Whenever I'm craving a workout, I often stand there wondering where to start. Do I want to run? Going to the gym? Doing Yoga? Even so, what kind of yoga? That's why I was intrigued by the idea of a fitness app that could help me solve my problem, kind of like personal training for people with severe brain fog.
This is what Ladder is famous for. The app provides you with a dedicated weekly strength training program that changes every Sunday. All you have to do is open the app and voila – there’s a fun, personalized workout waiting for you that, in my opinion, has just the right level of challenge.
I first heard about Ladder when I saw my FYP on FitTok. Everyone raved about the weekly workout plans, so I snagged myself a free trial and gave it a try.
Now that I've been doing the routine for a week, I totally understand the hype. While it's always nice to take a spin or barre class with an instructor, it's also nice to be able to do something organized on my own time.
Read on below for my honest review of the Ladder app, including the course content.
What is the Ladder Fitness App?
Ladder is a strength training app that lets you choose from a range of workouts including bodybuilding, HIIT, kettlebells, push and pulls, functional fitness, Pilates, yoga, running, and more. After you choose your favorite style, you'll be assigned to a ladder "team" and a coach who uses a mix of those styles.
From there, your new fitness trainer will create a structured, dedicated workout plan for you to give you something to do every day of the week. It resets on Sunday, so there's always a new routine to try and you can do more or less as you like. Each workout typically lasts 30 to 40 minutes and includes a series of exercises so you'll never get bored.
Each workout is demonstrated by your fitness instructor, with a handy on-screen countdown timer, a progress bar, and a voiceover announcing the next move. You can also sync your Apple Music or Spotify account to soundtrack your daily routine, and connect to a smartwatch to track your stats.
As a bonus, you have the option to message your trainer with questions in the app, and there's a calendar section where you can schedule workouts and track your achievements. If you want, you can even socialize by chatting with teammates, sharing selfies, and exchanging workout rewards.
Ladder App Price
Ladder has a 7-day free trial, which is a great way to test the app before giving it a try. As part of your trial, you can try any workout and join any team, and you also get a personalized plan. The app will then remind you when the trial is about to end. If you stick with it, it costs $29.99 per month or $179.99 for the full year, which includes unlimited access to teams and practices.
getting Started
From the get-go, I immediately noticed that everything in the app felt super personal. There are 12 different strength training styles and 14 different teams to choose from, so it feels like I finally found the program that works best for me.
I decided to focus on HIIT, Pilates and Yoga, which led me to join a group called "Align" with my trainer Sasha. The Align workout combines strength-training moves like Cossack Squats and RDLs with power flow yoga to create a regimen that helps you become resilient and strong. (BTW, you can also switch teams or try other workouts if you'd like.)
Before you begin, it is recommended that you do a "Welcome Exercise." My workout is a 29-minute full-body workout that blends yoga moves, lower and upper body exercises, and Pilates-style moves like glute bridges, dead bugs, and toe tapping rainbows. All I needed to start was a yoga block, two dumbbells, and a mat.
exercise
To warm up, Sasha had me do a round of cat-cow exercises, and then we started with Pilates, which included two rounds of rainbows, glute bridges, and dead bugs, as well as plenty of tips and tricks to make sure I was in good shape.
I like the Sasha guided sessions, but there is also in-ear coaching that beeps at the start of each new exercise. It also beeps when a match is about to end and announces the next move. It allows me to focus on my workout instead of staring at my phone all the time.
What really shocked me, however, was how short each round was. There are only two sets of eight reps per move, which means each set is over quickly. The mini reps are perfect for my extremely short attention span, but it also gives me enough time to move slowly and intentionally in a way that really burns.
After the first round, I took a quick break. Coach Sasha recommends taking deep breaths, which is a perfect break. After that, we move on to lower body exercises like Cossack Squats, RDLs, and 1.25 Goblet Squats. Again, each round was long enough to feel challenging, but not so long that I wanted to give up.
Next, we did another yoga flow section that included a series of downward dog, mountain pose, high plank, and forward bends—all welcome stretches after a sweaty lower body section. Sasha also sneaked in a 25-second plank, which I wouldn't have done without her motivation.
At one point she said, "I'm so proud of you for taking the time to take care of yourself," and honestly, what's better to hear than when you're rocking on the mat?
Finally, we take another short break before moving on to round four, which includes upper body exercises like bent over rows, low planks with arm extensions, and side planks with inclined crunches. I get in there with three-pound dumbbells and make sure to use good form to get the most out of each move. Just like that, it's done.
After my first workout, I looked ahead to the week ahead. I found that I did yoga and strength training on Monday, a "Glut Werk" workout on Tuesday, a 44-minute yoga session on Wednesday, and a cardio and upper body workout called "Back, Back, Back It Up" on Thursday training, as well as layering it with yoga flow on Friday, "full body drip" conditioning and mobility exercises on Saturday, and 23 minutes of breathing exercises on Sunday.
takeout
Typically, I'll spend about 15 minutes doing a workout before I'm forced to abandon it and move on to something else, but the pace of these workouts kept me motivated until the end.
I think it's the simplicity of each round, the low number of reps, and the progress bar at the top of the screen. It was refreshing to look up and see that I only had 7 seconds left in my set, or that I was 67% done.
The weekly schedule also makes working out a breeze. As the indecisive queen that I am, it's a joy to have a routine set up for me. Add to that the supportive guidance, and what's not to love?
