Table of Contents
Which Exercises Count Toward Your Weekly Set Targets
Why don't my workout always hit the targets?
Do bodyweight exercises contribute to targets?
Overview
Take your training to the next level with Fitbod’s Weekly Set Targets, personalized goals designed to help you build muscle, stay consistent, and make measurable progress.
Whether your focus is hypertrophy, strength, or simply staying on track, Weekly Set Targets give your workouts structure and purpose. These targets are calculated based on your fitness goal, workout history, and training preferences.
Our team analyzed millions of logged workouts and found that training volume, specifically the number of working sets per muscle group per week, is one of the most important drivers of progress. Using this insight, we developed a smart volume model that automatically generates weekly set targets tailored to your unique fitness journey.
What Are Weekly Set Targets?
Weekly Set Targets are a feature in Fitbod that help you stay on track with your training by recommending the optimal number of working sets per muscle group each week. These targets are designed to support muscle growth (hypertrophy) and consistency, based on exercise science and your personal fitness profile.
How Are Targets Calculated?
Your weekly set targets are automatically generated using a model that considers:
- Your fitness goal (e.g., hypertrophy, strength)
- Workout frequency (how many days per week you plan to train)
- Workout duration (how long each session is)
- Training experience level
- Gender and body composition (if provided)
- Focus areas and previous workout volume
⚠️ Important Note: Targets are expressed in working sets per muscle group per week. Sets that train a muscle as a primary target count as 1 full set toward your goal, while sets that train a muscle as a secondary target count as 0.5 sets. This helps provide a more accurate picture of your overall training volume for each muscle group.
Where to Find Your Targets
- Open the Fitbod app.
- Select the Targets Tab.
- Scroll down and select Push Muscles, Pull Muscles, or Leg Muscles to see a more in depth view of individual muscle groups.
Tracking Progress
- Your progress updates as you log workouts.
- Each set completed for a primary muscle group counts as one set toward that muscle’s weekly target.
- You can view your completion percentage for each group and overall.
Example: If your weekly target for chest is 12 sets and you’ve completed 9, your progress will show 75%.
Which Exercises Count Toward Weekly Set Targets
To ensure your Weekly Set Targets reflect meaningful strength training activity, Fitbod counts only specific types of exercises based on the following criteria:
Primary Muscle Group Targeting
- Only exercises that target a primary muscle group will count toward your set targets.
- Secondary muscle groups do not contribute to your target.
Example:
Bench press targets the chest as the primary muscle and the triceps as secondary. Only the chest sets will count.
Exercise Types That Count
Fitbod includes the following strength exercises if a primary muscle is assigned and the exercise is logged properly:
- Weighted strength exercises (e.g., barbell squats, dumbbell curls)
- Resistance band exercises
- Bodyweight movements (e.g., push-ups, pull-ups)
- Custom exercises (as long as a primary muscle group is assigned)
Exercise Types That Do NOT Count
Some activities, even if physically challenging, are not included in Weekly Set Targets:
- Cardio exercises (e.g., running, cycling, Stairmaster) → These don’t count, even if they work muscles like glutes or quads.
- Unlogged or deleted exercises
Logging Requirements
To ensure your work is counted:
- Exercises must be logged with sets and reps (or time, for some custom entries)
- Skipped or deleted exercises will not count toward your target
Summary Table
| Exercise Type | Counts Toward Set Targets? | Notes |
| Weighted strength exercises | ✅ Yes | Only the primary muscle group will count toward your Weekly Set Target |
| Bodyweight exercises | ✅ Yes | Only the primary muscle group will count toward your Weekly Set Target |
| Resistance band exercise | ✅ Yes | Only the primary muscle group will count toward your Weekly Set Target |
| Custom exercises | ✅ Yes | Only if assigned a primary muscle group |
| Cardio (running, cycling, etc.) | ❌ No | Not counted, even if primary muscle group is assigned |
How to Check Which Muscles an Exercise Targets
To confirm whether an exercise targets a primary muscle:
- Open the Fitbod app.
- Tap on any exercise within the Workout tab.
- Select ▶️ How To.
- Navigate to the Target tab.
- View the listed muscle groups—the one labeled “Primary” will count toward your Weekly Set Targets.
Additional Notes
-
Weekly targets reset based on your selected start-of-week day (e.g., Sunday or Monday). You can request to change by contacting our Support team at support@fitbod.me.
- Please note that at this time we cannot change the way the calendar looks, only the start date of the week.
- Cardio exercises (e.g., running, cycling) do not count toward set targets, even if they primarily target certain muscles like quads.
- Targets are recalculated in real-time. If you change your settings mid-week, your targets and progress may update accordingly.
FAQ
Can I edit my targets?
Currently, you cannot manually edit your weekly set targets. However, the ability to customize targets is a highly requested feature and is under consideration by our Product Team. If you'd like to see this feature in the future, please vote for the idea in our Feature Request Board.
You can influence your targets by adjusting your:
- Weekly workout frequency
- Workout duration
- Fitness goal in your Gym Profile
These changes will automatically recalculate your targets.
Why don't my workout always hit the targets?
At this time, Fitbod’s workout algorithm does not guarantee that following the suggested workouts will fully meet your weekly set targets. This is a known limitation, and improvements are being explored to better align workouts with your goals.
In the meantime, you can:
- Manually add exercises to target undertrained muscle groups
- Adjust your training split or targeted muscle groups
Do bodyweight exercises contribute to targets?
Yes, bodyweight exercises can contribute to your Weekly Set Targets, but with some important caveats.
Bodyweight exercises will contribute to your Weekly Set Targets if they meet the following conditions:
- The exercise targets a muscle group that is part of your current Targets.
- The exercise is logged with sets and reps (even if no weight is added).
- The muscle group is listed as a primary target for that exercise.
- For example, doing push-ups (which primarily target the chest and triceps) will count toward your chest and triceps set targets.
There are a few scenarios where bodyweight exercises might not contribute to your Targets:
- If the exercise only targets a secondary muscle group, it will not count toward that muscle’s set target.
- If the exercise is not logged (e.g., skipped or deleted), it won’t be included in your set count.
- If the exercise is custom and not assigned to a muscle group, it won’t be tracked in Targets.