Secondwind
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Strength training for women 40+

Guided weight training, two or three sessions a week, at home or in a gym. A lighter day still counts.

Download on the App Store

Free to download. Subscription needed after setup: A$89.99 a year or A$19.99 a month.

The Today screen: Week 1 of 12, Foundation, a twelve-week track, Upper body session 2 of 3, the Day Dial and a Start session button.

Lighter days count. Nothing resets.

Twelve weeks at a time, two or three sessions a week. Choose a lighter day when you need it, and when a block ends the next one starts from the weights you're lifting now.

How a block runs

Three phases of four weeks: Foundation, Build and Strong. The bars fill as the block goes.

  1. Twelve weeks, three phases

    Choose two or three sessions a week, at home with dumbbells or in a gym. A six-question pre-exercise screen comes first, and setup pauses if an answer calls for advice from your GP or an allied health professional. Then you see twelve weeks in three phases: Foundation, Build and Strong.

    The Today screen: Week 1 of 12, Foundation, a twelve-week track, Upper body session 2 of 3, the Day Dial and a Start session button.

  2. Set the session to your energy

    Before every session, the Day Dial asks how your energy is: More support, Lighter today or As planned. Loads, sets and rest change to suit the day, and the session still counts.

    The Day Dial before a session: How is your energy today? Lighter today is selected, with the note that loads drop by about 10% and the session still counts.

  3. Ask what to do next

    Quick answers to the questions that come up, such as what to do after a missed week. Six built-in answers work offline. Custom questions need Sign in with Apple, a connection and your consent. Coach is automated and is not medical advice.

    Coach: the question “I missed a week. Do I restart?” and the quick answer to continue with the next uncompleted session.

  4. The work only counts up

    The strength ledger sets the first weight you logged beside your best. Two sessions make a week on track, and missing a day never erases one. When a block ends, the next one starts from the weights you're lifting now.

    Progress: your sessions, a current best of 5.5 kg for the farmer's carry, and the strength ledger.
The Today screen: Week 1 of 12, Foundation, a twelve-week track, Upper body session 2 of 3, the Day Dial and a Start session button.The Day Dial before a session: How is your energy today? Lighter today is selected, with the note that loads drop by about 10% and the session still counts.Coach: the question “I missed a week. Do I restart?” and the quick answer to continue with the next uncompleted session.Progress: your sessions, a current best of 5.5 kg for the farmer's carry, and the strength ledger.

A lighter day still counts

Before every session, the Day Dial asks how your energy is. Choose what fits today; your 12-week plan stays on track. Try it on a sample session.

How is your energy today?

We'll lower weighted loads by about 20%, remove one set from each accessory exercise and add 30 seconds to each rest. If you've flagged a joint need, we'll use a suitable swap where available. Still counts.

This preview: 2 fewer sets · 3 lighter loads · 5 longer rests.

We'll lower weighted loads by about 10% and remove one set from each accessory exercise. Still counts.

This preview: 2 fewer sets · 3 lighter loads.

We'll keep today's session as planned.

This preview: No changes from the planned session.

Upper body · Session 2 of 3

Week 1 · Foundation · 5 exercises

  1. Dumbbell floor press3 sets3 kg90s rest3 sets3.5 kg60s rest3 sets4 kg60s rest
  2. One-arm dumbbell row3 sets5 kg90s rest3 sets5.5 kg60s rest3 sets6 kg60s rest
  3. Wall push-up3 setsbodyweight90s rest3 setsbodyweight60s rest3 setsbodyweight60s rest
  4. Bird dog1 setbodyweight75s rest1 setbodyweight45s rest2 setsbodyweight45s rest
  5. Suitcase carry1 set5 kg75s rest1 set5.5 kg45s rest2 sets6 kg45s rest
A sample week 1 session at home with dumbbells. Your own loads are set during setup and start conservatively. Highlighted figures are what the dial changed.

In every session

Help on hand, one set at a time.

  • A video for every exercise

    Each exercise has a video demonstration with pause and full screen, so you can check the movement before you start.

  • Form cues and a rest timer

    Written form cues for each exercise, and a rest timer between sets.

  • Easy, Right or Too much

    After each exercise, log the sets you completed and how the effort felt. Future targets are adjusted from that, and the app shows you why a target changed.

    Set tracker showing set 1 of 3 selected, 8 reps and 3.5 kg total load.

  • Swap an exercise

    Pick from the programme’s alternatives. Each says why it may suit, such as “Kinder to joints”. Apply it today, or keep it for future sessions.

    The swap sheet: Glute bridge, kinder to joints, and Wall-reach hinge, no specialist equipment, with Apply swap and Keep current exercise buttons.

  • Audio guidance, if you want it

    Optional recorded audio guidance talks you through each exercise, in English.

  • Apple Health and Apple Maps

    Save completed workouts to Apple Health if you like. Coach can also help you find a physio, exercise physiologist or personal trainer nearby in Apple Maps.

  • Then the next block

    Twelve more weeks, starting from the weights you're lifting now, with your history kept.

Two plans

Free to download and set up. Setup and the pre-exercise screen come first; a subscription is needed after that. Prices in Australian dollars.

Annual

A$89.99a year

Billed yearly. Eligible new subscribers start with a 7-day free trial.

Get the app

Monthly

A$19.99a month

Billed monthly. No free trial.

Get the app

Included in both

  • Ongoing training in 12-week blocks
  • The Day Dial and exercise swaps
  • Video demonstrations and form cues
  • Coach, with custom questions
  • The strength ledger and history

Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled through Apple. Manage or restore from Settings in the app; deleting the app does not cancel. Outside Australia, prices show in your local App Store currency, and Apple confirms the trial and renewal price before you pay.

Why nothing resets

Many training apps count streaks, and a streak breaks the first week life gets in the way. Then the screen shows a zero, as if the work before it didn't happen.

In Secondwind nothing counts down. A lighter session still counts as a session. The ledger sets the first weight you logged beside your best since, and when a block ends, the next one starts from the weights you are lifting now.

The app asks before it assumes. The safety screen comes before any training. Coach asks for your consent before a custom question leaves your phone, and your programme and history are stored on the phone itself.

If something doesn't work the way this page says, or you have a question about your programme, write to me.

Josh Waller

Kovus, Perth · josh@kovus.dev

Before you start

  • iPhone with iOS 16.4 or later
  • Free to download; a subscription is needed after setup
  • Train at home with dumbbells, or in a gym
  • Help by email: josh@kovus.dev
More answers on the support page
What equipment do I need?

Choose home training with dumbbells or a gym programme during setup. The plan uses the equipment you select, and exercise swaps give you alternatives when a movement does not suit the day.

I'm new to lifting. Will the start be too hard?

Week 1 is a starting point, not a maximum-strength test, so the first weights are conservative. The programme uses your completed sets and your Easy, Right or Too much feedback to adjust future targets.

What happens after the 12 weeks?

Training is ongoing, in structured 12-week blocks. Finish a block and start the next one with your workout history and earned weights kept. An active subscription is required.

Is Secondwind medical advice?

No. Secondwind is a general fitness and wellness app. Stop if pain or symptoms are sudden, severe, worsening or concerning, and seek qualified care. In an emergency, call 000 in Australia.

Do I need an account or an internet connection?

Sign in with Apple is required before buying or restoring a subscription and for custom Coach questions. Your programme and workout history are stored on your phone. The built-in Coach answers work offline; custom questions need a connection.

Which parts are in English?

Optional recorded exercise guidance is in English only. Custom Coach replies follow the language you choose in the app.

How do I cancel or restore a subscription?

In Settings, choose Manage subscription to open Apple's subscription management, or Restore purchases to recover an existing purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled through Apple. Deleting the app does not cancel a subscription.

Start with week one

Free to download on iPhone. Set up your programme first, then choose a plan when you're ready to train.

Download on the App Store
On a computer? Scan with your iPhone camera to open the App Store listing.
  • The Today screen: Week 1 of 12, Foundation, a twelve-week track, Upper body session 2 of 3, the Day Dial and a Start session button.
  • The Day Dial before a session: How is your energy today? Lighter today is selected, with the note that loads drop by about 10% and the session still counts.
  • Coach: the question “I missed a week. Do I restart?” and the quick answer to continue with the next uncompleted session.
  • Progress: your sessions, a current best of 5.5 kg for the farmer's carry, and the strength ledger.