Programming is a SKILL
Let’s make clear that you don’t learn programming from one freaking podcast episode, book, or blog post. It takes practice, trial and error and experience to become a proficient and confident programmer.
For those that are confused, I am talking about writing strength and conditioning or fitness training programs for a client or group of clients.
Here’s the thing with programming, and I’ve said this before - there is not one way to program. That’s the beautiful and often super overwhelming and frustrating truth about programming.
There is no a+b = c for strength or endurance or power. Want to increase your back squat or bench numbers? Do x. It doesn’t work like that.
So before we even get into the foundational must knows, I encourage you to embrace the fact that you have a blank slate to work with when it comes to writing programs. Rather than being overwhelmed by that, attempt to see freedom here. The freedom to develop YOUR PHILOSOPHY.
Trust that I went to my professor’s office in college more than once complaining about how hard programming was. I just didn’t get it. I was student who wanted a tried and true equation. It’s not that tried and true equations don’t work for increasing strength, power, muscle size or endurance. It’s just that there are SEVERAL for each of those.
If you’re overwhelmed or feel incompetent, you should.
I don’t say that diss you. I say that because programming IS overwhelming. It IS complex. But when done efficiently, it becomes quite simple. So don’t give up. Like anything else, it takes practice, and implementation. Often, on yourself.
Now, let’s begin with the foundational programming must know’s from Annie.
And to be fair, these are my opinions and observations from ten years of programming + being in this field. I by no means know everything. Not even close. Take these for whatever they’re worth to you.
First off, you must understand basic anatomy and physiology as well as what muscle action is happening during a given exercise.
For instance a hamstring curl and an RDL do different things for the hamstring, and I would not substitute one for the other.
A glute ham focused back extension would be a much better substitute for RDL, whereas supine slider curls or prone bench ham curls would be a better more accurate substitute for hamstring curls.
One primarily focuses on the concentric phase and shortening range of motion, while the other focuses on the eccentric phase and stretching to hamstrings.
This is where having a college degree is not required but is definitely helpful. You learn all about anatomy and physiology before you even get into programming. So that when programming does come about in your last year of uni, you already have a base of understanding in what muscles attach where, and how they function.
If you don’t have an A&P background, then make time to study the human body. There are plenty of free sites online that allow you to view muscles, their origins, insertions and actions. It’s honestly just fun, especially if you enjoy this stuff.
Sure, I suppose you can get good at programming without this understanding but likely not.
A place you could even start would be Mike Boyle’s joint by joint approach.
And to be honest, Julie Read has a really fun anatomy coffee table book called Muscles to the Masses and I absolutely adore it.
Understand the generalized set and rep schemes for power, strength, hypertrophy and endurance
Once you actually get into programming, I’d argue that step one is to simply grasp that there are different adaptations from certain set and rep schemes.
While there is LARGE variance here, and it is not this black and white…sometimes it can help to start with a rigid structure, and then enter grey areas as you gain a better understanding.
Power: 1-3 reps, 2+ minutes rest, 40-60% of your max [with power, the factor of time comes into play - how fast can we move...
