How progress is measured

Salivihko scores every set you log, compares it with what you did last time, and tells you which way you are going. This page explains how that works.

An example of progressive training

The idea is always to add either reps or weight. Each move can have a reps goal — the number of reps that keeps you progressing. In the example below the reps goal is 8.

1
All sets at the reps goal — the starting point.
8x10kg 8x10kg 8x10kg
2
Add one rep to one set — the move is now in the plus.
8x10kg 8x10kg 9x10kg
3
Add one rep to a second set.
8x10kg 9x10kg 9x10kg
4
All sets above the reps goal.
9x10kg 9x10kg 9x10kg
5
Drop the reps back to the goal and add weight to one set.
8x10kg 8x10kg 8x12.5kg
6
Raise the reps again, then the weight again — an endless loop.
8x10kg 9x10kg 8x12.5kg
In short: adding reps pays off up to the reps goal — after the reps goal, adding weight pays off more.

Why the reps goal matters

The reps goal is not just advice — it is built into the score. Up to the goal, a set counts as its reps multiplied by the weight squared, so both more reps and more weight raise it steeply.

Past the goal, every extra rep only adds the weight itself, while raising the weight still squares. That is why the score rewards you for going back to the reps goal with a heavier weight instead of chasing endless reps.

Set the reps goal to the highest number of reps you normally do — for example 8, if you do sets of at most 8 reps.

Row colours

The background colour of a saved row tells you how the workout went compared to your record:

  • Green — The best workout so far.
  • Yellow — Level with your best.
  • Yellow-red — Better than last time, but not your best.
  • Red — Worse than your best workout.
  • No background — The first time you do the move, or a long time since the last one.

The score and the trend arrow

Every saved workout gets a score of its own. What matters is the difference to the previous time you did that same move: a better result gives a plus, a worse one a minus.

The arrow next to the date on the Workout page adds up those differences for the whole day. It points up in green when the day was a net improvement, and down in red when it was not. Tap it to see the last 20 days as a graph.

Log the same number of sets as last time. If you sometimes do four sets instead of three, log your three best ones — otherwise the score jumps for a reason that has nothing to do with getting stronger.

Starting the comparison over

If you change gym, have a sick period, or just have a long time without working out, you can set a date from where on you start comparing progress again. You can always set it backwards or remove it, to view for example the whole history of statistics.

You will find it as the comparison date on your account page.