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Pro Tip - Programming with Levels

Updated over a month ago

Before joining the CHIP team, I was a customer for 3 years. After trying 3 other major gym software platforms, CHIP was my 4th—and final—solution.

👉 After 10 years in the industry, switching to CHIP was one of the easiest business decisions I ever made.

What truly set CHIP apart? The ability to program in levels. At the time, we were shifting our programming approach, and this feature became a major selling point.


🧱 What’s a Workout Block?

A workout block is a section of a workout—such as a warm-up, strength set, conditioning piece, or cooldown.

➕ What Are Levels?

Levels allow you to create multiple variations of the same workout block, which makes it easy to tailor workouts for different athletes based on ability, experience, or intent.


⚠️ Key Reminder About Levels

Levels are not designed to build the entire workout inside one block.

❌ Incorrect:

  • Level 1 = Warm-up

  • Level 2 = Strength

  • Level 3 = Conditioning

  • Level 4 = Cooldown

✅ Correct:
Each of those should be their own workout block, with levels inside each to represent variations.

When logging a level-based block, the athlete selects one level before submitting their result.


⚙️ Setting Up Level-Based Workout Blocks

When creating a level workout block, you can:

  • ✅ Set the default number of levels shown in the Track settings
    (Admins → Tracks and Memberships → Tracks)

  • ✅ Edit how many levels to include in the workout block

This gives you flexibility and control over how your programming appears and functions.


💡 Examples of How to Use Levels

🔹 Warm-Ups (Suggested Score Type: None)

  • Level 1: General Warm-up

  • Level 2: Specific Warm-up


🔹 Strength Movements (Suggested Score Type: Lifting)

Scale based on ability or limitations:

  • Level 1: Back Squat

  • Level 2: Box Squat

  • Level 3: Goblet Squat

👉 You can override the primary movement to score an alternate level if needed.


🔹 Conditioning (Suggested Score Type: Multiple options)

Vary intensity or movement type based on RPE or athlete needs:

  • Level 1: Beginner-level effort

  • Level 2: Moderate intensity

  • Level 3: High intensity


🔹 Cooldowns & Finishers (Suggested Score Type: Freeform)

Tailor to time, recovery goals, or mobility needs:

Cooldowns

  • Level 1: Couch Stretch

  • Level 2: Scorpion Stretch

  • Level 3: Foam Roll

Finishers

  • Level 1: 50 Bicep Curls

  • Level 2: 50 Goblet Lunges

  • Level 3: 75 Sit-ups


🧠 Final Thoughts

There are endless ways to use levels in your programming—these are just a few ideas to get you started. Name and color code the levels as desired for ultimate personalization.

Whether you're scaling for ability, personalizing for performance goals, or streamlining your coach workflow, levels in CHIP give you the flexibility to meet every athlete where they are.

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