Show HN: 1 min workouts for people who sit all day
shortreps.comI am a software developer and in the last few months after recently becoming a father I was barely finding time for a proper workout. Recently I was reading about new research on Snack Exercises and how beneficial mini workouts of less than 2mins every so often, during the day are to our body. So, I decided to build an iOS App for me and others to help with this. The app generates a list of exercises that I need to tick to complete daily or loose my streak. The algorithm takes into account muscle groups and balancing the exercises to hit most main muscles. I also stayed going through all exercises and adding a couple of alternative exercises in case I don't feel like the recommended exercise. Since I'm not a trainer I commissioned professional exercise posture video guides and animations by an exercise expert which I attached to each exercise.
I uploaded the app on the app store for free and no ads. If this is something that interests you, I want to hear how you balance a long day on your desk vs exercise.
This is probably the first app I’ve come across on HN where I immediately downloaded it with the intent to use it. I love this idea because I’ve been thinking recently that I want to get into a micro-exercise habit. Like maybe every time I go to the bathroom, I do a quick rep. So this is perfect.
I’m going to try it out this week and give feedback.
Some immediate feedback if it helps - the “Your List Expires at Midnight” screen is pretty confusing. I think I understand what you’re saying on this screen. But the presentation of the icons really threw me off, I’m not sure what they’re trying to convey.
Nonetheless I’m really excited to give it a try. If there’s a particular place where you’d like feedback, let me know.
I'm also an insta-download. Very clear landing page, very clear value proposition. Nice work.
Thanks!
I was not sure about “Your List Expires at Midnight” myself. I will try other options. Thanks for the feedback! Very much appreciated
It would be cool to be able to pick a start time and a reminder period: starting at 9am, e.g., prompt me to exercise every 45 minutes, with a defer option.
Does X10 for plank and jogging mean 10 seconds, or get into the position, hold, and return to rest 10 times?
Also, it's lose your streak, not loose.
I think nowadays with the myriad of tools available there's no excuse for doing an app for just one platform, I struggle with doing exercise so I opened the link excited to be completely disappointed by the fact that it's only for iOS.
> in the last few months after recently becoming a father ... I decided to build an iOS App for me and others ... I uploaded the app on the app store for free and no ads
OP wrote an app to solve their own problem and made it available for free for others to use if they find it helpful. It should shock no one and certainly should not trigger any judgement or attacks from anyone that they chose to write the app for the platform which they themselves use.
Hi, I apologise I did not mention that it's just for iOS! I was android first a few years ago, but recently I decided to switch to iOS. I decided to go native on this not cross platform because I believe in quality. I know nowadays with cross platform tools the difference is little, but I want that micro edge. Also, I was thinking about doing a version for apple watch which would make more sense native. In any case, I might code a native Android App for this as well in the near future.
I disagree, because unfortunately it’s hard to get native-quality UI on different platforms.
If OP made the app cross-compatible it wouldn’t look as nice on iOS, or he’d have to essentially make two separate frontends. You could argue for either option but it’s not “no excuse”.
This could have easily been a website.
They didn't want it to be a website, and if they did make it a website they'd have to deal with the inevitable entitled whining on their Show HN wondering why everything has to be a website these days.
If there's one thing I've learned from a few decades on the internet it's that the only way to avoid entitled whining is to never, ever release anything, especially not for free.
So go make it then
Good luck with the app!
But I could not help but be reminded of this hilarious Ben Stiller scene:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9y5K3KsuQ_M
Yeah! 7-min is the magic number.
Would love to see this for Android!
or as a PWA! That has gotten quite good.
Looks great btw!
Thanks! Android is on my mind. If I see people like the iOS version I will code an Android version. It's just that I do everything native and it will take a few weeks.
+1 for being interested in an Android version.
I’ve wanted an app like this for ages. I’ve always suffered from analysis paralysis when trying to work out a good, short exercise routine. This looks like it will be the perfect solution — thank you!
I cycle between stronglifts.com (simple 5x5 program, but detailed if you want it) and "Convict Conditioning" calisthenics program. Weights vs body weight. Recommend either!
Thanks! Same, that's why I did this. Once I start exercising I tend to keep my streak. However If I don't start, I keep thinking that I'll find the perfect workout and start tomorrow.
> If this is something that interests you, I want to hear how you balance a long day on your desk vs exercise.
Do things that actually make a difference, which means heavy barbell training. Anything else is generally subpar and inefficient, the main issue being no meaningful progression can be made after the first few weeks.
Heavy compound barbell training (squat, press, bench, deadlift) can be progressed and adapted to for decades. It's also an extremely efficient use of time.
The best exercise is the one that you’ll do.
In the vein of atomic habits, reducing a task to its minimal effective dose is great for starting new habits.
For people that sit all day, a 1min exercise snack makes a lot of sense. After that becomes easy and routine then gradually increasing the duration and difficulty up until a typical 30-45 min workout 2-4x a week is a great end goal.
I had the same thought, with the caveat that I'd be less specific than "barbell training". Adjustable dumbbells take up less space in a home gym, and with few exceptions and caveats, you can do all the same movements and progress up to advanced levels. I do currently use a barbell for deadlifts, but for squats I use Titan mini farmer handles with a Slant Stack (higher weight limit than 24" standard dumbbell handles but no need to make room for a whole squat rack), and for everything else I use dumbbells. (Well also a weight belt for certain things, but not any of the main lifts.)
Anyway, I haven't tried the app since I'm not really the target audience, but if it doesn't already, I do think that allowing users to put in a list of all their available equipment for the AI to factor in when recommending workouts would be great. Maybe even let it recommend equipment that aligns with the user's fitness goals and space/budget constraints (possibly as an opt-in feature), and slap on an Amazon referral code. A single 1RM deadlift or a couple bench press reps every now and then would do someone who would otherwise be sedentary much more good than grinding out a bunch of pushups or jumping jacks or whatever.
Of course, integrating potentially dangerous equipment and movements also makes proper form and safety guidance that much more critical, so it isn't something that I'd want to rush without proper testing. It'd be cool if it could watch you on video and give AI-generated real-time feedback, or at least provide recommended resources to find a personal trainer if you need one.
Functional strength is really important esp as you age, but it does little for cardio and doesn't confer the same cognitive and cardiovascular benefits.
HIIT burpees is the most brutal thing I've found so far that fits in a 5 minute break.
Yes I agree, that's the ideal. However when I'm stuck working on my desk all day sometimes I find it hard to put on an exercise mindset until I build a habit of doing something for a few days. Hopefully this will help me shift back into that. Sometimes I wish I can build a mini gym behind my desk maybe that will motivate me.
Greater chance for injury too.
Don’t learn how to lift weights from the internet and get a good coach.
I WFH and tend to do this to break up the day. Every 45-1h I wander to the garage and do a set of something. Definitely recommend if you have the space for the equipment.
While I agree barbell training is superior, there's plenty to do with calisthenics at home, especially with some dumbells, kettleballs
The idea is to be fit, not to be shredded.
Cool idea, nice implementation. Also downloaded your app, will try using. Would love to find some contact for feedback, if you please. Not too comfortable writing it right here, without proper formatting and media.
A few comments that can be in text:
- why not making a proper calendar? Meaning formatting days according to weeks pattern. I guess you can read user’s locale, to find out whether Sunday first or last.
- on a smaller iPhone (mini) the time limit looks weird, seconds are on the second line. I guess you can just kill seconds as a concept. I’d even kill minutes, something like 5 hours left is plenty.
Maybe something else, but better place your contacts somewhere, so those interested could reach you. Good luck!
Does it have to be an app? A website would do
Or a PDF with workouts for the next 30 days.
This would have been an easy sell for me, whereas the “AI-picked workouts” on this pitch was an immediate turn off. But there are others who are the opposite of me in this regard.
If you had a PDF, where do you think the list of exercises is coming from?
I would hope from a deterministic algorithm. The parameters are finite and well-understood. I don’t understand what purpose an AI serves here
It might add a layer of variation just to keep things interesting. There are many exercises that work the same or similar muscle groups, but doing the same thing over and over gets boring.
I’ve tried other AI program generators and honestly they aren’t all that bad. I got one to spit out a program based on what I currently needed to work on at the time and the result was OK.
Unless you’re one of those body building types, AI is probably fine.
It is a deterministic algorithm that works based on muscles used in the exercise and aiming to work all main muscle groups. I wrote the keyword AI in some places so that the average person would understand it. I might remove it.
When you put it like that, it sounds much more enticing to me. Don’t remove it on account of comments like mine, especially if you have reason to believe it connects with the average person you’re hoping will use it.
Since the term AI seems to be used synonymously with transformer-based generative stuff, and seems to appear in almost every software-related content these days, that’s just where my mind goes.
Or a YouTube channel like "Upright Health" whose short and effective exercises work fine for me to compensate for too much sitting at the desk. I use them in addition to the workouts at the studio twice a week.
Disclaimer: just a regular viewer of the channel.
Websites don’t always work well for many, go and work somewhere with no internet….
This is something i wanted with the app. In fact it works well with no internet. The exercise videos not so much because i could not figure out how to store high quality videos in app
I think the reminders might be better off in an app, but everything else should work. What I love about apps is that apart from them being more handy and quicker to open, I don't load my server much. Especially since it's free.
Do you use any iOS 18 specific APIs? I am on an old device using iOS 17, so I cannot upgrade to 18. I'd love if you can consider making this compatible with 17
Website menu is blank. There are some typos and font challenges. Images look blurry/lo-res.
I'd like to see some of the videos without having to install the app.
Thanks for the notice! I will fix
This looks interesting, might try using the app for a while. Quick suggestion: allow marking days that are excluded from breaking streaks, e.g. weekends.
Great Idea! Will see what I can do.
Someone built a free app without ads in his spare time, despite having little of it. It looks polished, there is obvious effort put in, and the landing page is a no fluff explanation. And yet 2/3 of the comments here are whining about it. "Free chocolate? Bleurgh, it contains the wrong kind of hazelnuts. Rubbish. You suck, chocolate maker." I miss N-Gate.
Amazing work OP! I will give it a go. I do easy exercises during pomodoro breaks, maybe this app will come in handy.
Thanks! Would love your feedback, if you do.
This looks really good, and something I think I will use.
Very very minor spelling feedback. "Lose" not "Loose".
Thanks!
Looks great, I will try it out. The form of some of the instructional exercises is poor, I thought the pushups was almost comical.
You are speaking about the animation or the video? I will take another look.
The video, the pushups were a little bit … shallow
Really cool idea, I’ve been looking for something like this. I did wonder how to do the Bear Hold if the duration isn’t specified?
My idea was to do as much seconds as there are reps to keep it simple. I understand that this is not well explained and can be explained better. Thanks!
thanks for clearing that up. kept refreshing the page waiting for this to be answered :)
Love the idea and the execution! and also don't understand the toxicity from other comments. appreciate you sharing this with us
One of the best things about home office is that I can just lay down on the floor and do push ups
Unfortunately it isn't proper etiquette at work
I see people working out in the office all the time. My last workplace even had group events that I was more or less peer pressured into. Definitely don’t feel bad doing light exercises in the work place unless you’re customer facing.
Typo in headline (currently): Micro Execises
Oh no! I'll fix it soon
Just a thought from looking at the science.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11920532/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38190022/
Some of the broader claims like offering "many health benefits of longer workouts" or significant "strength" gains might be a bit ahead of what the current research consistently shows for these short bouts, especially when compared to traditional, longer exercise programs where, for instance, evidence for maximal strength gains is stronger , or where studies on snacks show more "modest" effects for some outcomes.
Regulators in the EU and Apple's App Review team are increasingly focused on the accuracy of health and wellness claims. To build more trust and avoid potential flags, it could be beneficial for you to refine the messaging to be more specific about the well-supported benefits, like convenience, breaking up sitting , and improvements in certain cardiometabolic markers for inactive folks, while being more nuanced about direct comparisons to comprehensive, longer workouts.
Highlighting the time efficiency and accessibility without overpromising on the extent of all health outcomes should be a more solid path for long-term success and credibility.
You will also likely run into legal problems, if you offer the same kind of exercises without taking age, chronic, and pre-existing conditions into the equation of what exercises to offer and do not offer a clear warning for these kind of users, that they should consult a doctor before using the app, what exercises might be appropriate for them and which are not.
Best of luck with the app!
Thanks for the thought provoking comment! Yes I totally agree. I need to fix the marketing a bit to highlight what the app is good at and not exaggerate what it can do. In reality one cannot compare a proper workout with this. Its for different people and different aims. My aim is just to get people moving and let them see the benefits of exercise. Anyway, thanks I will update.
webapp would have been nice :(
where do you pull the exercises from?
Maybe I could do a mini webapp version on the landing page for people that don't want to get the app. Maybe after iron out the ios app issues i can do it. The exercises are hardcoded in the app itself atm
Looks great, looking forward to using this, many thanks
Thanks!
Is an Android version on the way?
An Android version is on my mind. I will code it native if people like the iOS version.
Cries in iOS 16. Ok this is really on me for only having an iPhone 8
Cool. Now, no one is going to go down below 1-min. 7-minute was always in trouble. Anyways, I loved that 7-min exercise app and was one of the ideal companion while traveling. Quick 7-min workout in hotel rooms. I had the one from Johnson & Johnson.
It's technically not 1minute workout a day like the 7 min workout concept. It's 5x 1min workouts during the day. You get your blood flowing for a minute every now and then during the day. I read some interesting new studies recently about this idea
Doing one minute of almost anything will not cause adaptation or any improvement in your fitness - or a very minimal improvement and then nothing further whatsoever. We're talking 'you are almost completely sedentary, this might help.' You know what else is good? Going for a walk, and you don't need a stupid app to help you do it (also there are no shortage of youtube videos and subreddit routines, all for free, no personal/device data collection, nothing.)
This "you can work out in 1 minute" is just another version of the 80's/90's "crunch your abs /air box / step your way to this beach body!" crap.
The studies are bunk - done on college-age people whose bodies are already in pretty good fitness.
Exercise is work.
It's hard.
It's supposed to be.
There are no shortcuts.
You need to get lots of low intensity exercise, a moderate amount of...well...moderate intensity, and a bit of very high intensity exercise. Ideally in that order - establish a "base" over weeks if not months before you dip much into the latter two.