How to Make Your Own Workout Plan

Updated November 2023

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How much time have you spent searching the Internet and looking for workout plans that will help you reach your goals? You see pictures of people with bodies that you wish you had, and so you assume that it is right for you? So you end up committing to the plan and only last a couple of weeks because the workouts are too long or too hard, or you just aren’t seeing progress in the areas that you want. You are not alone in this problem because many people do not have personal trainers or the knowledge themselves on what their workout plan NEEDS to be.

Everyone is different, so you need to design your own workout plan — one that is right for you! And I can help you do that today.

There are essentially eight steps I take to make plans for both myself and my clients. This has proven to be successful because my plans are individualized yet still consistent and create an impact. Here are those steps:

8 Steps to Creating Your Own Workout Plan

Lose Fat or Gain Muscle?

Which one is more important to you? No matter how you work out, you will end up doing both, but you can decide which is going to be more dominant.

Gym, At Home With Equipment or Bodyweight?

Where are you going to be able to work out? The most effective workouts happen in the gym, but if you don’t want to pay for a membership or don’t feel comfortable working out in that setting, that’s okay!

Workouts at home can definitely help you break a sweat and build that muscle. Just determine now if you have any equipment that you could use. Examples are a bench (affiliate link), dumbbells, kettlebells (affiliate link), and jump rope. If you need ideas for how to easily exercise in the comfort of your home, consider our list of recommended at-home workout equipment (affiliate link)!

If you do have equipment, this will increase the variety and intensity that will exist in your workouts. If you don’t have any equipment, then you will be sticking with bodyweight exercises.

How Many Times a Week?

How often are you able to work out? Be reasonable. If you aren’t used to working out, then don’t claim you are going to start working out every day. Yes, everyone should move their body in some way every day, but how many days will you actually be able to commit to yourself?

If you are a beginner, then I suggest you start with a day or two and then increase the number of days every couple of weeks until you reach your maximum. If you have been working out for a while, then four to six days is probably your forte.

For How Long?

How much time can you give yourself to dedicate to exercise during these workouts? An average solid workout lasts one hour, but it really just comes down to your lifestyle.

If you really have time on your hands and are determined to transform on an extreme level, then you could aim for two hours. My opinion is that two hours is the longest any workout should last before it starts to unnecessarily wear down the body. You might have just read that and thought, “Woah, how could anyone even want to be in the gym for that long??” And if that is the case, that is totally fine. S

ome people only have ten minutes to set aside because of how busy they are. This works, too, because every minute counts. Workouts don’t have to be long; they just need to be effective.

What is the Focus of Each Day?

Another way of asking this is, “What is your routine?” If you decide that you want abs or a bigger butt or larger biceps, then that’s great because you can identify that. But you don’t ever want to only work out those areas of the body. You need to give attention to every single muscle. There are many variations of routines, but sometimes the simplest is the sweetest. Here is what I suggest:

~one day/week->full body

~two days/week->upper body, lower body

~three days/week->push day (chest, triceps, and shoulders), pull day (biceps and back), leg day (abs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves)

~four days/week->full body, push day (chest, triceps, and shoulders), pull day (biceps and back), leg day (abs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves)

~five days/week->upper body, lower body, push day (chest, triceps, and shoulders), pull day (back and biceps), leg day (abs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves)

~six days/week->push day (chest, triceps, and shoulders), pull day (back and biceps), leg day (abs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves), push day (chest, triceps, and shoulders), pull day (back and biceps), leg day (abs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves)

Specific Exercises?

Now that you know what areas of the body that you will be working on, what exercises will target those muscles? If you don’t have this knowledge yourself, that’s okay because there are many resources that you can use. On my Instagram @edgeoflongevity I post many videos that give examples of exercises for specific muscles.

You can also simply research and figure out what you need to do to properly work the muscles designated for that day. I suggest choosing four to 10 per workout.

Reps, Sets, and Rest Breaks?

Now that you have decided on what exercises to do, you need to figure out how many to do. If you are wanting to lose fat, it is better to do light weight and higher reps (12-20).

If you want to gain muscle, then it is better to do heavier weights and fewer reps (3-10). I typically do three sets of everything, but it is up to you. Three is the most standard, but some people go up to five.

As far as rest breaks go, it is quite simple. The harder you work, the longer of a break you get. But you do not want to wait so long that your blood stops pumping. I usually give myself 30 seconds between sets.

Progress?

Lastly, what do you do when your routine becomes too easy? First off, congratulations on getting here! There are many routes you can take to change up your routine. It is standard to change the exercises every four weeks to keep your body from plateauing. In addition to that, you can increase reps and sets, decrease rest time, increase weight, and increase the number of days you work as well as time spent working out.

Final Thoughts

So, as you can see, a lot of thought goes into making a workout plan, but each step is fairly simple and straightforward. I hope this guide helps you take a step in the right direction for figuring out what plan is best for YOU and will get you the results that you desire. Good luck!