One of the most feared days in every IFAST Interns existence was the dreaded “Program Defense Day.”

On this day, our interns would have to stand up in front of Bill, myself, and the current IFAST coaches and explain – in excruciating detail – every aspect of a workout they’ve written for a hypothetical client.

And while most did quite well, there were a few that got asked to go back to the drawing board and start over!

But rather than talk about the past, let’s focus on right today.

Let’s focus on YOU and your programming.

Ready for some fun?

Let’s do this!

The Details Matter

Let’s make today’s post interactive, shall we?

Here’s what I want you to do…

Go find the most recent program you’ve written and either print it out, or pull it up on your computer or tablet screen.

Don’t worry – I’ll wait.

No seriously – get the program and play along, because I promise it will be more fun this way.

Got it? Good.

Now here’s what I want you to do…

Go to the second page, third exercise down in the workout and answer these questions for me.

• Why did you choose THAT exercise?
• How does it help your client achieve their long-term goal?
• How does it fit into this training session?
• Do you see where I’m going with this??? 🙂

Now imagine me doing this with every single exercise, or set/rep scheme, or tempo, or rest period that you’ve written in a workout.

It’s not easy, right?

But that’s the level of planning and foresight you need to have when writing a program.

Now let’s talk about a practical way you can do this WITHOUT having me there to grill you 24/7.

The Microscope Approach

The microscope approach is simple:

You’re going to start with the big-picture, 30,000 foot view of a client or athletes program and then drill down to the details from there.

I’m not saying you need to do this with EVERY program you write, but if you start using this style of thinking it will immediately make your programs more effective.

I’m also going to drop my R7 graphic below which outlines the various sections of a training session. If you’re unfamiliar with this structure, definitely consider checking out my Complete Coach Certification where I dive into the R7 style in-depth.

Here are the questions I ask myself whenever I write a program (and I’m going to use the word client/athlete interchangeably versus using both every time to make things concise):

• What are the long-term goal(s) of the athlete?
• What are the short-term goal(s) of the athlete?
• What is the primary goal of THIS program?
• What movement adaptations do I need to make in the short-term to improve their long-term outcomes?
• If this program goes according to plan, does it set the stage for future/ensuing programs?
• Does your warm-up (R1-R3) set your client up for a great training session?
• Does your warm-up (R1-R3) optimize movement efficiency and improve biomechanical alignment?
• Do the exercises you’ve chosen in R4 support the short-term needs of the client? And set them up for long-term success?
• Do the exercise you’ve chosen in R5 support the short-term needs of the client? And set them up for long-term success?
• Do the exercise you’ve chosen in R6 support the short-term needs of the client? And set them up for long-term success?
• Do the tempos, set/rep schemes, and rest periods in R4 support the goals of this program?
• Do the tempos, set/rep schemes, and rest periods in R5 support the goals of this program?
• Do the tempos, set/rep schemes, and rest periods in R6 support the goals of this program?
• After this program is completed, what are the next steps? What are the next boxes that need to be checked to continue progressing this client/athlete?

Now this isn’t an exhaustive list, but the goal is to get you thinking critically about every element of your programs.

And furthermore, to get you thinking forward – not just about short-term changes, but how to create meaningful and impactful change over the long haul.

Summary

I hope today’s article was helpful and stimulated some thoughts on writing better programs.

If you took something away from it, please consider sharing with a fellow trainer, coach or rehab professional.

As always, thanks for your support and have a great day!

All the best,
MR