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Adding and Using Exercise Swaps (Alternative Exercises)

Set up alternatives on your own exercises and distinguish client swaps from replacing a workout row.

Availability: This guide describes the new exercise-library experience. If your account does not yet show the CC catalog controls, contact support to check availability.

How to Set Up Exercise Swaps (Alternative Exercises)

Coach Catalyst allows you to add alternative exercises so clients can swap movements when needed. You can add up to 10 alternatives per exercise.

Configure alternatives on an exercise you own in My Exercises. CC catalog exercises are read-only. To customize their alternatives, first save an editable copy to My Exercises, then review and configure alternatives on that copy before using it.

Option 1: Add Alternatives at the Exercise Level

This method saves alternatives on the owned exercise in your library. Review the workout where you intend clients to use them; existing, individual, or completed workouts may have their own saved state.

​Steps

  1. Select an exercise you own and open Edit exercise.

  2. Go to the Alternative Exercise section.

  3. Click inside the search box.

  4. Search for the exercise you want to add as an alternative.

  5. Select it from the list.

  6. Repeat to add more alternatives (up to 10 total).

Result: The alternatives are saved on that owned exercise. Check the intended client workout to confirm the options available there.

Option 2: Add Alternatives from Inside a Workout

You can also open an owned exercise’s editor while building a workout.

Steps

  1. Open the workout, open the owned exercise’s ⋯ menu, and choose Edit exercise.

  2. In the exercise editor, find the Alternative Exercise section.

  3. Click Edit.

  4. Use the search box to find and add alternative exercises.

  5. Select the exercises you want to include (up to 10 total).

Result: The alternatives are saved on that owned exercise. Check the intended client workout to confirm the options available there.

Key Notes

  • You can add up to 10 alternative exercises per movement.

  • Alternatives allow clients to quickly swap exercises while still completing the workout.

  • A CC exercise’s Swap exercise action replaces a workout row; it does not edit the catalog exercise’s client alternatives.

Replace a CC exercise in a workout

In the coach web builder, open the CC exercise row’s ⋯ → Swap exercise. Search for the replacement, choose it, and save the workout. Use Close to leave the picker without choosing a replacement.

The CC workout row swap picker searches for a replacement exercise.

This coach action is separate from the client’s Swap button described below.

How Clients Swap Exercises in a Workout

On the client side, swapping an exercise is simple.

  1. The client opens their workout as normal.

  2. If an exercise has alternatives available, they will see a Swap button.

  3. They tap Swap to view the list of available alternative exercises.

  4. They select the exercise they want.

  5. They tap Done, and the workout will update with the new exercise.

This allows clients to quickly substitute movements while still completing the intended workout.

How Clients Swap Exercises in a Workout in Coach Catalyst
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