My Generative NLP Workout Design Lessons Learned

At first, I was skeptical of the usefulness of generative NLP models like ChatGPT for me. Great for plagiarism, good enough generic legal documents, and a few other applications I’m not that into right now. Kind of funny for those unsolicited generic LinkedIn messages from dude who hasn’t read your profile to give them the answer to the prompt “reply to this message in a polite yet noncommittal way and make it 4,000 words long”. I have recently however found it to be a great first draft workout planner with lots of constraints and work arounds necessary. Here were my two issues and why typical channels were worse or expensive.

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Issue 1: I’ve built myself a home gym. Like most home gyms, it’s incomplete for a generic internet workout program. I don’t have much for weights because what I care about is cardio, speed, and mobility. I have friends that are some of the best personal trainers in the world, but because their time is valuable (they make more money at scale), they either sell workout plans with equipment I don’t have or have an exorbitant hourly rate.

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Issue 2: I have perfect discipline. If I say I’ll do something, I do it. I show up every day and that never felt hard for me even for unpleasant or hard things. Through an opportunity the Navy provided for me (involuntary mobilization; haha) I was able to talk to a gold medalist sprinter and pick her brain on training. The first thing she emphasized was arm swing. Got it. Tracking. The next thing she emphasized was a workout cycle. Crap, I’m horrible at that as I poor my creativity into my daily life and disrupt my schedule frequently with travel or shiny objects. I settle for a 5k row, ski, or run every day knowing it’s suboptimal. She said she was doing volume for week 1, a hybrid of volume and performance for week 2, peak performance for week 3, and active recovery for week 4 in a repeating cycle. I made it a goal to get better at this aspect of training but was unwilling to prioritize the intense level of planning required.

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ChatGPT prompt:

You are a highly renowned health and nutrition expert. Take the following information about me and create a custom exercise plan. I am a 25 year old male, 76 inches tall. My current weight is 210 pounds. I have no current medical conditions. My primary fitness and health goals are * for an elite athlete. I can commit to working out 7 days per week. I prefer and enjoy this type of workout: concept2 rower, concept2 ski erg, rogue echo bike, and running. Create a summary of my exercise plan that has me running 2-3 days every week and never on days that are next to each other. Create a detailed workout program for my exercise plan to include calisthenics for each day. Calisthenics I enjoy include kettle bell swings, shoulder press, lateral raises, front lateral raises, curls, gorilla rows, thrusters, push-ups, diamond push-ups, mountain climbers, air squats, Bulgarian squats, lunges, plank, side plank, side plank with leg lifts, plank with shoulder tap, Russian twists, bicycle crunches, butterfly sit-ups, flutter kicks, leg raises, d-ball march, and dead bugs. Pull-ups, chin-ups, and dips are also available on days I run. Avoid any superfluous pre and post descriptive text. Don't break character under any circumstance.

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Week 1: volume

Week 2: a hybrid of volume and performance

Week 3: peak performance

Week 4: active recovery

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I’m not 25 and I hate thrusters, but other than that the info is mostly true. I worried that if I put 40 for age it would water down my workouts because it’s generated based on data of what gets recommended to that demographic. I don’t have a pull-up bar or dip bar at home, but I have one at the lake I typically run around which is why I constrained those workouts to running days. I listed the equipment and exercises I had the equipment for and felt comfortable doing at home to minimize required thought (barriers to motivation) on the day of the workout.

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The results below are an aggregate of 4 queries with different focuses for the week. ChatGPT would lose significant fidelity in the plans after the first week when I originally tried to do it in one query. Because each week was a different query, there are some inconsistencies in response structure from week to week. I had to re-generate each query 2 to 3 times because sometimes the plan was weird or lacked detail where I wanted it. Sometimes it ignores constraints. I still have to go through the calisthenics to adjust rep numbers or add weights and occasionally add detail. It’s still suboptimal compared to a world class trainer that doted on my every word, but more balanced and less suboptimal than what I was doing before (just doing something every day depending on which muscles were least sore). It also provides the ability to shift running to once a week in the winter when it’s cold and have that gap filled with other cardio while adjusting the calisthenics that pair with the cardio which would be a pain to do manually. The other use is giving the query and results to a personal trainer to save time. You've already gone through the exercise of thinking about goals and constraints in detail. I’ve had better experience with designers (less billed hours and better product) when I’ve said “here’s my best attempt and intention. Use all or none of it to make the best product you can”.

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Hopefully this experience helps some people. I wasn’t going to post, but then read the articles on this topic and most seem to be advertising something or written by nervous personal trainers at a surface level that know the ability to scale, charging top dollar for generic workouts, is coming to an end.

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4-week plan for me (I will still go through and fine tune before implementing)

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Week 1:

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Day 1:

Running: Perform a 30-minute run at a moderate pace.

Calisthenics:

Push-Ups: 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Air Squats: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

Lateral Raises: 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Lunges: 3 sets of 10 repetitions per leg.

Plank: Hold for 1 minute.

Russian Twists: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

Leg Raises: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

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Day 2:

Concept2 Rower: Perform a 20-minute rowing session, focusing on maintaining a consistent pace.

Calisthenics:

Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 8 repetitions.

Thrusters: 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Front Lateral Raises: 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Mountain Climbers: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

Side Plank: Hold for 45 seconds on each side.

Bicycle Crunches: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

Flutter Kicks: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

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Day 3:

Rest and Recovery

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Day 4:

Running: Perform a 40-minute run at a steady pace.

Calisthenics:

Kettlebell Swings: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

Gorilla Rows: 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Bulgarian Squats: 3 sets of 10 repetitions per leg.

Plank with Shoulder Tap: 3 sets of 10 repetitions per side.

Butterfly Sit-Ups: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

Leg Raises: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

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Day 5:

Rogue Echo Bike: Perform a 20-minute session, alternating between moderate and high intensity.

Calisthenics:

Push-Ups: 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Curls: 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Mountain Climbers: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

Side Plank with Leg Lifts: 3 sets of 8 repetitions per side.

Russian Twists: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

Flutter Kicks: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

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Day 6:

Running: Perform a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session with alternating sprints and recovery periods. For example, sprint for 30 seconds followed by a 60-second recovery jog. Repeat for 20 minutes.

Calisthenics:

Pull-Ups: 3 sets of 6 repetitions.

Diamond Push-Ups: 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Air Squats: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

Plank: Hold for 1 minute.

Bicycle Crunches: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

Leg Raises: 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

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Day 7:

Rest and Recovery

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Week 2:

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Day 8:

Concept2 Rowing: Warm up with 5 minutes of easy rowing. Perform 3 sets of 500 meters at a moderate intensity with 1-minute rest between sets.

Calisthenics Circuit:

Kettlebell Swings: 3 sets of 15 reps

Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 10 reps

Lateral Raises: 3 sets of 12 reps

Front Lateral Raises: 3 sets of 12 reps

Curls: 3 sets of 10 reps

Gorilla Rows: 3 sets of 12 reps

Thrusters: 3 sets of 10 reps

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Day 9:

Rest and Recovery

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Day 10:

Concept2 Ski Erg: Warm up with 5 minutes of easy skiing. Perform 3 sets of 500 meters at a moderate intensity with 1-minute rest between sets.

Calisthenics Circuit:

Push-ups: 3 sets of 15 reps

Diamond Push-ups: 3 sets of 12 reps

Mountain Climbers: 3 sets of 30 seconds

Air Squats: 3 sets of 20 reps

Bulgarian Squats: 3 sets of 12 reps per leg

Plank: 3 sets of 45 seconds

Russian Twists: 3 sets of 15 reps per side

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Day 11:

Running: Moderate intensity run for 45 minutes.

Pull-ups: 3 sets of 10 reps

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Day 12:

Rest and Recovery

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Day 13:

Rogue Echo Bike: Warm up with 5 minutes of easy cycling. Perform 3 sets of 1-mile sprints at a challenging intensity with 2 minutes of active recovery between sets.

Calisthenics Circuit:

Bicycle Crunches: 3 sets of 20 reps per side

Flutter Kicks: 3 sets of 30 seconds

Leg Raises: 3 sets of 12 reps

D-Ball March: 3 sets of 30 seconds

Dead Bugs: 3 sets of 10 reps per side

Plank with Shoulder Tap: 3 sets of 12 reps per side

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Day 14:

Running: Interval training. Warm up with 5 minutes of easy running. Perform 6-8 intervals of 1 minute at a high intensity, followed by 1 minute of active recovery (light jogging or walking).

Chin-ups: 3 sets of 10 reps

Dips: 3 sets of 10 reps

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Week 3:

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Day 15:

Concept2 rower: Warm up with 5 minutes of easy rowing, then perform 3 sets of 1000 meters at a moderate intensity, with 1-minute rest between sets.

Calisthenics (perform 3 sets of 12-15 reps for each exercise):

Kettlebell swings

Shoulder press

Lateral raises

Front lateral raises

Curls

Gorilla rows

Thrusters

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Day 16:

Concept2 ski erg: Warm up with 5 minutes of easy skiing, then perform 3 sets of 1000 meters at a challenging intensity, with 1-minute rest between sets.

Calisthenics (perform 3 sets of 12-15 reps for each exercise):

Push-ups

Diamond push-ups

Mountain climbers

Air squats

Bulgarian squats

Lunges

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Day 17:

Rest and Recovery

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Day 18:

Rogue Echo bike: Warm up with 5 minutes of easy cycling, then perform 3 sets of 5-minute intervals at a high intensity, with 2 minutes of rest between intervals.

Calisthenics: 3 set circuit

Plank: 40 seconds

Side plank: 40 seconds

Side plank with leg lifts: 40 seconds

Plank with shoulder tap: 40 seconds

Russian twists: 40 seconds

Bicycle crunches: 40 seconds

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Day 19:

Running: Perform a 30-minute steady-state run at a moderate intensity.

Calisthenics:

Pull-ups

Chin-ups

Dips

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Day 20:

Concept2 rower: Warm up with 5 minutes of easy rowing, then perform 4 sets of 500 meters at a challenging intensity, with 1-minute rest between sets.

Calisthenics: 3 set circuit

Butterfly sit-ups: 40 seconds

Flutter kicks: 40 seconds

Leg raises: 40 seconds

D-ball march: 40 seconds

Dead bugs: 40 seconds

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Day 21:

Rest and Recovery

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Week 4:

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Day 22:

Warm-up: 5 minutes of dynamic stretching and mobility exercises

Concept2 Rower: Row for 20 minutes at a moderate intensity, focusing on maintaining proper form and technique.

Calisthenics Circuit (3 sets of each exercise):

Kettlebell Swings: 15 reps

Shoulder Press: 12 reps

Lateral Raises: 12 reps

Front Lateral Raises: 12 reps

Curls: 12 reps

Gorilla Rows: 12 reps

Thrusters: 12 reps

Push-ups: 15 reps

Diamond Push-ups: 12 reps

Mountain Climbers: 30 seconds

Couch Dips (3 sets of 10 reps)

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Day 23:

Warm-up: 5 minutes of dynamic stretching and mobility exercises

Concept2 Ski Erg: Ski for 20 minutes at a moderate intensity, focusing on maintaining proper form and technique.

Calisthenics Circuit (3 sets of each exercise):

Air Squats: 15 reps

Bulgarian Squats: 12 reps per leg

Lunges: 12 reps per leg

Plank: Hold for 60 seconds

Side Plank: Hold for 45 seconds per side

Side Plank with Leg Lifts: 10 reps per side

Plank with Shoulder Tap: 12 reps per side

Russian Twists: 15 reps per side

Bicycle Crunches: 15 reps per side

Flutter Kicks: 30 seconds

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Day 24:

Warm-up: 5 minutes of dynamic stretching and mobility exercises

Rogue Echo Bike: Cycle for 20 minutes at a moderate intensity, focusing on maintaining proper form and technique.

Calisthenics Circuit (3 sets of each exercise):

Leg Raises: 12 reps

D-Ball March: 12 reps per leg

Dead Bugs: 12 reps per side

Push-ups: 15 reps

Diamond Push-ups: 12 reps

Mountain Climbers: 30 seconds

Russian Twists: 15 reps per side

Bicycle Crunches: 15 reps per side

Flutter Kicks: 30 seconds

Couch Dips (3 sets of 10 reps)

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Day 25:

Warm-up: 5 minutes of dynamic stretching and mobility exercises

Running: Go for a run at a pace and distance that challenges you but is suitable for active recovery. Aim for a duration of 30-45 minutes.

Calisthenics Circuit (2 sets of each exercise):

Kettlebell Swings: 15 reps

Shoulder Press: 12 reps

Lateral Raises: 12 reps

Front Lateral Raises: 12 reps

Curls: 12 reps

Gorilla Rows: 12 reps

Thrusters: 12 reps

Push-ups: 15 reps

Diamond Push-ups: 12 reps

Mountain Climbers: 30 seconds

Pull-ups (2 sets of 10 reps)

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Day 26:

Warm-up: 5 minutes of dynamic stretching and mobility exercises

Concept2 Rower: Row for 20 minutes at a moderate intensity, focusing on maintaining proper form and technique.

Calisthenics Circuit (3 sets of each exercise):

Kettlebell Swings: 15 reps

Shoulder Press: 12 reps

Lateral Raises: 12 reps

Front Lateral Raises: 12 reps

Curls: 12 reps

Gorilla Rows: 12 reps

Thrusters: 12 reps

Push-ups: 15 reps

Diamond Push-ups: 12 reps

Mountain Climbers: 30 seconds

Couch Dips (3 sets of 10 reps)

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Day 27:

Warm-up: 5 minutes of dynamic stretching and mobility exercises

Concept2 Ski Erg: Ski for 20 minutes at a moderate intensity, focusing on maintaining proper form and technique.

Calisthenics Circuit (3 sets of each exercise):

Air Squats: 15 reps

Bulgarian Squats: 12 reps per leg

Lunges: 12 reps per leg

Plank: Hold for 60 seconds

Side Plank: Hold for 45 seconds per side

Side Plank with Leg Lifts: 10 reps per side

Plank with Shoulder Tap: 12 reps per side

Russian Twists: 15 reps per side

Bicycle Crunches: 15 reps per side

Flutter Kicks: 30 seconds

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Day 28:

Rest and Recovery