Hevy Coach vs. Trainerize: An Overview
You’ve undoubtedly heard of Trainerize, one of the biggest and most popular online coaching platforms. It boasts a range of features and options for all types of coaches.
However, despite its broad scale, fitness professionals often criticize the platform for having too many features, being difficult to use day-to-day, and taking forever to navigate an endless corridor of menus and submenus.
So, while useful for a wider variety of professionals, our goal is to compare Trainerize to Hevy Coach and tell you which platform to pick if you’re a personal trainer or strength coach.
The short answer:
Hevy Coach is better than Trainerize for strength coaches and PTs because it has a far more streamlined dashboard and interface, a more refined workout builder for resistance training, a more curated exercise library, better organized and more informative client profiles to track performance and body composition, and the best client app.
Read our comparison in ten major categories to see why Hevy Coach is the right choice.
Features Comparison | ||
Feature | Hevy Coach | Trainerize |
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
Trainerize’s biggest drawback is its interface. To create the best and most useful platform, they’ve added countless features and options for coaches, which is great for professionals who need numerous options and customizations to conduct business.
This includes handy features like creating multiple types of workouts, such as intervals and circuits, and more obscure options, like selecting between five types when inviting a new client to your roster.
Coaches who prefer simplicity and don’t have weeks and heaps of energy to learn how a platform works would find Trainerize difficult to navigate and use day-to-day.
In comparison, Hevy Coach has fewer features and options, but the platform is far more streamlined and easier to navigate.
All the features are designed with the strength coach and trainer in mind, making it easier to keep track of clients, build resistance workouts, manage a team of coaches, and organize training plans.
The dashboard is also more streamlined and only displays the most relevant information, allowing for at-a-glance tracking and ensuring client consistency.
“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
Like other areas on Trainerize, the program library is detailed and offers many options for adding, scheduling, organizing, and building training plans. You can build new programs from scratch, choose a duration, and select where to save it, among other options.
You can also create tags to organize training programs––for example, based on experience like beginner or advanced.
Trainerize also has a rich program library you can browse and sort by type, focus, difficulty, and other criteria. Click on the results to see details and import any program to your library to adjust and assign to clients.
When editing a plan or building one from scratch, you can add a description and reminders to take progress photos, as well as schedule a workout, cardio session, or auto message for any day.
If you select to schedule a workout, the platform asks if you want to import a pre-made session from your library or build one from scratch.
However, while functional, this area is quite complex with its menus, submenus, and options. Organizing plans through tags is also not straightforward because you can’t use drag-and-drop in this area.
Instead, you must navigate the maze of menus on the left, select the correct program (and not a training phase within the program), and find the small + icon on the top right to add a tag.
In contrast, Hevy Coach’s program library and builder are far simpler and have only the features you need. Like on Trainerize, you can create and store unlimited plans. However, you can also create folders and use drag-and-drop to organize and move programs around.
A glance displays your folders, programs, and workouts making up each plan. The options on the right allow you to edit, delete, or duplicate a folder and build a new program inside.
Also like Trainerize, you can browse the library with pre-made training plans. There are more than a dozen strength and muscle-building plans complete with instructions, custom notes, and training variables, organized by goals, experience, and available equipment.
Inside a program, you can set a duration, write a description, add, remove, edit and rearrange workouts, see a plan summary, and even copy a workout to another program in your library.
While not as layered as Trainerize’s program library and builder, Hevy Coach offers everything you need to build effective strength plans.
Workout Builder
Since we are looking at Trainerize’s usefulness for personal trainers and strength coaches, we will mainly focus on the regular resistance training workouts you can build.
Like on other platforms, you can add a description or additional instructions at the top. The exercise library is on the right, and you can use the built-in filters to narrow the search results.
The search results are mostly relevant, even when using simple terms like barbell squat with no filters. You can use drag-and-drop functions to add movements to the workout and then input variables for clients, such as the number of sets, weight, duration, tempo, and rest period.
Once you’ve added two or more movements, you can pair them into a superset and rearrange them using the drag-and-drop function.
That said, the workout builder feels somewhat basic, given the attention to detail in other sections of Trainerize, because you:
- Don’t have clearly defined tabs for training variables like RPE
- Must write guidelines in free text like ‘200 lbs for sets of 6 at RPE 8’
- Can’t write custom notes for individual exercises
- Can’t add multiple sets and set training variables for each set individually
- Can’t mark sets by type–-for example, warm-up or to failure
In comparison, the Hevy Coach workout builder feels more like a builder because it has clearly defined tabs for all variables and allows you to build whole sessions mostly through drag-and-drop.
First, you can write a description for the workout (like on Trainerize) and enable RPE with a toggle button.
Second, you can add the right exercises from the library on the right, even with basic search queries like bench or row. Once you’ve added a movement, you can write a custom note with a tip or additional instructions, set the rest timer (it starts automatically for clients), and input targets for the load, reps or rep range, and RPE for each set.
Third, unlike Trainerize, you can easily add or remove sets and mark them by type: normal (the default option), warm-up, to failure, or drop set.
Similar to Trainerize, you can use drag-and-drop to rearrange movements. Click on the right of each movement to reveal additional options:
- Add to supersets
- Replace
- Remove
- Edit (change the how-to instructions and attach video)
When combined, these things allow you to create far more detailed workouts for clients and eliminate any guesswork. Even when structuring something more complex, such as reverse-pyramid sets, you can adjust the variables for each set and use the custom notes to provide additional information.
“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
Trainerize has an extensive exercise library with numerous entries. You can use the built-in filters and search bar to find the desired movements. However, given the library’s size, results can be slow to load, especially if you don’t have the best internet connection.
As mentioned above, the search results are good, which means you can find the correct variation with a basic search term (most of the time).
Each entry comes with a brief video (or a minute-long instructional video), how-to instructions, tags for the equipment needed, primary muscle target, movement type, and level (e.g., intermediate).
There’s an option to change the video of any existing entry, but you cannot change the written instructions or other details.
The platform also allows you to add custom activities with a name, type (e.g., general, strength, endurance, or other), tags (muscle targets, equipment, movement type, mechanics, and level), written instructions, and a video.
Hevy Coach has a smaller but curated and more relevant library for personal trainers and strength coaches. This means you can quickly find the right movements with basic search terms without even using the filters for muscle targets and equipment:
Each movement comes with information on the equipment needed, primary and secondary muscle targets, exercise type (e.g., weight/reps), step-by-step instructions, and a demo animation.
You can edit the written instructions and attach a video: upload a file or add a link to YouTube.
Like on Trainerize, Hevy Coach allows you to create unlimited custom exercises with the following information and elements:
- Name
- Image
- Type
- Equipment needed
- Primary and secondary muscle targets
- How-to instructions
- Video (link attachment or file upload)
That way, even if you prescribe lesser-known movements to clients, you can add them to your library and use them as often as you want.
Client List and Client Profile
Trainerize’s client list displays all the people on your roster with:
- Type (e.g., 2-way messaging)
- Main program
- Progress on the program
- Overview of the upcoming phase
There are also options to:
- Open the client’s profile or a specific section inside the profile
- Start a new conversation
- Add or remove tags
Inside the client’s profile, you can navigate several tabs. The three primary ones are:
- Summary – basic information on compliance, current program, completed workouts, integrations, client personal information, and notes (only visible to you)
- Consultation – review and edit the questions that get sent to the client, along with the replies
- Attachments – send various files and see them in this tab
Interestingly, one of the most important sections (progress) is buried in a submenu that’s easy to miss. To access it, you must open the client’s profile, click the down arrow next to the blue Open button on the top right, and select Progress.
Doing so opens the client’s profile on a new tab with a lot more information, such as:
- Progress photos
- Biometrics like body weight and fat
- Body measurements
- Individual exercise performance (on a graph)
- Weekly compliance
In contrast, Hevy Coach’s client list and profile sections are simplified and just as informative.
First, clients are listed with their name, training program, progress on the plan (e.g., Week 6 of 8), activity in the last seven days, status, and assigned coach (in case it’s a person from your team).
Inside a client’s profile, you can browse several tabs:
- Overview – see and click to edit your client’s program, write and review notes (only visible to you), monitor your client’s logged activities, and access some workout statistics like time spent training and sets completed
- Workout Program – see a summary of the client’s plan (click to edit it) and inspect their completed workouts on a feed
- Exercise Statistics – use the search field and filters to find specific exercises and inspect your client’s performance on them; this is particularly valuable when working with performance-oriented clients, such as powerlifters
- Advanced Statistics – access more advanced data, such as set count per muscle group, time spent training, training volume, and number of sets completed week by week on individual graphs
- Body Measurements – monitor your client’s body weight, body fat, and circumference measurements on individual graphs
- Progress Pictures – access all the photos your client has uploaded through the app and compare them side by side to track visual changes
As you can see, Hevy’s client profiles are more streamlined and provide insight to monitor progress, performance, consistency, body composition, and overall trajectory.
Client App
The Trainerize client app is relatively basic and has a sleek design. It has three primary sections:
- Dash – the client can see their scheduled workouts, upload progress photos and body stats, connect devices to track daily steps, sleep, resting heart rate, caloric burn, and blood pressure, add and monitor body weight, and track personal bests. The blue + icon on the bottom right opens a menu with options to log a workout, activity, meal, and a few other things. Below that, the client can click an icon with your profile picture to open their chat with you.
- Calendar – the client can see their scheduled activities by day and click on any of them to see more details, mark any task as complete, or start and log a session.
- Program – here, clients can see their assigned training plan and click on the individual workouts for details. Clients can also start any session at any time or schedule them in their calendar.
To log a workout, the client must navigate to Dash, see today’s session, and tap START NOW.
Then, the client can log the number of sets and click the START button next to a rest period you’ve scheduled for the timer to start. Your client also has the option to substitute an exercise, add extra sets, use the built-in stopwatch (icon on the top), and leave comments for the workout.
Clients can also insert additional exercises into any workout. Before marking a session as complete, clients are prompted to rate the session’s difficulty with an option to leave feedback.
The Trainerize client app is not bad, but let’s see how Hevy, the 5-star app used by millions of athletes and gym goers, stacks up.
First, we have Hevy’s workout logging. To log a session, your client must navigate to the Coach tab, select that day’s session, and tap Start Routine. A stopwatch will begin automatically on the top left to track the duration. Clients can click on it to:
- Change the start date and time of the workout (for instance, to log a previously completed session
- Pause the timer in case they must finish the workout later
Below that, the client will see the workout exactly as you’ve built it with all the sets, reps, load, and RPE targets, as well as custom notes. Clients can input details, write notes, add and remove sets, add, remove, and swap exercises, and adjust their rest timer.
The rest timer begins automatically when a client marks a set as complete.
Additionally, clients can rearrange movements, mark sets by type (normal, to failure, warm-up, and drop set), and log their RPE for each set.
Before completing the workout, the client can see a quick summary of the session (volume, duration, and sets completed), upload images and a video, and write private feedback for you.
Aside from that, clients can create routines and log improvised workouts, such as a quick run or impromptu lifting session. They can also analyze their performance on individual lifts, upload progress photos, and input body metrics––all of which you can see in their profile on Hevy Coach.
Clients can navigate to the Profile section of the app to access:
- Advanced workout stats, such as set count per muscle group and muscle distribution
- The exercises they most often log
- Their consistency displayed on a calendar
- Their active streak (the number of weeks in a row they’ve logged at least one session)
When analyzing individual exercise performance, clients can see their progress on a graph, the heaviest weight they’ve used, their projected 1RM, the best set and session volume, and their workout-to-workout performance.
Besides workout logging and in-depth analytics, the Hevy client app lies on a third pillar: social. Using Hevy is not an isolated experience unless the client prefers to keep their profile private. Your clients can follow others, build a following, and show support by liking and commenting on workouts.
Being part of a community can be incredibly motivating and help keep clients accountable and consistent with their training.
“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 Trainerize coach and client app interfaces are identical. You and your clients get the same app; the login credentials determine the type of account you have.
Inside the coach app, you get four primary sections:
- Overview – see your client groups, active challenges, and clients’ recently logged activities. You can click on any activity for more details.
- Coaching – see your client list and open individual profiles.
- Calendar – access your calendar to see your scheduled appointments and sessions, as well as to plan new activities.
- Chats – access your client chats.
One neat option inside the Trainerize coach app is the ability to log in as your client. To do so, navigate to the second tab, tap on a client to open their profile, and click Open on the top right.
Doing so opens the app from the client’s point of view, where you can access their dashboard, calendar, program, goals, and meal plan section.
For instance, if you want to log a client’s workout for them, navigate to the Program tab, select a workout, and tap Start Now to log it for them.
The Hevy Coach app is more streamlined in comparison but incredibly useful because it allows you to access your client list and review the assigned programs, invite new clients, chat with them, and log workouts for clients.
To log a workout, navigate to the Clients tab, select a client from your list, and tap Start session on today’s workout. A new window will open, displaying the workout you’ve built with all the details.
You can:
- Input what the client did on each set: reps, load, duration, and RPE
- Mark sets as complete one by one (starting the automatic rest timer)
- Adjust the rest period on each movement
- Add or remove sets
- Mark sets by type
- Reorder, replace, add and remove exercises
- Create supersets
- Select a different start date and time for the workout
- Pause and restart the workout timer
- Upload a video and images and write feedback before marking the workout as complete
One neat thing about Hevy’s interface is that clients’ previous performance appears for each exercise and set. That way, you can easily see how they’ve done previously and adjust today’s intensity accordingly.
So, while the Hevy Coach app has fewer features than the Trainerize app, you get everything you need. You can do everything else on a big screen.
Coaching Team
Trainerize allows you to invite other professionals to your team. Members are displayed with their name, role (such as admin or regular trainer), last active, and assigned clients. At the top, you can see the client compliance of all trainers on the team and their client engagement metrics.
As an admin, you can view all clients’ progress, add and remove trainers, change their roles and permissions, and reassign clients.
Custom exercises created by any trainer are added to all members’ libraries. However, only the team owner can add new training plans to the shared folder for all coaches to access.
As a whole, Trainerize’s team feature provides enough options to manage a team of professionals and build a business.
Hevy Coach also has a team feature with many of the same functions. You can create or join a team and see all members with their roles, number of clients and programs, and status.
As an owner or admin, you can add and remove trainers, change their roles, reassign clients, and visit the profiles of all members and their clients.
Coach profiles display recently logged activities, the number of clients, and a weekly active clients graph. You can access their client profiles and see their saved programs with an option to import them to your library.
Client profiles are the same, regardless of whether the person is assigned to you or another trainer. As an admin, you can edit or change their training plan, review their performance and progress photos, contact them, and assign them to another team member.
Like Trainerize, any custom exercise created by one coach is automatically added to the library of all other members. Training plans are also shared automatically, regardless of the member’s role.
Grow: Generating New Leads
Hevy Coach’s Grow feature allows you to build a lead generation form with a cover image, message, and unique invite link. You can share your link on your social media, website, email newsletter, and elsewhere.
Prospects who click the link can apply for coaching services with their name, email address, and a brief message. Applications appear under the Leads section within the Grow tab. You can browse through the list and accept or decline any of them.
While Trainerize has some marketing features and integrations (such as Facebook Ads through Zapier automation), it doesn’t offer such a clean and simple way to create and share a lead generation form.
Pricing
Trainerize offers a 30-day free trial with access to most features (no credit card required). They also have a free limited plan for one client.
Their Grow plan costs $10 monthly, supports up to two clients, and has a few additional features.
For more clients, you will need the Pro plan, which starts with five clients for $22 monthly. Their most inclusive plan, Studio Plus, starts from $250 monthly and includes a branded app, video coaching, Stripe integration, and access to their exclusive support community.
Hevy Coach offers a 30-day free trial (no credit card required). Beyond that, the most affordable plan is $25 monthly for up to ten clients. It provides access to all the platform’s features, including Teams, Grow, and the coach and client app.
Your clients get a free Hevy client app Pro subscription as a bonus. Visit our pricing page for all the details.
Table Comparison | ||
Hevy Coach | Trainerize | |
UI and Navigation | Simple and streamlined, ideal for daily use. | Cluttered and difficult to navigate. |
Dashboard | Provides only the most essential info. | Informative but cluttered. |
Program Library | Create, import, store, and duplicate unlimited plans. Organize programs in folders and move them around with drag-and-drop. | Create, import, store, and duplicate unlimited programs. Organize plans through tags. The submenus take time to get used to. |
Workout Builder | Add exercises, write custom notes, set automatic rest timers, add multiple sets, mark sets by type, create supersets, add targets for load, reps, RPE, and duration, and more. | Add exercises, write the number of sets, add rest breaks between exercises, create supersets, and write the objectives for each movement (e.g., load and reps) in free text. |
Exercise Library | Entries come with how-to instructions, a demo animation, and other relevant info. You can create and store unlimited custom exercises. | Entries have basic how-to instructions, a demo video, and tags for equipment, muscle targets, and type. You can create unlimited custom exercises. |
Client Profile | Multiple tabs allow you to write notes and monitor clients’ logged activities, performance, body metrics, and progress photos. | Navigate multiple tabs to monitor performance, body stats, progress photos, and adherence. Write custom notes. |
Client App | Log workouts, adjust training variables, upload progress photos and body metrics, review performance, chat with the coach, and engage with the active Hevy community. | Log workouts, adjust some training variables, upload progress photos and body metrics, see scheduled activities, and chat with their coach. |
Coach App | See your client list and the assigned training plans, invite new clients, chat with them, and log workouts for clients (same functions as the client app). | Access the client list and open profiles, log workouts for clients, chat with them, see their recently logged activities, access their calendars, and more. |
Teams | Create a team, invite and remove coaches, change their roles, reassign clients, and visit individual profiles. Share custom exercises and training plans. | Invite members to your team and visit their clients’ profiles. Change members’ roles, remove coaches and reassign clients. Custom exercises are shared, but only the admin can share workout programs. |
Lead Generation | Create a lead generation form with a cover image, message, and invite link. People can click the link to apply for coaching. | No |
Pricing | Starts from $25 monthly for up to ten clients. | Starts from $10 monthly for up to two clients. |
Free Trial | 30 days (no credit card required). | 30 days (no credit card required). |
To Conclude
Trainerize is a complex platform with countless features. It caters to a broad range of fitness professionals and is a good option for trainers who don’t mind sacrificing simplicity for the sake of having many features at their fingertips.
However, Hevy Coach is the better option for strength coaches and personal trainers because it provides all the necessary features in a simpler format.
You can build more detailed workouts and programs, organize your plans in folders, import quality programs from the library, monitor clients at a glance, track their performance and body composition, manage a team of professionals and their clients, log workouts for clients, and create a lead generation form to grow your coaching business.
So, sign up for a free 30-day trial to see what Hevy Coach is all about.