Free template
Workout program template for coaches.
A 4-week structure you can fill in for any client: weeks, training days, exercises, sets, reps, load, RPE, rest and notes, with a progression rule and a filled-in example. Download it or copy it from this page. No email needed.
Opens in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets · free · no sign-up
What you get
One file, four sheets
The spreadsheet has everything on this page, ready to fill in. Make a copy per client, rename the days to match your split and write week 1 first.
It opens in Microsoft Excel and in Google Sheets (in Sheets: File, Import, Upload). It is yours to change, share with other coaches or hand to clients.
- How to use: a one-minute guide to filling it in
- Program: the blank 4-week template, three training days a week
- Example: a filled-in program for a fictional client
- Progression: the rules behind the example, plus a short RPE and rest guide
The structure
Four weeks at a glance
One block is four weeks: three to build, one to recover. Fix the exercises for the block and change only the numbers, so you can see what progress looks like.
| Week | Goal | Sets | Load | Target RPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Learn the movements. Start light. | As planned | Starting load | 7 |
| Week 2 | Add load if every set was done at RPE 8 or lower. | Same | + one small jump (about 2.5 kg) | 7 to 8 |
| Week 3 | Add load again, or add a rep if the load can't go up. | Same | + one more jump | 8 |
| Week 4 | Deload: recover so the next block starts fresh. | One set fewer | About 10% lighter than week 3 | 6 |
RPE is rate of perceived exertion from 1 to 10. RPE 8 means about two reps were left in the tank.
The training day
A blank training day to copy
Paste it once per training day. The ranges are starting points: heavy lifts get more rest and fewer reps, accessories get more reps and less rest.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Load | RPE | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Main lift | 3 to 5 | 3 to 8 | 7 to 8 | 2 to 3 min | Cue, tempo or setup | |
| 2. Second lift | 3 | 6 to 10 | 7 to 8 | 2 min | ||
| 3. Accessory | 2 to 3 | 8 to 12 | 8 | 60 to 90 sec | ||
| 4. Accessory | 2 to 3 | 10 to 15 | 8 | 60 to 90 sec | ||
| 5. Core or carry | 2 to 3 | 30 to 45 sec | 7 | 60 sec |
Add a "Week" and "Day" column when you paste into a sheet, as the downloadable file does.
A filled example
Day 1 for a fictional client, week by week
Sam trains three days a week for general strength. This is the lower-body day across the whole block. Loads are in kg per bar or per hand, and the full example is on the Example sheet.
| Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 (deload) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back squat, 8 reps | 3 × 60 kg @ RPE 7 | 3 × 62.5 kg @ 7.5 | 3 × 65 kg @ 8 | 2 × 57.5 kg @ 6 |
| Romanian deadlift, 10 reps | 3 × 50 kg @ 7 | 3 × 52.5 kg @ 7.5 | 3 × 55 kg @ 8 | 2 × 47.5 kg @ 6 |
| Walking lunge, 10 per leg | 2 × 12 kg @ 7 | 2 × 14 kg @ 7.5 | 2 × 16 kg @ 8 | 1 × 12.5 kg @ 6 |
| Leg curl, 12 reps | 2 × 30 kg @ 7 | 2 × 32.5 kg @ 7.5 | 2 × 35 kg @ 8 | 1 × 30 kg @ 6 |
| Plank, 40 sec | 3 sets @ 7 | 3 sets @ 7.5 | 3 sets @ 8 | 2 sets @ 6 |
The numbers are made up to show the shape of a block. They are not a prescription for a real client.
The progression rule
How the numbers move
A simple rule you can explain to a client in one sentence.
- 1
Pick the rep range, then the load
Write the reps first (for example 8). Choose a starting load the client can lift with two or three reps left in the tank.
- 2
Hit every rep at the target RPE? Add load
When every set is done with the planned reps at RPE 8 or lower, add the smallest jump next week. This is called double progression.
- 3
Missed reps or RPE 9+? Repeat the week
Don't add load on top of a hard week. Repeat it, then look at sleep, stress and recovery in the check-in.
- 4
Take the fourth week lighter
Cut a set from each exercise and drop the load by about 10%.
In Coachplan
When you outgrow the spreadsheet
A spreadsheet works for your first few clients. After that, you are copying the same file, sending PDFs and asking clients what they lifted. Coachplan's workout builder plans the whole program in one table: sets, reps, rest and load in kg, lb, RPE or RIR, with 1,200+ exercises that come with GIF demos. You can add your own exercises with your own videos.
Coachplan can't import this spreadsheet, so you rebuild the program once in the week table: fill in week 1, copy it to the following weeks and adjust the numbers yourself. Save it as a template and the next client starts from your best program.
Guide: how to write a workout program · See the workout builder · From spreadsheets to coaching software · Client check-in form template
Questions about workout program templates
Yes. Download it or copy the tables from this page. There is no email gate and no sign-up. Use it with your own clients and change it however you like.
Yes. It is a standard .xlsx file. In Excel, open it. In Google Sheets, choose File, Import, Upload and pick the file.
Open the file in Excel or Google Sheets and download or print it as a PDF from there. We recommend keeping the spreadsheet, because a PDF is hard to edit for each client.
Four weeks is a good block for most clients: three weeks of building and one lighter week. Plan a second block from what the client actually did in the first.
Four to six is common: one or two main lifts, then accessories. If the session takes longer than the client has, cut accessories first.
Rate of perceived exertion, from 1 to 10. RPE 8 means about two reps were left in the tank. It lets clients adjust the load to how they feel on the day.
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