Coming soon for iPhone

Training, body and food.

All in one place. Honestly measured.

Strength training, cardio, nutrition and body measurements in one app. No account: your data stays on your iPhone.

Join the beta

The app is in German only for now.

  • A set in two tapsWeight and reps are already filled in.
  • Muscles at a glanceThe 3D figure shows what you trained.
  • Scan your foodBarcode, amount, done.
Dorso, Today screen: the planned Push workout with 6 exercises and 24 sets, the muscles involved on the body figure, the week strip and the start button.

Figure: Z-Anatomy, CC BY-SA 4.0. License and download

Beta test

Try it now.

The beta comes through TestFlight, Apple’s app for test versions. No form, no waitlist: you join right away.

How to join

  1. Get TestFlight from the App Store. TestFlight on the App Store
  2. Open the link on your iPhone or scan the QR code with the camera.
  3. Join in TestFlight and install the app.
Open the beta

Link to the betatestflight.apple.com/join/NKCqFAu2

Requires an iPhone with iOS 26 or later.

TestFlight belongs to Apple. Privacy: Part B, beta test

QR code for the beta. It contains the same link: https://testflight.apple.com/join/NKCqFAu2
Scan with your iPhone camera

Training

One set, one tap.

Weight and reps are already filled in, from your plan or from last time. If the set went as planned, you tap Satz fertig (set done) once; with one change it takes two taps.1

Also included: a rest timer with notification, a warm-up suggestion and the plates per side.

Set as planned
1 tap
With one change
2 taps

Sources

  1. Counted by an automated UI test of the app: a set as planned takes 1 tap, with one changed number 2 taps.
Dorso, workout in progress: barbell bench press, set 1 of 4 with a target of 72.5 kg × 8, last time’s result and the plates per side.

Plans and progression

Progress by rule, not by feel.

Pick a gym plan with fixed weekdays or a classic template. In the gym plans, the weight goes up: once you reach the top of the range in every set, Dorso suggests more and you start again at the bottom.2 The reason is shown at the set under Warum? (why?).

New to training? If you enter less than a year of experience, you start with two sets per machine.3 Without history, your first set finds the weight, and Dorso works out the remaining sets from it.4

Sources

  1. Double progression, common training practice. With RIR recorded, the weight only goes up if at least the target RIR was left. Defaults in the gym plans: mostly 8–12 reps for larger exercises and 10–15 for isolation exercises, smallest step 2.5 kg; all adjustable per exercise. The classic templates also add sets.
  2. ACSM Position Stand “Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults”, Med Sci Sports Exerc 41(3):687–708, 2009: beginners 1–3 sets. Dorso uses the middle for anyone with less than a year of experience.
  3. Estimated maximum using Epley from weight, reps and reps in reserve (RIR scale: Zourdos et al., J Strength Cond Res 30(1):267–275, 2016), worked back to the bottom of the range.
Dorso, choosing a gym plan: Push · Pull · Legs · Upper body or Upper · Lower body, plus experience level and the week with rest days.

Body

Real anatomy, honest numbers.

The figure comes from an anatomy model based on MRI data.5 It shows when you last trained each muscle hard: in days, not as an estimated recovery percentage.

Dorso works out your progress from your own history: the change in your estimated maximum since the start, in percent, as a curve per exercise and per muscle.6 Body fat using the Navy method comes with an error band.7

Sources

  1. Z-Anatomy (CC BY-SA 4.0), based on BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science (CC BY 4.0). Dorso groups the muscles into 17 training zones. Z-Anatomy · CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. Estimated maximum using Epley from your working sets; the starting value is your best result from the early weeks. Only your own history counts, Dorso does not compare you with tables of other people. The history of a muscle is based on an exercise that trains it as a main muscle.
  3. Hodgdon & Beckett (1984), Naval Health Research Center. Standard error of estimate against underwater weighing: 3.52 percentage points for men (Report 84-11), 3.72 for women (per a secondary source). Changes within the band are not proof.
Body figure from the front. Example, last trained: chest, front and side delts and triceps 0 to 1 days ago, legs 2 to 3 days ago, lats, upper and lower back, rear delts and biceps 4 to 7 days ago.Body figure from the back. Example, last trained: chest, front and side delts and triceps 0 to 1 days ago, legs 2 to 3 days ago, lats, upper and lower back, rear delts and biceps 4 to 7 days ago.

Drag to rotate

  • 0–1 days
  • 2–3 days
  • 4–7 days
  • longer

Example: push yesterday, legs three days ago, pull six days ago.

Figure: Z-Anatomy, CC BY-SA 4.0. Model license

Nutrition and cardio

Food and runs, logged fast.

After the scan, the amount is already filled in. Dorso fetches unknown products from Open Food Facts.8 Your target is an estimate of your needs, shown with a tilde, and going over turns nothing red.9

Dorso records runs, walks and rides with a GPS map and auto-pause. It syncs with Apple Health only with your permission, without duplicate entries. The cardio ring measures your week against 150 minutes.10

Taps until saved11

Known product after the scan
1 tap
Unknown product
2 taps
Same meal as yesterday
1 tap

Sources

  1. Open Food Facts is an open, community-maintained database (ODbL). The barcode number is sent; for technical reasons the server also sees your IP address.
  2. Basal metabolic rate using Mifflin-St Jeor times an activity factor according to FAO/WHO/UNU (2004).
  3. WHO guidelines on physical activity (2020): 150–300 minutes of moderate activity per week; vigorous minutes count double.
  4. Known product and same meal as yesterday: counted by automated UI tests of the app. Unknown product: Übernehmen (accept), then Speichern (save), not checked by a UI test.
Dorso, Nutrition screen: calories left for the day, protein, carbohydrates and fat, and buttons to scan, search and log quickly.

Privacy

Your data stays on your iPhone.

No account. The developer never sees your entries. Dorso sends usage statistics only if you agree, and only from age 16.12 Withdrawing deletes them on the server too, and Alle Daten löschen (delete all data) works right in the app.

Where your data is kept

Training, food, body
Only on your iPhone, no iCloud sync
Apple Health
Only with your permission
Barcode lookup
The number goes to Open Food Facts13
Usage statistics
Only with consent
Read the privacy policy

Sources

  1. For technical reasons, the Open Food Facts server also sees your IP address. Details in the privacy policy.
Dorso, privacy overview: the headline saying your data stays on your iPhone, where each kind of data is kept and the switch for anonymous statistics.

Cost

Free stays free.

Promised: what is free will never become paid. No ads.

Stays free

  • Workout logging
  • Cardio with map
  • Food logging
  • Barcode scanning
  • Plans and routines
  • Custom exercises
  • Full history
  • Rest timer
  • Supplements with reminders
  • Export and import
  • 3D figure with your measurements
  • Plate and warm-up calculator
  • Starting values for new exercises
  • Widgets
  • Lock screen during workouts

Dorso Pro

More from your data.

Insights across training, food and body. Everything stays on your iPhone.

Plateau analysis
When progress stalls: notable patterns in your data, with sources.
Weekly report
Training, food, cardio and weight for each week side by side.
Coach
Questions about your data, answers with numbers. Private on your iPhone.14
Family Sharing
One subscription for up to six people.15
Dorso, the coach from Dorso Pro: the question how progress is going and the answer with the estimated one-rep max (e1RM) per exercise from recent sessions.

Purchase and subscription

Buying
Only in the app, through Apple. No Dorso account: Pro is tied to your Apple ID.
Price
Shown on the purchase screen before you buy, with the term. Until launch on the App Store, we don’t list a price here.
Renewal
A subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before it ends.16 With a free trial, Dorso reminds you 2 days before it ends with a notification, if allowed.17
Cancelling
In Dorso under Profil und Einstellungen › Über Dorso › Dorso Pro › Abo verwalten oder kündigen (manage or cancel subscription), or in the iPhone Settings under your name › Subscriptions.
Refunds
Apple decides. You can request one in Dorso under Profil und Einstellungen › Über Dorso › Dorso Pro › Erstattung anfragen (request a refund), if offered, or directly with Apple.
After Pro ends
Everything you logged and all free features stay. Only the Pro features are locked.
Purchases, cancelling and refunds on the support page

Sources

  1. The coach answers free-form questions only with Apple Intelligence: a supported iPhone with Apple Intelligence turned on, in German. Without it, the coach shows the numbers with standard text for set topics such as progress, plan or nutrition. Apple: Apple Intelligence
  2. Apple Family Sharing: you and up to five family members. Apple: Family Sharing
  3. Apple’s terms for subscriptions: billing happens no earlier than 24 hours before the next period, and a free trial must be cancelled at least 24 hours before it ends. Apple Media Services Terms · Apple: Cancel a subscription
  4. A local notification from the app, with the price that follows once prices have loaded. On by default, can be turned off on the Dorso Pro page; it only arrives if Dorso may send notifications.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Profil und Einstellungen (profile and settings) is the person icon at the top right of Heute (today).

The app

Which iPhone do I need?

An iPhone with iOS 26 or later, so iPhone 11 or iPhone SE (2nd generation) and newer. There is no separate version for iPad or Apple Watch at the moment.

Free-form questions to the coach in Dorso Pro also need Apple Intelligence.

Apple: iPhone models compatible with iOS 26
When will Dorso be released?

Dorso is not yet available on the App Store, and there is no release date yet.

Is Dorso available in English?

No, the app is in German only for now. This website is available in German and English.

Does Dorso work with Apple Health?

Yes. Only if you allow it, Dorso reads workouts and weight from Apple Health and writes strength training and weight there. You change the permission in the Health app.

Does Dorso replace medical advice?

No. Dorso is for logging and planning training and lifestyle. No diagnoses, no medical or coaching advice.

Cost and Pro

What does Dorso cost?

The features under “Stays free” cost nothing, and there are no ads. Dorso Pro is optional and adds extra insights; you see the price before you buy.

Promised: what is free will never become paid. An automated test of the app fails as soon as a feature on that list would move behind Pro.

What stays free and what Pro adds
How do I cancel Dorso Pro?

In Dorso under Profil und Einstellungen › Über Dorso › Dorso Pro › Abo verwalten oder kündigen (manage or cancel subscription), or in the iPhone Settings under your name › Subscriptions. Cancellations and refunds are handled by Apple.

Purchases, cancelling and refunds on the support page

Account and data

Do I need an account?

No. Dorso works without an account. Purchases go through your Apple ID.

Where is my data stored?

Dorso stores training, cardio, nutrition, body measurements and supplements only on your iPhone. The developer has no access to this data and never receives it.

Dorso does not store your entries in iCloud and does not sync them between devices. When you scan a barcode or search, only the number or the search term goes to Open Food Facts; the server sees your IP address. If you add your own key for USDA FoodData Central, search terms also go there. Dorso sends anonymous usage statistics only with your consent.

Read the privacy policy
Can I export my data?

Yes, at any time under Profil und Einstellungen › Daten › Export und Import (Data › Export and import): as a full backup (JSON) that Dorso can read back in, or as tables (CSV: sets, body measurements, cardio and nutrition).

You can import a Dorso backup or an export from Strong or Hevy (CSV). Importing adds to your data and never overwrites anything.

How do I move my data to a new iPhone?

With a backup: export it on the old iPhone under Profil und Einstellungen › Daten › Export und Import (Data › Export and import) and read it in there on the new one. Settings apply per device: the backup brings rest time and equipment along, reminders you set up again.

If Dorso Pro is not active right away: Profil und Einstellungen › Über Dorso › Dorso Pro › Käufe wiederherstellen (restore purchases).

How do I delete all my data?

Under Profil und Einstellungen › Über Dorso › Datenschutz › Alle Daten löschen (delete all data): all workouts, meals, measurements, plans and settings on this iPhone, plus the statistics on the server. Anything Dorso wrote to Apple Health you delete in the Health app.

All in one place. Honestly measured.

Coming soon for iPhone

The app is in German only for now.

Join the beta

Questions, bugs or ideas? Write to contact@melnychuk-anton.de.