Best Hevy Alternative for Strength Athletes
Hevy does what it does well. But if you follow percentage-based programming, you spend more time on Excel than under the bar. Here's why.
A user messaged me a few months ago. He’d been using Hevy for a year. Happy with the app. But at the start of every new training block, he’d open Google Sheets, recalculate his weights, then copy them back into Hevy by hand. He was looking for an app that did it for him. He couldn’t find one.
That’s exactly the problem Gaman solves.
Hevy is fine. It’s just not built for this.
Hevy is a logging app. You record what you do. You see your history. It’s clean, fast, and for someone lifting by feel with 3x10s, it’s perfect.
The problem: no programming.
If your program says “Squat 4x4 at 82.5% of 1RM”, Hevy has no idea what that means in kilos. You calculate. You enter the number. You hit a PR the following week? You start over.
Over a 12-week cycle with 3-4 main movements, that’s easily 30-40 manual calculations. And one mistake on your 1RM cascades through everything else.
Training 5% too light for 8 weeks doesn’t hurt in the moment. It shows up at the end-of-cycle review. Most people blame “a rough patch” rather than a poorly maintained spreadsheet.
What Gaman does instead
You enter your 1RM. Gaman calculates. That’s it.
You hit a deadlift PR? Your upcoming sessions recalibrate. No action needed on your end.
The practical difference: you show up to train with your weights already set. You focus on the session, not the admin.
And if you work with a coach, they can build and push programs directly to your account. No more PDFs, no more shared spreadsheets.
Gaman doesn’t have Hevy’s social features. No public profile, no activity feed of your training partners’ sessions. If you actually use those features, that’s honestly a point for Hevy.
What each app does and doesn’t do
| Hevy | Gaman | |
|---|---|---|
| Free with unlimited programs | ✗ | ✓ |
| % of 1RM programming | ✗ | ✓ |
| Auto-recalibration after PRs | ✗ | ✓ |
| Integrated coaching | ✗ | ✓ |
| AI program import | ✗ | ✓ |
| Workout history | ✓ | ✓ |
| Volume tracking by muscle | ✓ | ✓ |
| Social features | ✓ | ✗ |
Who should use what
If you train with percentages, whatever the program, Gaman is built for you. Sheiko, nSuns, GZCLP, a coach’s program: as long as your weights are based on % of 1RM, Gaman handles the math.
If you just want to log sessions and see what your gym friends are doing, Hevy works fine.
Both are free. Try both. But if you’re opening Excel between training sessions, you’re using the wrong tool.
Using Strong instead of Hevy? We did the same comparison for Strong.
Questions fréquentes
- Is Hevy actually free?
- Hevy has a free plan with basic features. Some advanced stats and social features require a paid subscription. Gaman is completely free with no program limits.
- What's the main difference between Hevy and Gaman?
- Hevy is a logging app: you record what you do. Gaman is a programming app: it calculates your weights as a % of your 1RM and recalibrates them after every PR. For structured percentage-based programming, Gaman handles the math for you.
- What type of training is Gaman built for?
- Gaman is built for percentage-based programs: powerlifting, streetlifting, weightlifting, or any structured program with defined intensities. For free-form training without a program, Hevy is still a solid option.
- Can I import my existing program into Gaman?
- Yes. Gaman lets you import any program via a photo, text, PDF, or screenshot using AI. No manual re-entry needed.