How to build a workout program

In this article

1. 1. Write your goal in one sentence
2. 2. How many days can you really train?
3. 3. Pick exercises: compound first, isolation after
4. 4. Set sets, reps and rest by goal
5. 5. Write progression into the program: double progression
6. 6. Deloads: a step back is a step forward
7. 7. Warm-up, duration and order
8. Example: 3-day full body (beginner)

1. Write your goal in one sentence

The program follows the goal. Four goals, four recipes:

• Build muscle: moderate loads, 6–12 reps, 10–16 sets per muscle per week, small steady progression.
• Build strength: heavy loads, 3–6 reps, long rest (2–3 min), few exercises repeated often.
• Lose fat: lifting protects muscle, the calorie deficit burns fat; 10–15 reps, shorter rest, 3–4 days a week.
• Stay fit: 2–3 full-body days, compound lifts, sustainability first.

If you want to lose fat and build muscle, the answer is "in sequence", not "at once": protect muscle in a deficit, then add muscle in a surplus. For the nutrition side see the calorie deficit guide.

2. How many days can you really train?

A six-day program on paper loses to a three-day program done every week. Be honest with your calendar. Days decide the split:

Rule: every muscle gets stimulated at least twice a week. The classic bro split hits each muscle once, which is why five days of it lose to three days of full body. Splits in detail: Push/Pull/Legs explained.

3. Pick exercises: compound first, isolation after

Each session is built on 1–2 compound lifts (multiple joints, heavy load) and 2–4 isolation moves (one joint, to finish the target muscle). Compounds go first because they demand the most energy and attention.

Six movement patterns complete a program; cover each at least once a week:

• Squat: Barbell Back Squat, Goblet Squat, Leg Press
• Hinge: Romanian Deadlift, Conventional Deadlift, Hip Thrust
• Horizontal push: Barbell Bench Press, Push-Up, Flat Dumbbell Press
• Vertical push: Overhead Barbell Press, Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Horizontal pull: Barbell Bent-Over Row, Seated Cable Row, Inverted Row
• Vertical pull: Pull-Up, Lat Pulldown

No equipment? Every pattern has a bodyweight version; the home workout guide covers it. If you have an injury, check the "Caution" box on each exercise page; the FitCi app applies that filter from your profile automatically.

4. Set sets, reps and rest by goal

This table is the starting point by goal and exercise type; FitCi builds its programs from the same table:

Weekly volume per muscle: beginner 8–10 sets, intermediate 10–16, advanced 14–20. More than 8 sets for one muscle in a single session is junk volume; spread it across days. The 2024 meta-regression shows most of the gain comes from the first 5–10 sets.

Over 45? Add 30 s of rest on compounds and 15 s on isolation; over 55 with a strength goal, shift the rep range up one step (6–8). Joints carry the load; the work should not be rushed.

5. Write progression into the program: double progression

The program says what to do; the progression rule says when to add. The most robust method is double progression: when you hit the top of the rep range on all sets with clean form, add weight, drop back to the bottom of the range and climb again.

• +2.5 kg on upper-body lifts, +5 kg on lower-body lifts.
• If the dumbbell jump is too big, add reps first (8 → 10 → 12), then weight.
• Log every set. Without a log, progression is random; "what did I do last week" must be read, not remembered.

The 1RM calculator helps with load selection: from a 5-rep set it estimates your max and a percentage table. Rating each set 1–10 for effort (RPE) is a good compass too: for muscle, keep most sets at RPE 7–9, i.e. 1–3 reps in reserve.

6. Deloads: a step back is a step forward

Weights cannot rise forever. Take a deload week when either trigger appears: (a) progress has stalled for 2–3 weeks, (b) 2–3 sessions in a row felt "too hard". Halve the sets and drop the load to about 85%; keep the exercises. You usually come back stronger the week after.

Think in 4–8 week blocks. At the end of each block, swap some exercises for another version of the same pattern and keep the core compounds.

7. Warm-up, duration and order

Ramp into the first compound lift: empty bar × 8, 50% × 5, 70% × 3, and 85% × 2 on heavy days. Those sets do not count toward volume. A session of 45–70 minutes is enough; sessions past 90 minutes are usually sessions where rest periods grew.

Order: compounds → assistance compounds → isolation → core. Do cardio after lifting or on a separate day; which one matters more for fat loss is covered in cardio vs weights.

Example: 3-day full body (beginner)

This skeleton follows the logic of FitCi's free "Full Body — 3 Days" template; swap exercises for your equipment.

Form for each exercise is in the exercise guide: step-by-step instructions, muscles worked and injury cautions. In the app the template is set up with one tap, four weeks of progression are written automatically and every workout shows your previous sets.

Frequently asked questions

Related tools and pages

• Exercise Guide400 exercises, form and tips
• One-Rep Max CalculatorPercentage table for load selection
• Home workout, no equipment3 days a week
• Training lessonsRPE, progression, rest