Stop Guessing, Start Lifting: Inside the MetCon Planner Project
MetCon Planner is tool built for myself, so i can generate, track and analyze my crossfit workouts and results.
About the Project: The Story Behind MetCon Planner
Behind every piece of clean software is a real-world problem that needed solving. MetCon Planner wasn’t born in a corporate boardroom—it was built on a garage gym floor out of pure training frustration.
The Athlete Behind the Algorithm
My name is Dmytro Kulykov. For over 13 years, I have worked professionally as an IT consultant and Business Analyst. But when I'm not dissecting workflows or building applications, I am an active functional fitness and CrossFit practitioner.
For years, I trained across the full spectrum of the sport—sweating through high-energy group classes at local boxes and grinding through brutal solo sessions.
Eventually, my training goals shifted. I wanted to move away from rigid, pre-written templates and group schedules to train solo, entirely at my own rhythm.
But training solo introduced a massive problem: decision fatigue.
I found myself wasting valuable training time standing in front of a barbell, staring at old workout logs, or scrolling through social media trying to piece together a balanced MetCon. I was spending more time planning my workouts than actually executing them.
As a software analyst, I realized I could automate away the friction. So, I built a tool to fix it.
The Evolution: Build, Test, Refine
MetCon Planner evolved in phases, directly mirroring my own shifting goals as an athlete:
Phase 1: Dynamic Generation (The Core Engine)
It started as a simple script to eliminate guesswork. I programmed an engine where I could input my available time, target muscle groups, and desired workout focus (like an AMRAP, EMOM, or For Time priority) and receive a structured core workout in seconds. To prevent overtraining, I built logic into the engine so it would review my recent history and avoid repeating the same local muscle fatigue back-to-back. If a movement didn't feel right for the day, I added the ability to re-generate single exercises or manually swap them.
Phase 2: Eliminating the Notebook (Zero-Friction Tracking)
For a while, a smart generator was enough. But effective conditioning requires progressive stimulus, and programming without data is just guessing. I stripped away the bloated dashboards found in generic fitness apps and added a lightning-fast data logger. With chalked hands and a running timer, I could log my completed sets and weights for every single exercise in under two seconds.
Phase 3: Data Visualization & Body Composition
Once the data was there, I wanted to see the trend. I built an analytical layer that converts logged training history into progress graphs, turning raw numbers into visual motivation. Later, when I decided to dial in my nutrition and focus on weight loss, I integrated a weight tracking module mapped against date and time—allowing me to see exactly how changes in my body mass correlated with my conditioning performance.
The Vision: Train with Intent
Today, MetCon Planner has grown from a personal training script into a complete ecosystem built for athletes who value their time and data. Whether you are generating a workout, tracking your weights, analyzing your performance trends, or sharing a tough session with friends—every feature exists because a real athlete needed it to work in a real gym environment.
No bloated marketing fluff, no mandatory social feeds, and no wasted time. Just a smarter, data-driven way to train.
Ready to stop guessing and start lifting with purpose?