How To Design An Effective Training Program

Recently, I have been doing quite a bit of reading on how to design effective, sustainable training programs.  It has helped to reshape my thinking and has caused me to re-evaluate how I train my clients and myself for that matter.  As with any great insight, I have been able to answer many of my own questions on training.  Consequently, I have also created more questions for myself!  In a nutshell, here are some of the critical components with regards to designing a training program.

One of the most important things to keep in mind is the goal at hand.  Is your goal to lose weight, gain strength, run faster, add lean muscle, or deadlift 300lbs?  Once you have established your goal, you can now begin to really get specific with your training plan.  This is where the fun science experiment known as YOU starts.

So, you have established your goal.  Now what?  The next step is to buy or create a workout log/journal.  You must track everything in order to determine if your program is working for you because you cannot measure what you do not track.  This will allow you to review what is working and what is not working and appropriately tweak your program.  It can even inspire you as you go back through your journal and see the empirical evidence that you are making progress!  In the context of a training program that means tracking the following information:

• Date of workout
• Exercises performed
• Sets completed
• Reps completed
• Weight used
• Cardio duration and mode
• Emotional state during workout
• Body weight
• Body fat
• Food intake
• Energy levels

Now that you have your training journal handy, the next step is to determine your baseline.  Your baseline could be how much you weigh right now, your body fat, or the amount of weight you can lift in the deadlift.  Once you’ve obtained your baseline numbers, you can begin to work backward from your goal and create weekly mini-goals.  These weekly mini-goals may consist of losing 1 lb. of body weight, adding 2 minutes to your cardio session, or adding 10 lbs. to your deadlift.  String 12 of these weeks together and you have created a cycle.

A typical cycle can last 12 weeks, but can also be shortened to 8 weeks or extended to 16 weeks depending on your goal or current level of conditioning.  A cycle, as defined by Pavel Tsatsouline, “is about a gradual buildup of intensity to a personal best, and then starting all over with easy workouts.”  This allows you to avoid over-training, which can lead to injury and burnout, and also allows you to re-evaluate your program. 

What if your goal takes 6 or even 12 months to reach?  Well, once you’ve completed your first cycle, it’s time to take a week off and let your body recover.  You must take a step back in order to take two steps forward.  Personally, I like to schedule a massage, visit a yoga class or two, or take some long walks in the park to help with the recovery process.  Once your recovery week is up, it’s time to get back to training by starting your next cycle with some easy workouts that gradually pick up in intensity.

You have now established a goal, created a training journal, obtained baseline measurements, and constructed your first 8-16 week cycle.  Now what?  It is time to design your workouts using a few simple guidelines:

• Train Movement Patterns Not Muscles
• Keep It Simple
• Strength Train
• Cardio

It’s very important to address all of your movement patterns when designing your program as opposed to isolating muscle groups.  Training movement patterns will produce a stronger more coordinated body that is much less likely to experience injury while working out, playing sports, or even just moving furniture.  Two of my favorite strength and conditioning coaches that I follow have laid out a very simple template for training movement patterns that create a very well-rounded program.  They are as follows:

Dan John: 

• Push (squat, bench press, overhead press, pushup)
• Pull (deadlift, row, pull-up, swing, clean, snatch)
• Squat
• Whole-body explosive move (swing, clean, snatch, plyometrics)
• Deadlift
• Anterior Chain (Turkish getup, front squat, plank, pushup, hanging leg raise, farmer’s walk)
• Rotational Movements (twisting, chopping to some extent)
• Single Limb (1 arm kettlebell/dumbbell exercises, single leg deadlifts, pistols)

 Juan Carlos Santana:

• Push
• Pull
• Squat
• Hinge (deadlift, swing)
• Lunge/Step Up
• Twist
• Gait (run, walk)

Keeping your program simple will allow you to analyze your progress as you move forward.  Your workout program should look very similar from workout to workout especially if your goal is to get stronger or even add lean muscle mass.  If you go into the gym and create an entirely different workout each visit, you will not be able to track your progress and ascertain which exercises you are making progress in.  In addition, constantly changing your workouts does not allow your body to adapt and grow stronger.  Once you’ve achieved your goal, then mix it up and work at improving other exercises or qualities.  Here’s a sample heavy day from my training log (I’m currently in my 5th week of this 12 week program):

 Week 1: 

• Deadlift 205 lbs. x 3, x 3, x 3
• Bench Press 125 lbs. x 3, x 3, x 3
• Weighted Pullups 35 lbs. x 3, x 3, x 3
• Kettlebell Snatch 40 lbs. x 40
• Hanging Leg Raise (legs parallel to ground) x 5

 Week 2: 

• Deadlift 205 lbs. x 3, x 3, x 3
• Bench Press 130 lbs. x 3, x 3, x 3
• Weighted Pullups 35 lbs. x 3, x 3, x 3
• Kettlebell Snatch 44 lbs. x 30
• Hanging Leg Raise (legs parallel to ground) x 3

 Week 3: 

• Deadlift 215 lbs. x 3, x 3, x 3
• Bench Press 135 lbs. x 3, x 3, x 3
• Weighted Pull-up 40 lbs. x 3, x 3, x 3
• Kettlebell Snatch 44 lbs. x 50 (Personal Record!)
• Hanging Leg Raise (toes to bar) x 5

 Week 4: 

• Deadlift 225 lbs. x 3, x 3, x 3
• Bench Press 135 lbs. x 5, x 5
• Weighted Pull-up 40 lbs. x 5, x 5
• Kettlebell Snatch 53 lbs. x 20
• Hanging Leg Raise w/Twist x 4

 Week 5: 

• Deadlift 235 lbs. x 3, x 3, x 3
• Bench Press 145 lbs. x 5, x 5
• Weighted Pull-up 44 lbs. x 5, x 5
• Kettlebell Snatch 53 lbs. x 20
• Hanging Leg Raise w/Twist x 6

My goal is simple; increase strength and improve just a few lifts that cover the majority of my movement patterns.  You may notice that I do not have squats in my program.  I do address them as part of my warm-up and usually do some body weight squats on my off days. 

The next two guidelines, strength train and cardio, do not require much explanation as to why you need to incorporate them into your training program.  You need to perform strength training to increase lean muscle mass and boost your metabolism regardless of your goal.  You must perform cardio as well to optimize fat burning and strengthen your heart. 

I hope I’ve shed some light on the different factors you need to address in order to create a successful training program.  Train smart and train hard!