If you want to learn to write effective training plans, first you must understand the principles of program design. These will vary from system to system. At StrongFirst, there are three meta-principles:
Continuity of the Training Process
Waviness of Loads
Specialized Variety
Second, you need to learn the program design tools of the given system, e.g. ladders, timed sets, etc. Third, you need to study successful program designs of strength coaches operating within the same training system.
“The more you are exposed to certain patterns, the more the memory of these patterns are re-formed at lower levels,” writes Jeff Hawkins, founder of Palm Computing and Redwood Neuroscience Institute, in his book On Intelligence. “This allows you to learn the relationships among higher-order objects at the top. It’s the essence of expertise. An expert is someone who through practice and repeated exposure can recognize patterns that are more subtle than can be recognized by a non-expert, such as the shape of a fin on a late-fifties car or the size of a spot on a seagull’s beak. Experts recognize patterns on top of patterns.”
Which is why you should do your best studying training plans by Master SFGs Dan John and Geoff Neupert. These two gentlemen have written more effective and simple programs than anyone else at StrongFirst.
An Example of Good Programming
Consider the following plan from Geoff’s book Kettlebell Express!:
Two-hand swings—20 minutes each day, 3 days per week
Total time commitment: 60 minutes per week
Total number of workouts: 26
Use a medium-sized kettlebell
Set your timer for 20 minutes
Workout 1: 8 reps top of the minute Workout 2: 9 reps top of the minute Workout 3: 10 reps top of the minute Workout 4: 11 reps top of the minute Workout 5: 12 reps top of the minute
Workout 6: 10 reps top of the minute Workout 7: 11 reps top of the minute Workout 8: 12 reps top of the minute Workout 9: 13 reps top of the minute Workout 10: 14 reps top of the minute Workout 11: 15 reps top of the minute
Workout 12: 13 reps top of the minute Workout 13: 14 reps top of the minute Workout 14: 15 reps top of the minute Workout 15: 16 reps top of the minute Workout 16: 17 reps top of the minute Workout 17: 18 reps top of the minute
Workout 18: 16 reps top of the minute Workout 19: 17 reps top of the minute Workout 20: 18 reps top of the minute Workout 21: 19 reps top of the minute Workout 22: 20 reps top of the minute
Workout 23: 18 reps top of the minute Workout 24: 19 reps top of the minute Workout 25: 20 reps top of the minute Workout 26: 21 reps top of the minute
Take this plan apart, identify the patterns, then try to write another in the same vein. Your early attempts will be little better than plagiarism. But eventually, if you persist, you will be able to write original art. Monet and Manet belong to the same school of impressionism—yet no one would mistake one’s painting for the other’s.
Monet and Manet—never to be confused.
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