Hold longer. Get stronger.
An isometric exercise timer for dead hangs, planks and wall sits, on iPhone and Apple Watch. Pick a hold, set a target, press start. It counts, you don't.
Why holding still works.
You hold a position. Your muscles fire. That's the whole method, and the research on isometric exercise keeps stacking up. Six findings from the wall chart.
Lowers blood pressure
A 2023 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine ranked isometric training above aerobic, resistance and interval work for bringing pressure down.
Builds working strength
Dead hangs build grip and open the spine. Planks build a core that holds. Wall sits build legs that last. All three reach the stabilisers machines skip.
Kind to joints
No impact, no momentum, no grinding. Holds are the first thing physios reach for in tendon rehab, and they scale to any age or level.
Trains the mind too
Staying still while your body wants to quit is a skill. Practise it and you get steadier at everything that asks you to hold under pressure.
Fits before coffee
A full session is five to fifteen minutes. A floor, maybe a bar. Living room, office, park.
Toughens tendons
Holds raise tendon stiffness and collagen synthesis. It's the standard rehab protocol for tendinopathy, and the best way to build resilience before you need it.
Isometric exercise training is the most effective mode for reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023
Seven reasons to start.
In no particular order. Any one of them is enough.
Lower blood pressure without medication
Wall sits alone can take ten points off systolic pressure in eight weeks, on a par with first-line drugs.
A back that stops complaining
Planks and dead hangs are the two holds physiotherapists recommend most for the spine.
A grip that lasts
Grip strength is the strongest single predictor of longevity in older adults. Nothing builds it like a dead hang.
No gym
Plank in the living room. Wall sit at your desk. Hang from a bar in the park. The equipment is gravity.
Safe at any age
Every hold scales from teenager to senior. Low injury risk makes them right for beginners and rehab alike.
A core that holds
Not a six-pack. The deep stabilisers under it, which crunches never reach.
Better at everything else
Run, lift, swim or stretch, holds strengthen the weak links in the chain that limit the rest.
Every hold has a poster.
Twenty-six isometric holds, each with its own wall chart: grip, posture, what to feel, what to avoid. Read it like a poster, then start the clock.
Built to be pressed once.
The whole app is one card. No setup, no accounts, no scrolling through menus while your grip fades.
Pick a hold
Quick targets, your personal best and today's attempts on one card.
Set a target
Thirty, sixty, ninety seconds, or your own. Or take the 30-day challenge, one hold a day.
Check the form
Every hold opens its poster. Perfect the position before the clock starts.
Press start
The arc fills as you go. Voice counts you in, haptics call the finish.
Start it on your wrist.
The Apple Watch app runs the timer on its own. Track a workout, feel the haptics at the finish, and run long sessions without your phone in reach. Your holds sync back automatically.
What's in the box.
Everything you need. Nothing you don't.
Tension arc timer
The ring fills as you hold, with particles and glow that build toward your target. It makes five more seconds feel possible.
Personal records
Longest holds tracked automatically. Best, daily attempts and full history, with trophies on your top efforts.
Voice control
Say start, stop, pause or next exercise. Hands stay where they are.
Voice encouragement
Your time called out as you hold. Over two hundred lines, specific to each exercise, played over your music without cutting it.
Motion detection
Break position and the timer stops. Sensitivity is yours to set. The records stay honest.
Weekly progress charts
Average hold times, completion rates and best streaks across every exercise.
Apple Watch app
Independent workout tracking, haptic feedback and extended runtime for long sessions.
Apple Health
Holds land in Health automatically, duration and calories included. Batch-export older sessions too.
Siri Shortcuts Premium
"Start dead hang in Hold Strong." Straight into a session, no tapping.
Six themes Premium
Forest, Ocean, Earth, Lavender, Midnight and Ember. Each one a full colour system built for reading mid-hold.
Something to look at while you hold.
The app ships with a set of prints. One shows up when you finish a hold.
Start free. Upgrade once.
No subscription. Pay once, keep it forever. That's the whole pricing model.
Free
- Dead hang, plank and wall sit
- The full timer with every effect
- Personal records and daily tracking
- Voice control and encouragement
- Motion detection auto-stop
- Seven-day progress charts
- Apple Health
Premium
- Everything in Free
- Unlimited custom exercises
- Four weeks of chart history
- Detailed statistics
- Siri Shortcuts
- Six themes
- Support a solo developer
Questions, answered.
What is a dead hang and how long should I hold it?
A dead hang is an isometric exercise where you hang from a bar with your arms fully extended. Beginners should aim for 10 to 20 seconds, intermediate for 30 to 60 seconds, and advanced for 60 seconds or more. Hold Strong tracks your personal best and helps you progress safely.
Do isometric exercises really lower blood pressure?
Yes. A 2023 British Journal of Sports Medicine meta-analysis found isometric exercise the most effective type for reducing blood pressure, ahead of aerobic, dynamic resistance and interval training. Wall sits and planks showed the strongest results.
Does Hold Strong work with Apple Watch?
Yes. Hold Strong has a native Apple Watch app that starts, pauses and stops the timer from your wrist, tracks the workout, and gives haptic feedback at the finish. Your holds sync back to your iPhone automatically.
Which isometric exercises does Hold Strong support?
Twenty-six holds, each with an illustrated form guide: dead hangs, planks, wall sits, side planks, glute bridges, calf raises, superman holds, split squat holds and more. Dead hang, plank and wall sit are free; Premium adds unlimited custom exercises.
Is Hold Strong free to download?
Yes. Hold Strong is free, with no account and no trial clock. A one-time $7.99 Premium upgrade unlocks unlimited custom exercises, four weeks of chart history, detailed statistics, Siri Shortcuts and six themes. There is no subscription.
Start holding stronger today.
Five minutes a day. That's a dead hang, a plank and a wall sit. Download it free and see how long you can hold.
Download on the App Store