A routine is only useful if you actually follow it, and you are only going to follow it if building one takes less effort than skipping it. Valen lets every user, free or Pro, create as many routines as they want, choose from a library of 209 exercises, and add the details that matter, like warm-up, drop and failure sets, without leaving the editor.
And if you do not want to plan at all, Quick Log lets you record a session in a few taps afterwards.
SHORT ANSWER
- Save unlimited routines. There is no cap, and it is free for everyone.
- Pick from 209 exercises across chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs, core and cardio, each mapped to the muscle subzones it trains.
- Add warm-up, drop and failure sets to any lifting exercise, up to 5 of each, and Valen counts them correctly.
- Prefer not to plan? Quick Log records a whole session in a few taps.
Unlimited routines, free for everyone
Plenty of apps put a small cap on how many routines you can save and then ask you to upgrade. Valen does not. Build a push, pull and legs split. Build a separate upper and lower rotation for when you are busy. Save a 30 minute travel session and a home version with a single pair of dumbbells. Keep old routines and swap between blocks whenever you want.
Routines can be picked into your weekly plan, so the plan and the routines you have built are connected rather than separate lists. Saved routines, like everything on the free plan, work offline and need no account.
Choose from 200+ exercises without guessing
The library covers 29 chest exercises, 28 back, 28 shoulders, 33 arms, 45 legs, 25 core and 21 cardio movements. Every exercise is mapped to the specific subzones it loads. Search by name or muscle and you see at a glance what a movement actually trains, so an incline press is labelled as an upper chest movement rather than just "chest".
| Category | Exercises | Example subzones tracked |
|---|---|---|
| Chest | 29 | upper, mid, lower chest |
| Back | 28 | lats, upper back, rhomboids, lower back |
| Shoulders | 28 | front, lateral, rear delts |
| Arms | 33 | biceps, triceps, forearm flexors and extensors |
| Legs | 45 | quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, adductors |
| Core | 25 | core stability and trunk movements |
| Cardio | 21 | time and distance based |
Library counts as of this post. The library keeps growing.
Varying an exercise: warm-up, drop and failure sets
Most routine builders give you "3 x 10" and stop there. Real training has more texture. Valen lets you add three kinds of set to any rep-based lifting exercise, directly in the routine editor. The controls stay collapsed until you want them, so a simple routine stays simple.
| Set type | What it is | How Valen counts it |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | Lighter preparation sets before your working weight | Not counted as training volume, fatigue, PRs, e1RM or progression, so it never distorts your numbers |
| Drop set | Reduce the weight and continue right after a set | Counts as real training volume at half a set of weekly credit, but its lighter load is not treated as a strength reading, so it never becomes a fake PR |
| Failure | The last set taken to failure | Counts like a normal set and is logged as RPE 10 |
Up to 5 warm-up and 5 drop sets per exercise. Bodyweight exercises can have warm-up and failure sets, and a pure bodyweight set cannot be a drop set because there is no load to drop.
The credit for drop sets deserves a note. Research on drop-set training generally finds hypertrophy similar to straight sets in less time, which is why each drop is worth a partial set of weekly volume in Valen instead of a full one. It is a modelling choice, not a settled law, and it is one reason your weekly volume numbers stay honest.
Logging is quick because the routine already knows what you are doing
Start a routine and the exercises, sets and reps are already lined up. Warm-up sets are marked so they do not count toward your work. Weights are pre-filled from what you did last time, and the rest timer starts when you log a set. You mostly confirm rather than type.
When you do not have the energy for that, Quick Log is the fallback. Choose the muscle groups you trained, set the number of sets, and save. Your recovery map updates the same way. Both paths feed the same fatigue model, so you never have to choose between convenience and accurate recovery data.
A simple way to start
Build one routine for the next session you will actually do, not the perfect programme. Add four or five exercises from the library, put a warm-up set on the first heavy lift, and save it. Adjust as you learn what you like. Because there is no routine limit, nothing you save gets in the way of the next one.
Related reading: workout-app-no-learning-curve.html, smart-rest-timer.html and hevy-vs-strong-vs-valen.html.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create unlimited workout routines in Valen?
Yes. Valen has no cap on saved routines, and it is free for every user, not only Pro subscribers.
How many exercises does Valen have?
Valen's library has 209 exercises across chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs, core and cardio. Each one is mapped to the specific muscle subzones it trains.
Can I add warm-up sets and drop sets to a routine?
Yes. In the routine editor you can add up to 5 warm-up sets and 5 drop sets to a lifting exercise, and mark the last set as taken to failure. Warm-ups are excluded from volume, drop sets count at half a set of weekly volume, and failure sets count as normal sets logged at RPE 10.
What is Quick Log in Valen?
Quick Log is a fast way to record a workout without logging each exercise. You tap the muscle groups you trained, set the number of sets, and save. The sets are spread across the muscle subzones and update your recovery map.
Are Valen routines free?
Yes. Creating and saving routines, the 200+ exercise library and Quick Log are all included on the free plan. Pro adds features like the adaptive weekly planner, deep insights, cloud backup and Smart Rest.
Keep reading: workout-app-no-learning-curve.html. smart-rest-timer.html. ad-free-workout-app.html.
Valen is free on Android. Get it on Google Play or see valenapp.tech.