I did Madeline Moves (now Moves App) workouts from 2020-2022-ish. Madeline’s program was one of my first introductions to a strategic weight training program. At the time, I had already gotten my personal training and group fitness certifications, but I wasn’t lifting weights consistently on my own. I was teaching group fitness classes and doing a lot of random YouTube workouts and Beachbody workouts at the time.

I remember being so nervous to transition to an app that didn’t feature follow-along workouts, where you’re following along with the instructor on the screen. I wasn’t sure an app that only showed me the movements would be enough to keep me interested and consistent. But, spoiler alert, I ended up falling in love with this style of training and haven’t looked back.

In this article, I wanted to share my experience with Moves App over the years. The app had grown, evolved, and changed so much! I’m eager to share my insights both from the perspective of a user and as a personal trainer.

Why I Started Using Moves App

Back when I first started Moves App, it was actually called Moves by Madeline or Madeline Moves (they have since rebranded). I’m not sure how I came across Madeline on Instagram, but I did, and immediately started following her. I was newly postpartum and was on a weight loss journey. To be honest, I loved the way her body looked so lean and toned - I wanted that!

At the time, I was doing a lot of random workouts with really light weights and was running a lot. I was scared of getting bulky, so it was really refreshing to see a girl working out with relatively heavy weights and having a lean physique. I always felt like my body was soft, and even when I lost weight, I still had the same shape. I really wanted to lean into strength training to build and sculpt my physique.

After watching Madeline show up every day in her garage gym for her workout for a while (this was 2020 when gyms were closed down), I decided to go for it. At the time, Madeline was promoting her Tighter Together Challenge, so that’s what I started with. Tighter Together is her bi-annual workout and nutrition challenge that provides challengers with custom macros and dedicated workouts. 

As a side note, this was also my first introduction to macros. I loved the idea of learning how to fuel my body while following a strategic strength training program. I really like that Moves was designed to be done from home (mostly) and that all I needed were some dumbbells and bands, which I already had. When I first started, there weren’t any workout time options, the workouts were just the workouts - they took you what they took you. These days, she offers 30 or 60-minute workout options.

My Experience With Moves App

I have to credit Moves with igniting my love of strength training and body recomposition. Once I got past my roadblocks, I started to get really consistent with training with Moves App. I began with the Tighter Together Challenge, which had me doing 6 workouts per week for about 45-60 minutes per session, and then I transitioned to her regular weekly workouts afterwards.

Inside the Moves App, there are several workout programs to choose from, with more being added all the time. The most popular workout program is the Weekly Moves Workouts, which is a program that gives you 5 brand new workouts every week. At the time, I loved having the new workouts every week. It helped to keep me motivated and inspired each week. 

The workouts are a mixture of single exercises, supersets, and circuit training. This means that you might be doing a single exercise on its own for a certain number of sets, doing two exercises back to back, or doing multiple exercises in a row before resting. Over the years, I think the Moves team has toned down the number of circuits, but they still play a big role in the programming. 

The Weekly Moves workout split looks like this:

• Monday: Legs
• Tuesday: Upper body
• Wednesday: Cardio/Conditioning
• Thursday: Upper body
• Friday: Full body

Each workout has a 30 or 60-minute workout option, which is great, but often the time is pretty arbitrary, as it’s easy to go way over the time allotted. In fact, I often see women complaining that the workouts are taking them way longer than the time frame. Unfortunately, with an app that’s designed to go at your own pace, you can’t really put an exact time on it; it’s more of a reference and general idea. Every individual moves through things at their own pace. 

The app itself is really user-friendly. In fact, the Moves team recently published a brand new app with a new user interface and experience, which appears to have made even more improvements to the app and its user experience. I haven’t used the app since the upgrade, but I have played around with it, and it definitely has some nice features. 

I used Moves workouts on and off for about 2 years and saw really good initial results. It was my first experience with being consistent with strength training, so lots of body composition changes happened (decreased body fat, increased lean muscle). However, around year 2, I realized that I was no longer seeing any changes in my body and that I might need to switch up my workout program in order to keep making progress.

Note: Take a look at the video below to see inside the app:

What I Love About Moves App

There are so many wonderful things about Moves App that make it an excellent choice for a fitness program: 

• Madeline herself is genuine and shows up for her community daily.
• The app is super affordable at just $20/month
• The Moves team is constantly updating things and working to make it a great experience for users.
• Madeline has added several people to her team to help her program the workouts confidently.
• New programs are added frequently to meet you in different stages of life i.e., prenatal, postpartum, training for a marathon, etc. 
• It’s a great introduction to structured strength training
• Alternative moves are provided and easy to swap
• Great community 

Why I Stopped Using Moves App

Honestly, it just comes down to the fact that I started getting really invested in the science of strength training, specifically, progressive overload, which is the principle of getting stronger over time. In order to apply progressive overload, you need to repeat the same exercises/workouts in order to make progress week to week. I wasn’t able to do this with Weekly Moves Workouts because the workouts were different every week and featured different exercises.

I started to learn and understand that rest times were important and that circuits weren’t necessarily the best way to build muscle and see the best results. Plus, my personal progress had stalled, and I felt like I was constantly trying to add more to start to see results again, but instead, the “more” mentality was leaving me feeling burnt out, and my body didn’t respond kindly.

It was almost as if I were doing far too much. The 5-6 workouts per week were starting to take a toll on me. I was puffy, inflamed, and knew my body needed a break, but I was scared that if I pulled back, I would lose progress. Ultimately, I decided the higher intensity workouts I was doing in Moves App were too much for me at that stage, and I wanted to take a new approach. I wanted to try a progressive overload focused program instead, with rest times and more straight sets vs supersets and circuits. 

As a woman in her mid to upper thirties at this point, it started to become obvious that I needed to change my approach to training to better suit my body as I aged. I started searching for apps that were aligned with my new approach. One that I tried was Sadie Active, which I really liked, however, she also switches the workouts every week, which just wasn’t aligned with my goals. 

What My Workouts Look Like Now

All of my experience trying different apps and training styles led me to create my very own fitness app. Throughout the years, I’ve maintained my personal training certification, continued on to gain more certifications, and continue to invest in education around strength training. I created my own app so that I could have the exact workouts I was looking for in other apps but failed to find.

My app, Simply Strong, was actually designed by the same company that designed Moves App, but the difference is in the programming. I keep my workouts very simple, straightforward, and effective. We focus on progressive overload, meaning we repeat the same workout programs for 4-5 weeks at a time before starting a new program. What this does is it allows us to make significant strength gains and optimal body composition changes. 

My programming features rest times pre-programmed into the workouts to remind users that rest is essential and that we should be pushing ourselves in our sets so that rest is needed. Each month, there are 3, 4, and 5-day per week plan options to choose from with 30 or 45-minute session options. 

My goal is to simplify strength training, cutting out the fluff and noise, and delivering just what’s proven to work while being realistic for the average busy person. I test every single one of my workouts to ensure our time frame is lining up because I know how defeating it can feel to have to cut a workout short that goes over time. 

I typically follow my 5-day plan each month, doing the 30-minute workouts each day. My body has responded very well to the reduction in overall volume and the simple nature of the exercises. I feel as though I’m maturing in fitness and have finally found my sweet spot. 

Final Thoughts

Moves App is wonderful and a great option for so many people! Specifically, I think prenatal and new moms connect really well with Madeline as she is in that era of life right now, too, and she has created programs that are designed to help make the most of your fitness journey during these phases. 

If you’re someone who loves workouts that change every week to help keep you motivated, definitely try the Moves app. However, if you’re looking for a simple lifting program that sticks with the basics and focuses on progressive overload, give Simply Strong a try! Either way, you’ll get a great workout program.