There are no long-term programs; only exercises, workouts, and daily routines. Fitbod is our top pick for an AI-based weightlifting app because it delivers the most usable form of day-to-day personalization. The setup process is a breeze, earning a perfect score of 5 out of 5 from our tester, Senior Staff Writer Caine Wilkes,OLY, CNC, USAW-L1.
Plank Variations to Strengthen Your Core
There is an option for a consultation with Torokhtiy himself, but that will cost you $299. He gave the program a 4-out-of-5 rating, citing the intuitive desktop and mobile PDFs, accessible video exercise demos, and clearly defined weekly goals with warm-up and cool-down protocols as highlights. The app also gets a progressive overload score of 5 out of 5 for its emphasis on volume and built-in de-load weeks. The Fitbod App is a high-tech AI-powered fitness platform that personalizes workouts and adapts them over time based on your progress. Although there is not a free version, the subscription is affordable and allows you to workout with whatever equipment you have. Because JuggernautAI is a powerlifting program, you’ll need a squat rack, weight bench, barbell, and weight plates to complete most of your workouts.
- Caliber’s structured programs work well when you want a defined weekly cadence and video form guidance while you’re still learning movements.
- By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly which best strength training app matches your training intent — and you’ll have the comparison data to back up your decision.
- During a workout, if you’re wearing one of the best Apple Watches, you’ll be able to see stats from your watch on the screen.
- The app syncs with the Apple Watch, as well, but is not compatible with other platforms like Garmin, Fitbit, or Strava.
- Designed by Ukrainian Olympian Oleksiy Torokhtiy, Torokhtiy Weightlifting is a series of programs geared for learning and training the Olympic lifts—the snatch and the clean and jerk.
- Any app recommended for women over 40 must include lower body compound movements.
Best Free Strength Training Apps
Instead of broad workout templates, it helps you build a highly customized plan based on your specific goals. It even rates exercises based on their effectiveness for targeting specific muscles, allowing you to fine-tune your routine with insights from modern training research. This makes it an invaluable tool for intermediate and advanced lifters focused on breaking through plateaus. You’ll need to have some knowledge of the activity to start with and know how to use free weights and gym equipment to safely and effectively use the app. If you’ve already been going to the gym for a few years or are looking to move away from in-person personal training sessions and plan your own workouts, this could be the app for you.
Week Workout Plan #10 (with Healthy Meal Plan)
An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past ten years, so knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone. Around the same time as the streamer partnered with Netflix, it also developed a short series with meditation app Headspace, and the Headspace Guide to Meditation is currently still available on Netflix. During a workout, if you’re wearing one of the best Apple Watches, you’ll be able to see stats from your watch on the screen.
Week Workout Plan #9 (with Healthy Eating Meal Plan)
This matters whether you’re transitioning between a commercial vs private gym setup. Our team evaluated both apps over six weeks using real training sessions, and the difference is clearer than any spec sheet suggests. Hevy wins on simplicity and speed; Strong wins on data depth and precision. Free apps are great for starting out — but once you’re serious about tracking progress, a dedicated logging tool becomes essential. For pure tracking with no budget, Hevy’s free tier edges out most competitors on interface cleanliness and social integration. If you only need to log sets and reps and see basic progress lines, you may never need to upgrade.
Apple Watch Compatibility
Building muscle requires consistency, progressive overload, and smart tracking. While dumbbells and barbells are your tools, the right app acts as your digital logbook, coach, and analyst all in one. Forget messy spreadsheets and forgotten notebooks; modern muscle building apps are designed to streamline your training, ensure you’re consistently challenging yourself, and provide clear data on what’s working. According to the Michigan Fitness Association4, hiring a personal trainer costs between $300 and $600 a month.
product tester Kate Meier, CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, has also used the app for more than two years now, and loves the coaching and combination of visual and auditory cues. Muscle Booster nabbed a range of perfect scores from our tester but fell flat in a few key areas, such as interactive features and value. Appropriately, we gave Muscle Booster a 5 out of 5 in our progressive overload category. If you value accountability and interactive features, check out Future, which earned high marks in both categories. Christopher Mohr, PhD, RD, is both a subject matter and speaker and performance coach. He also works with large corporations like Deloitte, Delta Airlines, Johnson & Johnson.
Free Weekly Workout Plans in Your Inbox
With this level of ise behind these apps, you can feel sure of the progress you’ll make from your own workouts. Hevy’s free tier is best for strength training app free users who already have a program and just need a clean log. Core logging, an exercise library, progress charts, rest timers, and the social feed are all accessible without paying. The best strength training app for women over 50 is WeGLOW, a strength and wellness app built specifically for women with guided gym and home-compatible workouts designed with perimenopause hormonal context in mind.
Best workout app for meal plans
From the running shoes that help create marathon winners to athleisure wear, this brand has led the way in fitness for a generation already. The brand has added a training app, which is totally free to download and use as often as you like and for as long as you like, into their collection now, too, with much success. As woman&home’s digital health editor, I’ve spent my fair share of time on these apps in my home studio, at the gym, and on hotel balconies while on holiday. Only the very best, worth the time and energy (and money, in some cases) to use them, have been included. AllTrailsIt’s not formally a workout app, but if walking is your preferred form of exercise, AllTrails is the perfect companion.
Fitbod’s Apple Watch integration lets you log sets, rest timers, and navigate your workout directly from your wrist — the phone stays in your bag. This madmuscles productreview is the closest current option to a fully phone-free gym session while still using AI-generated programming. You can also change fitness goals on Apple Watch to match your new routine.
While there are form demonstrations available to help with technique, there are no follow-along video workouts available. Fitbod is the strength training app I’ve had in the aptly named ‘Gym’ folder on my phone for the longest. It’s specifically designed to be used in the gym (but it does have bodyweight workouts available) as the main function of the app is to design a reps-and-sets-based workout plan. The brainchild of decorated powerlifter and coach Chad Wesley Smith, JuggernautAI uses an algorithm to create a personalized program for you and your strength goals.
Download the Stronglifts app
Stay updated on the latest releases and our top recommendations across your favorite streaming platforms. By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over,have read ourPrivacy Policyand agree to theTerms & Conditions. StrongLifts 5×5 focuses on a simple yet effective program that centers on compound lifts, making it a great choice for beginners looking to develop strength quickly. This is especially important for novice lifters who may not be familiar with proper techniques or training protocols. Rather than jumping into something too quickly, relying on instruction and following this piece of advice from GGR contributor Chris Mohr, PhD, RD, can help make your journey safer. There’s a pretty robust set of workouts created by Hevy and the community for you to try out, with all of them clearly labelled to discern the kind of workout.
Day Challenge #15 (Workout and Meal Plan)
If you’re looking for cardio, I’d recommend Peloton Cross Training instead – or the regular Peloton app. While the instructors in the class use the Les Mills Smartbar, you can actually use any weight you have to hand to do the workout. The focus is on lots of repetitions using light weights, so you’ll definitely feel the burn – and the strength gains in weeks to come. If you want to strength train from home but you don’t have the motivation to dig your dumbbells out yourself, then I’d recommend Les Mills+. This New Zealand-born platform has hundreds of pre-recorded resistance workouts to choose from using dumbbells and resistance bands.
Costs for strength training apps vary widely; some are free with basic features, while others offer premium subscriptions ranging from $10 to $30 per month for advanced features. By incorporating one of these top-rated strength training apps into your fitness regimen, you can optimize your workouts and efficiently reach your desired strength levels. To earn at least a 3-out-of-5 rating, weightlifting apps should provide basic community features and tracking capabilities. Platforms with robust community engagement, social media integration, and chat features that enhance interaction or make the experience more enjoyable and engaging receive higher scores. A score of 3 out of 5 indicates it’s mostly intuitive but may require occasional pauses to locate features or understand instructions. Apps earn higher scores when the interface is clean, navigation is seamless, and workouts are easy to follow.
The app asks a couple questions about why you’re changing and what you need, then will give you a few alternative therapists to choose from. Research shows that having community support during a weight loss journey can help keep you accountable and tie in a much-needed social aspect1. WeightWatchers has a huge community in the app and on social, and you can connect with millions of other people who have used it. You can also select ingredients you already have in your fridge, and the app will put together a list of recipes for you so you can use up what you have (saving some money in the process). For packaged foods, there’s a barcode scanner that will quickly pull in nutrition facts so you don’t have to enter them manually.