AI workout plan
Build a muscle-building workout plan with AI
Ownit builds a workout plan in the app for muscle, strength or both. You enter your goal, experience, training days, time per session and equipment. The AI turns that into exercises, sets, reps, RIR targets and rest times. Before you see the plan, Ownit checks it against fixed rules.
Creating the AI workout plan is free. Targeted changes to a finished plan are part of Ownit Pro.
Updated 7 October 2026
How it works
Four steps to a plan
- 01
Set your goal and experience
You pick muscle, strength or both. Ownit derives your experience from your years of training: under three years is beginner, three to six intermediate, beyond that advanced.
- 02
Choose days, time and equipment
Fixed weekdays or 2 to 6 days a week, plus 45 to 120 minutes per session. You tick your equipment from more than 130 machines and tools. Without any, Ownit plans with bodyweight and a pull-up bar.
- 03
Set priorities and exclusions
Up to five focus points give single muscles more sets. Exercises or whole movements you can't or don't want to do, you exclude.
- 04
Let the plan be checked and start
The AI writes the plan and a separate check verifies it. If it breaks a rule and can't be repaired, Ownit builds the plan with a rule-based generator.
The rules behind it
What every plan has to meet
Ownit checks these limits on every plan. If a draft breaks one of them, you never see it.
- Build muscle
- Intermediate · 4 years
- 4 days · 60 min
- Dumbbells · cables · barbell
- Focus: chest
Checks
- Equipment available
- Sets per muscle under the ceiling
- Reps and RIR in range
- Rest long enough
- Fits into 60 minutes
Your plan
- MonUpper A
- TueLower A
- ThuUpper B
- SatLower B
Sets per week
- Chest14/15
- Upper back14/15
- Quads13/15
- Hamstrings12/16
- Sets per muscle
- Each muscle has a weekly set ceiling by experience. For chest it is 12 for beginners, 15 for intermediates and 20 for advanced lifters.
- Sets and exercises
- 2 to 5 working sets per exercise and no more than 8 exercises per session.
- Reps
- Compound lifts stay between 4 and 12 reps, isolation exercises between 7 and 20.
- RIR target
- Between 1 and 4 reps in reserve, 2 to 4 for beginners.
- Rest
- At least 120 seconds for compound lifts, 180 for heavy sets of up to 6 reps, 240 for beginners. Isolation exercises at least 60.
- Time
- Every session fits your time. Ownit counts 7 minutes of warm-up, 3 seconds per rep, the rests and the changeover between exercises.
- Equipment
- The plan only contains exercises you have the equipment for. Excluded exercises and movements never show up.
Example
A training day from Lena's plan
Lena has trained for four years, wants to build muscle, has four days of 60 minutes each and a gym with dumbbells, cables and a barbell. Ownit alternates upper and lower body. This is her upper-body day B.
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR target | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench press | 4 × 6–8 | 2 | 150 s |
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 × 8–10 | 2 | 120 s |
| Cable row | 4 × 10–12 | 1 | 120 s |
| Pull-ups | 3 × 6–10 | 2 | 120 s |
| Lateral raise | 4 × 12–15 | 1 | 75 s |
| Cable triceps pushdown | 3 × 10–12 | 1 | 60 s |
Sample data. Your plan depends on your answers.
Backed by science
The research behind these rules
These research fields feed into the feature. Every source is linked with its DOI on the science page.
Training volume
10 sourcesThe AI workout plan spreads weekly sets per muscle by your experience and stays under fixed ceilings. The volume overview shows each muscle group against MEV, MAV and MRV.
- Volume and frequency show distinct dose-response curvesPelland et al. 2026 · Sports Med
- 12-20 weekly sets per muscle suggested for trained menBaz-Valle et al. 2022 · J Hum Kinet
- Sets taken near failure work as a measure of volumeBaz-Valle, Fontes-Villalba & Santos-Concejero 2021 · J Strength Cond Res
Training frequency
8 sourcesThe split templates for two to six days are built so most muscles get trained twice a week. With three days they combine a push, a pull and a full-body day.
- At equal volume, frequency barely changed muscle growthSchoenfeld, Grgic & Krieger 2019 · J Sports Sci
- Higher frequency raised strength, mainly through added volumeGrgic et al. 2018 · Sports Med
- At equal volume, higher frequency gave no strength advantageRalston et al. 2018 · Sports Med Open
Proximity to failure
11 sourcesEvery exercise in the plan has an RIR target between 1 and 4, 2 to 4 for beginners. Your RIR entry decides whether the weight may go up.
- Hypertrophy improved nearer failure; strength was similar across RIRRobinson et al. 2024 · Sports Med
- Training to failure showed no hypertrophy advantageRefalo et al. 2023 · Sports Med
- Rep-to-failure estimates were imperfect regardless of training backgroundHalperin et al. 2022 · Sports Med
Rest between sets
8 sourcesCompound lifts get at least 120 seconds of rest, heavy sets of up to 6 reps at least 180, isolation exercises at least 60.
- Small hypertrophy benefit for rests longer than 60 secondsSinger et al. 2024 · Front Sports Act Living
- Trained lifters likely need rests over 2 minutes for maximal strengthGrgic et al. 2018 · Sports Med
- Both short and long rests can support hypertrophyGrgic et al. 2017 · Eur J Sport Sci
Limits
What the AI workout plan doesn't do
- It makes no medical diagnosis. You note injuries and exclude the exercises you need to avoid. Ownit doesn't interpret the note medically.
- It doesn't follow your nutrition. Whether you are cutting or gaining doesn't change the plan.
- It doesn't schedule deload weeks. Periodised plans with a deload week come from a coach.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is the AI workout plan free?
Yes. You create the plan in the free version of Ownit. Targeted changes to a finished plan, such as swapping an exercise or adjusting an RIR target, are part of Ownit Pro.
How is this different from a plan written by a chatbot?
Ownit uses a language model for the draft and then checks the result against fixed rules: only exercises with your equipment, ceilings per muscle, rep ranges, rest times and your time per session. You train the plan right in the app, and Ownit evaluates every workout.
Which splits does Ownit build?
With two days, two full-body sessions. With three days the templates combine a push, a pull and a full-body day. From four days Ownit plans upper and lower body or push, pull and legs. The AI may deviate as long as the plan meets the rules.
How many sets per muscle does Ownit plan?
It depends on the muscle and your experience. For chest Ownit plans 10 to 12 sets a week for beginners, 13 to 15 for intermediates and 16 to 20 for advanced lifters. Each focus point adds one direct set per week to a muscle.
What if I can't do an exercise?
You exclude it when you create the plan, on its own or as a whole movement type. Ownit then plans without it. In a running plan you swap an exercise with Ownit Pro.
Which weight do I use in my first workout?
A new exercise has no target weight yet. Ownit asks you to pick a weight you can lift about as often as the plan says. With Ownit Pro, the progression coach suggests weight and reps from the next workout on.
Read on
More about Ownit
Progressive overload
When Ownit raises the reps and when it raises the weight.
Read moreAdaptive TDEE
Your TDEE from weight and food, re-estimated every week.
Read moreScience
The studies behind Ownit's rules, sorted by research field.
Read moreAll features
Training, nutrition and the AI coach at a glance.
Read more
Build your workout plan
Ownit is free on iOS and Android.