Madeline Moves Workout App Review – My 6 Month Experience

As an avid home workout enthusiast, I take pride in trying all kinds of workouts and equipment, finding the things I love, and then sharing them here with you.

Back in early 2020, running was my main form of exercise. I was doing Peloton runs just about every day and really enjoying it. However, my body eventually told me it had had enough of the intense jarring. I suffered a pretty debilitating hip injury that left me limping for months.

To say I was devastated would be an understatement, but I knew that it was a sign that I needed to change my fitness routine and mentality.

I started looking for low-impact workouts and discovered Obe Fitness and their full library of live and on-demand workouts and absolutely fell in love. Obe got me through those first few months of rehabbing and strengthening my hip.

After a few months, though, I realized that I was really enjoying strength training and wanted to up my game a bit. I had recently started following Madeline Moves on Instagram, creeping in on her stories and posts about her workouts, and knew that it was a program that I wanted to give a try.

I’ve been doing Madeline Moves Weekly Moves Workouts for about 6 months now, including one of her Tighter Together Challenges, and I’m excited to bring you my full review of her programming!

Why Choose Strength/Weight Training?

Women have traditionally been on team cardio > strength training. And it’s easy to see why. Strength training is often associated with bodybuilding and large ripped muscles. It wasn’t seen as feminine or attractive - we don’t want to look big and bulky!

This was definitely my mindset, but I’m happy to share that I am a converter! Thanks in large to Madeline and her programming. But before we get into the review of the Weekly Moves App, I wanted to take a quick minute to give you some information on why choosing strength training is beneficial.

You’ll be physically stronger

Increasing your lean muscle mass means that you’ll be stronger. When you’re stronger, you can carry your kids around longer, make fewer trips from the car to the house, and open the pickle jar on your own. All kidding aside, you’ll immediately feel a boost in your confidence when you can perform activities easier.

You’ll lose body fat and replace it with lean muscle mass

The number one goal of the majority of people who are looking to start a new fitness routine is to lose weight. But not just any weight, they want to lose the fat and replace it with muscle.

Your metabolism will increase

Back to the previous point when you replace fat with muscle, you’re increasing your metabolic rate which means you will burn more calories throughout the day and be able to eat more food.

Body composition changes

You can line up two people who weigh the exact same weight, but one’s body contains lean muscle mass and the other fat, and you’d never believe that their weight is the same. The scale doesn’t tell the full story! You can completely change the look and feel of your body and lose inches without ever losing a single pound. You may even gain a couple! But you’re going to have the lean, toned look you desire.

Reduced risk of injury and pain

This is where I really needed to do my research. Instead of grinding away on the treadmill every day or performing high-impact exercises that jarred my body and caused an injury, I realized that building my muscles and increasing strength reduced my risk of re-injuring myself or experiencing pain and subsequent injuries in the future.

It’ll help improve your attitude and mindset

Lastly, a good strength training program will help you improve your quality of life. You’re going to see changes in your mind and your body as you safely progress through your program and the evidence is going to shine through you.

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Next, I’ll dig into everything you need to know about Madeline Moves App and her programming.

Who is Madeline Moves?

Madeline Moves, or Madeline Custer, is a fitness trainer that loves fitness and nutrition - but never takes any of it to the extreme. Her passion for fitness and nutrition is rooted in a genuine enjoyment of both and has moved her to educate herself as much as possible in the field. 

Madeline’s mentality has always been that fitness is just one small part of your life and your day, but it should be one that you enjoy, not something to stress and obsess over. She had a similar journey from a cardio-based training style to more resistance, weights -based training style and her results speak for themselves.

She created her app and her signature programs, Weekly Moves Workouts and her Tighter Together Challenges, as a way to help reduce the intimidation and fear associated with lifting weights and to gain the confidence you need to build the body you want - all while having fun in the process!

Get $5 off by using the link below!

Go to Madeline Moves

Weekly Moves Workouts: What are they like?

Weekly Moves Workouts are Madeline’s core programming. It’s the weekly workouts that she releases each week for her subscribers. There are 5 workouts per week, with the main focus being resistance training with some cardio and HIIT sprinkled throughout.

Here's a look inside my dashboard of the app:

Here’s a peek at what a week of programming looks like:

• Monday: Lower body
• Tuesday: Upper body
• Wednesday: Cardio conditioning
• Thursday: Back & chest
• Friday: Full body

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Go to Madeline Moves

Accessing the Workouts

Each workout is laid out for you within her app, which is very simple and basic in nature. Essentially, she gives you the exercises to perform, how many reps and sets to perform them, and instructions on how to perform them with proper form. She includes both written instructions as well as a video demonstration for each move.

When you start a workout, you can easily progress through the entire list of exercises while tracking your weights, reps, etc. before moving on to the next exercise. It’s very simple, but if you’re new to the exercises, it may take you a little more time to go through the workout because you’ll likely find yourself double-checking the video demonstrates a few times to make sure you’re getting it right. 

The app itself is easy to use. It’s very straightforward and void of a lot of the extra bells and whistles that you’ll find on some other fitness apps. If you follow Madeline on Instagram, you’ll see that she’s hyper-focused on the fitness aspect and keeps things very straightforward (which I love!).

How Long Do The Workouts Take?

The length of each workout will depend largely on your personal pace. Generally speaking, each workout will take anywhere from 35-75 minutes, based on whether or not you choose to do the optional challenge that she places at the end of nearly every workout. 

However, don’t let that scare you off, Madeline provides a condensed, 30-minute option for each workout, too. So if you’re short on time you can do the condensed version (which I know many people do!) and still get stellar results and a great workout in.

What Kinds of “Moves” Are There?

One of the best parts about this program is the variety. But you can expect that each workout will be centered around resistance training using weights and bands, with a mix of HIIT (high-intensity interval training)  and LISS (low impact steady state) sprinkled in there to get your cardio fix in and make it a well-rounded program.

Madeline does a great job mixing up the workouts each week as well as the format. You’ll see a lot of circuits (3 or more exercises), supersets (two exercises performed back-to-back), but also EMOMs (every minute on the minute) and pyramids, too.

Is This Program Good for Beginners?

Yes! Madeline takes a very inclusive approach to her programming, encouraging people of all levels to start from where they are and progress safely and efficiently.

She always offers modifications for movements, both in her app and on her Instagram which can be extremely helpful if you are just starting out. Additionally, she does a great job offering form cues and instruction that will help you make sure you’re performing the movements correctly and safely.

Can These Workouts Be Done From Home?

100% yes. I workout exclusively from home and know that many other women in the community do the same, especially after the events of 2020. Madeline herself worked out from her garage for months this year, showing her community that it very well can be done.

Of course, if you have access to a gym and that’s where you perform to train, you can do these workouts there, too!

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What Equipment is Required?

If you’re working out from home, you’re going to need a few pieces of equipment to make the most of these workouts. That said, your subscription to the app also gets you access to her Move Sweat Shred Anywhere program which requires only bands and bodyweight, but the real value (in my opinion) is participating in the Weekly Moves Workouts, so here’s what you need:

Dumbbells

The weight selection you have will depend on your fitness level, but it’s beneficial to have at least 2-3 sets of varying weights. A good baseline is having a range from 5-20 lbs.

Many women get adjustable dumbbells which eliminate the need for purchasing multiple sets (the costs add up quickly!). For beginners, I recommend a set like this to get started. 

For personal reference, I started my journey with WMW with 5s, 8s, and 15s and then purchased 20s and 25s a month or two into my journey and I’m already looking at getting heavier ones!

Resistance Bands

You’ll want a variety of bands to perform all the exercises within the app. I use these to replicate a cable machine and this and these to add intensity to lower body moves. Make sure you get high-quality bands, the extra investment into the good ones are worth it! You don’t want them snapping on you or stretching out within a few uses.

Step (or Plyo Box)

There’s often the need for some kind of step to perform the exercises. This could be a plyo box, sturdy chair, coffee table, or step stool - whatever you have around your house that’s sturdy and will hold your weight safely.

A good pair of shoes - These are my ride or dies (and many others in the community, too)

Those are the only MUST haves, but it’s helpful to have the following, too:

• Kettlebell
• Barbell
• Cardio machines (Spin bike, treadmill, etc.)
• Medicine ball

How Much Does the Subscription Cost?

A Weekly Moves subscription is just $20 per month, which is beyond worth it in my opinion. Madeline provides so much value in her programming. On top of that, the community is amazing.

With your subscription you’ll get access to the Facebook group where thousands of women and men share their experiences, ask questions, and support one another. It’s truly a powerful, uplifting community to be a part of.

Weighing the Pros and Cons

As with any workout program, there are always going to be pros and cons, which will depend  a lot on your personality.

Pros

• The workouts are an an easy way to get introduced to strength training
• Each workout is carefully and specifically designed to get you results - muscle specific workouts!
• You can choose to do the 30-minute option if you’re short on time
• Madeline provides tons of instruction and form cues and often previews the workouts on her Instagram
• You can do them from home or the gym
• You can access the app from your phone or computer
• She incorporates cardio into your routine without overdoing it
• She’s always mixing things up to avoid boredom
• The app is easy to track your weights and see progress
• You can create your own workouts within the app
• Your favorite workouts can be saved so you can go back and do them again
• The community aspect is amazing
• Tighter Together challenges

Cons

• You will need some equipment to see the best results
• The app is sometimes glitchy (but can usually be resolved fairly simply)
• These are not instructor-led workouts, you only get the programming and a preview of the move, if you prefer videos to follow along to,  I recommend Obe Fitness or NEOU, but it’s easy to get used to WMW’s style

What’s Tighter Together?

Tighter Together is a dedicated workout challenge that Madeline hosts a couple of times per year. This is an opportunity to dedicate a month to zeroing in on your fitness and nutrition. This is how I got started with Madeline Moves and is definitely the gateway drug!

During Tighter Together, you’ll get 4 full weeks of workouts (6 days per week) + a personalized macro calculation that’s designed to help you reach your personal goals. The macro/nutrition side of the challenge is completely optional, but it’s a nice way to challenge yourself to stick with your nutrition and learn more about macros if you’re new to the concept.

In addition to the workouts and macro consult, Madeline provides a ton of resources like recipes, eating guides, form guides, etc. Also, there are fun prizes and giveaways all throughout the challenge that give you the chance to win some awesome gear!

During the challenge, you’ll get access to a dedicated Facebook group for challengers where you’ll get to experience the power of community and camaraderie. It’s a really fun way to connect and meet others who are on a similar journey. There’s a lot of power in working out together!

Tighter Together Vs. Weekly Moves Workouts

What’s the difference? Tighter Together workouts are more intense and more frequent. You can think of the challenge as a time to go hard with your workouts. You’ll get 6 workouts each week as opposed to 5 with the regular WMWs. 

Honestly, both Tighter Together and Weekly Moves Workouts are challenging, but TT takes it up a notch! And challenges are always a fun way to mix up your regular routine!

Moves App vs FHM+ Active App

While I am a big fan of Madeline Moves and the Moves App and it served me well during my initial years getting into strength training (and while I was a SAHM to two toddlers), I have since shifted my focus from workouts that change and vary weekly to workouts that repeat for 4-6 weeks. This has allowed me to focus more on progressive overload (getting stronger) and to see continued results.

The Moves App did a wonderful job of laying a foundation for me for strength training, however, I now prefer a more advanced version of lifting, which is why I’ve created my own workout app with monthly training programs. I have held a personal training certification for years and have a true passion for programing workouts that are doable yet challenging and effective.

I host my app (FHM+) on the same platform that Madeline Moves does, so you can expect the same experience from the apps in many regards, however, there are also differences. Here’s a brief comparison of the two apps:

Final Thoughts: Is this program worth it?

Absolutely, yes, especially if you’re looking to get into strength training. Lifting weights can be so intimidating, particularly for women.

Weekly Moves Workouts take all the guesswork out of your workouts. All you need to do is open your app and get started. Madeline puts in all the time and effort to make sure you have a well-rounded week of workouts each week and she shows you how to do them. It’s so simple and accessible!

Every Sunday, the new workouts for the upcoming week are posted in the app (which I am always excited to check out and get hyped for the coming week). And if you need motivation and accountability, you can easily find that within the community!

I’ve tried a LOT of fitness apps and programs, many of which I have loved, but this is one that feels super sustainable for me and one that has for sure become my go-to daily workout, especially as I’ve transitioned from cardio-based training to strength-based training.

Have you been on the fence about trying Madeline Move’s programming? I hope that this review has helped answer some questions and give you a better idea of what to expect!

If you decide to sign up, I’ll see you in the community!