TrainersBookPersonal trainer spreadsheet template for Excel and Google Sheets
A spreadsheet is a good place to start. It is free, it bends to the way you work and you already know how to use it. Here is a template with four sheets and formulas that do some of the thinking for you, plus the ten signs that tell you it is time for something bigger.
When a spreadsheet is enough
A spreadsheet works well when you have a handful of clients, see them in person and log the session yourself while you train them. Everything passes through your hands, so one file is enough to keep it in order.
It starts to creak when clients train on their own between sessions. Then the numbers have to get from their phone into your file, and every set you type in from a message is admin. The ten signs below help you tell when you are there.
The template: four sheets
Keep everything in one file with four tabs. One file for all clients makes the formulas possible. One file per client looks tidy but means you cannot see who needs you without opening them all.
Each file has the column headings and an example row to delete. In Google Sheets, create a new spreadsheet and use File, Import for each file, choosing to insert it as a new sheet. In Excel, open each file and move its sheet into one workbook. Name the tabs Clients, Program, Log and Progress, so the formulas below find them.
1. Clients: one row per client
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| A Client | The name, spelled the same way everywhere in the file |
| B Start date | When they started with you |
| C Goal | One sentence, in their words |
| D Sessions per week | What you agreed |
| E Check-in day | The day you ask how the week went |
| F to H | Last session, days since and volume last 7 days. Filled in by formulas |
| I Notes | Things to remember: schedule, preferences, what motivates them |
2. Program: one row per exercise
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| A Client, B Block, C Day | Whose program, which block (for example Block 1, four weeks) and which session (Day A) |
| D Order | The order of the exercises in the session |
| E Exercise | The name, the same way every time |
| F Sets, G Reps min, H Reps max | A rep range rather than one number, so progression has room |
| I Weight, J Rest, K Note | Starting weight, rest in seconds and a short technique cue |
3. Log: one row per set
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| A Date | As a real date, not text |
| B Client, C Exercise | Spelled exactly as in the other tabs |
| D Set, E Weight, F Reps | One row for every set, warm-ups left out |
| G RPE | How hard it felt, 1 to 10. Optional, but useful |
| H Volume, I Est. 1RM | Filled in by formulas |
| J Note | "Felt heavy", "knee fine", "use the belt next time" |
4. Progress: one row per check
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| A Date, B Client | Once a month is enough for most clients |
| C Body weight, D Waist | Only if it matters for the client's goal |
| E Main lift | The lift you follow for this client, for example Back squat |
| F Best est. 1RM | Filled in by a formula, from the Log |
| G Note | What changed, and what the client said about it |
Six formulas worth adding
Paste each formula into row 2 of its column, then fill it down: drag the small square at the corner of the cell, or double-click it. Click a box to select the whole formula.
Log: volume per set (H2)
=E2*F2
Weight times reps. Add up a week of it to see whether training load is going up, down or nowhere.
Log: estimated 1RM (I2)
=IF(OR(F2<1,F2>12),"",IF(F2=1,E2,ROUND(E2*(1+F2/30),1)))
The Epley formula, one of the two our one rep max calculator uses. It stays empty above 12 reps, where the estimate gets unreliable. It lets you compare a set of 8 with a set of 5.
Clients: last session (F2)
=IF(COUNTIF(Log!B:B,A2)=0,"",MAXIFS(Log!A:A,Log!B:B,A2))
The latest date in the Log for this client. Format the column as a date.
Clients: days since last session (G2)
=IF(F2="","",TODAY()-F2)
Then add conditional formatting to the column: colour the cell when the number is greater than 21. Now the clients who have gone quiet turn red without you looking for them.
Clients: volume last 7 days (H2)
=SUMIFS(Log!H:H,Log!B:B,A2,Log!A:A,">="&TODAY()-7)
The week's total load per client, from the Log. A sudden drop is worth a question in the next check-in.
Progress: best estimated 1RM up to that date (F2)
=MAXIFS(Log!I:I,Log!B:B,B2,Log!C:C,E2,Log!A:A,"<="&A2)
The best estimate for the client's main lift up to the date of the check. Over a few months, this column is the progress story you show the client.
If your spreadsheet uses a comma as the decimal separator, as Swedish and German settings do, put semicolons between the parts of each formula instead of commas. Excel in another language may also want the function names in that language. Google Sheets accepts the English names. MAXIFS needs Excel 2019, Microsoft 365 or Google Sheets.
Five rules that keep it working
- One row per set, every time. "3x8 @ 80" in one cell is quick to type and impossible to count. Formulas need one number per cell.
- Never merge cells in the Log or Program tabs. Merged cells break sorting, filtering and every formula that reads the column.
- Use a drop-down for names. Add data validation to the Client and Exercise columns, with a list taken from the Clients tab and from your exercise names. "Back squat" and "Back Squat " count as two different lifts.
- Dates as dates. If a date sits to the left of its cell, it is probably text, and the formulas will skip it.
- Do not share the whole file with clients. A shared link to your master file shows every client's name, weight and notes to anyone who has it. Send each client their own program instead.
A file with names, body weight and notes about clients is personal data. Keep it in an account with two-step sign-in, share as little of it as you can, and remove clients' data when you no longer need it. This is general information, not legal advice. Gym and studio owners can start with who is responsible for client data.
Ten signs it is too small
One or two of these are normal. Three or more, week after week, means the spreadsheet is costing more time than it saves.
- Clients send you their sets in messages, and you type them in.
- You open the file on your phone on the gym floor and zoom to find the right row.
- A client trained from an old version of the program because the new one was in a different tab.
- You copy the same program into a new tab for every new client.
- You put off changing programs because it means editing several places.
- Someone sorted a column and the formulas broke.
- You notice a client has gone quiet weeks after it happened.
- A progress talk starts with ten minutes of scrolling.
- Food, chat and progress photos live in three other apps.
- You cannot take a week off, because the file only makes sense in your head.
Most of these have the same root. The spreadsheet is yours, but the training happens on the client's phone. An app closes that gap by letting the client log where they train.
Switching without losing your history
Every part of the template has a counterpart in TrainersBook. The difference is who types and who calculates.
| In the spreadsheet | In TrainersBook |
|---|---|
| Clients tab and the days-since formula | My Clients, with Falling Behind for clients who have not trained in three weeks |
| Program tab | Programs built from your own exercise library, or drafted by FitAI and approved by you |
| Log tab | Clients log their sets on their phone, with a rest timer. You log the sessions you coach on yours |
| Progress tab and the 1RM formula | Charts built from logged training, including estimated one rep max per exercise |
| Notes column | Private notes on the client's profile, next to chat and check-ins |
You do not have to move everything in one weekend. This order keeps the work small:
- Start with new clients. They have no history to move, so they start in the app from day one.
- Move each existing client when their next block starts. You are writing a new program anyway.
- Paste the program instead of retyping it. Copy the client's rows from the Program tab and paste the text into TrainersBook, or take a photo of a printed program. It becomes a workout or a program for that client.
- Log one session with today's weights, so the next one has numbers to start from.
- Keep the old file as an archive. Make it read-only and leave it be. You can always look back.
Common questions
Is there a free personal trainer spreadsheet template?
Yes, on this page. Four files, Clients, Program, Log and Progress, that open in Google Sheets and Excel, with six formulas for volume, estimated 1RM, last session, days since, weekly volume and best lift over time.
What should a personal trainer track for each client?
At least date, exercise, sets, reps and weight for every session, plus what you agreed: goal, sessions per week and check-in day. Add body weight or measurements only when they matter for the client's goal, and a short note on how the session felt.
Excel or Google Sheets for personal training?
Either works with this template. Google Sheets is easier to open on a phone and to share one tab with a client. Excel works well if you mostly plan at a computer. Pick the one you already use.
When should a personal trainer stop using spreadsheets?
When clients train on their own and you type in their sets from messages, when you notice too late that someone has stopped training, or when programs live in several versions. If three of the ten signs above fit for weeks, it is time.
Can I move my spreadsheet programs into TrainersBook?
Yes. Copy a client's program rows and paste the text into TrainersBook, or take a photo of a printed program, and it becomes a workout or a program for that client.