Why serious lifters
switch to HEWN.
Most workout apps are designed to sell recurring subscriptions or turn your workouts into social media feeds. HEWN is built for the solo lifter who values focus, biomechanical accuracy, and absolute reliability.
| Capability / Standard | HEWNSolo-First | Strong | Hevy | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost & Ethics | ||||
| Pricing & Paywalls | Generous Free Plan | $4.99/mo or $39.99/yr | $3.99/mo or $29.99/yr | Core workout logging is free with zero ads. Transparent pro plans planned for advanced multi-block analytics. |
| Ads & Social Feed Clutter | Yes | No | No | Zero influencer feeds, follower counts, or banner ads. Built solely for your lifting. |
| Account Required to Log | No | Yes | Yes | Start logging on HEWN on install. Account is purely optional for cloud backup & web planner. |
| Performance & Reliability | ||||
| Works in basement gyms with no signal | Yes | Partial | Partial (Needs signal) | Saves everything directly on your phone. Never freezes or waits on a connection. |
| Computer web planner | Yes | No | Paid Only | Plan 12-week blocks on your computer with a full keyboard; syncs straight to your phone. |
| Lifting Science & Safety | ||||
| Weight ramp after taking time off | Yes | No | No | Safely drops suggested weights after weeks away so you don't hurt yourself (5% ramp back up). |
| Exercise swap suggestions when stuck | Yes | No | No | Notices when you stall for three sessions and suggests alternative movements. |
| Real cable machine resistance | Yes | No | No | Calculates the true weight lifted so your numbers are accurate across different gyms. |
| Move missed days forward | Yes | No | No | Missed Tuesday? Move it to Wednesday and the rest of your week slides forward cleanly. |
| Data Ownership | ||||
| Import past workouts from other apps | Yes | CSV Only | Paid Only | Import all your workouts from Strong, Hevy, or Lyfta in 60 seconds. |
| Permanent workout history | Yes | No | No | Your past workouts and personal records stay saved on your phone forever. |
The 3 core frustrations we solved
We built HEWN because we were fed up with the apps we used every week.
Aggressive Routine Paywalls
You build 3 routines in Strong or Hevy, and the moment you try to create a 4th, an aggressive paywall modal blocks your screen. HEWN provides a generous free plan that lets you train with multiple routines and full workout history without being blocked mid-session.
The Dead-Zone Freeze
Underground basement gyms, steel-reinforced powerlifting garages, and crowded gyms often have zero cell signal. Apps that rely on cloud roundtrips spin or fail to save sets. HEWN writes to SQLite locally in 0ms.
The Layoff Re-Injury Trap
Other apps show you your all-time PR when you come back from a month off, tempting you to load dangerous weight. HEWN's Detraining Decay safely ramps your working weights back up by 5% per session.
Why 100 kg on a Cable Crossover Feels Like 50 kg
A 1:1 single fixed pulley delivers the full 100 kg resistance with high stack inertia. A 2:1 compound floating pulley cuts felt effort to 50 kg, doubles cable stroke length, and slashes stack momentum by 75% for zero-slack athletic reps.
Why HEWN tracks pulley ratios: Pinning 100 kg on a commercial functional trainer is a 50 kg muscular effort. HEWN records true effective load so your progressive overload, tonnage, and e1RM calculations remain scientifically accurate across different gym facilities.
Switch in 60 seconds without losing a single workout
You don't have to start from scratch. Export your existing data from Strong or Hevy and drop it right into HEWN.
Export CSV
Open Strong, Hevy, or Lyfta, navigate to Settings > Export Data, and export your complete workout history as a CSV file.
Drop into HEWN
Open HEWN, tap Settings > Import CSV, and select the file. HEWN maps your exercises and builds your workout archive automatically.
Train Immediately
Your historical PRs, total tonnage, and exercise progressions are loaded instantly into your Habit Matrix.