Despite all odds, I have become a routine person. Nearly every morning during the workweek, my alarm goes off at 6 a.m., and I press snooze twice on average. I feed the dog. I change. I eat a handful of dry Cheerios or a banana, then I head to the gym—liquid chalk in my bag—and I lift weights.
This all began five months ago—on July 8—when I stumbled upon a strength training app called Ladder, where users join one of 17 teams to get curated progressive overload training programs that run in six-week cycles. It felt like having my own personal trainer to customize my workouts, then be in my ear to give me audio cues, and help with my form. I’ve never loved going to the gym so much until now, and I’ve been surprised at how much weight I’ve been able to move since I started using it.
