I Tried ChatGPT as My Running Coach — It Beat Every Paid App

Most running apps charge €20 a month for an AI training plan. Today I'll show you how to build your own training plan for free using ChatBT. Let's get right in.

So before we start opening ChatBT, the first step is to gather all the important running data from the past few months. This step is really important

months. This step is really important for the AI to understand how your training looks like and to make sure we're not going to overtrain and get injured. So go into your running app.

injured. So go into your running app.

Mine is a Sundto, but you maybe have a Garmin, an Apple Watch, or a Chorus.

Honestly, they're all doing the same.

And literally just take screenshots of important data. For example, your

important data. For example, your training load over the past year is a really good one. Your weekly mileage is really important. Maybe even your

really important. Maybe even your average sleep time could be interesting, right? So once we have those, we're

right? So once we have those, we're going to airdrop that to our MacBook or whatever you're using. And let's open Chat GBT. So once we're in ChatBT, first

Chat GBT. So once we're in ChatBT, first step is we're going to open a new project. Name it whatever. I'll go with

project. Name it whatever. I'll go with Ultra Morocco 2025. Now, technically,

you could split your running plan, your strength plan, and your nutritionist into three different chats. The problem

is that the chat bots don't actually communicate with one another. Each chat

kind of has its own brain. And so, if you want to have a training plan that makes sense where the strength session kind of depend on your running week, then it's really important to keep it all in one chat. So, that's what we're

going to do. Now, let's start with the first prompt. Dear coach, now obviously

first prompt. Dear coach, now obviously I'm going to write this prompt with my information, but put your relevant information where it fits. And if you want all the prompts with blanks just to

fill it in, you can download it for free in the first link of the video description down below. So, dear coach, I'm Rafa and I want you to act as my expert running coach and nutritionist.

Your mission is to get me in the best shape possible to achieve my next goal, the ultramarathon 2-day stage race in Morocco on the 15th of November, 2025.

Before we build my training and nutrition plan, I want you to fully understand my background, habits, and context. Base info here, insert your

context. Base info here, insert your age, your weight, your height, and your body fat if you have it. Sports

background, what did you play when you were a kid? Um, are you extremely sporty? Are you just starting out? All

sporty? Are you just starting out? All

that information is important. And then

your last current PB. If that's a 5K, if that's a marathon, doesn't matter. Just

input your most current personal best in there. Then your running history. When

there. Then your running history. When

did you start running? What are the major races you did and your time really helpful. Then your past injuries. Okay,

helpful. Then your past injuries. Okay,

so I have multiple ankle sprains. I had

shin splints in 2022, IT band syndrome, runner's knee. All your injuries should

runner's knee. All your injuries should be here. And of course, the most

be here. And of course, the most important are the injuries that are the most recent and that you're still recovering from. So I'm still recovering

recovering from. So I'm still recovering from a miniscus tear, and that's going to be really, really important um for my for my mobility and strength sessions.

Last but not least, your lifestyle. How

much you sleep? Uh where do you work? Do

you work from home? When do you usually go to the gym? Do you have a gym near you? Um, how many days a week do you

you? Um, how many days a week do you run? Okay, if you run with a run club or

run? Okay, if you run with a run club or something like that on certain days, also put that information into the lifestyle segment. All of these pieces

lifestyle segment. All of these pieces of information are going to be really useful later on. So, before we click enter, just make sure that the AI is up for the challenge. So, then Chachi will

give you an answer saying that he's very motivated to take on this challenge and come up with a few questions. But we are not finished yet. Okay, that was our first prompt. There's two more before we

first prompt. There's two more before we actually start building our plan. The

second prompt will actually include the screenshots that we took earlier. So,

you're just going to write, "Before we get into it, I wanted to share some more data. Screenshots of my past training

data. Screenshots of my past training from my Sunundto app. Can you confirm you understand that data or do you need me to clarify anything? Just drag and drop your pictures here. I do think that

this is also available for the free version of ChatBT, but honestly, I'm not sure anymore. If not, you can also

sure anymore. If not, you can also transcribe the screenshots into actual text. All right, so it tells me it fully

text. All right, so it tells me it fully understands that data, so I don't need to clarify anything. Sometimes there can be misunderstandings. So that's why it's

be misunderstandings. So that's why it's important to ask and confirm.

Okay, that's all really, really interesting information in there already. So now we can get into the

already. So now we can get into the first big task that you're going to have um with this training plan. So the

prompt is the following. Before we start building my plans, please ask me 10 questions that will help you perform your mission to the best of your abilities. So, obviously, you're not

abilities. So, obviously, you're not going to have the same questions as me, okay? That's because I am training for a

okay? That's because I am training for a completely different race than you might be training for. Okay? That's why this video is a followalong. And the best way to do it is to just take it and adapt it

to your situation. What did it made different categories, one for race specific, one for injury recovery, okay, because of my miniscus tier, one for my training preferences, nutrition and lifestyle, and life context. So, this is

really awesome. It even asks me if I

really awesome. It even asks me if I have any big life events coming coming up before the race. So, it can make my training plan according to those events.

The apps that I tried like runner and urun, they are AI based uh training coaches. They don't even ask you these

coaches. They don't even ask you these questions. So, so this is awesome. So,

questions. So, so this is awesome. So,

take time to respond to these questions.

Okay.

All right. So, once you answered all your questions, make sure you add this sentence at the end. Please create a baseline training plan based on all my answers. All right. So, already chatbt

answers. All right. So, already chatbt created a really solid baseline structure for my weekly training plan.

Okay, I can see it. It included the Thursday intervals that I do with my run club. This is all based on my past

club. This is all based on my past running history. It's based on my

running history. It's based on my current goal. So this is super

current goal. So this is super personalized and really interesting.

What we will do now is we're going to take that baseline and structure it into four phases because each training plan in the world works in four phases. You

first have the initial phase. It's kind

of to get started. Then the progression phase. That's the biggest block. Okay?

phase. That's the biggest block. Okay?

It's like progressive overloading until like two weeks before the race. Then you

have the taper phase which serves to get your volume down, keep the intensity high to get you into peak athletic performance on race day. And then the recovery phase which is like 2 weeks

after the race. So now the next prompt will be based on that. So great, thanks for the baseline running plan. Now

please organize this running plan into four clear phases leading up to my race.

One, initial phase, build aerobic endurance, consistency, and injury prevention. Two, progression phase. at

prevention. Two, progression phase. at

intervals, tempo runs, hill workouts, and gradually increase long run distance. Taper phase, reduce mileage

distance. Taper phase, reduce mileage and intensity to arrive fresh while maintaining sharpness. And lastly,

maintaining sharpness. And lastly, recovery phase, post- race recovery plan with reduced load, mobility, and gentle return to running. Please outline weekly mileage progression and key sessions for each phase and explain the main purpose

of the phase. All right. So, now that we have a plan that's split into four phases built on our fitness data according to our goals and our lifestyle, we can now sprinkle in some strength and mobility sessions. Now,

please integrate strength and mobility sessions on top of it. Guidelines. Okay,

these are my guidelines. You obviously

have different ones, so just act accordingly. Add two to four strength

accordingly. Add two to four strength sessions per week. Choose push, pull, legs, or plyometrics depending on availability and preference. Make sure

strength sessions don't fall the day before hard interval workouts or long runs. Each strength session should last

runs. Each strength session should last 30 to 60 minutes depending on time available. Add mobility sessions two to

available. Add mobility sessions two to six times per week. Length can vary from 10 to 20 minutes. Focus on common weak points like ankles, hips, and hamstrings. Please fit these into the

hamstrings. Please fit these into the existing running schedule without creating overload and explain why you placed them where you did.

All right, so now comes the best part of all of this. We're going to visualize everything into a PDF and we're going to do a CSV export so we can import it into Google spreadsheets and actually have

our plan in a spreadsheet and you know move things around, take off sessions, etc. So the prompt we're going to use is great. Now please create a CSV file that

great. Now please create a CSV file that I can import into Google spreadsheets to visualize all of this.

[Music] All right. So, it made me this entire

All right. So, it made me this entire plan and gave me a CSV file right here that I can download. I'm going to do that and import it into a new

spreadsheet.

So, I open this here. Import. Yes.

And there we go. It doesn't look that great yet. We can still do some

great yet. We can still do some formatting, but this is a full training plan including everything we want with focus and notes at the end all the way

until race day. That's amazing. But we

can go even further than that. Let's go

back to chatbt and actually ask it to visualize something into a PDF. Amazing.

Now, please visualize this in a 16x9 document so I can see all my sessions leading up to the race.

And here we go.

This is it. So, we have a full training plan exported into a PDF from ChatBT. That's

amazing. All right, it's time for nutrition. It's really important that

nutrition. It's really important that you do the nutrition part after your training plan because otherwise the AI won't know what to base your nutrition plan on. And so because this is again a

plan on. And so because this is again a case-by case thing, I asked ChachiBC again to ask me 10 questions about my eating habits and preferences to perform

its job as a nutritionist as good as possible. So here's the prompt. Now

possible. So here's the prompt. Now

before you create my nutrition plan, I want you to ask me 10 questions about my eating habits and preferences to perform your job as nutritionist to the best of your abilities. Again, take as much time

your abilities. Again, take as much time as you need to answer these questions and it will give you a full nutrition plan that's based on your training plan.

If you want to download all the prompts uh with a blank so you can fill it in, you can go to the first link in the video description down below. You get it for free into your mailbox. Thanks a lot

for watching. Stay wingy. Peace.

for watching. Stay wingy. Peace.