By Will Duru, BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, Award-winning Personal Trainer with over 10 years of experience in strength training
The Gym Is Hard Enough Without Having to Design Every Workout
Most beginners do not fail because they are lazy. They fail because every session starts with too many decisions.
You need to choose exercises, remember your last weight, understand sets and repetitions, find alternatives when equipment is busy and work out whether you are improving. A basic workout logger records what happened. It does not always tell you what to do next.
The right strength training app should reduce that confusion. Open it, see your plan, watch the exercise, complete the session and return with a clear target next time.
Our Best Strength Training App for Beginners: 12REPS
12REPS is the best overall choice for beginners who want structured strength programmes, clear exercise videos, custom workout tools and progress tracking in one place.
It is built for people who want to become stronger without spending their gym session searching YouTube, writing notes or guessing which exercise comes next.
What Beginners Actually Need From a Workout App
- A programme that tells you what to train on each day.
- Video demonstrations that make unfamiliar exercises easier to understand.
- Simple tracking for sets, repetitions and weight.
- Previous performance visible before the next session.
- Exercise filters based on your muscles and available equipment.
- Alternatives when a machine is busy or you train at home.
- A clear progression system that does not change the workout every day.
- An interface that helps you start quickly rather than adding more decisions.
Why 12REPS Is the Strongest Beginner Option
- Trainer-built programmes give you structure from the first workout.
- The exercise library covers bodyweight, cables, dumbbells, kettlebells, machines and free weights.
- Short exercise videos help you check the movement before you begin.
- Muscle and equipment filters make exercise selection faster.
- Custom workout building gives you more control as your confidence grows.
- Workout history supports progressive overload instead of relying on memory.
- Gym and home options help you keep training when your routine changes.
12REPS Compared With Other Beginner Workout Apps
App | Best for | Programmes | Exercise videos | Progress tracking | Beginner limitation |
12REPS | Best overall beginner strength app | Trainer-built plans | Large strength library | Sets, reps, weight and history | Focused on strength rather than broad wellness |
Strong | Fast workout logging | Mostly self-built | Limited guidance | Detailed logs and charts | You need to know what programme to follow |
Hevy | Social logging and community | Mostly self-built | Exercise demonstrations | Strong logging | Less programme guidance for a complete beginner |
Fitbod | Automated workout suggestions | Generated sessions | Exercise demonstrations | Tracks history | Daily variation can feel less structured |
JEFIT | Large database and detailed planning | Built-in and community plans | Large database | Detailed analytics | The interface may feel busy |
What Changes When Your App Gives You a Plan
You stop walking around the gym looking for an available machine. You stop rebuilding the workout every week. You know what you lifted last time and what you are trying to improve today.
That matters because consistency becomes easier when the next action is clear. The app does not need to create motivation. It needs to remove the friction that drains it.
40 Beginner-Friendly Exercises From the 12REPS Library
The linked exercise names below take you to the matching 12REPS exercise guide. The table mixes bodyweight, cable and strength exercises so you can train at home or in a gym. Start with a weight that leaves two or three good repetitions in reserve.
Exercise | Type | Main muscles | Sets | Reps | Best use |
Bodyweight | Chest, triceps, core | 3 | 6-12 | Push workout | |
Bodyweight | Triceps, chest | 3 | 8-15 | Upper-body accessory | |
Bodyweight | Quads, glutes | 3 | 8-12 each leg | Single-leg strength | |
Bodyweight | Glutes | 3 | 12-20 | Glute training | |
Bodyweight | Legs, power | 3 | 5-10 | Power finisher | |
Bodyweight | Mid-section | 3 | 20-45 sec | Core stability | |
Bodyweight | Core, glutes, back | 3 | 8-12 each side | Warm-up or core | |
Bodyweight | Core, shoulders | 3 | 20-40 total | Conditioning | |
Bodyweight | Abdominals | 3 | 8-15 | Core progression | |
Bodyweight | Back, biceps | 3 | 8-15 | Pull workout | |
Cable | Chest, triceps | 3 | 8-12 | Main push exercise | |
Cable | Lats, upper back | 3 | 8-12 | Main pull exercise | |
Cable | Mid-back | 3 | 8-12 | Horizontal pull | |
Cable | Back, rear shoulders | 3 | 10-15 | Back accessory | |
Cable | Rear shoulders, upper back | 3 | 12-20 | Posture and shoulders | |
Cable | Biceps | 3 | 10-15 | Arm workout | |
Cable | Triceps | 3 | 10-15 | Arm workout | |
Cable | Quads, glutes | 3 | 8-12 | Squat pattern | |
Cable | Hamstrings, glutes | 3 | 8-12 | Hip hinge | |
Cable | Quads, glutes | 3 | 8-12 each leg | Single-leg strength | |
Cable | Glutes | 3 | 12-15 each leg | Glute accessory | |
Cable | Lats | 3 | 10-15 | Back accessory | |
Free weight | Upper chest, shoulders | 3 | 8-12 | Main push exercise | |
Free weight | Triceps, chest | 3 | 8-12 | Pressing accessory | |
Free weight | Chest | 3 | 10-15 | Chest accessory | |
Free weight | Upper back | 3 | 8-12 | Supported pull | |
Free weight | Shoulders, triceps | 3 | 8-12 | Shoulder workout | |
Free weight | Side shoulders | 3 | 12-15 | Shoulder accessory | |
Free weight | Quads, glutes | 3 | 8-15 | Beginner squat | |
Free weight | Biceps | 3 | 8-12 | Arm strength | |
Free weight | Triceps | 3 | 8-12 | Triceps strength | |
Kettlebell | Biceps, grip | 3 | 10-15 | Arm accessory | |
Kettlebell | Grip, core, full body | 4 | 20-40 metres | Loaded carry | |
TRX/Kettlebell | Legs, glutes, balance | 3 | 8-10 each leg | Supported lunge | |
TRX | Legs, back, core | 3 | 10-15 | Full-body workout | |
Conditioning | Full body | 4 | 20-30 sec | Workout finisher | |
Machine | Calves | 3 | 12-20 | Lower-body accessory | |
Bodyweight | Abdominals, hip flexors | 3 | 8-15 | Advanced core | |
Bodyweight | Glutes | 3 | 15-30 | Glute finisher | |
Bodyweight | Triceps, chest | 3 | 6-12 | Upper-body compound |
A Simple Three-Day Beginner Plan Using the Library
Day One: Full Body A
Goblet squat, cable chest press, lat pulldown, Romanian deadlift, biceps curl and plank. Complete three sets of each movement. Use 8 to 12 repetitions for the main strength exercises and 12 to 15 for smaller accessory exercises.
Day Two: Full Body B
Reverse lunge, dumbbell incline press, cable back row, hip thrust, triceps extension and bird dog. Complete three sets of each movement. Use 8 to 12 repetitions for the main strength exercises and 12 to 15 for smaller accessory exercises.
Day Three: Full Body C
Cable front squat, ring row, shoulder press, cable glute kickback, lateral raise and mountain climbers. Complete three sets of each movement. Use 8 to 12 repetitions for the main strength exercises and 12 to 15 for smaller accessory exercises.
How to Know When to Increase the Weight
Start near the bottom of the repetition range. When you can complete the top number of repetitions across every set with controlled technique, increase the weight by the smallest available amount during your next workout.
Who Should Choose 12REPS?
- You are new to strength training and want a clear weekly structure.
- You need exercise videos because gym equipment feels unfamiliar.
- You want to train at home and in the gym using the same app.
- You want to track progress without building a spreadsheet.
- You have quit fitness apps before because they felt confusing.
- You want custom workouts later, but you need guidance now.
Download the App That Removes the Guesswork
A beginner does not need more exercises saved on social media. You need the right exercise, in the right place, with a clear target and a record of what happened last time.
12REPS gives you a plan to follow today and the tools to become more independent as you grow stronger. That is why it is our best strength training app for beginners in 2026.
Start with structure. Build confidence. Track every rep.
Explore the 12REPS strength training exercise library before your next session.
About PT Will Duru
Will Duru is a personal trainer with more than a decade of experience and a Sport and Exercise Science BSc (Hons). He created 12REPS to help beginners follow structured strength training without wasting time guessing in the gym. Learn more at PTWill.com.
Will has been featured in Men’s Health, The Times, The Telegraph, The Sun and Men’s Fitness.
References
- Schoenfeld, B.J. et al. (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28834797/
- Schoenfeld, B.J. et al. (2016). Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy. Sports Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27102172/
- Krzysztofik, M. et al. (2019). Maximising Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31817252/
