Calisthenics is a really odd sport when you think about it. However, the more you think about it, the more fascinating it becomes as well. Chris Heria is one of the pillars of modern-day Cali, and every front-lever-holding guy and gal knows exactly who he is.
So, obviously, he made an app – Thenx. But is it any good?
Well, we bought it, and here’s what we think.
About the Creator – Chris Heria
As mentioned, Chris is a massive pillar in the world of calisthenics. The sport really started picking up steam recently with the growth of Instagram and YouTube videos, as this grants the performers the perfect opportunity to show off their skills.
Chris is actually a self-trained calisthenics athlete, which makes him ideal for designing workouts (and apps). There’s a certain amount of “walk the walk” needed to be a good coach, and trial and error seem to be one of the best methods to learn!
In 2013, Chris won first place in the Calisthenics World Cup, which was hosted in Germany. From there, Chris has been extremely successful in all his endeavors, including:
- Designing his own apparel line called Chris Heria Apparel
- Gaining more than 3.95 million subscribers on YouTube
- Attracting more than 1.5 million followers on Instagram
- Designing two world-class calisthenics aps
- Creating a calisthenics school called Thenx
While Chris may seem like someone who’s scary or intimidating, the reality is that Chris is one of the most engaging and informative people in the sport. Many sing him praises for being calm, collected, and eager to help anyone in need of it.
Now that we have a better understanding of who Chris is, let’s look at the Thenx application.
The Thenx App Overview
Unlike other apps you may know in the fitness world, Chris really went the other way. Rather appropriate for the type of person he is, Chris designed the Thenx app to bring a community together.
- Price: Starting from $9.99 per month
- Pricing Model: Monthly subscription
- Free Trial: None
- Size: 123.5 MB
This app isn’t your normal “here’s a workout, be on your way” type of app, no sir (or ma’am). See, included in this app is so much more:
- Explore/feed function, which is basically for you to look around at what other people have been doing, to bounce ideas off of, and to engage with other lifters
- Workouts, which are standard and to be expected. Because Calisthenics is such a vast sport with so many different goals and end results, the workouts all differ widely from one to the next. For example, you might find both Tabata and old-school hypertrophy programs on the same page.
- Your personal profile is kind of like what Facebook is. You get to update your skills, limitations, workouts, goals, etc.
- A history feature that basically holds all the workouts or exercises you’ve “liked” in the past
One thing you’ll notice rather quickly is just how much information there is on the app. Once you purchase the plan, you’ll get access to so many more workouts, and there are basically zero limitations at this stage.
Because Chris has spent years training himself, his peers, and clients, he has seen it all and has put all of that onto the app.
Thenx Details
Alright, so the app is vast, but let’s look at the nitty gritty. Even if you don’t pay for the full app, the beginner workouts (that are selected daily by Chris) are pretty darn good. They’re engaging, challenging, and hard enough to help beginners actually progress.
But, of course, we want to know what you get for your money.
Paying for the Thenx App
The payment of $9.99 per month – or $89.99 for a yearly subscription – might seem like a lot. But when you look at what other calisthenics coaches are asking (upwards of $500 per month), it really is a bargain for what you get.
So, what do you get?
Unparalleled Guidance
Firstly, you get more guidance. A lot of the harder Cali skills are based on strength, sure, but they also require a massive amount of skill and particular movements to master.
This is why the app purchase grants you guidance on the following skills:
- Handstand
- Pullover
- Handstand press
- Muscle-up
- Straight arm press to handstand
- Full planche
- Human flag
- Front lever
Some of these might spill over into one another, such as the muscle-up requiring a lot of the same muscles that a planche might. (But what does the planche not require, am I right?)
Even More Workouts
Following that, you also gain access to more workouts, including:
- Workouts created to specifically target a certain movement or muscle group, which does become necessary the more you progress
- Workouts created to specifically break through sticking points on certain skills
- Workouts that are “unconventional” but have a lot of carryover into calisthenics
These have videos in them as well, explaining each step of the way to you in great detail.
This would also be a good time to mention that the app looks amazing compared to other calisthenics apps I’ve seen.
Is All Of This Worth It?
Well, it depends.
See, the more progress you’ve made, the more precise help you need. Basically, the more progressed you are, the more refined and specific your workouts need to be. That said, no one progresses by accident.
People who’ve come very far in anything usually know a thing or two. They know their way around a front lever and might not benefit from a detailed breakdown. Instead, they’d need even more insight. Looking at the reviews of other Cali athletes online, they say the same.
Essentially, the purchased part of the app would be perfect for:
- Intermediates who are struggling to make it to “the big leagues” with harder skills. They can learn a lot in regard to actual skill movement.
- More progressed lifters who might be struggling with one or two lifts – or just want more exercise routines than what the free version offers.
- Busy people simply don’t have the time to create their own workouts or to read up on what would be best. They need to be told where to go and how hard.
As you can see, the biggest benefit of the paid part of the app is information. Chris has obviously built a mountain of knowledge over the years and has kept that behind a paywall – which makes sense.
So is it worth it? For me, no.
See, the world has progressed so much that you could find that information on YouTube, Reddit, or even just by asking someone in your gym. Sure, the extra workouts are great, but the free version of the app also gives you workouts daily!
So, unless you’re super elite or get really bored with the free workouts, it probably isn’t worth spending the extra money. Also, looking at what other calisthenics athletes have said about this paid version, it just isn’t worth it.
So, Stick to the Free Version?
That’s what I would do, for sure. The biggest benefit you get from this is the daily workouts that (obviously) differ every day! This means you’ll get a different stimulus each and every day.
But how good is a free stimulus? Well, rather good, in fact.
See, the workouts are a great combination of volume, intensity, and load. Load is a loosely used term when it comes to calisthenics, of course.
You still need to progress when it comes to Cali, and Chris creates an environment for you to focus on the following:
- Your form will always be of utmost importance when it comes to calisthenics, and thus, he incorporates workouts/exercises that build up into the main event. An example of this would be a banded front lever.
- Strength is still the name of the game, but more specifically, the power-to-weight ratio. While the Thenx app doesn’t really include a bunch of nutrition advice, the training is definitely focused on keeping you lean but strong, giving you the best chance of being good at calisthenics.
- Progressive overload on both load and volume. Because calisthenics is limited with the load you can use, you’ll be doing slightly higher volume in some workouts and using that as a means to progress.
- Recovery isn’t discussed all that often. However, it’s incredibly important if you’re doing daily workouts.
For the most part, the free version of the app will do you just fine. But why not go ahead and just try it? Try the daily workouts to see how you feel, how you recover, how you progress, and how you look/perform.
It might not even be necessary for you to purchase the next level. After all, Chris has some amazing YouTube videos that describe most of the other skills, so you should be just fine.
That said, if you want to take every training session to the next level, it might be a good investment. The workouts do become more specific and harder with time, which technically would make your progress a lot better.
I’ve Heard the Workouts Are Insane…
You aren’t wrong. If you want a good and reasonable calisthenics app, you’re much better off with the Movement Athlete. The Thenx workouts are certainly not for everyone. But that said, the free version certainly is for everyone.
See, there is plenty for you to benefit from:
The Beginner Program
The beginner program has specifically been designed to help beginners learn about the fundamentals of muscle growth, muscle contraction, body control, and everything else you need to start your Cali journey.
* Note: There are a few people online who complain that even the beginner program is too hard. I’m not about to say those people want results for zero work, but the beginner program is certainly not “too hard.”
The Intermediate Program
The intermediate program is a natural progression from the beginner program. Volume increases, as this is one of the only ways you can overload the muscle in calisthenics.
The Weight Hybrid Program
The Weight Hybrid program is a combination of weights and bodyweight movements (like Athlean-X Xero). To me, this is the sweet spot of all calisthenics training, as weights can be used to progress on body weight movements. For example, the overhead press carries over into shoulder push-ups.
The Paid Part of the App
The paid part of the app does have harder workouts. This is to be expected, as you’re focusing on small problems to fix large skills.
All In All…
So, while you may have heard that the workouts are insane, they really aren’t. They’re challenging, sure, but they’re supposed to be. A program that’s easy every single time won’t elicit growth of any kind – muscle or skill set.
If you feel yourself not being able to recover from one session to the next, you might want to play around with your volume. Drop your volume until you see yourself progressing again. This is where your dietary and life habits play massive roles – but more on that later.
3 Thenx App Pros
- The amount of free info is just massive. You get so much information and so many workouts and movements that you almost have to ask yourself if the paid version is even worth it. For most, it probably won’t be, seeing as you can get even more information elsewhere – such as Chris’s own YouTube channel.
- The variety of workouts is something you can only dream about. The workouts flow beautifully into one another and progress in a manner that’s both achievable and challenging. This makes the workouts ten times more engaging, and you’re way more likely to actually stick to the plan.
- The paid version does have some benefits, especially for those that are more advanced. You’d need extra attention to detail to make sure every single fiber of muscle is aligned perfectly to get a perfect skill. You also get way more workouts – not that you would need them – but since when has calisthenics been about need?
2 Thenx App Cons
- There are so many bad reviews online that you can almost not ignore them. There are virtually zero bad reviews on UX and UI, and while that’s great, many complain that the workouts are either super primitive or way too hard. I understand the former. If you have to do a workout daily, I can see how it would get tedious. But, hey, it’s still nowhere near as bad as the Bar Brothers’ System.
- The customer support is also pretty bad. We purchase programs and cancel them once we feel we’ve gathered enough information. I’ve been in contact with customer support for days trying to sort everything out, but they’re dismally slow and tedious.
Chris Heria’s Thenx App – Final Thoughts
This is a tricky one.
First off, credit is where credit is due – Chris Heria’s Thenx app looks and functions amazingly. The UX and UI teams can take a bow (or a nap) because they worked incredibly hard to make the app seamless, smooth, and beautiful.
Secondly, the free information is amazing, both in quality and quantity. A daily free workout? You don’t even get daily free mail anymore!
This is what sets this app apart from others. You get not only a sense of community but also a sense that they (*gestures to the Cloud*) actually, care.
There are, of course, always drawbacks. Chief among these is that some find the workouts quite hard, while others find them very boring.
This is where you have two options:
- Buy the paid version to get more information and create your own plans based on what you learn.
- Just lower your damn volume!
Overall, I’m very impressed by this app. The workouts are great, the information and videos are all top-notch, and the app is so easy to work with! You really have everything at your disposal.
If you do decide to purchase the paid version, you also get some bonuses:
- Even more (and harder) daily workouts that can also be focused on one singular goal rather than just being a plain workout
- Even more information, specifically on mastering the harder and more progressive skills
Looking at these factors, beginners are not likely to benefit from the paid version. Honestly, I would save my money and buy some creatine. But if you’re someone who’s looking for harder movements or even just specific movements/info, you can learn a lot here.
Combine it with Chris’ videos, blogs, and social media posts, and you’ll be doing an iron flag in no time! Okay, maybe, like, some time, but you get the idea.
The iron flag is hard, so you better get listening and exercising asap!
Rating: 4.0 out of 5
