34 Best Dumbbell Exercises & Dumbbell Workouts for Muscle Gain

This best muscle building app suits you if you’re starting from scratch and need approachable programming that doesn’t assume prior lifting experience. The platform works well when you train at home with minimal equipment and want accountability features that remind you to stay consistent. You’ll appreciate BetterMe if you prefer holistic wellness approaches over pure strength training focus.

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When not training, testing products, or writing content, Ben spends his time pursuing his other interests which include cooking, hunting, fishing, hiking, DIY projects, and intramural sports, among others. While the generous free version provides immense value, a “Boostcamp Pro” subscription is available for those who want advanced analytics and access to premium programs. This makes it one of the best muscle building apps for those who want expert guidance without the cost. Boostcamp offers a straightforward user experience focused on program adherence and execution. The app is simple to navigate, allowing you to quickly find and start a program, log your weights, and track your progress through the plan.

Best workout app for beginners

Membership ($49.50/month) gets you access to all programs, unlimited coaching, and a library of tutorial content. You can check the latest price, as there are often introductory offers for your first month. This makes it significantly cheaper than physical therapy or in-person training while often delivering better long-term results. Founded by Kayla Itsines in 2015, Sweat quickly became the leader for online workout plans for women. The brand is unapologetically designed for women (by women) and comes with an army of loyal customers who swear by the workouts and programs.

StrongLifts tracks your personal records and creates charts showing your strength gains across all five lifts over weeks and months. The free version gives you full access to the program library and basic workout logging. Boostcamp Pro costs $14.99 per month or $39.99 annually and unlocks advanced analytics, program customization, and offline mode. The app focuses on powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting with structured programs that prioritize the competition lifts. You can customize your training frequency from three to six days per week and select accessory exercises that target your specific weaknesses.

• Boostcamp offers better features than the average workout app in nearly every category, which is why we consider it to be the best app for strength training.
• You can personalize an avatar to mirror your physical attributes—height, gender, body measurements, etc.—acting as a virtual trainer.
• This formula is designed to support muscle repair and reduce breakdown after intense training.
• Founded by Kayla Itsines in 2015, Sweat quickly became the leader for online workout plans for women.
• We’ve explored a dozen of the best muscle building apps, each offering a unique approach to strength training.
• So, if you’re performing an iFIT workout on a NordicTrack treadmill, your machine will react to the coach’s lead, providing an ever-changing cardio session to keep things fresh.

Why Boostcamp stands out for strength programs

The app introduces the concept of “strengthspan” – your overall strength capability for long-term health and longevity. Using 9 carefully selected exercises, Strength Well provides personalized strength scores and targeted recommendations to build functional strength that matters for everyday life, not just the gym. We selected Muscle Booster as the best workout planner because it does that specific job better than almost anything else we tested.

You can log every set with weight and reps while viewing exercise demonstration videos that show proper form. Boostcamp Pro adds detailed analytics including heat mapped anatomy charts that show which muscle groups you’ve trained each week and volume tracking across multiple training blocks. Juggernaut AI suits you if you compete in powerlifting or want to maximize your big three lifts above all else. The platform works best for intermediate to advanced lifters who understand basic strength training principles and can perform complex movements safely. You’ll appreciate this best muscle building app if you prefer data driven programming over coach led motivation and want to prepare for competitions with intelligent peaking protocols.

It provides clear instructions on the exercises, weights, repetitions, sets, and rest intervals, making it easier for users to achieve their fitness goals with assurance and ease. This app is a versatile tool for users across all fitness levels, whether they’re on Android or iOS, and caters to a range of goals, including strength training, slimming, toning, and cardio. It’s an excellent resource for tracking your sessions and finding inspiration.

Jane McGuire is Tom’s Guide’s Fitness editor, which means she looks after everything fitness related – from running gear to yoga mats. When she’s not pounding the pavements, you’ll find Jane striding round the Surrey Hills, taking far too many photos of her puppy. Around the same time as the streamer partnered with Netflix, it also developed a short series with meditation app Headspace, and the Headspace Guide to Meditation is currently still available on Netflix. Why you can trust Tom’s GuideOur writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what’s best for you. Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.

Apple Fitness Plus

While it tracks completed workouts, it lacks the detailed progression analytics and weight tracking features found in more specialized strength training apps. Instead of broad workout templates, it helps you build a highly customized plan based on your specific goals. It even rates exercises based on their effectiveness for targeting specific muscles, allowing you to fine-tune your routine with insights from modern training research. This makes it an invaluable tool for intermediate and advanced lifters focused on breaking through plateaus. The app’s design philosophy is centered on minimizing friction between sets. Adding exercises, logging weight and reps, and starting rest timers takes just a few taps.

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Although there are plenty of sessions that can help you build substantial muscle, we were impressed at the variety available through Centr. There are beginner-friendly workouts, high-intensity cardio sessions, and gym-based weights sessions, but the primary focus is on helping you hit your goals, whatever they are. A lot of websites will give you a list of “the X best bodybuilding apps”. But these lists often focus on secondary characteristics (in my opinion).

The Best Workout Apps of 2026: More Than 70 Tested by Personal Trainers

You might discover, for example, that limited hip mobility is contributing to your lower back pain, or that shoulder restrictions are affecting your bench press. Once identified, you can target these areas with appropriate mobility work. Founded by British Olympian Sonny Webster, Mobility Manual offers a great range of products designed to improve your mobility and overall movement. ATG is perfect for athletes looking to maximize performance, anyone dealing with chronic joint pain, post-surgery recovery, or simply those who want to bulletproof their body for long-term athletic pursuits.

Fitness Buddy

Creatine monohydrate is widely considered the gold standard for effectiveness and research support in this category. The Bodybuilding.com App is designed to help you reach your health and fitness goals. Science-based strength training app connecting you with elite personal trainers for truly personalized programming and accountability.

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While Caliber’s main offering is online personal training, we appreciate that the free version of the Caliber app is ad-free and features the full exercise library of over 500 movements. Each exercise features a demonstration video, step-by-step written instructions, and the ability to best exercise app log your weights and reps (and access your history at any point). While the Caliber app earns the nod on our best workout app for men, women can also achieve great results since it offers something for everyone. There is a robust free-forever version and two paid options that grant you access to either group coaching ($19 per month) or a fully customized one-on-one coaching program (starting at $200 per month).

How do I choose the right fitness app for me?

While the core principles of hypertrophy haven’t changed, technology now offers powerful tools to apply them effectively. The right application can serve as a personal trainer in your pocket, meticulously guiding your sets, reps, and recovery to ensure you are constantly challenging your body to grow. We review 12 top apps with AI coaching, custom plans, and progress tracking to help you build muscle.