You’ve probably heard of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Best Fitness Apps. What do you get when you combine the two? You get a pump.
The app is the latest way that Ernie is making his extensive training experience and expertise available to “anyone with access to a mobile phone.”
Rather than offering thousands of compelling video workouts like rivals like Peloton, The Pump offers a few curated long-term plans, a goal-setting framework for everyday life called an “action plan,” and a blog-like “community” section where Arnold’s team shares interesting tidbits and like-minded users can chat.
The training plans are designed to help you achieve one of two fitness goals: get bigger muscles or get leaner muscles.
Sure, this might seem less cost-effective than similarly priced alternatives like Sweat and Centr, which have a ton of fitness content at their fingertips, but The Pump’s developers argue that’s the point, because consistency and structured progress are two pillars of any successful strength-training plan — neither of which you’ll get if you randomly hop from class to class on a broader app.
The Pump, on the other hand, offers a limited number of long-term plans based on your fitness goals. Consistency is key, with workouts scheduled on set days and checked off when completed. If you want to build muscle, combined with proper nutrition, you’ll get results.
Admittedly, this approach isn’t for everyone — if you’re looking to move more for health reasons or just enjoy a variety of fitness routines, look elsewhere — but if you’re a strength-training fan looking to bulk up, a subscription to The Pump could be of great benefit.
| component | value |
| OS | Available for iOS (tested), Android |
| price | $9.99/month / £10.49/month / approx. AU$15/month |
| Pairing with devices | Pairing with a mobile phone |
| Guided Content | no |
| Sleep Tracking | no |
| Food and water tracking | Water inlet |
| GPS | no |
Pumps: Price and Availability
- $9.99 per month (£10.49 in the UK, about AUD15 in Australia)
- $99.99 per year (£105.99 in the UK, about AUD150 in Australia)
The Pump app is free to download, but you’ll have to pay $9.99 per month to access the training plans, or you can pay $99.99 for a year and save $20. New subscribers are also offered a 7-day free trial, so you can try it before you buy.
This is a standard price for a fitness app, although it doesn’t come close to the amount of content you get with an app like Peloton, which costs $12.99 per month for an App One membership. teeth There’s all this empirical muscle building gold.
From a training perspective, I know there are people who would shell out a lot of money every month for a solid training program, and this app offers just that.
Some might argue that the StrongLifts app is a cheaper alternative, available in a free version or a pro version that costs $50 per year, but the focus here is on improving strength in the big three lifts (squat, bench press, and deadlift), which dominate most programs. So, the community element, greater bodybuilding scope, and more variety in sessions make The Pump a worthwhile additional investment for most people.
Pump: Design
- Easy to use
- Clean design
The app is not as busy as other apps I’ve tried, such as Peloton, Echelon, and Freeletics, and that’s one of the app’s strengths.
There are five tabs – Home, Workouts, Community, Action Plan, and Profile – each of which is easy to navigate. The white text on a black background is easy to read and the navigation is intuitive. I would have liked a few more images outlining Ernie’s varied career, but that’s just personal preference.
As mentioned at the beginning, there are a limited number of training plans (not individual workouts) available to you, and the plans you see are tailored to the answers you give in a short description (what equipment you have available, your goals, your training experience, and other frequently asked questions).
As a beginner, I found that I had to complete the 90-day “The Foundation” program before I could access the other plans. The emphasis is on consistency. If you focus on just one workout at a time, you’re more likely to stick to the plan, which is a surefire way to see results.
But if you’re a seasoned gym-goer, you might not want to cut your training down to three days a week for 90 days before returning to your normal frequency.
Pump: Features
- Everything you need to support your muscle building training
- Informative and entertaining “community” blogs
- Minimal extra features beyond the goal setting page
The app’s features are limited, but I’m not sad about that. The app can be boiled down to three main features: workout programs, “action plans,” and community.
The training program is pretty self-explanatory: You start with a 90-day foundational course, and then choose from a few different plans depending on your answers to an introductory survey.
In my case, I could unlock muscle-building plans called “Next Level,” “Continued Foundations,” and “Classic Arnold Throwback,” the last option being a six-day-per-week lifting plan inspired by Schwarzenegger’s old bodybuilding workouts that will get any die-hard (misguided action movie?) fan going wild.
Action planning is Ernie’s tried and tested method of goal setting in and out of the gym. Set a long term goal, identify things you can do each day to achieve it, and check off each day you set that goal. Some people may find this method useful, but for me it wasn’t something I could stick to on a recurring basis.
Finally, the community is set up like an old-fashioned blog, with posts displayed chronologically in a vertical feed. Nutrition tips, guest posts, muscle-building tricks, and Q&As with Schwarzenegger are featured from time to time, and members can chat in the comments. I love this element; the blog posts aren’t just PR gimmicks, they’re genuinely interesting and useful. Expect expert insights, interviews with the actor, and discussions of recent health and fitness research findings.
A highlight is the Q&A with Schwarzenegger (approximately every two weeks), which celebrates the success of users of all fitness levels and emphasizes inclusivity.
These are all overwhelmingly positive reviews, so you might be wondering why The Pump only receives a rating of 3.5 out of 5 for the following features: The answer is simple: there aren’t many features.
It’s a very solid product, but considering what its rivals offer, I wouldn’t give it more than a 4. The likes of Fitbit and Apple Fitness+ can link to the respective brands’ smartwatches to provide information like sleep and nutrition tracking.
Meanwhile, services like Peloton, Hydrow and others offer a wealth of follow-along workouts with engaging videos and enthusiastic instructors, as well as the opportunity to get on exercise machines and do connected workouts.
The only videos I found on The Pump were the exercise demonstrations linked to each workout and some nostalgic clips from the golden age of bodybuilding in the 1960s and 1970s, and while I enjoyed Arnold’s reminiscences and insights into how to get the most out of each move, it wasn’t enough to elevate the app’s overall rating.
Pump: Performance
- Clean and easy to use
- No problem
- Don’t push the limits
Pump doesn’t have many issues with performance, but some of that could be down to the app not really pushing the envelope: It has a clean design and is intuitive to use, without the cluttered landing page that can often come with crowded fitness apps. Instead, it’s just a functional combination of text and buttons, with no thumbnails or moving parts.
The app’s no-frills approach continued during my workouts, which I appreciated as I like to keep my gym workouts mostly analog. There were boxes to enter the number of repetitions for each set and the weight I lifted, allowing me to track my performance and increase the weight I lifted each week, taking advantage of progressive overload, a principle of any successful strength-building plan.
It even has an automatic timer that keeps you from resting too long — if resting too long is a common problem for you, do so — and if not, put your phone back in your pocket (or, as lifters prefer, toss it aside).
Pumps: Scorecard
| Categories | comment | Score |
| value | The Pump’s monthly fee is just under $10, which is roughly on par with Peloton and other fitness apps. The workout programs are great, but they don’t offer much depth. | 4/5 |
| design | The app is simple and intuitive to use and does everything you need it to, though it could do with a little more flair. | 4/5 |
| Features | Although it has limited features, it does offer some really cool features, such as muscle-building plans, a community section full of interesting blog posts, and the opportunity to chat with fellow members. | 3.5/5 |
| performance | Pump is simple and effective: enter the weight and repetitions for each set and aim to improve these numbers in your next session – progressive overload in action. | 4/5 |
Pumps: Should I buy one?
…then buy it
Do not purchase if…
How we tested
I used The Pump app for a week, following “The Foundation” workout plan, using the Action Plan feature to work toward my goals outside of the gym, and regularly checking the app’s Community section for new posts.
The Foundation program had me doing three full body workouts, one on alternate days during the week, so I hit the gym to give it a try.
