Find the decision that stalled
Do not blame the whole spreadsheet first. Find the exact decision that stopped working: the max estimate, percentage jump, volume target, deload rule, exercise rotation, or unit conversion.
Google Sheets can handle formulas, functions, sharing, and collaboration. That is useful, and it also means old assumptions can keep repeating long after the training has changed.
Start by asking what the next session needs to know. If the answer is buried across tabs, references, and manual edits, the problem is no longer only the formula.
Preserve the logic that still works
Keep the parts of the spreadsheet that are genuinely valuable: the weekly structure, progression rule, exercise list, percentage anchors, or notes about what worked.
Then separate those rules from the work you need under the bar. Today still needs a target load, warm-up plan, rounded equipment load, and a place to record what happened.
Example: if a sheet says 5 x 5 at 75% of a 160 kg training max, the session target is 120 kg. The spreadsheet produced the number, but the training still needs plates, warm-ups, execution, and a useful log.
Move session decisions out of cells
When a spreadsheet stalls, the issue is usually not that spreadsheets are weak. It is that training sessions need decisions in the moment: what to load, how to warm up, what to record, and what should change next week.
Use calculators to make the math explicit, then move the routine into a training flow where sessions, notes, and progression stay tied to the plan.
If the spreadsheet mixes kg and lb, normalize units first. If exact percentages create un-loadable numbers, round intentionally and keep the reason visible.
Use Protocol for the next block
Use this guide as a migration workflow, not a file converter. Rebuild the routine from the rules you trust, then run the sessions in Protocol.
Build the routine in Protocol from the rules you trust, use the calculators around the edges, and let the log show whether the next block is actually moving.
The spreadsheet can remain the planning notebook if you enjoy it. Protocol should carry the session execution when the sheet starts creating friction.