Every personal trainer has gotten this message: “the leg press is taken, what do I do?”. And every client has skipped an exercise because the machine was in use, the gym didn’t have it, or their shoulder was acting up that day.
The fix is to plan for it inside the workout plan itself: each exercise can have alternatives you’ve already prescribed.
How it works when you prescribe
While building the workout, you can add up to 3 substitutes to any exercise, picked from the same exercise library with videos.
The substitute inherits the original prescription: sets, reps, rest and notes. You don’t prescribe it again, you just point to the movements that serve the same purpose. For example:
- 45° leg press → Smith machine squat, hack squat
- Lat pulldown → seated cable row with V-bar, assisted pull-up
- Barbell bench press → dumbbell bench press, machine chest press
Substitutions are also saved in templates: when you apply a workout template to a new client, the alternatives come along.
How it works for the client
In the app, during the workout, the client sees that the exercise has alternatives and swipes the card sideways to switch. The name and the demo video change instantly.
They do the alternative and mark it as done, and the exercise they actually performed is what gets logged. You see what really happened, not what was on paper.
Separate load per variation
The load on a barbell bench press isn’t the same as on a dumbbell bench press. That’s why each variation has its own load and notes. The next time the client does that alternative, the app suggests the load they used on it, not on the original exercise.
Why plan substitutions
- Fewer skipped workouts: the client doesn’t get stuck when a machine is busy.
- Fewer messages: the answer is already in the plan.
- Technical control: you choose the alternative, not the client improvising.
- Workouts that travel: a client at another gym or on a trip has options that fit the space.
Conclusion
Planning substitutions gets your workout plan ready for the real gym — crowded, with different equipment. See also how to build a professional workout plan.
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