How to Create a Personal Trainer Workout Plan Template (+ Samples)

How to Create a Personal Trainer Workout Plan Template

Creating personal training templates doesn’t have to be complicated. Follow these steps to create a personal trainer workout plan, build a system that supports your process and scales with your personal training business.

1. Choose Your Format

Decide whether you’ll use Google Sheets, PDFs, or specialized personal trainer software. Digital templates are easier to duplicate, edit, and share. Especially when working with different clients.

2. Define Program Goals

Every workout plan should be tailored to achieve a specific outcome, such as weight loss, muscle gain, improved mobility, or enhanced overall health. Clearly define the plan's purpose before developing it.

3. Map the Weekly Structure

Outline how many days per week the client will train and what each day targets. Include rest periods, training volume, and planned warm-ups. This helps avoid overtraining and keeps workout routines balanced.

4. Plug in the Exercises

Select exercises that match your client’s fitness goals and movement patterns. Group them by muscle groups (e.g., chest, back, legs), and assign reps, sets, and rest times. Don’t forget functional strength moves like push ups, pull ups, or box jumps.

5. Add Progress Tracking

Make space for logging results—weights, reps, notes, etc.—so you and your client can track progress and make data-driven tweaks.

How to Personalize Workout Templates for Every Client

No two clients are the same, so your personal training templates shouldn’t be either. A smart personal trainer workout plan template helps you deliver custom programming without starting from scratch every time.

Key Factors to Consider:

• Client's fitness level (beginner to advanced)
• Individual fitness goals (fat loss, muscle gain, endurance, etc.)
• Age, injury history, and mobility
• Preferred equipment (e.g., free weights, resistance bands, machines)
• Training frequency and weekly schedule

Classifying Exercises for Training

To create a well-rounded personal trainer workout plan template, categorize exercises. This helps ensure that you’re addressing all aspects of strength, conditioning, and flexibility, while also allowing room for personalization. This also allows for targeted programs based on client goals and provides flexibility with alternatives.

Primary Exercises (Compound Movements)

These are the heavy hitters of your workout templates. Compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench press, and pull-ups engage multiple muscle groups and allow for maximum load, making them crucial for strength and muscle building. They should form the foundation of most workouts, especially for clients focused on building muscle mass or strength.

• Reps: 5-10
• Sets: 3-5
• Purpose: Build strength, activate multiple muscle groups, promote muscle growth, and generate significant fatigue.

Primary exercises typically require the most energy and should be done first when your clients are at their freshest.

Secondary Exercises (Assistance Movements)

These exercises assist the primary lifts and target specific muscles to support the main lifts. Examples include dumbbell rows, leg presses, and lunges. While they might not be as demanding as compound lifts, secondary exercises help improve stability, muscle endurance, and specific muscle weaknesses.

• Reps: 8-15
• Sets: 2-4
• Purpose: Support primary lifts, improve muscle endurance, and target weaknesses or imbalances.

Secondary exercises typically follow the compound movements and help further to develop strength, flexibility, and muscle mass.

Isolation Exercises (Single-Joint Movements)

Isolation exercises target a single muscle group, making them useful for clients who want to increase muscle size or focus on specific areas. Common examples include bicep curls, tricep extensions, and leg curls. These exercises typically come toward the end of a workout after the compound and secondary movements.

• Reps: 12-25+
• Sets: 2-4
• Purpose: Target a specific muscle group, improve muscle symmetry, and increase hypertrophy.

While not as essential for strength or overall fitness, isolation movements help complete the picture and address areas that need focused attention.

Organizing Exercises in Your Template

When building your workout templates, a structured approach is key. Consider using a simple system to classify exercises by muscle group or movement pattern (e.g., push, pull, squat, hinge). You can organize them in a spreadsheet or digital tool like Google Sheets for easy access and quick adjustments.

This classification system helps keep workouts balanced and allows for flexibility when choosing exercises. You can easily swap out exercises depending on your client’s preferences, equipment availability, or physical limitations, all while keeping the workout aligned with their goals.

Structuring Sets, Reps, and Rest

Customizing sets, reps, and rest periods helps align each workout with your client's fitness level and specific goals, whether they’re focused on muscle gain, weight loss, or improving overall strength.

Match Reps and Sets to the Goal

Every training goal requires a different approach. Here’s a quick reference:

Keep in mind that training volume (sets × reps × weight) and intensity will vary depending on the client's fitness level, experience, and recovery capacity.

Rest Periods (Don’t Skip This Variable)

Rest periods directly influence recovery and performance. Shorter rests increase metabolic stress and are great for muscle gain or weight loss programs. Longer rests preserve strength for heavy lifts. Your workout plan templates should include recommended rest times based on the training goal to streamline session planning.

Progressive Overload

Encourage clients to track progress and steadily increase load, reps, or intensity over time—this is key for muscle growth and strength gains. Your template should leave room for notes or client feedback so you can adjust plans accordingly.

Exercise Selection for Personal Training Business

The right mix of exercises transforms a generic plan into a purposeful, personalized training workout template. For best results, structure your workout programs to train major muscle groups with a balance of compound and isolation movements.

Start with Foundational Movement Patterns

Your workout templates should cover these key patterns every week:

• Push (e.g., bench press, shoulder press, push ups)
• Pull (e.g., pull-ups, rows, bicep curls)
• Hinge (e.g., deadlifts, kettlebell swings)
• Squat (e.g., goblet squats, leg press)
• Lunge (e.g., walking lunges, split squats)
• Carry (e.g., farmer’s walks)

This structure ensures you’re training different muscle groups efficiently, improving functional strength and reducing injury risk.

Plan for Progress and Variety

Rotate exercise routines every 4–6 weeks to prevent plateaus and keep clients engaged. Add new exercises that match their ability and goals, whether that’s muscle gain, fat loss, or general fitness improvements.

Your personal training templates should also include options for:

• Warm-ups tailored to the day’s session
• Modifications for injuries or beginner clients
• Equipment swaps (e.g., dumbbells instead of barbells)

Templates like these empower you to scale programming across different clients without sacrificing personalization.

Structuring Sets, Reps, and Rest for Results

Your personal training workout templates should clearly define sets, reps, and rest periods. These variables control training intensity and support your client’s specific fitness goals.

Match Volume and Intensity to the Goal

Aligning volume and intensity with a client’s goal, helps you create more effective workout plans—and boost client satisfaction.

Here’s a quick breakdown to guide your structure:

However don’t skip the details, make sure your workout programs are well organised within the template. Each training session should include:

• Exercises listed in order
• Target muscle groups
• Reps, sets, tempo, and rest
• Optional notes for proper form or cues

Bonus: Free Personal Training Templates to Get You Started

Here are three ready-to-use templates you can customize in FitBudd or use as inspiration to create your own:

Template 1: General Fitness (Beginner – 3 Days/Week)

Client Information

• Name: [Client Name]
• Age: [Age]
• Goals: Improve overall fitness, lose fat, increase energy
• Fitness Level: Beginner
• Limitations: [Injuries, mobility restrictions]
• Initial Assessment: [e.g., 1 min plank, 15 squats, resting HR]

Weekly Schedule

• Mon: Full Body Strength
• Wed: Low-Impact Cardio + Core
• Fri: Full Body Strength
• Rest Days: Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun

Warm-Up / Cool Down

• Warm-Up: 5 min brisk walk + dynamic stretches
• Cool Down: Foam rolling + static stretching (quads, hamstrings)

Main Workout Block – Day 1 Example

Tracking & Notes 

• Weights Used: [Optional if using resistance]
• Progress: [Week 1: BW only → Week 3: Add dumbbells]
• Client Feedback: [E.g., Enjoyed session, felt challenged but not overwhelmed]

Template 2: Muscle Gain & Strength (Intermediate – 4 Days/Week)

Client Information

• Name: [Client Name]
• Age: [Age]
• Goals: Build muscle mass, improve functional strength
• Fitness Level: Intermediate
• Limitations: None reported
• Assessment: Bench Press 1RM: 135 lbs, Deadlift 1RM: 225 lbs

Weekly Schedule

• Mon: Upper Push
• Tue: Lower Body
• Thu: Upper Pull
• Fri: Full Body
• Rest Days: Wed, Sat, Sun

Warm-Up / Cool Down

• Warm-Up: Jump rope 3 min + shoulder circles, leg swings
• Cool Down: Stretch lats, chest, hamstrings + breathing drills

Main Workout Block – Day 1 Example

Tracking & Notes

• Weights: [Bench 135 lbs → 145 lbs by week 4]
• Progression Plan: [Increase reps to 10–12 next cycle]
• Client Feedback: [E.g., Wants more shoulder isolation work next week]

Template 3: Weight Loss + Conditioning (All Levels – 5 Days/Week)

Client Information

• Name: [Client Name]
• Age: [Age]
• Goals: Weight loss, improve stamina
• Fitness Level: Mixed
• Limitations: Knee sensitivity
• Assessment: 1-mile walk test, RPE scale tracking

Weekly Schedule

• Mon: Full Body HIIT
• Tue: Core + Cardio
• Wed: Strength Circuits
• Fri: Cardio Intervals + Core
• Sat: Bodyweight Conditioning
• Rest Days: Thu, Sun

Warm-Up / Cool Down

• Warm-Up: 3 min elliptical + high knees, jumping jacks
• Cool Down: Hip flexor stretches, quad/hamstring release

Main Workout Block – Day 1 Example

Tracking & Notes

• Progress Tracking: [Heart rate, RPE, rest period reduction]
• Modifications: [Replaced jump squats with step-ups for knees]
• Client Feedback: [E.g., Felt energized, no knee pain]

These are the most basic templates that you can easily adapt into a sheet.

Want more? FitBudd lets you build and save unlimited workout plan templates to match your programming style—and your clients’ fitness goals.