How to Modify a Strength Training Plan for Your Level
By Amanda Boike Fitness
The most effective muscle-building plan is the one that is tailored to your body.
Learning how to modify a strength training plan allows you to make each workout challenging enough to create progress without pushing through joint pain or unnecessary discomfort. Two people may perform different versions of the same exercise and still train the same muscle effectively.
The goal is not to copy an instructor’s exact movement, weight, or range of motion. The goal is to choose a version that allows you to work the intended muscle with good form and enough effort to build strength. But you don't have to work with a personal trainer. In this article, we'll cover how to tailor a strength training plan to your body.
How to Modify a Strength Training Plan
You can modify a strength training plan by adjusting several variables:
Weight
Training frequency
Range of motion
Body position
Props or support
Exercise selection
The right modification depends on why the original version is not working for you.
An effective modification should help you:
Train the target muscle
Maintain good form
Get close to muscle failure
Avoid joint pain or unwanted discomfort
Recover before your next workout
Stay consistent with your routine
A modification does not automatically make an exercise less effective. In many cases, changing the exercise allows you to work the target muscle harder because pain, instability, or discomfort is no longer limiting the set.
First, Identify Where You Feel Discomfort
When a client tells me that an exercise feels uncomfortable, the first thing I evaluate is where the discomfort is occurring.
Is it happening in the muscle that the exercise is designed to target? Or is it happening in an area that is supporting the exercise?
This distinction helps me decide what to modify first.
For example, imagine you are performing a side-lying shoulder abduction to train your right deltoid. You are propped up on your left elbow, but that position feels uncomfortable in your left shoulder.
Your right deltoid is the working muscle. Your left shoulder is supporting your body.
Instead of removing the shoulder exercise completely, I would first change the supporting position. Can you adjust the position of your elbow to make the exercise more comfortable on your shoulder? If not, you could lie all the way down on your side rather than staying propped up on the elbow.
This removes the distracting discomfort from the supporting shoulder while still allowing you to train the right deltoid.
Once the discomfort is gone, you are more likely to:
Keep the exercise in your routine
Focus on the working muscle
Complete the full set
Train closer to muscle failure
Make progress over time
The original position is not more effective simply because it looks more advanced. The more effective version is the one that allows you to train the intended muscle consistently.
Adjust Your Body Position
Body position is often the first variable I change when an exercise causes discomfort.
Even a small change can shift the load toward a different muscle, reduce pressure on a joint, or make the exercise more appropriate for your current strength.
How to Modify a Lunge
If someone feels knee discomfort during a lunge, I may first adjust their position to place more of the load into the glutes.
This could include:
Leaning the torso forward
Changing the distance between the feet
Adjusting the stance width
Shifting the hips backward
Holding onto support for balance
I would also pay attention to exactly when the discomfort begins.
Does it happen immediately? Does it only happen when the person moves deeper into the lunge? Does it become more noticeable as the muscles get tired?
The timing of the discomfort helps determine what to change next.
If it only occurs at the bottom of the movement, decreasing the range of motion may help. If it begins immediately, the person may need a lighter load, a more supported position, or a different exercise.
How to Modify a Kneeling Forearm Press
During a kneeling forearm press, you can change the difficulty by shifting your body weight forward or backward.
Shifting more weight forward increases the resistance. Moving your weight backward decreases it.
This allows you to adjust the load without changing equipment. Your body position can function similarly to increasing or decreasing the weight of a dumbbell.
How to Modify a Ball Crunch
Your arm position can make a ball crunch easier or more challenging.
Extending your arms straight forward generally reduces the load to the abdominals. Placing your arms behind your head will the load for your abdominal muscles.
These changes may look small, but they can make a meaningful difference in how hard the target muscle has to work.
Change Your Range of Motion
Range of motion refers to how far you move during an exercise.
You do not have to use the largest possible range of motion for an exercise to be effective. Your range should be based on what you can control without pain or unwanted compensation.
If discomfort only occurs near the bottom of a lunge, for example, you may be able to perform the movement comfortably by stopping before you reach that point.
Over time, your comfortable range may increase as your strength, mobility, and control improve.
Reducing the range of motion can also help you learn a new exercise. Instead of struggling through the entire movement, you can practice the portion you can perform well and gradually expand your range.
Choose a range of motion that allows you to:
Maintain control
Keep the intended muscle working
Avoid sharp or increasing pain
Maintain good form as you fatigue
For example, a personal training client was doing split squat lunges, an exercise that targets the glutes. She was able to bring her back knee almost all the way to the floor, but wasn't feeling much load in her glutes. So we adjusted her position so that she was leaning forward more and putting most of her bodyweight over her front leg. When she attempted the next rep, she wasn't even halfway down when she exclaimed "wow! I feel my glutes so much more, and I don't even have to go down as far!"
Sometimes a smaller, controlled movement is often more useful than a larger movement that causes discomfort or requires other parts of your body to take over.
Increase or Decrease the Weight
The weight you use should be based on what appropriately stimulates your muscles- not on what an instructor or another person is lifting.
A weight may be too heavy if:
You cannot maintain good form
You feel fatigue or strain in other areas of your body
You need to use momentum
You stop because of joint discomfort
You cannot complete the intended range of motion
A weight may be too light if you finish the set feeling like you could perform more than 4 repetitions.
Your ideal weight can also change from one workout to the next. Sleep, stress, nutrition, illness, and previous workouts can all affect how strong you feel.
Decreasing the weight does not mean that you failed to follow the program. Adjusting the weight is part of following the program effectively.
Use Props for Additional Support
Props can make an exercise more comfortable without removing the challenge from the working muscle.
For example, placing a ball under your waist during a shoulder abduction exercise may provide additional support and help you maintain a comfortable position.
Placing one or more blocks under your hips during a prone hamstring curl may help you train the hamstrings without struggling to hold the rest of your body in place.
Props can help you:
Support a joint
Reduce pressure on a sensitive area
Improve your position
Maintain balance
Focus more effort on the target muscle
Using a prop does not mean you are making the workout less productive. It may allow you to stop spending energy on an uncomfortable position and direct more effort toward the muscle you are trying to train.
Choose a Different Exercise for the Same Muscle
Sometimes changing your position, range of motion, weight, or props is not enough.
If an exercise continues to cause discomfort, choose a different movement that trains the same muscle group.
For example:
Swap push-ups for a chest press
Swap lunges for hip thrusts
Replace a propped side-lying exercise with a fully supported version
Replace an unstable exercise with a more stable variation
You do not have to perform one specific exercise to build a muscle.
Push-ups and chest presses both train the chest. Lunges and hip thrusts can both train the glutes, although they load the muscles differently.
There is no benefit to repeatedly forcing an exercise that causes pain when another movement can train the same muscle effectively. Choose exercises that allow you to train the target muscle group close to muscle failure.
Learn the Difference Between Muscle Fatigue and Pain
One of the most misunderstood parts of strength training is the difference between productive muscle fatigue and a warning sign that an exercise needs to be modified.
To stimulate muscle-building, the working muscle needs to experience a high level of mechanical tension. This usually means training close to mechanical failure (also known as muscle failure).
As you approach muscle failure, the final repetitions become much harder to complete with good form. The weight may move more slowly because the muscle is becoming less able to produce force.
Consider a biceps curl. At the beginning of the set, the dumbbells may move easily. As your biceps become tired, each repetition requires more effort.
Your body may begin trying to help by arching your back or swinging the weights. Instead of using momentum to complete additional repetitions, keep your back steady and continue curling with control.
When you can no longer complete another repetition with good form, you have reached or come very close to muscle failure.
What Productive Muscle Fatigue Feels Like
Productive fatigue may include:
The target muscle becoming very tired
The weight moving more slowly
The final repetitions requiring significant effort
Feeling unable to complete more than 4 repetitions with good form
Muscle burning can happen during a challenging set, but burning alone does not necessarily mean the muscle has experienced enough mechanical tension.
You are looking for the point where the muscle becomes less capable of producing force and your repetitions become difficult to complete with good form.
Signs You Should Stop and Modify the Exercise
These sensations are not required for muscle growth:
Sharp pain
Joint pain
Tingling
Numbness
Irritation
Twinges
Strain
General discomfort that changes how you move
These are signs to pause and evaluate the exercise rather than push through it.
You may need to adjust your body position, add support, decrease the range of motion, reduce the weight, or choose a different exercise.
Use Repetitions in Reserve to Choose the Right Level
One practical way to determine whether an exercise is challenging enough is to estimate how many more repetitions you could complete at the end of the set.
This is called repetitions in reserve.
For many strength training sets, you want to finish feeling like you could complete no more than approximately 4 additional repetitions with good form.
If you feel like you could perform 10 or 15 more repetitions, the exercise is not challenging enough to build muscle.
You could make the exercise harder by:
Increasing the weight
Increasing the range of motion
Shifting your body position to increase load to the target muscle
If you cannot maintain good form or need to stop because of joint pain, the current version may be too difficult or simply inappropriate for your body.
You could make it more suitable by:
Decreasing the weight
Reducing the range of motion
Adding support
Changing your position
Selecting a different exercise
The goal is not to make every exercise as hard as possible. The goal is to make the target muscle work hard while keeping the movement comfortable and controlled.
Modify Your Weekly Training Frequency
Learning how to modify a strength training plan also includes deciding how often to work out.
Your training frequency should be based on your experience, recovery, schedule, and progress-not on the idea that more exercise is always better.
For Beginners: Start With Two Days per Week
When someone is brand new to strength training, I generally recommend starting with two days per week.
If a person is currently strength training zero days per week, moving to two days is already a significant increase. They do not need to immediately begin training four or five days per week.
Starting with two days also leaves room for future adaptation. As the body becomes accustomed to training, another day can be added if it is useful and realistic.
Increase to Three or Four Days When Appropriate
A more experienced exerciser may choose to train three or four days per week.
Additional training days may be helpful when:
You are recovering well
The workouts fit your schedule
Your progress has slowed
You need a more frequent training stimulus
You prefer shorter sessions across more days
More training is only useful when you can recover from it.
Signs You May Need More Recovery
You should feel fresh enough to perform well when you begin your next workout.
You may need more recovery if you consistently notice:
Significant soreness
General fatigue
Feeling drained before workouts
Decreasing strength
Difficulty lifting your normal weights
Stalled or declining performance
A lack of motivation caused by exhaustion
These signs do not necessarily mean you need to stop strength training. You may need to space your sessions farther apart, reduce your weekly frequency, or temporarily decrease your training volume.
Your workout schedule should support progress-not leave you constantly trying to recover from your previous session.
Modifications Are Not Just for Beginners
A common misconception is that modifications are easier versions of exercises intended only for beginners.
Experienced exercisers modify their workouts too.
They may make changes because of:
An injury history
Joint sensitivity
Fatigue
Equipment limitations
Body proportions
Recovery needs
The muscle they are trying to target
A modification can make an exercise easier, but it can also make it harder or more specific.
Moving your arms farther from your body may increase the load. Going deeper in a lunge can increase load. Adding a prop may help you isolate the target muscle more effectively.
The purpose of a modification is not always to reduce effort. It is to create the right kind of effort.
You Do Not Need to Copy the Instructor
Another common mistake is assuming that you must copy an instructor’s exact position, range of motion, or weight selection.
The instructor’s version reflects their body, experience, and current ability. It may not be the most effective version for you.
Trying to match someone else can cause you to ignore useful information from your own body.
The best instructor is the one who teaches you exactly what you should feel during an exercise, not just how you should look.
Instead, pay attention to:
Which muscle is working
Where you feel discomfort
Whether your form changes as you fatigue
How many repetitions you have left
How well you recover between workouts
Whether the exercise is realistic enough to repeat consistently
Your body gives you information throughout your workout. Learning how to respond to that information is an important strength training skill.
How I Modify Exercises With My Clients
When an exercise is not working well for a client, I generally move through a simple problem-solving process.
First, I identify whether the discomfort is occurring in the working area or a supporting area.
Next, I adjust the body position to see whether the load can be distributed more comfortably.
Then, I may add support, reduce the range of motion, or change the weight.
If those changes do not solve the problem, I select a different exercise for the same muscle group.
My general process is:
Identify where the discomfort is occurring
Adjust the body position
Add support or props
Change the range of motion
Change the load
Choose a different exercise
This is not a rigid rule. Sometimes the best option is immediately clear. However, it gives you a way to problem-solve instead of assuming you must either push through the exercise or skip the muscle group completely.
For clients with additional considerations, such as postpartum recovery or bone-health concerns, exercise selection may need to be more specific. The goal remains the same: choose movements that respect the person’s current needs while still allowing them to train consistently and build strength.
Frequently Asked Questions About Modifying Strength Training
Does Modifying an Exercise Make It Less Effective?
No. A modification can make an exercise more effective when it removes discomfort, improves your position, or allows you to train the intended muscle closer to failure.
The effectiveness of an exercise is not determined by how closely it matches the instructor’s demonstration. It is determined by whether it appropriately challenges the target muscle.
How Do I Know Whether to Lower the Weight?
Lower the weight if you cannot maintain your form, complete a controlled range of motion, or keep the target muscle working.
You may also need to decrease the weight if joint discomfort stops the set before the target muscle becomes fatigued.
Should I Push Through Muscle Burning?
Muscle burning can be a normal part of a challenging set. However, burning is not the same as joint pain, tingling, sharp pain, or strain.
Continue only when you can maintain good form and the sensation is coming from the working muscle.
How Often Should a Beginner Strength Train?
Two days per week is a strong starting point for those starting strength training. It creates a meaningful training stimulus while leaving enough time for recovery.
Frequency can increase later based on progress, recovery, and schedule.
When Should I Replace an Exercise Completely?
Replace an exercise when adjustments to your position, weight, range of motion, and support do not resolve the problem.
Choose another movement that trains the same muscle without creating the same discomfort.
Build a Strength Training Plan That Fits Your Body
The best training plan for building muscle definition is not necessarily the most advanced plan or the one with the most difficult exercises.
It is the plan that allows you to work the intended muscles, maintain good form, train close to failure, recover between sessions, and return consistently. Even with knee pain, low back, pain, or shoulder pain, you can start building muscle with the right modifications. This is exactly what we focus on in Amanda Boike Fitness Online. We provide the guidance for targeted & effective strength training while teaching you how to adapt to fit your exact fitness level and joint restrictions.
These adjustments are not shortcuts. They are part of intelligent strength training.
Your plan should challenge you at your current level while giving you room to become stronger over time.
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