Training programs 2.0! Focus on your fitness goals!
Training programs! A solution for your fitness goals?
Are training programs useful or not?
In the following article, I will tell you more about online training programs, whether they can help you achieve your training goals, and what you should look out for if you decide to sign up for one. But first, let's take a closer look at what training programs are.
What are online training programs?
Training programs consist of one or more training plans that are geared toward a specific training goal, such as muscle building, weight loss, endurance training, or similar. Such a program can then be completed over a specific period of time. After a few weeks or months, however, it must be expanded or replaced in order to continue making progress. For years, there have been countless online training programs available on the internet. Nowadays, you can also get training and nutrition plans from countless online fitness coaches.
Do your research before you start your training program!
When it comes to the qualifications of fitness consultants, there are many different personalities on the internet. You will find many young fitness and bodybuilding stars who have trainer licenses. However, these people often have no athletic career or professional experience in the field of sports! But there are also the good ones, the very good trainers with a wealth of experience and know-how! Here, it is very important to do your research on the training programs on offer in order to make the right decision and thus ensure your success!
The difference between a training program and a training plan
A training program is the further development of a training plan into a much more comprehensive concept. In the 80s and 90s, gyms still wrote training plans and nutrition plans, but today there are apps and ready-made training programs. Some of these programs not only include training videos for each exercise, but also nutrition plans, recipes, shopping lists, and coaching. These plans can be accessed anywhere via smartphone and even enable "on-demand" dialogue between the user and coach. Training programs condense information and give the user the specific tools they need to achieve their goals. They are designed to help you reach your training goal if you work through the plans systematically.
Which training program is best for me?
For me as a personal trainer, training programs are primarily training solutions for specific goals that users should achieve independently within a certain period of time. They certainly do not replace a personal trainer who tortures their clients at 6 a.m. in the gym, but they can even help the trainer make their clients even more successful. That's certainly the case for me. First and foremost, however, they can support people who cannot afford a trainer.
For this reason, I divide training programs into three groups in terms of content and time:
- Group 1: Training plan:
A training plan is simply a compilation of several exercises, possibly for different training days, such as a split plan for muscle building over 6-8 weeks. The exercises for the individual training days are fixed and the plan must be changed or adjusted after 6-8 weeks.
- Group 2: Training concept:
A training concept can include several coordinated training plans. Example: A macrocycle plan over several months. This concept then includes various training plans for, say, 6-8 weeks each, with different repetition ranges. After several months, the concept must be renewed or the exercises replaced.
- Group 3: Training system:
A training system consists of several training methods that are coordinated to form a system that can be implemented on a permanent basis. A training system takes different training methods into account and uses them in a progressively structured way. The variety of exercises within a system plays an important role in achieving the desired adaptation stimuli. In the best case, a training system also includes a nutrition strategy. This structure would then be applicable indefinitely and guarantee long-term adaptation.
What should you look for when purchasing training programs?
Regardless of whether it's a training plan, concept, or system, training programs should first and foremost be tailored to your training goals. In addition, the training programs should be feasible for you. This means they should start from where you are now. For example, if you are a beginner, neither the training plan of a decathlete nor that of a professional bodybuilder will get you anywhere! On the contrary, it will completely overwhelm you in terms of performance and content! For this reason, the program should always start at your current performance level.
In this context, the following points play a role, which you should find out in advance:
- Training goal:
Is the program precisely tailored to your desired training goal?
- Training frequency:
Does the content or the training sessions fit in with your training options/training times? Please be very honest with yourself at this point and realistically assess the time you can invest. Example: I can manage an average of 3 training sessions per week. The training system is based on 3 training sessions per week. Great, that fits!
- Training location/equipment:
The training program should be tailored to your training options. Example: If the training program is designed for gym training, it may be difficult for you to implement if you train at home and don't have some of the equipment/exercises. After all, you can't buy a bunch of equipment in addition to the training program. In this case, you should look for a training concept for home training.
At this point, simply ask yourself which of the following groups you belong to:
Please see if you can identify with any of the training stages mentioned. The more honest and precise you are, the easier it will be to find your ideal training program.
- Beginners/newcomers:
No training experience
- Trainee:
Regularly training 1-2 times per week at a low level, training duration irregular and without significant progress
- Advanced:
Experienced and training regularly for several years, frequency approx. 3-5 times per week. Good progress evident and not yet at goal
- Competitive athlete:
Has been training for years, regularly, almost daily. Always gives 100%. Measures their performance themselves or in competition and always strives to improve.
- Competitor/professional:
Many years of training experience. Active in competitive sports. Trains several hours a day. Has adapted their life, recovery, and above all their diet to competitive sports. Defined training goal: Optimize everything to win.
Before I digitized my ALL IN training system, I bought several training programs on the market to get an idea of what was available. I found that there are many programs that are really good!
Also, ask yourself where your weaknesses lie!
But there is another point we need to talk about: weaknesses! You should ask yourself where your weaknesses lie, or why you have not yet achieved your training goal, or why you cannot achieve it on your own.
So please ask yourself the following questions self-critically:
- Do I even know anything about training, recovery, and nutrition, and do I know what's important?
- Is it because of my training? Is my training plan bad or not optimal for me?
- Am I too undisciplined and constantly skipping training sessions?
- Am I a wimp and could I train much harder? Do I actually only ever train at about 50-60%?
- Is training perhaps not my problem, but rather my nutrition? Do I even know what and how much I need to eat to achieve my goal?
- Is my goal even right for me or my life situation? Do I want to train like a professional athlete or look like a fitness diva, but I work 12-14 hours a day, have a family and children, and simply don't have the time or energy to reach my goal?
My conclusion for you:
If you've worked your way through all this information and the last few questions, you should definitely be able to find a training program that is feasible and realistic for you. Many roads lead to Rome, but one thing is crucial: consistency! The continuous path is the goal! Because only continuity brings success! I wish you lots of fun, many useful experiences, and that you achieve your training goals. Train hard and smart, Your Mario