Program Design
The framework
Programs are built on FITT-VP: frequency, intensity, time, type, volume, and progression. Underneath sit the principles of overload (demand more than the body is used to), specificity (the SAID principle - adaptation is specific to the demand), variation, and reversibility (use it or lose it). Progression should be gradual; a common guide is to raise load or volume by roughly 2–10% when the client tolerates it.
Session structure and exercise order
A warm-up of about 5–10 minutes raises core temperature and rehearses movement; a cool-down returns heart rate and flexibility work. Sequence large, multi-joint lifts before small isolation work, and place explosive or power movements early in the session while the client is fresh, assuming sound technique.
Volume and rest
Rest intervals shape the adaptation: roughly 2–5 minutes between heavy strength sets, 30–90 seconds for hypertrophy, and 30 seconds or less for muscular endurance. Periodization organizes training into blocks; linear models progress gradually, undulating models vary intensity within the week. Neither is magic - both are ways to manage fatigue and overload.
Traps and a rule of thumb
Questions confuse specificity with variety, or attach the wrong rest interval to a goal. “Muscle confusion” is marketing, not a principle. Rule of thumb: the 2-for-2 rule - if a client can complete two extra repetitions over two consecutive sessions in the same exercise, increase the load about 2–10%. Worked example: a client prescribed 3 × 10 on a leg press reaches 12 reps in two sessions running, so load increases and reps return to the prescribed range.