Are LLMs any good at making custom workouts? I asked chatgpt to produce a workout with specific constraints, such as no gym equipment at all, and it looks good on the surface. I haven't been to the gym in years and I'm no expert, can any rip-your-toe wannabe give this a quick one over and sanity check for me? Thanks.
This plan is built around:
Push movements (chest, shoulders, triceps)
Pull movements (back, biceps) using household substitutes
Legs (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves)
Core
Conditioning
Mobility
What you will need
Optional household items:
Item Used for
Backpack Add weight to squats, rows, presses, carries
Books/water bottles Backpack weight
Sturdy chair Step-ups, dips, incline push-ups
Table (only if extremely sturdy) Rows
Towels Isometric pulls, hamstring curls
Wall Push-up progressions, handstand practice
If you have none of these, the program still works.
Schedule
Repeat every other day:
Day 1 — Workout A
Rest
Day 3 — Workout B
Rest
Day 5 — Workout C
Rest
Day 7 — Workout D
Rest
Repeat
Some weeks will have 3 workouts, some 4. That's intentional.
Workout A — Upper Strength + Legs
Warm-up (5–8 minutes)
March in place — 1 minute
Arm circles — 30 seconds each direction
Bodyweight squats — 15 reps
Wall push-ups — 15 reps
Hip circles — 10 each direction
1. Push-ups
4 sets × 6–15 reps
Targets:
Chest
Front shoulders
Triceps
Progression:
Wall push-ups
Counter push-ups
Knee push-ups
Regular push-ups
Feet-elevated push-ups
2. Backpack Rows
4 × 10–20 reps
Substitute:
Backpack filled with books
Grocery bag with bottles
Laundry basket with weight
Targets:
Upper back
Lats
Rear shoulders
Biceps
How:
Support one hand on chair
Pull backpack toward your ribs
Squeeze shoulder blade back
3. Bulgarian Split Squats
3 × 8–12 each leg
Equipment substitute:
Chair or couch behind you
Targets:
Quads
Glutes
Balance
4. Pike Push-ups
3 × 6–12
Targets:
Shoulders
Triceps
Progression:
Downward dog push-ups
Pike push-ups
Feet elevated pike push-ups
5. Plank Circuit
3 rounds:
Front plank: 30–60 seconds
Side plank: 20–40 seconds each side
Workout B — Full Body Strength
1. Backpack Squats
4 × 12–20
Substitute:
Backpack with books
Water jug held at chest
Targets:
Quads
Glutes
Core
2. Table Rows
4 × 6–12
ONLY use if your table is genuinely sturdy.
Substitutes:
Backpack rows
Towel rows:
Towel row:
Loop towel around a closed door handle
Lean back slightly
Pull yourself toward it
(Do not use a flimsy door.)
Targets:
Back
Biceps
3. Decline Push-ups
3 × 8–15
Substitute:
Feet on chair/couch
Targets:
Upper chest
Shoulders
4. Backpack Romanian Deadlift
3 × 12–15
Substitute:
Backpack worn on front
Heavy grocery bag
Water containers
Targets:
Hamstrings
Glutes
Lower back
Movement:
Push hips backward
Slight knee bend
Keep back flat
5. Backpack Overhead Press
3 × 8–15
Substitute:
Water jugs
Loaded backpack held overhead
Targets:
Shoulders
Triceps
6. Dead Bugs
3 × 10 each side
Targets:
Core stability
Workout C — Upper Body Volume + Conditioning
This is your "muscle-building" day.
Complete 4 rounds:
Push-ups
12 reps
Backpack Rows
15 reps
Chair Dips
8–15 reps
Substitutes:
Bench/chair edge
Couch edge
Targets:
Triceps
Chest
If shoulders dislike dips:
Replace with close-grip push-ups.
Backpack Curls
12–20 reps
Substitutes:
Grocery bags
Water bottles
Targets:
Biceps
Walking Lunges
20 total steps
Targets:
Legs
Balance
Hollow Body Hold
20–40 seconds
Targets:
Abs
Rest 2 minutes between rounds.
Workout D — Athletic / Variety Day
This prevents the routine from becoming repetitive.
Perform 5 rounds:
Burpees
5–10 reps
Modification:
Step back instead of jumping.
Bear Crawl
30–60 seconds
Targets:
Shoulders
Core
Coordination
Diamond Push-ups
6–12 reps
Substitute:
Close-grip push-ups
Targets:
Triceps
Chest
Backpack Carry
1–2 minutes
Substitute:
Carry heavy grocery bags.
Targets:
Grip
Core
Upper back
Bodyweight Squats
20 reps
Superman Hold
30 seconds
Targets:
Lower back
Rear chain
Progression (first 12 weeks)
Weeks 1–3: Rebuild phase
Goal:
Finish workouts
Learn movements
Do:
2–3 sets instead of maximum sets
Easier variations
Weeks 4–8: Strength phase
Increase:
Push-ups: +1–3 reps per set
Backpack weight: add books
Planks: +10 seconds
Squats: add backpack
Weeks 9–12: Challenge phase
Start using harder variations:
Push-ups:
Feet elevated
Slow negatives
Pause reps
Rows:
Heavier backpack
Legs:
Bulgarian split squats with weight
Shoulders:
Pike push-up progression
Rest-day activity
Because you are coming from a sedentary lifestyle:
Aim for:
20–45 minute walk
on non-workout days.
Intensity:
You should be able to hold a conversation.
How hard should this feel?
For the first month:
After a workout:
You should feel like you trained
You should NOT be destroyed
Aim for:
Difficulty: 7/10
Not:
Maximum reps
Exhaustion
Soreness competitions
The goal is to build the habit and strength base that you haven't trained in years.
This routine should give you noticeable improvements in:
Push-up strength
Shoulder and arm size
Posture
General stamina
Core control
Leg strength
without needing a gym.
Backpack weight rules
Use a backpack that:
Fits snugly
Doesn't swing around
Has both straps on
Distributes weight evenly
Good loading materials:
Books
Water bottles
Bags of rice
Canned goods
Laundry detergent bottles
Avoid:
Loose heavy objects that shift
Anything that can poke your back
Starting weight: Weeks 1–2
Start with:
10 lb (4.5 kg) backpack
This is enough to make exercises harder without overwhelming your joints.
Use:
Backpack Squats
10 lb
Backpack Romanian Deadlifts
10 lb
Backpack Rows
10 lb
Backpack Overhead Press
5–10 lb
Backpack Carries
10–15 lb
Weeks 3–6
If you can complete all sets with good form:
Increase to:
15 lb (7 kg)
Examples:
Backpack Squats
4 × 12–20 reps
Move up when:
You can do 20 reps on every set
Your knees feel good
You are not losing form
Backpack Rows
Move up when:
You can do 20 reps per set
The last 3 reps don't feel challenging
Increase:
10 lb → 15 lb → 20 lb
Romanian Deadlifts
Move up more slowly.
Progress:
Weeks 1–2:
10 lb
Weeks 3–6:
15 lb
Weeks 7–12:
20–25 lb
The posterior chain (hamstrings/glutes/lower back) tends to get neglected in sedentary people, so avoid rushing this.
Weeks 7–12
Target:
20–30 lb backpack
Not every movement needs the same weight.
Suggested:
Exercise Target weight by week 12
Squats 25–35 lb
Rows 20–30 lb
Romanian deadlift 20–35 lb
Carries 30–40 lb
Overhead press 10–20 lb
The progression rule
Do not increase weight just because the calendar says so.
Use this:
If you hit the top of the rep range for every set:
Increase weight by:
5 lb for upper body exercises
5–10 lb for squats/deadlifts/carries
Then return to the lower end of the rep range.
Example:
Backpack Rows
Week 1:
10 lb
4 × 12 reps
Week 3:
10 lb
4 × 20 reps ✅
Increase:
Week 4:
15 lb
4 × 12 reps
Adjustments based on difficulty
After a workout, ask:
Too easy:
You could have done 5+ more reps every set.
→ Add weight next session.
Correct:
Last few reps are challenging but controlled.
→ Keep the same weight.
Too hard:
You cannot reach the minimum reps or your form breaks.
→ Reduce weight by 5 lb.
Updated backpack assignments for your program
Workout A
Backpack Rows
Start: 10 lb
Goal: 20–30 lb
Workout B
Backpack Squats
Start: 10 lb
Goal: 25–35 lb
Backpack Romanian Deadlift
Start: 10 lb
Goal: 20–35 lb
Backpack Overhead Press
Start: 5–10 lb
Goal: 10–20 lb
Workout C
Backpack Rows
Start: 10 lb
Goal: 20–30 lb
Backpack Curls
Start: 5–10 lb
Goal: 15–20 lb
Workout D
Backpack Carry
Start: 15 lb
Goal: 30–40 lb
One important note
Your push exercises (push-ups, pike push-ups, dips) probably won't need backpack weight for a while. Since you are returning after 7 years, your bodyweight will provide enough resistance initially.
Your biggest early gains will likely come from:
Getting consistent
Adding backpack weight slowly
Moving from easier push-up variations to harder ones
A realistic 12-week target would be:
25–30 lb backpack squat
20–25 lb backpack row
20+ clean push-ups
60-second plank
Noticeably better posture and energy
That would put you in a strong position to either continue calisthenics or transition into gym training later.
I like the part where it says "you should NOT be destroyed".