I have always struggled to find motivation and direction with gym workouts, normally choosing to tag along with a more experienced friend. This app changed everything for me. 

The first time I ever stepped foot in a gym was age 25, and after a small amount of coaching from colleagues I began a messy and ineffective regime that continued for roughly 5 years.

I began at 70kg bodyweight, struggling to Squat 60kg, Bench-press 50kg and was too scared to attempt deadlift. My daily workout was essentially picking exercises based around which body part didn't ache that day and which exercise I enjoyed doing most.

This resulted (not surprisingly) in my body having a huge imbalance. After 5 years of being that guy that skipped leg day, I was bench pressing 70kg but only squatting 80kg. Upon realising this I knew I had to make a change, thankfully StrongLifts is highly recommended in the weightlifting world and it didn't take long for me to find enough good reviews to try it myself.

The regime is simple. You work out every other day and there are only two alternating work-outs comprising of 3 exercises, squats being on both days. The app contains videos of how to perform said exercises, and allows you to log your 5 sets of 5 reps with a single tap, and even starts a timer letting you know when to start your next set.

After less than a year of using StrongLifts I had squatted 110kg for the first time in my life and even though I was benching half as often pre-StrongLifts I was surprised to find that continued to increase too! 

Once I had hit that personal best a downside of working out alone became apparent.

1. I had to be very careful when attempting bench press personal best attempts. If rep 4 was a struggle I would stop there, as rep 5 would more than likely result in me trapped under the bar. (It happened once, and will only every happen once).

2. A high amount of honesty with yourself is needed when logging squat reps. If you've managed to lift the weight but with terrible form, it does not count. If you're successful with all 5 sets, the next workout increases by 2.5kg, and if the last set was with questionable form, increasing the weight is only going to make it worse.

So going into the new year I have a decision to make. While I feel as if I've plateaued, I can't deny that with this handy app I've made more progress in one year than five years by myself. With this in mind I look forward to hopefully breaking 110kg and watching my other lifts improve too.