KeyLifts 531 Workout Log

Jimmy Cook

In-app purchases

About this app

KeyLifts takes the math out of the 5/3/1 program so you can focus on getting stronger. Everything is planned out for you. Know exactly what you need to do as soon as you step into the gym. KeyLifts automatically calculates all your sets so you can focus on hitting new Personal Records.

Planning and tracking a 5/3/1 program is time consuming and hard. You have to calculate your training max and then calculate every single set based on your training max. It doesn't have to be like that. You could just walk into the gym everyday knowing exactly what you need to lift. KeyLifts takes the math out of the 5/3/1 program so you can focus on getting stronger and hitting new PRs.

Every cycle you have to redo the entire planning process, but not anymore! With one button press you can create a new cycle with all the weights automatically calculated for you.

If you haven't hit your ultimate strength goals yet then maybe it's because you have to spend so much time at the gym calculating weights for each set. Stop wasting your precious energy. Just plug in your numbers to KeyLifts and go.

For the serious lifter there are some excellent features when you upgrade to the Pro version. Unlock over 100+ 5/3/1 templates along with the ability to edit an existing template. If you really know what you are doing you can build your own template from scratch.

The 5/3/1 program is amazing for strength gains but energy and time is wasted trying to figure out what plates you need for each set. In the upgraded Pro version you get a Plate Calculator so you focus on the things that matter.

Getting stronger is about putting in the work every week but it's hard to see the progress you are making. The Pro version includes graphs of your one-rep maxes over time. Feel confident knowing you are doing the right things and making progress.

If you are the type of person that likes to track everything the Pro version also includes the ability to add and track Joker sets and assistance exercises.

Ratings and reviews

Unfortunately there were a few issues that prevented me from using it for my next workout. One is that the weight calculation wasn't rounding to anything realistic (for example, the weight would end in a 1 instead of 5 or even 2.5). The second is that the back button would close out the app instead of going back, which would then freeze the app and require a reset of it. The design is great and very attractive, but the lack of proper plate rounding turned me off from trying it further.

Picked this app up after I read 531 Forever since it did a better job handling some of the more complex programs. Upgraded pretty quickly, partly because it's a good app and partly because the free version is, admittedly, pretty limiting. I will say for anyone on the fence, the upgrade is worth it. I think of it like this - the app does more for my training than a box of protein bars for about the same price. While it can be a bit difficult to get templates in place if they aren't already configured (you see most of the biggies like Building The Monolith, but some of the less popular ones have to be made from scratch or adapted from similar templates), once you have them laid out it's very easy to follow. This is especially useful for people who program out their training for longer periods of time, being able to set all your cycles, deloads, tests, etc up ahead of time and hand off all the math to a computer is great. My only real complaint is that it automatically updates your training max every time you increase your calculated 1RM, or else you have to do so manually. It would be nice to have an option to have it automatically increase your TM every cycle, since this is what Wendler generally recommends. I got stuck spinning my wheels for a while because I wasn't getting enough reps on the AMRAP sets. Otherwise, it beats using a spreadsheet to keep track of lifts.

I gotta say this app is a game changer. It is easy to use and is a great way to track progress. I would reccomend using it in conjunction with the books to make sure the routines are structured properly. It is no issue at all to add warm-ups, extra sets, and extra exercises to any routine. Like all things 5/3/1 make sure you are using the right numbers and you will be golden EDIT: Fantastic support, the man took a lot of time to get things fixed for me, an A+ human.

What's new

- Fix Training Max not auto increasing when hitting new PR
- Fix formatting input for durations.