Strong Lifts

What Strong Lifts does

Stronglifts (legal entity Stronglifts Limited) is a privately held, bootstrapped software company founded in May 2007 by Mehdi Hadim in Ghent, Belgium. It operates as a founder-led, near-single-employee business (1-10 headcount) that builds and maintains a freemium mobile fitness application for iOS and Android, centered on its proprietary 5x5 strength training methodology. The app guides users through compound barbell workouts (Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, Barbell Row, Overhead Press), automatically calculating working weights, plate loads, warmup sets, and rest intervals, while logging progression into e1RM and volume graphs.

The company's core technology is a native mobile application — not a generic tracker — with a domain-specialized 5x5 progressive-overload engine, an in-app plate and warmup calculator, Live Activities/Dynamic Island rest timers on iOS, a dedicated Apple Watch companion, and bidirectional sync with Apple Health, Health Connect, and (until mid-2025) Google Fit. A portfolio of structured programs (5x5, Plus, Ultra, Ultra Max, Intermediate, Lite, Mini, Madcow 5x5, Quarantine) addresses beginner through intermediate lifters, with user-created programs shareable via link across platforms.

Monetization is freemium: the app is free to download with core workout logging, while Stronglifts Pro is sold via in-app subscription at approximately $59.99/year, $11.99/month, a quarterly tier, and a one-time Lifetime license ($99.99+). Revenue is supplemented by a free daily email newsletter that drives funnel top engagement. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer through Apple's App Store and Google Play — there are no enterprise, reseller, or physical-retail channels. Scale signals include 5M+ app downloads, 30M+ workouts logged, 100k+ five-star reviews, and a 4.9 average rating, with the app featured in an Apple Super Bowl advertisement and endorsed by the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Name

Strong Lifts

Legal name

Stronglifts Limited

Website

https://stronglifts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stronglifts is a bootstrapped, founder-operated mobile app company offering a freemium 5x5 strength training platform for individual lifters on iOS and Android, monetizing through Pro subscriptions and a lifetime license.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fitness Mobile Applications

akta.pro primary industry

Strength & Conditioning Personal Training (HSADAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Functional Fitness & Mobility Training (HSADAAAD), Small-Group Personal Training (Semi-Private) (HSADAAAN)

Keywords

• Strength training programs
• Workout tracking app
• Progressive overload training
• Barbell training programs
• Fitness mobile application

Headquarters

HQ city

Us

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Freemium App with Pro Subscription: The Stronglifts mobile app is free to download with a limited free version. Users can upgrade to Stronglifts Pro via annual ($59.99/year), quarterly, or monthly ($11.99/month) subscriptions. A lifetime Pro license is available for a one-time fee (formerly $99.99+). Pro features include warmup calculator, plate calculator, assistance exercises, workout history, and customization. A 7-day free trial is offered for the yearly plan. Early Power Pack purchasers ($9.99, 2014-2018) receive 50% off their first year Pro subscription.
2. Newsletter / Email List: Daily email newsletter with training tips and advice. Free signup with no paywall mentioned. Supports community building and retention, though monetization details not explicitly stated.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stronglifts delivers automated strength training programs through a freemium mobile app (iOS/Android) and accompanying website ecosystem. The flagship Stronglifts 5x5 program and its variants (Plus, Ultra, Ultra Max, Intermediate, Lite, Mini, Madcow 5x5, Quarantine) guide users through compound barbell workouts with built-in plate calculation, rest timing, warmup generation, progressive overload automation, and progress tracking via estimated one-rep max (e1RM) graphs. Free downloadable spreadsheets supplement the app for users who prefer manual tracking.

Product overview

Strong Lifts offers a fitness training ecosystem centered on the Stronglifts 5x5 strength training methodology. The core offering consists of multiple structured training programs: Stronglifts 5x5 (flagship beginner program), Stronglifts 5x5 Plus, Ultra, Ultra Max, SL5x5 Intermediate, Lite, Mini, Madcow 5x5, and Quarantine (dumbbell-only). These programs are delivered through a mobile app (iOS/Android) that serves as the primary workout tracker and training assistant, supplemented by free downloadable spreadsheets. The app provides workout logging, plate calculators, rest timers, progress graphs, exercise videos, and program customization, with a freemium model (free core features + Pro subscription for advanced features).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stronglifts App Mobile fitness tracking app for iOS and Android that guides users through the Stronglifts strength training programs. Features include workout logging, weight plate calculator, rest timer with Live Activities/Dynamic Island, progress graphs with e1RM estimation, warmup calculator, exercise videos, program customization, and workout scheduling. Offered as a free version with core features and a Pro subscription with advanced features.
• Stronglifts 5x5 Flagship beginner strength training program featuring 5 sets of 5 reps on compound exercises (Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, Barbell Row, Overhead Press). Full body workouts 3x per week, designed for new and returning lifters seeking strength and muscle gains.
• Stronglifts 5x5 Plus Upper-body hypertrophy program focusing on chest, shoulders, back, arms, and abs. Intermediate-level program with upper body focus, performed 3x per week.
• Stronglifts 5x5 Ultra Upper/lower body split program with four short workouts per week combining strength and size training, suitable for beginner to intermediate lifters.
• Stronglifts 5x5 Ultra Max Extended version of the Ultra program offering more volume and training frequency for lifters seeking higher workloads.
• SL5x5 Intermediate Advanced progression of the beginner 5x5 program for intermediate lifters, focusing on strength and muscle building through full body workouts 3x per week.
• Stronglifts 5x5 Lite Low volume strength and muscle building program for users with limited time or recovery capacity, performed 2-3x per week with full body workouts.
• Stronglifts 5x5 Mini Short maintenance program for busy lifters to maintain strength and muscle gains with 1-3x per week frequency using full body workouts.
• Madcow 5x5 Classic heavy/light/medium training program for intermediate lifters seeking continued strength progression, performed 3x per week as full body workouts.
• Quarantine Workout Hotel gym workout for travelers or new lifters with only access to dumbbells. Dumbbell-only exercise program performed 3x per week as full body workouts.
• Stronglifts Spreadsheets Free downloadable spreadsheet bundle covering all Stronglifts programs (Stronglifts 5x5, Plus, Ultra, Ultra Max, Intermediate, Lite, Mini, Madcow 5x5, Quarantine) for users who prefer manual workout tracking without the app.

Quantifiable outcome

• Users report consistent strength gains within weeks of starting the program, with many reaching personal records on major lifts within 3-6 months of consistent training
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Apple (HealthKit / Apple Watch)coreTechnology or IntegrationStronglifts integrates with Apple Health on iOS for reading and writing workout data, body weight, calories, and health metrics. The dedicated Apple Watch app allows users to track workouts, view exercises, and control music directly from the watch face. Heart rate data is accessed from Apple Watch during workouts. Apple featured Stronglifts in a Super Bowl ad.
• Google (Health Connect / Google Fit)coreTechnology or IntegrationStronglifts integrates with Health Connect (Android) and Google Fit for syncing workouts, duration, calories burned, and body weight. Health Connect is the replacement for Google Fit (deprecated June 30, 2025). Stronglifts can read/write height and weight records, and write active calories burned to Health Connect.
• British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM)flagshipOthersClinicians in the British Journal of Sports Medicine recommended the Stronglifts app to promote resistance training for patients. BJSM is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by BMJ. This clinical endorsement provides significant credibility for the app's legitimacy and safety.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Strava: Dominant activity-tracking social network primarily for endurance; increasingly adding strength and gym tracking, making it a partial overlap for users wanting strength training logged alongside cardio in one ecosystem.
• Nike Training Club: Major-incumbent fitness app from Nike delivering guided strength, HIIT, yoga, and mobility workouts; competes for the same consumer training time and uses a freemium model backed by a global brand and deep marketing budget.

Direct peers

• FitNotes: Lightweight, offline workout-logging app for Android focused on tracking sets, reps, and weights; appeals to a similar minimalist barbell-training audience and competes on simplicity and cost.
• Fitbod: AI-driven strength training app that generates personalized workout plans based on prior performance and recovery; competes for the same strength training user with differentiated ML-driven personalization and subscription pricing.
• JEFIT: Long-running strength training and workout tracker with a large exercise library, pre-built routines, and community features; targets the same beginner-to-intermediate lifter cohort with freemium and Pro subscription tiers.
• Strong Workout Tracker: Direct competitor providing a workout-logging and training app for iOS and Android with similar progressive-overload strength training features; targets the same barbell and hypertrophy user base and uses a comparable freemium subscription model.
• Hevy Workout Planner: Mobile-first strength-training tracker focused on routines, progress photos, and social follow features; competes head-on with Stronglifts for lifters who want a free or low-cost workout logger on iOS/Android.

Emerging players

• Future: Personal-training app pairing users with remote coaches who build and adjust strength training programs; competes for premium-paying strength training users willing to pay substantially more than Stronglifts Pro for human coaching.
• Freeletics: AI-coached bodyweight and strength training app with strong European brand presence; overlaps with Stronglifts on strength programming but emphasizes HIIT and bodyweight as well as barbell work.
• Tonal: Connected strength-training hardware and software platform offering AI-personalized workouts; adjacent rather than directly substitutable, but targets the same premium strength-training user profile and partnership channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stronglifts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stronglifts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Strong Lifts