About MusclesWorked
MusclesWorked is an MCP server for the musclesworked.com exercise-to-muscle mapping API, for people looking up exercises and analyzing workouts. It covers 856 exercises and 65 muscles, including primary, secondary, and stabilizer activation data.
Key features
- 01Retrieve primary, secondary, and stabilizer muscles for exercises
- 02Find exercises by target muscle with optional filters
- 03Analyze workout coverage, gaps, and imbalances
- 04Find alternatives ranked by muscle overlap
- 05Search exercise and muscle names
Use cases
- 01Check which muscles a barbell bench press works
- 02Find bodyweight exercises for the chest
- 03Review muscle coverage in a push-day workout
- 04Find alternatives to barbell squats
MCP support
The MCP server connects to the musclesworked.com API and exposes tools for exercise and muscle lookup, workout analysis, and alternatives to MCP clients. An API key is required.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
npx -y musclesworked-mcpMUSCLESWORKED_API_KEYSecretYour MusclesWorked API key (get one at musclesworked.com/dashboard)Local servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.
Tools
6Saved tool list · updated 2w ago
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| exercise | string | Yes | Exercise ID or name (e.g. 'barbell_bench_press') |
Details
From the project READMEmusclesworked-mcp
MCP server for the musclesworked.com exercise-to-muscle mapping API.
Connects Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other MCP clients to 856 exercises and 65 muscles with detailed primary/secondary/stabilizer activation data across 14 muscle groups.
Setup
Get an API key at musclesworked.com/dashboard.
Claude Desktop
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"musclesworked": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "musclesworked-mcp"],
"env": {
"MUSCLESWORKED_API_KEY": "mw_live_..."
}
}
}
}
Claude Code
claude mcp add musclesworked -- npx -y musclesworked-mcp --api-key mw_live_...
Or add to .mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"musclesworked": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "musclesworked-mcp", "--api-key", "mw_live_..."]
}
}
}
Cursor
Add to .cursor/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"musclesworked": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "musclesworked-mcp"],
"env": {
"MUSCLESWORKED_API_KEY": "mw_live_..."
}
}
}
}
Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
get_muscles_worked | Get primary, secondary, and stabilizer muscles for an exercise |
find_exercises | Find exercises targeting a specific muscle with optional filters |
analyze_workout | Analyze a workout for coverage, gaps, and imbalances |
get_alternatives | Find alternative exercises ranked by muscle overlap |
search_exercises | Search exercises by name to discover IDs |
search_muscles | Search muscles by name to discover IDs |
Example Prompts
- "What muscles does the barbell bench press work?"
- "Find bodyweight exercises for my chest"
- "Analyze my push day: bench press, overhead press, tricep pushdown, lateral raise"
- "What are some alternatives to barbell squats?"
- "Search for exercises that target the hamstrings"
Configuration
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--api-key <key> | API key (or set MUSCLESWORKED_API_KEY env var) |
MUSCLESWORKED_API_URL | Override base URL (default: https://musclesworked.com) |
Development
git clone https://github.com/csjoblom/musclesworked-mcp.git
cd musclesworked-mcp
npm install
npm run build
# Test with MCP Inspector
MUSCLESWORKED_API_KEY=mw_live_... npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.js
License
MIT
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