On September 9th, 2014, fitness tracking changed forever. The Apple Watch was announced.
However, it wasn't until years later that weightlifters had a space in their activity log.
Since then, millions of weightlifters around the world dedicate themselves daily to close their rings and reach their fitness goals with the Apple Watch.
Despite various reports, many reports suggest that while you can use weightlifting on the Apple Watch that the calories burned is in accurate and there's still no workout guidance, rep tracking, or group social components for the weightlifting community.
As a result, below are the 5 most recommended apps for weightlifters with an Apple Watch so that you can get more digital assistance throughout your workout.
Best Overall: Train.ai
If you're on TikTok, you've probably seen this app everywhere! They did a great job having dozens of influencers download it and show off its capabilities throughout their content.
Nowadays with ChatGPT everywhere, Train.ai is the closest thing to ChatGPT for your workout and Apple Watch.
Train.ai will track your workouts and your reps, all you have to do is confirm the weight.
For some weightlifters, that does become a little tedious to adjust the weight, but their ability to track reps to a really accurate degree makes it our first recommendation.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Tracks everything including reps | ❌ Have to put in weight |
| ✅ Great user experience |
|
| ✅ Really social with friends | |
| ✅ Easy-to-understand analytics |
Best for Competitions: Challenges
Do you do a lot of 1:1 competitions with your weightlifting friends with your Apple Watch? Well this is the best app for competitions for weightlifting groups. Whether it's a work challenge, a competition for who buys the next round of protein shakes, or a family feud, this app has your back.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Amazing for group challenges | ❌ Very basic and simple |
| ✅ Easy to set up | ❌ Made for general activity, not weightlifting specifically |
| ✅ Free | |
Most Underutilized: Fitness
I know, I know. Most of you likely have used a workout such as 'Traditional Weight Training' with the native Apple Watch app. However, as reports show that Apple Watch over attributes calories burned, there's a few ways to dial in your Fitness App to get better workout data while weightlifting.
First, set your calories 20-30% higher than your actual goal.
Second, make sure you have your Apple Watch fitted on your wrist about an inch above your hand.
Lastly, if you want to try and get the most amount of accurate workout data while weightlifting with your Apple Watch, you might want to consider pausing your workout so that way you don't finish a workout with 1000 calories burned, but you had a low intensity workout.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Native to Apple Watch | ❌ Not as accurate as 3rd party applications |
| ✅ Easy to set up |
|
| ✅ 1:1 Challenges | |
Most Traditional: Strong
For those seeking a simple and efficient weightlifting app, Strong is a must-have on your Apple Watch.
This app focuses on tracking your progress and helping you break personal records.
With the Apple Watch integration, you can easily view your workout history, track your sets, and log your weights in real-time.
Strong also enables you to create custom workout routines, ensuring that your training aligns with your specific goals.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ One of the first apps made for weightlifters with Apple Watch | ❌ Very basic and simple |
| ✅ Easy to set up | ❌ Not a sleek UI |
| ✅ Free (with in app purchases) | |
Best Analytics: Jefit
If you're obsessed with data, but don't want to buy a WHOOP, then this app is for you. Jefit is compatible not only with Apple Watch, but also with Android smartwatches.
As someone who loves a sleek design, I wish they catered their UI to more weightlifters that love an Apple-like aesthetic. However, the amount of insights they give to weightlifters through their online dashboard and the Apple Watch is amazing.
Jefit also provides customizable training programs and progress tracking to help you achieve your goals effectively.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Most users of any weightlifting Apple Watch app | ❌ Most expensive |
| ✅ Easy to set up | ❌ Not a sleek UI |
| ✅ Great Analytics | |
| ✅ Social | |
| ✅ For both Apple + Android |
Even though it's coming up on a decade since the Apple Watch has been announced, these 5 apps will continue to give weightlifters a place to enhance their workouts with their Apple Watch.
As our product wouldn't exist without the creation of the Apple Watch, we strive to enable weightlifters everywhere that use Apple Watches with our wrist wraps for Apple Watches.
If you like to lift heavy, track your workouts, and protect your watch from the elements of the gym, we'd love for you to check out our wrist wraps and other weightlifting products here.