I was actually coming here to express my appreciation for those and the Pathfinder+ program so I'm going to put it all here.

I read some of those and was impressed. It really felt like some words of wisdom. I for one would love to see them stay. I like the brief practical message when I don't have the time or mental energy to read and comprehend a guide.

As for Pathfinder+, I was wanting to work on my cardio, but I enjoy working with weights. One week into the program and I'm happy with the mix. I decided to do this program based on the workouts, but I have been enjoying the story as well.

I started using darebee in January or February of 2020. Prior to that I was going to the gym and a tai chi class as well as walking. All of this I did with my mother to keep her active in her 70s. She was really starting to look forward to her workouts so I was looking for something that was more tailored to me. Darebee was perfect. When covid shut things down I was primarily doing darebee although I was often not doing it at home. I was able to quickly adjust to working out at home and I introduced my mom to Darebee so she didn't lose her motivation before some options became available via Zoom. She and I decided we would do what we could to come out of the lock down in better shape than we went in. Vitality came out right when we needed it. Darebee helped me keep the frustration at bay which in turn allowed me to help my mother and others stay active. A small group of us would work out on our own, but send group texts which are similar to the darebee check ins.

With the way the world is going today, it is amazing to be part of a community that prides itself on looking out for others and running off the trolls. I know I strayed from the original post, but I really wanted to thank the Team Darebee for being here when I and others needed the positive support or a push in the right direction. I love this comprehensive approach to well-being that doesn't force anyone to decide if they can afford it!

Uhm, I hope I'm not making myself unpopular with my opinion. I try to be honest, though.
a) I haven't even noticed, because I just scroll down to the EC for a quick check and back up again
b) They don't really seem like guides to me. From the wording, I mean. To me, they read like cute little esoteric-like feel-good things. Some have a better wording that sounds more legitimate. But then there are also the parts that sound very mantra-like and off-putting to me. idk, it just didn't click with me and personally, I wouldn't bother reading them. Probably because that's not what I need to read. Personal opinion. I know that it's kinda the tone Darebee is shooting for, but it's not mine. I don't mind, though, as long as it helps others.
c) Why aren't the new workouts not featured on the main page any more? I mostly forget that you add new ones now and then. Before the change to the layout, it was more obvious.

The information is no use to me without the science that backs it up.

I used to work in the fitness industry, and I still have ties to that world. I know first hand that the fitness industry has a huge problem with industry professionals repeating something they read or heard somewhere that simply isn't true. There is also an unfortunate tendency to glom onto one tiny, poorly controlled study and quote it as evidence for beliefs which the data does not support.

I respect DAREBEE because you follow science here, not woo-woo or hearsay. I read your guides because they include links to the actual studies the information in the guide is based on. So I can easily check for myself: How large was the study? Have the experimental results been replicated? Was the study properly controlled? etc. Without this information, I consider anything which I read on the Internet to be suspect at best.

I like what you did on the Come Back Faster workout, where the informational tidbit includes a link to your more detailed guide, which includes links to its sources. I realize a lot of (probably most) people following DAREBEE workouts won't click through to read the science behind your claims. But to me it is everything.

I like this initiative. Please keep it up.

Damer I had not seen this feature on the last couple of workouts I completed. After reading your post, I found some workout with this information & links. I enjoyed them very much. I believe the information is very useful. Please Team Darebee keep this up.

I'm not sure I find it an addition for the workouts. I love the little texts that are at the bottom of the workouts already, those are specific for that workout, sometimes with a little twist, really fun to read. The ones you added look a bit like it, but to me very general, not necessarily linked to that specific workout. I think it would be better as a 'daily message' on the front page, or something.

I like them. As Rainbow Dragon said, the latest referred to one of the DAREBEE guides, which I had read and of which I was reminded. Other than that, they do seem a little more "feel-good" - and there's nothing wrong with finding something like that on a workout! Hints and tips are always nice and I'm very happy to read that sort of thing on a workout, but not deep science. I'd rather have a nice Guide that I can sit down with at my leisure and read and print off if I want. Additionally, if things are written up as a Guide, the information is so much easier to find.

I checked them out, and I have the same feeling as lofivelcro. To me, they seem like empty words, not guides (perhaps if there was more context, they wouldn't, but they sound very "disconnected" and general, to me). Like @Rainbow_Dragon I like articles that are packed with science, studies and sources and practical, real-world stuff, and as you said Damer, they have their own time and place. If I go to a workout, I want to exercise, not read. That also has its time and place.

Although I do like the descriptions above the EC.

P.S., I love your work. It's epic that a place like this even exists! I won't mind if you keep the texts, of course (And I probably shouldn't feel bad for writing a negative opinion)

I really like the idea of putting a little more than just physical exercises into the workouts, I see it as a deepening of the description.
If one just wants the exercises, look at those, if one looks for more, there is.
I would like to suggest linking the insights always with articles and guides that are very interesting but often overlooked.
The difference between Darebee and others is that there is always a good reason here to do something, and one thing that becomes more and more important with age, is to understand what you want to do and why you do it that way. Physical exercise is among the foundations of a person's total well-being and it is important that it is a conscious and informed choice.
Another thing that I found useful was to have the new workouts on the home page, they were immediately visible and above all they made it clear that in addition to the programs there were thousands of workouts in continuous growth.

I usually follow programs and challenges (and when I do individual workouts, I use the PDF), so I had not yet noticed the short guides under the workouts. I like the idea of them, and I think they are most useful when they link to longer Darebee guides for detail and supporting science; however, if it's a lot of extra work for the Darebee team, I would understand the decision not to continue doing them. You do so much already!

I am in favor of the new added blurbs on the workouts. But, since they’ve been removed from the home page, I don’t have the opportunity to read them, unless I go looking for them. I really miss seeing the new/added workouts on the home page Otherwise, keep it up; you guys are fantastic with the stuff you do and the science you back it up with.

I agree with exactly what NancyTree said, they don't add anything for me. Also agree with everyone wanting new workouts back on the front page.

I do have some thoughts on the text on Party of One, I don't think "Consider how when we drain ourselves and feel metaphorically 'dead', we're at our most alive." is a great message for Darebee to be promoting. I understand where you're coming from and think it would be ok for a difficulty five workout or as a gentler version about pushing yourself would be fine but this is a difficulty two workout and someone new to working out might take this as they should push themselves further than they should, increasing the risk of injury.

There is also a personal element for me in that I really dislike the culture of "no pain, no gain" etc and it can be actively harmful. I have Post-Covid Syndrone and whilst my version of feeling dead isn't something most people will ever have to experience, it's the time I feel least alive and it's utterly miserable. Difficulty one and two Darebee workouts have been hugely important in limiting the effects of deconditioning on my physical health and mobility, as pain management and for maintaining my mental health. I have to be very, very careful what I do when it comes to exercising so that I don't cause myself Post-Exertional Malaise/Post-Exertional Symptom Exacerbation or injuries and there's plenty of other conditions where exercise can be useful but has to be carefully done to prevent harm. Many people, probably a majority, using the site won't need to be anywhere near as careful as I do but this is a small point that makes exercise feel less accessible to those of us who have limited fitness and/or chronic illnesses and disabilities and could easily put someone off that workout or Darebee as a whole. If I had been new to Darebee after becoming ill and Party of One had been the first workout I'd seen and it had that message then I would've taken it as the site would not be welcoming or useful to me, when the reality is very much the opposite.

To be honest i would not have realized those new paragraphs without this questions about them. The main reason is probably that i rarely do solo workouts. I like the usual little descriptions under each workout a lot and find them motivating and setting the mind just right. I only read those, when i more or less already decided on a workout and they often help to confirm the decision and to start right away.

For the newly added paragraphs i'm not quite sure. First i only read those now out of context (of actually working out). I like the paragraphs itself and they refer to the shown workout and are overall interesting. But i am not sure if the workouts are the right place for those. If there is a link to a corresponding guide it's better than without because i'd probably never find an idea i liked again in the workouts section but i could dig deeper with the guides if i like. I guess i would not mind if the workouts get a bit more text but i would prefer to have guides on those type of topics and rather only a short hint from anywhere to those.

Another thought that crossed my mind was, that what i most like about Darebee is the clean, rather minimal style. There's a lot of excellent information in texts like the guides and the workouts and stuff are mostly accessible at a glance due to the clear graphics and minimal text information. I like that a lot and would be careful to not "clutter" those and mix things too much.
As i said i was not confronted in a real life scenario with the new approach but i could imagine that i do not get to actually work out if there is too much text with the workouts.

I do spend more time and effort on programs and challenges though and could imagine to appreciate those ideas more in that contexts rather than in single workouts, which at least for me, are more a quick go to solution.

This are my thoughts about it.

I also want to second that i too miss the "what's new" line on the homepage and, like some, i like the term Daily Dare a lot more than Exercise of the Day.

Thanks for the great work! I really like Darebee and The Hive a lot.

Guys, thank you so much! First, of all thank you for just being you and being open and honest. Both of these qualities are rare these days. In The Hive we have a very special place with active "safe harbor" rules which is why we always value what you have to say.

Your comments are incredibly helpful. We will discuss, internally, how to take all this on board. Stay safe and have an awesome weekend fellow Bees!