Table of Contents
Fitbod's Workout Recommendations
Introduction
Fitbod’s workout recommendations are powered by a smart algorithm that uses your training history, fitness goals, muscle recovery, and available equipment to deliver highly personalized workouts.
Below you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions about how Fitbod builds your workouts—and how to get the most out of them.
Getting Started
Why can’t Fitbod generate a workout with my selected combination?
There may be a few reasons:
- Equipment Constraints: Some muscle groups require specific equipment. For example, there are no true bodyweight-only bicep exercises—so if you’re missing weights or a pull-up bar, Fitbod may struggle to generate a workout that includes biceps.
- Time Constraints: Selecting too many muscle groups for a short session (e.g., 30 minutes) may force the app to prioritize certain groups for balance and effectiveness.
- Bodyweight-Only Mode: If enabled, all exercises requiring weights will be excluded.
Why aren’t I seeing exercises that match my equipment?
If you’re not seeing expected exercises in your workout, try the following steps to troubleshoot:
✅ Check Your Gym Profile
Make sure your equipment settings are up to date:
- Tap the Gym Profile (top left of the Workout tab)
- Select Available Equipment
- Ensure all equipment you have access to is selected
🚫 Review Exercise Exclusions
Some exercises may be hidden due to past preferences:
- Go to the Log tab
- Tap Settings (top right) > Workout Settings > Manage Exercises
- Tap the Filter icon (top right)
- Select both “Recommend Less” and “Excluded”, then tap Done
Look for the following icons:
⬇️ Down Arrow = Marked to be recommended less
🚫 Red Icon = Fully excluded from recommendations
⚠️ Important Note: You can re-enable any exercises you want to reintroduce.
➕ Manually Add Preferred Exercises
If you’re not seeing something you’d like to include:
- Tap “+ Add Exercise” in your workout screen
- Search for and add the desired movement
Manually adding exercises serves as valuable feedback for the algorithm. Over time, it helps Fitbod learn your preferences and adjust future recommendations accordingly.
Fitbod's Workout Recommendations
Why am I getting the same exercises repeatedly?
By default, Fitbod's exercise variability is set to Balanced which is designed to provide a mix of consistency and variety in your workouts. When "Balanced" is selected, the algorithm typically retains a portion of exercises from previous weeks (but not as many as in "More Consistent"), while also rotating in new exercises.
This may occur if:
- Your equipment is limited
- You’re using a narrow training split combined with a particular goal
- You may have a limited exercise history or have excluded many exercises
- Your muscle group recovery is in a particular rotation
To expand variety:
- Add more equipment in your Gym Profile
- Update your Fitness Experience level
- Un-exclude exercises you may have previously filtered out
- Utilize the Exercise Variability option in your Gym Profile to set your program to "More Variability"
📌 With recent algorithm updates, your exercise history and manual inputs now play a more important role in shaping your future workout recommendations. For example, Fitbod’s algorithm tends to favor exercises you’ve logged consistently in the past. Additionally, manually adding, removing, or replacing exercises from your workouts serves as valuable feedback—helping the algorithm better understand and adapt to your personal preferences.
Why are my workouts shorter than my selected workout duration?
Fitbod typically includes about 7 exercises in a 1-hour workout, but there are situations where Fitbod may generate more or fewer than this average. Here’s why that might happen:
- Your experience level, muscle recovery state, and exercise type (e.g. bodyweight only)
- Bodyweight or dumbbell exercises often complete faster
- Supersets or circuits reduce rest time, speeding up sessions
- Limited equipment can result in fewer total exercises
What You Can Do
- Refresh your workout
- Add more exercises or sets manually
- Temporarily adjust your workout duration in your Gym Profile
📌 With recent algorithm updates, your manual inputs now have a greater impact on how future workouts are generated. For example, adding or removing exercises manually provides valuable feedback that helps the algorithm learn your personal preferences—including how many exercises you typically expect for a given workout duration.
Why are the exercises in this order?
Fitbod’s exercise order is designed using scientific training principles and tailored to your personal workout history. The system continually refines this order to maximize workout effectiveness.
If you’d like your exercises arranged differently, you can easily reorder them manually within the Workout tab to suit your preferences.
Why am I being recommended exercises for sore or unrecovered muscles?
Fitbod considers recovery, your training split, and workout history. In some cases, a partially recovered muscle group may be included to support your goals.
💡 Recovery settings only apply to main muscle groups. Accessory muscle groups are limited to one or two exercises per workout.
Why aren’t the most fresh muscles being targeted in my workouts?
Muscle freshness is just one factor. Fitbod prioritizes total workout structure, goal alignment, and available equipment to create effective sessions.
Why are weight recommendations high one week but low the next?
Fitbod uses dynamic adaptation, meaning your sets, reps, and weights will vary to maximize both muscle growth and strength.
- High reps / lower weight = hypertrophy
- Low reps / higher weight = strength focus
- Periodic max effort reps help reassess your current ability
Why are my weight recommendations unexpectedly low?
Several reasons could apply:
- New exercise: Starting weights are based on data from over 87M logged workouts (usually on the more conservative side)
- Time off: Inactivity lowers your suggested starting point
- Past logs: Older entries with lighter weights impact recommendations
✅ Tip: Check your previous logs for that exercise to confirm data accuracy.
Will weight recommendations decrease if I take a break?
Yes. If you haven’t logged workouts in a while, Fitbod will automatically reduce weight suggestions to lower injury risk and help you ease back in.
💡 You can always adjust weights manually if they feel too low—the algorithm will adapt for future recommendations.
Why is weight being recommended for a bodyweight exercise?
This usually happens when a weight was previously logged for that movement.
To reset:
- Edit the logged workout
- Set “Added Weight” to 0
- Save — future recommendations will reset
Want to use add weight?
You can log any extra resistance (e.g., vests, ankle weights, or household items) in the Added Weight field. Fitbod will adapt based on your entry.
Adjusting Workouts Manually
The workout feel too easy. What should I do?
You can make workouts more challenging by:
- Increasing the sets, reps, or weight
- Logging max effort reps when prompted — check out Max Effort Day for more details!
- Manually adding exercises or replacing easier ones
💡 Consistent logging teaches Fitbod to better match your actual strength level.
Why am I getting exercises that feel too advanced?
Fitbod chooses exercises based on your Fitness Experience and training history.
Try these options:
- Change your Fitness Experience → Go to Gym Profile > Fitness Experience
- Exclude an exercise → Tap “…” next to the exercise → Select “Don’t Recommend Again”
When should I update my Fitness Experience?
You can update it anytime. Fitbod won’t prompt you, but changing it can significantly alter your recommendations.
- Beginner: Great for learning foundational movements
- Intermediate/Advanced: Increases exercise variety and complexity
🎯 You can experiment freely—there’s no penalty for switching.
What if I don't like an exercise in my workout?
You can swap exercises using the Replace Exercise feature. Additionally, you can use the Recommend More, Less, or Exclude feature to personalize future recommendations. These adjustments will train the workout algorithm to better understand your exercise preferences.
🧠 Final Tip: You Know Your Body Best
Fitbod learns from your inputs. The more accurately you log your performance and make adjustments, the better it gets at tailoring workouts for your fitness journey.
If something doesn’t feel right—change it! You’re always in control.
Still have questions? Contact us at support@fitbod.me — we’d love to help you train smarter. 💪