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Workout Tracker

Difficulty: Intermediate

Create a workout tracking application where users can log their exercises, track progress over time, and visualize their fitness journey with charts. This project introduces data visualization, JWT authentication, and working with time-series data.

Estimated Time: 4-5 days

Learning Objectives

Project Requirements

Authentication & User Management

  • User registration with email and password validation
  • Login system with JWT token generation
  • Protected routes that require authentication
  • Store JWT token in localStorage or httpOnly cookie
  • Auto-logout on token expiration
  • User profile page with basic info and stats

Workout Logging

  • Create workout sessions with name, date, and duration
  • Add multiple exercises to each workout session
  • For each exercise: name, sets, reps, weight (optional), rest time
  • Exercise library/database with common exercises
  • Quick-add from exercise library or create custom exercises
  • Edit and delete workout sessions
  • Mark workouts as complete/incomplete

Progress Tracking & Visualization

  • Dashboard showing recent workouts and weekly summary
  • Line chart showing workout frequency over time (last 30 days)
  • Bar chart showing total volume (sets × reps × weight) by muscle group
  • Personal records (PR) tracking for key exercises
  • Calendar view showing workout days
  • Statistics: total workouts, total volume, avg workout duration

Frontend Implementation

  • Use React Context for authentication state management
  • Implement protected routes with React Router
  • Create multi-step form for workout creation
  • Use useEffect for fetching and refreshing data
  • Implement optimistic UI updates for better UX
  • Add loading skeletons for charts and data

Backend Implementation

  • JWT middleware for protecting routes
  • Password hashing with bcrypt
  • User model with password, email (unique), createdAt
  • Workout model with userId reference, exercises array, date, duration
  • Exercise model or embedded schema
  • Aggregation queries for statistics and charts
  • Date range queries for filtering workouts

Bonus Features

  • Workout templates (save and reuse workout routines)
  • Rest timer between sets
  • Goal setting and tracking
  • Export workout data to CSV
  • Dark mode toggle
  • Exercise instructions/videos
Technical Stack
Frontend React, React Router, Context API, Chart.js/Recharts, axios, date-fns
Backend Node.js, Express, JWT, bcrypt
Database MongoDB, Mongoose (with aggregation)
Testing Jest (backend), React Testing Library (optional)

📚 Helpful Resources

JWT Introduction → Chart.js Documentation → React Context API → bcrypt Library → date-fns (Date Utilities) →

💡 Development Tips:

Start by implementing authentication fully before adding workout features. Use MongoDB aggregation pipeline for calculating statistics efficiently. Store JWT in httpOnly cookies for better security. Create custom hooks like useAuth() for cleaner component code. Test your authentication flow thoroughly including token expiration. Consider using React Context to avoid prop drilling for authentication state.

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