1. Start with the health questionnaire and the goal
Before the first exercise, the program needs context: the goal (hypertrophy, fat loss, conditioning, return from injury), the client's experience, the days and time available and any health restrictions. The health questionnaire, with the PAR-Q, is the safety baseline. A program built without it is generic, and the client feels it.
2. Choose the split by routine, not by the ideal
An A/B/C split with five days at the gym doesn't work for someone who can go three times. Ask how many days are realistic and split from there: full body for two or three days, A/B for four, A/B/C for five or more. Name workouts in a way the client understands — “Workout A — Lower body” says more than “A”.
3. The fields you can't skip
For each exercise:
- Sets and reps — and, if they change from one set to the next, each set written out.
- Starting load or a reference (for example, RIR or perceived exertion).
- Rest in seconds, always. “Rest well” isn't an instruction.
- The method, when there is one: superset, drop set, circuit, in a clear order.
- A short form cue and a video, ideally your own.
Write the program in the builder
Every field above exists in the OnMore builder, and the client gets it all in the app.
4. Plan the progression
The program needs to say what happens next: when to increase the load, when to change the program. Set the duration (four to eight weeks is most common) and a simple progression rule. Logging the load lifted in each workout is what lets you progress based on data rather than memory.
5. Mistakes that make clients quit
The most common ones:
- A program too long for the time the client has.
- An exercise they don't know how to perform, with no video or cue.
- No feedback from the trainer after weeks of training.
- A program that never changes, or changes without explanation.
With the program in a guided workout app, the client knows what to do on every set and you see what was done — feedback becomes routine, not the exception.