Exercise YAML Format

Exercises are stored as YAML files in mo-docs and seeded into the app database.

---

File Structure

mo-docs/data/exercises/
├── push/
│   ├── bench-press.yaml
│   ├── incline-dumbbell-press.yaml
│   └── ...
├── pull/
│   ├── barbell-row.yaml
│   ├── pull-up.yaml
│   └── ...
├── legs/
│   ├── back-squat.yaml
│   ├── romanian-deadlift.yaml
│   └── ...
└── core/
    ├── plank.yaml
    └── ...

---

YAML Schema

# Required fields
name: "Barbell Bench Press"
slug: "barbell-bench-press"
category: "chest"
movementPattern: "horizontal_push"

# Muscle targeting
primaryMuscles:
  - "chest"
secondaryMuscles:
  - "front_delts"
  - "triceps"

# Equipment and difficulty
equipment:
  - "barbell"
  - "bench"
difficulty: "intermediate"
priority: "essential"  # essential, common, specialized, niche
exerciseUse: "training"  # training, warmup, both

# Instructions
instructions:
  - "Lie on bench with eyes under the bar"
  - "Grip bar slightly wider than shoulder width"
  - "Unrack and lower to mid-chest"
  - "Press up to lockout"

tips:
  - "Keep shoulder blades pinched together"
  - "Drive feet into the floor"
  - "Control the descent"

commonMistakes:
  - "Flaring elbows too wide"
  - "Bouncing bar off chest"
  - "Lifting hips off bench"

# Relationships (optional)
variations:
  - "close-grip-bench-press"
  - "pause-bench-press"
alternatives:
  - "dumbbell-bench-press"
  - "push-up"
progressions:
  - "weighted-bench-press"
regressions:
  - "push-up"

---

Field Definitions

Required Fields

Field	Type	Description
name	string	Display name
slug	string	URL-safe identifier
category	string	Primary muscle category
movementPattern	enum	Movement pattern classification

Muscle Fields

Field	Type	Description
primaryMuscles	string[]	Main muscles worked
secondaryMuscles	string[]	Supporting muscles

Classification

Field	Type	Values
equipment	string[]	Required equipment
difficulty	enum	beginner, intermediate, advanced
priority	enum	essential, common, specialized, niche
exerciseUse	enum	training, warmup, both

Instruction Fields

Field	Type	Description
instructions	string[]	Step-by-step execution
tips	string[]	Form cues and optimization
commonMistakes	string[]	Errors to avoid

Relationship Fields

Field	Type	Description
variations	string[]	Slug refs to variations
alternatives	string[]	Slug refs to alternatives
progressions	string[]	Slug refs to harder versions
regressions	string[]	Slug refs to easier versions

---

Movement Patterns

Pattern	Description
horizontal_push	Pressing away from body (bench press)
vertical_push	Pressing overhead (OHP)
horizontal_pull	Pulling toward body (rows)
vertical_pull	Pulling down/up (pull-ups)
squat	Knee-dominant leg (squats)
hinge	Hip-dominant leg (deadlifts)
lunge	Single-leg movements
core	Anti-rotation, flexion, stability
isolation	Single-joint movements

---

Priority Levels

Priority	Description	Usage
essential	Must-have exercises	Always suggested first
common	Standard exercises	Regular suggestions
specialized	Niche applications	Equipment/goal specific
niche	Rare use cases	Only when specifically needed

---

Validation

Before seeding, YAML files are validated for:

1. Required fields present
2. Valid enum values
3. Slug uniqueness
4. Valid relationship references (slugs exist)
5. Proper YAML syntax

---

Seeding

# Run seed script
npx tsx lib/db/seed-exercises.ts

The seed script:

1. Reads all YAML files from mo-docs
2. Validates each exercise
3. Upserts to database (by slug)
4. Creates exercise_relationships entries