Women’s weight training is a powerful tool for improving overall health and wellness. If you’re looking to start lifting weights, there are a ton of apps you can use to help guide you through the process. Here, we’ll take a look at some of the best apps for women’s weight training and how they can help you optimize your exercise routine.
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Best Apps For Women’s Weight Training
In the age of technology, it’s pretty easy to find an exercise app that allows you to train wherever you go. The right workout app will act as a virtual personal trainer to help you attain your fitness goals. If you’ve found yourself repeating the same workouts at the gym or you’re bored with your home workouts, a workout app may help spice up your routine.
The way these exercise apps work is pretty simple. You pay a subscription membership and in exchange you get access to a library of fitness content. With a wide variety of workout apps available and many not offering free trials, it can be challenging to know what each app offers or if it’s worth the investment. In this article, I’ll go over the best workout subscription apps for women, what you can expect from each and any outstanding features. (Although most of the apps listed here are targeted toward women and feature mostly women trainers, anyone can benefit from them — there’s no such thing as a gender-specific exercise.)Best for strength training: Tone and Sculpt$14.99 a month or $90.99 a year
App Store rating: 4.9 out of 5
Google Play rating: 4.7 out of 5
Tone and Sculpt is my go-to workout app. As a fitness enthusiast hitting the gym consistently for the past seven years, I’ve tried numerous workout programs and apps. Still, I always find myself coming back to Tone and Sculpt.
This app allows you to customize your fitness plan to the point that it seems like the program was personalized for you. You get to choose the trainer of your liking from women with different specialties like strength training, endurance, barre and yoga. You can also select the number of workout sessions you want to accomplish every week (three or five times per week), the level you are most comfortable with (beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert), equipment (you can also select if you will be working out from home or in a gym) and, lastly, nutrition preference. Depending on the program you select, you can expect the duration to be anywhere from eight weeks (yoga) to 67 weeks (strength training).
Once you’ve selected the program that best fits your goals and lifestyle, you’ll see your dashboard, where you can find your weekly planner showing the workout routines by days of the week. You can change the order of the workouts in your planner and add any workouts or challenges from the workout library. Short videos and descriptions accompany each exercise to help you do it correctly.
One of my favorite features of this app is the meal planner. You can choose from four different diet types: standard (best for omnivores), vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian. With the meal planner, you can input your own meals to track what you eat in a day, or you can ask the app to do it for you. If you let the app plan your meals, it will give you a shopping list and recipes for your meals. Most of these recipes are simple and easy to follow and they usually take 15 to 20 minutes to prep.
All in all, this app offers the right programs and nutrition plans if you’re looking to build muscle. If you would like to try it yourself, check out the 14-day free trial.
Pros:
- Fully customizable workout routines
- Variety of levels to choose from
- Includes nutrition plan
Cons:
- You have to click through every repetition of each set to get through your workout
App Store rating: 5 out of 5
Google Play rating: 4.9 out of 5
When my gym shut down right at the beginning of the pandemic, I made my way to the Melissa Wood Health Method. I’d followed the founder, Melissa Wood-Tepperberg, on Instagram for about two years before that moment and sporadically took Pilates classes she shared on her profile. Once I was left without a gym to attend, I thought that it was a good time to subscribe to her app since I enjoyed her classes and her inspiring content so much. I subscribed to the seven-day free trial and decided to keep my membership because of how good the workouts made me feel.
The MWH Method aims to help you sculpt long, lean lines by practicing controlled, low-impact movements. At the beginning of each practice, you’re prompted to set an intention for your workout. The idea behind the method is to work toward a stronger body and build a better relationship with yourself.
This app has an extensive selection of workouts to choose from, and every Monday a new workout is uploaded. Most of the MWH Method videos are 10 to 30 minutes long and combine low-impact Pilates and yoga movements. Don’t be fooled by the “low-impact” wording — that does not mean easy or low-effort. The subtle movements and prolonged repetition will have your muscles burning. She also occasionally mixes in dance movements as part of the warmups to get you in the mood for working out. In addition to the regular workouts, the program offers guided meditations, pre- and post-natal exercises and beginner workouts.
Pros:
- Workout library is highly organized
- Inclusive routines for all body types and levels of experience
- Short workouts that you can bundle to create your own routine
Cons:
- No long-term program to follow
- No tools for tracking progress
SEE AT MELISSA WOOD HEALTHBest for holistic health: StrongHer$14.99 per month / $38.99 per quarter / $89.99 per year
App Store rating: 4.7 out of 5
Google Play rating: 4.7 out of 5
StrongHer was created by Melissa Chalmers when she began a fitness journey for her wedding. As she started seeing results and the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle, she decided to share what she had learned with the rest of the world. This fitness and nutrition program aims to provide a personal trainer that you can take anywhere with you through an app. What I like about the app is that you get personal training and fully customizable nutrition plans tied to your goals. The nutrition plan is just that, a plan with meals you can create with the recipes they provide (no meals will be delivered to your home).
When you download the app, the first thing you’ll do is set your objectives — it could be to lose weight, tone your muscles or build muscle mass. Then you’ll be asked about whether you’ll be working out at home or at a gym and the type of workouts you enjoy most, followed by a series of questions about things like height, weight and lifestyle.
You can customize your nutrition plan to your liking, choosing from a standard diet (no allergies or restrictions), keto or vegetarian. To all my fellow vegans, worry not. Even though there isn’t an official vegan option, if you select the vegetarian option, you can exclude foods like honey, milk and eggs to make your plan vegan-friendly. Similarly to Weight Watchers, StrongHer has a point system for the foods in your nutrition plan. Every food is assigned a number of points based on its calories, fat and protein. The number of points you have in your daily budget will depend on your personalized nutrition plan.
What sets this workout app apart from the rest is the ability to track your progress through time. For example, suppose you started with 5-pound weights for bicep curls, and in two months you are able to lift 10 pounds. If you document it in the app, it’ll show you historical data about your physical activity progress, calorie intake and water intake.
As for the workouts, I found them to be fun and you can make them as challenging as you want. The app will not recommend the amount of weight to use; instead, you decide what feels right or challenging enough for you. There is a quick outline and a short video demonstration for each exercise in case the movement is new to you or you wish to have more guidance on your form.
Pros:
- New workouts added to the library every week
- Ability to track progress over time
- Personalized meal plans
Cons:
- Aggressive ads to upgrade membership
- Users on the App Store have reported slow customer service response
SEE AT STRONGHERBest for yoga: Alo Moves$20 per month or $199 per year (14-day free trial)
App Store rating: 4.9 out of 5
Google Play rating: 4.3 out of 5
Alo Moves is a yoga app from parent company Alo Yoga — yes, the trendy brand responsible for getting us all hooked on the famous Alo Yoga Goddess Leggings. The app essentially connects you with yoga instructors through an extensive array of classes.
What I like most about this app is that it’s not limited to only yoga classes. With your membership, you get access to four different workout categories: fitness (Barre, HIIT, Core, Pilates, Stretching and Stretch), yoga (ashtanga, vinyasa, kundalini, hatha, restorative and prenatal), mindfulness (breathwork, meditation, personal growth and sound bath) and skills (focuses on inversions, mobility, poses and flexibility).
As with many other fitness apps, you’ll be asked several questions about your skill level, goals and preferred workout methods upon signing up for Alo Moves. This will narrow down the app’s recommended classes for your specific goals. Most classes range from 20 to 60 minutes long and you can choose from over 70 instructors. Something I found particularly interesting about this app is how it suggests classes you should take based on your answers and classes you’ve taken. Think of it like how Netflix recommends watching certain shows or movies based on what you previously watched.
One thing that stands out from this app is the instructors’ energy and how it varies from one class to another. Most of my instructors from the restorative yoga series had such a calming and soothing presence that I made taking a yoga class part of my morning routine. On the other hand, the teachers from the kundalini or vinyasa classes radiate so much energy that you finish the class ready to take on the day. It’s safe to say that there is a class for every type of mood. I should point out that for the most part instructors will describe the poses, but others assume that you know the pose they call out. This might make classes challenging to follow for beginners. Taking classes with Alo Moves is comparable to taking a class in a studio, with the flexibility of going at your own pace.
Pros:
- Class recommendations tailored to you
- Extensive workout library
Cons:
- More expensive than most workout subscription services
- Beginners might not find the classes descriptive enough
SEE AT ALO MOVESBest for experienced trainers: Sweat$19.99 a month (with a seven-day free trial) or $119.94 a year
App Store rating: 4.6 out of 5
Google Play rating: 4.3 out of 5
The Sweat App was founded by Kayla Itsines, an Australian fitness guru who gained popularity on social media with her High Intensity with Kayla (formerly known as BBG) e-books back in 2015. Since then, the fitness program has evolved from digital book to fitness app, raking up over 1 million users every month.
It’s not hard to see why this workout app is a fan favorite; it offers over 30 programs — all designed to fit multiple workout preferences and achieve different results. Some of the most notable plans include at-home workouts, gym training plans, post-pregnancy programs and zero-equipment workouts. Even when you finish a program, there are so many other options to explore that it’s doubtful you’ll ever get bored with a routine. And like any other well-designed fitness app, Sweat strives to provide you with a personal trainer 24/7 right in the palm of your hand, along with a nutrition plan to help you reach your goals.
Before beginning your workout, you can set up your playlist (through Spotify or Apple Music) and select the equipment you have available. Based on your equipment selection, the app will recommend a routine that you can follow. I found this particularly helpful since most workout apps have fixed routines, and often you don’t have the right equipment to complete them. Every exercise is paired with a video and description if you’re unsure how to execute specific movements.
I think this app is best for experienced trainers because of how challenging the PWR program is. PWR focuses on muscle growth and body strength through hypertrophy, which is essentially an increase in muscle size that is achieved through progressive weight lifting. The workouts range from 45 to 60 minutes long and are meant to be performed in a gym. If you’re into strength training but don’t have access to a gym, you can opt for the PWR At Home program.
The nutrition plan is pretty on par with what other workout apps offer. It plans out your meals for the week and has recipes that you can follow to create at home. Sweat takes the planning out of your workouts and nutrition. Overall, the app is straightforward and really user-friendly.
Pros:
- Spotify and Apple music integrated into the app
- Ability to customize your weekly workout plan
- Each exercise has an alternative exercise if the one suggested is too challenging
Cons:
- Pricier than other apps with similar features
- Exercises are pretty repetitive throughout the workouts
best workout apps
- Apple Fitness Plus
Best workout app for iPhone and Apple Watch wearers
SPECIFICATIONS
Price: $9.99 per month
REASONS TO BUY
+Connects seamlessly with Apple Watch
+Content updated regularly
+Wide range of classes
REASONS TO AVOID
-Can’t sort classes by difficulty
-Only available to Apple Watch wearers
Apple Fitness Plus is one of the best workout apps for Apple Watch wearers. With HIIT, strength, core, yoga, Pilates, and meditation classes amongst others, there’s a huge variety of workouts to choose from, taught by a range of different trainers. During testing, we also liked the fact there were two instructors in the background during classes, showing modifications for beginners, or those looking to push themselves harder — this is particularly handy as there’s no option to filter classes by difficulty.
The app can feel a little overwhelming at a first glance, but classes can be filtered by trainer, time, and the music you prefer to work out to. You can also add classes to your library, which lets you select classes you’ve taken before, or plan on taking in the future, at a glance.
During a workout, you’ll be able to see stats from your Apple Watch on the screen. You can also do group workouts with other Apple Watch wearers using SharePlay. It’s a great experience, but it is limited to Apple Watch wearers, so if that’s not you, you’ll probably want to keep scrolling (or check out our best Apple Watch guide here).
Read our full Apple Fitness Plus review.
A screenshot from the Peloton workout app
(Image credit: Future)
- Peloton
Best workout app for exercise bike and treadmill users
SPECIFICATIONS
Price: $13 per month
REASONS TO BUY
- A wide range of motivational classes
- Easy to stack and save classes for later
- Live classes to join with friends
REASONS TO AVOID
-If you don’t have access to an exercise bike or treadmill, you won’t get the most out of this platform
If you can’t afford a Peloton exercise bike or Tread to stay in shape, the Peloton workout app is the next best thing. There are thousands of interactive classes to take that’ll help you strengthen, sculpt, and get that post-Peloton buzz. The instructors stand out from the crowd in terms of their enthusiasm, and there’s also the option to join live classes, and compete with friends.
From strength to yoga, to HIIT cardio, when testing this app, we found it difficult to get bored. The option to stack classes is great, and lets you add multiple classes together so you can seamlessly add a cool-down or stretch to your workout. The classes are easy to follow on a phone or tablet, but to get a real Peloton experience, we’d recommend streaming the workouts on the TV.
The Peloton programs give you a longer schedule of classes to help you reach your goal, whether that be to get stronger, or to “crush your core” in four weeks. There are also different collections of workouts, which make it easier to find a range of workouts by type, for example, strength for runners, resistance band training, or Pilates classes.
Of course, to get the most out of Peloton, it’s worth having access to one of the best exercise bikes, or the best treadmills to take the bike and tread classes, but even without, this is a great workout app with some of the most motivating instructors around. Newbies can get 30-days free to see whether the app is for them.
Download Peloton now: Android, iOS
Read our full Peloton app review.
a screenshot from Sweat, one of the best workout apps
(Image credit: Sweat )
- Sweat
Best workout app for women
SPECIFICATIONS
Price: $19.99 monthly/ $119.94 yearly
REASONS TO BUY
+A number of different trainers and training plans
+Easy to follow
+Nutrition plans are also available
+Apple Watch compatible
REASONS TO AVOID
-Need to manually tap the screen during workouts
The brainchild of Australian personal trainer Kayla Itsines, Sweat started as a series of downloadable “Bikini Body Guides” in 2015 and has now grown into an extensive training app with a number of different programs and recipes to help you reach your goals. There’s a structured program for every woman — from the new mom taking her first steps into post-baby fitness, to the girl looking to gain more confidence in the weights room at the gym.
Trainers include Kayla herself, as well as the likes of Kelsey Wells, Chontel Duncan, Britany Williams, and Stephanie Sanzo. You can switch your program easily and take on-demand classes if you feel like adding the odd barre session to your planner. The workouts are also compatible with Apple Watch. There’s no free version of the app, although newbies can sign up for a 7-day free trial.
During testing, we loved the range of workouts but found it a little irritating having to bend down and manually skip between exercises, although it wasn’t enough to put us off using the app regularly. We’d also say this app is definitely aimed at women, but there’s no reason why guys couldn’t follow the training plans.
Read our full Sweat review here.
Download Sweat: Android, iOS
A photo from the Nike Training workout app
(Image credit: Future)
- Nike Training Club
Best workout app for free workouts
SPECIFICATIONS
Price : Free
REASONS TO BUY
+Content completely free
+Classes labeled by intensity
+Home workouts
+Apple Watch app
REASONS TO AVOID
-Nike removed training programs from app
In March 2020, Nike made its Nike Training Club app content completely free for 90 days, to help people keep fit while they stayed at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the app has been completely free for users, and unlike others on this list, there’s no paid version anymore.
However, with the update, Nike removed some of their training programs, which used to be a popular feature of the app. Instead, you now have the option to filter workouts by muscle group — abs and core, arms and shoulders, or glutes and legs, workout focus — endurance, mobility, strength, and yoga, and by equipment. There is also the option to filter by duration, level, and intensity.
During testing, we found the instructor-led workouts to be engaging and motivating, and also enjoyed the whiteboard workouts, which show you the entire workout so you can follow at your own pace. There’s also the option to connect the workout to your Apple Music. It’s not perfect, but for a free app, there’s plenty to keep you moving here.
Read our full Nike Training Club app review here.
Download Nike Training Club: Android, iOS.
a screenshot from the centr workout app
(Image credit: Loup Pty Ltd)
- Centr
Best workout app for men
SPECIFICATIONS
Price : $29.99 per month
REASONS TO BUY
+Training programs
+Home and gym workouts
+Meal plans
REASONS TO AVOID
-No option to play your own music
When looking for a fitness regimen, you could do a lot worse than opt for the own favored by Thor. Actor Chris Hemsworth has thrown his weight behind Centr, an app that looks to combine exercise with meal planning and mindfulness to help both your physical and mental shape.
Centr offers daily workout videos that you can practice either in the gym or at home, covering a variety of disciplines (HIIT, strength training, boxing and even yoga and pilates). Meal plans let you find healthy, tasty recipes, while guided meditations and sleep tips work on putting you in the right mental space.
During testing, we loved the variety of classes available on the app, but wished there was the option to play our own music during classes. We also wished there was the option to download workouts for when the WiFi in the gym wasn’t working.
Centr features a 7-day free trial, with monthly subscriptions costing $29.99. However, you might want to consider an annual subscription, which offers a very generous discount on the monthly rate, cutting it down to $10 a month.
Read our full Centr review here.
Download Centr: Android, iOS
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