I'm a Personal Trainer: ChatGPT Built Me a 4-Week… – inkl
Working for Tom’s Guide, I sort of need to be aware of the advancements in technology around me, especially in the fitness industry. I have mixed emotions about using ChatGPT for programming workouts, but I understand why people do — personal training fees are hardly cheap, and AI is readily accessible. Recently, I decided to embrace it myself and see what I’m up against.
I’ve just adopted a new full-body muscle-building program called German Volume Training (GVT). You perform 10 sets and 10 reps of two compound exercises per session at a moderate load, followed by a few optional accessory exercises. The idea is to use volume and overload to stimulate serious muscle mass growth without taking hours in the gym — and it works.
I wanted to see if ChatGPT could program a four-week GVT strength program for me and how detailed it could be, using just a barbell and a set of dumbbells. I explained that I’m experienced with weightlifting and wanted to build full-body muscle while progressing each lift over time.
I’m pretty surprised by the results; here’s what it gave me (thanks, ChatGPT).
I still believe no amount of AI can outperform the “personal” in personal trainer. We are living, breathing humans who can adapt your program on the fly, switch things up if we think you’re finding it too tough, or hit you harder when we think you’re cruising. We can adjust your weights just by looking at your form, and use our eyes, voice and human touch to adjust your technique. We can also motivate you to keep going — “Just one more rep” — during those horrendous last moments of an exercise.
But I don’t deny that ChatGPT can be a solution for those who need answers without the hefty price tag we charge for our time and expertise. However, I suppose a bugbear of mine is that you need to know what to ask ChatGPT to get the best responses. There’s only so much AI can give you when you’re the one feeding the demands.
With that in mind, here’s what I asked:
“Please create me a four-week program based on German Volume Training. Please include two compound exercises per session and two sessions per week. My maximum load for front squats is 35kg for 10 reps and sets, and my maximum bench press is 25kg for 10 reps and sets. The program must be progressive while sticking to the GVT principle.”
I wanted to see if ChatGPT could program a four-week GVT strength program for me and how detailed it could be.
ChatGPT replied:
“Got it…This keeps the GVT principle intact (high volume, same weight across 10 sets), allows progressive overload and avoids fatigue from too many accessory lifts so you can recover between sessions.
“If you want, I can also give you a rep completion tracker sheet so you can mark your reps per set and know exactly when to increase weight. That way, you won’t get lost in all those 100-rep marathons.”
After a few tweaks — mainly, me asking for exercises and weights to be switched out — here’s what I landed on.
Program 1: Exercise
Week 1
Notes
Barbell front squat
21kg
Add 2.5kg each time
Barbell bench press
15kg
Add 2.5kg each time
Dumbbell RDL
Moderate load
Add 2.5kg each time
Dumbbell overhead press
7.5kg per arm
Add 2.5kg each time
Program 2: Exercise
Week 1
Notes
Barbell row
25kg
Add 2.5kg each time
Barbell walking lunges
20kg
Add 2.5kg each time
Pull-ups
Bodyweight
3x 8-12 reps
Dumbbell Bulgarian split squat
2x 12kg
3x 8-10 reps
Add 2.5kg each time
The front squat emphasizes the quads by loading the barbell across the front of the shoulders. It strengthens your legs, glutes and core while activating more of your upper body for stability than back squats.
Chat GPT recommends increasing the load by 2.5kg week-on-week, as long as I can perform 10 reps and 10 sets with good form. That means keeping the chest lifted, back straight and weight distributed through the heels. You must also reach proper squat depth, which is roughly thighs parallel to the floor, if not sitting deeper.
Here’s how to squat step-by-step.
The bench press targets the upper body, coupling well with the front squat for a GVT program that doesn’t overtrain one muscle group. It targets the triceps, anterior deltoids (the fronts of your shoulders) and pectoral muscles, and requires your core muscles for stability.
Together, the front squat and bench press provide enough of a full-body workout for one GVT session, but the accessory moves complement them well, using different movement patterns to target the same muscles with varied emphasis and fewer reps and sets.
ChatGPT recommended a slow eccentric tempo, which impressed me. This basically means lowering the bar for a controlled three or four-second count, then driving upward with power. I think ChatGPT recommended this on the basis that I stated I’m familiar with weightlifting; otherwise, it could have been confusing for a beginner.
Here’s how to bench press step-by-step.
My second session included the barbell row, which targets multiple muscle groups in the back and the biceps. Again, your core muscles will work to stabilize your trunk, and the bent-over variation, which involves hinging at the hips, will activate the hips and hamstrings. Overall, this is a great posture-strengthening move, and pairs well with the pull-ups to build muscle in the back-body.
I’d have liked ChatGPT to explain what “good form” means for each exercise, but I could have asked, and again, I had already mentioned that I lift weights. If you’re unsure what “good” means, try to row the bar toward your hips and keep your elbows close to your body. Your back should be straight and your chest almost parallel to the floor, while you maintain a soft knee bend.
Here’s how to perform the barbell row.
Finally, walking lunges build your legs, glutes and core muscles while increasing balance, coordination and stability. During walking lunges, it’s crucial to imagine your feet on train tracks rather than a tightrope, and the back knee should be able to tap the ground every rep. A slight lean forward can help engage the glutes better, but an excessive lean or hunching may overload your back. Think of a proud, upright torso.
Here’s how to do walking lunges with proper form. I tend to swap between dumbbells and barbells for this lift, as using a barbell takes a greater degree of upper-body stability and mobility, not to mention space.
The accessory exercise (optional) for walking lunges is the Bulgarian split squat, which also requires balance and stability, as you perform a lunge with your back leg elevated. Overall, this will test your ability to lunge under an unstable load while building stronger legs.
I specified my start weight range for several exercises. Then, an unexpected follow-up query from ChatGPT impressed me:
“If you like, I can also calculate your starting weights for the barbell row, overhead press and split squat based on estimated 10-rep maxes, so you know exactly where to start in week one. That way, you avoid overshooting and burning out before set five.
“Since we know your front squat and bench press 10-rep maxes, I’ll estimate your others based on typical strength ratios, then take 60% of those for your week one starting weights.”
Not an exact science, but it wasn’t bad. It then asked me if I wanted a four-week printable table with exact weights, reps, sets and progressions that I could follow all in one place.
I liked that the exercises are compound, targeting multiple muscle groups, while also emphasizing opposing muscle groups to avoid overtraining, considering the high volume. ChatGPT also guided me on starting loads and how to increase over time as my strength improves; it could tell me that my form should determine how and when I move up, a key principle in GVT, which accounts for progressive overload.
Just remember…your legs and lungs might start questioning your life choices… but that’s just GVT working its magic.
ChatGPT
I don’t believe beginners are actively looking for GVT programs, so perhaps ChatGPT’s lack of explanation on form and exercise how-tos comes down to it simply surmising I know what I’m doing. Regardless, there’s still an element of Do It Yourself here — the onus is on you to spot your own form, recognize when you are comfortable and increase your weights accordingly.
However, I’ve asked ChatGPT for guidance before to test it out, and this is the most proactive it has been, telling me what else it can provide before I ask.
That said, I’m still concerned that if you don’t know the questions to ask, the responses could leave you filling in the gaps yourself. It did a great job, but I still think on-the-spot adaptations and a trainer-client-led relationship are what help people get the most out of these sessions safely.
Finally, I liked the accessory exercises provided. They are optional, as you still target every major muscle group using the four main exercises, but they are solid variations, targeting similar muscle groups and supporting the focus lifts well. For example, the overhead press is more shoulder-dominant, but the pushing motion still targets your upper chest and triceps.
With a finishing flourish, ChatGPT signed off by saying:
“Just remember…your legs and lungs might start questioning your life choices… but that’s just GVT working its magic. You’ll be stronger (and maybe slightly more respectful of benches and squat racks) in four weeks.” I wholly agree.
