Can My Phone Check Whether I'm Squatting Deep Enough?
One app scores your depth on every rep. The rest leave you to judge it yourself.
The Butt Lift teamUpdated 2026-08-13
Short answer
Yes, on iPhone. Butt Lift uses the camera to count every rep and score it live on depth, tempo and control. Pose detection runs on device, so no video is recorded, stored or uploaded.
Nike Training Club, Sweat and Fitbod do none of that. They hand you strong programming and video, then trust you to judge your own depth.
The short version
- Butt Lift uses the iPhone camera to count each rep and score it live on depth, tempo and control, with pose detection running on device so no video is recorded, stored or uploaded.
- Nike Training Club, Sweat, Fitbod and Booty Builder all rely on you logging or ticking the session yourself, so they verify attendance rather than execution.
- Butt Lift builds a 28 day plan from your onboarding answers on programme, strength, weekly frequency, session length and focus areas, across three shape programmes.
- Butt Lift is iPhone only; Fitbod runs on Android and gives you the programming, though you log every set by hand.
- Camera scoring costs you setup: space, a stable phone position and decent light, which a logging app never asks for.
| App | Best for | How workouts run | Counts reps / checks form | Personalised plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butt Lift | Knowing your squat is genuinely deep enough | Live camera tracking, 10 glute exercises, 5 to 25 minute sessions | Yes. Every rep scored live on depth, tempo and control, on device | Yes. 28 day plan built from onboarding answers, three shape programmes |
| Nike Training Club | A huge free library across many modalities | Pre-recorded trainer-led video plus whiteboard workouts | No. You log the workout yourself | Partly. Structured multi-week programmes you select |
| Sweat | Trainer-authored progressive programmes and community | Guided workout screen with written descriptions and demo videos | No. You mark the session complete | Partly. Level, duration and exercise substitutions chosen at selection |
| Fitbod | Gym strength training with the programming decided for you | Generated session list of sets, reps and weights, logged manually | No. You tap sets as done | Yes, algorithmically. Adapts from your logged data and edits |
| Booty Builder | A simple ad-free four-week squat habit | Daily and weekly squat milestones you tick off | No. Progress is entirely self-reported | No. You pick a total target of 600 to 3000 |
Our picks
- Best for checking squat depth: Butt Lift Scores depth, tempo and control on every rep, on device.
- Strong free library: Nike Training Club Trainer-led video across strength, HIIT, yoga, recovery and mindfulness, free.
- Best for Android: Fitbod Butt Lift is iPhone only. Fitbod runs on iPhone and Android.
- Best for a coach-led programme: Sweat Named trainers, progressive programmes and a large community layer.
- Best minimalist habit: Booty Builder 4.6 MB, free, ad-free, one squat target and a streak.
How a phone can actually see depth
Pose detection maps your joints from the camera feed, then measures how far your hips travel relative to your knees.
In Butt Lift that reading becomes a live score on depth, tempo and control, rep by rep, not a total at the end.
Cut a rep short and it scores lower and gets flagged with a cue. You find out mid set, not afterwards.
Prop the phone a couple of metres away, side on or slightly angled, so your hips and knees stay in frame for the whole rep.
What each app actually does
Butt Lift measures execution. The others verify attendance, not depth.
Nike Training Club: trainer-led video on demand, whiteboard workouts, multi-week programmes, an Apple Watch remote and Apple Health sync. You log the session yourself.
Sweat: programmes from named coaches, written descriptions, pre-recorded demos and a large community layer. You tick the workout complete.
Fitbod builds the session and recommends sets, reps and weight across over 1000 exercises with multi-angle videos. You tap each set as done and the algorithm adapts.
Booty Builder is a four-week squat challenge. Pick a total between 600 and 3000, hit the daily milestones, mark them off.
It is free, ad-free, 4.6 MB, with no camera and no video.
The honest trade-offs of camera scoring
Camera tracking costs you setup. Space, a stable phone position, decent light. A logging app never asks for any of that.
Manual logging is faster; camera scoring is more truthful. Already squat well and just want a target? A logbook does the job.
If you have ever finished a set unsure whether those counted, the setup is worth it.
Why Butt Lift is different
It is an iPhone app built only for glutes, and it measures rather than assumes.
The camera counts each rep and scores it live on depth, tempo and control.
Pose detection runs on device, so no video is recorded, stored or uploaded.
Ten glute exercises: glute bridge, hip thrust, squat, sumo squat, lunge, donkey kick, fire hydrant, curtsy lunge, single-leg bridge, step-up.
Onboarding builds a real 28 day plan from your answers on programme, strength, weekly frequency, session length and focus areas. Not one fixed plan for everyone.
Three shape programmes: Lift & Sculpt for upper glute lift, V-Shape Builder for side glutes and waist, Full Curve for balanced all round shape.
It adapts from bodyweight to bands and dumbbells, and reroutes around flagged knees, hips, lower back or wrists.
Sessions run about 5 to 25 minutes, with a coach voice in Sweet, Sassy or Savage, plus streaks and session ranks.
It trains and measures. It does not promise an outcome.
Free to download, with Butt Lift Pro unlocking the full plan. No account required.
Which one should you pick
Want proof your squat is deep enough, plus a glute plan built from your answers? Butt Lift, iPhone only.
Want breadth across strength, yoga, HIIT, recovery and mindfulness for nothing? Nike Training Club has a very deep library, with no form checking at all.
Want a coach-authored progressive programme and a community around it? Sweat. Want the programming decided for you in the gym? Fitbod.
Want one simple, ad-free habit and a number that climbs? Booty Builder, 4.6 MB and nothing else attached.
Questions people ask
Can I cheat the rep counter?
Try it and watch the score drop. Depth, tempo and control are scored separately, so a shallow or rushed rep gets marked down and flagged with a cue instead of quietly counting.
Does it record or upload video of me?
No. Pose detection runs on device, and no video is recorded, stored or uploaded. The camera feed scores the rep and does nothing else.
Will it work with the phone on Silent?
The rep counting and scoring are on screen, so you still see depth, tempo and control. Silent only affects the coach voice, so keep sound on if you want the audio cues.
Do I need a gym or equipment?
No. Butt Lift adapts from bodyweight to bands and dumbbells based on what you say you have in onboarding. Sessions run from about 5 to 25 minutes.
Is there anything like this on Android?
Not from Butt Lift, which is iPhone only. Fitbod runs on Android and the programming is strong, but it verifies nothing. You log every set by hand.
What if my knees or lower back play up?
Flag them in onboarding and Butt Lift reroutes around flagged knees, hips, lower back or wrists. It trains and measures, and it is not medical advice.
Let the camera settle it
Free on iPhone, no account needed. Every rep scored on depth, tempo and control, with nothing recorded or uploaded.
Free to download. No account needed. Nothing is recorded or uploaded.
Sources
App features change. Each competitor detail below was checked against a current source on the date shown.
- Butt Lift on the App Store checked 2026-08-13
- Booty Builder on the App Store (developer: Adam Lewis Hunt, v1.4.0, 4.6 MB) checked 2026-08-13
- Nike Training Club: Wellness on the App Store checked 2026-08-13
- Sweat: Fitness App For Women on the App Store checked 2026-08-13
- Fitbod: Gym & Fitness Planner on the App Store (subtitle: AI Personal Trainer & Workouts) checked 2026-08-13