I’m in my first week of working out to my own programming, which might seem weird considering I’ve been a trainer for 8 years.
I avoided it for, well, 8 years.
And now I am proud to say I LIKE my programming for myself.
I program for my clients without any bias. I can put together their workouts based on where they are, where they want to go, and their goals. I evaluate how I want to get them there with diligence and intention.
I have been programming for my own clients for the last 8 years. I have been programming for myself for the last 1 week. And in just a few days, it has opened my eyes to things I have not really considered before.
One of the reasons I made the decision to start programming for myself is because I have realized I am super picky with programming.
I have scrutinized classes the few times I have taken them. I was not enjoying the workouts through a big app that thousands of people use. So instead of bouncing around from app to app, why not just put my big girl pants on and program myself?
The app I was on briefly had a really high volume of reps in its workouts and, many times, I just don’t feel I need to do that many to get the results I want and/or they come with too much risk for injury.
Let’s take box jumps as an example.
There had been workouts programmed with rounds of 20, 30, 40, and 50 reps in one conditioning piece. I’m at an age where I do not want to risk tearing my Achilles or simply eating shit on a box jump because I am too fatigued.
Sure, I can sub them for step-ups or do less volume (which I did both), but at that point, it made me wonder if I was losing the intended intensity or result of the workout.
More importantly, I could not find the motivation to even do them, and I found myself skipping workouts more and more.
Sometimes I would do nothing. Other times I might do an all-rowing workout. Occasionally, I would even borrow workouts I programmed for clients.
I never want to feel dread about going into a workout or be anything less than somewhat enthusiastic.
It’s not to say I—or anyone—needs to love or even like every workout. But when this nagging feeling comes up repeatedly of, “This is just dumb,” I find myself not giving 100%.
I already checked out of the workout before I even started, and that is not good for the longevity of staying fit and healthy.
In anticipation of my first week with my own workouts, I spent time over the weekend putting together my workouts for the week, just like I do for clients. I looked at the week holistically to make sure I was balancing my workouts with each other. I also wanted to ensure, as much as I could, that I had as much in the tank as possible when I tested what my current 1 Rep Max (RM) is for three lifts: back squat, shoulder press, and deadlift.
I’m going to be doing an 8-week strength cycle, and it’s important that I can get as much out of it as possible because one of my goals is to work my way back to my lifetime Personal Records (PRs).
Speaking of which, let’s talk about how my lifts went.
Well, not specifically, because numbers are relative. One person could get a 100-pound RM on a back squat while another gets 200 pounds. They are each giving relative equal effort because it’s about where you are at that time and working toward getting stronger.
So let’s just go with percentages.
My back squat 1RM is 79% of my lifetime PR.
My shoulder press 1RM is 85% of my lifetime PR.
My deadlift 1RM is 74% of my lifetime PR.
Okay, that’s about how sciency or numbery I’m gonna get.
But it showed me a few things.
I may not be as strong as I once was, BUT I am also NOT-not strong. Just because I cannot back squat as much as I once did, it does not mean I am weak.
Again, it’s all relative.
Sure, I am not as strong as I was. But that does not mean I have lost so much strength that I am starting at the bottom or from the beginning where I began decades ago.
It actually shows me that DESPITE not doing any structured strength cycles for quite some time, I was still doing some things right.
Mainly, I did not stop.
Even if I have been working out fewer times per week or not with as heavy a weight, there is still one very blatant reminder:
DOING SOMETHING IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN DOING NOTHING.
This is something we hear all the time.
Keep moving. Do something. Don’t stop.
And I feel like I have unofficially proved that. I may not have been squatting heavy, but I have kept squatting, and I do believe that has helped me preserve a respectable amount of strength.
It can be argued, though, that if I had not retested my 1RM for the reality check and had not decided to start another strength cycle, would I have continued to decline?
Yes. Probably. In my unofficial, non-expert opinion.
But again, that’s relative.
I may not have been able to back squat 200 pounds again, but I could still always squat—even if it was with a 35-pound kettlebell or even just my bodyweight.
And for some of you, that might be enough for your own goals. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
For me, though, I felt my best when I was at my strongest. And I want to get back to that feeling. Because currently, I feel meh.
I feel like, “I’ve let myself go.” And that’s just not something I want to keep feeling.
At the end of the day it’s better to not totally dread a workout to the point that I don’t do it. Like I found myself with programming thru an app I had tried.
Another reason I stayed away from programming my own workouts was the thought—and fear—that I would only do what I like.
This week has shown me that maybe that’s not such a bad approach. As long as I am incorporating movements and styles that promote balance, strength, push/pull, different planes of movement, etc., how much does it really matter if I never do another wall ball or 100 reps of box jumps?
I can still hit the intended intensity and work those muscles, just in different ways, as long as I am incorporating movements and formats that support and promote all of the necessary elements of working out including:
- Push and pull movements
- Squat and hinge patterns
- Upper and lower body
- Bilateral and unilateral movements
- Different planes of movement
- Core work
- Balance and stability
- Strength and conditioning
- Appropriate volume, intensity, and recovery
I will live if I never do another wall ball or Turkish Get-Up, and I can still be strong without them.
It’s not to say I never will do them. Well, not wall balls, because thankfully I do not have the right space for them. THANK GOD.
I could program Turkish Get-Ups in a way that I feel like I can tackle them without being bored. (That’s not to say they are easy but each rep takes a ridiculously long amount of time and I do not always have the patience for them).
But also, if I don’t do them, there are plenty of other movements. Here is case and point.
In a recent family visit, we happened to have a plank challenge come up in a game we were playing, and I was able to do a 3½-minute plank!
And win the contest, but that’s just for bragging rights.
I don’t typically even plank for more than a minute at a time in my workouts, so again, it shows me that I can still be strong—and get stronger—without doing the things I hate. I may not do Turkish Get-Ups but I am still getting in plenty of core work in all my workouts.
I’ve had a few clients tell me over the years that they do not want to do specific movements. In some cases, I’ve said, okay, we don’t need to do them.
Like burpees.
If someone really hates them that much—to the point where they’re getting frustrated with me during a workout—they don’t need to do them.
(Side note: I don’t like them either, and they were a movement that came up way too frequently in the app I was following. I got mad and frustrated too. But I do intend to program them for myself in moderation because there is something to be said for being able to get down and right back up efficiently, as it translates to real life.)
One client, though, told me she did not want to do barbell deadlifts again because she didn’t want to get bulky.
A friend of hers was a bodybuilder, and she didn’t want to look like her.
Which, okay. That’s fair.
But also, her friend likely spends hours at a time working out and has gotten to a point where she is lifting very heavy weight. This particular client was deadlifting 50, maybe 60 pounds.
No shade, to be clear. It’s just that the reasoning was misguided.
I diplomatically explained that to her, but I also respected her wishes. So I found other movements for her to do to target her posterior chain.
And so I can do the same for me.
I am excited about programming movements that I have neglected for reasons like the app I was using caters to the masses and the more popular equipment they have access to.
Like landmine movements.
Side note, there is a hack to do them without the proper landmine extension, so really anyone can do them, but it can get a little wonky. Basically, you can use a plate, like a 25- or 45-pound plate, and place one end of the barbell in the center to create a landmine movement. I have done it, and it gets the job done, but the barbell does not stay in quite as nicely as it does with an extension attached to the rig, like the one I have.
Sorry, that got technical.
And in case you are wondering what the heck a landmine is in the fitness world, here is a video using them for landmine sit-ups, another spicy movement I highly recommend: https://www.instagram.com/p/C_QTjT2JI8F/
As I program, I look at everything I have, and it inspires me to do more and to train a little differently. That is something I get to have full control over.
If I want to do slam balls every day, I can.
I won’t, but I can.
Because I get to call the shots with my workouts and I am kind of loving that.
Follow along with my workout programming journey because I am a little giddy about sharing it with you.
And as a reminder, I have opened my programming up for you, too. And please do not be deterred if you do not have the same equipment as me. There are always ways to modify a movement or do something differently to hit the same intended muscles and intensity.
In case you are so inclined (and I hope you are), here is where you can sign up to join us in Train Like a Trainer: https://digyourdeepestgroupfitnessclasses.as.me/schedule/50c4b289
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