During testing, we loved the range of workouts but found it a little irritating having to bend down and manually skip between exercises. We’d also say this app is aimed at women, but there’s no reason why guys couldn’t follow mad muscles for woman the training plans. The Beginners Gym Workout app is perfect for beginner weight trainers or gym goers getting back into the swing of things.
Best Online Workout Program For Free: Nike Training Club
You can also choose to blend bodyweight moves with resistance and add an app-led warm-up or cool-down to your session, which makes the app entirely customisable to your needs. Best Weightlifting Log Out ThereI recommend this app to 100% of people who lift weights. It is awesome in so many ways such as pre-programmed routines, customizable routines, information and examples of lifts, a timer, and the graphic it gives you showing the muscles you worked in a session. Apple Fitness+ includes several free guided workouts accessible to Apple Watch owners without a full subscription — including introductory HIIT, yoga, and core sessions.
Ladder is built for strength training and specifically for busy people who are already motivated to workout. So many different teams and coaches to go with your style, you can’t go wrong. She builds on what you have learned while keeping it fresh and engaging.
- The journey from simply showing up to intelligently training requires a shift in mindset, and the right app is a powerful catalyst for that change.
- Ladder is built for strength training and specifically for busy people who are already motivated to workout.
- “To see progress, add resistance or load to your sessions,” she adds.
- Alpha Progression is a smart, affordable solution for intermediate to advanced lifters who want expert-level programming and tracking tools in one place.
- Choose from 400+ exercises, build custom routines, and let the app handle the rest — from rest timers to progress charts.
- While we love Muscle Booster’s programming philosophy, the app offers little in the way of interactive features.
Playbook – Trainers & Workouts

A former gym owner, he also has more than 15 years of experience coaching other athletes in weightlifting, CrossFit, and functional fitness. JuggernautAI, a periodization-based app built specifically for powerlifters, occupies a niche that the other six apps don’t touch. Fitbod is the best fitness app for strength training when you want maximum variety and zero planning overhead. 5+ new workouts each week and a variety of training plans to choose from. Flex AI is the best all-around automated workout app that will generate a workout plan, provide detailed instructions on how to perform each exercise, and track your progress. The app doesn’t offer workout programs, but you can sign up for a free trial and use credits to test different workouts like yoga, barre, pilates, and gym visits.
Understanding why strength training helps isn’t just motivational — for women over 40, the science-backed case changes how you should choose an app. Ladder gives you a complete workout plan to help you maximize your workouts and achieve real results. Ofers a great way to communicate with team coaches and other members. Plus, it integrates well with Apple Music to keep your playlist going. A workout plan for every day, created by an expert coach and new each week.
Lotus Yoga & Workout — Best for Yoga Programs
It’s free to download and comes with a trial period, with a monthly or annual subscription unlocking full access to premium plans and features. If you want an intelligent, adaptive coach in your pocket, Fitbod is one of the best options on iOS and Android. The app also supports specialist goals, offering classes for hormone balance, prenatal fitness, pelvic floor strength and cycle syncing.
Essential Strength Training Books for All Levels
Gymverse also offers really great wearable connectivity; when I tested it with my Apple Watch, I could start, track, and end workouts on my watch rather than needing to open the app on my phone. And if that’s not enough, Gymverse offers calorie tracking when paired with a wearable, which is a nice addition and helps you get a better view of your overall fitness. As a general fitness tracker, the metrics aren’t super comprehensive; it tracks PRs/PBs and workout length. PUSH isn’t your best choice if you want to track more cardio fitness-type metrics like HR, or if consistent strength training just isn’t a priority for you. Overall, Fitbit could be a great choice for someone who’s just starting their fitness journey and doesn’t want to spend a pretty penny just yet. Even though the app doesn’t offer any standout features, it includes solid basics at a decent price point.

MyFitnessPal is one of the most popular nutrition apps in the world, with over 200 million users. It’s ideal for bodybuilders looking to track calories, macros and overall diet to support muscle growth or fat loss. The app features a large exercise database, sortable by muscle group, and supports routine creation for custom programmes. You can also back up your workout data to Dropbox or Google Drive for extra security. Ok, so I threw this one because I always want a little conditioning with my strength training. This app isn’t entirely dedicated to strength training, but it does incorporate a fair amount.
The Nike Run Club offers free coaching and programs to help you build up to certain milestones, such as the 10k program. There are various guided runs, such as speed runs, recovery runs, and long-distance runs, that make getting into running accessible and fun. However, as you progress through programs like the 30-Day Challenge, the time investment can ramp up to around 30 minutes per workout. We’ve also found that the iPhone app offers more features than Android (such as music connectivity).
How to choose the best strength training app for you
MyFitnessPal connects you to a massive food database, boasting over 6,000,000 foods! It’s compatible with many mobile devices, computers, and other apps. The app is integrated with social networks, allowing you to share your progress or any other information with friends. What’s great, you can request friends who also use the same app to integrate with your account. This is especially important for novice lifters who may not be familiar with proper techniques or training protocols.
With advanced tracking and community features, Strong stands out among the best fitness apps for weightlifting, helping you stay motivated and lift smarter every session. That’s because PUSH uses AI to generate a strength training program for you, based on the science of progressive overload. You can also manually create a program yourself, but the app isn’t intended to record one-off workouts; it’s geared towards moving you through a program of weight-bearing exercises. The workout tracking feature also offers lots of options (including, e.g., Pilates and tennis)—though for many workouts, calorie count defaults to the equivalent of a brisk walk.
Build customized workout plans in minutes
It’s a perfect digital coach for anyone who wants a proven plan without getting lost in customization options. The platform delivers barbell-based resistance training through BodyPump classes that use lighter weights with high repetition ranges to build muscular endurance and definition. You’ll perform squats, chest press, deadlifts, and overhead press with dumbbells or barbells following structured track timing. Les Mills develops strength through volume accumulation rather than maximal loads, creating workouts that challenge muscles without requiring heavy equipment or spotters. StrongHer works best for gym members who want confidence using free weights and strength equipment without hiring trainers.
Best Workout App for Weightlifting: BODi
Apps that ignore hormonal context are, by definition, delivering an incomplete program for this demographic. I’ve been working out for over 13 years and tried everything from personal trainers, crossfit, etc. I’m stronger and able to lift heavier then I ever have and working out 6 days a week. My body alone has changed for the better in just the 2 short months i’ve been a member. Let me tell you about this team that builds you up, challenges you daily and holds you accountable.
Workout Variety
Hevy also includes a social feed where you can follow other lifters and share workout logs. Reddit’s r/Fitness community frequently recommends it alongside Strong as the two best pure logging tools. The free tier covers core logging features; Hevy Pro ($2.99/month or $23.99/year) unlocks unlimited custom exercises, unlimited routine history, and detailed analytics. Imagine a lifter following 5/3/1 (a percentage-based powerlifting framework built around four key lifts). They open Hevy after each session, log their sets, and within eight weeks, Hevy’s graphs show their bench press has climbed 15 lbs — visual proof that progressive overload is working. That data visibility is motivating in a way no spreadsheet can replicate.
Conclusion: Take Your Pick and Start Lifting
Lifting weights isn’t just about building bigger muscles for better selfies. Research shows resistance training supports improved bone density1, metabolism2, and longevity3. Fantastic AppThis app is extremely helpful in tracking progress through mesocycles and the entire calendar year. It has lots of cool features like a rest timer and your yearly PR’s for every exercise. I highly recommend the premium subscription, which comes with tons of different training programs, from hypertrophy to strength and powerlifting focus. The exercise library is comprehensive (thousands of exercises with form video), the workout templates are easy to build, and the social feed showing friends’ recent workouts creates passive accountability.