When I have the itch to do something, I often stand there wondering where to start. Feel like running? Are you going to the gym? Doing yoga? But what kind of yoga is it anyway? That's why I was intrigued by the idea of a fitness app that could solve that problem. It's like personal training for people with severe brain fog.
That is Ladder's claim to fame. This app offers a special weekly strength training plan that changes every Sunday. All you have to do is open the app and boom. A fun, personalized, moderately challenging workout based on my personal opinion awaits you.
The first time I heard about Ladder was when I met it My FYP on FitTok. Everyone was raving about the weekly training schedule, so I found the free trial and gave it a try.
Now that I've been practicing the routine for a week, I completely understand the hype. It's always good to take a trainer-led spin or barre class, but it's also great to have something structured that you can do on your own time.
Continue reading below for my honest review of the Ladder app, including what the classes are like.
What is the Ladder Fitness app?
Ladder is a strength training app that lets you choose from a list of workout styles including bodybuilding, HIIT, kettlebells, push-pull movements, functional fitness, Pilates, yoga, running, and more. Tap on the one you like the most and it will be assigned to a ladder “team” and a coach who uses a combination of those styles.
From there, your new fitness coach will create a structured, specialized workout plan for you to do something every day. It resets on Sunday, so you can try a new routine any time and do it as often as you like. Each workout is typically 30-40 minutes long and includes a variety of exercises, so you'll never get bored.
Each workout features a fitness coach demonstrating each exercise, a handy on-screen countdown timer, a progress bar, and a voiceover announcing your next move. You can also sync your Apple Music or Spotify account to soundtrack your routines, or connect it to your smartwatch to track your stats.
As a bonus, you have the option to message your coach and ask questions within the app, and there's also a calendar section where you can schedule workouts and track your progress. If you want, you can also socialize by chatting with teammates, sharing selfies, and exchanging workout prizes.
ladder app price
Ladder has a 7-day free trial, which is a great way to test the app before taking the plunge. As part of your trial, you can try any workout, join any team, and even get a personalized plan. The app will notify you when the trial period is about to end.If you stick to it, it's $29.99/month or $179.99 per year (which includes) Unlimited access to teams And training.
Start
Immediately after jumping in, I noticed that everything in the app felt very personalized. With 12 different strength training styles and he has 14 different teams to choose from, I felt like I had a routine that was perfect for me.
I decided to focus on HIIT, Pilates, and yoga and ended up on a team called “Align” with coach Sasha. Align workouts combine power vinyasa yoga with strength training such as the Cossack His Squat and his RDL to help stretch and increase strength. (By the way, you can also change teams and try other workouts if you want.)
Before you begin, we recommend that you do a “welcome training”. Mine was a 29-minute full-body routine that combined yoga moves, lower- and upper-body exercises, and Pilates-style moves like glute bridges, dead bugs, and toe-tapping rainbows. All you needed to get started was a yoga block, two dumbbells, and a mat.
workout
As a warm-up, Sasha started me off with a round of cat cow, and then we progressed to Pilates exercises. This included 2 rounds of rainbows, glute bridges, and dead bugs, as well as lots of tips and tricks to ensure you get the most out of it. He had good form.
I loved that Sasha led the class, but there was also in-ear coaching that beeped every time a new exercise started. There was also a beep when the set was almost over, announcing the next move. This allows me to focus on my exercise instead of constantly looking at my phone.
But what really struck me was how short each round was. Since there were only two sets of eight repetitions per movement, each movement went quickly. The mini-rep count was perfect for my attention span being unbearably short, but also gave me enough time to do slow, deliberate, really fiery movements.
After the first round, we took a short break. Coach Sasha encouraged me to take some deep breaths, which turned out to be the perfect break. After that, I worked on lower body training with Cossack squats, RDLs, and 1.25 goblet squats. Again, each round was long enough to feel challenging, but not so long that I felt like giving up.
Next, we did parts of the yoga flow, including a series of downward dog, mountain pose, high plank, and forward bends. These are all welcome stretches after those sweaty lower body parts. Sasha also succeeded in doing a 25 second plank, but she never would have been able to do it without her motivation.
At one point she said, “I'm so proud of you for taking this time to care for yourself.” Honestly, what could be a better word to say when you're teetering on the mat?
We took one last quick break and did four rounds of moves that included upper body exercises like bent-over rows, arm-extending rope planks, and side planks like oblique crunches. I went in there with 3-pound dumbbells and made sure to use proper form to get the most out of each movement. And just like that, it was done.
After my first training session, I looked ahead to the week ahead. Monday was yoga and strength training, Tuesday was Glute Werk, Wednesday was a 44-minute yoga class, and Thursday was “Back, Back, Back It Up” cardio, upper body training, and layered training. saw. Friday is a yoga flow, Saturday is a “full body drip” conditioning and mobility routine, and Sunday is a 23-minute breathwork session.
Take-out
Usually I start a workout and have to literally abandon it to do something else after about 15 minutes, but something about the pace of these routines keeps me motivated until the end. maintained.
I think it was the simplicity of each round, the low number of repetitions, and the progress bar at the top of the screen. It was so exhilarating to look up and see that there were only 7 seconds left in the set, or 67% of the workout.
The weekly schedule also made working out easier. As the queen of indecision, I was so happy to have a routine in place for me. Add in supportive coaching and what’s not to love?
