Berg Movement App Review 2024

Sondre Berg and his Berg Movement App are two success stories with which Calisthenics is rife. It is the story of how one person persevered to make the change he wanted to happen. Sondre Berg proved that you don’t need perfect genes to build strength through bodyweight exercise and acquire extraordinary skills like hand balancing. Now that he is an internationally acclaimed Calisthenics athlete, he offers that path to a broader audience. If you know how Sondre Berg started, you can do the same. It’s time to dive into this Norwegian man’s past and present and what he can offer us, mere mortals, through his popular Berg Movement App.

Would you rather learn about the Berg Movement App via video? Then we invite you to watch our video review on YouTube:

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Who is Sondre Berg? 

Sondre Berg has explored, researched, and trained in bodyweight strength, acrobatics, and hand balancing from a very early age. He competed in many Calisthenics competitions and was crowned Norwegian Champion in 2017. In that same year, Sondre Berg also became the Calisthenics World Champion. He is also a teacher in adult gymnastics, bodyweight strength training, hand balancing skills, and acrobatics. He gives workshops worldwide and shares his knowledge and passions through the Berg Movement App.

The Berg Movement App

The Berg Movement App is a Calisthenics App that leans heavily on acquiring skills and building body strength through bodyweight exercise. The app has over 100 workouts, with 40 programs and more modules added. The app contains over 1000 exercises to learn, demonstrate and master. It is a beginner-friendly app that scales well for even the most advanced Calisthenics athlete. The Berg Movement App is available on both iOS and Android, and you can get it via Sondre Berg’s website, link below:

How the Berg Movement App Works

Sondre Berg’s app has three core categories: programs, modules and workouts. Together, these give you a full Calisthenics experience from beginner to expert. 

Programs

Programs are ready-made Calisthenics Programs that run on a 5-week cycle. They come with complete day-by-day schedules and focus on core bodyweight exercises, building strength, flexibility and core skills. Each Program is repeatable and scalable; you can choose progressively more challenging variations of the same exercises. There are programs working on absolute beginner exercises and building core strength, as well as advanced bodyweight exercise programs and programs specializing in a single skill like handstand tutorials.

You can use the Berg Movement App to build general strength, muscle mass, and flexibility and to focus on individual skills. If a regular program contains a skill that you have difficulty with, there will be a specialized program you can follow to tackle that skill. For instance, if you have difficulty progressing from a handstand to a handstand push-up, an additional program helps you bridge that gap smoothly.

Here are some examples of general Calisthenics programs:

• Bodyweight Foundation
• Bodyweight Strong (Full Body)
• Bodyweight Strong (Push/Pull)
• Bodyweight Skilled (Full Body)
• Bodyweight Skilled (Push/Pull)

Here are a few more specialized programs:

• Handstand
• Human Flag
• Handstand Push-Up
• Explosive Muscle-Up
• Back Lever
• Planche
• And many more, with easier variations of each exercise included.

Handstand Programs

Sondre Berg, renowned for his extraordinary handstand skills, also included a comprehensive hand-balancing program in the Berg Movement App. This specialized program doesn’t require any prior handstand skills. It guides you from a beginner to mastering the handstand and even lets you acquire advanced hand-balancing techniques. Whether you’re starting from scratch or already know how to do a handstand, this program pushes your limits beyond your current capabilities.

Specialized hand-balancing programs also exist, focusing on individual hand-balancing skills like handstand push-ups and single-arm handstand push-ups.

Acrobatics and Mobility Programs

Another separate category is for acrobatics and Mobility Programs. With these programs you acquire the fine motor techniques required for some advanced feats of human agility, as well as working on functional strength and Range of Motion. 

Modules

Modules allow you to create your own program and master a specific skill set. Each module is a collection of exercises with a common theme, targeting the same muscles or muscle groups or honing the same skill or stunt. If you opt for one of the many pre-designed programs, these considerations have already been made. But with the freedom to combine or add modules to an existing program, you can craft a fully personalized regimen that puts your exact needs and wants at the forefront.

The number of modules available creates a nigh-infinite number of programs to help you develop yourself. At the same time, the point-and-press nature of the Berg Movement app makes it as uncomplicated as possible. 

Modules are often used in conjunction with a general program to master more advanced skills, such as a One-Arm Pull-Up, Handstand Push-Up, or Planche. The modules demonstrate the potential for growth and progress for beginner and expect alike, inspiring you to push your limits and keep achieving those goals.  

Standalone Workouts

If you’re not looking to create a Program or just feel like you want to do something else that day, you can pick or create a Stand-Alone Workout. These aren’t part of any Program and allow you to pick and choose your exercises for that single workout. I found these very convenient for adding on some additional warmup or cooldown or as a quick complementary to progress some specific skills. 

A Single Workout with Sondre Berg

Each workout has different blocks, each going through several exercises. Workout blocks have a distinct goal in mind, such as warm-up, work on strength, agility, or a specific skill. Once you press start, the workout commences with the first workout block. Each block cycles through 2 to around 6 exercises, each taking the form of a follow-along video. These block cycles give exercising with the Berg Movement App a particular structure that is predictable and easy to follow.

Most workouts take 45 minutes to complete, but some workouts take over an hour or more. For the time-constrained, there is also a large selection of 30-minute workouts that get the job done.

Exercising Along with Sondre Berg

Each exercise is accompanied by a high-quality video that plays in real-time, making it feel like Sondre Berg is right there with you. A countdown timer keeps you on track, showing how much time or reps are left. With a simple swipe, you can move to the next or previous exercise, and you have the flexibility to pause or skip as needed. 

For more guidance, tap the Information button for hints on how to perform the exercise. If you need even more detailed instructions, the in-app library provides comprehensive information on every exercise, ensuring you have all the resources you need at your fingertips.

App Personalization

You can personalize each program, module or workout to your liking. This can be as easy as only shuffling the exercises for the whole program or for a single workout. You can also take more comprehensive control over your program by changing the volume of exercise, time spent doing a single exercise, the number of sets you do and even swapping out easier variations for harder ones.

Doing this can feel you’re micromanaging everything, but that is eventually what you want to be doing. The beginner can simply follow the pre-made programs, but this level of customization keeps the Berg Movement App relevant to even very advanced Calisthenics athletes. You can create a more personalized, optimized and efficient program tailored to your progress, strengths and weaknesses.

You can favorite any exercise or workout and they show up on your home screen. This is also a good way to collect all your favorite workouts and combine them into a specialized, optimized program, later.

Extras: Exercise Library, Guides and Tutorials

On the home page, you can navigate to the Extras, where you can find additional information. You will find the Exercise Library here, which details every exercise in the app. There are also specific guides and tutorials for many Calisthenics skills and exercises. If you ever want to know more about an exercise and delve into the nitty and gritty of a skill, this is where you can.

The Community Forum: Movement Road Map

From the Extras menu, you can also visit the community forum. It is called movementroadmap.com and has a layout that reminds me of X/Twitter where you can post your own updates regarding your Calisthenics path and other people can like and comment on what you posted. You can also follow other users to get their updates at the top of your feed and get notified when they post.

The Movement Road Map also offers community challenges you can participate in with the rest. Sondre Berg offers some cool prizes for the winners, like free periods on the Berg Movement App or discounts on Berg Movement equipment.

Another cool feature on the Movement Road Map is the 3D Exercise Model, which shows you which muscles are exercised by which exercise. You can even click on muscle groups, and it will show you which exercises strengthen that part of the body or increase your agility.

Pricing & What You Get with the Sondre Berg Movement App

There is only one subscription level, and it includes everything the Berg Movement App has to offer. There are no additional tiers or other in-app purchases. You get a discount if you pay for a longer billing cycle upfront. The prices are as follows:

• $19.99/mo.
• $159.99/y. (equivalent to 33% discount per month)
• $299.99 for lifetime access

Conclusions About Sondre Berg and the Berg Movement App

The Berg Movement App is a gateway to a world of strength, agility, and skill. The easy, follow-along exercises are intuitive but are just as easily scaled up by the more advanced practitioner. This versatility allows you to work on your strength and general skills and delve into advanced, specific skills like acrobatics and hand-balancing techniques. This opens a realm of possibilities for your Calisthenics journey.  

The exercises challenge you just at the right level. As a beginner, you might need more time to be ready for (for instance) handstand push-ups, and the Berg Movement App guides you towards that level of mastery. The feeling of progress and achievement as you achieve each skill and level keeps you motivated. If you are stuck on a skill, all the resources to overcome that challenge are present in the app. 

With the modules and the ability to adjust any exercise, workout or program, the Berg Movement App puts you in control. You can fine-tune the app to the most optimized version for your Calisthenics needs, empowering you to tailor your training to your unique goals and abilities. My verdict is that the Berg Movement App is an effective and very dynamic tool in your arsenal.

Movement Made Equipment

Sondre Berg also sells equipment on his website movementmade.com. The Movement Made Equipment is of high quality and fits right into the philosophy of the Berg Movement App; minimalist, high-quality and focused on performance. You can find all the straps, minimalist rings and Parallettes you need for your exercises.

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