Fitness Mentors is excited to present Online Personal Training Program Design Templates including 12 Premade Monthly Workout Programs, professionally designed and white labeled so you can add your own fitness logo and branding. Your success as a fitness professional depends on your ability to reliably deliver results to clients. In Secrets of Successful Program Design: A How-To Guide for Busy Fitness Professionals, noted fitness and program design expert Alwyn Cosgrove and his director of programming, Craig Rasmussen, share Alwyn’s proven system for creating programs that take clients from where they are to where.

Training is in constant evolution. The search for bigger, faster, stronger, leaner and healthier never ends and constantly throws up a new approach to exercise programme design.

Ironically, many of these approaches are merely variations on a centuries-old theme. Rather than look snootily down on these re-inventions of old methods, we should look more at what we have learnt this time around, and how new knowledge can improve old methods.

Take resistance training for example. Using a load to progressively increase muscle strength, size and capability is far from a new approach to training. Ancient Greeks, training for their Olympic events used resistance training. Aristotle urged the ancient Greeks to exercise, highlighting the beneficial effects of exercise on health. Armies were formed using strict training regimes and methods written down and passed globally.

• Program Design Variables 1. Variation AerobicTraining Program Design 30 Duration of exercise 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. US Dept of Health & Human Services. Adults 18-64 yrs Minimum2 hr 30 min/wk (150 min/wk) moderate intensity or1 hr 15 min/wk (75.
• The Fit 5: Workout Program Design 101 This link opens in a new window; This link opens in a new window. “As a general rule, you want a program that focuses on exercises which use large.

According to some sources, the Mongol armies used a form of kettlebell to train with – long before they were claimed as the latest Hollywood fitness craze. The point is, although the barbell may be a relatively new invention, resistance training isn’t.

So where am I going with this? Essentially my point is that although we may be reinventing the methods of the past, we are adding to them all of the time. We are applying new information and knowledge to improve them.

Let’s be honest – there are a handful of movement patterns and ways we can train, so if we were looking for something new every time, the well of ideas would have run dry a long time ago. By this point in time, we are almost exclusively refining previously-used methods, not inventing new ones. The fundamentals of exercise programme design have barely changed.

I have returned from a number of seminars recently, where I listened to Paul Chek and Charles Poliquin, among others. One thing that they had in common (despite many differences in approaches) was the use of whole-body, functional exercises and programmes in a wider fitness setting.

The current trend at the top level of fitness thinking is more towards high-intensity, functional training and away from the more stereotypical body building routines of old. I personally have trained like this for a couple of years now, wishing to focus my gym efforts on all round physical capability rather than specifying strength or size as my primary exercise goal.

If we are going to be pedantic, anyone using exercise to improve their physical appearance is by definition, a bodybuilder. Typically, a bodybuilding programme will look to stress the muscles to the physical limit in search for hypertrophy. This type of training is for aesthetic purposes only – nobody trains like a bodybuilder because they want to improve their all-round athletic performance. To the general gym user though, aesthetics is the number one reason for their gym membership anyway, so training like a bodybuilder makes sense, right?

Well not really. According to Paul Chek, most bodybuilders (professional or not) are unhealthy. He cites their training and lifestyle as leaving them suffering from…

• Hormonal imbalances
• Stressed internal organs
• Chronic musculoskeletal pain syndromes
• Mental/emotional disorders

These may be exaggerations (Paul Chek has his critics when it comes to exaggerating health problems) but if we look at them in detail, I bet they aren’t far off. In the past when I have followed more typical bodybuilding type programmes, I know I have certainly suffered from musculoskeletal pain, and probably stressed internal organs. Common sense dictates a person can’t exist or train with these problems indefinitely, so there comes a point when something has to change.

To clear up the confusion surrounding the term ‘functional’, this is the slightly-edited criteria that are used to categorise exercises as functional.

These criteria are used by Chek himself…

Comparable reflex profile (Righting and Equilibrium reflexes)

When moving across any object, stable (earth) or unstable (surf board), the body uses reflexes to maintain your upright posture. A functional exercise must test the reflex profile. Essentially, balance must be tested.

Maintenance of your center of gravity over your own base of support
Balance is a fundamental life-movement ability. Functional exercises should require the trainer to display balance.

Generalised motor program compatibility

The most functional exercises use movements that have a high carryover to work and sport. The best functional exercises have a relative timing profile similar to many other activities.

Open/closed chain compatibility

If you push against an object and you cannot move it, such as performing a chin-up, the chain (muscles/joints) is closed. When performing a lat pull down you are overcoming the resistance and thus, the chain is open.

Improves relevant biomotor abilities

Each exercise is composed of “biomotor”, or “life-movement,” abilities. According to Bompa, biomotor abilities are strength, power, endurance, flexibility, coordination, balance, agility and speed. An exercise is most functional when the biomotor profile most closely approximates the ability lacking in the athlete’s body or when it most closely resembles the task being trained for.

Isolation to integration

Bodybuilding has plagued athletic training and rehabilitation with the urge to “isolate” muscles and make them BIGGER! It should never be forgotten when trying to improve functional performance, the brain only knows movements, not muscles.

If we are using exercise as a health improvement tool, we need to look beyond pure aesthetics and move more towards function. Slowly, training fashions are moving away from bodybuilding routines and more towards functional routines. Using the description of the functional movements listed above, how can we look to add these into training regimen we follow?

Initially we can look at what Paul Chek refers to as ‘primal movement patterns’. He says there are 7 primal movements…

• Squat
• Lunge
• Bend
• Push
• Pull
• Twist
• Gait (walk, run, jog)

Here is my son performing a primal movement – the squat, perfectly. He has never been taught this, it is an in-built ability that we all have.

From here we can build programmes around these patterns. For now, sets, reps and tempo can be left aside – it is the fundamentals of the programme we are focussed on, not the minor details.

A truly functional programme will cover all of the movement patterns, occasionally with bias towards the movements, skills or abilities lacking in the client. It is common sense to spend more time working on a weakness, and this should always be remembered. If you are fundamentally weak in a particular area and suffer from recurring injuries as a result, not addressing the problem and continuing your usual training regime will be next to useless when it comes to improving your condition on a long term basis.

Fix your problems, don’t patch them up.

The differing needs of individuals is where the bespoke element of exercise programming comes into play. It makes no sense to follow a generic routine if you have particular needs, and looked at closely there are almost certainly muscle imbalances on all of us, meaning tweaking our routines is not only wise, but quite often essential.

When working with individuals on a long term one-to-one basis, lots of decisions have to be made about the programme they will follow – as I have mentioned earlier, this should be specific to them and not ‘one size fits all’ approach.

A trainer has to overcome the ability versus skill obstacle – you have to ensure that the person you are training (be it yourself or a client) has the ABILITY to perform the SKILL you are asking them to do. The reason this is important is because if a personal habitually performs a movement incorrectly, it is very difficult to change at a later date and could lead to chronic injury. Make sure programmes evolve from their most basic starting point.

A good exercise programme will work for the individual on a life level too – not just a fitness level. What movement patterns do they perform on a daily basis? How can you improve this ability using exercise? Can you personalise a programme further than just assuming squats will cover every single example of leg use? Of course. Be creative when adding exercises to programmes – invention is a good thing.

In his lecture, Paul Chek talked about the importance of exercise sequencing. To a relatively well-informed exerciser it may seem obvious to complete the compound exercises before the more individualised work, but many people don’t always follow the advice, starting a work out with bicep curls as a ‘warm up’. The truth is, there is much more to exercise sequencing than just performing compound exercises first. The advice given by Paul Chek was to stick to the following order of importance…

Most to least complex.

Exercise Program Templates Free

A squat and a power clean are both compound movements, but the power clean is far more complex, requiring more muscular and neural recruitment. It is important that the exercises with the most complex movement patterns should be performed earlier in a workout when fatigue is less of an issue. Remember, fatigue affects more than just muscle tissue, so concentration and motor ability are affected in the later stages of an intense workout.

It is very important to remember however, the most important exercises in the programme may not be the most complex so ensure the important exercises feature at a point in the workout when they are not going to be jeopardised by fatigue.

To use Chek’s work as a reference again, he bases all of his client programmes around the same order of progress. He makes sure all of his clients follow the same pattern of development to ensure each stage of their training is based on a solid foundation provided by the work they have completed before. As part of the ‘Chek Success Formula’, all clients will work through the following stages, where he makes sure they are competent at each stage before progressing onto the next one….

Exercise Program Template Pdf

1. Flexibility
2. Stability
3. Strength
4. Power

Stretching and core work are two fundamentals to the Chek plan. Paul Chek is the man credited with introducing the Swiss ball to the wider fitness market and turning it into a legitimate training tool.

Regardless of your opinion on ‘core’ strength and exercises, his results and position make him a very difficult man to argue with. If after 30 years, thousands of clients, book sales, seminars, TV demonstrations and a multi-million dollar training programme business he is still basing his work on the original principles, they must be fairly sound!

To conclude, there is no such thing as the perfect programme – there are just programmes that are more effective than others. As I said at the start of the article, training is in constant evolution – that should apply to everyone. You will never have a perfect plan, but you should be looking to make your training as functional and as successful as possible. Move away from your bodybuilding routines – experiment with new methods and really listen to your body.

Exercise should be your tool for a better life, not bigger arms. A well designed plan will improve your physique anyway, but don’t let your strive for body beautiful cause detriment to your overall health.

So, to sum up the fundamentals of exercise programme design, we have to…

1. Start with a functional programme, not a bodybuilding one.
2. Follow the 7 primal movements.
3. Fix your movement problems – work on flexibility and stability.
4. Sequence your exercises properly – most to least complex.
5. Order the progress in the following way – Flexibility, Stability, Strength, Power.

Stick to these fundamentals of exercise programme design and you won’t go far wrong!

By the way, I’ve now started a VIP email list with discounts, offers, tips and news. You can subscribe at on my homepage! Click here to sign up (blue box at the bottom).

A story from our Director of Education, Carolyn Appel

Earlier in my career, I dove into my personal training job with all of my energy: working 14-hour days to pull off floor shifts, taking classes to learn critical topics, and keeping myself in shape while fighting constant fatigue. Eventually, I transitioned to being a full-time trainer (ditching the floor-shifts) and faced the exciting and invigorating task of guiding the fitness futures of real people.

I was definitely in my element, teaching people movement skills and observing the learning process in real-time. I had been a college athlete so movement was my native language. The work thrilled me and I couldn’t wait to see my clients each week. However, I began to feel the pull of wanting to personalize each client’s experience with the time-consuming task of having to write programs for them. Suddenly, my 14 hour days were growing even longer, and the fatigue was becoming too difficult to fight off. I wanted to create the best program for each of my clients, but I also needed to be more efficient in my process or I was going to burnout – fast.

The Fundamentals of Effective Program Design

Program design is one of the most essential services personal trainers provide, but it can also be one of the most challenging aspects of the job. Some common challenges include:

• Balancing client personalization with your own time efficiency
• Understanding a client’s goals, but lacking a clear roadmap of how to get them there
• Having a client who wants to train for an activity you are not familiar with
• Finding new ways to add variety to prevent clients from getting bored

Exercise Templates Free

The key to addressing these challenges is to have a structured process that you go through with every client. This is exactly what we teach you in our mini-course: A Simple Guide to Program Design. You’ll come away with a clear step-by-step process to design big picture training programs that will help all your clients — not just your pre & postnatal ones — consistently progress, stay motivated, and achieve their goals.

A “Novel” Approach to Program Design

In many ways, writing a good training program for a client is similar in structure to writing a novel. Think of it this way:

• The Assessment = Inputs needed for story arc
• The Macrocycle = Story Arc
• The Mesocycles = Chapters
• The Microcycles = Paragraphs within a chapter
• Programming Variables = The descriptive details that keep the reader interested and engaged

Like a good novel, a well thought-through training plan ensures that training sessions build on one another in a cohesive way to help clients consistently progress and stay engaged. But don’t worry, writing a training program does not have to be nearly as overwhelming as writing a novel! We’ll walk you through every step of the process – complete with worksheets and case studies – to help you easily build a successful “novel” for all your clients.

The “4 Big Rocks”

The process begins by gathering the following “4 Big Rocks” from your assessment.

• Goals: Understanding the biomechanics and energetic demands needed to meet them
• Experience: A client’s movement literacy and intensity familiarity
• Limitations: Medical conditions, pains, or restrictions
• Commitment: How much time client has to reach goal and how many days per week they can devote to achieving this goal

You’ll learn how to gather this information from the assessment and use it to develop your client’s macrocycle. From there, you’ll learn how to break your macrocycle down into smaller, skill-based stages (mesocycles). Then, we’ll show you how to structure your individual workouts (microcycles) so they flow together in a cohesive way to avoid “session whiplash” and ensure your client consistently progresses while staying engaged and motivated.

This programming structure can be applied to clients of all types. In fact, at the end of the course, we’ll show you program design case studies for a prenatal client, postpartum client, a senior, an athlete, and a “fitness enthusiast” with no specific training goals.

Learn more about our mini-course: A Simple Guide to Program Design

Final words from Carolyn Appel…

If the idea of program design seems unfamiliar or overwhelming to you, know that you already possess the key ingredient needed to write better programs: desire to want to help your clients improve. That is likely why you got into this field. And if you are here with those intentions, then you will definitely benefit from this mini-course. I wish I had this type of a course earlier in my career. It would have saved me so many hours (and the frustration of diving down the rabbit hole of Eastern European periodization to learn schemes that I almost never refer to anymore).