and bench press are left alone on purpose: they are what progression is built around.
Lower music during cues (mobile)
SparkyFitness never stops your music. Workout beeps and guided-workout voice always play over Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and so on.
Turn on Settings → Workout Settings → Lower music during cues and your music is briefly turned down while a beep or spoken cue plays, then comes back up. It's off by default. There's nothing to set up on the web; browsers already mix sounds.
Ask the assistant
| You say | What happens |
|---|---|
| "What can I do instead of barbell bench press? I only have dumbbells." | Ranked alternatives using only dumbbells |
| "My shoulder hurts. Chest exercises that don't use shoulders?" | Alternatives that avoid shoulder muscles |
| "Yesterday's workout felt too easy." | Saves the feedback on that workout |
| "Will my Push Day change next time?" | Explains each exercise's adjustment and why |