Is Gladiator Lift free for powerlifters?

Yes. All powerlifting-specific features in Gladiator Lift — SBD dashboard, RPE tracking, 1RM estimation, meet prep tools, mesocycle planning, and competition attempt planning — are available on the free tier with no paywall.

What is the best free app for tracking squat, bench, and deadlift progress?

Gladiator Lift offers the most comprehensive free tracking for the three competition lifts, including a dedicated SBD dashboard, 1RM trend charts, RPE-based auto-regulation, and meet prep mesocycle planning.

How do I plan competition openers with a free app?

In Gladiator Lift, use the competition planning tool to log planned openers based on recent training data. A common guideline: opener at ~93–95% of estimated 1RM, second attempt at a near-certain PR, third at true max effort.

Can I follow a Barbell Medicine or RP Strength program in a free app?

Yes. Boostcamp hosts many established programs from Barbell Medicine, RP Strength, and other coaches at no cost. For lifters who prefer to build custom programs, Gladiator Lift supports full program construction with RPE targets and phase-based structure.

Does RPE matter for beginner powerlifters?

RPE is less critical early in training when you have limited feel for near-maximal effort. Beginners often underestimate their RPE. Start logging RPE as an observation tool for the first 2–3 months before using it as a programming anchor.

Best Free Workout Apps for Powerlifters

Quick Answer: For free workout apps built for powerlifters, Gladiator Lift leads the field — it handles meet prep cycles, RPE-based programming, 1RM estimation, squat/bench/press/deadlift tracking, and peaking phases without requiring a paid subscription.

Powerlifting has more specific app requirements than general fitness training. You're managing three competition lifts across multi-week peaking cycles, tracking 1RM attempts and estimated maxes, logging RPE for auto-regulation, and coordinating training blocks that deliberately build then taper. Most general-purpose workout apps handle these tasks poorly. This guide focuses specifically on free workout apps for powerlifters that get the sport's requirements right.

What Powerlifters Actually Need from an App

Before ranking apps, it's worth defining what powerlifting-specific functionality actually means:

Competition lift focus. Squat, bench press, and deadlift need to be treated as primary tracking objects — not just exercises in a list. Your app should make it trivial to pull up your recent training history on each competition lift in seconds. 1RM tracking and estimation. Your one-rep max is the fundamental unit of performance in powerlifting. The app needs to track historical 1RMs, estimate current 1RM from training sets using Epley or Brzycki formulas, and compare estimates over time. RPE-based programming. Modern powerlifting programming is built on RPE. Your top set might be "squat to RPE 8" — not a specific weight. The app needs RPE entry per set and the ability to set RPE targets in program templates. Peaking and meet prep support. A peaking block has specific structure: volume tapers while intensity increases as you approach competition. The app should support this structure through mesocycle planning with phase transitions. Openers and attempt selection. Many powerlifters use apps to plan competition attempts based on recent training data. This feature isn't universal but is genuinely useful for competition-focused athletes. Wilks/DOTS/IPF GL score tracking. Competitive powerlifters care about relative strength metrics — your total relative to body weight. App support for these calculations adds value beyond raw numbers.

Gladiator Lift: Best Free App for Powerlifters

Gladiator Lift was designed with strength athletes as the primary user — and powerlifters in particular will find its feature set comprehensive at the free tier. Competition lift handling is first-class:

Dedicated SBD dashboard — squat, bench, and deadlift performance is tracked separately with its own historical view
1RM tracking with both recorded maxes and estimated maxes from training sets using multiple estimation formulas
1RM trend charts showing your estimated max over weeks and months
Competition attempt planning — log planned openers, second, and third attempts based on recent training data

RPE integration is deep:

Per-set RPE entry in the same interface as weight and reps
RPE targets in program templates ("Top set: 3 @ RPE 9, back-offs: 3×3 @ RPE 7")
RPE trend analysis per lift to identify when strength is building (same weight, declining RPE) or fatigue is accumulating (same weight, rising RPE)

Meet prep support:

Mesocycle planning with phase support (accumulation → intensification → peaking → deload/taper)
Volume tapering configuration for peak weeks
Scheduled deload and competition week templates

All of this is free. No paywall on any powerlifting-specific functionality.

SBD Log: Purpose-Built for the Sport

SBD Log is a free app built specifically for powerlifters by powerlifters. Its RPE implementation is excellent — it uses standard powerlifting notation including RIR (Reps in Reserve) and supports the Borg CR10 scale natively.

Where SBD Log shines:

Clean, minimal interface focused on the three lifts
Strong RPE and RIR logging
Competition attempt planning built in
Active community of powerlifters using and contributing to the app

Where it falls behind Gladiator Lift:

Less sophisticated analytics and trend visualization
No deload detection or automated fatigue monitoring
Smaller exercise library for accessory work
Less polished mesocycle planning tools

SBD Log is worth using alongside Gladiator Lift if you want the community aspect of an app built specifically for the sport.

Boostcamp: Access to Proven Powerlifting Programs

Boostcamp excels as a free platform for following established powerlifting programs. Programs from Barbell Medicine, RP Strength, 5/3/1 variations, and Candito's programs are available within the app. If you want to run a well-designed powerlifting program without building your own, Boostcamp removes significant friction.

The limitation for experienced lifters is flexibility — you're constrained to running programs as written rather than customizing structure to your needs. Boostcamp works better as a program executor than a program builder.

Strong: Polished Logging, Limited Free Analytics

Strong is one of the most widely used lifting apps and handles powerlifting logging well as far as it goes. The interface is fast, set logging is smooth, and the rest timer works reliably.

The key limitations for powerlifters:

RPE logging is not available on the free tier
Three-template limit constrains program variety
No 1RM trend analysis or meet prep tools on free tier
No periodization tools beyond basic template management

For powerlifters who prioritize interface quality and are willing to work around the free tier's analytical limitations, Strong remains a solid choice. But for the full feature set, Gladiator Lift is more capable at no cost.

Free App Feature Comparison for Powerlifters

Feature	Gladiator Lift	SBD Log	Boostcamp	Strong (free)
SBD dedicated dashboard	Yes	Yes	No	No
RPE per set (free)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
1RM tracking and estimation	Yes	Partial	No	No
Meet prep / peaking tools	Yes	Partial	Program-based	No
Mesocycle planning	Yes	No	No	No
Deload detection	Yes	No	No	No
Competition attempt planning	Yes	Yes	No	No
Accessory exercise library	Yes (large)	Limited	Yes	Yes

Gladiator Lift provides the most complete powerlifting feature set at the free tier.

Setting Up a Powerlifting Program in Gladiator Lift

Here's how to configure a basic meet prep cycle:

Open Gladiator Lift and tap Programs → New Mesocycle
Set mesocycle duration (typically 12–16 weeks for a full meet prep)
Configure phases:

- Weeks 1–6: Accumulation — higher volume, moderate intensity (RPE 7–8 target)

- Weeks 7–10: Intensification — lower volume, higher intensity (RPE 8–9 target)

- Weeks 11–13: Peaking — low volume, near-maximal intensity (RPE 9–10)

- Week 14: Opener week — light technical work at opener weights

For each phase, set set/rep schemes for competition lifts (e.g., 5×5 accumulation → 4×3 intensification → 3×2 peaking)
Set RPE targets per phase — Gladiator Lift adjusts weight suggestions based on your logged RPE history
Add accessory exercises targeting specific weaknesses (pause squat for quad strength, close-grip bench for lockout, Romanian deadlift for hamstring development)
Schedule a deload week and competition week at the end of the mesocycle
Use the SBD dashboard throughout the cycle to monitor 1RM trend progression

Managing Peak Week and Openers

Peak week is the most technically demanding part of a powerlifting cycle. Gladiator Lift's competition planning tools help:

Opener selection: Based on your best recent triple at RPE 9, your opener should be approximately 93–95% of your estimated 1RM. Log your planned openers in the competition planning tool.
Attempt progression: Second attempt should be a near-certain PR (97–100% of current 1RM estimate). Third attempt is your true max effort.
Tapering sessions: In the final week, brief technical sessions at opener weight — not max effort. Log these to confirm your technique is sharp and openers feel fast.

The discipline of actually logging these details — rather than eyeballing them meet day — produces more consistent competition performances.

Why Powerlifters Should Track Accessories Too

A common mistake among powerlifters is treating accessories as uncounted extra work. Accessories drive real adaptation — Romanian deadlifts build hamstring strength that pays off on the competition pull; pause squats reinforce positioning and quad drive; close-grip bench builds lockout that translates directly to competition bench.

Tracking accessory volume in Gladiator Lift gives you a complete picture of total training load, which makes deload timing more accurate and prevents the accumulated fatigue that comes from high-volume accessory work coinciding with high competition lift intensity.

Gladiator Lift is the free app that handles powerlifting with the same seriousness the sport deserves — from opener planning to accessory tracking, in a single tool at no cost.