I built a workout app for my comeback — and you can use it too

A few months ago I walked back into a Planet Fitness for the first time in years.

I’d had knee replacement surgery, I wanted to lose weight, and I was starting more or less from scratch. I knew how to warm up on the treadmill. After that? I stood there looking at rows of machines with no idea what to do, in what order, or how much weight to use.

So I did what a lot of people do: I looked for an app. I tried a few of the popular ones, and every single one felt like it was built for someone who already knew what they were doing. Too many buttons, too many options, too much setup. I didn’t want to manage software. I just wanted something to tell me, “Do this machine, then this one, at about this weight,” so I could get to work.

When I couldn’t find it, I decided to make it.

Meet Comeback

Comeback is a dead-simple workout app you open on your phone. After your warm-up, it shows you exactly which machines to use, in order, with a suggested weight and rep count for each one. You tap each exercise to check it off. That’s the whole idea.

Here’s what it does:

• Walks you through a full-body routine built around gym machines that are gentle on your joints — good for beginners and anyone easing back in.
• Suggests a starting weight and reps for every exercise, so you’re not guessing. You can change any number to what actually works for you, and it remembers.
• Tracks your progress — it saves each workout and shows a simple chart of your weight going up over time. Watching that line climb is more motivating than I expected.
• Three levels — Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced — that adjust the sets and weights as you get stronger.
• Fully customizable — turn machines on or off, edit reps and weights, and pull in extras like more machines, dumbbell exercises, cardio options, and stretches.
• Yours to make your own — pick a color theme and put your name on it.

No account. No login. No ads. Nothing to pay. It works right in your phone’s browser, and you can add it to your home screen so it opens like a real app.

An honest word before you start

I’m not a trainer or a doctor. I built this for my own comeback, and the routine it starts with was chosen to be safe for my recovering knee.

If you’re coming back from surgery or an injury, or you’re new to lifting, please check with your doctor or physical therapist before you begin, and start lighter than you think you need to. The app will remind you of this too. Move at your own pace — that’s the entire point.

Try it

Open Comeback here

On your iPhone: open that link in Safari, tap the Share button, and choose Add to Home Screen. Now it lives on your phone like any other app, and it remembers your workouts.

If it helps even one person walk into the gym feeling a little less lost than I did, it was worth building. Here’s to comebacks.