Editors’ Choice celebrates the very best apps and games—handpicked by App Store Editors around the world.

Ladder leveled up our strength training by helping us push past plateaus, lift a little heavier each week, and rack up a steady stream of personal records—with nothing more than two dumbbells and a dream.

We knew we loved it when: We stopped overthinking and just started showing up. Ladder made this an easy lift, matching us with a program and an in-app coach, tracking every rep with satisfying haptics, and syncing to our Apple Watch—allowing us to focus on muscle, not math.

Our favorite discovery: How the app gently guided us to keep pushing, whether with an encouraging video from our in-app coach or a visualization of our workout history that turned data into bragging rights. (Progress percentages showing we were lifting way more than when we started was especially motivating.)

Biggest surprise: Getting cheers from our teammates—the community of fellow lifters in the app. The animated confetti and sound effects they sent us were fun reminders we’re not in this alone.