Do you want to work out smarter, not harder? Then, go on Google Play or the Apple App Store, search fitness app, and see dozens of fitness app options that seem good enough. But despite the sheer number of possibilities, most fitness apps fall short because they are unfortunately too basic and too identical.
In other words, it would only matter a little which you choose because most offer the same few features. That is why we are always looking for unique fitness apps that we can recommend to our customers and readers.
Recently, Alpha Progression, the gym logger app from Germany, got our attention. This relatively new app offers some unique features, making it superior to many options on the market today. Alpha Progression will help you with effective workouts, an intelligent progression algorithm, and other clever features. So if you are into weightlifting, stick around to the end of our blog post.
TL:DR
- Type: Weightlifting
- Price starts at $7.99/month
- Free Version: Yes
- Best for: Muscle-building
Are you already hooked on the app? So, let's get started.
Alpha Progression, the muscle-building Fitness App from Germany
Alpha Progression gym logger is a versatile fitness app designed to help users achieve their fitness goals. The app lets you set up a gym profile, create a training plan, and start working out in just a few minutes.
With a clean and minimal interface and just the correct number of options, users can track their progress through comprehensive metrics, including strength, body weight, and body fat percentage.
In addition, the app features built-in progression recommendations for lifters, which is an excellent way to keep you on track and push you to improve.
Compared to other fitness apps, these features make a difference and stand out in the test. While Alpha Progression fitness app generates personalized workout plans specialized in weight training, it also has a very intuitive gym logging function.
To help you get a comprehensive understanding, let's start with the Pros and Cons of the Alpha Progression Gym Logger app as an overview.
| What we like ⭐️ | Not so much ❌ |
| Versatile Lifting App: Designed specifically for muscle-building, catering to various training needs. | Restricted Free Version: Limited functionalities available without subscription. To enjoy all features, users need to subscribe. |
| Minimalist Interface: Clean and easy-to-navigate design streamlines the process of recording workouts, ensuring consistency. | Integration Challenges: Limited compatibility with other fitness apps or platforms. |
| Detailed Progress Tracking: Comprehensive metrics allow users to monitor their fitness journey closely. | No Current Watch Support: Lacks an Apple or Google Watch app, though it is in the pipeline for future releases. |
| Tailored Workout Plans: Personalized regimens cater to individual goals and fitness levels. | Limited Language Support: Currently available only in German and English, which can be a barrier for non-English/German speaking users. |
| Expert Settings for Weightlifting: Advanced features such as "Deload Weeks" and "Reps in Reserve (RIR)" methodologies. |
Customized Workout Plans
The app is great because it allows you to create unique training plans or draw ideas as needed. You can write your training plans inside the app or use the plan generator based on your preferences, equipment, goals, schedule, etc. All science-based training plans generated are 100% tailored to your needs.
Their algorithm is based on the latest meta-analyses and could even replace a personal trainer. However, despite this automation, you always control the app by determining how often and long you want to train and which muscles your training plan should focus on.
Furthermore, with the newest version, you can specify your training goal and choose between muscle building, maximum strength, or strength endurance. In other words, the app is excellent for all sorts of people.
In short, Alpha Progression gym tracker allows you to choose whether you enjoy completely controlling your training experience or want a good training plan without thinking about it.
Extensive Exercise Library and Videos
Alpha Progression comes with a rich library of exercises. Each comes with easy-to-read instructions, an exercise video, and additional information about your training history to get some context.
While most fitness apps use some graphic illustration, Alpha Progression produced their videos with a gym professional. These videos allow you to study proper training forms on the go and make it very easy to develop new training ideas. And in case you wonder who the person on the video is, this is the app's founder, Benjamin Schnabel.
In addition, this exercise library also includes guidance on how good a specific exercise is for muscle building. This guidance is based on criteria such as range of motion and exercise stability. Sure, that might not be that valuable for a gym veteran, but it can be incredible for everyone else.
Built for Progression
Unfortunately, doing the same thing ceases to bring improvements, and we end up exercising instead of training. A problem with most fitness apps as they fail to give proper guidance on progression. Not with Alpha Progression; the app does an excellent job of providing progression recommendations that keep you training hard and improving.
For every set, Alpha Progression gives you a precise recommendation of how much weight and how many reps to go for. In addition, the algorithm analyzes your performance from past and current sessions, which guarantees long-term progression! Reps in Reserve (RIR) and Deload Weeks are two other unique weightlifting features. RIR is especially handy for monitoring how much effort you put into your training and if you are progressing well. Just continue reading to learn more about this.
Expert Settings for Weightlifting
As mentioned before, Alpha Progression gym tracker includes some features that can take your training to the next level. For example, with its "Expert Settings, you can track your "Reps in Reserve" and plan for "Deload Weeks." Reps in Reserve (RIR) describes how many reps you could have done more (with perfect technique) when ending the set.
For example, if a 10-rep set with 225 lbs (102 Kg) on the bench press left you with 0 RIR a month ago, but you can now do it with two or 3 RIR, it means you have gotten stronger. So when you do your 10 reps in one set and could have done these 3 more reps, you track 10 reps and 4 RIR.
When you increase the number of sets and level of exertion, for example, over four weeks, you want to take a Deload Week in the 5th week. In this last week, the load gets reduced so your body can recover from the accumulated fatigue before starting the next cycle.
Alpha Progression does a great job of putting up a plan for you and helping you progress. However, these expert settings are all pro features.
What are others saying about Alpha Progression?
Alpha Progression is still a relatively new app from an international perspective, as its original version was available in German only. However, it impresses with a 4.9 rating in both app stores from over 5.000 reviews. Therefore, it is safe to say that people enjoy and find the app helpful.
What many people love about the app is its sheer simplicity of use. Alpha Progression is intuitive, simple to learn, and has a basic user interface. Many people also enjoy the program generator and progress recommendation features.
Those, however, only come with the paid Alpha Progression pro version. Nevertheless, both are incredibly beneficial and provide a fun, effective, and challenging training experience.
The instructional videos with written instructions are the third aspect people love in this app. No need to go off the app and look at instructions elsewhere; Alpha includes everything a trainee might need to complete each workout successfully.
How to get started with Alpha Progression
Getting started with Alpha Progression is no different than using any other app. You first have to download the app and set up a gym profile. The app asks you about essential information that helps it mold a better training plan. You will have to select your:
- Gender
- Lifting experience (in years)
- Current weight (in lbs or kilos)
Then you can start putting together your training plan. Alpha recommends its plan generator, which requires the pro version. If you are going with the free version, you can easily create your training plan from scratch or start with a single workout. Regardless of which option you choose, putting together a training plan requires extra information from you. If you decide to put your plan together, the app asks you about:
- How many days per week do you want to train;
- How long do you want each workout to be;
- What muscles do you want to focus on (or neglect)?
Once you have put the information in, the app develops a training plan for you. What is great is that you can tweak your program later. For example, you can swap an exercise easily if you do not like the app's recommendation.
How much does Alpha Progression cost?
Like most fitness apps, Alpha Progression offers a free and paid version. The free version gives you a taste of what the app offers and provides more than enough functionality. You can put together training plans, track your workouts, and more.
But the app's paid version offers more to the user, so you should consider it, at least for a month. Getting the paid version offers unique features like:
- The plan generator can create custom training plans based on equipment, gender, training experience, frequency, duration, muscle preference, etc.
- Includes progression recommendations during the training based on your past workouts performance to achieve the next higher strength level.
- Provides graphical insights to evaluate your training graphically afterward.
Of course, Alpha Progression Pro does also not contain any advertisements. The good news is that we got you covered if you want to save 20% on your subscription. Use "HOTELGYMS" as the code when signing up here. Then, click "Try for free," and you will get the yearly subscription for only $48 after two (2) weeks of free testing the Pro version.
In summary, Alpha Progression offers two different paid subscription options:
- Trial: 2 weeks (Pro Version)
- Monthly: $9.99 (discounted: $7.99)
- Yearly: $59.99 (discounted: $47.99)
Based on our experience, this is one of the lowest subscription prices for a professional fitness app.
What we think of Alpha Progression Gym Logger
Alpha Progression is a fantastic fitness app for individuals who want to build muscle, increase strength, and improve their athletic performance. This fitness app is ideal for people of all fitness levels, from beginners to experienced athletes, who want to push their bodies to the next level.
Another difference between Alpha Progression and other apps is that it is more geared toward lifters and strength enthusiasts. Too many developers on the market try to capture as many people as possible by making their apps widely available.
But, they often fall short of the objective because they fail to make their apps great in any area. Sure, the narrow approach might alienate some people in the fitness segment, but it works incredibly well for its target market.
Moreover, as more and more women venture into weight training, Alpha Progression is also an excellent choice for women. As one user said, "I used to be intimidated by weight training, but Alpha Progression made it so easy for me to start. The customized workout plans helped me build strength and confidence, and I've seen great results in my body."
So whether you're a seasoned weightlifter or a beginner, Alpha Progression gym tracker is an excellent tool for achieving your fitness goals. And the personalized coaching and progress tracking features make it easy to stay motivated and on track toward your goals, while the user-friendly interface and workout scheduling features make it easy to fit a workout into a busy schedule. You can read more about "How to use Alpha Progression" in our other blog post.
Conclusion
Alpha Progression takes the guesswork out of the equation and provides you with a simple, sustainable, and, most importantly, effective plan. While hard work plays a massive role in the equation, it alone is rarely enough. A good training program based on sound principles and progression is essential because improvements occur slowly.
The beauty of Alpha Progression is that it covers all your needs and provides all the necessary information for safe and practical training. Using the app on the road is also a great option, given the sheer customizability and use of gym profiles. You can use our GymFactor tool to find excellent gyms for your travels and pair that with Alpha Progression for a wonderful training experience.
FAQs
What makes Alpha Progression worth considering?
Most notably, Alpha Progression is simple to use. The app features a clean interface and the ability to navigate with just a few taps on your screen. The next huge benefit is that the app provides custom training plans based on your input. Each workout is designed to fit your needs and help you get closer to your goals. Speaking of that, Alpha Progression focuses on long-term progression by providing suggestions for increasing the load and more. As a result, you can more effectively overload your muscles at the correct times and reap great rewards.
Is Alpha Progression good for Beginners?
Yes, the app provides excellent training plans, long-term progression recommendations, and information on many gym movements.
Alpha Progression also provides in-depth exercise information that educates you on each movement, allowing you to learn as you go and not waste time. In addition, graphical insights visualize your progress over the weeks and months, making it easier to appreciate where you are and how far you have come.
That might not seem important, but it can be quite motivating and keep you moving forward even when you do not feel like it. And when you get more into weightlifting, Alpha Progression Pro is excellent because it allows you to schedule deload weeks into your training.
Additionally, an advantage of a relatively new app is that you still quickly contact the founding team. Their Alpha Progression Reddit Group and Facebook Groups open to asking questions, getting training advice, or providing feedback about the app.
How well does Alpha Progression generate the Training Plans?
One of Alpha Progression's unique features is the focus on weight training. The app does not try to capture a variety of trainees across different exercise modalities. Instead, it focuses on several things and does each amazingly well.
What is great about training plans generated by Alpha Progression is that each comes with a predetermined duration (e.g., six weeks), and you can tweak your training plan as you go. You also have the option to include deload weeks for recovery purposes, and the app recommends progression based on your performance.
Alpha Progression vs. Fitbod
If you are serious about gaining strength, changing your body composition, and performing better, you need an intelligent training plan that caters to those goals. Both Fitbod and Alpha Progression will give you this.
However, Fitbod will generate a new workout every time you train, while Alpha Progression is designed to stick to a training plan for several weeks. This can be beneficial if you are doing a movement for the first time or after a break.
Alpha Progression gets to know you and your goals, and then the intelligent algorithm creates a customized training plan to help you get there. This strength-specific workout programming can help both women and men to reach their fitness goals and to do so efficiently and effectively.
Alpha Progression vs. Hevy
What about Hevy or the Strong app, two other fitness apps featured on HotelGyms.com? There is no equivalent to the progression recommendations. However, some prefer complete control over their workout plan, and Hevy and Strong are fantastic fitness apps for tracking.
In addition, Hevy also offers a community feature that allows users to connect with other fitness enthusiasts and share their progress. But both Hevy and Strong do not create custom workout plans and contain less guidance on weights or repetitions.
It ultimately comes down to personal preference and which app aligns better with an individual's fitness goals and training style.
Can you use Alpha Progression Gym Logger on iOS and Android?
The fitness app Alpha Progression is available for Android and iOS mobile phones. Both versions have impressive ratings, with a 4.9 rating in both App Stores, and offer the same features. However, the Alpha Progression Apple Watch app is still only on the roadmap.
Unfortunately, according to a recent statement from Benjamin, the Apple Watch integration will come in a future update!
