WRITING TRAINING PROGRAMS IN FOUR STEPS
Program design. It’s not the most important thing that you do as a coach, but it's up there.
Writing training programs was the topic of the week on a recent CCP mentorship call. It’s a topic that is far heftier than this short blog (nudge nudge, join me for the next mentorship group!), but here’s a 4-part framework that may help you think about the next week of programming you sit down to create.
Keep in mind that there’s some groundwork to do before writing programs. Prior to these steps you’ll have conducted the consultation and the assessment, identified priorities, developed a plan, and laid out a long-term plan with periodization.
1: DESIGN BASED ON YOUR DAILY PLAN
Often called a weekly split, the daily plan is based on priorities, training age, and the phase of training you’re in. It will keep you honest to the priorities and the progression as you sit down to program each week.
I recommend taking a pattern-based approach to this and including the type of aerobic progression you’re focused on for the mesocycle.
E.g.
Monday - Squat, Push, bend, pull, core, lunge
Tuesday - MAP 6 (cyclical)
Wednesday - Bend, Pull, squat, push, core, lunge
Thursday - MAP 10 (outside)
Friday - Lunge, Push, squat, pull, core, bend
Saturday - MAP 6 (mixed cyclical)
Sunday - MAP 10 (outside)
2: DETERMINE APPROPRIATE EXERCISE SELECTION
This is done based on Fitness Monitoring Exercises, which are a set of tests to determine whether your client has achieved 1. motor control, 2. strength endurance, and 3. max contractions in each movement pattern, as well as gain structural balance insights. Their capabilities will guide what exercises are most appropriate for them.
3: UNDERSTAND HOW TO ORGANIZE AND ORDER
Organize around principles of the strength continuum, starting with speed and ending with absolute strength—faster to slower contractions. (E.g. power cleans before front squats.)
Order around more complex, higher intensity, and multi-joint exercises and end with less complex, lower intensity, and single-joint exercises. (E.g. back squats before leg extensions.)
4: FINALLY, ORCHESTRATE
Deliver your programs consistently, professionally (check for typos!), and clearly. Use lettering (A, B, C, D…) and write as Exercise, tempo, reps x sets; rest. (E.g. Back Squat, @30X0, 3 reps x 4 sets; rest 2 minutes)
With these four inputs, you can feel confident putting your stake in the ground with the program you sit down to write. It will be grounded in goals and capabilities, intuitively honor principles, and achieve the dose-response you’re seeking.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to writing training programs. In CCP we’ll go deep and wide into all there is to know about program design, but I promise you’ll complete the program with a simple way to implement all that you’ve learned.