Guide
What an AI workout coach app should actually do
Lots of apps say "AI" now. Most of them write you a plan once. A coach is different: it watches what you lift and changes the plan while you train.
Plan generator or coach?
Ask one question of any AI workout app: what happens after I log a set?
A plan generator
- Asks a few questions and writes a program.
- Moves the weights up on a fixed schedule.
- Changes the plan only when you start a new one.
A coach
- Reads every set you log, including how hard it felt.
- Changes your next set when a lift moves faster or slower than planned.
- Remembers your history, so you never explain yourself twice.
Both can be useful. Just know which one you're getting.
What to look for
- It sees your log. If you have to type your sets into a chat, you are doing the coach's job.
- It uses effort, not just reps. Reps in reserve (RIR) or RPE tell a coach how hard a set really was. "5 reps, 2 left in the tank" and "5 reps, nothing left" need different next sets.
- It explains itself. A good coach tells you why the weight went up or down, and lets you say no.
- It plans around your real week. Travel, a late shift, a short session. The plan should bend, not break.
- It remembers. PRs, exercises you like and don't, and injuries you've told it about.
- It's honest about what it is. A training tool, not medical advice.
How Aldo Coach works
The plan and the log are one thing. Log a set and the coach already has it. Nothing to paste.
It answers under the set you just did. Log a set with how many reps you had left, and the coach sets your next weight and says why. Finish a top set easier than planned and the back-off sets go up, one tap to accept or keep them.
It plans around your real week. Sync your Apple Calendar and a work trip or a late shift becomes part of the plan.
It remembers. Your injuries, your PRs on every exercise, and the lifts you like and don't.
The coach is Claude. Claude Opus writes your program and Claude Sonnet coaches you set by set. There's an Apple Watch app for logging on your wrist.
I'm a powerlifter. Coming back after my first meet, I had nobody at the gym to ask "do I add weight today?" I used ChatGPT and then Claude as my coach, but my sets lived in a separate workout app.
I spent my time copying training from one to the other. So I built one app that is both: the log and the coach.
Is it for you?
Good fit if
- You lift weights and want someone calling the next set.
- You train for strength, muscle, conditioning, or just to stay fit.
- You're tired of copying sets between a log and a chat.
Not a fit if
- You want food or calorie tracking. Aldo doesn't do that.
- You want follow-along video classes.
- You need an app in a language other than English.
The App Store app covers the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Iceland and Norway; anywhere else, it runs in your browser.
Questions
What is an AI workout coach app?
An app that builds your training plan and then keeps adjusting it from the workouts you log: the weight on your next set, the rest of the session, and next week. An app that only writes a plan once is a plan generator, not a coach.
Can an AI workout coach replace a personal trainer?
It can handle the programming: what to lift, how heavy, and how to progress. It can't watch your form in person. For an injury or pain, see a doctor or physical therapist, not an app.
Which AI does Aldo Coach use?
Claude, made by Anthropic. Claude Opus writes your program and Claude Sonnet coaches you set by set.
Is Aldo Coach free?
Yes, right now, with nothing for sale in the app. Every set you log goes to Claude, which costs money per user, so paid tiers will come later.
A coach on every set.
Your program, your log and your coach in one app.