Learn how to build structured, progressive, and measurable cognitive training plans using the Plan Builder inside Soma Analytics. This guide walks you through setup, session design, and assignment so you can build effective, data-driven programmes for your athletes.

Give your plan a clear, descriptive name so it's easy to find later, then select New Plan to start from scratch.

Before you add any tasks, the first thing to do is create your sessions. Select Add Session to add one.

We recommend a simple naming convention like Baseline, Session 1, Session 2, and Session 3. Keeping them clearly labelled makes the whole plan far easier to manage and read back later.

Next, set how many times each session should repeat. By default every session runs for a single cycle, but you can adjust this to suit your programme.

You can also turn on athlete feedback scales. There are three: Rating of Mental Fatigue, Rating of Mental Effort, and Rating of Perceived Exertion. Your athlete completes these after each task, giving you valuable subjective feedback alongside the objective cognitive data.

If you switch on Baseline Comparison, Soma automatically generates pre and post baseline reports at the end of the block. With this turned on, the session cycle is set to two for you, so both baseline assessments are included.

Finally, if you want more detailed analysis, enable Minute on Minute tracking. Instead of just the final average for a task, this records performance all the way through, so you can see how your athlete responds as mental fatigue develops.

With your sessions ready, start building the structure. Soma lets you filter tasks by cognitive demand, which makes the process much quicker. Most athletes benefit from training all four demands, but prioritise the ones that matter most in their sport, where split-second focus, control, or decision-making count.

→ How to Filter Tasks by Demand

→ How to Filter Tasks by Mode

Next, decide when the cognitive work happens around physical training: pre-session, in-session, or post-session. Only the placement you choose shows up inside Soma NPT, so your athlete's workflow stays clear. To add a task, select Add Drill within a session, then set the duration, the intensity, and the mode. The mode adds an extra layer that increases the load on top of the task. Repeat this until the session is complete.

→ How to Adjust Task Settings

→ How to Access Mode Information

→ How to Access Task Information

A practical approach is to create a core group of three sessions and repeat them each week. Simply copy and paste the sessions, then progressively increase the training load or use undulating periodisation by varying intensity, duration throughout the block.

Once you're finished, tap the periodisation overview to see how the plan develops across the entire block.

If you'd rather look at baseline data before finalising, just set up your session names, add your scales, and enable Minute on Minute first. Once you've reviewed the baseline results, carry on and build the rest.

To assign it now, select Assign Users, choose your athletes, and tap Assign. To start it later, pick a date and time from the calendar and Soma will assign it for you automatically.

When a new plan is assigned, your athlete opens the Home tab in Soma NPT to refresh their plan list. Once it refreshes, the new plan appears. For example, a plan updating from Soma 1.0 to Soma 1.1 will only show after they tap the Home tab.

Important: Saving and Deleting Plans

Plans save automatically as you work. Assigned plans sit under Active, and unassigned plans sit under Inactive. One thing to be careful with: if you delete a session that an athlete has already completed, all its data is permanently lost, and this can't be undone.