“30 minutes on the treadmill, 3 times a week.” That prescription shows up in almost every workout plan, and almost always in a notes field the client never opens. No weekday, no intensity, and nobody knows whether it got done.
The Cardio Plan treats aerobic work as a real prescription, alongside training and diet.
1. Choose the modalities
There are 14 modalities: walking, running, cycling, swimming, elliptical, rowing, stair climbing, jump rope, HIIT, aerobics, dance, treadmill, stationary bike and other. A plan can combine several, such as treadmill on day A and bike on day B.
2. Organize into sessions by weekday
Each plan has sessions (A, B, C…), and each session falls on set weekdays. The weekly layout shows, Monday to Sunday, which session the client does each day, making it easy to fit cardio into lighter training days.
3. Free text or full phase-based prescription
For simple guidance, use free text. When you need control, build the session by phases:
- Warm-up: 5 min, low intensity
- Main block: 20 min, moderate intensity, target HR of 130 to 145 bpm
- Cool-down: 5 min, low intensity
Each phase has a duration and intensity (low, moderate, high or very high) and, if you want, a target heart rate and target speed.
4. Real-time plan analysis
As you build, the panel shows:
- minutes per week and days per week of cardio;
- estimated calories per session and per week;
- intensity distribution, meaning how much of the volume is low, moderate or high.
Calories use the MET method with the client’s current weight, not an old weight buried in their history. That helps align cardio with the diet’s calorie target.
5. Templates so you never start from scratch
Save plans as templates (for example, “Beginner fat loss: 3× LISS”) and apply them to other clients, adjusting as needed.
Cardio vs. running
If your client is a runner, the running module is still the right place, with pace, zones, races and GPS. The Cardio Plan is for the aerobic routine in any modality, which didn’t have a home of its own before.
Conclusion
With the day, intensity and target defined, aerobic prescription leaves the notes field and gets the same care as strength training.
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