Squat, Strengthen, and Superset with the Best Weightlifting App (2024), Tested by Trainers

As a strength athlete myself, one of the most important things I’ve had in my 24-year weightlifting career is a coach. A coach helps guide you through your routine, and as an athlete, takes the stress out of worrying about if your program is working towards your fitness goals or not. Future gives you access to one-on-one coaching from the convenience of your smartphone, with excellent coaching and personalized programming in this online personal trainer.

Several members of the Garage Gym Reviews crew have used Future over the years, including GGR founder Coop Mitchell, who’s used it since September of 2020. GGR Head of content Kate Meier, CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, has also used the app for over two years now, and loves the expert coaching.

Kate used Future and her coach to help rehabilitate from a serious weightlifting injury that required surgery. She says on the programming and coaching, “My Future coach has been phenomenal. She’s helped me keep on track, programming around my injury with one-arm, core, and lower-body exercises. She keeps workouts creative and varied so I’m never bored either.”

Future connects you with a coach who will create a personalized workout plan based on your fitness needs and goals. You can choose your coach from their database to find one just right for you. Your coach will give you tips and cues based on lifting videos, and will also check-in to keep you motivated and accountable. Kate rates the accountability a 5 out of 5, saying, “The accountability factor and personal touch is the main reason I have continued with Future.”

The biggest downside of Future is the price. Although $199 per month still beats the cost of in-person personal training, it’s still an expensive training app—and there’s no free trial. However, for the level of coaching and guidance you get, for many this can be worth the price. Read more about this app in our in-depth Future app review.

For those new to lifting weights, one the best fitness apps to start with is Caliber. With three different versions available (at three different prices), Caliber focuses on strength training but presents it in ways that will suit various lifters who need different levels of guidance—or who may have different budgets.

After answering a quick assessment, Caliber will offer three versions of the app:

• A free version that uses an algorithm to customize your own workout
• A pro version that presents workouts in a group format
• A premium version that connects you with a one-on-one trainer

The price changes depending on the level of instruction, so the Pro version is $19 per month, while the Premium version can cost over $200 each month. This app provides different levels of coaching, making this a great place for a new lifter to get started.

GGR tester Amanda Capritto, CPT, CNC, CES, CF-L1, says the level of instruction on the premium version may be worth the cost. “You can send form videos to your coach,” Amanda explains. “There’s a feature in the app that lets you record right from within the app, then your trainer will send feedback ASAP on how to correct if needed.”

Even the free version can be a great place to begin, as Caliber provides a substantial library for each exercise, with in-depth directions and videos on how to perform each movement. Amanda rates the instruction 5 out of 5.

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Caliber uses research-backed data to create workouts that follow progressive overload, a common principle in strength training to ensure progress over time. “My coach gives me goals to hit each week regarding weights and reps to ensure I’m progressively overloading,” Amanda says, rating the programming and progressive overload a 5 out of 5. 

She does wish the app integrated other major fitness trackers like Garmin, instead of just the Apple watch. You can learn more about this strength training program in our Caliber app review.

If you’re looking for a good workout program to use with your home gym equipment, SHRED is an excellent choice. The app customizes the daily and on-demand workouts based on what type of equipment you have, with options for dumbbells, kettlebells, or resistance bands. The app can also create a bodyweight workout if you’re still in the process of building out your home gym.

Certified personal trainer and GGR performance editor Anthony O’Reilly rates the equipment demands a 5 out of 5 due to the app’s variety. “Each program will let you know what type of equipment you need,” he says in our Shred App review. “This way, you don’t accidentally pick a class that doesn’t fit with the type of equipment you have.” You can find options for TRX, cardio, and more.

Before picking your program, make sure you grant the app access to your smartphone’s camera so it can track and rate your performance (using an AI algorithm). The program will be customized based on how well you do.

Anthony adds that while strength training is a major focus of the app, there are many yoga and mobility classes also available. He says the instructors do a good job of explaining each movement as they’re going through it and provide alternatives for people who might not be advanced enough for certain movements. He rated the instruction a 5 out of 5.

While the Sweat app is primarily designed for women, it can be used by anyone who’s new to working out and might be unfamiliar with certain exercises that utilize free weights, cable machines, bodyweight, and more. Erin Chancer, GGR editor and a certified nutrition coach, rated the instruction a 4 out of 5, with one of her only complaints being that the Australian trainer sometimes calls certain moves by different names than what Americans are used to.

“Each movement has an accompanying gif and an instructional breakdown of the exercise that you can click on before or during the workout,” Erin says. “You’ll get verbal prompts for the time or reps for each exercise and ding when you’re moving on to the next movement. The majority of the workouts I completed were tri-set or circuit-based, so this was especially helpful.”

You can pick from a wide selection of classes based on your fitness goals or available equipment. Some programs, Erin adds, allow you to pick the exercise. “I had to do 35 minutes of cardio and was just given a timer,” she says. “I chose to ride my stationary bike during that time.”

We would’ve liked to see more emphasis on progressive overload and tips on how trainees can get stronger on certain movements. “I don’t see any mention of starting weight or what to aim for in terms of progression,” Erin says. “You’re more-or-less on your own. There are blogs in the app with training advice but you’d have to dig around or intuitively search for that kind of guidance if you’re a beginner.”

JuggernautAI is our pick for the best weightlifting app for powerlifting. Created by accomplished powerlifter and coach Chad Wesley Smith, this app uses an algorithm to create a personalized program for you and your strength goals. 

After an in-depth assessment, the app will create a training program based on your answers—weight, training load, personal records, training schedule, and fitness goals. The app will make adjustments on a short-term basis as well, since it asks about your current level of soreness and fatigue prior to each workout.

While the app focuses on powerlifting and powerbuilding, it will also build strength in other areas as well. Our tester Amanda Capritto, CPT, CNC, CES, CF-L1, has used JuggernautAI on and off for the past year to supplement her triathlon training, and has felt a significant increase in her work capacity. She adds, “The JuggernautAI training has also paid off in my triathlon training, as I’ve improved in all three disciplines: swimming, biking, and running.”

Amanda did struggle a little bit with the interface at first, saying, “The dashboard can feel overwhelming at first, especially right after setting up the app. There’s a lot of features to look at all at once. But after poking around for a bit and getting familiar with the interface, it’s super easy to use.” She rates the app’s ease of use a 4.5 out of 5.

You can check out our JuggernautAI review for a more in-depth look at the app and its features.

CENTR is one of the most well-rounded personal training apps we’ve tried. You’ll get a wide selection of strength training classes, yoga exercises, daily meditations, and meal plan suggestions and recipes written by professional chefs. You’ll also get a logbook to track your progress.

What’s more, the app allows you to select workouts based on your available equipment. You can also pick from bodyweight, home gym, or commercial programs.

The CENTR app was designed by Marvel actor Chris Hemsworth, aka Thor, and his personal trainer, Luke Zocchi. Although the duo certainly make the workouts challenging, we were impressed at how holistic the training seemed. As expert product tester Brittany Combs notes in her CENTR review, trainees can pick beginner, intermediate, or advanced programs that get progressively harder.

Certified personal trainer and GGR performance editor Anthony O’Reilly says the app contains some of his favorite recipes, such as maple walnut overnight oats and blueberry and almond breakfast muffins. “I’ll turn to the CENTR app whenever I’m in a meal prep funk and need new ideas,” he says.

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In terms of accountability, there’s not much. We rated this category a 4 out of 5 because certain programs come with push notifications, though that’s not the case for the daily workouts. There’s also no leaderboards or community aspect, which might not be a problem for some people but if you need an extra hit of motivation this might not be the app for you.

Hevy is our choice for the best free weightlifting app, as it provides basic workout tracking with simple features, but also an expansive community in the app as well. You can post and share workouts, as well as like and comment on other users’ workouts. Furthermore, the free workout app contains an expansive exercise library with videos and directions on each movement.

For those looking for a bit of guidance or inspiration for their daily workouts, Hevy provides some basic workout routines, such as a five-sets-by-five-reps of squats or bench press. You can also search through the community-created workouts for inspiration for your next lifting workout. 

The app also features a heat map, which charts the most used muscle groups in each workout to help you make educated choices on what muscle groups to work each day. Additionally, Hevy provides basic metric tracking, although most measurements are only unlocked in the Pro version of the app.

As far as interactive features go, I rate them a 4.5 out of 5, due to the robust social media experience, as well as notifications for new personal records and little celebrations. One of my squat workouts said I lifted the equivalent of a car. If that can’t keep someone motivated, I’m not sure what will.

This isn’t the best app for accountability, as there are no coaches in the app, and no notifications about staying on routine—only notifications about the social network. Still, for the amount of community interaction available, plus an extensive library of exercises, Hevy is a solid choice for a lifting app.

For those lacking in equipment and free weights, you may consider Alo Moves for your programming needs. GGR editor Frieda Johnson tested out this app, and gave the equipment demands a 5 out of 5, stating, “The majority of the workouts are bodyweight only, or use minimal equipment such as a kettlebell or pair of dumbbells and a resistance band.”

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After a quick assessment about skill levels and interests, the app provides customized class recommendations for workouts. “The workouts are easy to follow and the instructors do a good job of explaining what you’ll need before you start, as well as explaining each move thoroughly as you do it,” Frieda says of the app experience, rating the instruction a 4 out of 5.

Frieda rates the ease of use of the app a 4 out of 5, saying, “The app is mostly easy to use, but it is sometimes hard to find things and all of the workout descriptions make it sound like they are part of a series even when they’re not.”

This may be a better app for a beginning lifter with minimal equipment, as Frieda notes the programs don’t quite follow the concept of progressive overload, rating it a 2 out of 5. She explains, “They are fine as a place to start, but this app is definitely focused on stand-alone workouts, not full training programs.”

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The app also lacks a bit in accountability, as the only method is through push notifications, and Frieda didn’t receive any during her time with the app. However, for those traveling or with minimal equipment available, this is a solid app to get resistance training with bodyweight movements and minimal fitness equipment.

We’ll take a slight detour from traditional phone apps for our last recommendation, the Torokhtiy Weightlifting Program, which offers a free two-week version via a downloadable PDF. Led by Ukrainian Olympic weightlifter Oleksiy Torokhtiy, this introductory program to competition lifts consists of four weekly sessions—two focusing on the snatch and two on clean and jerks. 

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Like calls to like, so we asked Senior Staff Writer—and Olympic weightlifter—Caine Wilkes to try out a few of the available programs and share his experience. He focused his efforts on the Weightlifting Male 2.0 Program—there’s a comparable program for women with volume and intensity adjustments—he scored this program a 4 out of 5 overall for its ease of use both with the desktop and mobile PDF and accessible video links for exercise demonstrations as well as weekly training goals and warm-up/cool-down protocols. Caine also gave the program a progressive overload score of 5 out of 5 for its emphasis on volume and built-in de-load week.

Where the program falters is its lack of interactive features and accountability. There is an option for a consultation with Torokhtiy himself, but that will cost you $299. And while Caine was impressed by the progressive overload enough to give it a perfect score, he did say, “My one criticism is that there is a ton of volume on even complex movements—pull+snatch, for example. I did the first day of the Male 2.0 program, and it had 11 sets of two high hang snatches plus two low hang snatches. It was ridiculous.” 

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Torokhtiy Weightlifting offers a few other programs on the site (all with a heavy emphasis on Olympic lifting), ranging from 12-week strongman trainers to exercise master classes and a full Olympic lift exercise library. When asked who he would recommend this program to, Caine answers, “I’d mostly recommend this program to weightlifters who are still relatively new and not quite lifting to their full strength. If you’ve been lifting for a while and your technique is dialed in, it’s just way too much volume.”

Read more in our Torokhtiy Weightlifting Program review.