Help & getting started

Create your first plan

1. Open the Planner (home page).
2. Choose how long the plan lasts (for example 4 weeks) and which days you train.
3. Set session length — how many minutes you have on a normal day.
4. Pick a goal (build muscle, get stronger, endurance, or fat loss) and your experience level.
5. Check the equipment you actually have (bodyweight alone is fine).
6. Optional: mark injuries so those moves are avoided.
7. Tap Create my plan. Scroll down to see each week and day.
8. If you don’t like the exercises, tap Try different exercises (or Create again) for a new mix with the same settings.
9. When you’re ready, tap Start this workout to open the runner.

You do not need an account to generate a plan. Sign in only if you want to save plans and history.

Equipment & injuries

Plan4Strength only suggests exercises that match all of the equipment you selected. If something needs a bench and you didn’t check “bench,” it won’t appear.

Injury boxes remove moves that commonly stress that area (for example shoulder issues skip overhead pressing). This is a helpful filter, not medical advice — if something hurts, stop and talk to a professional.

Tip: after you sign in, open Preferences to remember your default gear for next time.

Workout styles (splits)

A “split” is simply how you divide training across the week.

• Full body — each session works most of the body. Great if you train 2–3 days a week.
• Upper / lower — one day for upper body, one for legs. Nice balance at about 4 days a week.
• Push / pull / legs — push days (chest, shoulders, triceps), pull days (back, biceps), leg days. Popular for muscle building when you can train often.
• Bro split (body part) — one main body part per day (chest day, back day, and so on). Fun and focused; usually works best with 4–5 training days.

There’s no single “best” style — pick the one you’ll stick with.

Strength + HIIT in one plan

You can mix strength and HIIT in the same plan — on different days, never the same session. That matches how concurrent training is usually programmed when both muscle and conditioning matter.

• Strength only — Every training day is lifts with normal rest (the classic Plan4Strength plan).
• Hybrid — Most days are strength; about 1–2 days per week are full-body HIIT (timed work intervals with short rests). Best default if you want both.
• Conditioning-focused — Most days are HIIT; 1–2 days stay strength so you keep muscle and joint resilience.

HIIT days use short work bouts (about 30 seconds) and short rest (about 10–20 seconds). Strength days keep your chosen split (full body, PPL, etc.). Your split only applies to strength days.

How plans get harder (progression)

Your body improves when training is challenging and you recover. Plan4Strength can change each week automatically:

• Steady progress (recommended) — Weeks gradually get a bit harder (more reps or sets). About every fourth week is lighter so you can recover.
• Wave — One week emphasizes more volume (more sets), the next emphasizes harder effort. Alternating can feel fresher.
• Blocks — A “build” phase, then a harder “push” phase, then recovery. Works especially well for longer plans (6–12 weeks).
• Keep it the same — Difficulty stays similar week to week. Simple if you prefer not to think about periodization.

On each exercise you’ll see a short tip (for example “add a little weight if last week felt easy”). You don’t need fancy apps — just try to do a bit more over time when form is solid.

Running a workout

The runner is timer-based — no tapping for each rep. Each set is a work countdown (for example 30 seconds — aim for the listed reps), then a rest countdown, then the next set.

1. Open Run (or Start workout from a plan).
2. Pick the day you’re doing. Choose music: Drive / Focus / Power / Calm, or My music (play Spotify etc. yourself).
3. Sessions can start with a short warm-up and end with a cool-down matched to the muscles that day trains.
4. Before each new move you’ll see an in-app demo (photo flip + optional video search). Rest screens also preview the next exercise.
5. Tap Start workout. Work when the green timer runs; rest when the blue timer runs.
6. Timers advance automatically. Use Finish set early or Skip rest if you need to.
7. At the end, if you’re signed in, the session is saved to History automatically.

• Fullscreen and screen wake lock help in the gym.
• Aa toggles dark / high-contrast mode (better outdoors and at night).
• TV opens cast tips and a big-timer TV mode for AirPlay / screen mirroring.
• Voice countdown cues (on by default) speak 3–2–1 and “Work” / “Rest”.
• If you leave mid-workout, you can usually Resume from where you left off.

TV, AirPlay & casting

Web apps can’t push the whole UI through AirPlay the way a video app can. Use screen mirroring (or Cast tab) with the runner’s TV mode for a large timer.

1. Open the runner → tap TV → turn on TV mode.
2. iPhone/iPad/Mac: Control Center → Screen Mirroring → Apple TV (or AirPlay display).
3. Chrome: menu → Cast → Cast tab → Chromecast / Google TV.
4. Keep the phone unmuted so voice countdowns and beeps still play locally.

Feedback & suggestions

Want a feature or found a bug? Send feedback — anyone can submit; no account or GitHub required. Messages go to the app team.

Account, history & favorites

• Sign in / register — saves plans and completed workouts to your account.
• History — past sessions, totals, a streak counter, and simple charts.
• Like / dislike (👍 👎) — rank exercises on a plan or in the picker. Plans prefer likes and skip dislikes when possible.
• Preferences — default equipment and music volume. Your last plan choices (level, goal, split, days, etc.) are remembered automatically when you create a plan.

Common questions

I’m a complete beginner. Where do I start?

Full body, 2–3 days, 20–30 minutes, beginner level, steady progress. Keep weights light until movements feel smooth.

Can I change a plan after it’s generated?

Yes. On the plan view you can add or remove exercises and turn days into rest (or the reverse).

Why is a recovery week lighter?

Your body adapts during rest as well as during hard training. Planned easy weeks help long-term progress.

Do I need special equipment?

No. Bodyweight-only plans work. More equipment just unlocks more exercise variety.

Is this medical advice?

No. Plan4Strength is a planning tool. If you have health conditions or pain, check with a qualified professional before starting.