The strength training app that turns heavy sets into your next weight

What a strength training app has to get right

• No max test before you start

  You never test or type in a one-rep max. Every weight comes from the sets you log: the load, the reps and the reps you had left. A set of 4 with 2 left tells the app you had about 6 in you, and that's enough to set the next one.

• Heavy sets that adjust while you're still under the bar

  After every working set the next one can change. More left than planned and the bar goes up a step. Short of the rep range and it comes down. Got the reps but it was a grind, and it holds. Every number is rounded to plates you can actually load.

  

• A rule for adding weight on low reps

  Between sessions the app uses double progression, judged on your weakest set. When every set of 3 to 5 reaches 5, the bar goes up one step and you start again at 3. If your sets were clearly easier than planned, it can jump two steps.

• An answer when a lift stops moving

  Three sessions without a new rep and the workout recap offers a step back, about 10% lighter. You choose Deload or Not yet. Nothing is scheduled by the calendar; it responds to what your sets did. More in how to break a plateau.

• Where your squat is headed

  Give a program a finish line, like week 3 of 8, and see where the main lift is projected to land. Ask Coach to build the next block from your progress and it shows a preview first; nothing changes until you tap Apply changes.

  

• Plates worked out for you

  The plate calculator shows what goes on each side, on iPhone and on Apple Watch. On a heavy day you can run the whole session from your wrist, rest timer included.

  

A strength week on the Big 3 plan, set by set

Heavy day: the next set changes before you rest

Each day's main lift on the Big 3 plan below: squat on Day 1, bench on Day 2, deadlift on Day 3. All 3 to 5 reps, aiming for 4 with 2 left.

Exercise	You logged	Next session	Why
Barbell Back Squat	225 lb × 4, 3 left	230 lb × 4	One more rep left than planned. 225 × 36 ÷ 35 is about 231, rounded to 230.
Barbell Bench Press	185 lb × 3, 1 left	185 lb × 4	One short of the target but still inside 3 to 5, so the weight holds. You don't get cut for a hard set.
Barbell Deadlift	315 lb × 2, nothing left	280 lb × 4	Below the rep range with nothing left: 315 × 31 ÷ 35 is about 279, rounded to 280.

A bad set costs you one lighter set, not the session. The correction is marked as one, so the plan underneath stays intact.

Next week: what moves and what holds

Same plan, a week later. Your gym has 2.5 lb plates, so one barbell step is 5 lb.

Exercise	You logged	Next session	Why
Barbell Back Squat	230 lb, 5 / 5 / 5 / 5, 2 left	235 lb × 3–5	Every set hit the top of 3 to 5. One step up, and the rep target resets to 3.
Barbell Bench Press	185 lb, 5 / 5 / 4 / 4, 2 left	185 lb × 5	The weakest set made this session's target of 4, so the next target is 5 at the same weight.
Barbell Row	Set 1: 155 lb × 10, 4 left (target 10, 2 left)	Set 2: 165 lb	Two more left than planned: 155 × 43 ÷ 41 ≈ 163, rounded to 165.

The squat moves, the bench builds a rep, the row jumps before set 2. Each lift goes at its own speed.

Week 7: the deadlift stalls

Three deadlift sessions in a row with no new rep. The bench is still climbing.

Exercise	You logged	Next session	Why
Barbell Deadlift	335 lb, 4 / 3 / 3, three sessions running	Recap suggests 300 lb × 3–5	No new rep in three sessions. About 10% lighter, rounded to your plates. Choose Deload or Not yet.
Barbell Bench Press	195 lb, 5 / 5 / 5 / 5, 2 left	200 lb × 3–5	A stall on one lift changes nothing on the others. Top of the range on every set: one step up.

Accept the deload and the target goes back to 3 reps at 300 lb, then builds again. Say Not yet and nothing changes.

Strength plans that open in RIRLift

• The best workout routine for men, for your week

  Stronger squat, bench press and deadlift

  The plan the examples use: one day each for squat, bench and deadlift at 3 to 5 reps, with lighter work on the other lifts.

  3× a week · 49 sets a week · ~55 min

  Add to RIRLift

  Add to RIRLift

  Scan with your iPhone camera to add this plan.

  See the plan

• The best workout for full body, for your week

  Full gym, 3 days: heavy, moderate, light

  Three full-body days, one heavy, one moderate, one light. Strength and size from the same week.

  3× a week · 50 sets a week · ~45 min

  Add to RIRLift

  Add to RIRLift

  Scan with your iPhone camera to add this plan.

  See the plan

• The best workout for women, for your week

  4 days a week, upper/lower split

  Four days with a heavy lower and a heavy upper day, for lifters with a year or more behind them.

  4× a week · 59 sets a week · ~40 min

  Add to RIRLift

  Add to RIRLift

  Scan with your iPhone camera to add this plan.

  See the plan

Make it fit you

• Choose how fast the bar climbs

  Settings has three paces. Steady takes smaller, surer steps, Standard is plain double progression, and Push takes bigger jumps and waits longer before suggesting a step back.

• See next week's weights before they're saved

  Set Coach to Ask first and the recap shows next session's weights for you to confirm. Pro adds Fine-tune, where you set the biggest step allowed and how much a deload takes off.

• Set warm-ups on the main lifts

  Give the squat, bench and deadlift their warm-up sets in the routine. Warm-ups don't count toward progression, so ramping up never drags your numbers down. The warm-up calculator gives a ramp for any top weight.

• Rate effort the same way every time

  Your reps-left answer is compared with targets you judge the same way, so consistency matters more than precision. On heavy triples, 2 left means you could clearly do two more. The RIR guide has the feel of each number.

When a different app fits better

• You're peaking for a powerlifting meet. A meet-prep program fits that job better.
• You train by bar speed. A velocity-based training app is the better fit.

Questions

Read next

• The best workout routine for men, for your week

  The Big 3 strength plan in full, with every exercise demonstrated.

• How RIRLift picks your next weight

  Every rule behind the numbers in the examples above.

• Hypertrophy vs strength training: what actually differs

  Rep ranges, rest and load for each goal.

• Strength standards calculator

  See where your squat, bench and deadlift stand.

• Deadlift: how to set up, pull and program the barbell deadlift

  Setup and programming for the lift that stalls first.

More ways lifters use RIRLift

• The powerlifting app for building your squat, bench and deadlift

  Heavy triples adjusted set by set, plate math on your wrist, and no max test to get started.

• The progressive overload app that decides your next weight

  Next weight and rep target set from your weakest set, corrected between sets, with stalls caught early.

• The weightlifting app that knows what's on the bar

  Prefilled sets, plates worked out per side, and a next weight your plates can actually make.

• The workout app for men over 40 who still want to get stronger

  Back under the bar after years off? Light first weights, honest corrections on bad days, steady progress.

Every lifter and goal