Best workout tracker app for serious weightlifters
This is the only app I have ever given 5 stars to, and I feel like it has earned it. It is the best tracking app for strength training and weightlifting there is. Period. I’ve tried several workout apps (I even gave my man Chris Hemsworth’s app a go), but none of them have stood up to Strong in terms of pure utility. I’ve been using Strong for about 4 years now, and it is my favorite app, hands-down. It has a huge wealth of features for building sets, and it contains a massive library of exercises. It also lets you superset, set auto rest timers, and add and categorize your own exercises if you’re feeling creative. It makes routines or lets you start empty sets. It is also automation-compatible! If you have an Apple Watch, it gets even better—the Apple Watch companion app to Strong (which comes with the phone app) is amazing. I can track workouts from my watch without my phone, and if I have both on me, they can sync my workouts in real-time so I can make edits/record sets on both at the same time. This app clearly had a lot of thought put in under the hood, and it becomes very intuitive to use after the first few uses. While it occasionally has glitches, I have found this app entirely worth it. Recent updates have only made it better and more stable! Don’t just take my word for it—give it a try. It’s an impressive app.
I’ve been using this app for years, since setting up a home gym in my garage. It was great for casual weight-lifting and trying to figure out what lifts I could do with my set up to hit different target areas and keeping track of how much I lifted last. When the pandemic hit this year and triggered my anxiety, I turned to more intense weight lifting in my nice little isolated gym to help cope. I’ve gone from 0-2 casual workouts per week to 4-5 hour-long intense workouts and I’ve made use of more of the features in the app - designing new routines, calculating warm-up sets for my riskier heavy lifts, and tracking my progress in chart form so I know when to start trying for higher weights. Now I’m up to 275 workouts in this app and I’m seeing results. This app is beautifully designed, very flexible and great for weight lifters at any level. It’s never annoying and it poses no limitations to doing your workout your way at your pace. I’ve tried instructor-led videos and I hate every one of them. There is one thing I would add though - The plate math calculator is maybe the best feature in this app, but it’s limited to known, common bar weights. It works great for my barbell and curl bar, but my smith machine bar weighs 25 pounds and there is no option for that. I have to set it as the 20lb curl bar and remember to subtract 2.5 for each side as I’m loading the plates.
If you’re like me and want to keep a close eye on your lifts and progression, this is the app for you. There is a subscription fee which is the most annoying part of the app, but it keeps the developer in business and with the frequent improvements it’s well worth it. I love the Apple Watch app so I can quickly look at my wrist to see what is next up in my routine and log my workouts. The app keeps track of your rest time so you don’t have to think about it. I used to have to open the Stopwatch in the Clock app and switch back and forth between Excel–where I previously stored my data. The little tap on the wrist when using the Apple Watch app is helpful and makes for a great user experience. The data visualization for each exercise is useful and there are too many features to list that are awesome. I want to highlight my experience going outside the US. When I went abroad, I had to use metric plates since everyone else uses that. With a simple setting change all my previous lifts were converted to metric so I didn’t have to sit around doing conversions to know how to load the bar. Afterwards, you can simply switch back to pounds and all the data you collected overseas is converted back to US units. For anyone who wants to get into working out and keeping a tab on their improvements, this is the app to get.
My mom and I have both allowed ourselves to get so busy with life that we allowed ourselves to get off of our diets, and not be able to find time for the gym. I work on ships at sea for months at a time, so it's not always easy to eat healthy or workout. While I've been home on vacation, we have been in the gym every day, and have both been on the strictest diets. I'm down almost 40 pounds in 6 weeks, and she's also doing incredible. I don't tell you this to brag, I tell you this because your app has enabled us to continue this lifestyle when I go back to work. I had to leave last week for training, then I'll go home for a week then head back to sea. Because of your app, I was able to build some workout routines so that my mom can know exactly what exercises she needs to do each day to continue to succeed while I'm not there. You have LITERALLY set us up for success. Part of building a company and offering a product that often gets overlooked is improving people's lives. You guys have done this not only in building this product, but also in who you have chosen to represent your company on the customer service front. You are making all the right decisions. I can't tell you how much I pray for your continued success. Thank you for improving the lives of your fellow people in everything that you do.
I’ve been seriously lifting for about 8 years, and have tried all kinds of methods for keeping track of my workouts including special notebooks, different specialized spreadsheets, all kinds of different apps, and none of them compare to Strong. I have tracked about 300 workouts over 2 years and have no complaints at all with the app. I love the ability to customize my own workout templates, and the rush of knowing that I broke through a barrier and hit a PR. The auto-rest timer is another great feature and lets me hop right into my workout every morning without having to think about that kind of stuff. If you try it and like it, I would highly recommend going for strong premium. Realistically if you’re using the app more than a few times per week, the $30/year or whatever is well worth it for the ability to hold unlimited workout templates. I have folders set up specifically for all the different gyms that I work out at, since some equipment is only available at some gyms, and the ability to select a workout that I curated is Uber-convenient.
I just purchased this app and I’ve used it for the first time in my workout this morning. The first major flaw that I see is that it will not calculate the calories you burn during the workout session logged. It also does not keep track of the total time you have worked out. It does offer you the opportunity to set rest periods in between sets but does not keep track of your total workout session time. It also does not appear to allow you to enter a custom exercise or movement. I have been using Fitness Buddy for 9 months and dont like it well enough to buy the subscription but what it does do is track your session time and calculate calories burned. The calories burned number then populates the apple health app as well as “My Fitness Pal” where I log my calorie intake and research foods. What I do like so far is the the data entry interface. I find it very intuitive well thought out, easy to log sets, weight and reps. It is color coordinated making things easier to see or identify. I also like that this app syncs with my apple watch really nicely. I also like that this app doesn't force you into a bunch of stuff you dont need or want. So far I wont start the subscription unless they add these features that are important to me. While I dont like Fitness Buddy it does do the minimum most that I need for it to do. Update: I found the workout timer. Cant find how to pause it if needed. Still unable to find a calorie consumption calculator.
I recently purchased an Apple Watch to help track my overall fitness goals. After playing around with several nutrition and workout apps, I settled on this one for logging my gym routine. I already have a detailed workout plan but constantly stopping to write down my sets, reps and weight was becoming burdensome. This app has made it so much easier to log everything and the rest timer helps me to not waste time or take too long breaks. My biggest complaint is that I can only create three routines without upgrading. I wish there were a way to pay a flat fee for a few more services as I don’t have a need or desire for all the extras that come with a subscription. My other complaint is the lack of tracking of calories burned. Other apps I have looked at gave me an estimate on how many calories I was burning based on the weight, sets and reps. This app seems to use my heart rate which is not, in my opinion, accurate at all. It makes it harder to get a clear picture of what I have actually used versus my consumption. Sorry for the long review but those are my biggest grievances. Other than that I love the ease of use and how I can go back and for the between my phone and watch as it syncs together.
I’ve downloaded more than a dozen workout apps and spent significant time with about a half dozen. This is by far the best that I’ve found for daily weight-training workout. It is flexible enough for a wide range of resistance-training routines. Once you set up your routines on your iPhone app, you can easily start and track your weights and reps from the Apple Watch, which is wonderful. I still usually bring my phone with me for quicker data entry and easier ability to tweak routines. I also can share my workout with my wife and workout partner so that if I go to the gym alone in the morning, they can do the same routine as me (and see my weights). I really appreciate the ability to share workouts. They’ve even made it so you can start workouts with Siri shortcuts, “Hey Siri, start leg day” etc. I’ve been using this app daily for more than a month as has my wife. The free version of the app is totally usable. We both have upgraded to the annual subscription, primarily to support the developer for an incredible app but also we like the additional features. Yet, if you are looking for a fully functional free app, this works too.
I have always had trouble using apps because I don’t want to get distracted on my phone and paper logs were always the most customizable. This app comes pretty close to the real deal, in a thoughtfully organized way. I can add rest timers, mark sets for failure Or generate warmups, and put in non-intrusive but available notes. The watch app is really well done in comparison to other apps, with a wealth of info I need laid out well. My (few) constructive criticisms are (1) I wish when setting up an exercise for time, I can set a countdown timer that logs when finished and makes a sound so I know, similar to the rest timer; (2) that some more common exercises like tricep rope pushdown, etc. makes it into the app; (3) that the app watch improves in its smooth function so I can truly leave my phone behind, and (4) that for certain cardio, like rowing, I can change the value from miles to meters, or put in resistance. However, even for missing exercises, you can create them yourself, and their library is pretty extensive, so it’s not too big of an issue.
I never review apps, but as I just hit workout #300 tracked on Strong, I thought it was time. I’ve been using the free version for about a year and a half, and for me, it’s perfect. The only downside to using the free version is a limit to the workout templates you can save, but I usually start from scratch each time I track so that doesn’t bother me. I have found when I do make templates, I still change things around based on what’s available at my gym, anyway. My biggest pro for this app is that there are no ads/nonsense/pop ups trying to get you to upgrade to the paid version or promoting anything else. Nothing annoys me more than apps begging for your money. This app is clean, utilitarian, and really well-designed for you to get in, set up your workout, and track your reps/sets as you go. If an exercise you want isn’t in the library, you can add your own. It saves all your progress history, even on the free version, so you can look back and see how you have progressed on different exercises. I recommend this app to all my friends.
Not completing all exercises in a routine on watch deletes them from the routine
Edit: Fixed!! Thank you, Strong! Got 2 more people using it in the last week. Hey! I love this app! I use it every day and tell people in my classes to use it! The new update has a really bad bug though. It breaks my use case. I use the new watch with data, so I don’t have to bring my phone with me to the gym. I only use the watch and I log everything on the watch. When I perform a routine and do not perform an exercise or two, those exercises that are not performed are deleted from the routine after save!! I have to go and add them back every time. This breaks my use case. For example, my Tuesday routine contains abs, chest and triceps. I normally load the routine and do abs before I teach my spin class, save routine, then load the routine again after class to do my chest and triceps. But when I opened the routine after spin, the chest and triceps exercises are gone! This has happened every time. Even after I go back and fix it, they are removed again. Please fix!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ll change to 5 stars for fixing.
I absolutely love using this app and and I use it almost everyday. One thing I would love for the developers to add to the app, especially for people who have paid for the full featured version of the app, is to improve the notes features. I love having notes that you can pin for an exercise or have a note written for one specific exercise during one workout. A fantastic addition to the note feature would be to have a third method of note taking for routines. So essentially you could have a one time note for an exercise bout (i.e. tried doing pause reps for pushups), the pinned notes (i.e. make sure to lock out on bench press), but also having a third one that is a note for a specific exercise that is only visible within a saved routine (i.e. for tricep extensions: set 1; pronate hands, set 2; supinated hands; set 3; hands neutral). With this added feature, you wouldn’t have to pin a note and be confused if doing the same exercise but for a different effect outside of the routine and have to remove the pinned note.
I have been using this app on iPhone for awhile now and I really like it. I put a template for each workout and can store them in folders based on the program I’m using. It is easy to use and update while working out. I like that I can see what I did last time and what is planned for this workout. I have been considering an Apple Watch for some time now and finally decided to buy one based on the Strong app being available for Apple Watch. I thought it would be great to not have to pull my phone out after each set. However, I find it difficult to track my workout on the watch. I realized I was reverting to using my phone. For me, one thing that would make the watch experience much better would be a keyboard input instead of a scroll bar. Not sure what I’m doing wrong but when I input, for example, number of reps for a set it seems like the app wants to return to an earlier set. I have high hopes for this app on Apple Watch and the ability to keep my phone in my pocket. Maybe in a future release.
I cannot see myself using any other app to track and plan gym routines! I love that there aren’t extra features being pushed (e.g., connect with friends, receive coaching). All I want to do is track the weight used in each set and document how many sets of each exercise I’ve done. So far, the app hasn’t failed to provide trackers for the exercises I typically do for each body area, and I love that variations with barbell, dumbbells, resistance bands, and machines are included for each type of activity. This helps me more accurately track the difficulty of my workouts - something I’ve always found annoying when keeping a pen and paper log is now streamlined and really neat-looking. One thing I cannot speak to is the pre-set templates as I prefer to create my own since I workout in a small gym with limited equipment. On that note though, it’s great that the app allows you to save the templates you’ve created so you can build on them as your strength increases or boredom kicks in!
I spent half of my winter break trying to build a similar app because I had always tracked my workouts on my Notes app, which became a mess. But then I found this app, which has a clean, easy to use interface and everything you need to track your lift progress in the gym. I love it. The only thing that stops me from giving it a perfect 5 star rating is that I wish they would implement a feature where you can enter the desired rep range when you’re building a workout, and then show your history for that specific rep range during the workout. Currently, if I do 4 x 8-12 on bench press, but the following time I bench 5 x 3, it’ll show me on the active workout that I did however much weight for 8-12 reps last time. Not a huge deal to go into history and find it myself, but it’d be cool for it to pull up the last time I did 5 sets of 3 and show me the weight I lifted that time on the active workout screen after telling it that that’s the number of reps I’m going to do for that workout. Again, otherwise amazing app, but would love it if y’all could add this feature. Thanks!
I’ve used this app for 53 days now and the phone app is perfect. It has pretty much everything I need I could change my set reps exercises custom workouts fantastic but…… ever since updating to the newest iOS and updating my Apple Watch. The Watch app is super glitchy does not sync with the Phone app and whenever I try to cancel or finish workouts on the watch, it goes nowhere. the last week or so I get into the gym in the morning and go to start my next workout and it’s still tracking a workout from the previous day and nothing I can do to end the workout without deleting every single exercise, then trying to hit cancel, and that doesn’t even work anymore I had to finally uninstall the app on my watch and just resort to using the phone which is fine I would like to not have to pull my phone out of my pocket during the workout if possible but I’m grateful to at least have that to track my workout efficiently
Heard a lot of good things about this app. Tried it out and does everything I want a workout tracker to do while being minimal. I do wish it had more exercises and their variations so I don’t have to manually create a new exercise. I also think it could be easier to add/remove/change entire exercises or move progress from one exercise to another if I had been mislabeling an exercise. I don’t think a social feature is necessary, which Hevy has, but would be nice… though don’t want it to be a social media app. The charts could have the years but I do like the charts (for paid version). Overall highly recommend this app as your main workout tracker! I’ve heard a lot that this app doesn’t update itself… it’s true and I do hope it releases updates more regularly. Sounds like apps like Hevy are always updating and adding mew features and addressing user concerns and requests. I don’t plan to switch right now… will see how version 6.0 is.
For the last five years Strong has been my faithful gym companion. I love the fact that it’s a bare-bones app made for people who know what they’re doing. My gripes are few but significant. 1) When editing a custom routine, you can remove exercises from a superset, but you cannot add exercises to a superset. I’m order to do that you have to delete the entire routine and enter the whole thing again from scratch. This is incredibly annoying as you can’t add to your routine “on the fly”. 2) Rest timers are assigned to an exercise, regardless of which routine it’s in. As in some of my routines take a 5 second to 2 minute timer, depending on which routine it is in, this is frustrating. 3) I really wish kettlebell exercises could be entered as such. (I have to designate them as dumbbell exercises). It would be very helpful to us “Kettlebellers” to be able to designate an exercise as a “Kettlebell” exercise and indicate whether single or double Kettlebells are used.
Been using the app for quite some time now and absolutely love it. So easy to create your own workouts to use and you can track pretty much everything. Super simple to see your recorded weight, weight from last workout if you want to increase, etc. The part I like most is the interaction via my Apple Watch. Love being able to start my workouts from my watch and record any weight/rep changes as I go and best of all a built in rest timer so I don’t wait too long in between sets. Had a hiccup this last update for iOS 13 release but I contacted support letting them know of the issue I was having with the app crashing on my Apple Watch and the response was quick. They let me know they were aware of the issue and already working on a fix to roll out for it. Was contacted again as soon as they released the fix to make sure it fixed my issue, which it did. Couldn’t ask for better support for an app. Bottom line, just get this app, you won’t regret it.
Great when workouts actually show up or sync to Apple Watch
I love the Strong app when it works properly to keep track of all my workouts but the problem is the app is very inconsistent with keeping record of workouts even after I click finish (either on my watch or within the app) and the app doesn’t consistently sync to my Apple watch. Today I did an 1 hour and 45 minute workout but Strong doesn’t show I completed this workout so I have no record of what I actually completed today (not great for tracking purposes or time since I took the time to enter all my workouts while at the gym :/) The app was on the entire time and also my Apple activity app shows I completed the workout but didn’t sync any of the stats, not the minutes, heart rate or the calories; so clearly there is a big disconnect since the Strong app isn’t even showing I did the workout yet my Apple activity app is, I would assume at least the Strong app would be accurate. Well, I’m disappointed in the quality of this app since I bought it to sync to my Apple watch and the activity app since my workouts were receding just fine when I just used the activity app with Apple, guess I’m going back and finding a new workout app and just wasted money.
I’ll start by saying that I am an early adopter and have logged well over 600 workouts with Strong. I have no complaints with the iPhone app, it is great. My issues are with the Apple Watch app. It basically doesn’t function. It crashes multiple times every workout, almost every set. My workouts will not transfer to my phone. When I try to add exercises, it crashes. I could go on. 5 stars for the iPhone app, 1 star for the Apple Watch app. Hardware isn’t the issue, either - I’m using an XS Max and a Series 4 AW. I reached out to the support team three days ago and have yet to get a response. Happy to upgrade to five stars when they fix this. The Apple Watch app used to work great about six months ago, the last time I had an Apple Watch. It looks like right now it is suffering from the developers trying to do too much with it and not paying enough attention to its core functionality - its the software equivalent of the Galaxy Fold, if you know what I mean.
I’ve been using this app for a few years now, and it’s everything you could ask of it. Creating workout routines and logging is a breeze, though there are some small things I’d love to be able to do (like add another exercise to a superset). The phone app is reliable and never crashes or loses a workout. I will never need another app to track my lifts. The watch app, on the other hand, is garbage. I tried to log a workout from my new AW Series 4 and the app crashed to the main screen (watch face) in between each set. When I ended that workout (which never synced with the app, BTW), I started one in the phone app and the companion watch app opened... but then crashed again. The watch app is essentially unusable. It’s probably harsh to drop the rating to three stars based on the watch app, since the phone app is so fantastic, but the fact that the watch app can’t even function at a basic level is too much to overlook.
FOR THOSE THAT LIKE TO TRAIN IN A REAL GYM OR FITNESS CENTER-Easiest and Customizable
I’ve tried them all and wanted to integrate with my Apple Watch....for bodybuilders, Athletes and Fitness Enthusiasts this application does everything you need including drop sets, rest time with alarm, Failure, add sets weight amount and your reps easy! I would like to see them add all types of training techniques such as “Forced Reps”, “Eccentric Reps” etc...for now I use the NOTES feature right under the Title for Type of Exercise. Another recommendation would be to have the ability to add the amount of weight you used and the number of reps for your drop set. Again for now you could use the NOTES feature but it gets confusing especially if you are doing more than 1 drop set or super set for that matter. Anyway these guys are on the right track and nothing interrupts you line ads while training. I do like the app for the most part and with some additions it will be perfect
This is a great app for tracker your workout progress. It allows you to create and save workout plans. The free version gives you up to 3 custom workouts you can create but premium allows unlimited. It’s has an auto rest timer that comes in handy if you’re like me and depend on specific time for rest between sets. The only gripe I have is that when you set the rest timer for an exercise you have in one workout, if you use that same exercise in a different workout you creates it sets the rest time to the time you used in the last workout you used the exercise in which is a little bit of a pain if your workout plan has multiple days in it that use the same exercise for more than one day. You have to just keep adjusting the time back and for for the rest timer but other than that it’s the perfect app. I would get the lifetime purchase if the rest timer issue gets worked out.
I use this app on my phone and my watch everyday and get a great deal out of using it. I won’t ding the star score, because it’s the best I’ve used, but if it falls short anywhere, it’s flexibility in viewing historic data as trends, PR’s etc, which is very limited and less helpful than I’d like. Don’t get me wrong, it’s 1000% better than a notebook and pen, but I would think there are better data analyses they could offer. I also wish there was one more choice when finishing a workout. It’s nice that they offer the option to leave the work out the way it is or update the work out, but I really wish you could add new exercises that you’ve added, but not delete ones you haven’t used for that one workout. Sometimes because of availability I have to substitute a workout exercise but I wanna come back to the old one next time and have the option to use the option whenever I need to.
This app is exactly what I have been looking for to keep my workouts organized. It gets rid of the old pen and pad nonsense and offers selections of muscle groups to build a workout. The app provides you with your more common exercises that most people would include in their routines and also gives you demonstrations with details on how to conduct the exercise. Records the length of the workout, reps, sets that you can check off as you go to stay on track and lets you know PRs after the workout is finished. You are able to create routines for daily use and share with other users who have the app as well. I use this app particularly to send my girlfriend workouts during the week. I give it a 4 because I would like more workout options to choose from but I’m not sure If it’s only because I am still in the 2 month free trail window and will get access to more by paying but over all it’s a good app that gives you a whole 2 months to try it for free which is a plus for me.
Best app for logging workouts I’ve ever used. Everything just makes sense. Super intuitive UI! Somehow manages to be extremely easy while super flexible at the same time. Very easy to make changes to templates on the fly or change up your workout with zero friction. Really important for me because when I’m in the zone I want to focus on my sets, not fumbling around a logging app. Prior to Strong I was manually taking notes because the apps I’ve used were too rigid or the UI sucked. Manually taking notes is OK, but annoying to have to go and find the previous weight you used or what you did last for an exercise. With Strong, there’s no flipping through notes or scrolling a notes app. All the info is exactly where you want it. I love that I can export my data as a CSV, too. Hats off to the devs cause this app is incredible. It took me one day of use before upgrading to pro and I have zero regrets.
I’ve been using this app for years now and I thought it was about time to leave a review. It was super intuitive to use and I learned how to navigate the app after logging just one workout. The tiny number of templates you can save with the free plan is a bit of a dirty trick, but the premium subscription is so cheap and the app is so good I can’t complain too much. Gotta pay the bills somehow. The one recommendation I have for this app is to allow for better tracking of advanced techniques such as going beyond failure or even the amount of rest in between. It would be nice to not have to pin a paragraph to the notes section about negatives done at the end of the set, myo reps, pause reps, cheat reps, partials, etc. Additionally, the exercise database could be expanded a ton, but the app allows for custom exercises to be added so that’s not as big of a complaint. All in all, fantastic app!
This is only my 2nd or 3rd review, ever. I’ve been using this app for 9 years. It was great then, and it’s incredible now. The author is constantly updating it and adding new features, without making it cluttered. That’s what makes this app so good; it’s simplicity. Over the years I’ve been using the app, I’ve gone through many “phases” of workouts. Everything from Bodybuilding, Powerlifting, CrossFit, and currently Gymnastic body weight stuff (hey, I’m getting old. 🤷♂️) Thanks to the ability to build custom routines and exercises, the strong app has been the best tracker I’ve come across for any type of workout genre. I use the pinned notes feature extensively. It has all the features you want and none that you don’t. It just works. -To the creators: Thanks for grandfathering is old-timers in. It’s very much appreciated. I feel like I won the lottery by stumbling upon this gem so early.
I first downloaded this app in 2016 and decided to splurge the $5 to get the Pro version. I unfortunately fell off the workout wagon until recently. When I downloaded the app again I found quite a few things have changed since then! Most notably the subscription feature. The main reason why I really enjoyed and paid for the Pro version was that, unlike most of the others which had subscriptions, it had a simple, one time payment of $4.99 for all the features. Awesome. I logged back into my account expecting to be grandfathered in like some other people have been, but nope. Is there anyway I could get my account grandfathered in? It looks like the app has had some fantastic features added and I’m disappointed my old account I paid for has the same access as the free version. I’ve got the receipt and everything EDIT: I emailed them about the issue and they stayed true to their word about grandfathering in my account!
Almost everyone goes into the gym with not much thought or planning. They guess they'll do arms today but can't remember what weight or sets they did last time. This app keeps you focused. Create your workout BEFORE you go in and adjust the weight/reps as needed, Or time between sets. I have two routines for chest, one for back, and one for legs and HIIT. Tells you last time you performed that workout and your results. You can easily see if your routine is getting a little easier then it's time to increase the weight or reps. Easy to add or delete sets. I also love that the timer tells me in my headphones that the break is over. When you complete a set, click the box and the timer starts. Almost every exercise is included in the search. Showed a guy in the gym who was at least recording his workouts on paper this app and he bought it that day. Works great with Apple watch also. GET IT! It will force you to get better!
I have never left a review for an app…. EVER So you know this app is good if I’m going out of my way to write about it. I am a competitive power lifter and no application has compared to this one. It’s incredibly helpful for keeping track of my progress and being able to look back and figure out how much weight to lift depending on how my previous numbers have looked. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an app that lets you record the RPE (rate of perceived exertion) either which allows you to calculate just how much you can lift. I have often added in my own workouts that are not in the database (such as paused reps). I honestly recommend this app to any of my friends and peers that workout whether they are new or seasoned gym goers. The fact that there are no ads and you can still get a whole lot of use out of the app without needing to upgrade to premium is definitely a plus.
I’ve been using this app for 10 months now I tried the free version for a couple weeks and quickly found that I wanted to expand my routines list. I am since very happy with the purchased version. I specifically chose this app for it’s ease of use and integration with the Apple Watch. I like using the watch interface to record my reps and sets within my routine and it helps keep me progressing knowing what my previous set weight and reps were. I also like how it updates various health apps I use with my phone. Just recently I had an issue where my watch app was stuck in a loop of trying to launch & failing each time. I tried powering off my watch and also a hard reset, but couldn’t get the app to shut down. I finally reached out to the strong app support via email and they responded within an hour or so, very impressed. Carlo informed me that there was a hotfix out for the app and to try again after the update. Thankfully that fixed my issue and I am back to my workout routine. I have 2 app enhancements I would like. a timer based exercise. For example if I want do a set of planks for 1 minuet each. It would be nice to have a timer count each “rep” down for me. I would LOVE to be able to swipe left on the app to get to my music playlist. Other then that, I’m very happy with this app and it’s function and integration into my routine.
For years I have been using another app, but the company that makes it no longer support it. But I’ve checked out a number of other apps, but none of them have a wide variety of exercises and let me put them together in a workout. Let alone, do a variation or put a exercise that isn’t in the app. With syncing and the watch app, this app just puts this at the top of its game. The only real negative I can find is, the syncing with the Apple Watch can take some time to do or is most of time unnecessary. Thou, this could be the Apple Watch itself, since I use a different watch to workout with, and I am turning it on at the Gym. The other negative I found with the app is there is no App integration for Strava. This would be wonderful to have, since Strava is one of the leading fitness tracking apps out there. But, outside those two little grips. I’ve used this app for years, and can’t really see myself without it.
As a beginner, this app is so helpful for tracking how often I workout, the weights and reps so I don’t forget, and learning new workouts through their mini-tutorials and walkthroughs! I downloaded the app and used their three month free trial (which is an amazing amount of time to try it to really get a feel for it would work for you or not!), and I had intended to cancel the Pro subscription right before the trial ended (like a lot us do for apps sometimes). And nope! I loved it so much and at $30 a year, it’s price is comparable or cheaper than buying a physical workout tracker or subscribing to other apps, but it’s connivence is so much better! I don’t have any critiques and the one thing on my “wishlist” is for the workouts per week to be iPhone widget compatible so I can add it to my Home Screen to keep me accountable and motivated to complete my workouts every week.
This is the first app I’ve used for working out, and I am so glad I downloaded it. I love that I’ve been able to learn new workouts and create a routine. Having a checklist that you work through helps in a major way, especially since working out is pretty boring usually. The app makes it easy to see what you did previously, so it’s easy to push the weights higher and higher. The only issue I’ve had so far, is that I’d like to be able to upload photos for new workouts I create. So far strong has done a great job at making videos showing how to perform workouts and which muscles are worked, but not for every thing. You can create a new workout and label it, but I can’t seem to add a photo. Pro features don’t appear to mention this either unfortunately. Still giving this 5 stars and I’m about to upgrade to Pro. But I’d love if they would add that feature.
I often have to force quit and restart the app on my Apple Watch to get exercises or sets I added to an in progress workout to show up. Same goes for changing the reps or weights of a set. I use the app on my phone in tandem with the watch app, and if I finish a set on my watch by hitting the green timer button it sets a timer, but when I click the check mark to finish a set on my phone the timer doesn’t start. It used to work on the phone and it randomly did the other day for 1 workout, and now it’s back to not showing when I complete sets on my phone. I can still manually start a timer on my phone but that’s a pain after every set when it should start automatically. I’ve looked for bug fixes online and I’ve tried deleting and reinstalling the app to no avail. Hopefully someone from strong can comment back here and help because I couldn’t find anything on the help or troubleshooting sections of the website either
Before buying this app, I would have a set of exercises that I would work through but I never really knew what I did last time as far as weights or reps. Now I have created a template for my works and I can clearly see the weights/reps from the previous workout. This not only shows how I’ve progressed over time, it provides me with goals to beat during the current session. This is a game changer! And it wouldn’t be great if they didn’t make logging everything so easy. That’s what makes this app so effective. It’s simple to use and intuitive. The video tutorials with step by step directions also gives you guidance and confidence you are doing the movements properly. I’d recommend this app to anyone who is their own personal trainer looking to record and track their progress overtime.
Honestly I’ve always used a physical journal, and every time I’ve tried to transition to a digital one I always end up switching back. This is the first one that I’ve been able to stick to, and I absolutely love it. However, there are a couple things that I WISH this app had. I wish that I could add friends and share workouts/routines with them. It would make it so much easier to get my friends to use this app with me if we could somewhat “compete” with each other like how the Apple Watch fitness app works. Also, I wish I was able to upload before/after photos. Maybe incorporate everything into a calendar view where each day has colored dots (where say blue is that I worked out that day, red is a new measurement that day, and maybe green is a new progress picture that day). This app is absolutely awesome, but definitely some things could be improved! Some things that just came to mind: to add space for a social page, you can consolidate the Exercises tab to be a button within the Workout tab (I don’t look @ exercises on a regular basis). The same thing can be said about Measurements and the Profile tab. Measurements obviously embody information about me, so the Measurements tab can be included within the Profile tab. Anyways, I didn’t mean to write such a big review, as I actually love this app. Just some things that I would LOVE to see in the future.
This is actually a very good app for logging workouts and tracking progress by exercise. I have been lifting weights regularly since 2004 but have never really tracked my workouts or progress other than in my head. Its hard to describe but by using this I can visually see my progress which adds a new dimension of motivation to every lift to do better than the last time. Functionality of the app is excellent with the ability to add your own custom exercises not in the database being the best. The ability to add notes to all the exercises and edit the workouts during and after is a huge plus. Premium content is worth the $5 a month but could have a little more customization. Maybe choosing what you want to chart instead of just max weight. Would also be very good to be able to set goals on each exercise to see right next to the exercise name. Overall excellent app, highly recommend!!
2 major dislikes but overall it good and fits my needs.
Overall I like the app. I don’t see how the ‘free’ version is of any use too limited on workout program. Not a deal killer but don’t think your have a greatly useful app unless you practice zero forethought and variability in your program. I am most likely signing up (in the free trial window currently) but my eyes and brain are looking for decent alternative that meets my 2 point of issue below. I guess I don’t understand the weight counter. To me you enter the plate you have on the bar and it totals it for you into the actual weight. It seams the inverse. I don’t need it so not a deal breaker. I haven’t tried the timers current program doesn’t require them. Exercise library seem adequate and easy to expand yourself. It isn’t expansive but most common movement are there. Don’t mind/ approve of the lack of a social media elements. The lack of premium/ pro trainer programs for more cost not available does not bother me. I would even applaud more personal privacy and anonymity. The two things I have hard time getting around. #1 a web page interface or desktop app to make program entry easier to view, enter, and adjust. Not everyone finds thumb typing convenient or easy. Not to mention screen size. #2 Can’t at least to my knowledge create workouts on future calendar dates. So I have to maintain a calendar app schedule as well.
I have used this app for about 6 months, and used the PRO for about 4 months. This app is fantastic, if you go to the gym 3+ times/week then the cost is more than worth it. The app just added RPE options for sets, you can use the exercise database or make your own, and it tracks overall weight lifted (which I’ve found is motivational—at the least interesting). The app promotes progressive overload, which is super important and helpful to track. Only issue I’ve ever had with the app is that I frequently forget to end workouts. They will run in the background and the time for my workouts will be 24hrs or until I open the app again the next time I go into the gym, which messes with my statistics. However, this is a user error and in no way an issue with the app. Love this app, if you frequent the gym, I’m sure you will too.
Update: I just recorded my 1,146th workout in Strong. I can’t remember how much I paid for it anymore, but at this point it might be the hardest working couple of dollars that I ever spent. —— Flexibility meets framework so you can easily track almost any kind of workout without having to overthink things or work through an overly complex user experience. I’ve logged almost 400 (update: 600) workouts with it, and I’ve never had a problem with crashing or data loss. Also, the developers have been incredibly responsive to suggestions and squashing the very occasional bug. I can’t remember what I paid for it anymore, but quality apps like this are worth every penny. The only thing I wish they’d tighten up is supersets. They take up a lot of space and I wish they’d function just a bit differently.
I’ve cycled through my fair share of workout apps trying to find the perfect one for me. The biggest problem I’ve run across with most apps is the difficulty/loss of function I have when I use it on my Apple Watch. This one, however, is not the case. It is super easy to create workouts and add exercises mid-workout (on the watch). The countdown timer helps keep me on track and is easy to adjust while I’m between sets. It keeps track on my PRs and I have the option to update my routines at the end of my workout, which I love because I make minor tweaks each workout, including the order. Finally-tech support is AMAZING. I noticed a glitch this morning and emailed the developer. I got a super quick response and by the evening they had an update that fixed the glitch. All the while, they kept me in the loop which is much appreciated.
Great app... Apple Watch app needs slight improvement
I’ve used Strong for years and it’s really helped me improve my workouts. The only thing that continues to bother me is all the steps needed to take when finishing a workout on the watch app. Maybe I’m missing something in settings, but PLEASE add a way to streamline when finishing a workout on the watch. You have to hit finish workout, and then done, and then if your routine was any different than what was previously saved, there’s an option to either “keep original workout routines, or update to new routine”. Something to that effect. I’d really appreciate it if we could change that in settings to always keep original workouts. Or just make it less steps in general. I know It’s just a small annoyance, but coupled with a slight loading time after I hit each option it really slows down completing a workout. Otherwise love the app and continued updates!
This is the only workout teacher tracker that truly has everything you’d need to track progress at the gym. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been at it a while, this app can help. Tracking sets, reps and weight is easy, there are many options for types of set such as reps only, duration, and many more. There are so many built in exercises with video demonstrations so it is easy to correct your form or see what muscles you’re working on any given exercise. There are areas for notes for any exercise, and areas to build templates for each of the days in your cycle. The best part about this app is that it’s free, and never gives any ads, nor does it demand you sign up for its premium membership but it is very well worth it if you do.
I have liked the continues improvements to the app and the most recent changes allowing you to select and view a workout without having to start the workout is nice. I do wish that pinned notes for exercises only applies within the workout that exercise is in so that if you use the same exercise in another workout routine and want different notes for that same exercise but in a different routine you can as opposed to the same notes showing up for that exercise in all routines. Especially since the other notes option only shows notes made during that workout session. I would like an option for notes for a specific exercise within a workout that remain just in that workout where I can make different notes on the same exercise in a different workout that won’t show up on that exercise in another workout. Other than that detail, I really like the app.
This workout tracker is amazing. I like the way the app looks and the functions of it. I love that you can add supersets (more than one) to a workout routine and separate workouts into folders. It also asks you what you’d like to update after you wrap up a workout (templete, sets, weight, etc). You can log your measurements and allows you to track progress of both your workouts and your measurements. During a workout you can replace and exercise allowing you to accurately track your workout and you can even enter a note if you need to remind yourself why you replaced it. I rated it a 4 only because small things like the plate calculator functionality, the inability to group folders together, and the lack of access to the app on a Mac. If I could access the app on a Mac to log workout routines and group folders together this app would be a 10/10.
So I’m not the most experienced lifter however. I have been lifting for about 9-10 months and have really made improvements to my techniques as time goes on but sometimes I struggle to figure out what kind of plans I want to follow weather if it would be super sets or push pull etc. but it would be a nice feature to be able to have templates or programs already in this app. For example. You could make a 3 month lifting program and have a series of exercises to do targeting the group muscles you would like to work out to achieve overall body comp. It kinda takes the guess work out of planning what exercises you wanna do, while keeping tracking of your reps and improving your over all strength. Some of the features are really nice . Just would like the option to do that. Even though some people wouldn’t use it
Am I the ONLY person that the Apple Watch app will NOT sync workouts or send workouts to the app? I’ve reinstalled and updated my apps EVERY TIME they update and it STILL DOES NOT WORK Their customer service is 5 stars but this review is for the Apple watch app. I’ve been using strong since it’s inception, the very beginning, and I bought the Apple Watch SOLELY so i could ditch my phone during my lifting sessions. The problem is, the workouts DONT sync back to the app. I’ve done everything they suggested, uninstalled, reinstalled, repaired, unpaired and NOTHING works. The Apple health app has the workouts logged so I know the information is being sent to the phone and something is wrong with the app. Every other app I have on my watch is able to sync information to their mobile counterparts instantly and reliably. This is The ONLY app that will not. After communicating with customer service they could only come up with that they don’t have the problem so they can’t solve it. As someone who uses this app 26/30 days a month, I wish there was a better solution than that.
The most intuitive workout and exercise tracker for any fitness routine. Strong is the simplest and most intuitive workout tracker, designed to help you get better results from your workouts. Whether you want to gain strength or just stay healthy, join over 1.2 million people who have downloaded Strong to stay on track in the gym. “I’d suggest downloading the “Strong” app before you return to the gym. It’s that good” - CNBC “with apps like Strong, working out feels more like a game” - The Verge “I have used nearly every logging app since the App Store launched. This is the best bar none” “I use this every time I go to the gym and seriously couldn't train without it” “Simple. Intuitive. Functional. Exactly what I was looking for.” “This is bare bones and serious. Right on, and works perfectly... I wish I could give 10 stars.” “It's by far the most intuitive and easy to use workout app I’ve used.” Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced powerlifter, Strong provides everything you need to record your workouts as effortlessly and as quickly as possible. Unlike other fitness apps, Strong doesn’t bog you down with distractions and unnecessary gimmicks you’d never use. Strong is optimized for a progressive barbell routine such as Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5x5, but it is easily adaptable to any other routine of your choosing! FEATURES: • The simplest interface of any fitness app in the App Store • A comprehensive range of cardio and strength exercises - and add your own too! • Fully-featured Apple Watch app to log workouts with or without your iPhone • Add your own routines and easily choose between them • Detailed exercise instructions with a growing library of animated videos • Advanced Statistics show your personal records and progression and even calculate your one rep max and total weight lifted! • Built in Auto Countdown Timer to help record rest breaks • Support for multiple Exercise Types, including Assisted Bodyweight and Duration Exercises • Tag sets as Warm Up, Failure or Drop Sets • Supersets/Grouped Exercises • Track your progress with graphs for Volume and 1RM Progression • Automatically back up your data with Cloud Sync! • Built in body measurements tracker to record your weight and other vitals, with support for Apple Health • Warm Up Calculator tells you which weights to warm up with • Plate Calculator for when the weights get high • Support for Imperial (lbs) and Metric (kg) weights, or a combination of both • Add notes and progress pictures to your workouts • Share sheet makes sharing routines and workouts with friends easier than ever! • Export all of your data to Notes or Email in CSV format The free version of Strong can save unlimited workouts, but is limited to 3 custom routines. Upgrade to a Strong PRO subscription ($4.99/month or $29.99/year) for an unlimited number of routines and to unlock additional PRO features. Strong will automatically charge your iTunes Account at the end of your subscription or free trial period unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of your current period. Subscriptions renew at the original price. You can turn off auto-renew at any time and still receive full functionality until the end of your current period, but no refund can be provided for unused portions of the subscription. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. If you’ve previously purchased “Unlock Strong” or “Strong Combo Pack”, you’ll be able to use the Restore Purchases option in the app for access to all Strong PRO features. These prices are for customers in the United States and may vary depending on your iTunes Account settings. In-app purchases and subscriptions cannot be shared using Family Sharing. Strong Terms of Service - https://help.strongapp.io/article/179-strong-terms-of-service Strong Privacy Policy - https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/7760215
