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Centr Team

How to find the best muscle-building app for you

Centr Team

We hate to break it to you, but the muscle-building journey isn’t easy. It’s not as simple as getting a gym membership and slamming protein shakes – ensuring you have proper nutrition, a solid workout program and correct lifting technique are just a few necessities when it comes to building muscle.

But good news, there’s a way to simplify all that – using a fitness app. Think of a good fitness app as a coach or guide – someone who has your back, provides you a tailored workout and nutrition plan and celebrates your wins, no matter how big or small.

Interested in finding out what makes the best fitness app to gain muscle? Read on to find out everything you need to know about choosing the right muscle-building workout app for you.

How can a fitness app help my muscle-building journey?

Think of everything that goes into building serious muscle: protein timing, good lifting form, knowing when to load up or deload…

A quality fitness app will support your muscle-building journey from go to woah – placing a world of expertise in the palm of your hand.

A fitness app:

  • Can help you set goals and stay on target

  • Keeps you motivated

  • Helps you get started and level up

  • Is convenient: there’s no need for a personal trainer or coach

  • Is low cost (especially when compared to paying a personal trainer)

What does the best muscle-building app look like?

Whether it’s building muscle or losing weight, many fitness apps will promise you the world when it comes to results. But what features do you actually need?

We suggest going beyond the big promises and beefy bods and looking out for:

  • An app that delivers workouts designed to help you reach your individual fitness goal. That could be a general goal to increase strength and lean muscle, or more specific like bulking, muscle maintenance or shredding.

  • A variety of training styles – a V-shaped torso and thumping quads may be your focus right now, but your goals can change over time!

  • Workouts that cater to your level of experience. Building muscle as a beginner can be a very different experience from an advanced lifter, but you won’t be a beginner forever. So does the app offer beginner and more advanced workouts, allowing you to progress? Does it provide technique tutorials and videos demonstrating proper form?

  • Workouts that suit your equipment checklist. Does the app offer low or no-equipment workouts for home, as well as full gym sessions? Can you filter to find workouts that use the equipment you have? It’s no use signing up for an app that only offers cable machine workouts if you’re training at home with dumbbells and a bench.

  • Workout formats tailored to your workout space. A good muscle-building app factors in how you train at the gym versus at home. When you’re in the gym, it’s convenient to perform a workout exercise by exercise (and machine by machine) at your own pace, checking the video for form. Alternatively, the best apps to gain muscle from home will often allow you to cast the workout to your TV and get coached by a trainer in real time.

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Whether you’re at home, in the gym or on the move, Chris Hemsworth’s team of trainers will help you take your gains to the next level.

  • An app that has your nutrition needs covered, too. Whether you’re bulking or cutting, nutrition is absolutely key. But figuring out how many calories to add or which supplements you really need can be overwhelming. Be on the lookout for science-backed nutrition advice, meal plans that are customizable for your goal, quick and easy recipes, and handy features (like an inbuilt shopping list) that will take the hassle out of eating for your goal.

  • Tools that help you build good habits, such as a daily planner that lays out your targeted workouts and rest days for the week ahead. Life is always throwing up obstacles, so you want to make it as easy as possible for yourself to stick to a routine.

  • A 24/7 support network to answer those eternal questions (like “what’s a dumbbell alternative for cable flys?”), hold you accountable and keep your motivation levels high. We don’t like to brag, but our Centr community – an exclusive global Facebook group of like-minded members – is pretty amazing.

  • An app that trains your mind as well as your body. Keep an eye out for tools to help you reduce stress (it’s a major muscle killer), or pre-workout fire-ups to get you hyped to bring your best.
  • On the other side of the equation, you should also keep watch for get-ripped-quick claims. If a fitness app is guaranteeing you six-pack abs, or touting an all cabbage-soup shred, it’s probably too good to be true.

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Workouts, recipes, meditations and more – find it all on the Centr app.

How to choose the right fitness app for you

You’re here because you want to build muscle. But are you bulking, going for the lean athletic look, or is functional strength more your thing?

Now you know the features you should be looking for in a quality fitness app, it’s time to drill down on what’s important to you.

1. Define your goals
What do you want to achieve? Do you want to achieve your goal within a certain timeframe? Maybe you’re prepping for football season or you’ve just been cast as a superhero in a movie. Hey, it could happen! If you’re not exactly sure what your goal is – you just know you want to get stronger and feel better – the Centr onboarding journey will lead you through it (and if your priorities shift, you can change your goals at any time).

Need some more help setting health and fitness goals? We’ve got you. Find the purpose you need to carry it through by setting smart goals. And forget those New Year’s resolutions you’ll have given up on by February: try these habit hacks instead.

2. Consider your budget
You want results, but you also need to watch your bank balance. We hear that! Once you’ve compared prices, remember to take into account any potential added expenses – for instance, will that app require you to invest in new equipment?

Also, consider which payment intervals work for you: are you better able to pay month by month, commit to quarterly payments, or save by paying for a full year in advance?

Don’t forget that investing in your health and fitness can have long-term benefits, including for your wallet. Many Centr members have come to us with concerns such as high blood pressure or lower back pain, then gone on to receive a clean bill of health from their doctor.

So think about what that good health and functional strength is worth to you – you may find cutting back on takeout lunches or one of a multitude of streaming services isn’t such a sacrifice.

3. Read online reviews
Check the ratings in the app store, or what users are saying on review sites that you trust. Also look out for recommendations from leading sports and fitness publications, such as Men’s Health and Sports Illustrated, or tech sites such as CNET.

4. Take advantage of a free trial
After you’ve done all the research, there’s only one more thing to do: try the fitness app for yourself with a free trial. Maybe a friend mentioned a workout program like Centr Power at Home and you think it sounds perfect for your goals. Use the 7-day free trial with Centr to get in there and crush the first week of workouts.

If you love it, you can commit and take it all the way. If you’re not sure, you can cancel any time before the free trial is up without being charged.

Just want to try a workout now? Get a taste of shredding at home with this upper-body session from Power Shred at Home. Or crush a quick ab burner with Luke Zocchi’s 28 Days of Core session.

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Bobby Holland Hanton’s Centr Power transformation has us in awe.

What results can you get using the Centr app?

There’s no better recommendation for a fitness app than seeing how real people have used it to get real results.

Maybe you’re a busy single mother who wants to be strong enough to face all the challenges in life. Maybe you’re a big guy who feels clueless about nutrition and exercise.

Or maybe, like Mark, you just want to feel like a real-life superhero.

At the start, Mark described himself as “unmotivated and unathletic.” That all changed the day his son asked him to dress up as Thor for Halloween. “I figured, ‘If I’m gonna dress like Thor, I better look like Thor,’” he says. “I stumbled upon Centr during that time and thought, ‘What better way than to use his program with his trainers?’”

He jumped straight into Centr Power, and over 18 months, dropped more than 25 lbs (11 kg) and packed on lean muscle.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. While the training pushed him, the nutrition side hit even harder. “The workouts are tough, but the biggest challenge was being able to eat the amount of food that is required to gain that level of muscle,” he admits. “One of the best things that Centr provides is Super Smoothies – such a good way to get the calories in without feeling like I was constantly eating.”

And when things got rough, Mark always remembered to lean on his support system. “There were times it felt too tough to continue. It got rough and I didn’t feel like getting up and doing it,” he explains.

“But my wife would help me with meal prep and spot me during my workouts. And my son would be there, pushing me to be better. They kept me focused on the goal. I could not have done this without them by my side. They’ve been my rock.”

Now? Mark has gone from unmotivated to unstoppable. “Centr helped me discover that there is a superhero in all of us – you’ve just got to find it.”

He’s not the only member to have made incredible gains with Centr Power. Discover more member stories and discover what you could achieve.

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Are you ready to gain serious muscle and size? Head to centr.com to start your 7-day free trial today.

Your muscle-building and fitness app FAQ

Still have questions about finding the best fitness app for your muscle-building goals? Consider us your personal spotter – we’ve answered some of the most common questions for you here.

1. Which type of workout is best for muscle gain?
While we’d love to tell you there was a quick and easy way to stack on gains, the reality is that gaining significant muscle mass takes determination, focus and patience. As well as nailing your nutrition, you want to make sure your training is on point for the end results you want.

You probably already know that strength training in the form of lifting weights is the most efficient way to build muscle mass through exercise.

But there’s a catch. Your body adapts to exercise quickly, so to continue gaining mass you need a muscle-building program that uses progressive overload. What’s that? Progressive overload is upping the intensity of your training so that your body is forced to adapt and get stronger. This is the approach Centr Power uses, week by week increasing the weight you lift, increasing reps and sets, and continually challenging your muscles to spur growth.

The kinds of exercises you use are important too. If you want to build muscle, your training program should prioritize compound or multi-joint movements.

To learn more, here’s everything you need to know about building muscle mass.

2. What is the best way to track muscle gain?

Tracking your weights and the number of reps and sets you do in each workout is a great idea – which you can do in the Centr app – and lets you track your progress week by week.

Logging your weights is a great way to measure your strength gains. To track your physical and aesthetic gains, we recommend taking photos in a similar position at certain intervals throughout your training program.

It’s also a good idea to take tape measurements of key areas of the body – such as your chest and biceps – at the start of your journey and intervals throughout.

Some gyms also offer body scans for detailed body composition breakdowns. This can be expensive, but provide a detailed insight into how you’re increasing muscle mass or decreasing body fat percentage.

3. Is training 3 days per week enough to build muscle?
Yes, you can train three days a week and achieve results. However, if three days is all you can give to your training, it’s essential that you maximize your workout efficiency by doing big compound movements that work multiple muscle groups at once.

Don’t forget that nutrition also plays a huge role in determining your results. If you’re not eating enough of a calorie surplus, or you’re under-fueling, you will struggle to get the results you’re looking for. More on that below.

4. How do you bulk up quickly?
We’ve already mentioned focusing on compound exercises to get maximum bang for your workout buck. The other essential element of bulking is what’s on your plate.

Take it from Chris Hemsworth’s personal trainer, Luke Zocchi: “Just like you go to the gym every day and monitor your form, you need to stay on top of your nutrition and monitor your outcomes.”

Any meal plan or diet to gain weight and muscle should include a range of healthy whole foods, with plenty of protein to aid muscle growth and colorful veggies for nutrients and fiber. For Chris and Luke, a regular meal will have a macro breakdown of around 30-40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fat.

For the full lowdown check out what to eat to gain muscle mass.

5. Do fitness apps really work?
Yes, by choosing a quality fitness app best suited to your goals, you can achieve the results and gains you’re looking for. But just like that gym membership you shelled out for but never used, you need to turn up for yourself!

Fortunately, having the tools you need in the palm of your hand removes a lot of the obstacles to working on your health and fitness. Can’t get to the gym? Jump onto the Centr app for a no-equipment home workout. Not enough time for a full session? We’ve got 5, 7 or 10-minute workouts too.

To set yourself up for success, we recommend following Centr expert Da Rulk’s three rules for motivation.

  • Purpose: “You need conviction and purpose to carry it through,” says Rulk. Your purpose is not just your goal, but also your why. That ‘why’ will help you power through.
  • Discipline: For Rulk, discipline is the will to “do it day in, day out, even if you feel like not staying with it”.
  • Perseverance: As Rulk says, this is the act of “applying discipline over time, over and over and over again ’til you reach your goal”. If you fall down, get back up. If you can’t do it, practice and try again. If the road to your goal seems long, take it one step at a time.

Remember to be realistic with your goals. You’re not going to achieve a Thor-like body overnight – but by following Da Rulk’s rules, you will get there.

If you have been inactive for some time, also know that the first week might feel like a struggle. But remember, every little bit of movement helps. “I want you to understand that you can do it,” says Rulk. “There are guys that are stronger than me, guys that are faster than me, but it's that ability to stick to it (that helps me succeed).”

6. How many times a week should I work out?
Short answer: there is no set amount of workouts you should be completing each week. It all depends on your schedule and your current level of fitness.

If you’re struggling to find time to work out, find a routine that allows you to be consistent – you may find you need to sacrifice time elsewhere. Most importantly, this routine has to work for you. If you’re burning the candle at both ends, your motivation is not going to last.

If you’re new to working out, you’ll likely require more rest days than someone who has been training for several years. The Centr Power in Gym program includes 3 muscle-building workouts per week for beginner lifters, 4 for intermediate, and 5 for advanced lifters. This allows extra recovery time for new lifters, who are likely to experience more DOMS.

After deciding on your workout schedule, you should consider implementing a recovery routine. This allows your body time to rebuild and repair, so you can better track the results you’re looking for.

7. How long should my workout go for?
Once again, there isn’t a specific time you should work out for – it depends on the type of training you’re doing and your goals. But here’s a tip: you don’t need to spend countless hours in the gym to get real results.

Luke Zocchi’s entire training philosophy is built around short, effective, high-intensity workouts. And research has shown that even seven minutes of exercise can help improve strength and endurance. Trust us on this one – if you’ve got seven minutes (and a pair of dumbbells handy), why not try the first workout from our 28 Days of Arms program?

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