Logging Your First Workout
The logging flow: starting a session, recording sets, RPE/RIR, and how offline mode keeps you covered.
Once you have a program (see MuscleBuddy 101 if you don't yet), logging a workout is the loop you'll repeat most often.
Starting a session
From the Train tab, start today's scheduled workout. Each exercise shows its target: a weight, a rep range, or both, depending on your program's progression method. Don't have a program yet? Pick one from our free workout programs, or browse the exercise library to see what's coming up.
Logging a set
Log weight and reps as you complete each set rather than in a batch afterward. Numbers typed from memory drift, and the app sets your next session's loads from exactly what you logged, so a PR or a harder-than-usual day carries into the next prescription.
RPE vs RIR
RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion, 1–10) and RIR (Reps in Reserve) are two ways of saying the same thing: RIR is 10 minus RPE. If your program asks for RPE, log how hard the set felt. An RPE 8 means you had about 2 reps left.
Why RPE/RIR matters
If your program uses RPE-based progression, the app reads this number to decide whether to add weight, hold, or back off next session. Rate the set you did: if you log an 8 for a set that was a 10, the next session gets heavier when it should have held.
Working offline
Gym with bad signal? Keep logging: sets are saved on your phone and sync when you're back online, so you don't need to re-enter anything later.
Where to go next
More guides
MuscleBuddy 101: What's Where and Why
A quick orientation to the app: what Plan, Train, Nutrition, Health and Community do, and how they connect.
Understanding Your Program & Progression
How double progression, linear, RPE and the other progression methods set your training loads from what you log.
Nutrition Targets & Auto-Adjustment
How your macro targets are calculated and why they shift after weigh-ins.
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