Migrating from ExerciseDB to WorkoutX:
Complete Guide with Code Examples

Why Developers Are Leaving ExerciseDB

ExerciseDB has been the default exercise API recommendation since 2021 — it's mentioned in hundreds of YouTube tutorials and GitHub repos. But as apps grow, developers consistently run into the same problems:

• RapidAPI dependency: Every request routes through RapidAPI's infrastructure, adding latency and an extra failure point
• Rate limit surprises: The free tier limits (10 req/min) are hit fast in any real app
• Pricing opacity: RapidAPI pricing changes without notice, and costs scale unpredictably
• Missing data fields: No calorie burn data, no difficulty levels, no exercise mechanics — data most fitness apps actually need (e.g., knowing a barbell bent-over row is intermediate difficulty and a compound pull)
• No developer portal: You manage billing through RapidAPI, not through the API provider directly

Endpoint Mapping

Here's every ExerciseDB endpoint and its WorkoutX v2 equivalent. ExerciseDB's path-style filters become query parameters, and you can combine them in one request:

WorkoutX also adds things ExerciseDB doesn't have:

• GET /v2/exercises?target=Glutes&equipment=Dumbbell&difficulty=beginner — combine any filters (also category, mechanic, force, muscle, model) in one request
• GET /v2/exercises/{id}/media — fresh MP4 and poster links for one exercise
• GET /v2/exercises/{id}/similar and /alternatives — ranked substitutes, including "same muscle, different equipment"
• GET /v2/exercises/{id}/calories?weightKg=80&minutes=15 — calorie estimate for a body weight and duration
• GET /v2/categories and GET /v2/muscles — the remaining filter values, with exercise counts
• ?model=female and counterpartId — 843 exercises come with both a male and a female model
• ?lang= — names, instructions and tips in Turkish, German, Spanish, French and Chinese (filters stay in English)

Exercise ids are different too: WorkoutX uses ids like ex_SAWOOH. If your app stores ExerciseDB ids in workouts or favorites, look each exercise up once (for example with ?name=) and save the WorkoutX id.

Authentication Change

ExerciseDB requires two RapidAPI headers. WorkoutX uses a single header with your API key (v2 rejects a key in the URL, such as ?api-key=, with a 400):

X-RapidAPI-Key: YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY
X-RapidAPI-Host: exercisedb.p.rapidapi.com

X-WorkoutX-Key: YOUR_WORKOUTX_KEY

Get your free WorkoutX API key at workoutxapp.com — no credit card required, 500 free requests.

Base URL Change

https://exercisedb.p.rapidapi.com

https://api.workoutxapp.com/v2

JavaScript Migration

If you're using the ExerciseDB fetch pattern, here's the before/after:

const response = await fetch(
  'https://exercisedb.p.rapidapi.com/exercises/bodyPart/chest?limit=10',
  {
    headers: {
      'X-RapidAPI-Key': 'YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY',
      'X-RapidAPI-Host': 'exercisedb.p.rapidapi.com',
    },
  }
);
const exercises = await response.json();

const response = await fetch(
  'https://api.workoutxapp.com/v2/exercises?bodyPart=chest&limit=10',
  {
    headers: {
      'X-WorkoutX-Key': 'YOUR_WORKOUTX_KEY',
    },
  }
);
const { results: exercises } = await response.json();
// WorkoutX wraps results in { total, limit, offset, results: [...] }

Response Shape Comparison

Here's a side-by-side comparison using the barbell bench press as an example exercise:

{
  "id": "0001",
  "name": "Barbell Bench Press",
  "bodyPart": "chest",
  "target": "pectorals",
  "equipment": "barbell",
  "gifUrl": "https://v2.exercisedb.io/image/...",
  "instructions": ["Step 1...", "Step 2..."],
  "secondaryMuscles": ["triceps", "shoulders"]
}

{
  "id": "ex_SAWOOH",
  "name": "Barbell Bench Press",
  "bodyPart": "Chest",
  "target": "Pectorals",
  "equipment": "Barbell",
  "instructions": ["Step 1...", "Step 2..."],
  "secondaryMuscles": [
    { "group": "Shoulders", "anatomical": ["Deltoids"] },
    { "group": "Triceps", "anatomical": ["Triceps Brachii"] }
  ],
  "media": {
    "expiresAt": "...",
    "mediaVersion": 1,
    "watermarked": false,
    "mp4": "https://…/m/v1/ex_SAWOOH/mp4-720.mp4?...",
    "poster": "https://…/m/v1/ex_SAWOOH/poster.jpg?..."
  },

  // Extra fields ExerciseDB doesn't have:
  "model": "male",
  "counterpartId": "ex_HYOSAB",
  "tips": ["Keep your feet flat on the floor...", "..."],
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "category": "strength",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "force": "push",
  "met": 5,
  "caloriesPerMinute": 6.1,
  "recommendedSets": "3-4",
  "recommendedReps": "6-10",
  "description": "Full exercise description..."
}

Python Migration

import requests

url = "https://exercisedb.p.rapidapi.com/exercises/bodyPart/chest"
headers = {
    "X-RapidAPI-Key": "YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY",
    "X-RapidAPI-Host": "exercisedb.p.rapidapi.com"
}
response = requests.get(url, headers=headers, params={"limit": 10})
exercises = response.json()  # bare list

import requests

url = "https://api.workoutxapp.com/v2/exercises"
headers = {
    "X-WorkoutX-Key": "YOUR_WORKOUTX_KEY"
}
response = requests.get(url, headers=headers, params={"bodyPart": "chest", "limit": 10})
result = response.json()
exercises = result["results"]  # { total, limit, offset, results: [...] }

From GIF URLs to MP4 Video

ExerciseDB returns a gifUrl for each exercise. WorkoutX v2 doesn't serve GIFs: each exercise has a media object with a 600×720 MP4 animation (30 fps, typically 100–300 KB) and a JPEG poster. A GIF at the same quality is several times larger, and every platform plays MP4 natively. Replace your <img src={gifUrl}> with a muted, looping video:

<video src="{media.mp4}" poster="{media.poster}" autoplay loop muted playsinline></video>

The links are signed and expire after 24–25 hours (media.expiresAt), so don't save them. Store the exercise id and get fresh links from the exercise response or GET /v2/exercises/{id}/media when you show it. Downloading the files or serving them from your own servers or CDN is not permitted on any plan. On the Free plan, media is a watermarked 300×360 preview.

Field Casing Difference

One small difference: ExerciseDB returns field values in lowercase ("chest", "barbell"). WorkoutX returns them in Title Case ("Chest", "Barbell"). Update any string comparisons in your UI:

if (exercise.bodyPart === 'chest') { ... }
if (exercise.equipment === 'barbell') { ... }

if (exercise.bodyPart === 'Chest') { ... }
// OR use case-insensitive comparison to be safe:
if (exercise.bodyPart.toLowerCase() === 'chest') { ... }

Query filters are case-insensitive, so ?bodyPart=chest and ?bodyPart=Chest return the same results.

Migration Checklist

• ✅ Sign up at workoutxapp.com and copy your API key
• ✅ Replace base URL: exercisedb.p.rapidapi.com → api.workoutxapp.com/v2
• ✅ Replace headers: two RapidAPI headers → one X-WorkoutX-Key header
• ✅ Move path filters to query parameters: /exercises/bodyPart/chest → /v2/exercises?bodyPart=chest
• ✅ Update response parsing: bare array → response.results
• ✅ Replace gifUrl images with media.mp4 videos and media.poster
• ✅ Store WorkoutX exercise ids (ex_…), not media URLs
• ✅ Update string comparisons: lowercase → Title Case field values
• ✅ (Optional) Use new fields: difficulty, caloriesPerMinute, mechanic, tips, model
• ✅ Remove RapidAPI account dependency

Pricing Comparison

Monthly Requests	WorkoutX	ExerciseDB (RapidAPI)
Up to 500	Free (500 requests in total)	Free (10 req/min cap)
Up to 3,000	$19/mo (Starter, 5,000)	~$10–15/mo (varies)
Up to 10,000	$39/mo (Growth, 25,000)	~$25–35/mo
Up to 35,000	$79/mo (Scale, 100,000)	~$50+/mo

The WorkoutX Free plan is 500 requests in total, not per month. Every paid plan gets the same 720p media; the plans differ by quota. See pricing for media limits per plan.