Start with the days you can reliably train, then compare the actual exercises and workload. A familiar program name is less useful than a schedule you can follow. The program catalog includes the finder and detailed previews; you can inspect the workouts before creating an account.
Match the supplied schedule
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| Available time and experience | Plans to compare | Main decision |
|---|---|---|
| Three days, Beginner | Starting Strength, StrongLifts 5×5 | Power cleans and fewer sets, or rows and 5×5 work |
| Three days, Beginner | Greyskull LP, Ivysaur 4-4-8 | Shorter lift list with AMRAP sets, or more movement variety and pressing volume |
| Four days, Intermediate | 5/3/1 Basic, PHUL | Main-lift percentage wave, or an upper/lower strength-and-muscle split |
| Four days, Advanced | Westside Conjugate | Familiarity with heavy variations, speed work and specialist equipment |
| Five days, Advanced | nSuns 5-Day LP | Capacity for frequent pressing and substantial barbell volume |
The catalog currently has no general one-day or two-day plan, and all four Beginner templates require three days. If the finder has no match, that is a catalog limitation. Do not choose a more demanding or specialized plan merely because its weekly count looks convenient.
Experience is about readiness for the supplied work, not a title to earn. A beginner template can still include a technically unfamiliar power clean or a substantial amount of volume. Read the first and later weeks, not just the difficulty label.
General training and specialization have different jobs
Hatch Squat supplies back and front squats for 12 weeks at two days per week. Smolov supplies back squats over 13 weeks, with one to four sessions depending on the phase. Smolov Jr. is the bench version: three weeks at four days per week.
These are deliberate lift specializations. None supplies a complete whole-body routine. Decide how your other training will fit before choosing one; the app does not manage concurrent built-in plans for you.
General scope also does not mean every template includes everything. For example, 5/3/1 Basic supplies one main lift per session, while the current Greyskull version has no rows or chin-ups. Plan pages explain missing assistance and equipment so you can compare coverage honestly.
Check equipment and the supplied adaptation
Most plans need a barbell, plates, rack and bench. PHUL adds machines, Ivysaur needs a chin-up bar, and Westside requires specialist equipment. Preview unfamiliar variations before selecting them.
Five named pages remain available as explicitly simplified examples: Juggernaut, Lilliebridge, Building the Monolith, Candito six-week and Sheiko #29. They are excluded from automatic recommendations because their unresolved programming differences matter. Consult each disclosure and verified creator links where available.
Start without a max test
Choose a plan, select your weekdays and leave guided starting weights selected if you do not have useful lift references. In the first workout, find manageable working loads one exercise at a time. Experienced lifters can use known-weight setup instead; 5/3/1 Basic converts a true max to a training max, while other templates may use different load conventions.
Guided weights stay under your control. Fixed cycles follow their stored prescriptions, and known-weight linear plans have their own progression behavior. A missed target should be logged accurately; no plan guarantees a personal record just because its calendar is complete.
If you already have an active plan, setup asks for a final replacement decision. Remaining scheduled sessions are replaced while completed training history is retained. Browse the available plans and inspect the one that fits your real week.