Hey there, fellow tech enthusiasts! 👋
I work as a Full Stack Software Engineer.
I’m excited to share my journey of creating Load Muscle, my first SaaS product, which I’ve been developing as a side project for a while. Grab a cup of coffee (or protein shake) and share my excitement.
Platform link: Load Muscle
Idea 💡
It all started with a simple problem: Although there are many fitness apps and ready-made workouts, I couldn’t find a platform that creates a personalised workout with artificial intelligence. So I started with the idea of creating a personalised workout using more than 1300 gifs in exercisedb.
Process
First I created an account in Confluence and planned my project, the database and other processes. I wrote the user scenarios and how the pages would look like. Then I switched to Jira and wrote all the features one by one. Writing the documentation of the project does not really waste time, it saves it, my friends!
During this time I have also done research on the AI side using OpenAI APIs. I have imported exercise metadata into the AI, but at the moment the model is not working very well. I continue to work on AI based personalised workout creation feature.
The pages available in Load Muscle:
Exercises,
Workout creation,
Pre-made Workouts,
Water Intake and Weight Tracking,
Calculations
Creating MVP 🚀
Since I work in a company, I had to wait for the end of the working hours and weekends to build Load Muscle. Here’s a look at the tech stack that powers my project:
Web Framework: Nextjs
Database and Storage: Supabase
Auth: Clerk
Language: TypeScript
Deploy: Vercel
UI Components: Material-UI
PWA: next-pwa
Chart lib: Recharts
Payment: Stripe
and more…
Why these technologies, you ask? Let me explain.
Next.js
Next.js was my choice for building a robust and scalable web application. Its server-side rendering capabilities, quick API creation and ease of integration with other tools made it my choice.
Supabase
I chose Supabase for database and storage, like Firebase but with a SQL database. Supabase does really great things, it has many features and is very easy to integrate with other technologies.
Clerk
Authentication can be a headache, but Clerk has made it a breeze. With minimal configuration and ready-made UI components, I’ve made secure and scalable authentication out-of-the-box.
TypeScript
I started using TypeScript last year and have continued with TypeScript in all subsequent projects.
TypeScript provides the type safety and advanced developer experience I need. Catching bugs early has saved me countless hours in debugging.
Vercel
Vercel was my preferred deployment platform. Seamless integration with Next.js and powerful features make deployment seamless.
Material-UI
I chose Material-UI for the user interface. Its pre-built components and customisation options allowed me to create a sleek and responsive interface.
Exercises Gifs
I used exercisedb package for gifs and metadata.
Features and Functionality 💪
I don’t want Load Muscle to be an ordinary fitness app. I think that staying away from AI is to stay behind. That’s why I think that many users will love it when I add the AI-powered workout creation feature to the app. And the features are ready now:
Personalised Fitness Plans: Create customised workout routines based on your goals.
Ready-made Programmes: Choose from expertly crafted workout plans.
Daily Tracking: Easily monitor your water intake and body measurements.
Extensive Workout Library: Access over 1300 exercise GIFs and detailed data.
And the best part? I’m working on integrating AI to create personalised workouts and collaborating with personal trainers to deliver monthly custom programmes. The future is bright!
Lessons Learnt 📚
Building Load Muscle has taught me several valuable lessons:
Stay organised: Managing a project alone requires excellent organisation. Tools like Jira and Confluence have been lifesavers.
Ask for Feedback: Don’t be afraid to share your work early and often. Feedback from friends and early users is very important.
Keep Learning: The world of technology is evolving rapidly. Be curious and keep learning new skills.
What’s Next 🔮
Load Muscle is just the beginning. I am constantly working on new features and improvements. Your feedback and support is very important to me, so feel free to reach out to me with any suggestions or questions.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. If you have a question or feedback, I will gladly answer 💪
