"As a fitness enthusiast and instructor, I’ve truly tried it all when it comes to ways to work out. From every type of fitness class under the sun (including that trampoline one) to every type of program, I’ve been around the block. And since I’ve tried it all and love fitness, I’m picky about what I spend my time doing. If I’m going to give a class, app, or program my stamp of approval, it’s got to be life-changing. So it says a lot that I won’t shut up about the Ladder App.
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Many of us head into the gym with no plan beyond a couple of workouts you saved on Instagram. But if you want to get stronger, you should follow a plan with progressive overload to consistently challenge you. This is where I feel fitness starts to become less accessible and definitely more overwhelming. I don’t know about you, but writing a personalized training program wasn’t exactly a part of my high school curriculum, and a personal trainer does not fit into my Excel sheet budget. So when I found an app that solved the mental load of getting myself moving, I started telling everybody about it.
Abi Moseman
Abi Moseman is a Social Media Assistant at The Everygirl and fitness instructor at Equinox Chicago. You can find more of Abi’s recommendations (and hilarious content) on The Everygirl’s TikTok.
What is the Ladder App?
Ladder is an app that gives you daily workouts (that change weekly) led by industry-leading trainers. You start by choosing a team of trainers for your exercise of choice. They have coaches for yoga, Pilates, functional strength training, powerlifting, kettlebell strength, running, and more. Each week, you’ll get a new set of workouts programmed by that coach to follow along with in the app. Log in, select the day of the week, and they’ll walk you through the workout with demos of each movement, sets, reps, and verbal cues. You can track your progress, logging how many sets you completed and what weight you used. When you see that exercise again, Ladder will automatically populate the weight you used last time, making it easy to watch yourself get stronger.
Why the Ladder App is a game-changer
It’s personalized for your lifestyle, goals, and needs
What sets this app apart is how personalized it feels. While you have the community of a “team” and accountability from your coaches, you truly can make it work for your life and schedule. Don’t have access to a gym? There’s a coach for that. Only have 30 minutes? There’s a plan for that. Want to work out three days a week instead of a full week of workouts? You’ll get a well-rounded three-day plan. If you want more, you can add on other days as your fitness or lifestyle changes. The Ladder App gives options to progress and regress more complex movements, making it work for fitness beginners and pros alike.
You’ll get stronger, no matter what exercise you prefer
It’s 2024, and the girls know we need to be lifting for a wide range of benefits beyond just increased muscle strength. Weightlifting can also help with metabolic health, hormonal health, and more. Picking up weights is so beneficial for your overall health. But I know that traditional weightlifting approaches are not everyone’s cup of tea (and we’re all about doing workouts we actually enjoy!). So, I love that every program in the Ladder app is built with strength training at the center. Even if you’re there for Pilates, yoga, or running, programs seamlessly integrate your exercise of choice with strengthening so you can get the benefits of strength training blended with the movement you love.
You’ll never get bored
Going to the gym and doing the same exercises over and over will help you get stronger, but it also might make you bored. Fitness should be fun, and I strongly believe in finding ways to move that you love. Ladder is the perfect marriage of consistency and novelty. They structure their training into a six-week series focused on a specific goal. While you work through similar movements for these six-week cycles, the specific exercises change slightly every two weeks giving you the chance to work the same muscle groups in new ways. At the end of the series, there are a few weeks to try other coaches for free and play around before you lock in for the next six-week series. If you like to lift but find the same routine feeling boring, you can experiment with kettlebell strength or try a powerlifting program. There are endless opportunities to play around with different training methods to find one that you love. Ladder encourages you to try new things, challenge yourself, and mix it up so you never get bored.
It has features meant to make your workouts better
Besides even just the workouts themselves, they have a ton of other features that have made a major difference in my motivation, experience, and fitness. Here are some of them that I love:
- Badges: I am the eldest daughter, and I can’t pretend that I am completely unmotivated by external validation. So yes, I do appreciate getting a fun little badge for hitting all my workouts in a week or working out on National Yoga Day. The badges are a fun reward that keeps you motivated.
- Timed Rest Periods: One thing about me is I will be zoning out in between sets. Having a timer keeps me engaged and working harder than I might on my own.
- Coaches I Trust: Long before I started using Ladder, I followed Kelly Mathews and Lauren Kanski because I respected their knowledge and leadership in the field. Getting to follow their programs and have them in my ear from the Ladder App was such a fun bonus.
- The Mute Button: While all the cues and visual demonstrations can be helpful, sometimes I know what I’m doing and just want to lock in with my own killer playlist. Having the option to mute the workouts is fantastic.
- Setup Time: You can always pause the workout to set up your weights, but I love the option to program in time to set up.
- Integrate Your Music: It easily integrates with Spotify or Apple Music so you can DJ while you work out.
At what cost?
Before you commit, give it a shot with their free trial week (and keep an eye out for special month-long offers they run on occasion). The base plan will run you $29.99 a month or $179.99 for the year (coming out to about $14.99 a month). For comparison, a personal training session will run you on average $50- $100 per session, and a personalized plan will come at a similar cost. For all the features Ladder provides (coaching, team chats, tracking features, etc.), you’re definitely getting your money’s worth
If you want to feel confident every time you walk into the gym, I can’t recommend this app enough. Not only is knowing exactly what to do every day such motivation, but watching yourself get stronger is so empowering. Cheer on your teammates in the team chat, ask your coach questions, or just tap in and out. Ladder makes it easy to find a routine that works for you.