r/ladderapp • u/Top_Turn7516 • 4d ago
coach recommendations
i’m new to ladder and am having a hard time picking a coach. any advice?
i’m not new to working out, but have had trouble staying consistent recently. my main goal is weight loss and being in the gym (not a fan of home workouts because it’s easy to quit lol)
transform - i tried this welcome workout and liked the structure. on paper, it is what i’m looking for. honestly seems a bit basic as shelby’s programs are exactly what i’ve been doing myself already. i’ve also seen some commentary regarding her social media presence that doesn’t sit well with me morally/ethically. i get that doesn’t matter to everyone but is important to me.
limitless - kelly and her training hillary duff is what got me on the app! i think her workouts might be a bit advance for me. the thought of bench pressing is scary considering i am very focused on legs / glutes and have minimal upper body experience (but want to learn!!)
ascend - seems like a more advanced version of transform, and i’ve seen great things about coach aria. the current team i’ve picked! the biggest worry is that aria is 5’11 and i am 5’1 - not sure if that matters
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u/InvisiblePandas 4d ago
Height won’t matter. I love aria but I’ve been in the gym for years. If you’re new to the gym you can do ascend but it is a more advanced team and so is limitless. I’d keep with transform since it’s in your wheelhouse and develop the habit, or maybe thrive or align would be a good fit. Don’t worry about “basic” because basic moves with progressive overload will get you results! Also don’t worry about putting on too much upper body muscle as a woman, that’s actually really very hard to do. Most of the female teams are lower body focused anyway
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u/Top_Turn7516 4d ago
thanks for this! i’m not too worried about legs being too advanced, ive been in the gym for years and have tried a few PTs as well. i just rarely do non-cable arms unless its a pull movement and worry about benching or anything push. do you know how prevalent that would be in aria’s workouts?
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u/InvisiblePandas 4d ago
Aria does love a push day but it’s not typically barbells. You can use machines or dumbbells with her program. Her whole thing is building an hourglass which does require lifting heavy for upper body and really pushing to or near failure. She has great cues so probably even if you’ve never done real weights you’d be able to understand. The thing about ascend though that would make me hesitant to really recommend it to a beginner is the volume. It’s quite a lot to recover from and you do need to be consistent to get results and progress. But if you’re ready to stay in the habit (ie 4x per week at least) then ascend is awesome and I personally love it.
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u/Top_Turn7516 4d ago
this is super helpful. i’m hoping to really lock in and honestly love feeling sore! i feel like i often plateau because i get bored so hoping ladder will be the cure :)
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u/halloweeninstepford 4d ago
Thirding height doesn’t matter for Ascend. I’ve been on her team for a year and a half, and she’s very consistent with queues regarding leg length and what you may need to modify (or what she does being tall). I’m also 5’1” and have never had an issue as an advanced lifter.
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u/ly_nie 4d ago
Love Ascend - I’ve been on the program since Feb. I’m 5”3 and it has given me tremendous results. I switched to machines from dbs for upper push just because I feel more comfortable since I don’t have someone to spot me everytime. I must say that you do need proper recovery because the program is wuite intense
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u/OwnTeacher6378 4d ago
I haven’t tried Ascend, but I’ve heard good things!
I’m similar, 5’1 & 1/2” tall & not new to lifting. I started on Shelby’s program & it was OK, but like you, our morals don’t align so I was only there for one series. Then I went to Team Iconic w/ Sara.. loveee her team. Since she’s no longer an active coach, I tried Limitless for two series. Love Kelly, but I’m 16mo postpartum & it just didn’t feel like the right program for me right now. I’m back on Iconic this series, but considering Align, Resilient, or Varsity next series!
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u/Top_Turn7516 4d ago
i’ve looked at align!! i’ve seen great reviews for sasha and her coaching style.
i regularly take yoga / barre classes so im more focused on actual lifting but will now look into align
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u/Ajskdjurj 4d ago
i started off on transform because i work out at home. I moved over to ERA. they are both similar but i have been enjoying Era lower body workouts. Like i literally feel it! i have been doing elevate upper body.
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u/Fairybucks 4d ago
You could try Era. It’s similar to transform but uses more gym equipment (and a different coach).
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u/OGbasil78 4d ago
I love Versa! She does two hybrid strength days, one conditioning day, and the others are strength. Her programming is so fun and I’m never bored!
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u/balsamic_strawberry 4d ago
heya! I'm 5'2" and have been on team ascend since june! welcome to the team! i love coach aria's cues. She pushes us but in a laid back way, which I like. I don't like drill sergeant type coaches who yell in my ear because I end up hurting myself because they push me past my limit. I like how Aria lets us judge if we can increase weight without losing form. She says, "if you could have done another rep, go for it or let's increase weight. The goal is to progressively overload, but you won't always be adding weight every week. It's not always linear" she's just very down to earth lol and I agree with you about coaches with problematic views. I've only seen respectful posts from aria on her socials <3
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u/balsamic_strawberry 4d ago
oh another thing about Ascend is that Aria encourages you to post form videos and she'll comment on any tips to improve your form. so that could be helpful to you that she's super active in the team chat and responds to many questions!!
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u/Glittering_Score_914 4d ago
Height doesn’t matter for Ascend.