PyWorkout — FAQ

Why can't I use skip and stats together?

Because they interfere. Once you skip an exercise, stats stops reporting for that session and prints "You cannot use both the skip and stats commands, sorry!"

This is a defect rather than a design decision — both commands manipulate the same session bookkeeping inside one large function. See Architecture and Roadmap.

The video command does nothing

It needs paths configured first. Video file paths are literals in main.py, under the # Video File Paths comment — the command opens whatever is listed there in your default player, and does nothing useful until you point it at real files. See Configuration.

Does it save my workout history?

No. Nothing is persisted. Closing the program discards the session, and there is no history across runs.

Can I add my own exercises?

Yes, by editing main.py — the muscle groups, exercises, sets, and reps are literals in the source. There is no data file. See Configuration.

What's gui.py?

A separate Tkinter window that tracks percentage completion for a fixed exercise list. It is not a front end for the CLI — the two programs are independent and share nothing but the repository. Looking for how they connect is time wasted; they do not.

Why does it print GPL text when the repo says MIT?

main.py prints GPL boilerplate at startup — "ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY", "free software", "redistribute it under certain conditions" — with a 2021-2024 copyright line. The repository is MIT-licensed, and LICENSE.md is the MIT text.

The startup banner is wrong. It is a leftover, tracked in Roadmap, and the licence that governs the code is the one in LICENSE.md.

Does the timer pause?

No. It measures wall-clock time from start, so time spent away from the terminal counts. A timer fix is the tracked item for version 2.0.0.

Which install should I use?

pip install pyworkout unless you have a reason not to. Docker suits a throwaway environment; the Windows executable suits a machine with no Python. All four ship the same code — see Installation.

Why do GUI tests skip in CI?

Tkinter needs a display, and CI runners are headless. Expected behaviour, not a failure.

Is this exercise advice?

No. It is a timer and a checklist. The exercises, sets, and reps are one person's routine hardcoded into a script, not a programme designed for anyone in particular.