Step 1
Tap "Get this plan"
On your iPhone, tap the plan, then tap Open in the banner at the top of Safari. Chalky launches straight into a preview.
Program library
Ready-made game plans.
Every program here is built from published training research, named in Chalky's own language, and imported with one tap. Your coach adapts it to how you actually train from there.
Step 2
Save it to your library
Keep it for later or make it your active plan. Your copy is yours; edit anything.
Step 3
Chalky coaches it
Log in journal or structured mode. Tap any exercise for its demo, and the coach progresses the plan as you train.
Programs
Seven plans, seven different jobs. Pick the one that matches your goal, not someone else's.
Plan
Foundation Strength
Squat, press, pull, add weight, repeat. Three full-body sessions in the proven novice linear-progression tradition, for your first six months or your comeback.
| Mon | Barbell Back Squat 3x5 · Barbell Bench Press 3x5 · Barbell Row 3x8 · Dead Bug 3x10 |
|---|---|
| Wed | Barbell Deadlift 2x5 · Overhead Press 3x5 · Chin-Ups 3x6-10 · Reverse Crunch 3x10 |
| Fri | Barbell Back Squat 3x5 · Barbell Bench Press 3x5 · Romanian Deadlift 3x8 · Chin-Ups 3x6-10 |
Progression: add a little weight every session while you can. When that stalls, Chalky moves you to rep-range progression.
Built on twice-weekly frequency and heavy-load strength research. Sources 3, 6, 7
Plan
Push Pull Legs Builder
Six days, every muscle twice, 10 to 20 weekly sets per muscle. The volume the research actually supports, organized so each session stays sharp.
| Mon | Barbell Bench Press 4x6-8 · Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3x8-12 · Incline Dumbbell Press 3x8-12 · Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3x12-20 · Dumbbell Skull Crusher 3x10-15 |
|---|---|
| Tue | Barbell Row 4x6-10 · Lat Pulldown 3x8-12 · Face Pull 3x12-15 · EZ-Bar Curl 3x8-12 · Hammer Curl 2x10-15 |
| Wed | Barbell Back Squat 4x6-8 · Romanian Deadlift 3x8-10 · Leg Press 3x10-12 · Seated Leg Curl 3x10-15 · Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise 4x8-12 |
| Thu | Overhead Press 4x6-8 · Incline Bench Press 3x8-10 · Cable Fly 3x12-15 · Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3x12-20 · Bench Dip 3x8-15 |
| Fri | Weighted Pull-Up 4x6-10 · Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row 3x8-12 · Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly 3x12-20 · Incline Dumbbell Curl 3x10-15 · Cable Crunch 3x10-15 |
| Sat | Barbell Deadlift 3x5-6 · Hack Squat 3x8-10 · Dumbbell Lunge 3x10/leg · Lying Leg Curl 3x10-15 · Seated Calf Raise 4x12-15 |
Effort: most sets 1-3 reps shy of failure. Chalky progresses reps first, then load.
Built on the volume dose-response and frequency meta-analyses. Sources 3, 4, 6
Plan
Upper/Lower Mass Block
Eight weeks, four days a week, one job: add muscle. Heavy top sets keep you strong, back-off volume does the building. Bring a small surplus and your protein.
| Mon | Barbell Bench Press 4x5-8 · Barbell Row 4x6-10 · Overhead Press 3x8-12 · Lat Pulldown 3x8-12 · EZ-Bar Curl 3x10-15 · Dumbbell Skull Crusher 3x10-15 |
|---|---|
| Tue | Barbell Back Squat 4x5-8 · Romanian Deadlift 3x8-10 · Leg Press 3x10-12 · Seated Leg Curl 3x10-15 · Barbell Calf Raise 4x8-12 |
| Thu | Overhead Press 4x5-8 · Weighted Pull-Up 4x6-10 · Incline Dumbbell Press 3x8-12 · Seated Cable Row 3x10-12 · Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3x12-20 · Face Pull 3x12-15 |
| Fri | Barbell Deadlift 3x4-6 · Front Squat 3x8-10 · Dumbbell Lunge 3x10/leg · Lying Leg Curl 3x10-15 · Lying Leg Raise 3x10-15 · Seated Calf Raise 4x12-15 |
Nutrition: small calorie surplus, about 1.6 g protein per kg per day. Deload in week 9, then run it again.
Built on frequency, volume, and protein research. Sources 3, 4, 6, 11
Plan
Minimum Effective Dose
Two short sessions a week, done properly, beat five sloppy ones. Built strictly from the time-efficiency research: big lifts, few sets, honest effort.
| Mon | Barbell Back Squat 3x6-10 · Barbell Bench Press 3x6-10 · Barbell Row 3x8-12 · Romanian Deadlift 2x8-12 · Dead Bug 2x10 |
|---|---|
| Thu | Barbell Deadlift 3x5-8 · Overhead Press 3x6-10 · Chin-Ups 3x6-12 · Leg Press 2x10-15 · Dumbbell Lateral Raise 2x12-20 |
Effort: every set within 0-2 reps of failure. Intensity is the price of brevity.
Built on minimum-effective-dose research. Sources 5, 7
Plan
Lean Strength Cut
Diets lose weight. Lifting decides what kind. Three heavy full-body days defend your muscle while easy cardio widens the deficit.
| Mon | Barbell Back Squat 4x5-8 · Barbell Bench Press 3x6-10 · Barbell Row 3x8-12 · Lying Leg Curl 2x10-15, then 20 min easy cardio |
|---|---|
| Wed | Barbell Deadlift 3x4-6 · Overhead Press 3x6-10 · Lat Pulldown 3x8-12 · Dumbbell Lunge 2x10/leg · Cable Crunch 2x10-15 |
| Fri | Front Squat 3x6-10 · Incline Dumbbell Press 3x8-12 · Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row 3x8-12 · Romanian Deadlift 2x8-12, then 20 min easy cardio |
| Sat | Cardio: brisk incline walk, cycle, or row, 40 min at a conversational pace |
Nutrition: lose 0.5-1% of body weight per week, protein 1.6-2.4 g/kg/day, 8-10k daily steps.
Built on research into lifting and protein during a deficit. Sources 6, 11, 12
Plan
No-Equipment Builder
No gym, no excuses that survive contact with this plan. Push, pull, squat, hinge with a table edge, a backpack, and the floor, taken close to failure, which is what makes bodyweight work grow muscle.
| Mon | Push-Ups 4 sets · Inverted Row 4x8-15 · Bodyweight Squat 3x15-25 · Single-Leg Glute Bridge 3x10-15/leg · Dead Bug 3x10 |
|---|---|
| Wed | Pull-Ups 3 sets · Push-Ups 3 sets · Good Morning 3x12-15 · Reverse Crunch 3x10-15 · Russian Twist 3x20 |
| Fri | Push-Ups 4 sets · Inverted Row 4x8-15 · Bodyweight Squat 3 slow sets · Bench Dip 3x8-15 · Lying Leg Raise 3x10-15 |
Progression: take sets 1-2 reps shy of failure. Clear the top of a range and the plan hands you a harder variation: elevate the feet, slow the descent, load the backpack.
Built on the low-load versus high-load hypertrophy research. Sources 4, 6, 8
Plan
Built to Last
Strong, conditioned, mobile at 70 starts with what you do at 40. Two strength days, one long easy cardio day, one interval day, mobility after every lift. The full health prescription, nothing skipped.
| Mon | Goblet Squat 3x8-12 · Push-Ups 3x8-12 · One-Arm Dumbbell Row 3x10-12/side · Single-Leg Glute Bridge 2x10/leg · Dead Bug 3x10, then 10 min mobility |
|---|---|
| Wed | Zone 2 cardio, 45-60 min: brisk walk, cycle, or swim at a conversational pace |
| Fri | Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 3x8-10 · Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3x8-12 · Lat Pulldown 3x8-12 · Back Extension 2x12-15 · Pallof Press 2x10/side, then 10 min mobility |
| Sat | Intervals: 4 rounds of 4 min hard (~90% max heart rate) / 3 min easy, on a bike, rower, or steep hill |
Why intervals: cardiorespiratory fitness tracks with lower all-cause mortality, and the 4x4 protocol is one of the best-documented ways to raise it.
Built on the WHO guidelines and fitness-mortality research. Sources 1, 2, 9
Challenges
Fixed rules, a start date, and a finish line. Pick one when a plan isn't enough and you need a deadline.
Challenge
75 Hard
Andy Frisella's mental-toughness program, tracked in Chalky. Five rules, every day, for 75 days. Miss one and you start over. His rules, verbatim:
- Follow a diet of your choosing. Zero cheat meals, zero alcohol.
- Two separate 45-minute workouts, one outdoors, at least 3 hours apart.
- Drink one gallon of plain water.
- Read 10 pages of a non-fiction book.
- Take a daily progress photo.
Know what you're signing up for: all-or-nothing by design, with no rest days. Not for beginners, and not for anyone with a strained relationship with food or exercise.
Rules by Andy Frisella. Chalky tracks the two daily workouts; the rest is on you. Sources 13, 14
Challenge
The Engine
Four weeks, four sessions a week, zero barbells. One interval day that moves your VO2max, easy volume that builds the base. Run it twice for the full eight-week effect.
| Tue | 4x4 intervals: 10 min easy, then 4 rounds of 4 min hard (90-95% max HR) / 3 min easy. Run, bike, row, or ski erg |
|---|---|
| Thu | Zone 2, 40-50 min, conversational |
| Sat | Long easy session, 60-75 min: walk-jog, ride, or hike |
| Sun | Optional recovery walk, 30 min |
The split: roughly 80% easy, 20% hard, the distribution elite endurance training converges on.
Built on the 4x4 VO2max trial and polarized-training research. Sources 1, 9, 10
Challenge
30-Day Kickstart
Thirty days of never missing. Three short lifting days, four easy walks, one streak. The challenge whose only goal is that you're still training in month two.
| Mon | Goblet Squat 3x8-12 · Push-Ups 3x6-12 · One-Arm Dumbbell Row 3x8-12/side · Dead Bug 2x10 |
|---|---|
| Wed | Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 3x8-12 · Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3x8-12 · Inverted Row 3x8-12 · Reverse Crunch 2x10-15 |
| Fri | Dumbbell Lunge 3x8-10/leg · Dumbbell Bench Press 3x8-12 · Bent-Over Dumbbell Row 3x10-12 · Russian Twist 2x20 |
| Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun | Walk 20 min, easy |
The rules: train at the same time of day, log every day in Chalky, and if you miss a day, never miss two. Habits take about 66 days on average, so day 30 is the on-ramp, not the finish line.
Built on habit-formation and minimum-dose research. Sources 1, 5, 15
The research behind these plans
Every program above cites its sources. Exercise names match Chalky's library exactly, so each movement's demo animation is one tap away in the app, whether you log in journal or structured mode.
- World Health Organization (2020). Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med
- Mandsager et al. (2018). Cardiorespiratory fitness and long-term mortality. JAMA Network Open 1(6):e183605
- Schoenfeld, Ogborn, Krieger (2016). Effects of resistance training frequency on hypertrophy. Sports Medicine
- Schoenfeld, Ogborn, Krieger (2017). Dose-response between weekly volume and muscle mass. J Sports Sci
- Iversen et al. (2021). No Time to Lift? Designing time-efficient training programs. Sports Medicine
- Schoenfeld, Grgic, Ogborn, Krieger (2017). Low- vs high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res
- Schoenfeld, Grgic, Krieger (2019). Training frequency when volume is equated. J Sports Sci
- Rippetoe, Starting Strength lineage: novice linear progression as established coaching practice.
- Helgerud et al. (2007). Aerobic high-intensity intervals improve VO2max. Med Sci Sports Exerc 39(4):665-71
- Seiler (2010). What is best practice for training intensity distribution? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 5(3):276-91
- Morton et al. (2018). Protein supplementation and resistance-training gains. Br J Sports Med
- Sardeli et al. (2018). Resistance training prevents muscle loss during caloric restriction. Nutrients
- Frisella. 75 Hard official rules. andyfrisella.com
- Cleveland Clinic (2024). 75 Hard: what to know before you start. health.clevelandclinic.org
- Lally et al. (2010). How are habits formed: modelling habit formation. Eur J Soc Psychol
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