Choose your own adventure

I’m getting better at writing workout programs.

Not exactly shocking—I’m obsessed with this stuff.

I’ve written hundreds of programs over the years. In college I’d zone out during chemistry class, daydreaming about owning a gym and scribbling workouts for imaginary clients instead of paying attention to formulas (or whatever it is you’re actually supposed to learn in chem class). Since then, I’ve had plenty of practice.

But there’s one thing I always come back to—and I make sure to mention it in every initial consultation:

I can write a great 4-week program, but I’ll never be able to predict how you’re going to feel four Wednesdays from now.

Maybe you slept poorly. Maybe you crushed a presentation at work. Maybe you’re traveling, stressed, or had an extra cup of coffee. The reality is: how you feel day-to-day is unpredictable, and it’s unrealistic to expect every session to go exactly as planned.

That’s why over the years, I’ve built flexibility into my programming. The two tools that have been most effective?

• Set ranges (i.e., 5-8 reps of db bench press)

• “Pick one of the following” sections

Giving you options doesn’t make the program less structured—it makes it more responsive. It encourages you to pause and ask:

• What do I need today?

• How am I feeling?

• What’s going to move me forward without crushing me?

It sounds simple, but most people don’t take time to reflect like that in the gym. The more you do, the more effective your training becomes.

As your training age increases, your program can become more of a “choose your own adventure.” The key is not to always pick the hardest or the easiest route—but the right one for that day.

—Justin Miner
@justinminergain