Guide
How to write a training program for clients, from intake to the week-4 review
Templates hand you exercises. This is the process underneath them: eight decisions in order, each one fed by the last, with one client walked through every step.
By RaiNGE product teamUpdated 8 min read
Written for coaches who write their own programs and want a repeatable process for every new client.
See how RaiNGE drafts a program from intake answers like these, for you to review, edit, and approve. See trainer software
On this pageThe eight steps, in order
The eight steps, in order
Each step uses the answer from the one before it. Skipping ahead to the exercises is the common shortcut, and a schedule or a pain note usually forces a rewrite in week one.
- 1
Set one goal and list the constraints
Write the goal in the client's words with one number to measure in 12 weeks. List the limits: session length, equipment, training history, and every pain note with a 0-10 score. The personal training program template has the intake questions.
- 2
Count the days they can repeat
Write the plan for the sessions that happen in a bad week, plus an optional day for good weeks.
- 3
Choose the split from the days
Two or three days points to full-body sessions, four to an upper lower split. Each pattern should appear at least twice a week.
- 4
Fill each slot by movement pattern
Name the slots first: squat, hinge, horizontal and vertical push, horizontal and vertical pull, single leg, and carry or trunk. Then fill each with an exercise that fits the equipment, skill, and pain notes.
- 5
Set the dose
Write sets, reps, and effort for every exercise. Write effort as RPE or reps in reserve so the dose fits strong and weak days.
- 6
Write one progression rule
Use double progression by default: hold the load until every set reaches the top of the range at the target RPE, then add the smallest jump available.
- 7
Write the adjustment rules
Decide now what happens when readiness is low, a lift hurts, equipment is missing, or a session is missed.
- 8
Set the review cadence
Check completion and pain weekly, review the block at week 4, and change one variable at a time.
In RaiNGE, AI drafts start from these inputs (goals, training history, equipment, schedule, injury and pain notes, and readiness check-ins), and the coach reviews, edits, and approves each draft before it reaches the client.
Choose the split from the days the client can repeat
The split follows from step 2. Aim for every pattern at least twice a week; beyond three exposures, recovery becomes the limit for most busy adults.
The 3-day full body workout program and the 4-day upper lower split show the two most common answers in full. New lifters start on three full-body days, with the 12-week beginner strength program.
Pick exercises by pattern, then set the dose
Choosing by pattern keeps substitutions honest: a later replacement fills the same slot, so the week still covers everything. Start each slot with the hardest variation the client controls through the full range with pain at 2/10 or less.
Write an effort target next to every dose so the client can match the load to the day. The RPE scale guide for coaches explains the scale.
Write the progression and bad-day rules before week one
The exercise pain scale guide explains each band and when to refer out.
Worked example: one client through all eight steps
Dana is a composite of common intake answers, not a real client. She is 42, lifted casually for two years before a three-year break, and does group classes twice a week. Her left knee aches on stairs and in deep lunges, 2/10 and familiar, and a physiotherapist discharged her last year with no restrictions.
Dana's Day 1
After 6 easy minutes on the bike, rest 2 minutes between sets of the two main lifts and 60-90 seconds elsewhere. The session fits in 50 minutes.
Day 3 pairs the trap bar deadlift with the step-up, half-kneeling press, and lat pulldown, so Days 1 and 3 cover every pattern. Day 2 repeats the patterns with lighter dumbbells at RPE 6.
The week-4 review: what to check and what to change
At week 4, check completion, effort against the targets, and pain reports, then change one variable for the next block.
Dana finished 11 of 12 sessions. Her trap bar deadlift rose from 3×8 at 115 lb to 3×8 at 135 lb, and her knee hit 3/10 once, on a step-up, then settled at the 8-inch box. Block two keeps every exercise and moves the main lifts to 4×5-7.
Common questions
How long should a training program be?
Write it in 4-week blocks and plan about 12 weeks ahead. Four weeks is long enough to see whether loads move and short enough to fix a bad fit quickly. Keep the main lifts for 8-12 weeks across blocks, and change accessories or rep ranges at the block boundaries.
Should a client program use percentages of a one-rep max?
Rarely, for general clients. Percentages need a tested max, and the max drifts with sleep, stress, and a missed week. A rep range with an RPE or reps-in-reserve target fits the day without any testing. Keep percentages for competitive lifters peaking for a meet, where the tested numbers matter.
How many exercises should each session have?
Four to six for most clients in a 45-60 minute session: two main lifts, two or three accessories, and a carry or trunk exercise. Past six, the later exercises get done tired and rushed. When a session will not fit the time, cut accessories first and keep the main lifts.