Flexible Programming Considerations
There is a saying that goes something along the lines of “the best program in the world is only as good as how consistently it is followed…” And when the schedule of day to day life is constantly varied it can be tough to stick to a specifically scheduled program. It’s a struggle i’ve encountered in my own training for the last 9 months. Having played around with a few variations i’ve landed on a system that regardless of what the week throws at me, I know I can execute to keep progressing as an athlete. This was the thought process I worked through to get to it:
What training qualities am I trying to develop? List them in order of importance.
Regardless of your current capabilities and goals, as an athlete we’re all chasing improvement in similar physical qualities. However it will be your capabilities and goals that determine the emphasis they get in your program. Having them listed in order of importance will be helpful to making day to day decisions on what gets kept, dropped, or added based on the time you have available to train.
What is the minimum effective dose of volume (frequency or sets/resp) needed to drive adaptations of those physical qualities?
Again based on your capabilities and goals certain physical qualities will get more volume (emphasis) than others. I started with determining frequency (# of days in the week) that certain qualities are targeted. I then moved into how much time, sets, and reps are necessary to maintain or improve each quality laid out in question #1.
On my busiest, most unpredictable day what is the amount of training time I can always commit to? On my most open, free days what is the maximum time I may have available?
When you start the day expecting to have 2 hours to train and then the schedule changes it’s important to know what you can do on your busiest, most unpredictable day. That way you can adjust the training session to match the time allotted.
Here were my answers to the previous questions:
Qualities in Order of Importance:
*In order to answer this question its important to have your end goal in mind. Since i’m not currently training for a specific event my goal is pretty general: Better Actions, More Often, and For Longer. Whether i’m running, pedaling, or paddling I want each stride and stroke to be executed as often as possible, as long as possible, with the highest power and efficiency possible. The order of qualities below reflect the training qualities I need to improve the most to make that possible.
> Aerobic Endurance
> Lower Body Maximum Strength
> Lower Body Power
> Lactate Threshold
> Upper Body Strength
> Maintenance (this is not a specific physical qualitiy, but a mix of methods targeting movement quality to keep my body moving efficiently and feeling good)
Volume per Quality:
*Volume should be adjust based on results. Depending on the physical quality if I haven’t seen improvement in 4-8 weeks then that is an indication that the volume isn’t high enough to drive adaptation and I need to consider a way to get more in. (Yes I recognize there are a lot of other factors that may influence adaptation or lack there of, but i’m not using this post to go into that. Will save for a future write up.)
> Aerobic Endurance: Minimum 2 days per week & 45 minutes per session. Ideally 60+ minutes and a 3rd day in the week if possible.
> Lower Body Maximum Strength: Minimum 2 days per week & 12 sets.
> Lower Body Power: Minimum 3 days per week. 1 day specifically for plyos and sprints with jumps or throws mixed into the 2 strength training days.
> Lactate Threshold: Minimum 1 day per week. Ideally a second day where threshold type efforts are mixed into an outdoor sport or adventure.
> Upper Body Strength: Minimum 2 days per week and 12 sets.
> Maintenance: Minimum 1 day per week or mixed into various workouts throughout the week.
Time Available: While i’d like my answer for minimum time to be 45 minutes, the truth is that I can confidently commit to 30 minutes no matter what happen in the day. The maximum time I have available could be anywhere from 4-8 hours.
Here’s the outline of what a Flexible Program looks like for me right now:
Monday: Aerobic Conditioning
Tuesday: Full Body Strength Training
Wednesday: Speed + Threshold Conditioning
Thursday: Aerobic Conditioning
Friday: Full Body Strength Training
Saturday: Outside moving my body somewhere
Sunday: Maintenance
Here is what this looked like in practice last week:
Monday: I was supposed to have a 2 hour block in between clients so I planned for 90 minutes of aerobic work. I had a move a few things around so I ended up only having an hour. I adjusted to the minimum effective dose of 45 minutes with a 30lb weight vest on the stair stepper.
Tuesday: I had 11 in-person sessions with clients that day so I hit a garage lift that evening when I got home. A1) Back Squat 3x5, A2) Box Jumps 3x3, A3) Eccentric Push Ups 3x10. B1) Single Leg RDL 3x6, B2) SL Broad Jump 3x3, B3) Chin Ups 3xMax
Wednesday: My afternoon clients were all out of town so I had 2+ hours to get out on the mountain bike for the first time this year. Which means I switched my Speed/Threshold day for my Aerobic day. I rode mostly flowy trails for 90 minutes. My legs felt great, but I need to build up some saddle endurance ha
Thursday: I had a 90 minute break between clients so I was able to get a sprint warm up, plyos, and 4minx4 with 2 minutes rest on the stair stepper with HR between 175-185.
Friday: Finished up work at 2pm and got a garage lift in when I got home. A1) Deadlift 3x5, A2) OH DB Press 3x8, A3) Broad Jump 3x3. B1) SL Squat 3x6, B2) SL Box Jump 3x3, B3) Inverted Row 3xMax
Saturday: Drove down to visit my parents for Father day, so no workout.
Sunday: 2 mile run and post run mobility
This set up gives me the minimum effective dose of volume and intensity in the most valuable areas for me to develop, while also allowing the option to swap days of the week based on the training time I have available that day. And since it’s summer time any chance I get to take my conditioning outside or lift in the garage I will :)