An app that tells you when to increase weights: Hevy Trainer on Hevy Pro, Fitbod, or RIGOR, which made this page. Choose Hevy for Android or a $23.99-a-year Pro plan, Fitbod for a workout built anew each session, RIGOR for a fixed plan with the rule behind every change. RIGOR runs on iPhone and Apple Watch, not Android.
App that tells you when to increase weights: side by side
Every line about Hevy and Fitbod was read on their own pages or US App Store listings on the day shown as last checked, and links there. Prices are in US dollars.
| App | How it sets the next weight | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Hevy | On Pro, Hevy Trainer raises a weight once you hit the upper end of the rep range on all prescribed sets | Pro, $23.99 a year. The app itself is free |
| Fitbod | Recommends weights, reps and sets and adjusts loads and reps to your abilities and equipment | A subscription after a free trial; its pages list more than one price |
| RIGOR | Written rules, after every workout, with the reason shown | A subscription: $59.99 a year or $9.99 a month, 7 days free on the yearly plan |
Where they run: Hevy is on iOS and Android and works with Apple Watch; Fitbod is on iOS and Android and works with Apple Watch too. RIGOR runs on iPhone and Apple Watch, with no Android app.
What a week looks like in each
With Hevy Trainer you answer questions about experience, goal, equipment, days and session length, and it writes a program with set counts and rep ranges. It gives a recommended starting weight for a lift you have logged at least once, then adjusts working weights as you log.
Fitbod custom-builds each training session for your level and equipment, so the lifts vary. RIGOR is the plan itself: the same lifts all block, and only the targets change.
With Hevy Trainer
- Answer its questions; it builds the program.
- Log each set against the Previous column.
- It raises a weight once every set reaches the top of the range.
In RIGOR
- Tell it your goal, your days and your gym.
- Open today's workout; a lift you have logged has its target set.
- Log it; the rules set next time and show why.
RIGOR is a strength training app for iPhone that builds your plan and sets every weight by rules you can read.
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Where Hevy and Fitbod are better
On price, reach and range.
- Price. Hevy Pro is $23.99 a year against RIGOR's $59.99, and Hevy's free plan logs workouts with no subscription. Choose Hevy if that decides it.
- Android. Both Hevy and Fitbod run on it. RIGOR does not.
- A first weight. Hevy Trainer gives a recommended starting weight once you have logged a lift. RIGOR leaves the first weight to you.
- Variety. Fitbod builds a new session each time and lists over 1000 exercises. Choose Fitbod if you want that change. RIGOR keeps the same lifts for the block.
- People. Hevy has a feed to follow other lifters. RIGOR has nothing social.
For one-to-one comparisons, see RIGOR vs Hevy and RIGOR vs Fitbod.
Where RIGOR is better
If you want the rule in view. Tap Why on any target and RIGOR shows your last result and the rule it applied.
RIGOR's rules are written down, with their conditions:
- More weight. Every target set reached the top of its rep range, no set was logged with more than one rep fewer in reserve than planned, and a heavier weight your gym can load still fits the range. The target moves to the next weight above.
- Same weight. The sets hit the top, but a set was logged with more than one rep fewer in reserve than planned: the weight holds and the target is the top of the range.
- A jump too big. If the next weight would drop you under the range, you add a rep to each set, up to two past the top when the range tops out at 8 reps or fewer, five past it otherwise, before the weight moves.
- A bad run. A miss in two sessions running at the same weight cuts that lift 10%. Three sessions at one weight with no more total reps than the first does the same.
- A first guess far off. A first session far too heavy or too light is corrected after one session.
- A first weight. A lift with no history is blank. If you know a weight you have used, enter it with its reps: RIGOR cuts the estimate by 10%.
A weight is only right for a given rep range, so each target comes with one: see what weight to lift.
RIGOR is for a lifter who wants the plan, the target and the reason. For the sums behind a target, see the 1RM calculator. For classes instead, see Apple Fitness+ alternatives.
See the reason behind every target
Hevy and Fitbod are trademarks of their owners. RIGOR is not affiliated with them.
Questions
Is there a workout tracker that tells you what to do?
Yes. Hevy's Trainer builds a program from your answers, Fitbod builds each session, and RIGOR keeps one plan with a target on every set. Hevy's free plan is a log: you choose the weights.
Which app plans your workout routine?
Hevy Trainer (a Pro feature), Fitbod and RIGOR all do. Hevy Trainer asks about your experience, goal, equipment, days and session length, then writes the program. Fitbod builds a new workout each session. RIGOR builds one plan for the block.
How do you know when to increase the weight?
With double progression, add weight once you reach the top of the rep range on every set. Hevy Trainer uses that rule. RIGOR uses it too, and adds conditions for effort, misses and big jumps.
Does Hevy tell you when to increase weight?
On Pro, through Hevy Trainer, which raises a weight once you hit the upper end of the rep range with it on all prescribed sets. On the free plan you choose every weight yourself.
Does RIGOR pick a first weight for a lift you have never done?
No. It leaves the weight blank and asks you to pick one. If you know a weight you have used, enter it and its reps: RIGOR works from that, 10% lighter, and corrects a first guess that was far off after one session.
