Let’s face it – all involved in some form of physical training have prejudices. Some things we believe work, others we believe are just fads.
Nevertheless, as the late Dr. Mel Siff stated: “The fitness public feels far more comfortable with cerebrally undemanding mantras and ‘fast food’ solutions than with far more accurate, more complex and often more successful methods.”
When contemplating our desire to start a physical activity or exercise regimen, we must realistically ask many questions before embarking on such a quest:
- What is it you are attempting to do?
- What are your goals?
- Why do you believe a certain program or training regimen is best for you?
- Have you ever been involved in a serious training regimen? (Training experience)
- Do you truly know what a training program means or consists of?
- What type of educational background do you possess to understand and utilize the basic, applied science/information?
Our next step is to review some relevant points pertinent to a “quality” exercise training…
What is a Training Program?
- A program is a plan, agenda, schedule, curriculum, list, or calendar (of events)…
- A plan is a strategy, an idea (or group of ideas), a design, a ‘map”, a preparation model…
- Within said plan is a process or (step by step) procedure, method, progression…
Now that we have established that a program is a plan and within the said plan is a process, we need to ask these questions:
- What does a good program consist of?
- Who determines what a quality program is?
- What tools do we need to create a good program?
- Do you have a program designed to meet stated goals?
- Is there one all-encompassing training program for everyone?
- WHERE DO YOU START??
Now that we know what a program is, let us review why many “canned” or “pre-planned” programs might be of value when someone starts a training program. Most programs follow the flow of:
Questions about using “canned” or “pre-written” training programs:
- Is the process of the plan what YOU truly need/believe?
- Is a particular program REALLY all-encompassing?
- Do you know the reason(s) why it works?
If we use critical thinking, when a novice begins any exercise training program, it is likely any program will elicit physical changes particularly if the participant has not exercised for some time.
Simply stated, going from doing no exercise (physical training) to some exercise will impose a stress on the body causing the various physiological systems to change or adapt to said stressed imposed upon it (as long as said stress does not cause harm).
Every “canned” program also offers a plan with each step in the plan already laid out for the user making the program easy to use and follow. The average person may not know the intimate details of how to design a program for reaching a goal so a pre-packed set of steps can have a substantial effect on the user.
Any program can also be considered a “system” of training. A system is considered any of the following:
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- Method
- Technique
- Procedure
- Routine
- Structure
- Approach
Any system being used and designed or developed should also adhere to using standard human movements applicable and transferable to the activity the person is training for.
Again, most of the training industry review multiple training programs designed or advertised to facilitate reaching our own goals or those we were attempting to coach or train.
In essence, one of the ways we learned the training procedures were (as Dr. Siff and Dr. Yessis stated) “copying” other programs specific to the activity we participated in.
Most involved in physical training have done this – it is not uncommon and can very well give us insight as to how programs are developed over time.
This experience should have provided us with the insight to ask two substantial questions:
- Do I actually “PLAN/DESIGN/USE training programs based on:
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- Extensive health history?
- Structural evaluations?
- Postural analysis
- ROM (range of motion)
- Movement screens of fundamental motions
- Strength deficits?
- (Based on the various types of strength/fitness required for not only the activity but for foundational/general physical preparation for evolving to higher levels of training and increased/higher levels of performance?)
- Individual goals?
- Level of training?
- Properly selected exercises?
- Individual STYLES of a technique for every movement?
- Basic human movements applied to any activity is called a skill
- Every skill has a basic technique
- Any variation of the basic skill requires an alteration of said skill technique and is called “style of technique” based on
- Body type/segment length ratios
- ROM (range of motion at each joint involved in every movement
- Motor learning capacity
- Experience?
- Learning each movement specific to the activity is necessary to describe, observe, evaluate, and instruct every movement necessary to improve performance and decrease the risk of injury
- Education?
- Experience goes far but do you have the necessary educational background specific to the activity but basic information related to proper training protocols such as:
- Structure and function (basic anatomy and physiology)
- Human Movement fundamentals (Kinesiology or the study of human movement – motion/types of motion/planes of motion/joint axes of rotation specific to the motion, kinetic chain fundamentals {skeletal, muscular, nervous system)
- Rigid Body Mechanics (physics of human movement)
- Static versus Dynamics
- Kinetics (forces that cause motion) verses Kinematics (movement independent of the forces)
- Adaptations to training (Exercise Physiology – stresses on the various systems of the body during training
- Structural Evaluations
- Training Program Design
- Acute program variables
- Long-term manipulations (Periodization)
- Progress monitoring
- Periodic testing
- INDIVIDUALIZATION OF TRAINING STRESSES!!!
- Experience goes far but do you have the necessary educational background specific to the activity but basic information related to proper training protocols such as:
- Do I always copy programs from the latest:
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- Magazines/Book/Online?
- Latest Trend?
- Other people with the same interest?
- Other Model?
Additional questions that may surface include:
1) Does your program follow the previously stated guidelines?
2) Is the program selected what you need to achieve your intended results?
Granted this is substantial insight since the majority of those training often follow the leads of others designated as the leading “experts” in the training industry. We all must start somewhere; however, to become an expert, it takes not only a vast amount of education but time and experience to absorb, decipher then utilize this information, as well as other tips and techniques for becoming an expert level trainer or coach
This education can and usually begins with information absorbed from leaders in the field.
Reviewing the above diagram and comparing them with the system currently used leads one to ask these additional questions:
- Is this “program or system” what the person truly needs to be based on their individual needs?
- Has this “program or system” been designed to facilitate reaching the individual goals desired by the person in need of such training?
- Is this pre-packaged “program or system” suited for every person (does one size fit all)?
- Does the program currently being utilized follow the above rules?
For every person involved in the physical training industry, whether you participate in your own goals or participate in some form of competition, each of us became interested in some aspect of training and investigate how to perform a particular activity, as well as how to train to become better at our selected sport or activity.
We then began our involvement learning how to do our activity and, most likely read relevant literature on how to do the activity but mostly observed others perform the movements we were most interested in. To heighten one’s awareness of how to utilize the vast amount of information available, we advocate the philosophy of building toolboxes.
One toolbox is for all your scientific information and the other toolbox filled with an infinite number of exercises to be used accordingly, i.e., the right tool for the right job for the right person at the right time.
One of the best ways to increase your number of tools or toolboxes is to expand your training and coaching knowledge with continued education.
Once we begin this quest, we normally seek more information on how to improve performance and perhaps even began coaching others as we learn what we perceive as the best way to train for achieving specific results.
In other words, how can I improve my ability to design and implement the most appropriate program for an individual?
