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Workout Plan Generator
Build a weekly training plan that fits your goal, level, schedule and equipment. Pick a goal, say how many days you can train, and get a full week of exercises with sets and reps, a weekly set total, and a simple rule for progressing next week.
Beginner: under a year of training (or returning after a long break). Intermediate: one to three years. Advanced: three or more years.
How it works
A good workout plan is not a random list of exercises. It trains every major movement, leaves time to recover, and gets a little harder over time. This generator builds that pattern from six choices you make, picking exercises deterministically, so the same inputs always give the same plan and you can track what changes.
Your goal sets the reps. Building muscle uses mostly 8 to 12 reps per set, which lets you use a challenging weight with good form. Getting stronger uses heavier weights for 3 to 6 reps, because heavy, low-rep sets teach your body to produce more force. Losing weight uses higher reps, 12 to 20, with shorter rests, so sessions burn more energy. General fitness sits in the middle, around 8 to 12 reps.
Your level sets the volume. Beginners get 9 sets per training day, enough to stimulate growth without leaving you too sore to train again two days later. Intermediate lifters get 12 sets per day, and advanced lifters get 15. The sets are spread across the exercises, with the first exercise — usually the main lift of the day — getting one extra set. Weekly volume is sets per day multiplied by training days, so a beginner on three days does 27 sets a week.
Your days set the split. A split is how the week's work is divided. Full body trains the whole body every session and suits 2 to 3 days a week. Upper–lower splits the body into upper-body and lower-body days and suits 4 days. Push–pull–legs gives one day to pushing muscles, one to pulling muscles and one to legs, and suits 5 to 6 days. If you choose Auto, the generator picks the split that fits your days. If you pick one yourself, it uses it, and warns you when it does not fit.
Session length sets the number of exercises. A 30-minute session has 3 exercises, which keeps the pace brisk and the session finishable. A 45- or 60-minute session has 4 exercises, with the longer session allowing longer rests instead of more exercises. Rest is about 60 seconds between sets for 30-minute sessions, 90 seconds for 45-minute sessions, and about 2 minutes for 60-minute sessions or for strength goals, where heavy sets need more recovery.
Equipment changes the exercise list, not the pattern. A full gym gives you barbells, machines and cables, so the plan can use moves such as the bench press, lat pulldown and leg press. Dumbbells only swaps those for dumbbell versions, such as the dumbbell bench press and the one-arm dumbbell row. Bodyweight only uses moves such as push-ups, squats, lunges, inverted rows and planks.
Progression is the part most plans forget. Your body only adapts when the work gets a little harder over time. The rule is simple: when you complete every set at the top of the rep range for two sessions in a row, add the smallest weight you can, or add one rep per set. If you cannot complete the reps, stay at the same weight and try again next session. Write down what you lifted each time — a plan you cannot remember is a plan you cannot progress.
Worked example
Take a beginner whose goal is to build muscle, training 3 days a week in a full gym, with 45-minute sessions and a full-body split.
Step 1: The goal, build muscle, sets the reps to 8 to 12 for most lifts and 30 seconds for the plank.
Step 2: The level, beginner, sets the volume to 9 sets per training day.
Step 3: Three days a week with a full-body split gives three full-body sessions, spread across Monday, Wednesday and Friday so there is a rest day between each one.
Step 4: A 45-minute session has 4 exercises, so the 9 sets are shared as 3, 2, 2 and 2, with the first exercise getting the extra set.
Step 5: Multiply out the week: 9 sets per day times 3 days equals 27 total sets per week.
Day 1, Full Body, is: Goblet Squat 3×10, Bench Press 2×8, One-Arm Dumbbell Row 2×10, Plank 2×30s — that is 3 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 9 sets. Days 2 and 3 follow the same pattern with different exercises, such as the leg press and seated cable row. Try it yourself: choose Build muscle, Beginner, 3 days, 45 minutes, Full gym and Full body, and press Generate plan. The tool gives exactly this plan, with a total of 27 sets per week.
FAQ
How many days per week should I work out?
Most people do well on 3 to 4 days per week. Three full-body days give every major muscle group enough work and enough rest to recover. Four days suits an upper-lower split, and 5 to 6 days suits a push-pull-legs split. Pick a number you can repeat every week rather than the biggest number you can manage once.
Is a full-body plan or a split better for beginners?
A full-body plan is usually better for beginners. You practise the main lifts two or three times a week instead of once, so your technique improves faster and each muscle gets trained often enough to grow. Splits become useful later, when you need more exercises per muscle in a single session than a full-body day allows.
How do I progress when the plan gets easy?
Add a little weight or a rep when you hit the top of the rep range on every set for two sessions in a row. For example, if your plan says 3 sets of 10 and you complete 10, 10 and 10 twice, add the smallest weight you can next time. For bodyweight moves, add a rep per set or move to a harder variation, such as feet-elevated push-ups.
Can I build muscle with dumbbells or bodyweight only?
Yes, you can build muscle with dumbbells or bodyweight only, as long as the sets are hard enough. Muscle grows when a set finishes close to failure, whatever the equipment is. With dumbbells, progress by using heavier dumbbells or adding reps. With bodyweight, progress by adding reps, slowing the lowering phase, or moving to harder variations such as Bulgarian split squats instead of regular squats. A full gym simply gives you more ways to add weight.
What should I do if I miss a workout?
Just do the next session on your plan and carry on. Missing one workout changes almost nothing, but trying to cram two sessions into one day usually leaves you tired and sore for the rest of the week. If you miss a whole week, repeat the previous week instead of jumping ahead.