Posts Tagged with "Program Design"

Fitness Industry Hyperbole is Exhausting
We all know hyperbole when we see it. In general, it’s purposeful use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It’s often used in writing (and communication as a whole) to evoke strong feelings and reaction from the audience. These reactions can range from a chuckle and an “aww shucks” eye roll… Read more

The One Thing Many Lifters Fail to Understand: Easy Training Is Good Training
Forget the more esoteric nuances of things like Heart Rate Variability, the efficacy of cold baths, or whether it’s better to follow a concurrent or linear periodization training program for best results. For superior results in the weight-room I’d make the argument that the ONE thing many lifters fail to appreciate and understand is that… Read more

Programming Considerations: Shoulders
Fair warning: This will not be an all-encompassing post on how to train the shoulders or how to program around nagging shoulder injuries. Frankly, I don’t think anyone wants to read a Dostoyevsky length diatribe on shoulder impingement or how improving scapular upward rotation leaves me sexually aroused. Yep, I’m weird. Instead I want to give… Read more

The Most Important Metric of a Training Program Is…
[Cue EPIC drum roll here] First…lets first delve into what’s not important: Access to special, fancy schmancy equipment. Being anal about nutrient timing/intake. Posting a picture or video of every workout and every exercise you performed on Instagram. Following the programs elite lifters do. The whole BS notion that muscle confusion is a “thing.” And Those… Read more

How to Guarantee Your Clients Will Have a Hard Time Actually Getting Results
If you train people for a living, read this. Don’t Guarantee Results It’s seems counterintuitive, maybe even borderline asinine, not to guarantee your clients results, right? I mean, what the hell are they hiring you for? HINT: It’s not to trade baseball cards or tickle fights. I had a new client start with me recently… Read more

How to Write Effective Training Programs: Foul Shots and Whiteboards
I’ve had a rash of fitness professionals reaching out of late asking the same question in varying iterations… …a question, mind you, that I think every fitness professional ponders at some point: When the hell is someone going to green-light a sequel to Over the Top? Okay, in all seriousness: the real question revolves around… Read more

Why College Athletes Should Not Include Olympic Lifting In Their Programs
It’s not lost on me that the title of this particular blog post may ruffle a few feathers out there. There are many coaches and facilities in the world who implement the OLY lifts with their athletes and find great success with this approach. Conversely, there are also many coaches and facilities in the world… Read more

Never Question Your Exercise Selection Again
I’ve been a fan of “offset” loading for a number of years now. Without getting too deep in the weeds on what offset loading is and what the benefits are… …it’s when you either stagger your foot or hand position on certain exercises OR you load an exercise a certain way (how you hold a… Read more