Strength by Mari Reviews

by Love My I-pod

I’ve loved Mari’s supplement products for years! I tried the original pdf workout guides, but they just got too simple and repetitive for me. Her advanced is NOT advanced for someone who knows how to lift in the gym. Very much a beginner/basic content. Strength seems money hungry to push a product that she’s not at all qualified to do. Mari is not a trainer, and very evident in her poor form and incomplete movements (ex: not ever pushing/squatting the full lifting movement as also seen on IG). Not cool to charge $10/month to be teaching others when you’re not qualified. Like others have said, you won’t find a negative review of her products ANYWHERE, as all negative reviews are deleted. That is not a transparent company. Strength is the first exception since you can’t modify reviews on Strength Store, and it’s quickly becoming apparent others see the same thing. She has a huge IG following, as she is a phenomenal human. But, not qualified to push a workout app without being a trainer. I hope she sticks to her product line instead, as she rocks this. Definitely would recommend someone else’s app instead of paying for this one!

by Jselpizzzle

I was extremely disappointed by Strength. Mari and Greg hyped up Strength launch for almost two years, and I expected perfection. Wrong. Plenty of bugs to correct (like not saving my progress if I switch out of Strength ). As someone who followed Mari for a long time and bought her PDF guides, Strength just put those same workout guides into an app, and honestly that’s when I deleted Strength and found a new one to use. I felt completely scammed out of my money to use Strength when I had the same workout plans already in my possession that I paid for.

I haven’t used it after the “Black Friday” update, but I’m more concerned than intrigued. Maris style of training has changed, but not for the better. She displays awful form that could lead to injury if people follow, combines movements that aren’t typically combined for a reason (bench press and flutter kicks at the same time??), and appears to be more HIIT based which isn’t bad, but they’re not advertising it as such.

Maris mottos is “strong inside and out.” Find another app if you want to be strong, I guess purchase this one if you just want to be skinny.

by Hedurustaajdk

I NEVER wrote reviews but I feel like I need to write this one. I have been using another workout app for about 18 months now and while I absolutely love it I wanted to try the slay app since I follow Mari on Instagram and love her content. When I signed up for it I thought maybe I was doing something wrong with Strength because it’s not user friendly at all. You can’t go back or go forward to view the workouts. The workouts are simplistic at best and that’s putting it nicely. It’s like she just put some workouts in there randomly for you to do each day. I picked the advanced workouts since I’ve been working out for a while and I kept starting over wondering had I picked the beginner ones. It barely took me 30 minutes to complete and there’s not rhyme or reason to the workouts and how she has them set up. I guess if you’re wanting to simply move your body Strength may be for you. But if you’re wanting to build muscle and progress and be challenged don’t waste your time with Strength. I was just really disappointed and I realized she isn’t really a trainer and has no business training people.

by Jcana912

I have purchased the home guides in the past and also really love their supplement brand- I it’s where I purchase all my pre workout and BCAA, etc. When I heard the Slay app was coming out, I was so excited to try it as it’s just much more easily accessible when you’re at the gym vs following the pdf guide. However, after having been through a bunch of other fitness apps/programs, this one is almost too simplistic for me. The biggest turnoff for me is that I can’t look ahead to the schedule of workouts for the week. Sometimes it doesn’t even make sense the way they are scheduled and I wish I could simply switch them around but you can’t see the next workout unless you “finish” that day. One week ended with glute/quad and the following week started with glute/ham? I don’t find that helpful in terms of recovery or progress. I also find that the advanced selection of workouts are almost too simplistic... I find myself adding a few exercises of my own when I expect Strength to provide a workout program that’s progressively challenging. I know this just came out so hopefully they follow through with feedback because with some changes I’d really love Strength just because I believe in the people behind the brand.

by 123lalalaeliz

I love the workouts-though I still think rep count should be clarified if it is per side etc. the recipes are good but very limited and haven’t changed. The big downside right now is Strength crashes constantly and clears out timers and progress pics etc. I have reported issues to support but have been met with less than helpful responses saying I need to try a whole list of things which I have and then delete Strength and reinstall which will mean I will for sure lose how many weeks I am into my 8 week workout challenge. They don’t seem to believe the issues or care even when I send the screen grab(how the emails have come across so far). This morning Strength wouldn’t even open without crashing so I couldn’t pull up the breakfast recipe I wanted to try. I just don’t get how an app can be released with so many obvious bugs that are so easy to replicate across the versions I have been on. Strength could be great but right now I’m just not sure if I want to keep dealing with these issues long term if support won’t actually work them.

by Sjdismsoskcjdnsjcjejd

I fell in love with lifting because of Mari’s gym guides. I bought them all, all of her merch, her greens etc., I really do love what she brings to the table. However, I’m only giving Strength 3 stars (for now) because I think it could use some updates. I like the workouts themselves but I do not like that you can’t see the future days of the week. Depending on my personal schedule for the week it could effect whether I do an upper body day or a lower body day, so switching days around sometimes would be ideal, but Strength only lets you see the day you’re actually on. Sure, you could risk checking off all the exercises to move to the next day but if you go too far it’ll send you into the next week and makes it very difficult going back to past weeks without still moving you forward in the present week (a glitch maybe?). Anyway, would love the option of moving days around and Strength would definitely get 5 stars!

PS: I reached out to Slay help and I mostly just got a generated response and nothing since. Another reason for 3 stars. Strength is highly rated maybe BC the very first day it came out Mari and her team asked all of her followers to go rate Strength . And Mari’s followers are kinda like Beyoncé’s B hive. It’s mediocre at best.

by Rascal1997

I really enjoy a lot of features in Strength . i love that it tracks your progress and you can change things to fit your need. I wish it had a way to input measurements instead of weight since for some this is a better measurement for their mental health. Also would be nice if you could see your progress in a chart! It also glitches at times (will not let me input things or does not do the 30 second break) which can be frustrating.
Update:
I finished the first 8 week program. I loved the program but have noticed a few more concerns. First, I think when you finish a program it should have some sort or award or something to recognize you finished a program. Next, you cannot scroll down to see your progress on weights over time. Next, it does not let me share following a workout. Next, my progress photos are never there it’s just blank. Finally, it can be difficult to switch outworks. It would be helpful if you could search for a workout. Instead the same one pops up multiple times in a row. I had liked how the guides showed you what specific muscles were targeted which would be a good way to figure out how to switch and still get the same results.

by 0987meg

I love Mari fitness and have been doing her work out guides since last year. I started with the PDFs. I’m only giving Strength 3 stars bc I cannot see any of my progress photos. I uploaded a photo my first day using Strength and it’s just blank, it shows there is a pic there with a date (wrong date) and everything but it’s blank. When I uploaded this picture thru Strength it didn’t save in my photos on my iPhone so I no longer have it. I didn’t notice this until a few weeks later when I went to upload another pic so I posted another one, then about a week later I posted another one and my first pictures date changed to my second pictures date so I could remember what date my first pic was from. Today I finished my 9 weeks so I went back to see my progress and all my pictures were blank again. Very disappointed I can’t truly compare my progress. Also when I finish each work out for the day the CTA “back to home guides” pops up but I can’t click on it, I always have to wait or exit out and go back into Strength . I love Mari fitness and want to support her so I feel bad writing this review, but I’m sad I can’t see my progress.

by Jmenos

I love the workouts in Strength . I have been doing Mari’s workouts for a while now and I have always liked having something to follow when I go to the gym. I am giving Strength only 3 stars for now for a couple different reasons. This biggest thing is I wish Strength was more customizable for your personal needs. I would like to be able to see the future workouts during that week. And if possible to switch around which workouts you do on which days based on your schedule. I also wish that you could add or take away the amount of times you do a certain workout because sometimes you can’t finish a set or you do extra and have to add it into the little notes section. And the last thing is being able to switch out an exercise for something that is equivalent. Sometimes you’re not able to do certain things because of injuries or level and I would like an option to look at different workouts that accomplish a similar thing and switch it out. I normally just don’t do those exercises, but sometimes you feel like it’s not enough and are guessing on what else you should do. Other than that, I love that app!

by HeloGirl1993

I like Strength and I like it’s usability. It is basically the pdfs in app form so it does feel redundant but it’s nice to have it all together even if it’s frustrating to pay so much for something I already have.

A couple things I’d like to see: the ability to choose home workouts that are just body weight exercises. I travel a lot and there aren’t many good gyms around in my places so being able to choose a home work out without any equipment would be helpful. I’d like to be able to look ahead at the next days to. Also, if you can make Strength not allow your phone to sleep when you’re using it would be mega helpful since it’s frustrating to have to unlock my phone every exercise. I could do it manually but I have other apps that don’t allow your phone to sleep so it’d be super helpful. Hope they update soon with some things other people have mentioned too! Lots of good ideas!

And also! A section of “how to use Strength” would be great. I have no idea how long the rest periods should be or if you’re intended to repeat the exercises twice or thrice. It’d be nice to have an informational how to section

by Redrunner1

I love Mari and Greg’s content and think they are doing a phenomenal job, but the current functionality offering and the price aren’t matching up yet for me. It seems more like a well designed mobile-friendly version of the guides than a subscription workout app. There’s just more things I expect from a paid workout app that aren’t built in yet. Like Rest timers and notifications, reports that show progress on lifts, included warm ups and cool downs, being able to see future workouts in order to plan in advance or do another workout without switching programs. There’s so much opportunity here though that will eventually make this a 5-star review. I can see a community feed aspect tying in to Strength that will be unparalleled to other workout apps because of how strong Mari’s community is. I’m trying to keep in mind that it’s just v1, but I’m probably not the early adopter audience for this one. I’ll resubscribe and update my review once it’s gotten more features.

by Seanac1993

I want to love Strength but I think it needs a bit more. I don’t mind that there is no free trial. I understand that they have put a lot of work into Strength and I was happy to pay 9.99 per month to support Mari and Greg. Now after using it for two weeks now just feel like the content of Strength is the same as the home guides and maybe a little less challenging than the home guides. It would be nice to be able to view more than one plan at a time, have a timer for rest between exercises, and some app exclusive content from Mari and Greg. I would also like to be able to look at weight progress per exercise, right now I can track my weight and reps for an exercise but I can’t see previous entries on the same movement without going back through the days or the workout. I like the layout of Strength , the style, the video demonstrations, and the team behind Strength !

by Tina7809

I’ve had Maris guides for years. I absolutely love them. Every time I’m consistently using them, I notice big changes in both my physical and mental health! I finally decided to try Strength so I didn’t have to mess with the pdf versions anymore, and I will say it is nice to have. I love being able to track my reps and weight history, as well as watch informative clips on certain movements. I also enjoy the recipe section!

However, there are a few glitches that I hope they’re able to fix. For one, my progress photos never save. I’ve uploaded them a few times, but they just disappear. Second, I like to switch out certain exercises for another, but finding the exact exercise I want on Strength is a challenge. I’m hoping there will be a search feature eventually where I can type in the exercise I’m looking for instead of having to scroll through an entire category of exercises (many of which are duplicated).

by Heatheranne53

I love Strength and Mari’s workouts have helped me lose about 35 pounds so far. I appreciate the descriptions and videos that model each set. The only improvements I’d like to see are specific instructions about switching sides during a set. For example, it’s not always clear if I’m supposed to do 40 lunges per leg or 40 lunges total meaning 20 per leg. So far I’ve been able to figure out a solution or I go with what makes the most sense or feels the most natural. I’d also like to see improvements to the timers. It would be very helpful to have a sound for counting down or for when the set ends. I’ve noticed my phone screen will often fall asleep because it doesn’t register that a timer is counting down. Other fitness apps I’ve used won’t allow your phone screen to shut off if a timer is going.
Overall I feel this is a great app and fitness routine to help ease you into healthier lifestyle changes.

by Akw1932

I have been following Mari forever, purchased original digital guides, and was so excited about Strength . The original app was great but so glad it was updated with more workouts and the ability to swap exercises. My only issue is that it’s fairly glitchy. Every time I load Strength I get a flash of a welcome message but it never plays in full just goes away. Also I’ve been noticing more frequently that I’m having to select “track” several times before it will recognize that an exercise was complete. I’ve also had days that every exercise is marked completed, workout complete selected but the day itself is not tracked as complete on the ‘Full Plan’ view with a check mark. Also, occasionally when you switch some exercises it doesn’t update reps. For example I switched out 10min cardio for leg press and it showed leg press for 10min instead of reps/weight. I do make sure it stays updated and completely refresh it to see if that helps but it typically does not. I’m sure these are just growing pains since the big update, but I wanted to give the feedback. The glitches can make it frustrating to use and accurately track workouts.

by Elleex3

I love everything about Strength. They hands down read our brains and made the vision come to life. The way everything is set up is absolutely perfect & so easy to navigate. I’ve read some other reviews of people complaining that it’s not free, Mari has posted before launch that Slay is completely separate from the guides. To leave negative feedback based on cost is shady. I also just want to add, when you pour your blood sweat and tears into something (and the perfection shows). Time needs to be compensated. You’re budgeting for your health, it’s more than worth it. To Mari, Greg & the whole team. Thank you a million times over, you guys are the superheroes that continue so shape and mold us into the best version of ourselves we can ever be!

by Sammw3486

For the people complaining.. I understand a few free trial workouts would be good to see if people like it before they are committed to purchasing but at least If you do month to month you can cancel at anytime so you are only out $10 for a month of her workouts if you decide it’s not for you. Also they are new to Strength world so I think for beginners or people that want someone to tell them every workout what they are doing, like I wanted, it’s a great option! Also Bloom, Mari’s guides, and bands have never let me down so I don’t think Strength will either! The fact you can’t jump ahead and see other workouts makes it more exciting to me and a challenge that you need to complete one workout to get to the next and you won’t skip workouts!

I am looking forward to start the Jan 4th challenge! ❤️ Thank you Mari and Team!

by Mish7228

I’ve been so excited for Strength and it did not disappoint. The breakdown on exercises everyday with video and written instruction is so helpful and I love that this is completely different from the original home guides I’ve been using for almost a year. I love that I have access to all plans in one place and that I can choose a plan to fit my schedule. No negatives but some wishes: I would love to easily go back to my previous exercises to look at reps and weight. As of right now there’s a few steps to get back to that screen. I would love a section that talks about warm up, cool down, how long the break between exercises should be, maybe when you should think about increasing weight, etc. I would also love to be able to add video to my progress photo screen!

I love this company and will continue to support it! They have completely changed the way I think and feel about exercise!

by Vnguyen2x2

I’ve followed Mari for a couple years and all of her products have been high quality and the team behind it works hard to keep that up. I’ve bought the supplements, bands, and guides. All top notch.

It’s a great start for the company’s first app launch. I know it will only get better with time. That is why I bought into the year subsciption. Would a free trial made it better, yes. But again, I can see the team working hard to update Strength far more often than they would with the guides. Workouts are similar to what are in a guide but if you want ease of tracking, documenting, and information Strength is a good choice. I did not like how I kept have to scroll to find the day i was at in the PDFs. Strength changed that.

Here’s what I would like to see in the future:

1. The exercise glossary to be label as push/pull days. I’d like this because with COVID gyms open and close. I am following the home guide to be safe but would like to incorporate moves from the gym guide when I can.

2. A community section so I don’t have to go to my ancient Facebook page to get connected and inspired.

3. Exclusive app content videos/bts/etc. really make being a member special.

All in all it’s just the beginning and if you’ve followed the teams journey you know that it’ll only get better with time.

by _erikasaurusrex

Maris guides have been a favorite of mine to follow for the sheer reason that her workouts are simple, crazy effective, and can’t really be done no matter what gym you have access to. Strength is all of the and more! I love that it’s so straight forward and much like an iPhone, it’s intuitive: you don’t need to be an expert to follow the workouts and Strength makes your time working out so seamless. The notes section where you can log your reps and weight used is awesome, and I love that next week I’ll be able to look back later and reference the weight I used in all of my workouts! The progress photo section is such an awesome bonus, I’ve been using an album in my Photos app for months and this is going to be so much easier for me. Mari and Greg have really killed it in making Strength not only affordable but in my opinion, one of the best on the market.

by Kayxo9651

It’s basically a place where all the guides are now. There’s no new content that’s different from her pdf guides that I’ve done (literally every single one). The “advanced” workouts are not challenging at all, which should be for those that aren’t new to the gym. There’s about 4 workouts, 3 sets each and 1 ab circuit and 10 minutes of cardio, almost every day. You cannot view workouts days or weeks ahead, unless you check mark each workout indicating you’ve completed it so you can move on to the next day. Not very user friendly or suitable to individual needs. There’s also no free trial period, not even 24 hours like most fitness apps have, which is odd for an entirely new app to do. A free trial period should have been offered especially when they need to work out any issues like Strength crashing and being unable to use what you paid for. While I do love their supplement products, this venture feels like a rip off and not worth the monthly fee.

by Kt_1121

Listen, I am one of the biggest Mari supporters and been with her for years. I’ve had total loyalty to her with everything she’s done. I’ve waited for Strength for months and was so happy to support her and Greg. I have worked through all her guides and am comfortable with the gym so I chose the advanced gym guide 5 days a week and it is just too basic. I can do all the upper body exercises in 20 minutes and found myself adding other exercises and supersets just to challenge myself. The third day isn’t a full gym day and just a touch up day when I’ve been lifting a full 5 days for months now and it just feels like a wasted gym day for someone who actively lifts and expected a full workout for 5 days. Strength is great for people just beginning their fitness journey but it just feels like the advanced part got left out. I will try again if they make it more challenging but for now, I need to continue my fitness journey elsewhere as much as I hate to say it

by Mooziehaha

I lobe Mari and have used her guides for the past 2 years (re-doing them over and over). Strength is great for the price as you can enter your sets and weights, and follow simple, effective workouts similar to the guides. I’ve tried other guides from insta fit girls and have spent hours in the gym each day (which I don’t have time for and end up not being motivated to do), but these workouts are usually less than an hour and still challenge me. Some updates I’d like to see: having a rest timer built in, being able to add or remove sets (and drop sets!), altering exercises if needed, updating notes without selecting done and update notes, allowing you to preview upcoming workouts. With those I feel like it will be perfect, but I’ll definitely continue using!

by Cams Mom MI

I have been using the old printed guides for a year, so I’m very excited to change it up with Strength ! The layout is fantastic. I LOVE the check off feature, motivating for the type A people. I would have liked to have seen a tour of Strength prior to having to commit to it. There should be a trial or minimally a glimpse so you know what to expect. The videos are really helpful. But there are some basic moves I would like to have seen added to the “learn” section. RDL being one of them - it always feels like I’m doing it wrong so it would be nice if that was there. Some of the exercises are clear what a set is, others are not. Ex. Russian twist was clear. The first home guide level two lunge exercise was not. All in all, really enjoying Strength .

by Deli Marie

First off I want to say that I’ve bought every guide Mari has released, from her home guides, to her gym guides, and even her resolution guides. I love them all. My main problem with all of those is that downloading it on my phone and using it was a pain. So, I’d sacrifice keeping track of my progress on it for the convenience of not having to fiddle with adding text via what ever program I was using. Strength is a GAME CHANGER for me. I can add how much weight I’m using, how many reps I did, and I can even put an exercise note. Then I can scroll through the history of that workout when I get to it again. I haven’t had any problems with “glitchy” videos, and slow load times. Every time I open Strength it’s ready to go.

I love that it doesn’t start out telling you how much weight you should use, so I use a weight that’s comfortable and challenging enough for me, and I can input that in Strength too. It makes it more user friendly for me and doesn’t discourage me when it says to use a specific size weight and I can’t comfortably use that weight.

Overall I love Strength , and recommend it to anyone who loves gym guides or home guides but loves the flexibility to personalize them too.

by Gcaretti

I have the at home guides already, but decided to try Strength out. I love how I can go back and forth between gym/home workouts (once I can go back to the gym), the videos of each move are super helpful, and the coach descriptions are just what you need if the video isn’t enough. I also appreciate that I can track my reps/weight, take progress pics, keep notes on the workout all in one App. Super convenient! I would recommend only paying for the first month to try it out, then paying for the year.

One thing, It would be nice if there was a calendar screen showing the days you worked out. But the’ll probably add something like that soon. The makers of Strength are great people and actually respond to feedback.

Overall love it!

by Hols578

Strength is easy to use and is simple and cute.
I’ve come from using a couple other fitness apps and programs before. I’m comparing Strength specifically to Kayla Itsines SWEAT app, Smalletics, and Mari’s old PDF guides. Here’s what I love about the SLAY app and what makes it unique:
**more cost friendly than other fitness apps
**exercise glossary and dictionaries, and videos of exercises that are easily accessible within Strength
**the ability to save notes within each specific exercise and see my previous history for the exercise. Saves me time and makes it so much easier.
**I can use GYM AND HOME workouts equally without having to switch plans or trainers.

Many people are complaining about the subscription. But this is totally normal for fitness businesses when they switch from PDF guides to an app. It’s expected and common. Even so, Strength is more cost friendly than a lot of other apps I’ve seen. I personally like the exercise style in Strength (no circuits like in the guides) and the ease of use of Strength . I’m all for it.
Strength is brand new and they’re doing a fantastic job so far. GREAT WORK Mari, Greg, and team!!