What Is a Structured Exercise Program—and Do They Actually Work?

Why A Structured Training Program Is Essential For Your Goals

The worst mistake you can make in the gym is winging it, guessing as you go. Working out without a plan may work for a little while, but it will most likely yield suboptimal results and lead to quitting.

This is why all lifters need a structured exercise program that maps out their workouts. It gives your training purpose and goals, leading to adherence and results. But what should a structured exercise program include?

This article will go over what a structured training program is, the benefits of planned training, and why you need to follow a structured exercise program if you want serious results.

What Is A Structured Exercise Program?

A structured program is a resistance training program that has planned out your daily training sessions and weekly workouts in the context of long-term success. It tells you which days to train each muscle group.

An effective structured program will include;

• A training split that separates muscle groups.
• Proper training frequency 
• Individual sessions with exercise order
• Provide appropriate volumes and loads. 

Do I Need A Structured Training Program?

Consider that every other skill or sport has structured training, and no one questions its need.

• Learning a new language
• Playing a guitar
• Training MMA
• Learning SCUBA

If someone said they wanted to learn these but just wing it, most would agree that's not a great strategy. A few may succeed, but the majority will likely never get past the beginning stages.

Research has shown that trainees are much more likely to adhere to training when they see results (Woolley & Fishbach, 2016). 

Starting with an actual program that is planned and laid out with clear goals is the best way for this to happen.

Structured Program Vs. Personalized Program: What's The Difference?

A common misunderstanding is that to have structure, you need to pay a personal trainer to write a specific program. This is definitely an option and has a ton of benefits for the right people.

However, a structured program can be a pre-designed program developed by qualified trainers, ideally tailored to your goal. 

Good examples of structured strength programs include Jim Wendler's 5/3/1, Starting Strength, or SFS Strength. You can find similar examples in bodybuilding, fat loss, or general fitness.

If you're a beginner and don't have any specific issues that need to be addressed, a pre-written program can deliver significant gains and help build a foundation.

Over time, you learn what works and what doesn't, allowing you to further tailor your training.

What's The Difference Between Exercise And Training?

This may seem pedantic, but there's a big difference between exercise and training. Think of it like this;

• Exercise- General activity one does to improve one's health.
• Training- Exercise that is designed to build upon itself to reach a desired goal

General exercise is great, and if that makes you happy, then awesome. However, if you have a specific goal in mind, you need to train for it; this can only be done with a structured program.

What Are The Benefits Of Following A Structured Program?

There are many reasons you should give your exercise and lifting some structure. Here are the 5 top benefits of following a planned exercise program instead of winging it.

1. Ensures Complete And Effective Training. Going to the gym is great, but if you're just guessing at what you're doing, chances are your results will be less than stellar. This is especially true in the long term, and one of the reasons people quit working out.

A structured program is designed to make your training more efficient and effective, delivering better results. Further, research shows that trainees who see results more quickly are more likely to adhere in the long term (Woolley & Fishbach, 2016). 

2  Helps You Track Your Workouts. In addition to telling you what to do in the gym, a structured program serves as a record of your training. You can track your workouts and make notes.

• What worked for you?
• What exercises or training splits do you like?
• Are certain exercises uncomfortable? 

You can use all this information to further tweak your training to build your perfect training program.

3. Makes It Easy To Apply Progressive Overload. Progressive overload is a foundational training principle that says to continue progressing, you must continually place greater stress on the body (Chaves et al., 2024). 

Always guessing in the gym makes it very hard to track your progress or to determine if you're progressing at all.

4. Decrease Risk Of Injury. Having your training volume and load evenly distributed across your muscles reduces the risk of overtraining. Further, it mitigates any possible muscular imbalances.

5. Increases Adherence And Enjoyment. Following a program gives your training purpose and helps build a habit. In the long term, trainees who follow a structured program are more likely to adhere to training. (Gabay & Oravitan, 2022).

This is the ultimate goal. Long-term adherence is what we all want.

What Types Of Structured Programs Are There?

"Structured" means that the program has been planned. This means there are several different variations you can use.

Pre-Written Structured Programs For Specific Goals

Pre-written programs are written to meet a specific goal rather than address a person's specific needs. This can be done for;

• Fat Loss
• Build Strength
• Improve General Fitness
• Build Muscle Mass

While they don't address personal issues, quality pre-written programs will usually provide alternative exercises or variations to allow some personalization.

Regardless, they're still very effective and cost less than personalized programs.

Personalized Structured Training Programs

As mentioned above, not all structured programs are personalized, but all personalized programs are structured. 

A personalized training program is like a top-tier structured exercise plan. Not only is it written for a specific goal, but it's also written for your specific goal.

As they are developed, they will take your specific circumstances into account.

• Written for your level
• Specific concerns
• Address lagging body parts.
• Work around mobility issues or past injuries.

Self-Written Training Programs

Self-written training programs are ones you design for yourself. While this can save money, it greatly depends on your knowledge and ability to write an appropriate, structured program.

What Does A Structured Exercise Program Look Like?

A structured program can vary depending on the person it's for and how specific they need to be. Here's what a structured plan entails, starting from long-term goals to specifics of daily workouts.

1-Year Training Goals

Not all structured programs will plan a year out, but there should at least be a general idea. However, the 1+ year training goal is what you're trying to ultimately achieve. 

It doesn't have to be very specific all the time, depending on the person. Here are some examples;

• A professional powerlifter may be peaking for a major competition at the end of the year.
• An aspiring bodybuilder may want to prioritize maximizing muscle mass.
• An amateur lifter may want to improve strength and muscle mass for general fitness.
• A runner may want to train to mitigate injury, prevent muscle loss, and improve performance.
• An older trainee may just want something sustainable. 
• A brand new lifter wants to build a solid foundation.

All of the above training goals vary in how precise they are, but they give a foundation of what you're trying to achieve. 

Blocks Or Monthly Goals

Depending on your overall goal, you may have your year planned out into "blocks". These are different periods where you train for different goals. For example;

• Alternate between training for muscle growth and strength every 3 months
• Following a beginner strength plan for 6 months, transition to an intermediate plan for 6 months.
• Follow the same workout programming but swap out exercises every 2 months.

This can be used to plan your year of training in a way that best gets you to your goal. 

Weekly And Daily Sessions

Weekly and daily sessions are the bulk of a structured training program. Everyone needs this planned out, regardless of how specific their goals are.

Training Split

Training splits are the organization of muscle groups to be trained on specific days. It tells you what you're going to train on that day.

There are several training splits to use; the best one depends on your circumstances.

• How many days can you train?
• How many days do you want to train?
• Training level
• Personal preferences 

Some examples are;

• Full body training split
• Upper/Lower training split
• Push/Pull/Legs

This is an essential part of a structured exercise program, as it ensures you hit all your muscle groups with the proper frequency and volume.

Exercise Selection

Exercise selection refers to including the proper exercises for that program. This can depend on numerous factors.

• Training goal
• Equipment availability
• Familiarity with exercises

Now you no longer need to go to the gym and wonder what you're supposed to do.

In addition, a structured program built by a professional trainer will ensure you hit the muscles with proper variety. For example, look at these two chest workouts.

Guessing

• Bench press
• Push-ups
• Flat dumbbell chest press
• Neutral cable fly

Professional Structured Plan

• Incline bench press
• Dips
• Flat dumbbell press
• Decline cable fly

The "guessing" exercises use good exercises, but they all rely on similar movement patterns. The "professional" uses a good variety of movement patterns to hit the chest slightly differently.

Exercise Order

The order in which you perform exercises can make a big difference. In general, you want to start with the "biggest" or most important exercise for the day. 

Each exercise after that gets "smaller", usually ending a session with isolations. For example, here's what an Upper Body Pushing Day might look like;

• Incline Bench Press - 4X4
• Dips - 3X6
• Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 3X6-8
• Close-Grip Bench Press - 3X8-10
• Cable Fly - 3X10-12
• Cable Lateral Raises - 3X10-12

For most people, this should be the general order. 

Rep Or Loading Scheme 

The rep or loading scheme tells you how much weight you're going to lift:

• How much weight to use
• How many sets
• How many reps

Depending on your goals and training level, using different schemes in your training program can affect the outcome. 

Do Structured Exercise Programs Work?

Absolutely. Following a structured program will dramatically increase the effectiveness of your training and produce results. Results make the gym more enjoyable and easier to adhere to.

Structure is essential in your overall training program, and there's no reason not to have any. Even if it's as simple as picking a training split, just so you know what muscles you should train when you get to the gym.

There are so many options online these days, but if you need help, check out our selection of structured workouts here or our selection of personalized training options. 

References

1. Chaves, T. S., Scarpelli, M. C., Bergamasco, J. G. A., Silva, D. G. D., Medalha Junior, R. A., Dias, N. F., Bittencourt, D., Carello Filho, P. C., Angleri, V., Nóbrega, S. R., Roberts, M. D., Ugrinowitsch, C., & Libardi, C. A. (2024). Effects of Resistance Training Overload Progression Protocols on Strength and Muscle Mass. International journal of sports medicine, 45(7), 504–510. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2256-5857
2. Fisher, J. P., Steele, J., Wolf, M., & Androulakis Korakakis, P. (2022). The role of supervision in resistance training: An exploratory systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Strength and Conditioning, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.47206/ijsc.v2i1.101
3. Gabay, Maor & Oravitan, Mihaela. (2022). The factors affecting adherence to physical activity in fitness facility settings: a narrative review. Timisoara Physical Education and Rehabilitation Journal. 15. 46-61. 10.2478/tperj-2022-0013 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/367970476_The_factors_affecting_adherence_to_physical_activity_in_fitness_facility_settings_a_narrative_review
4. Mukherji, A. B., Lu, D., Qin, F., et al. (2022). Effectiveness of a community-based structured physical activity program for adults with type 2 diabetes: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open, 5(12), e2247858. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.47858
5. Pahor, M., Guralnik, J. M., Ambrosius, W. T., Blair, S., Bonds, D. E., Church, T. S., Espeland, M. A., Fielding, R. A., Gill, T. M., Groessl, E. J., King, A. C., Kritchevsky, S. B., Manini, T. M., McDermott, M. M., Miller, M. E., Newman, A. B., Rejeski, W. J., Sink, K. M., Williamson, J. D., & LIFE study investigators (2014). Effect of structured physical activity on prevention of major mobility disability in older adults: the LIFE study randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 311(23), 2387–2396. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2014.5616
6. Wilson, K., & Brookfield, D. (2009). Effect of Goal Setting on Motivation and Adherence in a Six‐Week Exercise Program. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 7(1), 89–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2009.9671894
7. Woolley, K., & Fishbach, A. (2016). Immediate Rewards Predict Adherence to Long-Term Goals. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 43(2), 151-162. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167216676480 (Original work published 2017)