How many exercises should a workout have?

Four to six exercises fills a focused 30–45 minute session, and eight to eleven suits a longer 60–90 minute one. The planner sizes the routine from the session length you pick, allowing time for a warm-up and cool-down.

How long should I rest between sets?

Roughly 60 seconds for higher-rep beginner work, 75–90 seconds when you're lifting heavier for fewer reps, and around 45 seconds for core and cardio work. Rest longer if you're not ready for a genuinely hard next set.

Can I use this without any gym equipment?

Yes — select 'Bodyweight only' and the planner draws from the 325 exercises in the catalogue that need nothing but you and the floor.

How often should I train each muscle group?

Most evidence points to training a muscle group two to three times a week with at least a day between sessions. Rotating focus areas across the week — push, pull, legs, for example — is a simple way to get there.

Is this a substitute for a personal trainer?

No. It builds a sensible routine from a structured exercise catalogue, but it can't watch your form, work around an injury, or adapt to how you're progressing. See a qualified trainer or physiotherapist for that, particularly if you're returning from injury.

Where does the exercise data come from?

The open-source exercises-dataset project by Hasan Emir Yıldırım, released under the MIT licence. This site uses the exercise names, muscle groups, equipment and English instructions; it does not reproduce the project's images or animations.

Gym Workout Planner

Pick your muscles, your equipment and your time — get a full routine with sets, reps and instructions.

What are you training today?

What equipment do you have?

Session length

Experience

Chest · Back workout

exercises · about 40 min

Warm-up

5 minutes of easy cardio — bike, row, or a brisk walk — until you break a light sweat.
Two easy sets of the first exercise with little or no weight, to groove the movement.

1. Chest Dip (On Dip-Pull-Up Cage)
Pectorals · Body Weight
3 × 10–12
60s rest
1. Adjust the dip bars to a height that allows you to comfortably grip them.
2. Stand between the bars and place your hands on each bar, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
3. Jump up and straighten your arms, supporting your body weight on the bars.
4. Bend your knees and cross your ankles behind you.
5. Lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping your chest up and your shoulders down.
6. Continue lowering until your shoulders are below your elbows or until you feel a stretch in your chest.
7. Push through your palms and extend your elbows to raise your body back up to the starting position.
8. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
2. Dumbbell Bent Over Row
Upper Back · Dumbbell
3 × 10–12
60s rest
1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your body.
2. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
3. Let your arms hang straight down towards the floor, with your elbows slightly bent.
4. Pull the dumbbells up towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
3. Incline Scapula Push Up
Serratus Anterior · Body Weight
3 × 10–12
60s rest
1. Set up an incline bench at a 45-degree angle.
2. Place your hands on the bench slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
3. Position your feet on the ground, hip-width apart.
4. Lower your chest towards the bench, keeping your elbows tucked in.
5. As you lower, retract your shoulder blades, squeezing your scapulae together.
6. Push through your palms to extend your arms and return to the starting position.
7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
4. Reverse Grip Pull-Up
Lats · Body Weight
3 × 10–12
60s rest
1. Grab the pull-up bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
2. Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your body straight.
3. Engage your back muscles and pull your body up towards the bar, leading with your chest.
4. Continue pulling until your chin is above the bar.
5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your body back down to the starting position.
6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
5. Dumbbell Fly
Pectorals · Dumbbell
3 × 10–12
60s rest
1. Lie flat on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other.
2. Extend your arms straight up over your chest, with a slight bend in your elbows.
3. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, lower your arms out to the sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch in your chest.
4. Pause for a moment, then reverse the movement and bring the dumbbells back up to the starting position.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
6. Lower Back Curl
Spine · Body Weight
3 × 10–12
60s rest
1. Lie flat on your stomach with your legs extended and your arms by your sides.
2. Engage your glutes and hamstrings, and slowly lift your upper body off the ground, curling your back upwards.
3. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Cool-down

3–5 minutes of easy movement to bring your heart rate down.
Stretch the muscles you trained, holding each stretch for about 30 seconds.

Run a gym or train clients?

We’re building a branded version of this planner for gyms and personal trainers — your logo, saved member plans, and printable programmes. Tell us what you need and we’ll show you an early version.

General fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain, and check with a doctor before starting a new programme if you have an injury, a heart condition, are pregnant, or have been inactive for a long time. Exercise data from the exercises-dataset project (MIT, © Hasan Emir Yıldırım).

Most workout apps want an account before they'll show you a single exercise. This one just asks three questions — which muscles you're training, what equipment is in front of you, and how long you've got — then builds a routine from a catalogue of 1,324 exercises, with sets, reps, rest times and step-by-step instructions for every movement.

Exercises are picked round-robin across the muscle groups you selected, so a chest-and-back session alternates between them instead of stacking one at the end, and the planner prefers a target muscle it hasn't already worked before repeating one. Sets and reps follow the experience level you choose: higher reps and shorter rest for beginners, heavier and longer rest as you move up. Core work gets higher reps, and cardio is prescribed by time rather than repetitions.

If you don't like a pick, hit shuffle for a different draw on the same inputs. Nothing is saved and no account is needed — use the print button to save the whole plan, instructions included, as a PDF you can take to the gym.

Frequently asked questions

How many exercises should a workout have?: Four to six exercises fills a focused 30–45 minute session, and eight to eleven suits a longer 60–90 minute one. The planner sizes the routine from the session length you pick, allowing time for a warm-up and cool-down.
How long should I rest between sets?: Roughly 60 seconds for higher-rep beginner work, 75–90 seconds when you're lifting heavier for fewer reps, and around 45 seconds for core and cardio work. Rest longer if you're not ready for a genuinely hard next set.
Can I use this without any gym equipment?: Yes — select 'Bodyweight only' and the planner draws from the 325 exercises in the catalogue that need nothing but you and the floor.
How often should I train each muscle group?: Most evidence points to training a muscle group two to three times a week with at least a day between sessions. Rotating focus areas across the week — push, pull, legs, for example — is a simple way to get there.
Is this a substitute for a personal trainer?: No. It builds a sensible routine from a structured exercise catalogue, but it can't watch your form, work around an injury, or adapt to how you're progressing. See a qualified trainer or physiotherapist for that, particularly if you're returning from injury.
Where does the exercise data come from?: The open-source exercises-dataset project by Hasan Emir Yıldırım, released under the MIT licence. This site uses the exercise names, muscle groups, equipment and English instructions; it does not reproduce the project's images or animations.

Gym Workout Planner

Warm-up

1. Chest Dip (On Dip-Pull-Up Cage)

2. Dumbbell Bent Over Row

3. Incline Scapula Push Up

4. Reverse Grip Pull-Up

5. Dumbbell Fly

6. Lower Back Curl

Cool-down

Run a gym or train clients?

Frequently asked questions

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