Use Claude Code as your strength coach

Install Tally on your iPhone and make an account. Then run this command in a terminal. --scope user makes Tally available in every folder.

claude mcp add --scope user --transport http tally https://mcp.tallyworkout.app/api/mcp

Start Claude Code, run /mcp, choose tally, and sign in with your Tally account. Use the same sign-in method as in the app.

Make a folder for your training, for example ~/training. In it, make a file named CLAUDE.md. Claude Code reads this file at the start of each session in that folder.

Write the facts that do not change often. Use plain sentences and numbers. Here is an example:

# My training

## Goal
Squat 315 lb for 5 reps by March. Keep bench press and deadlift going up.

## Schedule
4 days a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. 60 to 75 minutes.

## Equipment
Commercial gym: barbells, dumbbells up to 100 lb, cables, leg press.

## Limits
Left shoulder: no overhead barbell presses. Dumbbell presses are fine.

## Rules for planning
- Read my last 3 weeks in Tally before you plan.
- Add 5 lb to a main lift only when I did every planned rep last time.
- Every 5th week is a deload: same exercises, about 60% of the volume.
- Save each week's plan to plans/YYYY-MM-DD.md (the Monday of that week), then put it in Tally.
- Tell me what changed from last week, in 3 lines or less.

The rule about plans/ is important. When you start a planned workout in Tally, the plan becomes that day's workout, and Tally does not keep the plan. The saved file lets Claude Code compare the plan with what you did.

Change the file when your goal or your situation changes. Claude Code uses the new rules from the next session.

Once a week, start Claude Code in your training folder:

cd ~/training && claude

Then ask for a check-in:

Weekly check-in. Read last week in Tally and compare it with last week's file in plans/. Tell me what I missed or changed. Then plan next week with the rules in CLAUDE.md and add it to Tally.

Claude Code reads your logged sets and any planned day that you missed or skipped. It compares them with the saved plan, then writes next week into Tally. The workouts are in the app before your first session.

Tally keeps your sets. The folder can keep the reasons. After each check-in, ask Claude Code to add a short note to a file. After a few months, the notes show what worked for you.

Add a note for this week to notes.md: what I lifted, what you changed in the plan, and why.

Open Tally on your iPhone and log each set with the keypad. Change weights or exercises when you need to. Tally works without signal.

Claude Code changes a finished workout only when you ask, and you can undo each change for 7 days. It also does not change a day that you edited in the app, unless you ask it to.

Codex connects to Tally with an API key. The steps are on the Codex setup page. Codex reads AGENTS.md where Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md, so name the file AGENTS.md, or keep both.

For chat apps, read How to plan your workouts with Claude.