A workflow I use
I began Iron Protocol in April 2024 and have used this AI coaching workflow in my own workouts for approximately two years. I designed it to combine workout planning, coaching, and structured records that carry relevant history between sessions.
Matching the answer to the task
I defined different response scopes for a quick training decision and a complete program. A question about an exercise substitution should get a focused answer; designing a full training block requires more context and explanation. My aim was to keep ordinary coaching compact while preserving the detail needed for consequential decisions and a complete handoff to the next session.
Making the right comparison
A workout schedule and an exercise’s performance history answer different questions. I designed the workflow to keep both, because the most relevant previous attempt may have occurred on a different training day. I also specified that comparisons account for the exercise variant, equipment, and purpose of the set, so an apparent improvement is assessed in its actual context.
Keeping records honest
I specified that progress records change only when activity is reported as completed, while unrelated history and unresolved issues remain available for later guidance. That protects the distinction between a proposed plan and what someone actually did. I refined the instructions through feedback and defined evaluation cases for these behaviors, making the intended operating standard explicit and reviewable when the workflow changes.
Making it useful to other people
I gave away Iron Protocol, my AI workout coach, for free to younger and older adults new to exercise and healthy eating, and used it to create individualized workout regimens and nutrition plans. I care about helping people get started with information they can understand, rather than assuming a level of experience they do not yet have. That purpose informs the attention I give to instructions and individual constraints. I have not measured recipients’ continued use or health outcomes.
Project description updated September 21, 2026.