For the intermediate lifter, the "newbie gains" are over, and progress requires precision. But do you need a $15/month subscription to get it? We compare the subscription tiers of popular mobile apps to see what matters.
What Actually Matters for Intermediates?
Forget the fluff. You need:
- Volume Load Quantification: Total weight moved.
- Progressive Overload Tracking: Beat last week's numbers.
- RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) logging: Auto-regulation.
Tier Comparison
Strong / Hevy / Fitbod
These loggers often gate unlimited routines behind paywalls.
- Verdict: Worth it if you run complex, rotating specialized block cycles.
Lifetrails (Premium)
Lifetrails takes a different approach.
- Free: Basic logging and wellness tracking.
- Premium: Advanced correlation analysis. It tells you how your sleep and stress affected your lift today.
The Verdict
Intermediate lifters should pay for analytics, not just logging storage. Any notebook can store a log; only premium tiers like Lifetrails provide the insights to optimize recovery between heavy sessions.