Master Coach Q&A: What’s the Very First Step to Building a Workout Program?

In this Spartan Training franchise, we take your timely questions straight to our Spartan experts. This time, learn the very first step to building your own effective training program.

The expert: Spartan Master Coach Trevor Franklin

The answer: “One of the biggest things that I see lacking is clear goal-setting,” Trevor says. "That means that there’s a whole lot of us working out — and working out hard — but for what exactly?”

Trevor says that for longevity, performance, and results, that goal needs to be very clear.

“Do you want to run further?" he asks. "Get faster? Lift heavier? That specifically needs to be answered."

The Very First Step to Building Your Own Training Program

If You Want to Run FURTHER:

For someone that's looking to run further, it's really just about progressive overload. So, I'm going to give you a number to start at, and then every week we're going to add X amount of percentage on top of that number. That one's not rocket science. It's pretty simple. If you want to run faster, well, that's a different story.

If You Want to Run FASTER:

If you're looking to run faster, then you need to think about where speed comes from. It’s hamstring development and quick hip turnover. To obtain these, you should be implementing more power movements or implementing more heavy-type of weights. You don't have to worry as much about long runs — because that's your endurance pathway — so heavy weights and power cycles are your go to.

If You Want to Lift HEAVIER:

This one is very similar to wanting to run further. It’s about progressive overload with how much weight you can lift. If lifting heavier is the priority, you can work running or endurance in, but strength training should be your focus.

If You Want a Mix of Everything:

If you want a mix of all three, then we need to strike the balance right. Maybe you're lifting two or three days a week, but you're also running three days a week. With that, comes the correct progressive overload on the weightlifting cycles and balancing the speed work and the distance work.

You could leave the programming to the experts like Trevor. Download the Spartan FIT app for workouts and programs for every goal and to train with our top coaching crew.