Ladder vs Sweat

Ladder, Sweat and RIRLift side by side

Ladder for one coach and a team, Sweat for variety, meals and Android. RIRLift if what you want is your own plan with the weights set, free.

Ladder and Sweat, point by point

• How the program arrives

  Ladder: join a team and the coach releases six workouts every Sunday, in 6-week Strength Series. Sweat: pick a program from its trainers, beginner to advanced, and follow it.

• Price

  Ladder is $29.99/month for one team or $179.99/year for all of them. Sweat is $24.99/month, $54.99 a quarter or $134.99/year in the US.

• In the session

  Both show a video demo for each exercise. Ladder adds a coach voiceover and timed sets; Sweat adds trainer audio cues.

• Community

  Ladder's team chat has your coach in it, plus cheers from teammates mid-workout. Sweat has its community forum and global challenges.

• Platforms

  Ladder: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and the web. Sweat: iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch and Android.

• Where RIRLift is different

  No trainer and no classes: you run a plan, log weight, reps and reps in reserve, and the next weight is set after every set. Free, with 4 active routines.

  

One week, three apps

Two kids, 30 minutes, adjustable dumbbells at home

You can train three mornings a week before school drop-off. Dumbbells that go to 70 lb, a bench, no gym.

App	What it does here	For this lifter
Ladder	Teams such as Movewell and Elevate run 30-minute workouts, with a coach in your ear and a team chat.	Yes, if accountability is what gets you up at six.
Sweat	Programs from several trainers across strength, HIIT and Pilates, plus 200+ meals, for $134.99/year.	Yes, if you want variety and meal ideas in one app.
RIRLift	The 30-minute superset plan below, free. Every next dumbbell is set from your last set.	Yes, if you want the same lifts each week and the weights to climb.

Ladder and Sweat bring a trainer. RIRLift brings the numbers, and costs nothing.

Week 6 of the 30-minute superset plan

Three lifts from the plan, at home. These are last session's sets and what RIRLift set for next time.

Exercise	You logged	Next session	Why
Goblet Squat	50 lb, 15 / 15 / 15 reps, 2 left	55 lb × 8	Every set at the top of 8–15: one 5 lb step, reps back to 8.
One-Arm Dumbbell Row	40 lb, 10 / 9 / 9 reps, 1 left	40 lb × 10	The weakest set hit today's target of 9, not the top of 8–12. Same weight, one more rep.
Dumbbell Shoulder Press	25 lb, 9 / 8 / 7 reps, 1 left	25 lb × 8	The weakest set got 7 against a target of 8, so the weight and the target both stay.

Three lifts, three different next steps, none of them guessed.

Plans for this lifter

• The best workout with dumbbells, for the dumbbells you actually have

  30 minutes, 3 days, supersets

  Two superset routines, 30 minutes, three days a week: the plan from the example.

  3× a week · 48 sets a week · ~25 min

  Add to RIRLift

  Add to RIRLift

  Scan with your iPhone camera to add this plan.

  See the plan

• The best workout for your glutes and butt

  Home with dumbbells and a band

  Glute-first, at home with dumbbells and a band.

  2× a week · 22 sets a week · ~30 min

  Add to RIRLift

  Add to RIRLift

  Scan with your iPhone camera to add this plan.

  See the plan

Make it fit you

• List your equipment

  Pick adjustable dumbbells and a bench. Plans and swaps stay inside what you own, and every weight is rounded to a jump your dumbbells make.

• Start light, once

  A new lift starts at a light Estimate. Do as many good reps as you can on the first set, and the app sets the rest from it.

• Keep your classes

  Two Pilates or HIIT days elsewhere and two lifting days here works; RIRLift only counts what you log.

When a different app fits better

• A coach and a team keep you consistent. Ladder, for the team chat and the coach's voice.
• You want Pilates, yoga or pregnancy programs, or Android. Sweat.
• You want follow-along video at all. Either of them. RIRLift shows how each lift is done, but has no classes or interval timers.

Questions

Read next

• Ladder app review: what you get for $29.99 a month

  Teams, Journal and price in full.

• Ladder app alternatives, ranked for lifters

  Seven options, ranked.

• The workout app for women who want to get stronger

  What to look for if you lift.

• How RIRLift picks your next weight

  Where the 55 lb goblet squat came from.

More ways lifters use RIRLift

• Ladder app review: what you get for $29.99 a month

  Ladder's coaches, price and Journal, reviewed, plus the free pick if you want your weights set for you.

• The workout app for women who want to get stronger

  Lifting plans for glutes, legs and upper body, with the weight for every set picked from what you logged.

• The workout app for home that plans around what you own

  Bare floor, a pull-up bar, bands or one kettlebell: a plan for your gear that gets harder as you do.

• The workout app for busy moms and dads who still want to lift

  Short lifting sessions with the weights already set, and a plan that waits when the kids come first.

Every lifter and goal