100% custom programming
THE GOAL DICTATES THE TRAINING
WHAT IS 100% CUSTOM PROGRAMMING?
We create and develop a training program that is unique and specific to you, your needs, your goals, and your limitations. Our 100% Custom Programming makes results accessible through a targeted approach by applying the scientific principles of exercise physiology needed to reach your next level. We achieve this by implementing a written plan that utilizes built-in coaching, check-ins, and course corrections, ultimately providing a direct line of sight to your specific results.
WHY IS 100% CUSTOM PROGRAMMING IMPORTANT?
Many of the reasons why 100% custom programming is important come from the science of exercise physiology and the mechanisms behind how results actually occur. Progress is simply a result of adaptations the body undergoes via means of stimulus. In order for our bodies to experience the right adaptations, the stimulus must be specific.
The first principle in exercise science is the principle of specificity, or the SAID principle - Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands. If you want to gain leg muscle, you must certainly elicit a stimulus to that body part. To be maximally effective, the stimulus must also follow other principles of exercise physiology as well. This is because through the process of adaptation, the body grows more efficient at conserving energy, more sophisticated in specific movement patterns, more adapted to the loads it is experiencing, and therefore becomes more efficient at the specific training stimulus which ultimately slows the rate of progress as you grow in training age. If you want to train the body to become stronger, there is a specific way to approach that. If you want to gain muscle, there is a specific way to approach that. If you want to develop your metabolic conditioning, there is a specific way to approach that. Essentially, the goal dictates the training that should occur.
Another important principle is Progressive Overload. The body needs Progressive Overload in order for adaptations to continue to occur. That means through some process of manipulation, we continue to overload the muscle's current capability. We can do this through effective loading of the weight itself or through a structured change to several other variables. The more familiar ones of course are reps and sets, but we can also use the lesser known or utilized variables of: TUT (Time Under Tension aka tempo), RPE (Rate of Perceive Exertion), or RIR (Reps in Reserve). Progressive Overload also implies that while lifting too light of load will not adequately produce enough force to elicit change, but also that lifting too heavy of load may result in an excess fatigue response which prevents a subsequent overloading the following workout - or worse an injury.
Progressive Overload is a calculated process, not guesswork.
With custom programming, applying the above elements allows the muscle to work hard yet with lower risk due to the fact that we are managing overload within its range of capability. Progressive overload can be as simple as adding a mere 5lbs to a lift, adding one rep to a lift, or can be as challenging as two repetitions at 90% of your current maximal capability. Please note, that the last example is not standard practice for everyone - it is merely an example of a way in which to overload the body but also implies a specificity of gaining high level strength.
It is also incredibly important to manage fatigue throughout training, as well as introduce an effective amount of variation without overdoing it. Too much variation and the body is unable to adapt, while too little variation also suppresses an adaptive response. Managing fatigue happens in the workout through rest periods, rep and set schemes, proper loading based on the previous workout, as well as management outside of the workout with the proper rest, nutrition, etc.
As for variation, this requires attention to what is still working and what is slowing down or has stopped. Adding or switching out exercises should not be done randomly, rather a strategic and informed approach should occur in order to make this decision. The proper amount and selection of variation in your training program can continue to provide solid results throughout your training process.
All of this together allows you to take the most direct route to getting the results you want. Not only will this provide a deep sense of satisfaction which continues to produce motivation and result in a true lifestyle shift, it also conserves both time and energy by taking the most effective path to the next-level you.