r/strengthlog

Hi StrengthLog team! It is so refreshing to see a development team that is not only part of their own user community but also engages so well with their users directly.

Having logged 100 workouts in Strengthlog, I feel confident in saying it is the best strength training app available by far, and I felt it's an appropriate milestone to share some feedback on what has and hasn't worked for me, and what can be improved. At the bottom, I will add some of my background, which hopefully will put my feedback in context, for those interested.

What's been standing out to me as uniquely great:

• The exercise library is genuinely top-notch. It contains so many esoteric variations, and search works well. The videos help users validate that what they're picking is indeed what they intended, as names can vary between locations.
• Stats and graphs! If you're a nerd, you know what I mean.
• Customization is excellent. Custom barbells and plate sets, custom cooldown timers, and composable exercises -> workouts -> programs create a really powerful tool for advanced lifters and trainers.
• Overall, great UI. If not always 100% intuitive, then at least clean, well organized, and without unnecessary distractions, especially during workouts.
• No ads, feature-rich free version, and as I mentioned earlier, good community engagement and support.
• I have had no bugs, crashes, errors throughout a year of use, and several app+OS (android) version upgrades.
• The recent addition of strength levels! This feature will most likely lead to my early demise, but I love it so much.

What I would improve or add:

1. My top feature request would be letting users increment weights and reps by tapping a button instead of typing. I had this feature in nearly all apps I have used so far, and I'm really missing it here. Most of the time, gyms have plates in increments of 1.25kg minimum, and stack machines are often in increments of 5/10lbs; The app already supports custom weights per exercise. Give me a button to add 1 increment to a set (+2.5kg or +1 rep) and spare my disfigured arthritic fingers from excessive typing!
2. More social features, maybe? I have now hooked a few friends on the SL app as well, and we all agree it would be awesome if we could add each other as friends in the app and keep track of our workouts, PRs, and even have a strength levels leaderboard.
3. Small gripes with strength levels: I don't understand the choice of 9 exercises on the home page. I know it's just for fun, but in terms of what real users do, do these make sense? Lat pull+pullup and squat+leg press seem redundant; barbell curl is an ergonomic nightmare that many people simply can't do due to the forearm rotation, so dumbbell curl or ez bar would make more sense; no core - ab crunch or situp, RDL, hip thrust, etc; Additionally, would it be possible for these to accept variations with "close enough" mechanics as the same for strength level purposes? For example, accepting trap bar DL as equivalent to DLs, or dumbbell curls as equivalent to barbell curls, so that users who stick to these variations for ergonomic or equipment reasons can still enjoy this feature fully, while keeping their workout log accurate.
4. Also regarding navigation in the strength levels feature: When going from the feature's main view to the full exercise list and then to a specific exercise, "back" exits to the feature's main screen, skipping the list, which is annoying. The "back" button should _always_ lead users to the last screen they were on.
5. Programs with automatic increments, related to #1, but especially valuable for those whose progressive overload flavour of choice is increasing weights/reps every workout (eg, Stronglifts 5x5 program for beginners). This is not mutually exclusive with #1 IMO.
6. Easier access to the exercise library from the home page (currently it is settings > exercises > search > open) would be nice to have, having an "add to workout/program" button in the exercise page would make it even more powerful.
7. Machine variations: in many commercial gyms, there may be multiple machines for the same thing, that are not equivalent. For example, in my gym there are 4 brands of equipment all mixed, so there are 3 different types of lat pulldown that feel vastly different. 64kg in one machine is heavier than 100kg in another. Being able to track which machine was used and adjust the weight to what was last used on that machine, would make it easier to consistently track progress in this situation.

Note/disclosure: I have yet to try the premium version. I plan to do so starting in June, so if any of these are features of Premium.... advertise it! I would have gotten Premium sooner if any of these features was listed explicitly.

As for my background: I started lifting about 20 years ago when I was young and healthy, have trained other lifters, created my own programming, and achieved decent outcomes myself. Due to chronic illness, I stopped lifting for a prolonged period. Now, older and hopefully a bit wiser, I decided I'm tired of letting my disease control my life, and I have been back in the gym since 2024, taking it slow and focusing on longevity more than PRs. I am also a Sr. Director of product management at a data analytics company, with almost as many years of experience in software engineering and product management as I have in lifting, so you can understand why I enjoy StrengthLog so much!

I hope this feedback is useful, or at least fun to read. You guys have done a phenomenal job, and should feel proud of your contribution to this awesome hobby!

What’s up! Have you heard people, even “experts,” tell you that creatine’s going to wreck your kidneys?

A new 2026 narrative review breaks down why you don’t need to worry about your daily scoop. Let me, in turn, break down what it found in an easy-to-understand way.

Myth: A High Creatinine Blood Test Means Your Kidneys Are About to Fail

When you use creatine, your body converts some of it into creatinine. That means a spike in your serum creatinine is a normal response to the supplement, not a sign of organ damage. If you need an accurate picture of your kidney health while you’re taking creatine, check your cystatin C levels instead, because they don’t get skewed by creatine.

Myth: Creatine Directly Damages Your Kidneys

A myth without any substance at all. The current scientific evidence clearly shows that taking creatine monohydrate at recommended doses does not cause kidney damage if your kidneys are healthy.

The (admittedly few) studies that have been done in people prone to kidney issues, like those with type 2 diabetes, haven’t found any impaired kidney function either.

Caveat: There isn’t enough research to say whether creatine is safe if you’re undergoing dialysis.

Myth: You’ll Turn Into a Water Balloon

Yes, you will gain water weight on creatine, but that’s a good thing. It ends up in your muscles, not under your skin, and well-hydrated muscles are high-performing and better-looking muscles.

And long-term creatine use doesn’t change your total body water relative to your muscle mass.

Myth: Get Ready for Kidney Stones

There is no evidence at all that creatine increases your risk of kidney stones.

Research shows it doesn’t even alter your urinary creatinine levels.

Myth: You Have To Cycle Creatine

Plenty of research confirms that staying on creatine is safe in healthy people.

The longest-term studies show that taking doses as high as 30 grams daily for 5 years causes no harm whatsoever.

Takeaway

The standard 5 grams of creatine per day is the most effective supplement for building muscle, strength, and high-intensity performance.

And it’s safe.

Reference: Grzyb et al., Creatine supplementation and renal function - myths and evidence - a narrative review. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. Online. 28 April 2026. Vol. 90, p. 70576.

For more about creatine, check out:

• Creatine: Effects, Benefits, and Safety
• The Best Time to Take Creatine
• Does Creatine Cause Hair Loss?

If you want a stronger, wider, and more aesthetic-looking back, can you go wrong with either the lat pulldown or the pull-up?

The answer is no.

In this article, I talk about how to use each exercise, how they compare, and how to get the most out of both. With five free programs.

Lat Pulldown vs Pull-Up: Differences, Benefits, and When to Use Each.

Thanks for reading!

Any smartwatch users out there on Android? Wear OS is finally here! Install StrengthLog on your watch and let us know what you think. We’re sure there are bugs and kinks to sort out, and with your help, we’ll find and fix them faster. Send your feedback to app@strengthlog.com.

And starting with this update, we'll send all cardio you log in the app as separate workouts to Health Connect or Apple Health, so the data there becomes more accurate. This means that when you log a workout in StrengthLog that includes both strength training and cardio, you'll see one strength workout and one cardio workout in Health Connect or Apple Health going forward.

The duration of the cardio workout will be the amount of time that cardio was logged in the workout, while the strength workout (including any mobility) will be sent as the full workout length minus the cardio portion.

We’re recording an episode about how to get big arms. Post your questions for the episode here, or tell us what's worked for you!

I'm almost through the first round of Powerbuilding Lite and I'm loving it. Very nice variation, simple and finally a program that I can recover from in spite of the reduced sleep quality/time common with small kids!

3 questions:

- in one of the 2 gyms where I train, there is no Leg Press. A good alternative to leg press which in this program is an accessory? I tried front squat, but 15 reps??

- I'm almost done and will start over, but need new 1RMs for the 3 big lifts. What increase is realistic compared to the current block?

- if I wanted to swap bench with overhead press in the program so that bench is the accessory and OHP the main lift, are there other adjustments that would be appropriate?

Thanks guys