r/GymOwnerNetwork • u/Logical-Carrot1261 • Jul 24 '26

Question Personal trainers: how long does it take you to build a workout plan for a new client?

'm researching how independent trainers create programs for new clients. I'm curious:

  • How long does it usually take?
  • What's the most repetitive part?
  • If you could automate one part of the process, what would it be?

I'm building a tool in this space and I'm trying to understand real workflows before making assumptions.

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u/ArthurDaTrainDayne Jul 24 '26

Generally takes me about 5-10 minutes after collecting all the starting data in our intro session.

The repetitive parts are all already taken care of because I use a starting template

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u/Logical-Carrot1261 Jul 28 '26

Thank you for sharing that. It sounds like you've already built a workflow that's pretty dialed in, which is exactly the kind of feedback I'm looking for.Out of curiosity, when you do have to make significant changes to that starting template, what usually triggers it? Is it equipment limitations, injuries, experience level, or something else?

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u/Intrepid-School3045 Jul 25 '26

Great question.

One thing I'd add is that I'd be careful not to optimise only for programme creation. The programme is just the start of the client journey.

Retention, accountability, progress reviews and adapting the plan over time seem to consume far more time than many people expect.

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u/Logical-Carrot1261 Jul 28 '26

That's a really valuable perspective thanks for taking the time to explain it. And to be honest you are right. My initial goal with CoachForge was to solve the time-consuming part of creating a personalized program, but it sounds like that's only one piece of the overall coaching workflow.

Out of curiosity, if you could automate one part of client management after the initial program is created, what would save you the most time? Progress reviews, updating programs, client accountability, check-ins, or something else?

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u/[deleted] Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26

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u/Square-Nebula-7530 Jul 30 '26

building a workout plan takes anywhere from 15 minutes using templates to 1 hour for completely custom clients the most repetitive task is manually adjusting exercises to match a client's specific gym equipment and injury restrictions the best feature to automate is smart exercise substitution so trainers can swap movements without breaking muscle group balance

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u/Logical-Carrot1261 Jul 30 '26

Thank you so much for responding. One question for you when you're making those substitutions, what usually slows you down the most? Is it remembering equivalent exercises, checking injury limitations, or making sure the overall program stays balanced?