Gym workout plan with a clear split, sets and progression
Wandering between machines doing whatever is free is how months pass without progress. This prompt has your todo.is agent build a gym workout plan around your days and goal, with a weekly split, exact sets, reps and rest, swaps for busy equipment, and a simple progression rule you follow each week.
The prompt
- Make me a 12-week gym workout plan. Goal: [GOAL]. Experience: [EXPERIENCE]. I can go [DAYS PER WEEK] days a week for about [MINUTES] minutes. My gym has [GYM EQUIPMENT]. Avoid or adjust for: [LIMITS]. Pick the best split for my days, and for each session list exercises in order with sets, reps, rest times and target effort (reps in reserve). Give one swap for each exercise in case the machine is taken. Use double progression and add a lighter deload week every 4 to 6 weeks. Give me an Excel log with a tab per week and a chart of my main lifts, and a PDF summary.
What to change
- [GOAL]: E.g. "build muscle", "get stronger", "lose fat and keep muscle".
- [EXPERIENCE]: E.g. "trained on and off for a year", "6 months consistent".
- [DAYS PER WEEK]: E.g. "4".
- [MINUTES]: E.g. "60".
- [GYM EQUIPMENT]: E.g. "full commercial gym", "small hotel gym with dumbbells to 25 kg and a cable machine".
- [LIMITS]: E.g. "shoulder clicks on overhead press", or "none".
Example result
- 12-week gym plan: upper/lower, 4 days
- Goal: build muscle · 1 year of on-and-off training · 60 minutes · full gym · shoulder clicks on overhead press
- Weekly split
- • Mon: Upper A · Tue: Lower A · Thu: Upper B · Sat: Lower B
- Upper A
- • Barbell bench press: 3 x 6 to 8, rest 2 to 3 min, 2 reps in reserve (RIR). Swap: dumbbell bench.
- • Chest-supported row: 3 x 8 to 10, rest 2 min. Swap: seated cable row.
- • Incline dumbbell press: 3 x 8 to 12, rest 90 s
- • Lat pulldown: 3 x 10 to 12, rest 90 s
- • Cable lateral raise: 3 x 12 to 15, rest 60 s
- • Triceps rope pushdown: 2 x 12 to 15
- Lower A
- • Back squat: 3 x 5 to 8, rest 3 min, 2 RIR. Swap: hack squat.
- • Romanian deadlift: 3 x 8 to 10, rest 2 min
- • Leg extension: 3 x 12 to 15
- • Seated leg curl: 3 x 10 to 12
- • Standing calf raise: 3 x 10 to 15, 1-second pause at the bottom
- Upper B
- • Landmine press (instead of overhead press, easier on the shoulder): 3 x 8 to 10
- • Pull-ups or assisted pull-ups: 3 x 6 to 10
- • Machine chest press: 3 x 10 to 12
- • One-arm dumbbell row: 3 x 10 each side
- • Rear delt fly: 3 x 15 · EZ-bar curl: 3 x 10 to 12
- Lower B
- • Trap bar deadlift: 3 x 5 to 6, rest 3 min
- • Leg press: 3 x 10 to 12 · Walking lunges: 2 x 10 each leg
- • Lying leg curl: 3 x 10 to 12 · Hanging knee raise: 3 x 12
- Double progression
- • Each exercise has a rep range, e.g. 8 to 10
- • When every set hits the top of the range with good form, add 2.5 kg (upper) or 5 kg (lower) next time
- • Not there yet? Keep the weight and add a rep where you can
- Deload (weeks 6 and 12)
- • Same exercises, about 60% of the sets and slightly lighter weight. You should leave feeling fresh.
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in your goal, experience, days, time, gym and any limits.
- Paste it on the Today screen in todo.is, or text it to your agent on WhatsApp or Telegram.
- You get an Excel log with a tab for each week and progress charts, plus a PDF of the plan.
- Every few weeks, attach your filled-in log and ask your agent to review it and adjust the plan.
Tips for a better result
- Put the hardest compound lift first in each session, when you are fresh.
- Track reps in reserve, not just weight. Most growth comes from sets that end 1 to 3 reps short of failure.
- If your gym is packed at your usual time, ask your agent for a version that uses only dumbbells and cables.
- Pair it with a high protein meal plan so your training and eating point the same way.
gym workout plan: FAQ
- What is the best gym split for beginners? Full body 3 days a week or an upper/lower split 4 days a week both work very well. Pick the one that fits the days you can reliably train.
- How many sets per muscle per week do I need? A common range is about 10 to 20 hard sets per muscle per week. Beginners grow well at the lower end of that.
- How long should I rest between sets? About 2 to 3 minutes on big compound lifts and 60 to 90 seconds on smaller isolation moves. Resting longer on heavy lifts usually means more reps and better progress.
- Can my agent change the plan when I travel? Yes. Tell it the hotel gym's equipment and how many days you have, and it will send a short travel version.
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