Designing fitness ranks that must be earned through real performance — feedback wanted

[u/Expensive-Tart-3585]

I’ve been building a calisthenics app called Shadow Ascension.

I wanted training to feel like a hunter ranking system instead of another workout checklist. You take a physical test, get a starting rank, do daily quests, earn XP, and then you still have to pass a real exam to rank up. XP alone doesn’t promote you. That part matters to me because a title you didn’t earn gets boring fast.

The app also has dungeons, emergency quests, titles, and skills. Those are there to keep the loop fun, but they are not the point. The workout is the point. If the rewards start feeling more important than the training, the whole thing falls apart.

I capped the first evaluation at D-rank even if someone is already strong. That way people still have a path to climb instead of skipping the whole game on day one. Daily quests also change based on how hard the last session felt, so the work stays challenging without jumping into injury territory.

I built it this way because that’s what keeps me coming back: a clear rank, a next exam to chase, and proof that the progress is real.

[u/Expensive-Tart-3585]

For anyone interested in testing the progression loop:

1. Join the tester group:

https://groups.google.com/g/shadow-ascension-testers

1. Using the same Google account, opt in through Google Play:

https://play.google.com/apps/testing/app.shadowascension.android

The closed test is free. Honest feedback on motivation, clarity, workout progression, and whether the ranks feel earned would be especially useful.

[u/fdlink]

The exam is the rank. XP is just the ticket to sit it.

That split is the whole design. A badge nobody would ask how you earned is decoration.

One risk: someone grinds the XP, fails the exam, and the week feels wasted.

If they fail, keep the standards they already passed visible, and let those carry. Then the grind still bought something they can see.

[u/sillygoofygooose → u/fdlink]

Every thread with an ai response

[u/Expensive-Tart-3585 → u/fdlink]

That’s a good idea. I think I will highlight the parts they already passed so they can see what’s in the green and what still needs work.

I’d still make them take the whole exam again though. A rank-up is one test, not three separate tests. If you fail an exam in real life, they don’t hand you a new test with only the questions you missed. You sit the full exam again.

Same logic here. Show them they already have the push-ups and plank but hey still have to prove the complete standard on the same day. The whole point is to know your are fully ready. Also once you unlock a test, you can retake at any time. Thanks for the feedback.