Michael, in Charlotte, NC. Solo developer. Calisthenics enthusiast. Still working on my first muscle-up.

The Skill Path was built with substantial AI assistance — engineering with Claude and Claude Code, character art generated with AI image tools. Without those tools, this app wouldn't exist as a solo project.

I want to be open about that. I'd rather acknowledge it directly than have anyone wonder.

The avatar illustrations and rival characters in this app are AI-generated. If The Skill Path ever earns enough revenue to support it, the first thing I'll spend it on is commissioning a real artist to replace the artwork. That's a real commitment.

If you're a calisthenics-focused illustrator who'd be interested in this work down the road, I'd love to hear from you.

Claude and Claude Code (Anthropic) — engineering assistance throughout development.

AI image generation tools — character and avatar artwork.

React, Firebase, and the many open-source libraries that make solo development possible.

The Skill Path exists because of the wider calisthenics community — the coaches, creators, and practitioners who've put their work online and made these skills feel learnable. I'm grateful for everything I learned from them. This app isn't a replacement for their work; it's an attempt to give one person a tailored path through it.

The progression chains, prerequisite logic, session structure, and programming decisions in this app are grounded in published research and coaching literature, including:

• — Steven Low, Overcoming Gravity — the reference text for structured bodyweight progression
• — Pavel Tsatsouline's Grease the Groove model — informs the light-volume foundation work that appears in every session

• — Schoenfeld et al. (2021) — bodyweight training equivalence for strength and hypertrophy
• — Schoenfeld's volume research — working-set guidance per muscle per week
• — Refalo et al. (2022) — proximity to failure as a primary driver of adaptation
• — Helms (2018) — RIR-based autoregulation
• — Mekler et al. (2017), Liu et al. (2024), Long et al. (2024) — gamification and motivation research informing the XP, badge, and reward systems

• — r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine — community-standard bodyweight programming
• — GMB Integral Strength — skill-oriented calisthenics methodology
• — Renaissance Periodization / Mike Israetel — deload and recovery theory

BarBend, Catalyst Athletics, T-Nation, Muscle & Strength, and other coaching resources for exercise-specific progressions.

If you're using The Skill Path, you're part of the reason it exists.