It goes without saying that ChatGPT has been a hit. This winter and spring, the chatbot exploded in popularity, so much so that it was hard to go a day without hearing about it. From worries about cheating to privacy concerns, the bot has faced its fair share of problems. But it’s also come with a slew of positive use cases, from writing funny songs to helping people prepare for job interviews.

I decided to put ChatGPT’s skills to the test in a totally different realm: fitness. I asked the bot to program a workout for me. 

What happened when I asked ChatGPT to write me a workout

Though I’d never used ChatGPT before, the process was extremely simple and intuitive. After downloading the app, I typed in a simple request: “Write me a workout.” After a few moments, it generated a result, which included a warm-up, a workout, a cooldown, and a short blurb about exercise safety. Initially, I was fairly impressed. I didn’t think the tool would include a warm-up and cooldown, but it did.

After reviewing the suggested workout, I took a stab at it. I warmed up with some jumping jacks, running in place, and riding a stationary bike, as well as the arm circles and leg swings. I structured the workout itself like a three-part cycle; I started with 10 push-ups, then did 12 squats, followed by eight dumbbell shoulder presses, and so on. Once I completed the Russian twists, I started once again with the push-ups. I did the entire series three times. Finally, I closed out the session with about five minutes of stretching.

Overall, I was pleased with what ChatGPT programmed. My favorite part was that it truly was a full-body workout. I exercised my arms, my legs, and my core. None of my muscle groups felt neglected. I was also happy to loosen up before the workout and stretch when I was done.

But I wasn’t completely in love with the chatbot’s suggestions. For me, the workout felt a little too easy. This may be because I’m used to taxing and sweaty CrossFit workouts. Perhaps adding in more weights — like to the lunges, for instance — would’ve been beneficial. Or I could’ve done the movement series more than three times.

ChatGPT and CrossFit: a perfect match?

As an experiment, I tried altering my ChatGPT request. Maybe if I made the ask more specific, I would get a more challenging workout. Indeed, when I told the AI chatbot to write me a CrossFit workout, it did a pretty good job — though I must say, this workout looks pretty hard!

ChatGPT’s marathon training plan

The same thing happened when I asked it to write me a workout for marathon training. It actually created a weeklong training plan.

The bottom line

On the whole, ChatGPT can write a decent exercise routine. And the more you cater your request to your specific fitness goals, the better the result will be. But on a personal level, I would rather program my own workout. After all, I know myself, my fitness preferences, and my limits better than artificial intelligence does.