Garmin records every rep and weight you lift, and then never uses that data the next time you do the same workout. BulkForged does.
A progressive-overload engine reads the sets you actually completed and moves your targets itself - reps climb to the top of your range, then the weight goes up and the reps reset. The new number is pushed to the watch, so the set screen already says 220.5 before you walk in. Every adjustment is written to a change log in plain language, so you can see what moved and why, and override any of it.
On the watch: prescription screen before each set, two-step logging for weight then reps, optional RIR, and a rest timer that shows the next lift while it counts down. Fully offline. The watch and the phone are equal peers - start a session on either, it turns up on the other, and nothing is lost if one is out of range for an entire workout.
Two things I put real work into, because they're where I found other tools frustrating:
- The exercise catalog is more than 1,000 movements, searchable, covering barbell, dumbbell, machine, cable and bodyweight. You should not have to hand-enter a lift.
- Sync is the feature, not the plumbing. Phone and watch as equal peers, with field-level merging so a session edited in two places doesn't lose sets.
Coming from Hevy or Strong? BulkForged reads their export file and brings your history, routines and starting weights with you.
Requirements, stated plainly so nobody wastes an install:
- Needs the BulkForged Android phone app, which is free to install. The phone app works without an account; pairing the watch needs one. There is no iOS app yet. An iPhone version is on the way: join the waitlist at https://bulkforged.com/beta and I'll email you when it's ready.
- 63 Garmin models: fenix 6, 7, 8 and 9; epix (Gen 2) and epix Pro; Enduro and Enduro 3; MARQ and MARQ (Gen 2); Forerunner 165, 170, 255, 265, 570, 955, 965 and 970; Descent; Instinct 3 AMOLED and Instinct Crossover AMOLED. Colour screens only. No vivoactive or venu support yet.
- Logging on the phone and the watch is free and stays free. The automatic targets and the change log are part of Coaching: $7.99 a month or $49.99 a year, after a 14-day preview.
Watch: https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/65065d61-a4d8-4fb1-b909-55d7886bd514 Phone: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bulkforged.app&referrer=utm_source%3Dforums.garmin.com%26utm_medium%3Dforum%26utm_campaign%3Dopen-track%26utm_content%3Dciq-showcase
It's a one-person project and I'm actively working on it. If something is broken or annoying I'd rather hear it than not - the watch flow especially.
