Train Smarter. Progress Further.
Evidence-based periodization for strength training
Ascend plans your training around your own tested numbers, from pull-ups in a park to weighted squats in a gym. Targets come from your measured maxes, and intensity rises and falls from session to session to balance effort and recovery.
Free trial included. Available for iOS.
I built Ascend because the RFEM system transformed my own training, and I wanted an app designed around it. RFEM stands for Reps From Established Max: training targets calculated from the maxes you've tested. You always know what to do, and the app manages intensity for you.
The RFEM Method
Training Matched to Your Current Level
Test Your Max
Record your max reps for each exercise. That's your baseline.
Train Below It
Ascend sets working targets with reps in reserve built in, hard enough to drive progress and light enough to recover from.
Progress Systematically
Intensity shifts automatically from session to session while volume adds up over time.
Retest & Repeat
When you’re ready, test again. The whole program recalibrates to your new numbers.
Research shows that training with reps in reserve lets you accumulate more quality volume over time, and volume is a primary driver of results. Ascend builds that principle into every session.
Built-In Periodization
Intensity Waves That Build in Your Recovery
Your training intensity automatically varies across workouts, with each session assigned its own RFEM value. This creates a natural pattern of harder and easier days that matches how recovery works.
A typical cycle might wave like this: harder → moderate → lighter → harder → moderate → lighter. This managed variation helps you sustain progress over weeks and months.
Miss a workout? The periodization stays intact. Your next session picks up exactly where it should be in the wave pattern.
Intensity Across a Training Cycle
Lower RFEM = closer to your max = higher intensity. The wave manages fatigue so you can train consistently.
Works for Any Strength Training
Bodyweight, Weighted, or Both
Rep-Based Calisthenics
Pull-ups, push-ups, dips, squats: test your max and Ascend handles the targets from there.
Weighted Exercises
Full load tracking for barbell and dumbbell work. Add weight, add reps, or both.
Time-Based Holds
For planks, dead hangs, and wall sits, track your holds by time with the same progression and a built-in timer.
Use RFEM for exercises where periodization makes sense, simple progression where it fits better, or mix both approaches in the same cycle. Ascend also includes a conditioning mode for high-rep endurance work.
Designed for Training
Built Around How You Actually Work Out
Effortless Logging
Swipe to complete. Timer starts automatically. Fast enough to use between sets without breaking your focus.
Works Offline
Train at the gym, at the park, or on the road. Everything works with no internet connection.
Automatic Recalibration
Update your max and your entire program adjusts. Your training always reflects your current numbers.
Clear Workout View
Every session shows exactly what to do: exercises, target reps, sets remaining. Open the app and start training.
Research-Backed
Built on Peer-Reviewed Sports Science
Ascend's methodology draws on published research including multiple meta-analyses on training intensity, volume, recovery, and autoregulation. The evidence consistently supports the core principles behind RFEM: that managing intensity through reps in reserve produces sustainable, long-term progress.
I've laid out what the research shows, and where it's still unsettled, with citations for all of it.
Meta-analyses on training volume and hypertrophy
Periodization research on intensity variation and fatigue management
Autoregulation studies on reps-in-reserve and training proximity to failure
One-Time Purchase. Yours to Keep.
Ascend is a one-time purchase on the App Store, with no subscription. The free 4-week trial includes every feature.
Available for iOS
Ready to Train Smarter?
Ascend plans the training; you do the reps. The first four weeks are free.