While there is no dedicated feature for warm-up, cool-down, or drop sets, incorporating these routines into a client's workout is easy! You can either:
- Create a separate workout designated for warm-ups or cool-downs and schedule these onto the client's or Master Program calendar.
- Follow the steps outlined in the article to build them directly into a workout.
What Are the Limitations?
You can seamlessly create a warm-up, cool-down, or drop set routine within a workout using the ABC Trainerize exercise library- as long as the exercise appears only once in the workout.
However, if the same exercise is added multiple times- which is often the case for drop sets, warm-up sets, and cool-down sets, the system will only track progress and stats for the first occurrence of the exercise. This means that the first instance of the exercise will have client stats tracked, but any additional instances will not be logged correctly.
Follow the best practices below to maintain accurate progress tracking while incorporating these training techniques into client workouts.
Creating Warm-Up and Cool-Down Sets
For warm-up or cool-down sets, you can add the exercises as normal into the workout if it will appear only once. However, if the same exercise is going to appear multiple times, the best approach is to create a custom exercise with a descriptive name. This ensures that clients follows a structured warm-up or cool-down routine without altering their tracked workout progress.
You can name your custom exercises appropriately, to indicate it is part of a warm-up or cool-down routine. Examples of custom exercise names include:
- Warm Up Bench Press/ Bench Press (Warm Up)
- Cool Down Deadlift/ Deadlift (Cool Down)
Below is an example of this method within a client's workout:
Creating Drop Sets
Drop sets involve progressively reducing weight after each set with minimal rest. Since adding the same exercise multiple times affects tracking, you can structure drop sets within a single exercise entry using the target text box.
Instead of adding the same exercise multiple times, you can input multiple weight values within the exercise text box to indicate a drop set. Examples of text targets include:
- 100lbs, 90lbs, 80lbs
- 12 reps at 50lbs → 10 reps at 40lbs → 8 reps at 30lbs
- Reduce weight after each set, with minimal rests between sets
Below is an example of this method within a client's workout:
Best Practices for Tracking Progress with Drop Sets, Warm Ups and Cool Downs
- Use clear naming conventions for custom exercises to help clients easily recognize warm-up and cool-down sets.
- Leverage the target text box in the Workout Builder to outline multiple weight or rep adjustments within a single exercise entry.
- Add instructional notes within the workout description to guide clients on execution, such as tempo adjustments or rest periods.
