Hevy Coach vs. StrengthPortal: An Overview
StrengthPortal is a simple online coaching platform that doesn’t shine with a sleek and beautiful user interface but can still impress with features and functionality.
There are only a handful of options, such as managing clients, creating workouts, accessing the exercise library, and creating a coaching team, but some areas are designed well.
One thing that comes to mind is the builder for programs, workouts, and sections within a workout. You can select which of the three you want to build and enjoy some flexibility, which we’ll discuss in-depth below.
That said, while we enjoy how they’ve handled their workout and program builders, the platform is limited and not as versatile as Hevy Coach, which has a superior program library and workout builder, among other features like Team and Grow.
Hevy Coach is better than StrengthPortal because it has a sleeker user interface, a curated exercise library, a more flexible and complete workout builder, better options for storing, organizing, and prescribing workout plans through its program library, a more detailed client profile with built-in analytics, and superior coach and client apps.
| Features Comparison | ||
| Feature | Hevy Coach | StrengthPortal |
| Client Activity Feed | ✅ | ✅ |
| Individual Exercise Performance | ✅ | ✅ |
| Body Measurements | ✅ | ✅ |
| Progress Photos | ✅ | ❌ |
| Program Folders | ✅ | ❌ |
| Drag and Drop | ✅ | ❌ |
| RPE | ✅ | ❌ |
| Automatic Rest Timers | ✅ | ❌ |
| Manage Coaching Teams | ✅ | ✅ |
| Lead Generation | ✅ | ❌ |
User Interface and Navigation
StrengthPortal has a basic user interface similar in looks and feel to an average website from a few years ago.
The platform’s main sections are Client Management, Workout Templates, Exercise Library, and Organization. Here, you can access your client list, view all of the programs, workouts, and workout sections you’ve created, access the list of stored exercises, and see all members of your coaching team.
The dashboard is one central section that’s missing on StrengthPortal. This means there is no quick way to get an overview of your clients, who’s been active, and what they’ve been up to.
Hevy Coach is similar in simplicity and ease of use, but it stands above StrengthPortal in several ways, such as the look and feel of the interface, the versatility and functions of the workout builder, the organized program builder, the depth and quality of the exercise library, and the client overview you get in the dashboard.
Despite its features and function, Hevy Coach never feels cluttered or overwhelming. Everything is laid out intuitively to make the most sense while building a workout, browsing through a client profile, or organizing your workout programs.
“It’s a simple and easy dashboard that has a very clean app with UI. It has all the tools required to track progressive overload and ensure clients enjoy their workouts. Compared to other apps, they’re either too confusing or have too many bells and whistles that confuse clients. Hevy does a very good job at keeping things simple but extremely effective and easy to use. My clients love it.”
-Rashid K. (Source: Capterra)
Program Library
StrengthPortal’s program library allows you to create and duplicate unlimited training plans. You can store programs in your library or move them to the team library, where other members of your organization gain access.
Clicking on a training plan opens a new window where you can see and edit all the workouts.
Marking existing training plans reveals options to archive, copy, assign to clients, and send to trainers.
On top, you can also navigate to Sessions, where you can create individual workouts you can reuse to build training plans more efficiently.
You can also navigate to Sections, where you can create portions of workouts you can reuse when creating sessions within a training plan. For example, a section can be the warm-up of a workout.
Hevy Coach’s program library shares some similarities but differs in some key ways. Like StrengthPortal, you can create, store, and duplicate unlimited programs, but you can also organize workouts in folders, rearrange them with the drag-and-drop functions, and see the individual workouts at a glance.
Other coaches on your team can automatically access and use any training plan you’ve saved in your library.
You can also navigate to the HevyCoach Library and import more than a dozen resistance training plans, each with custom notes on some exercises, built-in rest timers, and guidelines for the number of sets and reps.
Open any program to edit the title and description, change the duration, add, remove, or duplicate workouts, and see a plan summary on the right. You can add workouts from your library or create new ones from scratch and duplicate individual sessions to other programs in your library.
Workout Builder
Access StrengthPortal’s workout builder by clicking on any training program in the Workout Templates section.
You can write a custom note for the workout and add sections (e.g., warm-up or cooldown) and exercises. For each exercise, you can write a custom note and select the number of sets, the target weight, and reps or duration.
Clicking on the small arrow to the right of each exercise opens an expanded menu. Here, you can adjust the training variables for each set individually, including distance and duration.
To add exercises, use the search field, which pulls up results from the existing exercise library. If a movement you’re looking for is not in the library, you’re prompted to add it manually.
Clicking on an exercise opens a menu on the right. It shows a demonstrational video for the exercise (if available) with options to delete the movement, add it to a superset, move it up or down, or swap it for another.
In comparison, Hevy Coach has a slightly different workout builder. One significant difference is that you can only edit one workout at a time, whereas StrengthPortal allows you to work on all sessions within a program on the same page.
Also, unlike StrengthPortal, you can add or remove sets to any movement with buttons and mark them by type: normal, drop set, to failure, or warm-up. This allows for more customization and provides more relevant information to your clients.
Once you’ve added a movement, you can write a custom note and provide weight and repetition targets. But, unlike StrengthPortal, you can adjust the rest timer for each movement and add RPE targets.
Another difference is that Hevy Coach’s drag-and-drop functions allow you to easily rearrange movements while building a workout. Clicking on the three dots icon on the right of an activity also reveals additional options: replace, edit, remove, or add movement to a superset.
Overall, Hevy Coach’s builder feels more like a builder because you can add or remove elements, customize them, and rearrange things when necessary to provide the best guidance for clients.
To create a workout, simply add a title and description, enable RPE if you want, and start adding movements from the exercise library on the right.
“The best coaching app I’ve used (and I’ve used a few!). The ability to write up client workouts so that all they have to do is hit “start routine” is such a time saver on their side! It’s just super easy to use and intuitive.”
-Dan I. (Source: Capterra)
Exercise Library
StrengthPortal’s exercise library is quite basic. It has a list of exercises, and you can use the search bar to find the ones you want.
The list displays basic information like the movements’ name and type––for example, reps and weight, time and reps, reps, or distance. Most entries don’t have any other information, but a few come with a demonstrational YouTube video.
You can click on any exercise to edit the title and add information: type, how-to instructions, attached video, and synonym (a different term you can use to find the movement when building workouts).
You can also add unlimited custom exercises with all of that information.
The Hevy Coach exercise library is more established, with over 400 entries. Each comes with step-by-step instructions on setup and execution, a demonstrational animation, and other relevant information, such as target muscles and equipment needed. You can edit the how-to instructions and attach a video to any existing entry.
Despite its larger size, the Hevy Coach library is highly curated and has the most relevant exercises for personal trainers and strength coaches. This means you can often find the right movements with basic search terms like row or bench press. You can also use the filters for target muscle and equipment needed to narrow the search results.
That said, you can always add custom exercises with all the relevant information and visuals:
- Image
- Attached video
- How-to instructions
- Target muscles
- Equipment needed
- Type (e.g., weight/reps)
So, even if you want to prescribe movements not found in the library, you can add them once and reuse them as many times as you wish. Team members gain instant access to any custom exercise created by a coach on the team; more on that below.
Client List and Client Profile
StrengthPortal’s client list shows your clients along with their last activity, sessions left, tracked workouts, and feedback they’ve provided.
Once inside a client’s profile, you can explore several areas:
- Overview – it shows your client’s current training plan, recently logged activities, assessments, and metrics.
- Programs – it provides a detailed view of the program your client is enrolled in, along with all the scheduled and completed workouts.
- Data Visualization – see your client’s completed workouts and total training volume. You can also generate graphs to track your client’s performance on individual exercises or monitor their progress on specific metrics (like body weight).
- Notes – write and review notes. These are only visible to you.
Hevy Coach’s client section is comparable in its informativeness and simplicity. The list shows all clients with their assigned training plans, progress (e.g., Week 6 of 8), activity in the last seven days, and assigned coach (in case it’s a person from your team).
Once inside a client’s profile, there are several sub-menus, just as in StrengthPortal:
- Overview – it displays the client’s logged activities on a feed (e.g., completed workout or added measurement), their current training plan, notes you’ve written, and statistics like time spent working out, training volume, sets completed, monthly activity (on a calendar), and weight.
- Workout Program – see your client’s current training plan and click to edit it. All completed workouts are displayed on a feed; you can click on any for details.
- Exercise Statistics – search for any movement in the library (including custom ones you’ve added) to examine your client’s performance.
- Advanced Statistics – it shows your client’s set count per muscle group, time spent training, volume load, and sets completed on individual graphs from week to week.
- Body Measurements – monitor your client’s weight, body fat, and circumference measurements on individual graphs.
- Progress Pictures – look through all uploaded progress photos and position them side by side to track visual improvements.
StrengthPortal handles client profiles well, but Hevy Coach provides more valuable and relevant information for personal trainers and strength coaches.
Client App
StrengthPortal’s client app is limited, with only two sections: Programs and Activity.
Under Programs, clients can see their assigned training plan and log individual workouts. The client can add or remove exercises and sets, reorder movements, add them to supersets, and log performance on each set: the weight lifted, reps done, distance, and duration.
The client can leave feedback before marking a workout as complete.
Under Activity, the client can see their and their coaches’ recent activities on a feed. However, there is no option to click on the updates for additional information.
The Hevy client app provides far more options, greater flexibility, and a sleek interface. First is workout logging. To start, your client must navigate to the Coach tab and select the workout they must do that day. A stopwatch will begin automatically, and the client can click on it to reveal two options:
- Pause timer – for instance, if the client needs to stop and finish the workout later
- Select a start date and time, which is ideal for logging previously completed workouts
Below the timer, the client will see the note you’ve written for the workout, along with all the exercises, sets, weight, reps, duration, RPE, and rest timers. Your client can mark sets as complete one by one, which will trigger the automatic rest timer.
Your client can input the load, reps, and RPE or duration for each set, add, remove, or swap exercises, pair activities into supersets, mark sets by type, and change the rest timer.
Before marking a workout as complete, your client can upload photos and videos and write a private note that’s only visible to you and them.
At any point, your client can navigate to the Coach tab and open the chat with you to ask questions or respond to your messages.
Clients can also create their routines on the app, track their performance on individual exercises, upload progress photos, and input body measurements like weight, body fat, and circumferences.
When evaluating individual exercise performance, your client can access valuable data such as their 1RM, best set volume, list of personal bests, and workout-to-workout performance.
Clients can also navigate to their profile section to access more advanced stats, such as set count per muscle group, muscle distribution, activity in the last seven days, main exercises logged, active steak, and workout consistency from month to month.
Beyond workout logging, progress monitoring, and chatting with you, clients can enjoy the social aspect of the Hevy app. This means they can follow others, get followed back, and show support by leaving likes and comments on other people’s workouts. Those not interested can set their profiles to private.
“My clients love using the app, from simple tracking and social sharing to more advanced features like 1rm predictions and workout muscle usage charts.”
-Pete S. (Source: G2)
Coach App
The StrengthPortal coach app is the same one clients use. The app displays a coach or client view depending on your login credentials.
As a coach, you can access two menu sections: Clients and Activity. Under Clients, you see your client list and access their profiles. Inside clients’ profiles, you can see their assigned training plan and the enrollment date, along with an option to log workouts for them.
You can also start an improvised workout, build it one exercise at a time, and log it as your client completes each activity.
Under Activity, you can see all of your activities on a feed.
The Hevy Coach app is similar in its simplicity but has a slightly more functional and sleek interface. As a coach, you can use the app to see your clients’ training programs, invite new clients, chat with them, and log workouts for them during one-on-one sessions.
To log a workout for a client, navigate to the Clients section, pick a person from your list, and tap Start session on the workout they must do. A new window will open, allowing you to log the workout for the client as they would through the Hevy app.
You can mark sets as complete one by one to trigger the automatic rest timer and adjust the training variables:
- Add or remove exercises and sets
- Mark sets by type
- Input the weight, reps, and RPE or duration of each set
- Reorder and swap exercises
- Pair movements into supersets
The app shows how your client performed each exercise in the previous workout, helping guide your coaching decisions.
You can stop and start the workout timer and select a start date and time to log a previously completed session for the client. Lastly, you can upload media and write a comment before marking a workout as complete.
Coaching Team
StrengthPortal’s team feature provides some tools to manage a team of coaches and their clients. You can invite trainers to your team and see them under the Organization tab.
Each coach is listed with basic information, such as total and enrolled clients, tracked workouts in the past week and month, client homework given, and the number of clients needing attention.
You can click on any trainer on your team to access their client list and see additional information like the number of programs the client is enrolled in, completed and remaining sessions, and last activity date. Click on any client to open their profile.
As a team admin, you can create custom exercises and workout plans that are shared between all team members.
One big downside is that this team feature is only available with a Team plan, which costs $150 monthly and is limited to up to five trainers. The Gym plan allows for unlimited trainers but costs $250 monthly.
Hevy Coach’s team feature is similar but offers additional options. You can create or join a team and see all members under Team. Coaches are listed with their roles, number of clients and training plans, and status.
Like StrengthPortal, resources like custom exercises and training programs are shared between all members. You can visit coach profiles to see their latest activities, client list, weekly active clients statistics, and list of training programs, which you can copy to your library.
You can also visit their clients’ profiles to see their training plans, recent activities, exercise statistics, body metrics, and progress photos. As an admin or the team’s owner, you can assign and reassign clients, change other trainers’ roles, and add or remove coaches.
These functions allow you to manage a team of professionals by monitoring each trainer, seeing how clients are trained, and making changes if necessary.
Grow: Generating New Leads
Hevy Coach’s Grow is a feature that allows you to create a lead generation form with a cover image, a brief message to prospects, and a unique invite link. You can share your link on many channels, including your social media profiles and website.
Prospects who click on your link can apply for coaching services with their email address, name, and a brief message explaining who they are and why they want to work with you. All applications appear under the Leads section within the Grow tab. You can accept or decline any application.
StrengthPortal doesn’t have such a feature.
Pricing
StrengthPortal offers a 14-day free trial (no credit card required). Their most affordable plan, Trainer, is $25 monthly with no client limit. However, it doesn’t have the team feature.
The team feature is available on their Team and Gym plans, which cost $150 and $250 monthly, respectively. Team is limited to five trainers; Gym allows for unlimited coaches on the team.
You can also opt for an annual plan to save 10%:
- Trainer plan – $264 annually ($22 per month)
- Team plan – $1620 annually ($135 per month)
- Gym plan – $2700 annually ($225 per month)
Hevy Coach offers a 30-day free trial (no credit card required). The most affordable plan is $25 monthly for up to ten clients, and it includes access to all features, including Team and Grow.
As a bonus, your clients get a free Hevy app Pro subscription. Visit our pricing page for all the details.
| Table Comparison | ||
| Hevy Coach | StrengthPortal | |
| UI and Navigation | Sleek, clean, and simple, with all the features you need as a trainer or strength coach. | Simple, basic, and to the point, with a handful of useful features for trainers and coaches. |
| Dashboard | It displays your list of active and inactive clients, their logged activities, and a graph of weekly active clients. | No |
| Program Library | Create, duplicate, import, and store unlimited programs. Easily assign them to clients and organize them in folders. | Create, duplicate, store, and assign unlimited programs. However, you can’t organize plans in folders. |
| Workout Builder | Add exercises from the library, add or remove sets, mark sets by type, adjust the rest timer on each movement, pair activities into supersets, and assign weight, reps, and RPE or duration targets for each set. | Add exercises and sets, and assign targets for the weight and reps or duration. Write custom notes to workouts and exercises and add pre-made sections (e.g., warm-up) to any session. |
| Exercise Library | It has 400+ movements with how-to instructions, a demo animation, and other relevant information. Edit the how-to instructions, attach videos, and create unlimited custom exercises. | It has around 200 basic entries, some of which have attached video demonstrations. You can edit all the information on any existing movement and add custom ones. |
| Client Profile | It displays your clients’ logged activities on a feed, completed workouts, current training plan, workout statistics, advanced stats, body metrics, and progress photos. | Client profiles are organized in several sections and provide an overview of recent activities, the programs they are enrolled in, workout statistics, and coach notes. |
| Client App | Clients can use the Hevy app to log workouts, change training variables, upload body metrics and progress photos, review their performance, chat with you, and engage with other app users. | Clients can see their assigned training plan, log workouts, and monitor their activities on a feed. |
| Coach App | Review your client list, invite clients, chat with them, see their assigned training plans, and log workouts for them. | Visit your clients’ profiles, see their assigned training plans, log workouts for them, and see your activities on a feed. |
| Teams | Create or join a coaching team. As an admin, you can invite and remove trainers, change their roles, and reassign clients. Workout programs and custom exercises are shared among all team members. | Invite trainers and gain access to the client lists. As an admin, you can share training plans in the team library; custom exercises are automatically shared between all members. |
| Lead Generation | Create a lead generation form with a cover image, message, and a link. Prospects can click on the link and apply for coaching. | No |
| Pricing | It starts from $25 monthly for up to ten clients. You can access all the features. | The most affordable plan is $25 monthly (no client limit) but doesn’t have the team feature. |
| Free Trial | 30-day free trial (no credit card required) | 14-day free trial (no credit card required) |
To Conclude
StrengthPortal is a basic platform with a plain user interface that handles some areas well. This includes client profiles and some aspects of the team feature. The ability to add custom exercises and edit existing entries in the library also provides flexibility and freedom.
That said, the platform is no match for Hevy Coach because it doesn’t have a dashboard, the exercise library is quite basic and requires a lot of upfront work to customize, the program library doesn’t allow you to organize training plans, and there are no existing plans you can import and use with clients.
The workout builder is also basic, though it allows you to adjust the training variables for each set, which is something. In contrast, Hevy Coach’s workout builder is more flexible, has drag-and-drop functions, and allows you to adjust more variables, such as assigning RPE, marking sets by type, and setting specific rest periods.
StrengthPortal has a coaching team feature, but it lacks important functions like the ability to assign and reassign clients. It’s also tied to an expensive subscription plan: $150-$250 monthly or $1620-2700 annually.
Hevy Coach’s team feature offers all the tools you need to manage a group of coaches and their clients. Plus, it’s available on even the most affordable subscription plan.
To top it off, StrengthPortal’s coach and client apps is are limited and mostly useful for logging assigned workouts. In contrast, the Hevy coach and client apps is are far sleeker, has have more features while retaining simplicity, and allows for more flexible and intuitive workout logging and progress tracking.
So, sign up for your 30-day free trial of Hevy Coach today to see what the platform is all about.
