Building Workout Plans

Your Blueprint for Training

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, we set SMART fitness goals with supporting process goals. Those goals are your destination. Now we build the roadmap—a structured workout plan designed to get you there.

A workout plan without structure is just a random collection of exercises. You might feel tired afterward, but you won’t make consistent progress. Structure turns effort into results.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

• Build a weekly workout structure matched to your schedule and goals
• Select the right exercises for each training session
• Apply progressive overload to ensure continuous improvement

The Building Blocks of a Workout Plan

Every effective plan has five components:

Frequency by Experience Level

✅ Quick Check: Based on your experience level, how many training days per week should you start with?

Choosing Your Split

Your “split” determines how you organize exercises across the week. Here are the three most effective options:

Full Body (Best for Beginners, 2-3 Days)

Every session works every major muscle group. Simple, effective, and forgiving if you miss a day.

Monday: Full Body
Wednesday: Full Body
Friday: Full Body

Upper/Lower (Best for Intermediate, 4 Days)

Alternates between upper body and lower body sessions, allowing more volume per muscle group.

Monday: Upper Body
Tuesday: Lower Body
Thursday: Upper Body
Friday: Lower Body

Push/Pull/Legs (Best for Advanced, 5-6 Days)

Divides by movement pattern—pushing muscles, pulling muscles, and legs.

Monday: Push (chest, shoulders, triceps)
Tuesday: Pull (back, biceps)
Wednesday: Legs (quads, hamstrings, glutes)
Thursday: Push
Friday: Pull
Saturday: Legs

How AI Helps

“I’m a beginner with 3 days per week available (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday). I have dumbbells (5-50 lbs) and a pull-up bar at home. Design a full-body split with specific exercises, sets, and reps for each day. Include warm-up and cool-down.”

Exercise Selection: Compounds First

The 80/20 rule applies to exercise selection: 80% of your results come from compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups simultaneously.

The Essential Compound Movements

Build every session around 3-4 compound movements. Then add 1-2 isolation exercises (bicep curls, tricep extensions, calf raises) if time allows.

How AI Helps

“Give me 3 compound exercise substitutions for each movement pattern (squat, hinge, push, pull) that I can do with only dumbbells at home. Include form cues for each.”

Progressive Overload: The Growth Engine

Here’s the most important principle in training: your body only adapts to demands that exceed what it’s used to. If you lift the same weight for the same reps every week, you’ll stop improving.

Progressive overload means systematically increasing one of these variables:

The Simple Progression Model for Beginners

Week 1: 3 sets × 8 reps at starting weight Week 2: 3 sets × 10 reps at same weight Week 3: 3 sets × 12 reps at same weight Week 4: Increase weight by 5 lbs, return to 3 × 8

This cycle (called “double progression”) builds strength and endurance simultaneously.

How AI Helps

“I can currently bench press 95 lbs for 3 sets of 8 reps. My goal is to bench 135 lbs. Create an 8-week progressive overload plan showing exactly what weight, sets, and reps to do each week. Include deload weeks if appropriate.”

Putting It All Together: Sample Beginner Plan

Here’s what a complete beginner full-body plan looks like:

Day A (e.g., Monday)

1. Goblet Squat — 3×10
2. Dumbbell Bench Press — 3×10
3. Dumbbell Row — 3×10 each side
4. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift — 3×10
5. Plank — 3×30 seconds

Day B (e.g., Wednesday)

1. Dumbbell Lunges — 3×10 each leg
2. Dumbbell Overhead Press — 3×10
3. Pull-ups (or assisted) — 3×max
4. Dumbbell Hip Thrust — 3×12
5. Dead Bug — 3×10 each side

Day C (e.g., Friday)

1. Bodyweight Squat — 3×15
2. Push-ups — 3×max
3. Dumbbell Reverse Fly — 3×12
4. Step-ups — 3×10 each leg
5. Bird Dog — 3×10 each side

Try It Yourself

Build your first workout plan with AI:

“Create a [X]-week workout plan for me:

• Experience: [beginner/intermediate/advanced]
• Days available: [list days]
• Equipment: [what you have]
• Goal: [from Lesson 2]
• Time per session: [minutes]

Include: exercise names, sets, reps, rest periods, warm-up routine, and a progressive overload schedule.”

Key Takeaways

• Every plan needs five components: frequency, split, exercises, volume, and progression
• Compound exercises (squat, hinge, push, pull) deliver 80% of your results
• Progressive overload is non-negotiable—you must increase demands over time to keep improving
• Beginners should start with full-body training 2-3 days per week
• AI builds personalized plans matched to your exact equipment, schedule, and goals

Up Next

In Lesson 4: Nutrition Fundamentals, we’ll add the fuel dimension. Training breaks muscle down; nutrition builds it back stronger. You’ll learn the basics of calories, macros, and meal planning with AI.