The best program
Update: requested features were added, this app is even better now, thanks!
Love Ben’s programs and the new app is great. It’s nice to have the video embedded in each exercise and that your current exercise occupies the entire screen. Overall loving it. 2 things I miss from the old app though are 1) the chime that let you know when your rest period is up and 2) the old app would keep your phone screen active for the entire workout, which is nice to not have to unlock your phone 15x per workout. Keep up the great work
Love Ben’s programs and the new app is great. It’s nice to have the video embedded in each exercise and that your current exercise occupies the entire screen. Overall loving it. 2 things I miss from the old app though are 1) the chime that let you know when your rest period is up and 2) the old app would keep your phone screen active for the entire workout, which is nice to not have to unlock your phone 15x per workout. Keep up the great work
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Workouts are great, app not so much
Really appreciate the workout programming! The moves are challenging and fun, and they’ve been a nice level up for me after lifting for close to 3 years now. I like Ben’s approach a lot and really trust his expertise. But I have some bones to pick about the app functionality (I’ve been using the app for a little over a month now).
This is the biggest one for me- From workout to workout, the weights and reps you’ve previously entered aren’t saved. So every time I repeat a workout (the program repeats the same 3 workouts each week for 3 weeks), I have to back out of my current workout, go back to the last time I did it the previous week, and look for the weights/reps I ended on in round 3. Saving reps and weights seems to be the standard in other workout apps I’ve used and, for me, it’s a big part of why apps are helpful for tracking (otherwise, I may as well just keep a manual log of my weights and reps). Update: It does seem like the app saves my weights for an exercise *sometimes* (but not every time?), and I discovered the “history” feature (a little graph icon inside the exercise), which lists the weights I’ve used in the past—I hadn’t seen that before, so that’s on me! So while I am still having to refer back to my history of weights and manually enter it in the tracker most of the time, it isn’t quite as onerous as I thought.
Another thing I find disappointing is how the “level of effort” metric is calculated. At first, I really liked that the app offered a way to track this, until I realized that the level of effort I’m entering (or skipping) in the warmup moves skews my “level of effort” average for the whole workout. So even if I’m logging a 7 or 8 on all the weight exercises, my “average level of effort” will show as a 5 since I didn’t enter a level of effort for the foam rolling and stretching in the warmup. I know this is an inconsequential thing, but it seems to defeat the purpose of tracking this metric (plus, the level of effort you enter isn’t saved and carried over to the next time you repeat the workout either), so I just stopped using it.
There’s also no workout timer, only a 90-second rest timer after completing a single move (which logs as the full 90 seconds even if you stop it before the 90 seconds is up). The timer doesn’t chime or automatically mark the set as complete if it runs the full 90 seconds either—you still have to watch it and do that manually. Not a huge deal, but makes it not really useful to me (I can just use my phone timer, which does chime when it’s up!).
Two other suggestions for the programming itself—the demo videos are nice, but they’re filmed from across the room. I would really appreciate being able to see the person’s form more clearly, close-up! I can’t always tell starting position precisely (like, for example, whether her feet are hip-width or shoulder-width apart), and this isn’t always explained in detail. Some of these combo moves are new to me and challenging to do (which is great!), so I want to be sure I’m using the proper form.
I’d also appreciate some alternatives for exercises that require extra equipment (like a TRX). The app/website didn’t tell me a TRX was needed before I bought the program (or maybe I didn’t see it!), and it isn’t mentioned anywhere in the “equipment” section in the app. I’m working out at home, in a small space, with dumbbells, a bench, and some resistance bands. I’ve been lifting this way for several years, so I’m able (I think!) to figure out decent substitutes on my own, but it would be super helpful if alternatives were offered in the programming.
This is the biggest one for me- From workout to workout, the weights and reps you’ve previously entered aren’t saved. So every time I repeat a workout (the program repeats the same 3 workouts each week for 3 weeks), I have to back out of my current workout, go back to the last time I did it the previous week, and look for the weights/reps I ended on in round 3. Saving reps and weights seems to be the standard in other workout apps I’ve used and, for me, it’s a big part of why apps are helpful for tracking (otherwise, I may as well just keep a manual log of my weights and reps). Update: It does seem like the app saves my weights for an exercise *sometimes* (but not every time?), and I discovered the “history” feature (a little graph icon inside the exercise), which lists the weights I’ve used in the past—I hadn’t seen that before, so that’s on me! So while I am still having to refer back to my history of weights and manually enter it in the tracker most of the time, it isn’t quite as onerous as I thought.
Another thing I find disappointing is how the “level of effort” metric is calculated. At first, I really liked that the app offered a way to track this, until I realized that the level of effort I’m entering (or skipping) in the warmup moves skews my “level of effort” average for the whole workout. So even if I’m logging a 7 or 8 on all the weight exercises, my “average level of effort” will show as a 5 since I didn’t enter a level of effort for the foam rolling and stretching in the warmup. I know this is an inconsequential thing, but it seems to defeat the purpose of tracking this metric (plus, the level of effort you enter isn’t saved and carried over to the next time you repeat the workout either), so I just stopped using it.
There’s also no workout timer, only a 90-second rest timer after completing a single move (which logs as the full 90 seconds even if you stop it before the 90 seconds is up). The timer doesn’t chime or automatically mark the set as complete if it runs the full 90 seconds either—you still have to watch it and do that manually. Not a huge deal, but makes it not really useful to me (I can just use my phone timer, which does chime when it’s up!).
Two other suggestions for the programming itself—the demo videos are nice, but they’re filmed from across the room. I would really appreciate being able to see the person’s form more clearly, close-up! I can’t always tell starting position precisely (like, for example, whether her feet are hip-width or shoulder-width apart), and this isn’t always explained in detail. Some of these combo moves are new to me and challenging to do (which is great!), so I want to be sure I’m using the proper form.
I’d also appreciate some alternatives for exercises that require extra equipment (like a TRX). The app/website didn’t tell me a TRX was needed before I bought the program (or maybe I didn’t see it!), and it isn’t mentioned anywhere in the “equipment” section in the app. I’m working out at home, in a small space, with dumbbells, a bench, and some resistance bands. I’ve been lifting this way for several years, so I’m able (I think!) to figure out decent substitutes on my own, but it would be super helpful if alternatives were offered in the programming.
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Can’t zoom in
The exercises are good but it would be helpful to zoom in to see more detail.
Getting stronger daily
I love this new updated version of this app. It allowed me to take the new program that I bought and also use the previous program that I owned on the other app.
I do wish that the videos would play horizontally so they would fill my phone screen which would allow me to see the movements better. That being said, Ben explains everything and does the moves precisely and slowly enough that I feel like I'm right there with him!
I love that he interjects a little humor here and there his real personality truly shines through. No BS but also FUN! Also it's so easy to get in contact with them with any app issues. Thanks Nick & Ben!
I do wish that the videos would play horizontally so they would fill my phone screen which would allow me to see the movements better. That being said, Ben explains everything and does the moves precisely and slowly enough that I feel like I'm right there with him!
I love that he interjects a little humor here and there his real personality truly shines through. No BS but also FUN! Also it's so easy to get in contact with them with any app issues. Thanks Nick & Ben!
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Great videos and vibe, some issues with UX
This app and Ben’s cheery instruction videos have helped me A TON as an out-of-shape, middle-aged woman fairly clueless about working out. I’ve been afraid to start strength training after a pilon fracture (tissue damage in my ankle) and conflicting advice on how much to push myself. I have never been super strong though I sometimes swim laps and had a personal trainer before Covid. I’m now on workout No. 10 in the Starter Pack, and it’s the hardest I’ve worked. Ever. But I also feel no pain and am starting to gain confidence while still leaning on a chair for some of the hard-for-me moves. I find the structure of the program very motivating, checking off what I’ve completed/accomplished. It makes me unlikely to skip anything. And I love that I can track previous weight lifted by exercise. THE CONS: I love watching how-to videos on YouTube where they are the full screen. With this app the videos are smaller. It is beneficial to see them within the app above the requirements, but there is a tradeoff in what I am able to see. The video progress bar blocks some of the demo, on the high side plank for example, when I’m trying to see how to place my feet. Also there is mention on the /starterpack/ page of Ben’s website that the program comes with nutrition support. I don’t think that’s still the case. (But that’s OK.) When I clicked to submit a support ticket to ask about it, at first my request didn’t go through. When I tried today, a couple of weeks later and some app updates later, I got a confirmation that my question was submitted. Also, at first the app automatically displayed last weight lifted when I was repeating an exercise. I’m not seeing that anymore (did I click something), but there is a workaround so not a big deal. Finally, for someone like me this is not a one-hour workout. It took well over two hours the first day with me stopping to watch the videos multiple time and to rest. But it has gotten faster. I am just so tired of being very out of shape and will do anything to make this work. Thank you Ben Bruno!
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