Recently, I heard a phrase from a trainer I deeply respect that stuck with me. The phrase was: "There’s nothing predetermined, nothing fixed—routine design is an art."

Reflecting on this, I realized something. After designing the majority of the 500 free routines we have on Calisteniapp, the 40 training programs (each with 3 to 6 phases, and every phase containing its weekly routines), the 24 adaptive Evo routines, and the 19 21-day challenges (each with 3 to 4 daily routines for different levels and equipment), we’re talking about approximately 2,200 routines created over the years just for Calisteniapp.

To this, I would add the routines I’ve designed for myself, for people I’ve trained in person and online, as well as those I’ve created for tutorials and YouTube or Instagram videos, among others.

After reviewing all this, I do agree: creating routines is an art—a very complex art filled with nuances. In this article, I’d like to share everything I can about it. This way, I can offer some insights from my experience that might help anyone looking to design better routines.

Personalized Routines

The first thing to consider when creating a routine is what you want to achieve with it—what’s the goal of the routine? It could be training for the planche, building back and biceps strength, doing cardio, or focusing on basic exercises to stay in shape. But before taking any step forward, you need a clear objective.

This, of course, needs to align with what the person doing the routine wants. Interestingly, this can sometimes be more complicated than it seems.

Some people want to train in calisthenics but haven’t taken the time to think carefully about their goals, or they struggle to articulate them. That’s why, sometimes, it’s crucial to sit down and have a long conversation with them.

Even then, there are times when you don’t reach a clear conclusion, or it seems like they want everything at once. In such cases, a good strategy is to start with general routines focused on basic exercises. Over time, the person will likely develop a better understanding of what they want to achieve.

Understanding the Individual's Needs

The next step is to understand the objective conditions of the person who will follow the routine. For example: Do they have any injuries or conditions preventing them from performing certain exercises? What is their level or capacity in the exercises you might include? Do they know how to execute these exercises with proper technique? How much time do they have to train? Do they have access to equipment, or are they training at home without any gear?

With this information, you can start to form an idea of the routine you’ll design. This is where the more "artistic" aspect of routine design—the subjective side—comes into play.

For instance, someone might be capable of doing pronated pull-ups, supinated pull-ups, neutral grip pull-ups, archer pull-ups, and explosive pull-ups. Yet, they might absolutely love one of these variations and completely dislike another.

Similarly, someone might have four free hours a day to train but prefer a short 20-minute routine because they enjoy it more and can make time for other hobbies. These individual preferences matter significantly.

The Subjective Component

The subjective part involves identifying the individual’s likes and preferences to create a routine that fosters adherence—that is, increasing the likelihood that they’ll stick with the routine over time.

This is where intuition comes into play. For example, some people won’t want to continue training if the first day’s routine is too challenging and leaves them sore. On the other hand, some people lose motivation if the routine feels too easy and doesn’t challenge them. By talking to the individual and keeping these details in mind, you can figure out their specific needs.

The Artistic Element of Routine Design

This next part requires the most knowledge, experience, and skill from the routine designer, making it feel the most "artistic."

Even after setting limits based on a person’s objective and subjective conditions, there are still many choices to make. You’ll need to select the right exercises for their goal, determine the ideal intensity for each exercise, decide the number of sets and reps, organize the exercise sequence, set the total routine duration, and choose the type of routine.

There’s even a creative aspect to ensuring that the routine’s overall design is cohesive. You should be able to glance at it and immediately understand its purpose, structure, and rationale—unlike a random routine that seems to lack coherence.

This is where some of the magic happens: creating a routine that makes sense, is attractive, effective, and enjoyable. Achieving this requires a blend of knowledge, experience, creativity, and instinct—qualities that aren’t easy to develop but are worth striving for.

General Routines

Now, let’s talk about designing routines for a general audience or a group rather than an individual.

In these cases, the process becomes more intuitive—almost predictive. You have to group the target audience into a somewhat homogeneous category and design a routine that’s as effective as possible for most of them.

For example, I often explain a training concept and then create a routine to apply it for beginners, intermediates, and advanced athletes. Or I might design routines for the app targeting a specific goal, with a version for each difficulty level.

When I first started creating calisthenics content, my perception of what constituted a beginner was heavily influenced by my personal experience and my training partners at the park. I was a thin, athletic guy who could already do a few pull-ups from day one, so I assumed most beginners could do the same.

Adapting Over Time

A key element of an effective routine is how it evolves over time. No matter how well-designed a routine is, if someone repeats it indefinitely, their body will adapt, and the routine will lose its effectiveness.

This is where training programs come into play, like the ones we’ve developed on Calisteniapp. These programs include multiple phases. You repeat the same routine for a set period, then move to a more intense version that adapts to your progress.

For personalized training, you can make these adjustments on the fly—changing reps, adding more challenging exercises, and so on.

Another option is the one we created in Calisteniapp, initially called Smart Progress and now known as Evo Routines. These are dynamic routines that adapt to your progress based on the feedback you provide as you complete them.

The ones we currently have were designed a few years ago, and I’m really looking forward to redesigning, restructuring, and improving them—something we’ll be working on in the coming months. So stay tuned, because these redesigned Evo Routines are going to be spectacular.

In conclusion, designing a routine involves considering a vast number of factors: technical knowledge, understanding the individual or group, experience, and even intuition and creativity. That’s why many of us consider it an art—a form of craftsmanship. I hope this article helps you in your journey to mastering it.

By Yerai Alonso