9.5 Designing an effective program – bringing it all together
Programming is a blend of science and art. While the initial stages of program development turn more towards science, the final design phases showcase art’s flair. However, as we continuously strive for simplicity in our programming work, we inevitably dive into complexities over time, only to eventually return to simplicity.
Much like nutrition counseling, trends in programming change over time. Yet, our extensive industry experience has consistently shown that the most effective programs are often the simplest. The reasoning behind this might not be immediately clear. Still, it can be found in the first level of Eric Helms’s Strength Pyramid – ADHERENCE.
Our collective experience shows that the simpler a program is, the easier it is to adhere to and execute. As such, simplicity in program design significantly boosts adherence and consistency rates.
To understand this better, let’s break down complex programming concepts into more digestible training programs. By doing so, we can illustrate the importance of simplicity in program design and how it directly affects adherence and consistency.
One of the primary considerations in programming is the distinction between online and offline coaching.
When we’re training clients in person, we’re present to guide them through every workout. Consequently, it may not be crucial to document every detail of the exercise execution as we’re there to provide real-time feedback and corrections. However, in online coaching, the responsibility of execution falls squarely on the clients.
Despite the necessity for more precise instructions and detailed guidance in online coaching, an overload of information can hinder a client’s success. For example, if they find the instructions too complex or spend significant time reading before executing an exercise. In that case, they might lose confidence and eventually discontinue the program.
The next crucial distinction is between general population clients and potential athletes that some of you may coach in the future. For the general population, simpler instructions often lead to higher consistency and greater success rates. Athletes, on the other hand, may require more specific instructions to elicit the desired adaptations and improve performance. In simpler terms, general clients may not need intricate details, but rather key focus points to execute exercises with proper technique. For instance, many trainers emphasize tempo, which, while important, may not always be necessary. A controlled movement will often suffice for the average client.
We’ve discussed some training methods you can use, and there are countless more. However, we believe it’s more beneficial for you to master the basics than to experiment with the latest trends constantly.
A straightforward program of 6-10 exercises, with 3-5 sets and 6-15 reps per set, executed in a “single exercise” format—without supersets, tri-sets, or other more complex strategies—might yield better results than a program that attempts to incorporate all possible methods.
Consider our client, Karen. Our assessment revealed that Karen needs to lose weight and occasionally has knee pain. In addition, her movement patterns, largely due to a sedentary lifestyle, are not conducive to her health, and her cardio-respiratory capacity is relatively low.
Karen’s primary goal is weight loss, and our secondary goal is alleviating her knee pain. It would be easy to create a complex program to address these issues. Still, complexity might overwhelm Karen and possibly lead to her discontinuing the program.
Our approach needed to focus on keeping Karen motivated and getting her moving consistently to reach her goals.
The primary objective was to keep her active and to increase her energy expenditure o help Karen lose weight. Naturally, a calorie deficit through nutritional interventions was part of this strategy, but let’s focus on physical activity for now. As for her knee pain, we incorporated specific exercises that quickly resolved the issue.
From a program development perspective, we sought to include the “best bang for your buck” exercises in our training program. These exercises are typically compound movements that engage multiple muscle groups.
Here’s a table of the exercises that formed the core of our program:
We also incorporated secondary exercises:
With these exercises, we created a simple yet highly effective training program for Karen.