How do the exercise notes (routine and workout notes) work?

What Are Exercise Notes?

Hevy offers exercise notes on three levels:

1. Routine notes – you can add these to any exercise while building a routine (reusable workout template). They will appear with their respective exercises each time you use the routine to log a workout.

2. Workout notes – these are the notes you can write for specific exercises while logging a session. They are saved with the workout and available for future reference, but don’t carry over from session to session.

3. Pinned notes (new) – those are exercise-specific notes that appear each time you add the movement to any workout or routine.

What’s the Use of Exercise Notes? 

Routine exercise notes are useful for adding information that will be helpful every time you log a specific workout. They could be tips or reminders, such as “Slowly lower the weight until I feel a good stretch in the lat.” for a dumbbell row or “Elevate the front foot on three weight plates.” for a split squat.

You can include a link that’s clickable when reviewing the routine or logging it as a live workout. For example, it could be a link to an instructional YouTube video. You’re the only person who can see and click the link.

Workout notes are useful for offering more information about a specific session and can provide value when examining your performance later. For example, “The weight felt lighter than usual,” or “Left knee was bothering me. I might need to reduce the weight or evaluate my technique.”

That said, you can use exercise notes however you want. Additional information provides depth and allows you to gauge your progress more accurately, leading to better decision-making in your programming.

Pinned notes carry over with the specific exercise any time you add it to a workout, be it a routine, a live session, or even a Trainer-generated workout. They are particularly useful as reminders about technique cues (e.g., remember to keep my chest up) and machine settings (e.g., seat at position 4, back support at position 6).

How to Use the 3 Types of Exercise Notes in Hevy

1. Routine Exercise Notes

1. Add an exercise to a routine and tap Note.
2. Tap the icon next to the note to change the type. By default, it will be Pinned Routine Note – only showing for the exercise in that routine.
3. Change to Pinned Exercise Note if you want it to appear every time you add the movement to a workout or routine.

2. Workout Exercise Notes

1. Start a new workout (empty workout, from a saved routine, or your next Trainer session).
2. Tap Note on any exercise.
3. Tap the icon next to the new note to change the type if necessary.

3. Pinned Exercise Notes

1. Start a workout or open the routine editor and tap Note.
2. Tap the icon and change the note type to Pinned Exercise Note.
3. Write the note.

Alternatively:

1. Navigate to Profile > Exercises.
2. Find the exercise you want to add pinned notes to.
3. Go to the How to tab and scroll to the bottom.
4. See your existing pinned notes and tap Add Note.