Training

Now, as director of content at GGR, she brings her expertise in fitness to writing and editing honest reviews on everything you might need for your home gym. If spontaneous workouts are your thing, or the cost of a personal trainer is prohibitive, you may favor an app. If you want customized guidance relating to an injury or goal, or the accountability of an appointment, consider working with a personal trainer.

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He also took my feedback into account when designing workouts going forward,” says Logan, who gave Future 5 out of 5 stars for progressive overload. In December 2025, we reviewed our list of the best workout apps and made a few changes based on our latest testing. The Shred App still earns our top recommendation, but we swapped out picks that didn’t hold up in terms of cost, user experience, and workout variety. New additions—like Fitbod—stood out for their high scores in these categories.

It doesn’t matter what kind of equipment you have or don’t have; your trainwell trainer will design a workout plan that fits your equipment and goals. Read more as we explore the key factors you must consider when selecting a personal trainer app. This depends on your goals and how consistent you are with a workout routine.

Best Home Workout App: Ladder

The variety of exercises helps you to achieve different fitness goals. While some apps only have free trials, there are a few free workout apps. For example, Nike Training Club is completely free, offers workout databases, and lets you track your workouts. The Caliber app also offers a free version that can provide basic strength training guidance. Caliber’s free membership also lets you design your own programs (you’ll need to upgrade for personal coaching, however).

• We had no issues in our testing, however, and more recent reviews seem generally more positive.
• GGR writer and certified personal trainer Amanda Capritto gives Aaptiv a 4-out-of-5-star rating for accountability.
• We understand that each person is unique, and what works for one may not work for another.
• Most of these apps have the feature of progress tracking that gives you insights about your progress over time.
• JuggernautAI is not just designed with your stats in mind—it’s structured to help you move the needle on your strength.
• According to GGR Staff Writer Matt Dustin, CSCS, tracking your progress is the key to making long-term improvements.

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Do you work out at home, at the gym, outside or a mix of all three? If you like to run outdoors, for example, you’d likely want an app that offers location tracking. Similarly, when looking into a specific app, figure out whether its classes require you to have certain equipment on-hand, like dumbbells or a yoga mat. Finding your favorite workout app may require a bit of trial and error since you’ll want to see if you’re looking for a personalized experience or are comfortable with a cookie cutter plan. The app’s creators believe that connection is the best way to stick to your goals.

Instruction

You’ll also need Peloton-specific machines to take full advantage of the interactive features. Anyone can follow the workouts, but if you want to join live classes and see your stats displayed on the leaderboards, you’ll need to have either the Peloton Tread, Bike, or Rower, which aren’t cheap. There’s a basic community feed that allows you to view others’ workouts, but not much else. It’s a simple, streamlined app that’s very beginner-friendly, but it’s not the best choice if you prefer to have access to more advanced features.

Fitness Guides

His works have been previously featured by DICK’S Sporting Goods as well as Gear Patrol. In Print Journalism from Penn State University and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Even though it’s virtual, you can schedule video calls anytime to check in with your trainer for extra support or to discuss your progress. You’ll build a real relationship with your trainer, providing a level of accountability and motivation that goes beyond just using an app.

Find the ideal personal trainer for your goals with trainwell

In fact, research shows1 that adding either weight or reps can work well to increase muscular adaptations to training. However, it’s worth noting that not all categories applied to every app we tested. For example, a running app won’t offer much training variety and doesn’t require equipment (aside from your best running shoes, of course). Ladder is also heavily focused on progressive overload, which is the key to building strength and continuing to make progress once you’re no longer a beginner.

Best Workout App for Strength Training: Boostcamp

Some apps even have coaching check-ins or community boards for additional accountability. Once you’re past the beginner stage, you’ll probably need to repeat workouts many times, focusing on progressive overload, to continue to make progress. Workout plans that lacked a clear path to progression earned low 1-star scores from our team. For an app to earn higher, 4- or 5-star ratings, the workout program needed to clearly follow the principles of progressive overload.

Key features to seek out in a personal training app

If you do have Peloton equipment, you’ll need to pay $49.99 per month to access all of the features. We’re huge fans of JuggernautAI’s programming and progressive-overload-focused approach, but there’s one big drawback. Prior to 2020, the Nike Training Club app had both free and premium versions, but since the pandemic, Nike has made the entire workout library free to use. The app is also easy to download from the Apple App Store or Google Play, and we found it easy to set up and get started. If you want something with a greater focus on traditional strength training, you may want to consider something like Boostcamp instead.

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If you’re on a family plan, you can share access to Apple Fitness Plus with madmuscles.com reviews up to five family members. You’ll also want to figure out whether the app’s classes require you to have certain pieces of equipment on hand, like dumbbells or a yoga mat. Make sure you either have these items, or you have the budget to purchase them. To me, TR provides just as much value as a coach when it comes to scheduling and structuring workouts.