Fitness Pollenator: Plug-and-play Program Design

Program writer's block happens to even the very best from time to time. Even when we are inspired, we sometimes look back on our training log to find we've repeated our favorite movements while neglecting and undertraining others.

Photo courtesy: http://blogs.longwood.edu/alexgreene/2013/12/01/writers-block/

One simple, practically automated way to make sure we get everything we need in the proper proportions is to fill in this "giant set" template, based on the categories laid out in The Case for Full Body, Movement-based Training...

A. Lower (Hip or knee)
B. Upper (Pull or push)
C. Upper (Pull or push)
D. Core (Rotation/anti-rotation or hip flexion/anti-extension)

A through D should be performed in rapid succession, resting at the end for one to two minutes, then repeating for the desired number of sets. Clustering exercises in this fashion spreads out fatigue, thereby allowing for the most amount of work to be done in the shortest period of time. While one region of the body is being targeted, the others are recovering.

Let's go ahead and program a sample week with four sessions, each comprised of two of the aforementioned giant sets (with a few tweaks here and there to exercise order).

Start the brainstorming process with lower body. First, list four or five knee dominant exercises (one for each day). At least one of them should be single leg. You'll want to incorporate something metabolically taxing in here as well.

Knee: Squat, Lunge, Box Jump, Jump Rope

Exercises should, of course, be selected based on training age and quality of movement. For advanced trainees, these movements may be progressed to something like back squat, overhead lunge, depth jump, and double under. Rookies, on the hand, might work with squat to a box, split squat, squat jump, and pogo jump.

Now do the same for hip dominant movements.

Hip: Deadlift, Unilateral stiff-leg deadlift, Physioball leg curl, Side-lying abduction, Swing

Next, consider the upper body. Compile a list of about 16 exercises, give or take. Include both vertical and horizontal movements, setting up a 3:2 ratio of pulling to pushing.

Vertical pull: Pull-up, Sweep, Slam
Horizontal pull: Recline row, DB row, Face pull
Auxiliary pull: Farmer's carry, Curl, Y/T/W/L
Vertical push: Overhead press, Vertical throw
Horizontal push: Bench press, Push-up, Dip
Auxiliary push: Skull crusher

Lastly, choose eight core exercises (two per day). Around half of them should be rotary in nature, leaving the other half for anti-extension and hip flexion.

Rotation/anti-rotation: Bird dog, Landmine, Pallof Press, Rotational throw
Anti-extension/hip flexion: Planks, Ab wheel, Prone Jackknife, Flutter kick

If you're wondering about the exclusion of lumbar flexion from the core curriculum, check out Dr. Stuart McGill's work on the damaging effects of crunches and sit-ups.

Now just plug and play, varying the basic template slightly as desired:

	Day 1		Day 2		Day 3		Day 4
Hip	Deadlift	Pull	Pull-up	Hip	Uni stiff-leg deadlift	Pull	Face pull
Push	Push-up	Pull	Sweep	Pull	Dumbbell row	Push	Dip
Pull	Recline row	Hip	Swing	Push	Vertical throw	Hip	Supine jackknife
Core	Pallof press	Core	Landmine	Core	Flutter kick	Core	Planks
	- - - - -		- - - - -		- - - - -		- - - - -
Knee	Lunge	Core	Ab wheel	Knee	Goblet squat	Hip	Side-lying abd.
Push	OH press	Push	Skull crusher	Push	Bench press	Knee	Box jump
Pull	Farmer's carry	Pull	Curl	Core	Prone jackknife	Pull	Slams
Core	Bird dog	Knee	Jump rope	Pull	Y/T/W/L	Core	Rotational throw

Training goals for stability, endurance, hypertrophy, strength, and power will of course determine sets, reps, rest, and tempos.

Bear in mind that the template need not be rigid; it's simply a tool. As you can see above, there's plenty of leeway in terms of exercise order and grouping. Day 1 sticks to the plan precisely, but from there things get pretty crazy. Within this system, there's really no wrong way to group exercises together, provided there's a rationale for doing it. The beauty of this template for full-body, movement-based training is that the balance in strength across all planes of motion is intrinsic.