Do you recall a few years ago when (then) NYC Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, initiated a proposed ban on the sale of large-sized sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas, sweetened teas and coffees, as well as energy and “fruit” drinks?
The Big Gulp Experiment
The idea was that by prohibiting restaurants, delis, sports arenas, movie theaters, and food carts from selling sugary beverages larger than 16 oz – with a hefty fine of $200 for failing to downsize – people would be less inclined to drink copious amounts of said beverages.
What’s more, they’d be healthier, happier, smile, and say “good morning” as they passed one another on the street1
It worked, right?
People stopped drinking those ginormous ‘Big Gulps’ and instead starting crushing almond milk kale smoothies laced with organic acai berries harvested from a unicorn’s rectum (<– I’ve been told they’re super delish).
Um, no…it didn’t work.
First: We’re talking about NYC here folks. A lovely city by most counts, full of diversity, sports, art, music, fashion, food, and an obsession with hip-hop loving dead Presidents.
Second: People in general, whether we’re referring to NYC or not, hate being told what they can and cannot do.
When this happens, we revolt.
Just look at teenagers. We tell them not to drink alcohol and not to have sex and we usually end up with more costly and less than ideal consequences.
In much the same way, the soda experiment didn’t work.
Consumption of sugary beverages DOUBLED!
Why?
It’s a topic I first heard a handful of years ago from Dr. Gnel Gabrielyan of Cornell University’s PHENOMENAL Food & Brand Lab.
In short, he brought up a litany of valid points with regards to our food biases and how (ir)rational we tend to be when it comes to the decisions we make.
Let’s just say the food industry is sneaky and shady as f*** when it comes to marketing their products. Portion distortion and how that interplays with recommended serving sizes comes to mind here.
Likewise, ever notice how many sugary cereals have their characters looking down?
Do you know why?
It’s to target the kids looking UP at the shelves. They feel the character on the box is looking at them.
“Tell your mom to buy me little Johnny. No, beg her. Fall to the ground and scream and flail your legs until she submits. Do it. DOOOOOOOOO It.”
I mean, talk about brilliant marketing.
However, one point I remember Dr. Gabrielyan highlighting – which I felt helped explained the phenomena of what happened during the soda experiment above (and why it failed so miserably) – is the concept of REACTANCE.
“Reactance is a motivational reaction to offers, persons, rules, or regulations that threaten or eliminate specific behavioral freedoms. Reactance occurs when a person feels that someone or something is taking away his or her choices or limiting the range of alternatives.”
Basically, you tell someone that they can’t do “x” or that they have to do “y,” and they’re going to get a little irritated.
Possibly punch you in the face. Who knows.
Framing
Another point Dr. Gabrielyan touched on was the idea of framing.
“The framing effect is an example of cognitive bias, in which people react to a particular choice in different ways depending on how it is presented; e.g. as a loss or as a gain.”
A quintessential example of framing would be the North Dakota Wine Experiment.
117 Diners; Pre-fix meal of $21.
All diners given the SAME wine, but with two labels. One marked “Wine from California” and one marked “Wine from North Dakota.”
Post Meal Measures: People rate “California Wine” as tasting better than “North Dakota” wine and believe that the food served with the California wine tastes better too.
How we “frame” a product or service can absolutely effect its perception by the consumer.
Priming
Another Jedi mind-trick to consider when attempting to change people’s perceptions or behaviors is the concept of priming.
“Priming is an implicit memory effect in which exposure to one stimulus (i.e., perceptual pattern) influences the response to another stimulus.”
While a bit sensationalistic, here’s a good example from the Will Smith movie, Focus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwS68ixemAQ
Another great example of priming people is a well-known grocery store study whereupon the premise was this: Can exposure to healthy samples lead to healthier shopping?
118 participants at a large grocery store.
Conditions: Apple sample, cookie sample, no sample.
Amount spent on fruits and vegetables then recorded.
No surprise: people receiving an apple sample spent more money on fruits and vegetables.
Note to self: Figure out ways to “prime” my wife into buying me an Xbox for Xmas this year.
Even cooler (and bringing this whole conversation full circle), another well-known and relevant study to bring to light is one where participants were given a carrot prior to sitting down to eat at a restaurant to see if it would increase the likelihood of them making “healthier” good choices.
It didn’t go quite as planned, because, as we learned above, people don’t like being told what to do, and more to the point, people like CHOICES.
Not many people accepted the carrot(s).
The next layer to the study was to then offer participants a choice of either a carrot or celery.
Ding, ding, ding…..success.
More participants grabbed a vegetable prior to sitting down to dinner and subsequently were “primed” to ingest more vegetables at dinner.
How Can We Frame & Prime Our Clients?
As personal trainers and coaches, anything we can do to set our clients up for a higher rate of success and enjoyment in their training, the better.
Some Suggestions
1) Allow your clients to choose their main lift of the day. Squats or deadlifts?
2) Allow them to choose the variation of the lift: Back Squat vs. Front Squat? Sumo Deadlift vs. Trap Bar Deadlift?
3) Allow them to choose their mode of exercise: Barbells only? Kettlebells? Maybe they dig Landmine exercises?
4) I often like to give my clients a window at the end of their training session to do whatever they heck they want. If they want to thrash their biceps, go for it. Add in some additional glute work? Go! Push the Prowler around (you psycho), have at it. Turkish get-ups dressed as He-Man? Whatever floats your boat, dude.
4) Here’s a cool trick I did with one of my female clients this week to “prime” her into lifting more weight. After a “top set” of deadlifts I was like “that looked awesome. Easy! Wanna maybe add 5-10 lbs and up the ante on your next set?”
I gave her the choice to stay put or go heavier. Either way it was a win, but she chose correctly…and added weight.
[Cue evil strength coach laugh here]
Giving your clients a sense of autonomy and control over their own training is a powerful tool in their long-term success.
Don’t get me wrong, you should still be the boss. They’ve entrusted you to coach them and write programming that best fits their needs and goals.
However, it’s never a bad thing to give them a little of what THEY want.
This article is not going to dive into the x’s and o’s of program design.
For that you can peruse my Resources Page and find plenty of options to fit your fancy. Instead, today, I wanted to peel the onion (so-to-speak) and discuss the layers of program design that rarely get discussed.
How to Make Your Programs Programs Your Clients Will Actually Follow
This post is going to hit on the more nitty-gritty and nuanced stuff.
The stuff that is the culmination of equal parts time under the bar, experience, and not sucking. The stuff that, while I feel are very important and what helps to separate the great coaches from the sub-par ones, might come across as trivial or inane to some, and certainly won’t win me any additional Instagram followers.
Wow, I’m really selling it here aren’t I?
Lets dive in.
1. It’s Not About You
No, really, the programs you write have nothing to do with you.
Sure, you’re writing them and it’s your expertise and coaching people are paying for. However, the program should be about your client/athlete and reflect their needs and goals.
I think it was Alwyn Cosgrove who first coined the phrase
“You should write programs, not workouts.”
On top of that, and equally Earth shattering, is a common quote I often defer to from the great Dan John:
“The goal is to keep the goal, the goal.”
Any Joe Schmo with biceps and a weekend personal training certification can write a hard workout that will make someone hate life.2
Writing a program – one that’s individualized – serves a purpose, addresses one’s unique injury history, caters to his or her’s goals, takes into account ability level, and on top of all that, is flexible, takes some thought, professionalism, skill, and attention to detail.
Listen, I am all for getting people strong (which, granted, is subjective) and I can appreciate anyone who places a premium on having their clients squat, deadlift, bench press, and deadlift.
Deadlift is listed twice….because, deadlift.
However, if your client is a newbie or is just looking to lose 10-20 lbs, or could care less about benching 2x bodyweight, the program should reflect that.
There’s two extremes that generally end up happening:
1. Trainer/coach doesn’t give a shit. Client shows up, trainer is ill-prepared, and what follows is some smorgasbord of laziness, complacency, and fitness industry cliches. I.e., client is paying for a babysitter who just so happens to show them how perform a shitty looking lunge.
2. Trainer/coach does give a shit. Albeit is too much of a narcissist to recognize that because he or she prefers to train like a powerlifter, Olympic lifter, bodybuilder, or CrossFitter, doesn’t mean ALL of their clients need to train the same way too.
Before you know it you have:
14 year old’s who have never mastered a squat performing Tri-Phasic 1-Legged Pistol Squats vs. Bands while dragging a sled
35 year old house wives working on their quad sweep
55 year old CEOs with poor shoulder flexion performing kipping pull-ups for AMRAP.
Makes sense.
At the end of the day people are more apt to follow and stay invested in a program – long-term – if they know it’s catered to them and has their best interests in mind.
Like it or not, this is a SERVICE industry….and while I recognize there’s a bit of head-butting between what people need to be doing and what they want to do, it’s your job as the fitness professional to find and include that balance.
2. Avoid Fitting Square Pegs Into Round Holes
Yo, check it.
1️⃣ No one HAS to back squat. And if they do, no one HAS to use the low-bar position.
2️⃣ No one HAS to pull from the floor. And if they do, no one HAS to use a straight bar.
3️⃣ No one HAS to bench press. And if they do, no one HAS to use a crazy excessive arch. Or use a barbell for that matter.
4️⃣ No one HAS to listen to A Tribe Called Quest radio on Pandora. But you kinda do. Trust me.
Another “trap” I see a lot of fitness professionals fall into is marrying themselves to any ONE way to do or perform anything.
For lack of a better way of putting it: I fucking hate this way of thinking.
I lose a lot of respect for coaches who are that narrow-minded and unwilling to understand that there are other coaches out there getting just as good (sometimes better) results not doing what they’re doing.
Piggy backing on what was mentioned above (on individualization) – everything kinda falls under this umbrella…from exercise selection, order, and even the variation.
I mean, if someone has the shoulder mobility of a pregnant rhinoceros it makes zero sense to force them into back squatting, let alone using a low-bar position.
Photo Credit: Menno Henselmans
It won’t do them any favors and will likely frustrate them as it will feel weird (possibly even hurt) and will do little in building a greater degree of competency.
If I felt squatting was still important for them and it fit into their goals, a better way to build success (and competency) would be to use a SSB (Safety Squat Bar) variation or maybe even Anterior Loaded KB Front Squats:
Here I can still groove a sexy squat pattern but take the upper body restrictions out of the equation.
Likewise, with deadlifts, no one outside of a powerlifter or weightlifter must pull from the floor. It’s a rare instance – kinda like a Centaur or a vegan dish that doesn’t taste like wallpaper – when someone walks into my gym on day one and can demonstrate the mobility (and stability) requirements to do so safely.
Honestly, my first order of business with many people is to help them find their hip-hinge before I worry about lifting anything heavy off the floor.
To that end, if someone lacks the ankle dorsiflexion, hip flexion, or t-spine extension to get into proper position, maybe a trap bar would be a better option?
I find it’s a more “user-friendly” way of introducing the deadlift.
What’s more, in terms of stress and sheer loading on the spine, the trap bar will be a better option for most people anyways. With a straight bar the center of rotation is further away from the bar, whereas with a trap bar it’s right smack dab INSIDE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-sA3PG1kGY
Want to make your programs programs your clients will actually follow?
One of the best strategies is to include exercises and movements that best fit their ability level, shows them success, and helps to build competency.
Everyone is different. Respect that.
3. Other Stuff I Was Going to Elaborate On But This Post is Already Long Enough
As in, write down and keep track of what your clients are doing per session (and encourage them to take ownership and do it themselves).
A funny thing happens when people start to keep track of what they do session to session. This little thing called progressive overload manifests and people start seeing results.
It motivates them.
Soon they’re lifting weights (for reps) they couldn’t sniff three months prior.
And it’s a beautiful thing.
2. Experiment with Semi-Private Training
My good friend and former business partner, Pete Dupuis, wrote a fantastic article on this topic that you can read HERE.
It’s not for everyone, but I find the semi-private training model works like a charm to help motivate people. There’s a lot to be said about being surrounded by like-minded individuals and training amongst a group of people who will push you, encourage you, and call you out when you skip sessions.
3. Know When To Back Off
This coincides with what I mentioned above when I said a program should be flexible.
You may have programmed for a client to work up to a few heavy sets of triples on their deadlift on a particular day, but they show up and it’s readily apparent they had a horrible night’s sleep, or maybe they’re just mentally exhausted from resisting the urge all day to Sparta kick their boss in the throat.
Regardless, whatever was planned is…just…not…going…to…happen.
You better have a plan B in your back pocket.
4. Don’t Forget To Put In Stuff They WANT To Do
It bears repeating, this is important: I’m all for playing the “there’s a reason why you’re paying me, I’m the expert” card.
But it’s only going to work in your favor to toss your clients a bone and not take yourself so seriously sometimes.
My female clients love it when I put in some extra glute specific work at the end of their training sessions. My male clients are 100% down for a quick 5-minute “Sun’s Out, Guns Out” arm finisher.
Pants optional.
5. Sprinkle in Some Markers
As in, don’t be afraid to write in prescribed loads you want your clients to hit.
I find many people are notorious for underestimating their ability (or maybe hesitant to push the envelop) and need a little nudge from their meanie head strength coach.
Here’s an example of what I mean, a snidbit of a program I wrote for one of my female clients last month:
Week 1: Trap Bar Deadlift
3 sets of 5 reps @ 155 lbs
Week 2: Modified Sumo Stance Deadlift
Warm-up
Hit 200×1
Then 3 sets of 4 reps @ 180 lbs.
Week 3: Modified Sumo Stance Deadlift
Warm-up
Hit 205×1
Then 3 sets of 2 reps @ 190 lbs
Week 4: Modified Sumo Stance Deadlift
Warm-up
Hit 215-220×1
Fist pump x infinity
Then 3 sets of 5 reps @ 160 lbs
One of her goals, before the end of the year, was to hit a 200 lb (straight bar) deadlift. She crushedthat goal, a few months early mind you, because I didn’t baby her and gave her some markers to hit.
NOTE TO READER: This is a re-post of a blog post I wrote back in 2017. It’s still the shit. You should read it.
There aren’t many topics harder to write about than program design.
I mean, I guess we can make a case for Biomolecular Feedback Systems or the intricacies of Mass Spectrometry,3 but in my neck of the woods – health/fitness & increasing people’s general level of badassery – program design can be (and often is) an arduous topic to break down.
It’s often a rabbit hole full of platitudes and people majoring in the minors.
I don’t know how many sets your client should perform. Or reps. And I don’t know if back squats would be a better fit than front squats.
The answer to any programming question will always be “it depends.”4
Did Tony Just Say Program Design is Dumb and Useless?
Um, no.
What kind of coach would I be if I said that?
Of course it’s important. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t say it’s imperative for any personal trainer or coach to be competent in that area and have skills.
A particular set of skills.
Skills that make you a nightmare for excess subcutaneous fat and sub-par deadlift technique.
Sets, reps, which exercise to do, and in what order?…it all falls under the umbrella of “I think this will work.”
“I’m pretty sure this person should trap bar deadlift instead of using a straight bar.”
“11 reps, Definitely 11.
“Shit, did I leave the oven on?”
I mean, hopefully your guesses aren’t coming from left field and made with some modicum of education catered to the goals, needs, and experience level of each client/athlete you work with.
There are a multitude of factors to consider when writing a program. There’s no such thing as a one-size fits all approach.
It’s something entire books take 500+ pages to explain and people get fancy degrees in and stuff.
One of my all-time favs: Christian Thibaudeau’s Black Book of Training Secrets
I am not going to get into the nitty-gritty of program design in this little ol’ post. I’ll peel back that onion at a later date. But there are several tenets of program design that are widely accepted across the board.
Including but not limited to:
Periodization
The organization of the training process. More to the point: It’s the planned variation in training volume and intensity over the course of a training program
This can be accomplished using Micro, Meso, or Macro Cycles:
Micro – Usually one-week in length
Meso – Usually 2-8 weeks in length, and often the most utilized.
Macro – Usually one-year in length (typically reserved for competitive athletes and/or SuperHeroes.
Mesocycles (2-8 week blocks) are the most common and can often be broken down into specific categories:
1. Doing Stuff. Or, What Uppity Strength Coaches Call General Physical Preparedness (GPP)
This is a phase where most people will start and it entails improving things like ROM of a particular muscle, flexibility, strengthening of weak muscle groups, addressing movement quality deficits, and using it as an opportunity to teach proper technique on certain exercises and drills.
2. Specific Physical Preparation (SPP)
My good friend, Joe Dowdell, often says this is where the bulk of the general population – particularly those who work with personal trainers – will stay.
This phase can have one of two focuses:
Accumulation – where the main stressor is volume (strength endurance, hypertrophy, etc)
Intensification – where the main stressor is intensity (Max Strength, Relative Strength, Speed Strength, Strength-Speed, etc)
3. Specific Training Phase
This is most often reserved for athletes and honing in on the specific demands of their sport of choice. Everything from exercise selection, speed of movement, energy-system work is specific to the sport.
4. Competitive Phase
In short, this covers IN-SEASON training. When I was at Cressey Sports Performance how we programmed for a baseball player during his IN-season training drastically differed from his OFF-season, mostly in terms of training frequency and intensity.
Types of Periodization
Giving credit where it’s due, the bulk of these descriptions are taken from Joe Dowdell’s Program Design Manual.
[NOTE: Sorry, good luck finding it. You’ll have better odds at finding The Invisible Book of Invisibility.]
1. Sequential Method (Linear)
This method uses specific intervals of time in order to develop a singular goal or strength quality.
This is where many beginner clients will start (as well as those who are injured).
Long Linear Method – Beginners live here. As weeks pass, volume decreases as intensity increases. The concept of “do more work each week” is hammered home here.
Short Linear Method – Uses 1-3 weeks and tries to fix the shortcomings of long-linear approach. Is a way to prevent de-training of strength qualities.
You can also think of this method as NSCA Essentials 101:
Preparation —> Hypertrophy —> Strength —> Power —> Competition —> Active Rest
The pitfall, unfortunately, is that this approach isn’t optimal for more advanced lifters/athletes as it’s tough to train multiple qualities at once.
2. Undulation Method
This is a very popular method and one I use often with my own clients. This is where you perform several different workouts in a repeating cycle, focusing on a different rep-range, exercises, or both.
A classic example is something like this:
Day #1 = “Heavy” Day; where all exercises are performed with low(er) repetitions (3-5) using heavier loads.
Day #2 = “Medium” Day; where all exercises are performed with more traditional “hypertrophy” styled rep-ranges (8-12)
Day #3 = “Light” Day; where all exercises are performed with high(er) reps (15+), tickles optional.
The above approach can be a considered “Daily Undulation.” You can also implement a weekly undulated approach, where the training stress fluctuates weekly.
All in all it’s a nice way to keep training fresh and allows trainees some variety.
3. Concurrent Method
This method allows for training multiple qualities at the same time in a given time period. The most common examples of this method is Westside Barbell and CrossFit.
CrossFit = Wall Balls, Kipping Pull-Ups, Double Overs, and Running Over Your Left Arm with a Prius for AMRAP. Dope.
4. Conjugate Method
This is a variant of Concurrent programming. Here, you’re still training multiple qualities but with an emphasis on ONE goal while maintaining all others with a minimal volume.
5. Block Periodization
This is described as a linear series of blocks that focus on several abilities at once. For high-level athletes and competitors this seems to be the preferred approach.
With this method there’s one dominant quality being emphasized (maximal strength for example) with a secondary focus on a different quality (muscle hypertrophy, bringing sexy back), all using a sequence of meso-cycles:
Accumulation (4 weeks) – develop basic abilities such as general aerobic endurance, muscle strength, movement quality, etc.
Transformation/Intensification (4 weeks ) – develop specific abilities like anaerobic endurance, specialized muscular endurance, and event specific technique.
Realization (2 weeks) – pre-competition, which typically emphasizes maximum speed and recovery prior to event. Otherwise known as “you’re now ready to go rip shit up.”
The Training Hour Pie
Mike Boyle speaks to this often. If you have a finite amount of time with a client or athlete – say 60-90 minutes – it’s important to structure each training session to fit the goals and needs of the person and prioritize a certain percentage of the pie accordingly.
That’s the meat-and-potatoes of (good) program design.
Most programs, day-to-day, breakdown as follows:
Soft Tissue Work – 5-10 minutes
Mobility Work/Dynamic Warm -Up – 5-10 minutes
CNS, Reactive, or Speed Work – 10-15 minutes (jumps, skipping, agility, plyometric, OLY Lifts)
Strength Training – 30-40 minutes
Energy System Work – 10 minutes
Recovery & Regeneration – 5-10 minutes.
Netflix & Chill – optional (but not really)
There will be fluctuations in how much time you allot to what component person-to-person. Some may need to spend more dedicated time on tissue quality, while others may need to up their conditioning.
However, it’s well accepted that most training sessions should follow this “flow,” and it’s your job as the coach to figure out the details.
All of This to Say
When I’m asked to speak to undergrads or young fitness professionals I often balk at the idea of discussing program design. I refrain from writing about it, too. They all want the answer, the big idea, the overarching thesis.
It’s impossible to do.
It’s all talk.
Stop talking.
Don’t get me wrong, the talking is important. It behooves any aspiring fitness professional to have a base understanding of anatomy, physiology, exercise science, and biomechanics and to talk things out.
To speculate, pontificate, question, maybe proselytize.
It’s also important to, you know, read books. I’d never say otherwise.
But it’s also important to consider that reading, talking and pontificating – while part of the “Turning Pro” process – doesn’t in any way, shape, or form suggest mastery.
Action does.
I’d argue the best way to write effective programs is through experience and letting yourself marinate in trial-and-error.
Honestly, when it comes to writing effective training programs, trial-and-error via experience will teach you more than most textbooks.
It’s not necessarily about how many books you read, seminars on the topic you go to, or how many “Masterminds” you attend. That’s all well and good and does matter. But having the guts to finally break the inertia of inaction, to finally stop talking, and to finally put things into action (often failing miserably)…that’s when things get interesting.
How Macho Bull and the Word “Should” Can Hold Back Your Training
For the last six months, I’ve been trying to build my squat back up to my previous numbers prior to the pandemic. Not surprisingly, I got a little inside my head and decided I “should” add weight to the barbell every…single…week.
The result of this 100% made up “should” rule resulted in a steady escalation of a pesky back injury every six weeks.
Times were sucky.
Needlessly adhering to silly, arbitrary rules hurt me.
Why Is It Important to Manage Our Relationship With These Rules?
When our mental health becomes defined by our performance in the gym you risk everything blowing up and our head space becomes tethered to whether or not we have a bad session or two.
Good session (hit our numbers) = Everything is hunky dory. Don’t worry babe, I’ll make dinner and wash the dishes tonight.
So the solution is you need to get better forever, yes?
No!
We are all getting older. One day, our performance will decline.
If you are defined by your gym performance, you will eventually run into problems.
Having an awareness of the “should” rules will hopefully keep you on the side of positive unconditional regard most of the time and help you to avoid dips in mental health relating to your training.
Another benefit to understanding your relationship with these “should” rules is better decision-making in training.
If you make better decisions, your training will be less self-sabotaging.
It’s not the answer to all your training woes, but it might allow you to train longer without injury, to be able to do your rehab without much resentment, and/or get you to the gym a few more times a year.
In short, staying cognizant of these “should” rules will give you the ability to perform poorly in the gym, to be unhappy about it, but still be able to turn the page, chill out, and accept yourself as being okay.
“Should” Rules That Aren’t Actually Rules
I should….
1. Lift More Weight Every Week
Macho bullshit.
You can’t lift more every week. You’re not He-Man (or She-Ra).
Most of the time, you’ll lift the same weight or less.
If you train regularly with a solid plan, your numbers will go up eventually. If you try to force the numbers up every week then you’ll likely end up frustrated and hurt.
Note From TG: I couldn’t agree more. I often call this expectation management, and it’s something I have to consistently remind my clients of. Like I always say…easy training is good training.
2. Lift More in Competition Than in the Gym
Some people lift more in the gym than in competition, others don’t. You need to compete a few times before you decide you are going to go for a massive PR in competition.
3. I Shouldn’t Get Injured
You’re not Wolverine.
Injuries are part of this journey.
The idea you’ll never get injured is a misguided idea.
You should do everything in your power to have good recovery, and to limit the risk of injury as much as you can, but it isn’t always possible.
4. Deadlift More Than I Squat
Not necessarily.
Josh Greenfield, (a world-record squatter) has a much bigger squat than his deadlift.
My squat and deadlift are around the same, and that is the case for many athletes around the world.
The difference between the two is decided by many factors, most of which are out of your control. Build great technique in them both, program them correctly, go at each lift with the same attitude, and see how they progress.
5. Front Squat
Unless you are training for a particular sport using a particular movement, you don’t need to do that movement if it’s causing you problems.
After a few weeks of front squatting, my knees want to explode.
What does this mean?
It means I don’t front squat often in favour of safety bar squats, goblet squats, or leg presses.
Trying to include a movement in your plan because you “should” is misguided. Quit banging your head against a movement that is hurting you.
6. Low Bar Squat
“LOW BAR SQUAT OR NOTHING!”
-Low bar squat extremist.
If your low bar squat sucks, and you keep hurting yourself then stop low bar squatting.
Find a squat variation you DO get on with.
7. Sumo Deadlift
If sumo deadlifts ruin your hips then the chances are sumo deadlifts don’t work for you. Don’t worry, you will be able to find a deadlift variation optimal for you.
The same goes for any other deadlift variation people say you “should” do.
If it hurts you consistently and your form looks good, switch it up. Maybe rack pulls or block deadlifts work better for you. That’s ok.
8. Max Out EVERY SESSION
Yes, you should, if you want to: 1) get injured 2) make training so mentally exhausting that you’ll burn out in 4 seconds.
This is macho bullshit hampering your training.
To make maxing out effective, you have to pick your battles. When you are in a competition is a great time to max-out.
When it’s something you do because it’s a Tuesday (or something equally as random and there’s no planning involved) you’re setting yourself up for trouble.
I like having my clients max-out infrequently as it’s hard to recover from and it’s risky.
I’d much rather a lifter got stronger while keeping some effort in the tank for another day unless they are competing.
9. Take Pre-Workout Before Every Session
Pre-workout supplements, when used diligently can work effectively.
When used perpetually to fuel sessions, we often see issues with anxiety, motivation, and other issues because of the knock-on effects on recovery.
Too-much pre-workout makes people need to de-load more often and makes stupid decisions in training more likely.
My personal strategy is to have a black coffee or sugar-free energy drink before training rather than a specific pre-workout supplement.
10. Be Able to Train Hard All the Time
Life happens, we don’t sleep sometimes, we get injured, and we get ill.
Sometimes, you will train poorly, and the cold truth of it all is most sessions are going to be average.
Some sessions will be awful.
Sometimes bad sessions come out of the blue, other times it’s after doing something you wouldn’t usually do.
Often it’s due to things completely out of your control. Which means bad sessions are unavoidable.
You have to be able to cope with that if you are to succeed in making training a long-term habit.
11. Train “x” Amount of Times Per Week
Based on over a decade of working with people like you, can you guess what training frequency tends to work best for people?
6 times a week?
5 times?
The answer is 3-4 sessions of 30-90 minutes.
For most, trying to train more than this is wildly optimistic.
If your favourite athlete trains 18 times a week it doesn’t mean you should.
Typically when people with lives end up training hard more than four times per week they end up under-recovered and over-injured.
For most people, I’d encourage you to train 3-4 times per week with various non-gym walks/steady cardio sessions dispersed throughout the week, with a little bit of HIT training .
12. Train Through Injury or Illness
You can safely train around an injury with careful exercise selection, and the correct application of rehab work.
Expecting to push through a program without factoring in your injury is macho bullshit.
When injury strikes you have to adapt to the circumstances, not steamroll ahead without changing course. The course correction may only need to be small, but a change of course will be needed to accommodate an injury.
With illness, there are times when you have to train, especially with chronic illness.
But with cold, flu, coronavirus, or whatever other short-term illness you have you to rest 1) so you don’t spread it to others and 2) so you don’t end up more unwell.
Conclusion
Good training is built upon hundreds of good decisions. Trying to adhere to rules because you “should” derails those decisions and makes it more likely you will make bad decisions and mess up your training.
When you begin training, many of these bad decisions will crop up.
By avoiding these bad decisions and rules that aren’t rules, your training is likely to be more consistent, more productive, and less stressful.
This is a good thing.
About the Author
Chris Kershaw is a certified personal trainer located in Leeds, England.
Known as The Heavy Metal Strength Coach, Chris aims to show as many people as possible that consistently lifting weights and working with a coach “isn’t that bad.”
He works with clients to improve their lives via the medium of the barbell (and the occasional kettlebell.)
It’s not lost on me that not many people are having dinner parties of late.
World pandemic and all…😒
For the past year the closest my wife and I have gotten to a bonafide dinner party is ordering take-out every Saturday night with our 4-year old, and then sitting at the table with his army of super hero action figures.
Excuse me Hulk, can you pass the garlic sauce?
That said, here in the States we’re inching ever so closer to some semblance of normalcy and my wife and I are beginning to make plans with friends for get togethers in several weeks.
And it got me thinking…
…planning for dinner parties is very much analogous to writing competent training programs.
Above all else, of course, would be ensuring your place is spic and span for your guests.
Think about it this way: If you’re planning on having guests over for dinner, and you need to tiddy up the place, where are you going to concentrate your efforts?
Vacuuming the floors?
Dusting?
Cleaning (and putting away) all the dirty dishes in the sink?
Making sure there isn’t any dirty laundry laying around?
Fluffing the pillows on the couch?
Lighting a few scented candles for some added ambiance, perhaps?
Those all sound like winners to me.
You’re likely not going to focus on iron pressing your ties, scrubbing down the shower, or, I don’t know, organizing your spice rack alphabetically.
The point is: You’re going to focus on the “big rocks” and save the superfluous, extraneous minutiae for another time.
By comparison, when working with a personal training client and you only have, if you’re lucky, two, maybe three hours per week with them, what should be the priority with regards to their training program?
More globally, what THEMES should be emphasized to help him or her make long-term progress that sticks?
NOTE: The answer to both questions can (and should) be dictated by one’s goal(s), injury history, and ability level (to name a few)…
…but let’s briefly take fat-loss as an example.
Speaking for myself, if a client of mine expresses interest in focusing on fat-loss, from a programming standpoint I’m going to concentrate my efforts toward the BIG ROCKS:
1️⃣ Discuss Strategies to Promote a Caloric Deficit
I’d rather jump into a shark’s mouth than go down the rabbit hole of discussing calories here.
There’s a myriad of things to consider and take into account:
Needless to say…if fat loss is the goal, a caloric deficit needs to happen in some fashion.
2️⃣ Strength Training
Sure, we can have a discussion on the efficacy of utilizing approaches such as supersets, compound sets, intervals, finishers, circuits, AMRAP sets, and so on and so forth to help promote more metabolic type training.
However, for me, I’m still going to have my client lift appreciable weight to “remind” the body to keep as much muscle as possible during a caloric deficit, which means I’ll still emphasize compound movements such as deadlifts, squats, rows, and various presses in order to hit as many muscle groups as possible in a minimal amount of time.
Seems pretty logical, right?
Again, if I only have a limited number of hours per week with a client, I’m going to use that time as efficiently as possible.
Why, then, would having your client perform 15 lb. standing tricep extensions followed by 1-legged lateral raises while standing on a wobble board even enter the equation?
Sadly, I see this type of programming a lot.
Going back to the dinner party analogy, that’s akin to me vacuuming the insides of my shoes in the in the bedroom closet. It makes absolutely no sense!
Stop Majoring in the Minors
Far too often I see trainers focus on the minor, sweating the details to the detriment of actually giving their clients lasting results.
When you think about it, it’s the Pareto Principle to a T.
“80% of your results are going to come from 20% of the work.”
My good friend, Bryan Krahn, said it about as succinctly as possible recently:
90% of the population needs to walk every day, lift weights, drink more water, prepare their own food, and get good quality sleep.
They don’t need massage guns, keto diets, hormone hacks, pre-workouts, or poisonous debates about “shit exercises” or all the coaches you hate.
As far as GLOBAL themes are concerned (the stuff that most people would bode well following), you’d be hard pressed to do any better.
(Maybe add some bicep curls?…haha)
I am by no means suggesting I know the best way to train every client – particularly yours.
All I’m saying is that when it comes to program design – and by default, exercise selection – trainers need to take it upon themselves to think critically and ask: “is this really going to get my client the best results in the quickest, most time efficient way possible?”
If not, then start over.
Now, excuse me while I go organize my He-Man underoos.
Today’s guest post comes courtesy of good friend, colleague, and past contributor to this site, Kim Lloyd.
If you’re a coach/personal trainer you’ve likely experienced what Kim describes below…
…being “fired” by a client.
It never feels good. But did you take it as an opportunity to reflect, learn, and grow or to just shrug off, turn the page, and repeat the same mistakes?
A funny thing happened on my way to losing an online training client.
By funny, I mean I rocked in a corner for two days eye-opening.
Regardless of the industry in which you work, failures hurt.
This client was an acquaintance I’d met when I lived in Boston, and after following my blog for a few years, she decided that she wanted to ditch Zumba (not that there’s anything wrong with Zumba) and start strength training.
Win.
We hopped on a phone call, got down to the nitty gritty, and after talking through her goals, injury history and why Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks is one of the best vinyl records ever, I set her up with a program and off we went.
Except…well…we didn’t.
After a few weeks, she very kindly sent me the break-up email that no one likes to get. It’s not you, it’s me, I just need more space, Keene shoes are not a fashion statement…
Ultimately, she was too overwhelmed to even start the program, and she was headed back to Zumba (again, not that there’s anything wrong with Zumba).
But in the breakup email, she very graciously offered me a breakdown of all of the challenges she had in trying the program I’d written.
Her reaction to the cable machine was perhaps the most telling:
“I have never used the cable pull-down thing. That’s in the boy-area, and one feels one should be carrying a gallon container of blue liquid to even be admitted. How will I approach it? How do I change the weight? How long can I stay on it? I will completely break into the boy area, of course, I don’t care, but it’s somewhat intimidating unless someone shows you first.”
I was disappointed to lose a client, sure. But once I got over myself, I also came face-to-face with all of the nuances about strength training that I take for granted.
I forgot what it felt like when I first started to train seriously.
What it felt like to walk into the free weight room (not the Nautilus room), with a bunch of dudes who were all getting after it and panic about where I should put my gym bag and do my warm up and why is that man in the corner wearing a pro wrestling costume? (This really happened.)
I forgot what it felt like when I couldn’t get the bar off of my chest that one time in the weight room when I was 24. What it was like when I couldn’t press 15lbs for more than three reps during a softball practice when I was 15.
I forgot how long it took me to grasp how to read and understand a program. Sets, reps, tempo and wtf is a Pallof Press? And a Landmine? And what do I do if my gym doesn’t have one?
When it comes to strength training, I live in a bubble and this client reminded how difficult it is for many people to get over the humps that I got over so many years ago. Worst of all, I forget that there are those humps.
I try to give people a roadmap, but sometimes forget that they don’t know how to drive the car.
What I want most is for people to fall in love with strength training the way I fell in love with it.
Because it’s good for them.
As a coach, I think the worst thing that can happen is for someone to be interested in the idea of strength training, to be bought in to trying it out, only to feel so intimidated, defeated and frustrated by the process that they quit before ever getting started.
My client’s break-up email reminded me of the people out there, especially women, who are trying to figure out what good information is in a world full of Insta-trainers and infomercials.
Who are battling old feelings of inadequacy every time they set foot in a gym environment because 7th grade gym class experiences are never as far away in our brains as we think they are.
I’m grateful to this client for so many reasons – but perhaps most of all for reminding me as a coach that I have to help clients understand how to drive before I send them on their way.
Cue This Is Why I Wrote a Book Portion of the Article
Believe me when I say this: I feel a bit timid being all like “and that’s why I wrote a book,” even though the truth of the matter is…
…that that’s exactly why I wrote a book.
I did so not to self-aggrandize8, but to legitimately help people (particularly women) that are too intimidated to ask for help, much less step foot in the weight room.
I wanted to show them that they CAN, but in a way that meets them where they are.
Note From TG: It’s a fantastic guide and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone interested in learning in’s & out’s of lifting weights in a safe, efficient, and results driven manner. Kim is a phenomenal coach.
After spending her first two decades out of college working 29 different jobs (English major for the win), Kim Lloyd settled into a career in fitness and is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer as well as an Online Certified Trainer. She coaches full-time at Spurling Fitness in Kennebunk, Maine and trains online clients through Kim Lloyd Fitness.
You can find Kim and her plethora of inflatable costume videos HERE.
I could sit here and wax poetic that what separates a “true” fitness professional from someone who’s pretending to be one is that the former actually practices what they preach.
Meaning: They 1) actually workout and/or 2) actually DO the workouts and exercises that they espouse on their respective websites and social media feeds.
Or they don’t.
I mean, I could make the case that a “true” fitness professional is less likely to post asinine videos of circus-act like exercises (that they’d never do themselves) in the name of accolades and attention.
You can spot the fake trainers from a mile away. They write the most ridiculous looking routines.
A1. Trap Bar Deadlift Contrast Tempo Set vs. Chains (From a Deficit): 5×10 A2. 1-Arm Landmine Press w/ Contralateral Ossillatory Facilitation: 5×10/side
B1. Barefoot Walking Lunges Over Broken Glass: 2×400 m B2. Or Until Your Pancreas Fails (whichever comes first) C1. Pull-Ups: 10×10 C2. Ice Bath: 10x30s
I’m obviously going out of my way to be facetious here, but therein lies my point.
As my friend and colleague, Nick Tumminello, has so succinctly stated in the past:
“A master trainer (I.e., someone who’s a “pro”) can also be referred to as an Exercise Prescription Specialist.”
He or she has a high level of expertise doing the following:
Exercise Individualization
Exercise Application
Exercise Prioritization
1. Exercise Individualization
This can simply be boiled down to figuring out the correct stance for someone on their squats. For example, despite what most textbooks would insinuate, not everyone is going to have the luxury of having the “correct” anatomy to squat with a narrow stance and their toes pointing straight a head.
NEWSFLASH: People don’t live in textbooks.
Hip anatomy tends to have the most variance given a broad swath of the population. Things that come into play are:
Hip socket depth
Hip socket orientation – retroverted (outward facing) or anteverted (forward facing).
Femoral neck orientation (retroverted vs. anteverted)
Femore neck angle
Femur length
Amongst other things
There are a bevy of variables to consider and to expect every person to fall into one set pattern or way of executing a lift is a bit of a stretch.
In fact, there’s a number of permutations that manifest when you allow for individualization of squat stance.
Exercise individualization can also come down to figuring out the correct grip for someone to use during their bench press. Someone with sub-acromial pain syndrome (SAPS) will often have pain in the front of their shoulder. Conventional wisdom would suggest that such an individual should adopt a narrow(er) grip during the bench press to “protect” the shoulder.
However, a narrow grip will require more glenohumeral extension, which for these individuals can be problematic. Instead, a wider grip may be more germane to reduce the amount of GH extension required and to place more stress on the pec muscles.
A “pro” leans into and pays more attention to these sort of things.
2. Exercise Application
Should everyone squat to the same depth?
Short Answer: No. Tha fuck outta here.
A Less Short Answer: As I noted above, hip anatomy varies person to person and it shouldn’t be your expectation that everyone, all the time, with no exceptions, should squat to the exact same depth.
I have some clients who squat ass to grass.
I have others who squat to parallel.
And, indeed, I have others who squat above parallel.
Come at me, bro.
They all still count as a squat.
Depth is more or less arbitrary and is contingent on one’s goal(s), unique injury history, ability level, and, in case you haven’t picked up on the theme, individual anatomy.
No one should get demerit points because they don’t fit some fictional standard.
Moreover, what about when the conversation switches to sets and reps?
What’s the determining factor between prescribing 3×10 for any particular exercise or 5×5?
What about 8×3? 6×4?
4×6?
Are you using a dartboard to ascertain a client’s set/rep scheme or intelligent program design catered to the needs/goals of the athlete/client?
A “pro” knows the difference.
3. Exercise Prioritization
Which exercises should be done first in a workout?9
The eloquent answer is past the scope of this blog post. However, a fitness professional can easily provide a “why” for each example.
In Short
What really separates a true fitness professional from the IG PhD is that the former knows how to DESELECT things. What makes a great chef isn’t the fact they have every ingredient in the bowl. They’re great because they know what ingredients to (de)select, they understand what order they need to be applied, and they know how much of each to use.
Sure, we’ve all had a sub-par slice of pizza here and there. I mean, pizza made in middle-of-no-where Montana cannot be held in the same regard as one born from a brick oven in Manhattan.
I have zero doubts the former is still good pizza, but let’s be honest…
…it’ll pale in comparison to the latter.
That said, salt, fat, tomato sauce, and gluten will always be tasty.
To quote a good friend of mine, Nia Shanks, who wrote a similar article recently:
There’s no such thing as a “bad” workout.
“Every workout, regardless of performance improvements or decreases, is a productive workout.”
Every time you step foot in the weight room or on the track or beat Jason Bourne in a street fight (that’s a workout, right?), you did it.
You won.
You (likely) did something good and productive for your body that day.
The metric that every workout has to set some sort of personal record or that it wasn’t an effective use of your time unless you’re swimming in a pool of your own sweat or you can’t feel the right side of your face is, well…
…ludicrous.
The 80% Rule for Workouts
Note: I originally got this “rule” from coach Paul Carter.
The gist is as follows:
10% of your workouts you’ll feel like you can beat The Mountain in an arm-wrestling match.
10% of your workouts you’ll feel like you got run over by a Mack truck.
80% of your workouts you’ll just show up.
Those 80% workouts are where the magic happens and where you’ll actually make progress. There’s no glory, smelling salts, or Instagram highlight videos involved.
You show up, do the work, and leave.
Sometimes this means completing what was planned for the day.
Sometimes this means completing what was planned, albeit with the weights adjusted slightly lower.
That’s okay.
You didn’t besmirch your family name because you didn’t add ten pounds to your bench press this week.
You did work.
That’s the real “win.”
Stop “Should’ing On Yourself”
We’ve programmed ourselves into an endless game of comparison (in no small part to social media). Many of us form these beliefs and inevitably turn them into doctrine:
I “should” be working out 5x per week like “so and so.”
I “should” be performing “x” exercise.
I “should” be lifting “x” amount of weight.
I “should” look a certain way.
I “should” attack every workout as if I were Leonidas leading the Spartans to battle.
Even if a reliable source makes a professional recommendation about what you “should” be doing – does that mean it’s come down from the mountain?
It’s All Made Up
The thing to point out – especially as it relates to YOUR goals and YOUR happiness – is that there are no rules. Everything – more or less – issomeone else’s belief.
Someone else’s opinion.
[Not coincidentally to help sell a book, course, or, I don’t know, Gluten-free, GMO, organic, Acai Pills soaked in Unicorn tears.]
That’s a good question, and one I feel I don’t have a concise way of answering.
I mean, some questions are a cinch to answer:
Q: What would be your weapon of choice during the zombie apocalypse? A: Easy. Samurai sword.
Q: If you could pick one career to have what would it be? A: Professional Jason Bourne. Boom.12
Q: Who’s the best Care Bear? A: Birthday Bear. Come on.
But to definitively answer the question…”what is strong?”
Well, that’s a bit more abstract.
For some, strong is looking a certain way, and for others it’s about how much weight you can lift on a certain exercise. And maybe, to some faction out there, strong is about how many tacos you can eat in one sitting.
While I certainly have my biased take given I’m a strength & conditioning coach, I think in the grand scope of it all…
Recently, actress Rosamund Pike (of Gone Girl fame) shared a video on her Instagram feed from when she and I worked together while she was in Boston – in the before times – filming her latest movie.
The video shows her hitting a personal best 100 lb. deadlift for multiple reps (and making it look easy).
Secondly, I can’t take full credit for Rosamund’s technique and overall badassery in the video above.
She had plenty of experience beforehand working with other trainers, and to her credit was no rookie in the weight room.13
Nevertheless, I was elated that she took it upon herself to share that video with her fans and followers if for no other reason that it showcases to women that they CAN lift appreciable weight and that they won’t turn into Conan the Barbarian after one set.
I have long been a champion of encouraging women to strength train and to help them recognize the myriad of benefits it can provide:
Improved strength – obviously – and to be better prepared for life’s curve balls.
Improved performance.
Improved body composition.
Improved bone density.
Improved confidence and body image.
Improved mental health & stress relief
Telling societal norms to f**k off.
Unfortunately, much of the mainstream media muddies this message.
Instead we’re inundated with images of women lifting dainty weights.
Take for example this image, which, I kid you not, was one of the top suggestions while doing a search for “strong” within the stock photo service I subscribe to:
Many women (not all of course) are programmed, if not indoctrinated, into thinking that that is strength training and that anything involving a barbell (or a modicum of effort) is, well, let’s be honest…
…for men.
And it’s bullshit.
Granted, at the end of the day whether or not an individual does this exercise or that, and more to the point: if they’re performing it with appreciable weight, depends on their injury history, ability level, and more importantly, their goals(s)
However, speaking for myself, the last thing directing my thought process or programming is whether or not someone has Y chromosome.
Which is why I dig (profusely) the message Rosamund conveyed in her video above:
“Marla Grayson (NOTE: that’s the character she plays in her upcoming movie) is a lioness. And lionesses need to be strong. Tony celebrates the strength of everyone he trains, and pushed me to find more than I knew I had. Thanks Tony.”
Again, strong is a sentiment with many iterations and roots of inspiration.
Today’s EPIC guest post comes courtesy of TG.com regular (and fav), Erica Suter. Working with young female athletes isn’t solely about Q-angles and the x’s and o’s of a proper depth jump landing.
It’s also about recognizing that they’re not delicate snowflakes and that they very much can train just like the boys (and oftentimes excel exponentially). Too, coaching young, impressionable female athletes is about recognizing our own biases and being more in-tune with the words & phrases we use around them.
This is a stellar piece from Erica and I encourage every coach to read it in its entirety.
It’s a 15 module video course on training the young female athlete to perform at her best, as well as be resilient to injury.
The video modules include proper warm-up, nutrition and the menstrual cycle, growth and maturation considerations, and LIVE training sessions on movement quality, plyometrics, total body strength, speed, and agility with coaching cues and break down of technique.
To get it on sale for $100 off regular price, go HERE.
If You Are a Coach to Female Athletes, You Need to be Walking the Walk Right Now
No one cares how many wins you have, trophies you’ve stacked, Twitter followers you’ve acquired, coaching licenses you’ve gotten, and acronyms you laid out like the alphabet behind your name.
What young female athletes need is coaching.
This encompasses more than the x’s and o’s, the tactics and the formations, the wins and the rankings, the certifications, the strength and conditioning programs, and the ACL reduction training.
Speaking of ACL, I don’t want to write a dissertation on it in this article.
Of course, ACL reduction is a serious issue that you need to understand and be able to execute in a practical setting.
But what you need to know is coaching the female athlete extends far beyond the ‘oh, well females just have wider hips’ comment.
Yes, anatomy and physiology play a role when customizing strength and conditioning and programming, there are multiple layers, mental and emotional, when working with girls.
With that said, I’m going to gloss over the tip of the iceberg, so here is what you need to know as far as physical training for the female athlete:
1. Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle is something to be aware of in terms of oscillations in sleep quality and energy levels. An excellent tracking app to use is FitrWomanthat helps you to understand what phase of the cycle they are in, and if they need an extra push to recover harder and dial in on nutrition, as well as sprinkle in any extra supplementation.
To that end, training won’t necessarily have to change, but I recommend finding ways to optimize their physical and mental recovery during the pinnacle times of fatigue, depletion of iron, and oscillation of hormone levels.
Meditation is just one way to navigate the hormonal storm, and ensure there is physical recovery as well as mental clarity.
What is so cool about this app, is individual athletes can track their cycle and take notes on consistent symptoms they experience during each phase.
It bodes well to help girls be more aware of how their bodies are feeling, and provide guidance as far as recovery strategies, whether it’s through better sleep, or recovery methods like extra meditation or nourishing with more calories during times of fatigue and depleted focus.
The menstrual cycle is something you shouldn’t shy away from, but rather, a conversation we should be open about to better serve your female athletes.
Period. See what I did there? ;-O
2. Girls Grow Too
Studies say the growth spurt can happen as early as age 10, so female athletes can begin to learn movement patterns and progress with strength training monitored by a professional.
According to Stracciolini et al, such programs will enhance muscular fitness, improve sport performance and reduce the chance of sports-related injuries.
Ensure to expose young female athletes to a variety of movement during this time to develop basic motor skills, such as balance, coordination, and stability. Executing a program with a diverse template also inspires development of the neo-cortex, tapping into the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
Since I work with mainly soccer players, the more I can get them to use their upper bodies so they aren’t over-training their lower extremities, the better.
Strength of the upper body, from the back, to the shoulders, to the torso, creates a chain reaction to how the lower body operates. If the shoulders and back are weak, the glutes are inhibited, thus making the knee joint more unstable. If the chest is tight, the hip flexors are tight, causing more anterior loading the patella tendon.
Growing pains, anyone?
Remember: During the growth spurt, female athletes need their entire muscular system to be built.
3. Growth Spurt Continued
The time when females are growing the most rapidly in terms of height can cause disturbances in coordination. The growth spurt can be a tough time for young athletes, as accelerated growth leads to disturbances in coordination and overall movement, and can impact performance negatively (Quatman-Yates, Quatman, Meszaros, Paterono, et al. 2012).
You as the coach must be patient when this happens, and be careful not to program a practice with full field squat jumps and suicides, or worse yet, endless high impact runs on the concrete stadium steps.14
Joint kinematics tend to be more precarious during the growth spurt, so when it comes to more technical movements like single leg training and plyometrics, be sure to not get wild.
Focus on technique and quality reps.
Then add speed as they get more advanced
4. Growth Spurt & Body Image
After the growth spurt (PHV), female athletes experience more weight gain and an increase in fat mass (Peak Weight Velocity). It is critical coaches understand this as it can hinder speed and other factors of performance.
A study done by Tønnessen et al. states it may be beneficial for female athletes to have a greater focus on neuromuscular training during this period. Things like movement patterns (i.e. Squat), balance, mobility and stability are nice to revisit during each session.
Increases in fat mass and reductions in relative strength often occur alongside reductions in coordination and neuromuscular control (Tønnessen 2015).
So here’s a hint: Be patient and meet them where they are, focus on the controllables, and fill them with empowering phrases that don’t allude to body image. (i.e. “you’re not fit and need to drop weight” can be turned into “let’s make you even faster and stronger!”)
Check out this article on female athlete body image HERE, and how you can encourage them to chase performance and not the number on the scale.
Girls are just as competitive as boys, so reinforcing things like change of direction ability, speed development, and acceleration empower them to be their most explosive selves on the field.
5. Girls Won’t Break
Generally speaking, female athletes have similar strength and conditioning programs to boys. Yes, you want to consider differences in physiology and look at athlete assessments before writing their programs, and tweak with accessory movements accordingly.
But I will say this: Just because they are females doesn’t mean you tip-toe around their fitness programming and treat them like fragile little snowflakes.
Female athletes will also lift weights like the boys.
They will strengthen their bodies.
They will do explosive work.
They will do push-ups.
They will do pull-ups.
6. Focus On What You Can Control
Telling young girls, “yeah, you have wider hips, so you’re more susceptible to ACL” is defeatist, and doesn’t present a solution.
Since anatomy is out of a girl’s control, it’s best to empower her and focus on what she can control to reduce chance of knee injury.
You can mention things like working on core stability to handle high forces in the game, the ability to pump the brakes for better deceleration and rapid change of direction, building powerful hamstrings and gluteals for speed production, or bolstering explosiveness through the hips with Olympic lifts.
Let’s Talk Emotions
Now that the physical training is out of the way 1,000 words later, let’s dive into the meat and potatoes of this article.
Here’s the thing: I love teaching physical training, writing strength and conditioning programs, understanding the impact of physiology on performance, and solving the ACL injury puzzle.
Truthfully, though, these all should be a bare minimum requirement for anyone working with female athletes – strength coaches and team coaches alike.
If you’re a team coach, you don’t need to have a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist slapped behind your job title…you just need a passion for executing the basics of injury reduction. Too, you need to show great care for putting your girls’ health first.
After all, being an athlete is truly a lifetime pursuit. We want these girls to put their bodies in the best position possible so they can go through their career unscathed.
Even when the final whistle blows, these girls are athletes for life who will want to be resilient for new, adventurous hobbies down the road.
You have the opportunity to inspire the power of movement and health with your words, your actions and example.
Here are some skills that are non-negotiable:
– Active listening
– Empathy
– Relationship building
– Respect
– Trust
– Encouragement
– Human and character development
Let me say this: It’s a blessing to be a coach to female athletes – to be able to inspire the next generation of girls, and turn them into women as confident as Beyonce, as fearless as Sansa Stark, and as strong as Serena Williams.
You have the opportunity to empower, Coach.
I’d be remiss not to mention what I’ve found over the past eight years of being a strength and conditioning coach to female athletes is, I play a pivotal role in their lives mentally and emotionally.
The girls who have been with me the longest, who fell in love with the process, and who still, are hungry to be better women today physically, mentally and spiritually, are the ones who I connected with beyond the pitch and weight room.
Truthfully, I don’t believe sports teach life lessons.
Coaches do.
With that said, here’s a friendly reminder:
You are in the human business.
How Well Do you Know Your Female Athletes?
Do you know how their grades are in school? Do you know what other talents they have? Do you know if they have siblings? Do you know if they had a solo at the band concert? Do you know if they are president of the student government at school? Do you know if they love baking? Do you know if they have good or bad sleep habits? Do you know what their stress level is before training begins?
This stuff matters.
Things like stress, sleep, hormonal oscillations from the menstrual cycle, relationships, family life and so forth impact how they show up for you at practice and in games.
Whether this is on the pitch, in the weight room, or outside of sports, are you amplifying their talents? Let alone, are you encouraging them to dig out the gems inside of them and believe in themselves? Are you showing them the light of lifetime health and fitness? Are you allowing them to vent about school stress so they have more focus at training?
I’m passionate about the soft skills of coaching, to say the least.
My cat, Sergio, is too.
So soften up.
It pains me to still see abusive coaching run rampant today. Worse yet, it’s terrifying to know girls are in the hands of leaders who are narcissistic and downright un-empathetic, who say “f this!” and “f that” and “you suck” and “you’re messing up!”
To add, these same people claim they love coaching girls because “girls are easier to coach!” or “girls do whatever you say!”
Let’s unpack these dangerous quotes for a second.
For one, be careful when you utter that girls are easier to coach and will listen to everything you demand of them.
As Krista Stoker from S2 Breakthrough Performance alludes to in this webinar, your words matter, given the woman you’re trying to build.
This brings me to a profound question: Do you want to build strong, empowered women?
Because if so, the last thing you want to say out loud is “girls do whatever you say!” which implies you’re creating doormats who don’t stand up for themselves, who don’t set boundaries, and who say “yes” to everything.
As these girls blossom into professional women, it’s critically important they know to stand up for themselves in the work place, set boundaries with colleagues, and stand confident in their crafts.
Your words, your actions, your habits must be in alignment with the type of women you want to build.
Even when you speak to other women, especially a female colleague or coach, are you treating them in a way that comes from love and respect?
Your young female athletes are watching.
Are you undermining her, or uplifting her as a professional?
Your young female athletes are observing.
Are you berating here, or encouraging her?
Your young female athletes are analyzing.
Taking the conversation back to the opening line, if you’re a coach to female athletes, you need to be walking the walk right now.
And this doesn’t just go for male coaches. It goes for everyone across the board.
Women must build other women up, too.
I’m a female coach and in no way am I exempt from this discussion.
I, too, have to uplift my female colleagues and share their work not just because they’re women, but because they are excellent at what they do.
I, too, have to re-evaluate the way I behave, talk and listen to young girls.
I’m not perfect, in fact far, far from it.
Being a coach to hundreds of female athletes is a job as hard as destroying the Ring of Power. It’s a burden you definitely don’t want to screw up, but there’s bound to be battles along the way.
With that said, the art of coaching female athletes is a journey that lasts a lifetime – to deeply understand what ignites them, what inspires them to fall in love with the process, and more importantly, what they need from you to become the best human they can be.
Maybe it’s an ear.
Maybe it’s encouragement.
Maybe it’s telling them you believe in them.
Maybe it’s discussing the Hayley and Justin Bieber wedding.
Admittedly, I remain critical of myself, which is why I have an insatiable desire to study human psychology, behavior change, leadership theory and motivation. (Motivational Interviewing and Inside Out Coaching are my favorite books I recommend for all coaches).
Becoming deeply self aware of my actions and words isn’t an easy pursuit, but it makes me a more authentic, inspiring leader with a growth mindset.
Expounding further, taking inventory of my actions off the pitch, and ensuring I build other women up in my respected field is a behavior that translates onto the field in a leadership role.
Who Are You When No One is Watching?
Though it can be a punch to the gut when you examine yourself and how you’ve fallen short, your young female athletes need you to grow, too.
If you aren’t a good listener and offer unwanted advice when a girl is crying, can you listen and make sure she feels heard without saying a word?
If you are treating other women in your life with disrespect and asking them for favors in return, can you treat them like professionals and promote them as talented at their crafts regardless of if they give something in return or not?
If you show other women in your life jealousy, can you show them support and come from a place of love?
If you are scared of other women becoming too powerful and successful at what they do, can you stop operating out of a place of fear, and work on pouring love into yourself and mastering your craft first?
If you aren’t empathetic and are quick to dismiss others’ feelings, can you hold space for your young female athletes to express their worries and frustrations?
If you are shouting profanity and talking down to adolescent girls at 120 decibels, can you act like a professional who can speak eloquently and calmly?
If you are only focused on the wins and rankings and the numbers, can you find a way to develop the character of your girls who will blossom to be driven, confident and empowered professionals one day?
What is your end goal as a coach to female athletes?
Last I looked, no one remembered a coach only for their rolling list of wins and championships.
They also remembered them for their impact and life lessons beyond the game.
The memories infused with laughter and joy.
The training sessions that were competitive and taught grit.
The drills that were fun and taught levity and inspired creativity.
The workouts that allowed them to battle and push each other into becoming strong women.
Female athletes need human-centered coaching.
They need you to set the example, be a leader, and have your actions speak louder than words.
As I alluded to earlier, it’s a blessing to be able to bring out the jewels of the next generation of young girls – to show them that they are multi-dimensional, amazing humans with beauty and strength.
And too, to show them that they are capable of so much magic in sports, school, and career.
I urge you, let your female athletes shine, as you cheer them on in the shadows. Sure, you won’t get the limelight, but you’ll allow them to sparkle.
So continue to learn.
Master your craft of coaching girls, both physically and mentally.
Be a constant student.
Admit your faults.
And do better.
Most critically, though, leave your ego at the door because building strong women starts with you, Coach.
About the Author
Erica Suter is a certified strength and conditioning coach in Baltimore, Maryland, as well as online for thousands of youth soccer players. She works with kids starting at the elementary level and going all the way up to the college level.
She believes in long-term athletic development and the gradual progression of physical training for safe and effective results. She helps youth master the basic skills of balance, coordination, and stability, and ensures they blossom into powerful, fast and strong athlete when they’re older. She has written two books on youth strength and conditioning, Total Youth Soccer Fitness, and Total Youth Soccer Fitness 365, a year-round program for young soccer players to develop their speed, strength and conditioning.
She also just launched a coaching education course on training the young female athlete, Total Youth Female Athlete Fitness, a video course on performance and injury reduction in a practical setting
Erica Suter is a certified strength and conditioning coach in Baltimore, Maryland, as well as online for thousands of youth soccer players. She works with kids starting at the elementary level and going all the way up to the college level.
