Workout planning is the backbone of any gym: it determines how athletes progress, reflects the identity of the gym, and shapes the overall client experience.

For many coaches and gym owners, Excel is still the go-to tool for planning training sessions. At first glance, it seems logical: it’s cheap, familiar, and quick to set up. But over time, this “solution” turns into a trap that limits growth, creates inconsistency, and frustrates both staff and athletes.

In this article, we’ll explore the most common mistakes in workout planning with Excel, the consequences for your business, and the alternatives that are driving the future of fitness management.

Why so many gyms still use Excel for workout planning

Imagine you’ve just opened a gym with 40 members. You want to structure the week: strength on Monday, conditioning on Wednesday, a special WOD on Friday. You open Excel, create a simple table, and share it with your team. Quick, simple, and low-cost.

The reasons for Excel’s popularity are obvious:

• It’s free or very low-cost.

• You can build tables and formulas easily.

• Everyone knows how to use it at a basic level.

• It feels “good enough” when the gym is small.

The problem? What works with 30 members collapses once you reach 200, several coaches, and multiple athlete levels. The tool that once helped you becomes an obstacle to growth.

Common mistakes in workout planning with Excel

1. Lack of consistency between coaches

Each coach may end up with their own spreadsheet. The result: no unified methodology.

• One coach programmes maximum strength on Monday.

• Another unknowingly repeats the same load on Tuesday.

• Athletes sense inconsistency and lose trust in the training programme.

Real example: in a box with 200 members, two coaches designed sessions independently. The outcome: athlete overload and complaints about illogical progressions.

2. Outdated files and confusion

The infamous “workout_planning_final_v4.xlsx” circulates via WhatsApp or email. Nobody knows which version is correct. This creates:

• Misaligned training sessions.

• Wasted time coordinating files.

• Constant staff confusion.

3. Limitations in data analysis

Excel can store data, but it’s not designed for sports performance analysis. With it, it’s difficult to:

• Track true progression over months.

• Analyse class attendance.

• Compare performance across groups.

• Generate automatic reports.

In the end, coaches spend hours on formulas instead of focusing on coaching and client support.

4. Poor experience for athletes

Today’s athletes expect to access their workouts through a modern mobile app, where they can track results and see their progress. Receiving an Excel file by email or on paper feels unprofessional and outdated.

One gym owner put it simply:

“When we stopped sending Excel files and started using software, several athletes told us they finally felt they were training in a modern, well-managed gym.”

5. High risk of human error

A single miscopied number, a deleted formula, or a shifted row can throw an entire plan off balance. These errors may go unnoticed initially but can have serious consequences:

• Incorrect prescribed loads.

• Overtraining and risk of injuries.

• Skipping crucial phases in periodisation.

6. Limited scalability in workout planning with Excel

Workout planning in Excel can be manageable when you run a small gym with just a few members and a single coach. With 20 or 30 athletes, keeping a spreadsheet updated seems simple enough.

But once you reach 150, 200 or more members, with multiple coaches working in parallel, Excel becomes a bottleneck that holds back your business:

• Unmanageable manual processes: every new member means extra rows, tabs, and formulas. The file grows heavy, slow, and prone to errors.

• Lack of true personalisation: catering for beginners, intermediates, and advanced athletes requires variations of the same workout plan. In Excel, this often means duplicating tables, multiplying the chance of mistakes.

• Limited collaboration: if three coaches try to edit the same sheet, version conflicts appear, data gets overwritten, and important information is lost.

• Difficulty segmenting groups: splitting by age, level, or training type (CrossFit, Hyrox, strength, etc.) in a single spreadsheet quickly turns chaotic.

• Excessive admin time: what once took 10 minutes per week becomes several hours of spreadsheet maintenance.

Realistic example: a gym with 200 members and three coaches relies entirely on Excel. Each coach keeps their own copy, files become too large, and athletes follow inconsistent training. The owner admits to spending more time fixing spreadsheets than improving retention strategies or acquiring new leads.

In short, Excel doesn’t scale with your gym. It’s a static tool that falls short as your community grows and personalisation demands rise. To scale effectively, gyms need software that centralises information, automates processes, and ensures consistency across the coaching team.

7. No integration with gym management

Workout planning isn’t an isolated task. It needs to connect with:

• Class bookings.

• Member attendance.

• Payments and billing.

• Internal communication.

With Excel, all of these remain separate, creating silos, errors, and inefficiency.

Consequences of workout planning with Excel

• Uncoordinated coaches and frustrated staff.
• Confused athletes who perceive a lack of professionalism.
• Lower retention rates, as dissatisfied members switch gyms easily.
• Increased admin time, rather than time spent on coaching.
• Stunted growth, as inefficient processes block scalability.

 

Excel vs. dedicated training software: a comparison

Digital transformation in fitness

Digitalisation is no longer optional in the fitness industry. Studies show gyms that embrace technology see higher retention rates and greater perceived value among members.

A good example is highlighted in this article on how technology is transforming sports training, which explains how digital tools are reshaping the athlete experience.

Alternatives to workout planning with Excel

While Excel may work initially, gym owners looking to professionalise operations are increasingly turning to specialised workout planning software. These solutions provide:

• Templates tailored to different training types.

• Real-time access for the entire coaching team.

• Integration with class bookings and gym management.

• Automatic statistics on attendance and performance.

• A modern, professional digital experience for athletes.

If you’d like to explore further, check out our guide to choosing the best training planner for gyms.

FAQs about workout planning with Excel

Is Excel useful if I only have a few members?
Yes, it can work in the early stages. But the sooner you adopt proper software, the sooner you’ll avoid errors and wasted time.

What are the risks of continuing with Excel?
Wasted admin time, human errors, inconsistent methodology, and a poor client experience.

Is specialised software always expensive?
Not necessarily. The time saved, improved retention, and stronger professional image often outweigh the cost.

Workout planning with Excel may seem like a convenient solution at first, but it quickly becomes a limitation. Errors, lack of coordination, and poor client experience can all undermine your gym’s growth.

Switching to dedicated workout planning software is not an expense but a strategic investment. It improves efficiency, strengthens client loyalty, and sets your gym apart in an increasingly competitive market.