So I’ve thrown a lot of information at you so far. What will you do with it?

Well. You can ignore me, or maybe develop a new exercise regime that adheres to my principles of athletic living, or maybe you tweak what you’re currently doing to even things out. Either way, let me share ten principles for creating a fitness program.

1. Plan a block of time. I would suggest 2 to 3 months is a good start.

2. Think about your goals, choose the three pillars that relate to these the most, and allocate 70% of your training time to these three pillars, with 30% of your time dedicated to the other pillars. If you don’t have a clear goal and want to feel athletic, focus 70% of your time on the three pillars you’ve historically paid the least attention to!

3. If your goals relate to looking good, please factor in my body transformation & sculpting tips in Lessons 12 and 13.

4. On all pillars (apart from skill and endurance), pick eight to ten movement patterns (fancy word for exercise) and spend 5 minutes on each one with a 2-minute break between.

5. When in doubt, aim for mastery of technique rather than intensity. Aim for fluidity over speed and control over power.

6. Always warm up first! Focus on the most complex, big muscle movement patterns next and do the easier stuff at the end.

7. Train very hard four days a week, train medium one day a week and soft two days a week – if that’s too hard, then train for a shorter time. You are designed to move, so if you’re only training 30-90 mins daily, you don’t need full days off.

8. Always make training a bit harder than last week/month. That means tweaking the variables (tempo, rest times, range of movement, grip/feet position, surface stability, sets, reps, weight, etc.), and for those of you that train with weights a lot, play around with drop sets, supersets, ladder sets, compound sets and negatives. Be mindful of how your tweaks affect the pillars. E.g. if you are doing strength one day and eliminate rest time between sets a few days later, be aware that this strength workout will quickly turn into an endurance workout.

9. Look back after each month and assess how you did. Hold yourself accountable. Every month there should be a measured improvement in all seven pillars. When training, stay mindful of your chosen KPIs.

10. 80% of the time, stick to your carefully created plan, 20%, do what feels right, fun or exciting when you go to the gym. Training plans are guides, not prison sentences. Your brain and body are designed to move and learn. Treat yourself to a movement practice that equally challenges and nourishes you, and If you ever get really bored with training, I recommend you focus purely on the skill pillar for a few weeks to stimulate your mind.

A more scientific or bespoke approach to exercise programming goes beyond the scope of this little course. If enough of you ask me, I can create a webinar about it in the future. However.. rather than always listening to me, learn exercise programming from two of my all-time favourite Fitness Educators. They are the Strength & Conditioning Coaches Mike Boyle and Dan John. Both are highly revered coaches in their native North America and globally. They have authored numerous textbooks and sell DVDs, workshops and trainer qualifications. If you google hard enough, there’s a load of free lectures on youtube and podcast interviews worth listening to.

Exercise programming is why I love 1-2-1 training so much. You can be both an artist and a scientist when looking after someone! Anyway…. get learning, please, so you can be your own fitness guru and create a personal movement practice that serves you.

It was a big lesson today. Well done!