Personal Experience: Trying The Internet's Favourite Workout Apps

by Barbara Yakimchuk

Personal Experience: Trying The Internet's Favourite Workout Apps

29 Jul 2026

Gemini x The Sandy Times

I got back from a great trip — one that turned out to be memorable not just for the adventures, but for the food, too. A quick glance in the mirror afterwards left me with one thought: it was time for my prime era.

This time, however, it wasn't about losing weight, but about building strength and getting into proper shape. That, sooner or later, brings you to the weight room — and, in my case, to the rather humbling realisation that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Which exercises should I start with? How much weight is too much? And how do you make progress without accidentally wrecking your back along the way?

These are all questions you would probably get answered by a personal trainer, but if you aren't quite ready to invest, there is another option: the right fitness app. Conveniently for me, my husband had already done the hard work, spending weeks testing them, comparing features, and weighing up the pros and cons. So rather than starting from scratch, I simply borrowed his research — and now I am passing it on to you in the hope that you will kick off your own prime era, too.

Quick heads-up before we start

Before we dive into the world of apps, let's quickly recap the basics of strength training. Because let's be honest — no app is a magic pill if your training amounts to 15 minutes, once a week.

There isn't a single formula that works for everyone, but most coaches and sports science research tend to agree on a few general guidelines:

How often? Aim for 2–4 strength-training sessions a week. That is usually enough for beginners and intermediate lifters to build muscle and get stronger, provided you gradually increase the challenge over time.
How long? Around 40–75 minutes per workout is a good target. That said, the length of your session matters far less than what you actually do during it. A focused 40-minute workout can easily outperform an unfocused hour spent scrolling between sets.
What body parts should you train? That is entirely up to you. Full-body workouts, upper and lower splits, push-pull-legs — they can all work a treat. The golden rule is to give each muscle group 48–72 hours to recover before you go at it again. Your muscles aren't machines; they need their beauty sleep too.
Don't skimp on the protein. If your goal is building muscle or improving your body composition, aim for 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Chicken breast, Greek yoghurt, protein shakes, the lot — get it in however works for you.

Right, now that we have got the essentials out of the way, let's move on to the fun part.

The experiment: putting the apps to the test

JEFIT

Price: Subscriptions start at around 48 AED per month or 257 AED per year, with a generous free version that is more than enough for most beginners.

JEFIT is one of the old guard of strength-training apps, and it wears that reputation well — especially if you are the sort who likes to track every last detail of your fitness journey. Think of it as a workout diary that has been putting in the hours at the gym itself: rather than simply barking orders at you, it is obsessed with logging your sessions, tracking your progress and charting exactly how your strength climbs over time.

Users often highlight the following advantages:

A library of more than 1,400 exercises, complete with written instructions, muscle-group breakdowns and, for Premium users, demonstration videos to help you perform each movement correctly;
Built-in social features, including fitness communities and challenges, adding a subtle competitive element that many users find motivating;
Progress tracking, allowing you to monitor personal records and long-term improvements through easy-to-read statistics.

And disadvantages:

The interface can feel overwhelming, especially for beginners, and navigating the exercise library isn't always as intuitive as it could be;
Some users find the app less user-friendly than its competitors;
Many of the advanced analytics and premium features require a paid subscription.

Alex's verdict: 6/10

JEFIT works well if all you want is a workout tracker. It lets you log your exercises, keep track of your lifts and monitor your progress over time. As a digital gym journal, it's excellent.
The AI coach, however, was a different story. The workout plans often felt random, repeated exercises I had already done, and sometimes even seemed to forget what I'd completed. In the end, I realised I could build a better programme myself.
I'd recommend JEFIT to anyone looking for a reliable workout tracker. But if you want an app that genuinely behaves like a smart personal trainer and creates well-structured routines for you, I'd probably look elsewhere.— Alex Zenishin, the app tester

Source: jefit.com

Source: jefit.com

Gymverse

Price: Subscriptions start at around 73 AED per month or 275 - 440 AED per year, following a 7-day free trial. Lifetime plans are also available.

I will give away the ending straight away: Gymverse is Alex's clear favourite. In fact, it is the only app on this list that managed to talk him into a yearly subscription — no small feat, considering how commitment-shy he usually is with apps. The reason, though, is simple. Unlike many of its competitors, Gymverse doesn't just want to be another workout tracker; it fancies itself an AI-powered personal trainer, and it isn't shy about it.

What does that actually mean in practice? Rather than leaving you to cobble together your own programme, the app builds a personalised, multi-week training plan based on your goals, experience level, preferred workout duration and whatever kit you have actually got access to at your gym. As you progress, it keeps tweaking things behind the scenes, adjusting your workouts, recommended weights and overall training volume as it goes.

Users often highlight the following advantages:

A highly personalised approach, taking into account your fitness level, goals and available equipment, while also recommending when to increase or reduce the weight;
A comprehensive exercise library, featuring both animated demonstrations and HD videos of real people performing each exercise, making it easier to check your technique;
A well-rounded training experience, combining strength workouts with warm-ups, stretching, mobility exercises, cardio recommendations and nutrition targets.

And disadvantages:

A higher price point than many competing apps, with most advanced features available only through a paid subscription;
Occasional syncing issues reported by some users when using the Apple Watch app.

Alex's verdict: 9/10

This is the app I am using at the moment, and honestly, it is the best one I have tried so far. What I like most is how well it adapts to the way you train. The workouts are tailored to your goals and the equipment your gym actually has, so everything feels relevant from the start.
The interface is clean, intuitive and doesn't try to do too much. It simply gives you your workouts for the week and sends you a notification with that day's session, so you can tweak the programme if you want.
The exercise guidance is another standout feature. Every movement is demonstrated by a real person on video rather than just an animation, and the instructions are some of the clearest I've seen in any fitness app. It also celebrates your personal records, a bit like Strava, which makes seeing your progress satisfying.
Most importantly, though, the workout programmes just work. I never felt the need to second-guess them or build my own routine. — Alex Zenishin

Source: gymverse.app

Source: gymverse.app

Liftoff

Price: Subscriptions start at around 48 - 51 AED per month or 294 - 330 AED per year.

If staying consistent at the gym feels harder than the workouts themselves, Liftoff might be exactly what you need. Rather than focusing on AI coaching, the app leans heavily into gamification, turning every session into something that feels closer to levelling up in a game. Unsurprisingly, that approach has made it particularly popular among people who thrive on competition and visible progress.

Users often highlight the following advantages:

An extensive exercise library, with more than 400 exercises;
Performance rankings and gamification, one of Liftoff's standout features, letting you compare your strength with other users while earning XP, maintaining streaks, unlocking achievements and climbing the ranks as you progress;
Clear video demonstrations, showing proper technique and the primary muscles each exercise targets;
Equipment-based customisation, allowing workouts to be tailored to the machines and free weights available at your gym;
A built-in food tracker, making it possible to log your nutrition alongside your training, all within the same app.

And disadvantages:

A heavy focus on gamification, which won't appeal to everyone and may feel distracting over time;
Limited AI coaching, with workout suggestions that are less adaptive and personalised than those offered by AI-first apps such as Gymverse or Fitbod.

Alex's verdict: 8/10

Like Gymverse, it adapts to your goals, training schedule and the equipment available at your gym, so every workout feels relevant. It also structures your programme well, making sure muscle groups don't overlap too much and recovery isn't overlooked. The app is updated regularly, too, and judging by how much the company invests in sponsorships and ambassadors, I wouldn't be surprised if it keeps getting even better.
What really sets Liftoff apart, though, is its gamification. There's a little elephant called Jimbo who hands out achievements as you progress. During onboarding, instead of simply asking for your height and weight, the app also has you complete a few strength tests before assigning you a rank — Bronze, Silver, Gold or Diamond.
So why don't I use it? Simply because it's too focused on gamification for my taste. I wanted something I could open, hit Start Workout, train and close without any distractions. I don't need achievements, leaderboards or an elephant reminding me to exercise like Duolingo's owl — I've already got enough motivation on my own.— Alex Zenishin

Source: liftoffrank.com

Source: liftoffrank.com

Hevy — Workout Tracker Gym Log

Price: A free version is available. Premium subscriptions start at around 26 AED per month or 147 AED per year.

If Gymverse is your personal trainer and Liftoff is your motivational coach, then Hevy is your training diary. It takes a completely different approach from AI-powered fitness apps, focusing on one thing above all else: helping you log your workouts as quickly and effortlessly as possible.

Hevy assumes you already know what you are doing in the gym and doesn't try to tell you which exercises to perform. Instead, it provides a clean, distraction-free tracker where almost everything can be done in just a couple of taps: open the app, hit Start Workout, log your weights and reps, and you are done.

Users often highlight the following advantages:

A clean and intuitive interface, making it quick and effortless to log sets, reps and weights;
Detailed progress tracking, automatically recording personal bests, training volume, estimated one-rep maxes and long-term strength progression through easy-to-read charts;
Apple Watch integration, allowing you to log your entire workout directly from your wrist without reaching for your phone;
Optional social features, letting you follow friends, share workouts and stay accountable without making the experience feel overly social.

And disadvantages:

No AI coaching, meaning the app won't build personalised programmes or adapt your training based on your goals, recovery or progress;
No built-in nutrition tracking, so you will need a separate app if you want to monitor calories or macros.

Despite the fact that so many people praise the interface, I just didn't like it. I came to the app for its AI-generated workout plans, and I felt the variety wasn't all that impressive.
The workout tracking itself is excellent, but plenty of other apps offer equally good tracking while also providing much more varied and personalised training plans. So, for me, Hevy just wasn't the right fit. After trying a couple of programmes, I gave up on it.— Alex Zenishin

Source: hevyapp.com

Source: hevyapp.com

Bonus: my personal note

I would be lying if I said fitness apps were the only way to work out. My personal favourite — even though I have recently downloaded Liftoff and am still finding my feet with it — remains my trusty old mate: YouTube.

These workouts won't turn you into the next bodybuilding champion; the short breaks between exercises just don't leave room for proper strength training. But do they work? Absolutely. Switching between my 4-kilogram and 8-kilogram dumbbells, I have genuinely noticed a difference over time.

There is another benefit too: these videos have a way of pushing you just a little further than you would probably go on your own. Having someone count down those final few reps makes it much harder to stop halfway through a set — and sometimes that is exactly the push you need. Here are my favourite options: