Caliber Health App Evaluation (2024)

Like different aspects of health, private coaching has gone digital, too. There’s no scarcity of on-line private trainers accessible — together with the Caliber Health App — that hold your instruction and exercise steerage inside arm’s attain. Plus, these apps will be nice for holding teaching prices decrease than the in-person different — research present the common price of an in-person coach ranges between $25 and $100 hourly. (1) Of the finest on-line private trainers providing digital teaching, Caliber sits close to the highest of many leaderboards (together with our personal).

Caliber’s on-line teaching platform pairs you with a licensed private coach that can curate a well-rounded routine based mostly in your health targets, coaching expertise, and accessible gear. The app primarily focuses on energy coaching, notably progressive overload — probably the greatest coaching strategies for muscle progress and development. (2) With plans beginning at $200 month-to-month, although, this service doesn’t come low-cost. Nonetheless, we consider this to be probably the greatest health apps providing up private coaching assist wherever, anytime.

Caliber

With two teaching subscriptions to select from (one group oriented and one individualized), Caliber will be a superb software for guiding your health journey. The prescribed exercises will be tailor-made to your accessible gear, and also you’re in fixed communication along with your private coach via the app’s chat characteristic and video name capabilities.

Fundamental Takeaways

• Caliber’s licensed private trainers allow you to craft coaching regimens based mostly in your targets and accessible gear with an emphasis on progressive overload. (2)
• This health app platform is accessible on each iOS and Android, that means you don’t want a particular telephone or smartwatch to reap its advantages.
• The app additionally affords a free model of the app that offers you entry to the exercise library together with a handy platform for logging your classes by yourself.

A exercise app that prices $200 per 30 days? We really feel the sticker shock, too, however our tester, a licensed private coach, believes there’s ample worth in investing in Caliber. 

After downloading the Caliber app, you’re taken via a guided setup course of that features a thorough questionnaire that inquires about your present health degree, expertise in energy coaching, accessible gear, and extra. As soon as your questions have been submitted, you’re matched with a coach for a fast, introductory one-on-one. Whereas easy, this course of does require your full consideration, so we rated the platform a 4 out of 5 for ease of use.

The expertise doesn’t finish after this preliminary name, although. Along with your personalized exercise routine, you’re additionally given written and video directions for each prescribed train. Your coach can be lots reachable via the in-app messaging characteristic. You too can document your self throughout classes inside the app itself and ship the video information to your private coach for any ideas or help on type — a welcome characteristic, in accordance with our tester.

“I like the way you don’t should document your reps in your common telephone digital camera the place it goes to digital camera roll,” they stated, chatting with the video type correction characteristic. “After my movies had been despatched, my coach offered near-instant suggestions, which helped in holding me on the ball with each exercise.”

At its roots, Caliber is predicated on boosting your efficiency in energy coaching via progressive overload. This methodology of resistance coaching, in accordance with research, can complement enhanced muscle progress and efficiency over different methodologies. (2) Our tester additionally famous that the applications don’t embrace a bevy of intricate or difficult actions. As a substitute, emphasis is positioned on just a few workouts — and getting you nearer to mastery.

This concentrate on energy coaching additionally doesn’t imply you want a plethora of residence health club necessities on the able to make the most of the health app. Whereas having a barbell, free weights, and dumbbells at your disposal is good, Caliber’s roster of certified coaches are greater than able to curating a routine of body weight actions, too. This health app does have its limits in different disciplines, although — we had been hard-pressed to seek out many cardio-forward exercises, so we rated the app a 4 out of 5 for exercise selection.

Your prescribed coach — and the interactions you could have with them — isn’t restricted to simply coaching subjects, both. In accordance with our tester, a licensed diet coach, your private coach may allow you to nail down your well being and wellness targets associated to sleep, hydration, diet, and mobility.

It needs to be famous, although, that Caliber coaches are licensed diet coaches — not registered dietitians. Which means that whereas coaches can’t prescribe individualistic weight loss program plans or suggestions based mostly in your well being data, they will nonetheless present extra generalized recommendation referring to your targets and dietary wants.

Execs

• You’re matched with a certified private coach that builds a customized exercise plan aligned to your targets and accessible gear.
• Our tester stated their coach was fast to reply to questions, and the weekly video check-ins had been useful for making changes.
• Your assigned private coach may present ideas and steerage for diet, hydration, sleep, and mobility.

Cons

• In accordance with our tester, importing movies for type correction will be fairly the trouble.
• The app’s primary focus lies in energy coaching. These in search of a extra cardio-focused routine could really feel underserved.
• Private trainers are licensed diet coaches, not registered dietitians. Which means that any dietary steerage is extra common than personalised to your particular well being wants.

Utilizing the Caliber Health App

We’ve had hands-on expertise with the Caliber Health App for months now and have had an total optimistic expertise with the platform. For the sake of this assessment, our time has been targeted on the “Premium” model of the service, which grants you entry to one-on-one private coaching (albeit, for $200 month-to-month and past). 

We do, nonetheless, acknowledge and reward the truth that Caliber additionally affords a free-forever model of the app that delivers exercise logging and train instruction, in addition to a group health “Professional” possibility for $19 month-to-month for group-oriented, class-like instruction.

[Related: Want To Find the Right Personal Trainer? Here’s How]

By way of the non-public coaching “Premium” model of the app, we’ve skilled a number of positives in the case of the platform. From the built-in metrics designed to maintain you motivated all through classes to the detailed instruction and weekly check-ins, right here’s among the finest perks we skilled throughout our time with the Caliber Health App.

Energy Rating And Energy Stability

One space the place our tester appreciated the Caliber app over different digital coaching applications was in its multilayered strategy to progress monitoring. You continue to log your reps and units as you’ll in a standard coaching journal, however the app additionally has two algorithmic measurements as nicely — energy rating and energy steadiness.

In accordance with our tester, energy steadiness is the extra attention-grabbing metric of the 2. Energy steadiness works by illustrating how developed your main muscle teams are when in comparison with each other, proven as a proportion.

“For instance, my energy steadiness reveals that my decrease physique muscle mass are extra developed than my higher physique,” notes our tester. “I actually like this metric for rookies, because it paints a superb image of your potential weaknesses and the place you ought to be focusing your coaching.”

Energy rating, alternatively, is extra so tied to particular person workouts. For those who’re actually making strides within the bench press, for instance, that might be indicated with a progressing energy rating all through your exercise historical past. Our tester states, although, that not each train tracks your energy rating, and there’s no rhyme or purpose that they’ve discovered as to which actions log this statistic.

Scheduled Caliber Coach Test-ins

One other part that the Caliber app drives residence lies in accountability, which we rated at 5 out of 5. Admittedly, the expertise is completely different than that of an in-person private coach, which our tester particularly observed whereas making an attempt to add movies for type correction — you may solely add one video at a time, which makes the method a bit of extra laborious than vital. Nonetheless, although, they stated that they all the time felt motivated to remain according to their exercises day in and day trip.

“I actually like how Caliber integrates with the Apple Watch,” says our tester. “This provides your coach a greater glimpse into your exercise ranges exterior of the prescribed exercises. For those who go on a night stroll, for instance, they will observe that as they compile and curate your subsequent routine.”

[Related: The Best Fitness Trackers For Heart Rate, Sleep Quality, and More]

Along with the tracked exercises and actions, you can even count on scheduled weekly check-ins out of your prescribed private coach. This was a favourite characteristic of our tester, as a result of it takes the pressure out of making an attempt to plan a sit-down along with your coach.

“My coach would document movies and ship them to me via the chat perform,” they stated. “The content material would define my week’s progress, supply up recommendation and ideas the place vital, and lay out new coaching targets based mostly on my progress. It’s very thorough.”

A number of Types of Instruction

We additionally discovered no scarcity of knowledge in the case of studying the workouts inside the Caliber app. In accordance with our tester, the platform boasts over 500 workouts in its library of actions, and the roster is alphabetized and searchable for simpler instruction mid-session. “I actually loved how you would filter by muscle teams labored and gear necessities,” says our tester. “It actually made discovering the suitable information much less of a ache.”

In concept, although, you don’t want to fret about looking via the library with a “Premium” plan, since your exercises are pre-built and arranged as a template due to your private coach. When our tester would begin a exercise, they merely tapped on a listed train and commenced logging their reps and units.

When you’ve got a query a couple of sure train, you may learn via the directions to get a deal with on the transfer itself. There’s additionally an accompanying video tutorial explaining the train, which could be a particular perk for visible learners. You even have entry to your health coach via the app’s messaging characteristic for close to real-time suggestions, so there’s no excuse to undergo a coaching session with questions. For these causes, we give Caliber a 5 out of 5 in the case of instruction.

What to Take into account Earlier than Downloading the Caliber Health App

A subscription to Caliber’s “Premium” private coaching app begins at $200, making it way more of an funding than among the different finest health apps available on the market — and why we fee it at 3.5 out of 5 for value. Sometimes, exercise apps can vary wherever from $0 to $100 month-to-month.

As such, we suggest taking a look at your finances at first earlier than entertaining the notion of downloading Caliber. There are additionally different elements to contemplate earlier than clicking via your respective app retailer — we’ve outlined them under.

Health Objectives

As with all exercise service, you’ll wish to be sure that the platform is aligned to your private coaching targets. Whether or not you wish to construct muscle, shed some pounds, or simply desire a extra handy option to monitor your progress, make it possible for the app you select is able to delivering the products.

By way of Caliber, we’ve famous its emphasis on energy coaching. Whereas the app does supply recommendation on mobility and different wellness classes, its major focus is in weightlifting and resistance coaching workouts. So, we wouldn’t suggest this platform for cardio athletes or yogis.

Accessible Tools

You may’t count on to log a bench press or again squat in the event you don’t have entry to a bench or rack, proper? So, make sure you take note of which gear you could have accessible to you earlier than diving right into a prescribed coaching program. Caliber’s licensed private trainers are able to crafting bodyweight-specific exercises in the event you’re restricted on gear, which is why we fee the app at 4 out of 5 for required gear. Different strength-specific companies could require you to have an abundance of free weights, racks, benches, and extra from the beginning.

Nonetheless, Caliber’s primary focus lies in energy coaching and the model states that almost all of its customers are members of a devoted coaching middle. So, we suggest having no less than just a few necessities on the prepared to offer you a greater shot at progress — and fewer complications to your private coach. You don’t want to interrupt the financial institution, both, due to the abundance of budget-friendly health gear available on the market in at this time’s day and age.

[Related: The 12 Best Budget Home Gym Equipment of 2024]

Coaching Preferences

For those who’re a newbie athlete or need some steerage all through your exercises, signing up for a private coach could be a worthwhile endeavor. We suggest Caliber, too, as a result of whereas the $200 month-to-month subscription is larger than different apps, it’s nonetheless a less expensive resolution than the common in-person teaching prices, which vary from $25 to $100 hourly. (1)

In fact, private coaching isn’t for everybody. Some athletes could really feel like the recommendation isn’t vital for them to generate optimistic ends in coaching. Fortunately, Caliber additionally affords a “Professional” group-oriented plan that creates a class-like construction in every session, providing up a exercise plan that’s extra generalized to the group so everyone seems to be finishing the identical workouts. The recommendation isn’t personalised, however it will possibly nonetheless be a serving to assist system.

There’s additionally a free-forever model that includes a streamlined exercise logging system in addition to instruction on the over 500 workouts within the library. This model of the app can be good for athletes that know precisely how they’d prefer to construction their coaching plan, or those who don’t desire the help given by a private coach.

Caliber Vs. Different Fashionable Health Apps

With health constantly transferring via the digital age, it’s simple to substantiate that Caliber isn’t the only real exercise app providing private coaching. A number of platforms supply an analogous expertise at comparable value factors, so it will possibly assist to go searching when deciding on an app that matches your wants.

We’ve checked out three comparable apps to Caliber — Future, Juggernaut AI, and Robust. These apps all focus primarily on energy coaching, to some extent, and carry differing subscription prices and methodologies.

One of many greatest opponents to Caliber is Future. Each supply personalized private coaching experiences that see you matched with a coach of your selecting. Moreover, each platforms price roughly the identical, with $199 and $200 charges for Future and Caliber, respectively. We’ve had a number of testers trial Future, and their rankings point out that the app is a optimistic addition to their coaching. We’d be splitting hairs if we actually wished to distinguish the 2, so take a gander for your self and see which app interface is extra interesting.

Juggernaut AI can be an efficient exercise app providing private coaching routines, however as you may guess from the identify, the platform is powered by AI fairly than an precise human coach. This could be a nice possibility for these wanting a distinct perspective on recommendation and training, however we’ve discovered that the gear calls for are stricter with Juggernaut AI than with Caliber. 

With Juggernaut AI, you’ll need entry to energy coaching staples like a squat rack, barbell, and free weights, whereas Caliber can curate exercises to simply body weight workouts. Plus, the human aspect of Caliber could also be extra comforting to some athletes.

The ultimate app just like Caliber, Robust, affords no private coaching components, however can nonetheless be a worthwhile possibility for superior athletes. The library of workouts is powerful with written and visible instruction, and you may simply construct out a stable exercise template for every day of the week. The platform is extra concerned than Caliber, although, so if you would like a hands-off strategy to planning, we’d suggest paying the premium for the non-public coaching expertise.

[Related: The 10 Best Workout Apps for Men of 2024]

Locations to Obtain the Caliber Health App

You may join Caliber on-line on the model’s web site, caliberstrong.com. Moreover, the app is accessible for obtain from the Apple App Retailer and Google Play Retailer.

Buyer Expertise

By way of setup, the Caliber Health App was simple to obtain from our respective app shops, and finishing the preliminary questionnaire was painless. Our tester additionally appreciated how communicative their coach was throughout trials, stating that they usually acquired a fast response when reaching out with any questions or inquiries.

So far as app compatibility is worried, Caliber is accessible for each iOS and Android, so there needs to be few points in the case of downloading the app to your smartphone or smartwatch.

Lastly, in accordance with our tester, Caliber affords a 30-day money-back assure no matter which plan you select. Moreover, there’s a 7-day free trial interval for the “Professional” group exercises subscription.

Firm Data

Caliber was based in 2017 by Justin Fauci and Chris Muir after the pair had an intimidating first expertise of their school health club. Since then, the app has grown to accommodate group and particular person health journeys with an emphasis on energy coaching and progressive overload. In accordance with the model, “The Caliber program is predicated on the most recent analysis in coaching, diet and behavior formation, with a data-driven strategy that unlocks outcomes for anybody, no matter their age, expertise degree, or entry to gear.”

To achieve Caliber, you may e-mail their buyer assist employees at assist@caliberstrong.com. Moreover, the model has an internet type accessible the place you may ship any inquiries associated to the app, coaching, subscription costs, and different related subjects of dialog.

In Conclusion

The Caliber Health App is among the finest platforms we’ve discovered for private coaching. The licensed private trainers supply up detailed, informative steerage and the accountability is top-notch, too. We additionally respect how simple it’s to A) arrange the app and get your coach, and B) log your exercises for the sake of monitoring your progress. Plus, we felt supported when it got here to mastering completely different workouts due to the coach entry, in addition to the written and visible directions tied to every motion.

In fact, although, a $200 month-to-month cost will not be possible for each finances. When considering of downloading the Caliber app, just be sure you can comfortably afford the service, or no less than look to the opposite subscription tiers providing group-oriented coaching or exercise logging capabilities. Private coaching apps are aplenty lately, however few do it in addition to this useful platform.

FAQs

References

1. Mahaffey, Ok. (n.d.). How a lot does a private coach price & do you have to rent one?. NASM. https://weblog.nasm.org/how-much-does-a-personal-trainer-cost
2. Plotkin, D., Coleman, M., Van Each, D., Maldonado, J., Oberlin, D., Israetel, M., Feather, J., Alto, A., Vigotsky, A. D., & Schoenfeld, B. J. (2022). Progressive overload with out progressing load? the results of load or repetition development on muscular variations. PeerJ, 10.