A Lifting App for Humans.
A solo passion project I built, tested, polished, and launched myself; designed to make every visit to the gym enjoyable, tracking simple, and progress meaningful.
The Problem: Fitness Apps vs. Humans
Building Up Lifting was a personal mission to solve my own gym frustrations. This was a solo passion project I built, tested, polished, and launched myself; taking ownership of everything from the initial strategy and UX to the final native code. I wanted to build a strength training app because I was tired of fighting tools that felt designed for data entry rather than the reality of a heavy session.
Notes as an Extension
A workout app is a notebook extension. Many apps treat notes as secondary, but in the gym, context is everything; every set needs a space for the "how" and "why".
Hidden History
Your history is how you know where you can move. Too many apps hide your previous performance behind layers of menus; I wanted it front and centre, available at a glance during your set.
Rigidity in Training
Training isn't always linear. Many apps lack the options to adjust routines on the fly or manage multiple evolving routines; making it a challenge to change your training over time.
Zero Personalisation
Most apps dictate their look and feel. I wanted to build something that users could actually customise; making the tool feel like their own personal training space.
Non-Native Friction
Multiplatform apps often feel "off"; slow animations, non-standard layouts, and a lack of responsiveness. Up Lifting is built natively to feel like a part of the OS, not an afterthought.
The Paywall Barrier
Basic functionality shouldn't be a luxury. Many apps lock core tracking features behind expensive subscriptions; I believe the path to strength should be accessible to everyone.
The Rationale: Working for you
Most apps force a "one size fits all" approach to units and timers. My design choice was to enable granular control, addressing the pain point of rigid training structures.
Pick your style, units, timers and more.
Exercise-Specific Logic
Why should a heavy squat have the same rest timer as a lateral raise? Up Lifting allows for individual exercise overrides, so the app adapts to your actual training needs.
Real-Time Flexibility
Training happens in the moment. I designed the UI to allow adjustments mid-workout, removing the hassle of having to dive into deep settings menus when you're already in the zone.
The Choice: Native & Offline
I chose an offline-first architecture to solve the pain point of unreliable gym Wi-Fi and the invasive data collection of modern cloud-sync services.
- Absolute Privacy: No accounts mean no data harvesting. Your lifts are your business, and I designed the app to keep it that way.
- Uninterrupted Flow: By being completely offline, Up Lifting never lags during sync or fails because of a dead zone in the basement of a gym.
- Data Agency: I believe your data should be yours to keep. The export/import system is a design commitment to user freedom over platform lock-in.
- Native Built: Native iOS features and full Swift codebase ensures Up Lifting feels right at home on iOS.
Design Solutions for Training Friction
Every feature in Up Lifting is a conscious decision aimed at reducing the mental overhead of gym sessions.
Contextual Set Notes
Built to provide instant context; record feeling, performance, or cues right where it matters most, addressing the "notebook extension" pain point.
Accessible History
No more digging through tabs. Previous performance is available on the working screen, directly solving the "hidden history" frustration.
Intelligent Supersets
A flowing system that binds exercises together and activates timers automatically, smoothing out the multitasking between sets.
Zero-Cost Core
I chose to keep fundamental tracking free. Training should be about progress, not about how much you can pay to see your own data.
Extensible Library
While I provide a default library, the app is designed to be fully customisable. Add any exercise, so the tool fits exactly how you train.
Holistic Progress
Side-by-side graphs and history provide immediate visual feedback on improvements, reinforcing the purpose of every heavy set.
Auto-Advancing Flow
Built to keep your momentum going. The app automatically advances on the last set, so you always know what's next without checking.
System-Wide Visibility
Full support for Live Activities and the Dynamic Island means your workout state and rest timers are always visible, so you don't have to constantly unlock your phone.
Homescreen Widgets
Quick-start routines and view your weekly progress directly from your homescreen, making the path to starting a session as short as possible.
Ad-Hoc Flexibility
"On the Fly" mode acknowledges that routines aren't always set. This design choice provides flexibility for those spontaneous gym sessions.
Shareable Progress
Generate beautiful overlays of your completed workouts, made for sharing on social media without the fuss of manual screenshots.
On-Device Intelligence
Apple Intelligence routine generation stays on-device, prioritizing privacy while providing the benefit of modern AI assistance.
The Solution: Maintaining Momentum
Pro features address the "Plateau Effect" and the mental fatigue of long-term consistency.
Progress Incentives
Achievements and streaks that keep you motivated without nagging. It's about building a sustainable habit.
Visual Journey
A timeline of all improvements provides the perspective needed to stay engaged; especially when individual sessions feel slow.
Intelligent Increments
"Increment Up!" prompts remove the guesswork of when to advance, directly solving the problem of stalled progress.
Routine Evolution
"Change it Up!" reminders help prevent your training from becoming stagnant, making it easier to manage your progress over time.
Gentle Nudges
Custom daily reminders aimed at lowering the mental barrier to starting your day's work in the gym.
In-Gym Focus
"ADHD Support" features like "Are you still there?" and intelligent logging are design solutions for maintaining focus between heavy sets; built for the way humans actually train.
Shareable Moments
Designed for the community. Beautiful, automated overlays that celebrate every heavy session.
"Up Lifting is about more than just data, it's about momentum"
Building Up Lifting has been a project to create the tool I always wanted. It's about removing the friction between you and your workout; ensuring that every set, note, and rest period contributes to your overall momentum.
Focusing on a native experience and absolute user privacy was a non-negotiable for me. I wanted to build something that feels like it belongs on the device and respects the user's data as much as their time.