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When it comes to lifting weights, tracking your progress and following a proper plan is essential if you want to optimize your progress. Maybe you’ve recently set up a home gym, picked up some new dumbbells or kettlebells or simply want to start lifting and don’t know where to begin.
Thanks to technology, we now have a phone in our pocket that provides us 24/7 access to the best information and cutting-edge apps, including weightlifting apps that give you programs to follow with form instructions.
You’ve probably tried weight loss apps that help with your nutrition, but there are plenty of apps that help you improve your strength training as well.
In this article, we’ll look at the types of weightlifting apps available, which kind you should be looking for and share our picks for the best weightlifting apps available today. Whether you’re new to lifting weights or an advanced trainee, you’re sure to find the perfect app for you!
Our Picks for the Best Weightlifting Apps:
Future
Key features:
- Free version: No
- Types of exercise: Strength training, weightlifting
- Best for those who want to work with a real-life coach they can message with and ask questions.
Future is the best app on our list for one simple reason. Rather than relying on algorithms or pre-made programs, Future connects you with a real-life coach who will build you a custom workout program to help you reach your fitness goals and offer support every step of the way, all through in-app communications.
You can message your coach at any time and they’ll happily adjust your program to work around your busy life. After creating your profile, you’ll be matched with suggested coaches, but you can always browse their coaching roster and choose who you want to work with.
Of course, with Future you’re essentially hiring a personal trainer, so it’s not the cheapest app. A membership costs $149/month and your first month is 50% off to test the service. This is still far cheaper than hiring a personal trainer at your gym, but there is an investment.
If you want to take a detailed look at Future, you can see our in-depth Future review here.
Pros:
- You’ll work one-on-one with a coach who will build custom programs for you
Cons:
- At $149/month, this isn’t a cheap option.
Try Future
Train Fitness
Key features:
- Free version: No
- Types of exercise: Strength training, bodyweight exercises, weightlifting
- Best for those who want specific data and tracking on their strength training regiment
Carry a notebook around the gym to jot down reps, sets and new personal records? Ditch it for the Train Fitness app, designed to efficiently track your workout and record your data for you. Instead of having to stop to write down updates in between workout sets (or even worse, you lose the notebook and all of your tracked progress), Train Fitness is programmed to automatically pick up over 86 exercises by way of Artificial Intelligence and your Apple Watch’s movements.
Every time you embark on a new set, you need to manually record the amount of weight you’re working with to get the most accurate data. The app also provides workouts if you need some inspiration, targeting different muscle groups with bodyweight and weightlifting exercises.
Train Fitness only works with the four, five, six, seven and SE Apple Watch models. If you’re a Fitbit or Garmin wearer, you’ll need to wait a bit longer to use this app. You will have to factor in this fitness tracker purchase to use this app. As for the app itself, pick between a monthly subscription at $13.99 or annual subscription at $69.99.
Pros:
- App automatically tracks over 86 exercises, with the option to add 400 others manually
- Uses AI and your Apple Watch to track movements
- Tracks repetitions, sets and exercises so you can keep grinding (just manually add weight each to exercise)
Cons:
- You need an Apple Watch four, five, six, seven or SE for the app to work
- Not available for Android
Try Train Fitness
Fyt Personal Training
Key features:
- Free version: No
- Types of exercise: Weightlifting, strength-training, home workouts
- Best for those who want to hire a personal trainer, but don’t know how to find a good one.
If you’re looking for an in-person trainer to meet you at your gym or home and personally guide you through your strength training sessions, Fyt personal trainer is designed to match you with the best trainer in your area.
Fyt stands for Find Your Trainer and their mission is to help you find the perfect personal trainer for your goals, schedule, budget and preferences. They’ve assembled a directory of world-class personal trainers, so if the idea of walking into a gym and hoping you find a good trainer seems overwhelming, Fyt is here for you.
The rates start at $29 per session, which is far more affordable than most trainers at your local gym. You’ll be matched with a trainer after a thorough onboarding process and all trainers are carefully vetted, so you know you’re working with a certified professional.
This isn’t a weightlifting app in and of itself, but it’s a great way to find an excellent personal trainer near you.
Pros:
- You’ll be able to choose from a wide variety of qualified trainers
Cons:
- The app itself doesn’t provide workouts, it’s more like a matchmaking service
Try Fyt
AloMoves
Key features:
- Free version: No
- Types of exercise: Strength training
- Best for anyone who likes following video instructors through a workout
If you want to follow along with video workouts, AloMoves provides endless on-demand streaming workouts to follow, with new workouts being added every week. This is like the Peloton of strength training, with all sorts of training plans to choose from.
There’s a wide range of instructors, who offer classes for everyone from beginners to advanced lifters. You’ll never run out of workouts to access and the videos are high-quality, easy to follow and fun to use. Routines range from 10-90 minutes, so you’re sure to find a class that fits your schedule and matches your fitness level.
It’s worth noting that many of the classes use bodyweight exercises or light dumbbells, so this may not be the best app for serious lifters looking to pack on pounds of muscle.
The service costs $20/month or $199 for an annual membership, but you can try AloMoves for free with their 7-day trial for new users.
Pros:
- Thousands of on-demand workouts, with more added every week
Cons:
- The workouts are videos, not templates you can fill in to track progress along the way
Try AloMoves
FitBod
Key features:
- Free version: No
- Types of exercise: Weightlifting
- Best for beginners or those who don’t want to design their own program
For beginners looking to outsource their workouts to an app, FitBod is hard to beat, as it functions like a virtual personal trainer in your pocket.
FitBod uses an algorithm to calculate the best program for you, based on your goals and performance and progressively increases the weight over time to make sure you’re getting stronger. It will change exercises when needed, ensuring you never hit a plateau.
We like this for beginners thanks to over 400 exercise demonstrations included and the awards you earn for various fitness achievements will keep you coming back over and over.
While the app is free to download, there’s a monthly fee of $13 or $80 per year, after the free trial period ends. For customized workouts that adapt with you, this seems like a reasonable fee, but there’s no unlimited free option.
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly app with plenty of video demos and smart programming
Cons:
- Advanced users may find the app too simplistic
Try FitBod
Hevy
Key features:
- Free version: Yes
- Types of exercise: Strength training
- Best for weightlifters who want to track their progress for free
For serious weightlifters, Hevy is one of the best apps on the market, with plenty of features built into its free plan. You can build custom workout plans, track your progress over time and even add your friends, to compare lifting stats and challenge each other.
Note that the free version does have a few limits. You can only save up to four routines, access three months of training history and add seven custom exercises, while the paid option gives you unlimited routines, tracking and exercises. Additionally, if you’re an Apple Watch user, you can use your watch to track your workouts.
One of Hevy’s most popular features is the ability to login from a desktop browser to create your routines, while many other apps are mobile-only.
Many users will do just fine with the free version (which doesn’t have any ads), but if you do want to save more than four routines or regularly add custom exercises, you’ll need the Pro version. The Pro subscription costs $3.99/month, $23.99 annually or you can pay $74.99 one time for lifetime access.
Pros:
- Easy to use, detailed tracker that includes nearly all if it’s features for free
Cons:
- The free version limits how much data you can track, which may be a problem for advanced lifters
Try Hevy
Key features:
- Free version: Yes
- Types of exercise: Weightlifting
- Best for advanced lifters who want to track their workouts and body metrics
Advanced lifters will find a lot to love with the Strong app. To start, Strong is one of the best pure workout trackers on the market.
You can log sets and reps per workout, leave notes and the app will show your total training volume over time. If you save your workout as a template, the app automatically fills in the last weight you used, making it easy to be sure you’re progressing over time.
While the app does provide some training programs to follow, users can custom add any exercise they want and build any type of workout program. You can track your body metrics, tag sets as warm-up sets or drop sets and use the built-in rest timer. You can also track your cardio and HIIT sessions to make sure you’re logging all of your weekly activity.
This app may be too complex for beginners and doesn’t provide much hand-holding, but advanced users who simply want a detailed way to track their progress over time will love Strong.
Most of the features are locked behind a premium subscription, but at only $5/month or $30/year, this investment is well-worth it.
Pros:
- Advanced features and data tracking for the serious lifter
Cons:
- Not the most beginner-friendly and doesn’t include many pre-made programs.
Try Strong
Jefit
Key features:
- Free version: Yes
- Types of exercise: Strength training
- Best for those who want to easily track their workouts over time and find a community.
For those who mostly care about tracking their progress over time and having fun along the way, Jefit is an excellent choice. They make tracking your progress fun, with a social component built-in.
Jefit is all about tracking your stats and after each workout, you’ll see a summary, any awards or milestones you’ve accomplished and you can track how long it takes each muscle group to recover, allowing you to plan the perfect workout routine for YOUR body and fitness level.
There are video demonstrations, social features built-in and with the paid option, you can follow along with pre-made training programs. While the free version does allow you to track your workout routines, you’ll be bombarded with ads and won’t be able to access premium features like badges, premium workout routines and the ability to save unlimited routines.
The Elite option is $12.99/month or $69.99/year when paid annually.
Pros:
- Excellent workout tracking with the premium version
Cons:
- The free version is very limited and full of ads
Try Jefit
How to Choose the Best Weightlifting App for You
FAQs
What kind of equipment do I need to use with my weightlifting app?
To get the most out of your weightlifting app, all you need is a smartphone and some weights to lift! If you have access to a gym, you don’t need anything else.
Which weightlifting app is best for bodybuilding?
While any app can work well, bodybuilders are generally more advanced and would likely enjoy the Strong or Hevy app, which has a large focus on tracking all of your lifting data AND your body composition over time.
Is weightlifting good for weight loss?
When used as part of a weight-loss plan, weightlifting is an excellent way to maintain your lean muscle and avoid the dreaded muscle loss while dieting.
Final Thoughts
Workout apps will take your routine to the next level and ensure you continue to make progress over your fitness journey. Whether you’re looking for a pre-made routine, you want to match with a coach or you simply need a way to log your workouts, you’re sure to find an app on our list that meets your needs.
Prices are accurate and items in stock as of publish time.
