# Hold Strong: Train Smarter — Isometric Exercise Timer

> Isometric exercise timer and tracker for building strength with static holds. (iPhone/iPad app by Peter Ong.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hold-strong-train-smarter/id6738137196 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Peter Ong](https://appshunter.io/developer/1779521186)
- Category: Health & Fitness, Utilities
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 5 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.6 · 497 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2024-11-16
- Data updated: 2026-07-26
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hold-strong-train-smarter/id6738137196/reviews.md

## What is Hold Strong?

Build unbreakable strength with dead hangs, planks, and wall sits. Hold Strong combines precision timing with smart tracking and Apple Watch integration — zero equipment needed.

"Isometric exercise training is the most effective mode for reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure." — British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023

WHY ISOMETRIC TRAINING

Static holds are among the most effective and underrated training methods in exercise science. They activate up to 95% of muscle fibres, reduce systolic blood pressure by an average of 8.2 mmHg, and build functional strength with zero joint impact. No gym, no weights, no special clothing.

Five minutes a day is all it takes.

30-DAY CHALLENGE

Pick any exercise, set your current best and a 30-day goal, and Hold Strong builds a progressive daily plan that ramps up gradually. Track your streak, hit each day's target, and earn your completion badge. The first 7 days are free — unlock the full 30 days with Premium.

PRECISION TIMER

A tension-arc progress ring at 60fps with tenth-of-a-second precision. Hit your target and the ring turns gold — Overtime Mode keeps you pushing beyond your goal.

PROGRESS TRACKING

Personal records logged automatically. Weekly charts reveal your strength gains over time. Personal bests are celebrated when you hit them.

APPLE WATCH

A full-featured companion app. Track holds from your wrist with haptic feedback and real-time coaching — no phone required mid-set.

VOICE CONTROL

Completely hands-free. Say "start", "stop", or "next exercise". Over 200 motivational messages tailored to each exercise keep you going through tough holds.

MOTION DETECTION

Keep your phone in your pocket. Hold Strong uses the accelerometer to detect the moment you drop from the bar, stand from a wall sit, or break your plank — and stops the timer automatically.

FREE EXERCISES

Dead Hang, Plank, and Wall Sit — the three most effective isometric exercises, free forever.

PREMIUM EXERCISES

Unlock unlimited custom exercises with Premium.

SIRI SHORTCUTS & NFC AUTOMATION

Add Hold Strong to the Shortcuts app and say "Hey Siri, start my plank." Automate with NFC tags — tap your mat to launch instantly.

APPLE HEALTH

Every workout syncs to Apple Health automatically.

SIMPLE PRICING

Free to use. Upgrade once — no subscription, no recurring charges. Unlock unlimited exercises, 30-day challenges, 4-week chart history, detailed statistics, and Siri Shortcuts and support development

## Key features

- Precision timing with tension-arc progress ring
- Smart progress tracking and personal best logging
- Apple Watch companion app with haptic feedback
- Voice control for hands-free operation
- Motion detection to automatically stop timers
- 30-day progressive workout challenges
- Syncs with Apple Health

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hold Strong: Train Smarter | $7.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hold-strong-train-smarter/id6738137196/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Update is a work in progress, but looking good

*2026-06-09*

A little learning curve with deselecting exercises (press and hold a thumbnail, then check or uncheck). Still hoping for a fix on the reordering. Also, this is still easily the best isometrics app I’ve found. And Peter was quick to respond to some trouble I was having (old dog, new tricks)

**Developer response:** Sorry it broke some things. To remove exercises, tap and hold any of the small thumbnail exercises. A grid of the exercises will show. Tap to unselect to hide.

Will work on fixing the reordering. Look forward to an update soon.

## Frequently asked questions about Hold Strong

### What exercises are included for free in Hold Strong?

Hold Strong offers three core isometric exercises for free: Dead Hang, Plank, and Wall Sit. These are considered the most effective for building foundational strength without any equipment.

### How does Hold Strong track progress?

Hold Strong automatically logs your personal records and provides weekly charts to visualize your strength gains over time. It celebrates your personal bests as you achieve them.

### Can I use Hold Strong without my phone during workouts?

Yes, Hold Strong features a full-featured companion app for Apple Watch. You can track your holds directly from your wrist with real-time coaching and haptic feedback, eliminating the need for your phone mid-set.

### Does Hold Strong have ads?

No, Hold Strong does not contain advertisements. The app is free to use with optional in-app purchases for premium features.

### What is the 30-Day Challenge in Hold Strong?

The 30-Day Challenge allows you to pick an exercise, set a goal, and Hold Strong creates a progressive daily plan. Completing the challenge earns you a completion badge, with the first 7 days free and the full challenge unlocked with Premium.

### What devices does Hold Strong support?

Hold Strong is available on Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad, offering a seamless experience across your Apple ecosystem.

### How often is Hold Strong updated?

The latest version of Hold Strong is 3.0, and it was last updated on May 3, 2026, indicating active development and support.

### What are the benefits of isometric training mentioned by Hold Strong?

Hold Strong highlights that isometric exercise training is effective for reducing systolic and diastolic blood pressure, activating up to 95% of muscle fibers, and building functional strength with zero joint impact.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.2 — 2026-06-12

You can now reorder your exercises. Hold any card to open the manage view, tap Reorder, and drag them into the order you want. Hidden exercises move to the bottom.

Custom exercises now show their name on the card, so they're easier to tell apart.

Also fixed a bug where the countdown voice could start late on your first workout after opening the app, along with some smaller stability fixes.

### 3.0 — 2026-05-03

Hold Strong 3.0 is here.

You asked for it — now you can share your challenge progress. Tap the share button on any active challenge to preview a beautifully designed image card showing your stats, streak, and 30-day journey. Save it to your Photos and post it wherever you want.

Each day of the challenge has its own unique motivational message that gets more intense as you approach day 30. Browse between completed days with arrow navigation to find the perfect card to share. Your actual achieved time is front and center — not just the target.

If you complete all 30 days, you get the full gold "Challenge Conquered" card. If life gets in the way, your card still celebrates what you accomplished — because getting stronger than day one is the whole point.

We've added Exercise Posters under Settings > Information. Swipe through high-resolution form references for Dead Hang, Plank, Superman Hold, and Wall Sit — pinch to zoom in for the details that matter, double-tap to snap between fit and zoomed.

Onboarding has been refreshed with new artwork across all five screens.

Voice control is now more reliable. Commands no longer fire twice, recognition restarts cleanly between commands, and audio no longer glitches when switching between voice input and workout sounds.

### 2.9.1 — 2026-03-26

Fixed a crash that could occur on first launch or when opening the welcome guide. 
Improved stability for the reminder and premium screens. 
Redesigned onboarding with new visual screens. 
Challenge share cards now display the motivational quote in full without truncation.

### 2.9 — 2026-03-18

You asked for it — now you can share your challenge progress. Tap the share button on any active challenge to preview a beautifully designed image card showing your stats, streak, and 30-day journey. Save it to your Photos and post it wherever you want.

Each day of the challenge has its own unique motivational message that gets more intense as you approach day 30. Browse between completed days with arrow navigation to find the perfect card to share. Your actual achieved time is front and center — not just the target.

If you complete all 30 days, you get the full gold "Challenge Conquered" card. If life gets in the way, your card still celebrates what you accomplished — because getting stronger than day one is the whole point.

Voice control is now more reliable. Commands no longer fire twice, recognition restarts cleanly between commands, and audio no longer glitches when switching between voice input and workout sounds.

We also fixed the +/- buttons in challenge setup that could get stuck in a repeat loop, and smoothed out the number animations when adjusting your baseline and goal.

### 2.8 — 2026-03-01

30-Day Challenge is here — pick any exercise, set your current best and a day-30 goal, and Hold Strong builds a progressive daily plan just for you. Each day's target ramps up gradually so you grow without burnout. Track your streak on the challenge calendar and earn your completion badge.

The first 7 days are free. Unlock the full 30 days with Premium.

More encouragement audio for your exercises.

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All apps by Peter Ong: https://appshunter.io/developer/1779521186

## Related topics

[isometric exercise](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/isometric-exercise)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-26.*