What is the best iOS application for recording and tracking progress in Starting Strength?
I need an app that tells me which lifts I am supposed to do on which day. It must also allow me to input my lift numbers and track progress. Exporting the data would be a bonus.
I intend to use this app to replace sheets of paper and copying into a spreadsheet.
jefit - I have been using this currently (the free version) and it has been fantastic for tracking all my stats.
It is handy for timing rest between sets and this product also allows you to see which day which lifts need to be done on.
It's also really good for progression as it tells you the 1 rep max based on your current stats with information on how to beat that 1 rep max. There are also numerous routines that vary in type and range in difficulty from beginner right through to advanced, so, if in the future you wish to change things up it is all very straight forward. Included with the product is also an online site that links directly to your device, so you can browse your stats and other routines on the web as well as your mobile device.
I'm not 100% sure what starting strength is, but I think it's similar to Stronglifts, and this is the App I use -> App Here
Sorry if it isn't the same exercises as Starting Strength, but when you are done that program you should have a look at Stronglifts, as I think this may be the continuation program to SS, followed by Madcow's 5x5.
I have not found a strength training app that I really like all they way around just yet. I've tried quite a few, and my observations are listed below. My current solution is to use Google Drive for my training spreadsheet and Fitocracy Training app to log the work.
JEFit is a decent general purpose app with a focus on body building. Out of all the offerings, this is one of the closest to what I want but it does have some major shortcomings. In JEFit, KG and LBS are just labels, so if you ever travel and enter stats in the unit you don't normally use it will throw off all your charts. Same with competing, if competitions are held in a unit you don't normally use, you have to do the conversion yourself or throw off your charts. It's programming is good for weekly training. If your routine fits a nice weekly pattern it's perfect--but if it's a monthly or longer cycle JEFit's programming falls very short. Adding ad hoc exercises is a bit of a pain, so simply not using the programming part is rather annoying.
Fitocracy Fitness Tracker App is great if all you want is a way to track what you are doing today. It doesn't pretend to have a programming aspect, so it makes it really easy to record things ad hoc. I use Google Drive for my training spreadsheet and the Fitocracy app to record the work. This combo seems to be good enough. Fitocracy does know the difference between a pound and kilogram, so if you ever have to change units it won't mess any charts up. Problem is, you can't have one exercise in KG and another in LBS if your gym has mixed equipment (most commonly with kettlebells).
Multi-Year Training App this had a lot of potential, and I paid for the programming add on--which was a waste of money. The app can handle more complex programs if you use the ones that are built in, which includes strong lifts, starting strength, Wendler 5/3/1, German Volume Training, and a few others. It provides some good primers on strength training out of the box, but the piece meal purchasing for things that should be included (like tracking your work) is not cool. The programming essentially is limited to one day's work. Each day is it's own program. You can't even string a week's training together. Really. It's a waste of the $1.99 to get the programming. I'm sad I spent money on it. If you use the packaged programming, it's workable.
Big Lifts only does Starting Strength and Wendler 5/3/1. Don't waste your time if you ever want to do anything besides those two. It doesn't support ad hoc exercises, or track any assistance work you do.
Gym Hero at the time I tried it was nothing more than a digital notebook. I could track my work quicker and easier with a pen and paper. It does integrate with RunKeeper for historical tracking, but the strength training portion doesn't get sync'd with Fitocracy if you use that.
Another possibility I saw that integrates with RunKeeper, but I have not tried would be Fitness Tracker 90.
Multi-Year Weight Training is pretty good (link goes to iTunes, site of the app is http://www.weightliftingapp.com).
It's a free app that can track a lot of different programs, Starting Strength is one of them (it even supports 2 different versions). It times rest between sets, shows how to warm up, and suggest an increase in weight after every successful workout. You can add secondaries after a while, do deloads, and most of the stuff is customizable. It offers a few charts and nice documentation.
The developer of this app really outdid himself. Starting Strength as a program is a free option in the app, and a couple of advanced programs are offered as in-app purchases.
Highly recommended.
Fitness buddy is a nicely put together app with a free and paid version. It has logs and instructions on exercises. Not much else to say I actually did use it for starting strength.
