Making a workout plan takes 7 steps: decide your training days, choose a split, pick your exercises, set weekly volume, choose sets and reps for your goal, build the weekly schedule, then plan progression. Follow them in order below, with a free weekly template at the end.
Step 1: Decide How Many Days a Week You Can Train
Count the days you can realistically train every single week, not the days you would train in a perfect world. Every other decision in this plan depends on this number. If you are unsure what frequency actually produces results, our how many days a week should you work out guide breaks down the research by experience level.
Step 2: Choose a Split That Fits Those Days
Your training days determine which split makes sense:
| Days per week | Recommended split |
|---|---|
| 2-3 | Full body |
| 4 | Upper/lower |
| 3 or 6 | Push/pull/legs |
| 5 | Push/pull/legs/upper/lower hybrid |
Our workout splits explained guide covers every option in detail, or take the workout split quiz for a direct recommendation based on your schedule.
Step 3: Pick Your Exercises (Compounds First)
Build each session around 1-2 compound lifts (squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, row) that recruit the most muscle mass and drive the most progress. Add 2-3 secondary exercises that target the same muscle groups with a different movement pattern, then 1-2 isolation exercises for anything that needs extra work. Browse the full exercise library for options at every equipment level.
Step 4: Set Your Weekly Volume Per Muscle Group
Total weekly sets per muscle group matter more than which exercises you pick. Beginners do well with 8-12 sets per muscle group per week; intermediate lifters usually need 12-20 sets. Our how many sets per muscle group per week guide has full breakdowns by muscle group and experience level.
Step 5: Choose Sets, Reps, and Rest for Your Goal
| Goal | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3-6 | 3-5 min |
| Hypertrophy (muscle gain) | 6-12 | 90s-2 min |
| Endurance | 12-20 | 30-60s |
Most plans mix ranges: compound lifts lean toward strength or hypertrophy reps, accessory work leans toward hypertrophy or endurance reps.
Step 6: Build the Weekly Workout Schedule
Map your split and exercises onto specific days of the week. This is where your plan becomes an actual weekly workout plan and workout schedule you can follow.
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Full body A / Upper A / Push |
| Tuesday | Rest or cardio |
| Wednesday | Full body B / Lower A / Pull |
| Thursday | Rest or cardio |
| Friday | Full body C / Upper B / Legs |
| Saturday | Rest or optional session |
| Sunday | Rest |
Space demanding sessions according to performance and soreness; back-to-back training can be workable when volume and exercise stress are deliberately managed.
Step 7: Plan Progression and Deloads
A plan without a progression rule is just a workout, not a training program. When you complete the target sets with repeatable technique, consider adding a small amount of weight or a repetition. Reduce volume or intensity when performance and recovery trends show accumulating fatigue rather than deloading on an inflexible calendar. Our full progressive overload workout plan guide covers exactly how to structure that week to week.
Free Workout Plan Template
Copy this table and fill in your own exercises, sets, and reps for each training day:
| Day | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | ||||
| Day 1 | ||||
| Day 1 | ||||
| Day 2 | ||||
| Day 2 | ||||
| Day 2 |
Or Let the App Build It for You
Prefer not to build a plan by hand? Try the free workout plan generator tool for an instant version, no signup required: it picks your split, exercises, sets, reps, and progression based on your days, goal, and equipment, then adjusts the plan as you get stronger. See how workout plan generators work for a full breakdown of the logic behind it.
Calibration, diagnostics, and a progression log
Rehearse the draft with conservative loads before calling it week one. Record the exercise, load, reps, rest, RIR, and any technique change. Start most working sets with 2–4 RIR; if range or control breaks, reduce the load or use a regression. Audit the week by movement role—squat, hinge, push, pull, carry, and trunk—then count direct and indirect overlap. If a muscle or joint is trained hard on consecutive days, move the accessory or remove one set.
After two exposures, diagnose rather than redesigning everything: stable performance means repeat; one stalled lift means hold its load; two poor sessions means reduce one accessory set and check sleep, food, and attendance. Sharp or worsening pain is a stop signal and warrants qualified assessment. Use this log to change one variable at a time:
| Week | Attendance | Key lift | RIR | Recovery | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3/3 | baseline | 3 | normal | repeat |
| 2 | 3/3 | +1 rep | 2 | stable | repeat |
| 3 | 2/3 | same load | 4 | poor sleep | hold |
| 4 | 3/3 | clean top range | 2 | good | smallest increment |
See the progressive overload workout plan and training-volume calculator. The ACSM overview of resistance-training reviews concludes that healthy adults should follow variable resistance-training prescription rather than one universal template.
References
- American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews.. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2026)Back to claim
- mHealth to support resistance training using outdoor gyms: the ecofit hybrid type 3 implementation-effectiveness trial. (2026)Back to claim
- From Nature to Strength: A Proof-of-Concept Study Integrating a Nature-Based Intervention with Virtually Supported Resistance Training in Young Men. (2026)Back to claim
- Short-Term Effects of a Ready-to-Drink Pre-Workout Beverage on Exercise Performance and Recovery. (2017)Back to claim
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I create a workout plan for myself?
- Pick how many days a week you can train, choose a split that fits those days, select your exercises starting with compound lifts, set your weekly volume per muscle group, choose sets and reps for your goal, then map it into a weekly schedule. Progress by adding weight or reps each week.
- What should a weekly workout plan look like?
- A weekly workout plan lists which muscle groups or movement patterns you train each day, with rest days spaced so no muscle group is trained on back-to-back days. For example, a 3 day plan might run full body Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with rest days between.
- How many exercises should be in a workout plan?
- 4 to 6 exercises per session is typical: 1-2 compound lifts, 2-3 secondary movements, and 1-2 isolation or accessory exercises. More than 6-7 exercises usually means the session runs too long to sustain consistently.
- How often should you change your workout plan?
- Keep the same core exercises for 6 to 12 weeks so you can track progress and add weight consistently. After that, swap 1-2 exercises for variations to manage staleness, or restructure the plan entirely if progress has stalled for several weeks.
- Is it better to make your own workout plan or use an app?
- Making your own plan works well once you understand volume, frequency, and progression, since you can adjust it exactly to your schedule and equipment. An app like Your PT's AI plan generator saves time and automatically adjusts sets, reps, and progression as you get stronger, which is useful if you would rather not track that manually.