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Exercise Substitutions & Alternatives

Give your client a clear backup when a machine is busy or they need a different movement. With Swap options, you choose the exercises they may use instead. They keep the planned sets, reps or time, and rest, and you see what they did.

Set swap options​

  1. Open the client's workout plan and edit it.
  2. Open the ⋯ menu beside an exercise and choose Swap options.
  3. Search for an exercise and click + Add. You can choose up to three.
  4. Close the picker and Save the plan.

The chosen names appear below the exercise. Click a name to edit the options. Hover over a name and click × to remove it, confirm, then save the plan. Closing the picker keeps your edits; they are saved with the plan.

Swaps use the original exercise's target, so the search only shows compatible choices. For example, a timed exercise cannot replace an exercise prescribed in reps. You still decide which movements suit your client.

You can set swaps in workout templates too. Assigning a template or copying a plan carries its options to the new plan. Changing a template later does not update plans already assigned to clients.

What the client does​

Before logging a set, your client taps the swap arrows beside the exercise name, then Use beside an option. The replacement takes that exercise's place. Instead of [original exercise] shows what changed.

They can Undo or choose another option until a set is logged. An option already elsewhere in the workout says Already in this workout and cannot be selected. Supersets and circuits do not offer swaps in this version.

The replacement uses its own demo and instructions. Exercise-specific notes and load guidance from the original do not carry over. Use exercise notes for broader guidance that needs your client's judgement.

The same choices work when you Log workout for a client. Options are carried with the workout for offline use.

Review and PDF​

Completed workouts show Instead of [original exercise] on the replacement. Logged swaps count toward completion in their planned place; choosing one without logging it does not count as doing it. Its exercise history and personal records belong to the movement performed.

The workout plan PDF lists Swaps: under eligible exercises. An option with a demo links to it. Grouped exercises keep their saved options for later, but do not list them in the PDF while grouped.

Use notes for broader alternatives​

Exercise notes remain useful for home or hotel sessions, different targets, or more detailed coaching guidance. For example: “If you train at home this week, use the dumbbell session instead.” These notes appear in the client app, workout logger and PDF. Notes explain the choice; swap options also record which exercise was done.

When to provide substitutions​

Not every exercise needs an alternative. Focus on:

  • Equipment that's often busy — Bench press, squat rack, cable machines
  • Equipment the client might not have — If they sometimes train at a different gym or at home
  • Injury-sensitive exercises — Movements where the client might need a pain-free alternative
  • Complex movements — Where a simpler regression is useful if the client isn't feeling confident

Don't clutter every exercise with alternatives — it creates noise. Target the ones where substitutions actually happen.

Equipment-based alternatives​

When a client splits time between a full gym and a limited setup:

Session notes approach:

If training at home this week, see the exercise notes for dumbbell alternatives on each movement.

Then on each exercise:

  • Barbell Squat → Home alternative: goblet squat or dumbbell front squat
  • Barbell Row → Home alternative: dumbbell row (single arm, 3x10 each)
  • Leg Curl → Home alternative: Nordic curl negatives or slider curls

Injury modifications​

When a client has a limitation:

ExerciseExercise Notes
Back SquatIf knee pain: box squat to parallel, reduce depth if needed
Overhead PressIf shoulder bothers you: landmine press or high incline DB press
DeadliftIf lower back is tight today: trap bar deadlift or hip hinge with lighter weight
tip

Frame injury modifications as options, not instructions to avoid the exercise. "If X bothers you, try Y" gives the client agency. If an exercise truly needs to be removed, swap it out of the plan entirely.

Progression and regression alternatives​

For clients who might need an easier or harder version mid-session:

ExerciseExercise Notes
Pull-upsCan't complete reps? Switch to band-assisted pull-ups or slow negatives
Pistol SquatsRegression: assisted pistol squats holding a TRX or doorframe
Barbell Hip ThrustToo easy? Add a 2-second pause at the top of each rep

Hotel and travel workouts​

When you know a client travels often, build travel-readiness into the plan:

Session notes:

Travel version: all exercises have bodyweight or dumbbell alternatives in the notes. Hotel gyms usually have dumbbells up to 20-25kg and a bench.

Then annotate each exercise:

  • Bench Press → Travel: DB press with whatever's available, increase reps to compensate
  • Squat → Travel: DB goblet squats, 3x20
  • Cable Rows → Travel: DB rows, single arm, 3x12 each
  • Leg Extension → Travel: wall sit holds, 3x45 seconds

Unilateral alternatives​

For exercises marked as unilateral in the library, clients already know they're working one side at a time. But you can use exercise notes to suggest bilateral alternatives when time is short:

Short on time? Bilateral version: barbell lunges instead of single-leg, same total reps

Or the reverse — suggesting a unilateral version for better muscle activation:

For extra stability work: try single-arm instead of both arms. Same weight, same reps each side.

Tips​

  • Keep substitutions short. One line is ideal. "Alt: DB rows, 3x10 each arm" is enough.
  • Match the movement pattern. A substitution should train the same muscles and pattern — don't suggest leg press as an alternative to pull-ups.
  • Adjust parameters when needed. If the alternative is significantly easier or harder, note the adjusted sets/reps: "Alt: push-ups (4x15 instead of 3x8)"
  • Use session notes for blanket guidance. If the whole session has a home-gym alternative track, put that in session notes rather than repeating it on every exercise.
  • Don't overdo it. A plan where every exercise has three alternatives becomes overwhelming. Target the 3-5 exercises per session that are most likely to need a swap.
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