Strength Workout DSL

Strength DSL is the text form of the strength workout builder. Use it when copying a session from a coach, editing several set groups quickly, or reviewing the exact structure that Trainingload.ai will save. It describes one static session; each exercise contains one or more warm-up or work set groups.

Before you begin

• Open an editable workout and choose Strength Training as the sport.
• Select the Rules tab. The Manual tab edits the same workout structure visually.
• Decide which loads are known. Use open instead of inventing weight or percentage values.
• Keep coaching explanations in workout notes. DSL contains the prescription, not free-form prose.

Start with the smallest valid workout

Paste this into Rules:

exercise "Goblet Squat" equipment dumbbell {
  work 3x8 open rir 3 rest 90s
}

Then select Validate Input. This example means:

• one exercise named “Goblet Squat”;
• dumbbell equipment;
• three work sets of eight repetitions;
• no fixed load;
• three repetitions in reserve;
• 90 seconds of rest after each set.

Every valid workout needs at least one exercise. Every exercise needs a non-empty quoted name and at least one work line.

Understand the document shape

A complete session has three levels:

duration 50m
session rpe 6

exercise "Back Squat" equipment barbell {
  warmup 1x5 weight 40kg rest 90s
  work 3x5 weight 80kg rpe 7 rest 3m
}

1. duration and session rpe describe the whole session. Both are optional and may appear only once.
2. exercise "…" { starts an exercise block. The closing } ends it.
3. warmup and work lines describe groups of sets inside that exercise.

Blank lines are allowed. Comments and ordinary prose are not part of the grammar.

Add session settings

Use these lines before the first exercise:

duration 50m
session rpe 6

duration accepts seconds, minutes, or hours, such as 45s, 50m, or 1.5h. It is the planned duration of the complete workout, not one set.

session rpe accepts a number from 1 to 10. It is the planned overall session difficulty. It is different from rpe on a set-group line, which describes the effort target for those sets.

Add an exercise

The basic form is:

exercise "Romanian Deadlift" {
  work 3x8 open rir 2 rest 2m
}

The exercise name must be inside double quotes and cannot be empty. Names can use the athlete's language. Escape a double quote inside a name as \" and a literal backslash as \\.

Equipment is optional:

exercise "Romanian Deadlift" equipment barbell {

An equipment code may contain lowercase or uppercase letters, digits, hyphens, and underscores. Saved DSL normalizes the code to lowercase. Prefer stable codes such as barbell, dumbbell, bodyweight, cable, or machine.

Write a set group

Use the following order for readable, canonical DSL:

work PRESCRIPTION LOAD EFFORT rest DURATION

Only warmup or work and the prescription are required. Load defaults to open when omitted, but writing open makes the intent clear. Effort and rest are optional.

An exercise may contain several set groups:

exercise "Back Squat" equipment barbell {
  warmup 1x8 weight 20kg rest 60s
  warmup 1x5 weight 40kg rest 90s
  work 3x5 weight 60kg rpe 7 rest 3m
}

Warm-up groups are optional. At least one work group is required, so an exercise containing only warmup lines will not validate.

Choose a repetition or time prescription

The set count and repetition values must be positive. In a range, write the smaller value first.

Choose a load

Open load

work 3x10 open rir 3 rest 90s

Use open when the athlete should choose the load on the day, or when no reliable load history is available.

Fixed weight

work 3x5 weight 80kg rpe 7 rest 3m
work 3x5 weight 175lb rpe 7 rest 3m

Write the number and kg or lb without a space.

Percentage of 1RM

work 4x4 weight 80%1rm rest 3m

Use this only when the exercise has a known, current 1RM. The accepted percentage is greater than 0 and no more than 100.

Bodyweight and bodyweight offset

work 3x8 bodyweight rir 2 rest 90s
work 3x6 bodyweight +10kg rpe 8 rest 2m
work 3x8 bodyweight -20kg rir 2 rest 2m

+10kg means added weight. -20kg means assistance that reduces the effective bodyweight load.

Choose RPE or RIR

Use only one effort model on a set-group line:

work 3x5 weight 80kg rpe 7 rest 3m
work 3x8 open rir 2 rest 2m

• rpe accepts 1–10.
• rir accepts 0–10.
• Do not put both on the same line.

RPE and RIR are cues, not automatic load calculations. rpe 7 does not cause Trainingload.ai to invent or adjust a weight.

Build a complete localized session

Exercise names are user content, so they do not have to be English. The DSL keywords remain English because they are the grammar.

duration 45m
session rpe 6

exercise "Barbell Squat" equipment barbell {
  warmup 1x8 weight 20kg rest 60s
  warmup 1x5 weight 40kg rest 90s
  work 3x5 weight 60kg rpe 7 rest 3m
}

exercise "Push-up" equipment bodyweight {
  work 3x8-12 bodyweight rir 2 rest 90s
}

exercise "Plank" equipment bodyweight {
  work 3x45s bodyweight rest 60s
}

This produces three exercises: a loaded repetition exercise, a bodyweight repetition range, and a timed bodyweight hold.

Validate, compare, and save

1. Select Validate Input.
2. Read the first reported line error before changing other lines.
3. Compare the strength preview with the intended exercise count and work-set count.
4. Switch to Manual if you want to inspect the parsed fields visually.
5. Return to Rules and confirm the normalized DSL still has the same meaning.
6. Select Save Draft, reopen the workout, and verify it again.

Normalization may lowercase keywords, equipment codes, and units or insert an explicit open. Those changes do not alter the workout. A changed exercise, set count, prescription, load, effort, or rest does.

What the DSL does not support

Strength DSL is a static session prescription. Do not put these in the text:

• if/else or executable logic;
• weekly progression or deload rules;
• nested exercise blocks;
• comma-separated attributes;
• executable progression scripts;
• notes or coaching paragraphs.

Put human guidance in workout notes. Keep unsupported external scripts in their original system rather than translating them into a different prescription.

Verify the workout

• The workout uses Strength Training, not an endurance sport.
• Every exercise has a quoted, non-empty name.
• Every exercise contains at least one work group.
• Repetition ranges are ordered from low to high.
• Each set group uses no more than one load and one effort model.
• The preview shows the intended exercises and work sets.
• Reopening the saved workout preserves the same meaning.

Troubleshooting

Next steps

• Use Strength Workouts for the visual builder and programming decisions.
• Read Manual Workout Editor to compare Rules and Manual modes.
• Add the workout to a plan with Create a Training Plan.