A new client has told you their goal, and now you are staring at an empty spreadsheet. Most programs go wrong in the same way: the coach starts from a list of favorite exercises, and the structure is whatever falls out of it. Six weeks later the client is skipping the third session and you can't say why the program looks the way it does.
This guide goes in the other order: goal, frequency, split, exercises, sets and reps, progression, deload, review. Want the layout ready to fill in? Use our free workout program template as you go.
Step 1: Start with the goal and the constraints
Write the goal in one sentence the client would agree with, with a time frame: "Squat bodyweight for five reps by March" or "Train three times a week without pain in the knee". Then list the constraints that shape every later decision:
- Days a week the client can train, and how long a session can be
- Equipment: gym, home, or both
- Training history: what they have done and what they know how to do
- Injuries, pain or exercises they dislike
A good intake answers all of this before you start. Our intake form template has the questions.
Step 2: Pick the training frequency
Choose the number of days the client will really do, not the number they would like to do. Three sessions a week they never miss beat five they drop to two. If in doubt, start one day lower and add a session later.
Step 3: Choose a split
The split follows the days. These are common starting points:
| Days a week | Common split | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Full body, twice | Every major movement is trained each session, so one missed day doesn't leave a gap. |
| 3 | Full body, three times, or upper / lower / full body | Each muscle group is trained two or three times a week with a day or more between. |
| 4 | Upper / lower, twice each | Short enough to recover from, with enough volume per session. |
| 5 to 6 | Push / pull / legs, or upper / lower plus extras | More volume per muscle group, but only for clients with the time and recovery for it. |
Step 4: Select the exercises
Build each session around the movement patterns, then choose the exercise that fits the client's equipment, ability and joints:
- Squat or lunge (knee-dominant legs)
- Hinge (deadlift variations, hip thrusts)
- Push (horizontal and vertical)
- Pull (horizontal and vertical)
- Carry or core
Start each session with the most demanding lift while the client is fresh, then work down to accessories. Prefer simple, repeatable exercises in the first block. A client learns more from eight weeks of the same squat than from eight different ones. Keep exercises the same across the block and change only the numbers.
Give the client a plan B for exercises that rely on equipment that might be busy, or that could aggravate an old injury.
Step 5: Set sets, reps and load
Write the rep target first, then find the load. Rep ranges follow the goal. These are common ranges, not rules:
| Goal | Reps per set | Sets per exercise | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3 to 6 | 3 to 5 | 2 to 4 min |
| Muscle | 6 to 12 | 2 to 4 | 1.5 to 3 min |
| General fitness and endurance | 10 to 20 | 2 to 3 | 45 to 90 sec |
Prescribe the load as RPE (rate of perceived exertion, 1 to 10) where you can. "3 sets of 8 at RPE 7" means: pick a weight you could lift for about 11 reps, and stop at 8. RPE also adjusts itself to a bad sleep and a good day. Use a percentage of the client's 1RM or a fixed kilogram load for clients who have tested their maximums or like exact numbers.
A rough guide for the total: a 45-to-60-minute session fits four to six exercises. If you need more, the client needs a longer session or a second day, not a longer list.
Step 6: Decide how it progresses
Write the progression rule before week 1, so every change has a reason. The simplest rule that works is double progression:
- Pick a rep target (for example 8) and a load at RPE 7.
- When every set hits the target reps at RPE 8 or lower, add the smallest load jump next week.
- If reps are missed or RPE goes above 9, repeat the week instead of adding load.
Over four weeks, the numbers move up gently, for example 60, 62.5 and 65 kg on a squat at 3 sets of 8. See the whole block in the filled example in the template.
Step 7: Plan the deload
A deload is a planned easier week, so the next block starts fresh. For a four-week block, make week 4 the deload: cut one set from each exercise, drop the load by about 10%, and keep the exercises the same. Tell the client in advance why it is there, or they will think they are going backward.
Move the deload earlier if a client is sleeping badly, stressed or sore for several days. A planned lighter week is better than a forced break.
Step 8: Review with the client
At the end of each block, look at what the client did rather than what you wrote. A 15-minute review beats rewriting the program from scratch:
End-of-block review
Go through these with the client before you write the next block.
- Did the client complete most of the planned sessions? If not, what got in the way?
- Which lifts moved up, and which stalled?
- Which exercise did they enjoy most, and which did they dislike?
- Any pain or discomfort that came up during the block?
- How did energy, sleep and stress look in the weekly check-ins?
- Is the goal still the right goal?
- What is the one thing to change in the next block?
Change a few things at a time: swap one exercise, move a session, adjust the progression. The rest stays, so you can tell what worked.