The squat rack is taken. Your client waits ten minutes, then skips it, or does goblet squats and logs them as an extra, so the workout shows the squat as missed. Either way, they had no plan for it.
An exercise swap is a backup you choose in advance for one exercise in a client’s plan. When the equipment is busy, your client does the swap instead, with the same sets, reps and rest.
| Exercise swaps at a glance | |
|---|---|
| What it is | Up to 3 backups you choose for one exercise |
| What stays the same | The planned sets, reps (or time) and rest |
| What the client does | Taps swap in the workout and picks one |
| What you see | The exercise they did, “instead of” the planned one |
Here’s the whole thing in about a minute:
This guide covers:
- Which exercises need a backup
- Keep the target, not the load
- See what your client did instead
- How to set exercise swaps for personal training clients
Which exercises need a backup
Not every row. Start with the station your client keeps waiting for, or the equipment missing at their second gym. One or two swaps on that exercise usually solve it.
Check each swap needs different equipment, or it hasn’t solved anything. If a client needs a whole home or travel session, write that session instead of adding swaps to every row.
Keep the target, not the load
Swaps keep the planned sets, reps and rest, so pick ones that make sense at that target. A timed plank can’t stand in for 8 to 10 reps.
Load guidance belongs to the original exercise: “work up to 80 kg” is about the back squat, not the goblet squat replacing it. Let the swap bring its own demo, and let the client pick a sensible weight.
See what your client did instead
The record should show the swap in the planned exercise’s place, not a skipped exercise plus a random extra.
Repeated swaps are information. If the same swap keeps appearing, ask: “Is the rack usually busy at that time?” If it always is, make the swap the planned exercise in the next block.
How to set exercise swaps for personal training clients
On Assistant Coach platform, swaps sit inside the workout plan builder, next to the exercise library and the workout logger your clients use:
- Add them. In a client’s workout plan, open an exercise’s three-dot menu, choose Swap options, and add up to three. Only exercises with the same kind of target appear.
- Your client sees them before the workout, behind a small swap icon on that exercise, each with its demo.
- They swap in one tap at the gym. The swap keeps your sets, reps and rest, with Undo until the first set is logged.
- You see it on the finished workout, marked “Instead of Barbell Back squat” and counted in its place.
The same button appears when you log a workout for a client in person, and swaps carry over from workout templates and onto the plan PDF. The exercise substitutions guide has the details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an exercise swap in fitness coaching?
A backup exercise a fitness coach chooses in advance for one exercise in a client’s plan. When the equipment is busy or the movement doesn’t suit the client that day, they do the swap instead, with the same sets, reps and rest.
Can clients pick any exercise as a swap?
No. Clients choose only from the swaps their coach saved for that exercise, up to three.
Does a swapped exercise count as completed?
Yes, once the client logs its sets. It counts in the planned exercise’s place. Choosing a swap without logging anything leaves the exercise not done.
Can personal trainers use swaps when logging a session in person?
Yes. When you log a workout for a client, the same swap button is on the exercise. The plan PDF lists the swaps too, for clients who train from paper.
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