A custom routine in 4 questions: how FitPacer builds it

Why a tailored routine works better

Reference guidelines always start from the person: intensity, duration and type of exercise are set according to the goal and starting level (Garber et al., 2011), and progression happens in small steps (ACSM, 2009). A session that is too hard is discouraging; one that is too easy doesn't make you progress.

Available time matters too: short, well-built sessions, with exercises back to back and short rests, deliver real results when you don't have an hour (Iversen et al., 2021). And equipment isn't a barrier: push-ups build strength like the bench press (Calatayud et al., 2015), and light loads taken close to maximal effort build muscle as well as heavy ones (Lopez et al., 2021).

The World Health Organization sets the baseline for adults: at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity), plus muscle-strengthening on at least two days a week (WHO; see also the NHS and the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines). A custom routine helps you reach it with the time and equipment you actually have.

The rules FitPacer uses

FitPacer doesn't guess: it applies simple, transparent rules, with no artificial intelligence. Every suggestion explains its choices.

• The goal sets the format: burn calories or get stronger → a timed circuit; build muscle → sets and reps with a load (or reps at your own pace without equipment); improve flexibility → held poses; relax → gentle stretches, guided breathing and relaxation.
• The level sets the effort: 30 s work and 30 s rest for beginners, 40/20 at intermediate level, 45/15 for the most trained; for weight training, the number of sets, the rep range and the rest.
• Equipment picks the exercises: with nothing, squats, knee or full push-ups, plank; with dumbbells, goblet squats, rows, shoulder presses; with a bench or chair, incline push-ups or dips.
• Time sets the number of exercises and rounds, warm-up and cool-down included.
• Body balance is respected: legs, glutes, push, pull, core and cardio, never the same muscle group twice in a row.

Step by step

• Fill in your profile (goals, level, equipment): your answers pre-fill the questions. It's optional.
• In the library, tap "Build my custom routine".
• Choose today's goal, the time (10, 20, 30 or 45 minutes), the equipment available and your level.
• Read the suggestion: each exercise with its animated figure, muscle group and duration, and the reasons for the choices.
• Don't like it? "Another suggestion" draws other exercises with the same rules.
• Add it to your routines, or open it in the editor to change an exercise or a duration.

And the "For you" routines

The same profile is used in the library: at the top, a "For you" selection of ready-made routines that match your goals and activities, doable with your equipment, with the reason for each choice. Routines that need equipment you don't have stay visible but faded, showing what's missing.

Tips to get the most out of it

• Keep the same routine for two to three weeks before changing: repeating the same exercises is how you measure progress.
• Log how the session felt: if it was too easy, FitPacer will suggest a harder version.
• Starting weights: the ones suggested are a guide. Choose a weight that leaves one or two reps "in reserve" at the end of each set.
• Mix goals during the week: for example two strength sessions and one flexibility session.
• If you have pain, a health condition or are returning after a long break, ask a health professional for advice.

Routines to get started

Read next

References

1. World Health Organization. Physical activity (fact sheet). www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
2. NHS. Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64. www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/
3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (current guidelines). odphp.health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/physical-activity-guidelines/current-guidelines
4. Garber C. E. et al. (2011). Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(7), 1334-1359. doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318213fefb
5. American College of Sports Medicine (2009). Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(3), 687-708. doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181915670
6. Iversen V. M., Norum M., Schoenfeld B. J., Fimland M. S. (2021). No Time to Lift? Designing Time-Efficient Training Programs for Strength and Hypertrophy: A Narrative Review. Sports Medicine, 51(10), 2079-2095. doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01490-1
7. Calatayud J., Borreani S., Colado J. C., Martin F., Tella V., Andersen L. L. (2015). Bench press and push-up at comparable levels of muscle activity results in similar strength gains. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(1), 246-253. doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000000589
8. Lopez P., Radaelli R., Taaffe D. R., Newton R. U., Galvão D. A., Trajano G. S., et al. (2021). Resistance Training Load Effects on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gain: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 53(6), 1206-1216. doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002585
9. Bull F. C. et al. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(24), 1451-1462. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955