Our Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

Ethos

Exercise is a vehicle for making one's life better; enhancing the moments that matter, and building the mind and body to endure the challenges we inevitably face.

Pathos

So why create a workout app? Why start something like this? Aren't there a million workout apps? What's unique about this one?

There are many great workout apps that have great features. Strong is one of my favorites. Other workout apps have good (probably great) programs. Many are even supported by big celebrity names. I've used many workout apps in my years of lifting and I can say they're great. The point of creating Tra1n was not to create another workout app, it was to disconnect from the digital.

Personally, I'm intimately aware of my relationship with technology. I think this has to do with the fact that I'm a software engineer. My workout journey started in my parents' basement with a pullup bar and a small spiral-bound memo book, logging my sets and reps. Eventually I moved onto weights and apps, but I kept being drawn back to paper notes. The gym became a place for me to disconnect: focus on a single task and be proud of what I was working towards. My phone and the workout apps I was using to track my progress were way too distracting.

My first workout notebook

Workout apps are great. They give you data and insights about your workouts immediately. Pen and paper is fantastic but nobody wants to create a line graph like they're in fourth grade science. And plugging it all into Excel takes time and effort that nobody has. As you can see, I did not make it that far.

Hand written line graphs !?

Logos

Let's create a hybrid approach. Let's use AI to do the heavy lifting (😏) to translate my horrible handwriting into data that makes sense.

Our goal with this app is to take a break from our phones, enjoy our workouts, and feel like we're connecting in the process.

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Written: October 13, 2025