SwoLifts Import & Export Guide

SwoLifts exports your data as a ZIP of CSV files. You can import the same format back into the app, or use the templates below to bulk migrate workouts, custom exercises, and workout templates from another tool.

Empty starter

Blank CSV Template

Header-only CSV files at the ZIP root. Use this when you want to start clean and fill in your own data.

Download Blank ZIP

Worked example

Example CSV Template

Sample workouts, templates, and sets that match built-in SwoLifts exercises. Use it as a reference while editing.

Download Example ZIP

Migration workflow

Edit on Desktop, Import on Android

The import ZIP should contain the CSV files directly at the root of the archive.

Download the blank or example ZIP above.
Extract it on your computer and edit the CSV files in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, or a text editor.
Keep the header row exactly as provided. Remove CSV files you do not need to import.
Zip the edited CSV files again so files such as workout_sessions.csv and exercise_sets.csv are at the ZIP root.
Move the ZIP to your Android device.
Open SwoLifts and go to Settings, then choose Import Workout Data.

Exporting existing data

Every export contains valid CSV files with headers, plus sample files under an examples/ folder. SwoLifts ignores files under examples/ during import, so they are safe to keep, edit, or delete.

CSV rules

Format Requirements

These rules match the SwoLifts importer.

Files are UTF-8 CSV. Values containing commas, quotes, or line breaks must be quoted, and quotes inside values must be doubled.
The first row is the header. Do not remove or rename columns.
Blank cells mean no value. Leave optional fields blank when unused.
CSV weights are in pounds. SwoLifts converts them internally if you use kilograms in the app.
Dates and times use ISO 8601 UTC, for example 2026-04-17T14:30:00Z.
Exercise names must match a built-in exercise or a row in custom_exercises.csv. Import matching tolerates common casing, punctuation, spacing, and abbreviation variants.
bodyweight.csv is exported for external tools only. To import bodyweight, use bodyweightLbs in workout_sessions.csv.

Supported files

CSV Reference

Only include the CSVs you need. Required fields are required only when that file is present.

custom_exercises.csv

Add user-created exercises. Built-in exercises should not be listed here.

Column	Required	Notes
name	Yes	Unique exercise name.
primaryMuscleGroup	No	Defaults to Other if blank.
category	No	Strength, Cardio, Bodyweight, Stretching, or Other.
equipment	No	Any descriptive equipment value.
loggingType	No	reps_weight, duration_only, duration_distance, or sets_duration. Defaults to reps_weight.
loadType	No	external_weight, bodyweight, weighted_bodyweight, or assisted_bodyweight. Used for reps_weight exercises.
source, sourceId, sourceLicense, sourceUrl	No	Optional source metadata.
isDeleted	No	true or false. Defaults to false.

workout_templates.csv

Column	Required	Notes
id	Yes	Any unique string referenced by template_exercises.csv.
name	Yes	Template name. Existing names are skipped on import.
description	No	Optional template description.

template_exercises.csv

Column	Required	Notes
templateId	Yes	Must match an id in workout_templates.csv.
templateName	No	Informational only. Ignored by import.
exerciseName	Yes	Built-in exercise name or custom exercise name.
orderIndex	Yes	Zero-based exercise position in the template.
targetSets, targetReps	No	Whole numbers.
targetWeightLbs	No	Decimal pounds for external or weighted bodyweight targets.
targetAssistanceWeightLbs	No	Decimal pounds for assisted bodyweight targets.
targetDurationSeconds	No	Whole seconds for duration targets.

workout_sessions.csv

Column	Required	Notes
id	Yes	Any unique string referenced by exercise_sets.csv.
templateName	No	Informational only. Imported sessions are not linked back to templates.
name	Yes	Workout name.
startTime	Yes	ISO 8601 UTC timestamp.
endTime	No	ISO 8601 UTC timestamp. If blank, the start time is used — imported sessions are always treated as completed.
notes	No	Optional workout notes.
bodyweightLbs	No	Bodyweight snapshot for that workout.

exercise_sets.csv

Column	Required	Notes
sessionId	Yes	Must match an id in workout_sessions.csv.
exerciseName	Yes	Built-in exercise name or custom exercise name.
setNumber	Yes	One-based set number.
reps	No	Whole number of reps.
weightLbs	No	Decimal pounds for external or weighted bodyweight work.
assistanceWeightLbs	No	Decimal pounds for assisted bodyweight work.
durationSeconds	No	Whole seconds.
distanceMeters	No	Decimal meters for cardio distance.
rir	No	Reps in reserve, as a whole number.
completedAt	No	ISO 8601 UTC timestamp for when the set was completed. If blank, the session's end time is used so imported sets still count toward Progress charts and PRs.
notes	No	Optional set notes.

Merge behavior

Duplicate Imports Are Skipped

Import is designed as a merge, not a blind append.

Custom exercises are skipped when the normalized exercise name already exists.
Workout templates are skipped when a template with the same name already exists.
Workout sessions are skipped when the same workout name and start time already exist.
Sets and template exercises attached to skipped parent rows are skipped with the parent, so importing the same export again should not duplicate the data.

Validation warnings

SwoLifts reports warnings for missing required columns, invalid numbers, invalid dates, unknown exercises, or child rows that do not match a parent row. Valid rows can still import even when other rows have warnings.