Weightlifting is an intimidating activity to get into, no matter what your ambitions are. It’s sometimes hard to know where to start, and there’s a lot of misinformation out there. It also takes persistence and a well-formulated training plan to make the most out of your time in the gym – you’re able to’t just swing weights around a few times a week and expect to look like Jason Momoa or Amanda Nunes.
The field is still pretty underserved as well, as far as apps andfitness trackersgo. It’s far easier to find products forrunningandcycling, mostly for technical reasons, but also because of general popularity. The right apps, websites, and accessories will help, thankfully, and since I’ve been lifting seriously for over a decade, I’ve tried enough tech products to understand what supports genuine progress.
Strictly speaking, you don’t need any tech to succeed in weightlifting, and there’s no app or gadget that will single-handedly lead you to six-pack abs or a 500-pound deadlift. If you decide to try any of the things below, it’s important to understand how they fit into a complete training regimen. I’ll explain some of the details as we go along.
7 features to look for when shopping for your next fitness tracker
These are the features that will actually help you when you’re on a run or lifting weights.
1My Apple Watch
Possibly the only device you need on the gym floor
Apple Watch Series 9
Let’s be clear: Apple didn’t design the Apple Watch with weightlifting in mind. Sure, there are several strength-related options in the watchOS Workout app, but for weightlifting you’re able to only pick “Traditional Strength Training,” and that still doesn’t track sets or reps. It turns out that’s actually a good thing. Most wearables are terrible at tracking reps anyway, and the Apple Watch is adept where it counts – sensing real-time heart rate (HR) info, and displaying that alongside other data points in an easy-to-read format. Because the Apple Watch is a high-powered, general-purpose smartwatch, you also get quick access to music controls, iPhone notifications, and numerous third-party apps. It’s convenient enough that I usually leave my iPhone in my locker.
As you become more experienced with weightlifting, mid-workout HR data becomes more useful. You start to learn when you’re pushing your heart too hard, or not hard enough, as well as what an optimal rest time looks like.
The main value of HR data lies in tracking calorie burn. You need a calorie surplus to gain muscle and a calorie deficit to lose fat, and the Apple Fitness app does a decent job of calculating your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), even if I wish it foregrounded that info a little better. Remember that a consumer tracker can only ever produce a rough burn estimate – yet in tandem with a calorie-counting app linked toApple Health, it’s not too hard for me to adjust my diet to my goals.
I’m currently wearing an Apple Watch Series 6, which has held up pretty well with a soft case to guard against the occasional bump. My only major complaint is battery life – on workout days I sometimes get to bed with less than 10% battery left. If I were buying today I’d choose theApple Watch Ultra 2, mostly to have multi-day battery life, including enough power for HealthKit-integrated sleep tracking.
Apple Watch Series 9 review: Playing it safe, but playing it well
With some upgrades but not huge changes, is the Watch Series 9 worth buying? Here’s my review.
2My Jabra Elite 7 Active earbuds
A good soundtrack is essential
Jabra Elite 7 Active
It’s hard to overstate how critical music can be to weightlifting. It’s boring to lift in silence, and having a solid playlist gives you something to look forward to when you head out the door. Sometimes, music can be the inspiration that pushes a lift over the top – when a song like Motorhead’s “In the Name of Tragedy” or Sabaton’s “The First Soldier” comes on, I put in maximum effort.
You should probably avoid over-the-ear headphones at the gym.
I use theElite 7 Activesfor a few reasons. First they have an IP57 rating, which offers better sweat protection than most earbuds – I’ve actually been electrocuted by models with lower water resistance. Their grip is virtually unshakeable as well, and they have active noise cancelation, which shuts out most of the noise in a crowded gym. Lastly, Jabra’s app lets me customize EQ settings to ramp up the bass.
This is a tangent, but you should probably avoid over-the-ear headphones at the gym. While some people swear by them, they can quickly get hot and uncomfortable, and many models offer little water resistance if any. The only thing preventing damage is the gap created by ear cushions.
3Cronometer
Food is fuel
Cronometer
I mentioned calorie-counting apps a moment ago, and my app of choice is Cronometer. There are versions for iPhone and Android, with companion Apple Watch and Wear OS apps. I use it because it keeps things simple – you’re able to add items to your diary using searches, barcode scans, or custom meals, and there’s less of the feature bloat associated with apps like MyFitnessPal. The default view provides a quick glimpse of my calories and macronutrients, so I don’t have to waste time deciding whether I need to eat more or hold off on that extra protein bar.
There is a paid subscription option called Cronometer Gold, but unlike some health- and fitness-related apps, it doesn’t paywall any core features. Instead Gold removes banner ads and brings a few perks, such as recipe importer and a fasting timer.
Regardless of which app you use, it’s important to be honest and accurate with your diet tracking without becoming obsessive. You can’t perform at the gym if you’re not getting the right calorie and macronutrient intakes – yet it won’t kill you if you forget to record your BBQ sauce, or if you eat one bowl of ice cream in the middle of an otherwise healthy and predictable meal plan.
4My Google Nest Hub
Effortless sleep tracking…for now
Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen)
A smart display might seem like an odd inclusion here, but since my Apple Watch Series 6 doesn’t have enough battery life for sleep tracking, I rely on my second-generation Nest Hub. Its Sleep Sensing feature uses radar to detect breathing and any restless movement. That data syncs with Google Fit, and when I wake up, I get a brief summary of how long and well the display thinks I slept. If need be, I can dive deeper to identify disturbances such as light, snoring, or coughing, picked up via separate sensors. Google even claims to know your average heart and breathing rates.
Google Nest Hub (2021) review: Sweet dreams are made of this
Sleep tracking comes to Google’s smart display, offering an unintrusive way to monitor your rest.
No consumer sleep tracking device is fully accurate, and indeed Google’s algorithms regularly make mistakes, like thinking I’m asleep when I’m actually awake with insomnia. But the job it does is good enough that I can often tell when I need more rest or it’s time to set new records at the gym.
No consumer sleep tracking device is fully accurate, and indeed Google’s algorithms regularly make mistakes, like thinking I’m asleep when I’m actually awake with insomnia.
5Spotify Premium
Fresh tunes to keep the blood pumping
Spotify is a popular audio streaming platform that offers music, audiobooks, and podcasts. It can be used on mobile and on desktop, allowing you to listen to music in a ton of different places. You can even download music to your smartwatch.
Returning to music, I’m in the gym long and often enough that I need to regularly refresh my workout playlists. I do have a local library I can sync from my PC to my iPhone, but subscribing toSpotify Premiummeans I can add tracks on the fly and expose myself to songs I’d otherwise take a gamble downloading. If I ever get bored with a playlist, there are a million others that Spotify is happy to recommend.
There’s not much more to say, but you’re able to check outone of my workout playlistsif you like. It’s worth noting that Spotify lets you cache playlists offline, not just on phones and computers but many wearables, such as the Apple Watch and Wear OS devices. Be aware that wearables tend not to have much storage – on Apple Watches, you’re also limited to 10 hours or 100 songs, no matter if a 1TB model miraculously ships next week.
6Plates for Apple Watch
Hardcore math
While it seems to have vanished from the App Store, Plates is still my go-to barbell calculator. The concept of a barbell calculator might seem unnecessary to some people – but as weight totals begin to stack up, it sometimes saves a little time judging the plates you need to hit a particular number. You can tell the app whether you’re using metric or imperial, how many pairs of each plate you have, and how much the barbell itself weighs.
More useful for some people may be its warm-up function. Once you’ve set a target weight, you can tap a fire icon to choose a percentage in 10% increments. The app will even show you which plates you need, so there’s no unnecessary pausing when you get to a rack or platform.
Since Plates is missing in action, you might want to tryStrong. It’s available for iPhone, Android, and Apple Watch, and a lot more than just a barbell calculator – it lets you build and log entire routines, determine your one-rep maxes, and learn new exercises if you’ve never tried them before. You can use it for free, although unlimited routines and some advanced features are gated behind a subscription. It might be worth it. While Plates does the trick for me, many lifters swear by Strong.
Q: Which fitness tracker would you recommend for Android?
There are a lot of great options, but I’d suggest theGarmin Forerunner 265 or 965, depending on your budget and what else you do besides weightlifting. Garmin uses top-shelf sensors, and continues to provide more training help than Apple or Fitbit, even if it’s best to create a custom workout type that ditches rep and set tracking. When it comes to battery life, the company can’t be beat.
Q: What non-tech gear do you use at the gym?
My main item is a lifting belt, specifically Pioneer’s 10mm leather lever belt. Contrary to what beginners might think, it’s not for back support – instead it helps me breathe and brace during heavy deadlifts and squats. Some sort of thick belt is usually essential once you get to the intermediate and advanced levels of lifting, though the 13mm belts out there can be overkill if you’re not a powerlifter.
The only other thing I use is a pair of lifting straps. They’re meant to help with grip – and they certainly do – but my real concern is how the knurling on some barbells tends to rip up my skin.
