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Programming

Progressive overload is the main training
principle I base my programming on.
It's as simple as when you get stronger,
you must work out harder in some way to
increase your need to adapt, whether
it be through weight, reps, sets,
workout frequency, or variation difficulty.

​These basic yet important factors are the
main determinants of your
​exercise program outcome.

​


Some other factors that will come into play during creation of your program are:
​
  • ​Frequency of lifting days
  • Past or current injuries
  • Health conditions
  • Training experience
  • Fatigue mangaement
These and other factors are taken into
consideration when programs are created.
They are all individualized to fit the trainee and
their goals with the time and equipment available.
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Breaking Down The Program
We can break this program sheet down pretty simply.
​
You have your main lift and accessory lifts.
Your main lift is usually the most intense
exercise of your day, but not always.
Accessory lifts compliment your main lift
or work on something completely different 
depending on your goals.

The black text is the name
of the exercise while the red text
can indicate both quick directions of the
exercise and specific instructions
where I believe individuals need to
focus.

​To the right side of the program we see how 
many sets, reps and what weight we will
be using for the exercise.
  • Green arrow pointing to sets done per exercise
  • Yellow arrow pointing to the attempted weight range
  • Violet arrow pointing to the attempted rep range 
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Programming Examples
In the following examples lets go over
a few different programs and break down
different parts of each of them
so we can get a clearer picture of how
this can work for individuals
of differing needs.
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Programming Example 1
Here is an example of a smaller,
​new females routine. 
This individual has
one hour, 2 days a week to train.
This program places an emphasis on
glute and pper body strength.
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After 6-8 weeks of progressive overload
and some exercise variation, our next
​programming block looks like this:
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You will notice the latter program is
more difficult in almost every way.
Reps may stay the same if weighs
or sets increased and vice versa.
​Increasing weight when possible
before reps and sets will increase
strength and muscle mass without
generating excessive fatigue and
soreness (not useful!).
Training in the progressive
overload style can help make sure
your technical form is on point
before you increase the weight


You may also notice that some of the
​attempted reps and weights have a range
in them. This allows the client some
upward motion when they are by
themselves during their training,
​without the program itself
becoming too strict or complicated.

​A strict program can be hard to adhere to
on bad days while an overly complicated
program can bog down your ability to get
​ in and out of the gym.


Programming Example 2
Let's look at a snippet of another
clients training. This client is a lean
male who has 5 days to train but
​only 30-45 minutes in his gym during
those sessions. The program has
an emphasis on the chest and
shoulders right now. This  time lets look
​at exercise selection and amount of 
exercises performed during a session.


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It's plain to see that each day this client
​has less exercises per session than our
newer client.  With less time and
equipment, this person counts on
more bang for your buck exercises relying
solely on a bench and pair of
adjustable dumbbells.

This programs exercise difficulty is
higher for shorter bouts of training but
the individual is able to make
progressive gains this way even
with limited time per session and
​equipment availability.
Programming Example 3
Here is s a piece of a program from
a naturally larger and stronger male.
This person loves to workout.
He has only been training for less than
a year but has made strides. They are
all in on training, lifting 5 days a
week, more than an hour a day at a fully
equipped public gym.


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​All gym equipment should be seen
as a tool to be used in context
for training goals and for this
reason i like to use any available
equipment when it suits the need.
This can help keep from boredom and
in some cases help with recurring 
movement injuries and lets face it,
it can be nice to hit the machines
to get a break from the constant
stress of free weights,

As you can see,   
a gym stocked
with equipment and a full training
schedule will allow  for more
muscle groups 
to be hit or for
the same muscle groups to be worked
out more frequently.




Programming Example 4
For one last example let's look
at an elderly client who was 
originally dealing with both
arthritis of the knee and
a hiking mishap, leaving her
with a knee surgery that 
went well. By following 
the concepts of progressive
overload we have been able to
get her from a 4 inch stepup
and bodyweight bench squats,
to this current program.
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This client lives further away, 
only allowing for one session
a week. We make the most of it
though and her knee is proof!
​
One day a week is useful for
very specific purposes.
You should not expect to 
look like Arnold with this
frequency of lifting. 
However, remember that any
lifting is  better than none at all!


Conclusion
Hopefully these examples can give a clear
picture of what to expect when working
with me, including how I think when
programming and the reasons why 
progressive overload is the way to train!
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