A gym workout chart is a day-by-day breakdown of exactly what to train, which exercises to do, and how many sets and reps to hit on each visit. It’s the literal, printable version of a plan, not a philosophy of how to choose one. At FitStrot, we build charts like this for our clients every week, and this article gives you a real, usable weekly gym workout chart you can copy, print, or screenshot and take straight to the gym floor.
What Makes a Chart Different From a Routine or a Plan?
People use “routine,” “plan,” and “chart” like they mean the same thing. They don’t. A routine is the overall approach, how many days you train, what split you follow, why you chose it. A plan lays out the progression over weeks or months. A chart is the day-to-day execution sheet: Monday you do this, Tuesday you do that, here are your sets and reps. If you want the bigger-picture thinking on structuring your week, our gym workout guide and our gym workout plan article cover that ground well. This piece is narrower on purpose. You’re here for the chart itself, so let’s get to it.
The Full Weekly Gym Workout Chart
This is a six-day push-pull-legs chart, repeated twice through the week with one rest day. It works for anyone with roughly a year or less of consistent lifting behind them, and it’s the exact structure we hand new clients before we start tweaking loads and exercise selection around their goals.
| Day | Focus | Key Exercises | Sets x Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Push (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps) | Barbell Bench Press, Incline Dumbbell Press, Seated Shoulder Press, Lateral Raise, Triceps Rope Pushdown | 4×8, 3×10, 3×10, 3×15, 3×12 |
| Tuesday | Pull (Back, Biceps) | Deadlift, Lat Pulldown, Barbell Row, Face Pull, Barbell Curl | 4×6, 4×10, 3×10, 3×15, 3×12 |
| Wednesday | Legs (Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves) | Barbell Back Squat, Romanian Deadlift, Leg Press, Walking Lunge, Standing Calf Raise | 4×8, 3×10, 3×12, 3×12 per leg, 4×15 |
| Thursday | Push (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps) | Incline Barbell Press, Flat Dumbbell Press, Arnold Press, Cable Lateral Raise, Overhead Triceps Extension | 4×8, 3×10, 3×10, 3×15, 3×12 |
| Friday | Pull (Back, Biceps) | Weighted Pull-Up, Seated Cable Row, Single-Arm Dumbbell Row, Rear Delt Fly, Hammer Curl | 4×6-8, 3×10, 3×10 per arm, 3×15, 3×12 |
| Saturday | Legs (Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves) | Front Squat, Leg Curl, Bulgarian Split Squat, Hip Thrust, Seated Calf Raise | 4×8, 3×12, 3×10 per leg, 3×10, 4×15 |
| Sunday | Rest or active recovery | Walking, light stretching, or a mobility session | 20-30 minutes, low intensity |
Every push day starts with a heavy compound press because that’s where your energy is highest. Every pull day opens with a hinge or a vertical pull for the same reason. Legs alternate between a squat pattern and a hinge-dominant pattern across the week so you’re not hammering the same joint angle twice in three days. That’s not accidental, it’s how we sequence loading for clients who train six days without breaking down.
How Do You Read and Use This Chart at the Gym?
Each row on the chart is one gym visit, and a few rules make it work in practice:
- Do the first exercise listed while you’re fresh, since it’s usually the heaviest compound movement of the day.
- Work down the list in order, and don’t swap the last accessory movement for the first big lift just because a machine is free.
- Rest 90 to 120 seconds between sets on the compound lifts.
- Rest 45 to 75 seconds on the isolation work at the end.
- If a machine is taken, swap for an equivalent movement in the same muscle group rather than skipping it entirely.
What Sets and Reps Actually Build Muscle?
The rep ranges on this chart aren’t random. Lower reps (6 to 8) on the big compound lifts let you load heavier weight, which drives strength and gives your accessory work something to build on. Moderate reps (10 to 12) on secondary movements balance load with total volume. Higher reps (15+) on isolation work like lateral raises and calf raises push more total time under tension into small muscle groups that respond well to that stimulus. This isn’t the only valid split of rep ranges, but it’s a well-supported one, and it’s what we default to before adjusting for a client’s injury history or specific goals.
Where Does a 6-Day Split Fit Into Your Week?
Six days of training is a big ask if you’re new to lifting or juggling a demanding job. It works because push, pull, and legs never overlap on consecutive days, so no muscle group gets hit twice without at least 48 hours to recover. If six days feels like too much right now, don’t force it. We’ve written a full breakdown of how to structure this exact split, including how to scale it down, in our 6-day gym workout schedule article. Four or five days with the same push-pull-legs logic works fine too, you just drop a repeat day.
How Do You Make Your Own Gym Workout Chart?
Start with your split (push-pull-legs, upper-lower, or full body), assign one focus per training day, then pick two to three compound exercises and two to three accessory exercises for each day. Write down sets, reps, and the order you’ll do them in. Keep it to one page. A chart that needs three pages to read isn’t a chart you’ll actually follow at 7am before work.
Should You Stick to This Chart Exactly, or Adjust It?
Use this as a starting template, not gospel. If your gym doesn’t have a leg press, swap in a hack squat or goblet squat. If your shoulders don’t tolerate overhead pressing well, swap Arnold Press for a landmine press. The muscle groups and movement patterns on this chart are what matter, not the exact brand of equipment. What we won’t tell you to change is the sequencing logic: heavy compound first, accessories after, legs never trained on back-to-back days.
Charts like this get you 80% of the way there. The other 20% is knowing when to add weight, when to deload, and when your form has quietly broken down over three months without you noticing. That’s the part a printed sheet can’t do, and it’s where working with a coach directly through 1-on-1 personal training makes the difference between a chart that gathers dust in your gym bag and one that actually changes how you look and lift a year from now.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a gym workout chart?
A gym workout chart is a day-by-day breakdown showing exactly which exercises, sets, and reps to do on each training day of the week. Unlike a general routine or long-term plan, it’s meant to be printed or screenshotted and followed literally at the gym, one row per visit, with no guesswork about what comes next.
How do you make your own gym workout chart?
Pick a split like push-pull-legs or upper-lower, assign one training focus to each day, then list two to three compound exercises and two to three accessory exercises per day with specific sets and reps. Order exercises heaviest first. Keep the whole thing to one page so you’ll actually use it.
Should beginners follow a fixed gym workout chart?
Yes, and we’d argue beginners need it more than anyone. A fixed chart removes decision fatigue and builds the habit of consistent training before you start adjusting variables. We see beginners who try to “listen to their body” every session end up skipping the exercises they find hardest, which are usually the ones they need most.
How often should you update your gym workout chart?
Update the loads weekly as you get stronger, but only change the exercise selection every 6 to 8 weeks. Swapping exercises too often stops you from tracking progress on any single lift. If a movement genuinely isn’t working for your joints, change it immediately, don’t wait for the schedule.
Can you use the same gym workout chart every week?
You can reuse the same chart structure for two months or longer as long as you’re progressively adding weight or reps each week. The exercises staying constant is actually what lets you measure real progress. Rotate the chart once your strength gains flatten out or once boredom starts affecting your consistency.
