I built an offline workout logger in 2 weeks as a first-time indie developer — here's what I learned
Hey IH,
I'm Bartek — a PM from Poland, currently between
jobs, who decided to use the time to build something
real for the first time.
Two weeks ago I had zero coding skills and a notebook
full of workout logs. Today I have a live product.
What I built:
Sztanga — offline-first workout logger.
Single HTML file, no backend, no account required.
Works on iOS, Android, desktop.
130+ exercises, full history, PR tracking.
Why I built it:
Most workout apps either limit your history,
cap your routines, or want a subscription
for what is basically a spreadsheet.
I wanted something simple that I actually own.
What I learned building it:
→ "No coding skills" is not a blocker anymore —
AI pair programming changed this completely
→ iOS Safari is a special kind of hell
(local HTML files don't run JS —
Netlify solved this in 5 minutes)
→ Shipping something broken is better
than shipping nothing perfect
→ Reddit karma requirements are a real barrier
for new founders trying to get first users 😅
Where I am now:
Update (June 25): it's live and now a one-time purchase — no subscription, no account, ever.
Live at sztanga.netlify.app — open it in the browser, log a set, your data stays on your device. The landing page leads to the purchase too (Gumroad), so both links go to the same place.
Get it on Gumroad: strengthbartek.gumroad.com/l/sztanga-logger — 49 PLN (~$13) lifetime, one-time, no subscription.
Posted it to r/SideProject and got genuinely useful feedback — a few lifters confirmed the "no cloud, no subscription" angle is the actual draw, plus solid feature ideas (rolling auto-backup, rest timer). Now watching for the signal that matters: who actually comes back and logs repeatedly.
Questions for the IH community:
→ For a one-time-purchase tool (no recurring revenue), what's worked for you to keep distribution going after launch?
→ Local-first means no accounts and no analytics on usage. How do you read "is this actually being used" when you deliberately can't track users?
This is a good first ship.
I would be careful with the June 25 paid switch though. The risk is not whether 49 PLN lifetime is “viable” in general. The risk is switching to paid before you know which type of lifter actually feels the pain strongly enough to buy.
Offline-first, no account, full history, and ownership are strong angles, but they may appeal to different people: serious strength lifters, spreadsheet users, privacy-first users, or people tired of subscription apps.
If you test all of them at once, you may get polite interest but no clear buying signal.
I’d probably narrow the paid test before June 25 around one buyer type and one reason to pay.
Happy to put a tighter launch/pricing test in writing if useful. This is exactly the kind of small tool where the first 100 users can teach more than broad promotion.
This is genuinely the most useful feedback I've gotten so far — thank you. You're right. I've been messaging all four angles at once without knowing which one actually converts. I'd love to take you up on the tighter launch/pricing test. What would you need from me to put that together?
Appreciate that.
Since June 25 is the real switch point, I’d keep this narrow rather than turn it into broad advice here.
Send me your email and I’ll share the details there. Then I can put together the focused launch/pricing test properly.
Absolutely — bartek dot strength at proton dot me
Looking forward to it.
Sent you a note by email. Main thing is keeping the June 25 paid switch narrow enough to learn which lifter type actually has buying intent.