MOST POPULAR: How to write a balanced program

Hint: It’s not endless broomstick drills or circus-style functional training

If you’ve read any of my earlier posts, you’ll know that I’ve made peace with the fact that most general population clients need bodybuilding-style training — not because they want to step on stage, but because:

• They want to look like they train

• They want to move better and feel stronger

• And they want visible, feel-able results from the effort they’re putting in

Unless your client is training for a marathon or a sport-specific event, aesthetics + general strength + better movement = the winning combo.

So let’s fast-track what an actually balanced program for Gen Pop should include — assuming you’ve already done a movement screen and tailored the plan to their starting point.

🔍 Why Movement Screens Matter

Let me just say:If you’re not customizing a program based on a proper movement screen, why should your client pay you over Google?

Your job as a trainer is not to prescribe workouts.Your job is to curate a result — to be the artist, not just the instructor.

✅ Core Program Components (Adjusted to Baseline & Progression)

Here’s what should show up — in varied volume depending on need:

1. Stability & Balance

If your client can’t stand on one leg without falling, start there.Falls aren’t just for seniors — they’re the result of under-trained systems, and they can be trained.

2. Proprioception (Body Awareness)

I once had a client constantly checking her reflection during a movement screen. No mirrors nearby — just windows.Turns out, she had proprioceptive deficits and was relying on visual feedback to know where her body was. That’s trainable — and critical.

Use reaches, cross-body drills, single-limb tasks, and cues that don’t rely on mirrors.

3. Reaction / Fast Twitch Response

Let me say it louder:We don’t need to be training people to move slower.Sure, control matters. But so does speed.After age 35, we lose fast-twitch fibers every year — unless we train them. That means incorporating:

• Quick footwork

• Reaction drills

• Speed reps or jumps (when safe)

Even one movement per session can help.

4. Core (Real Core)

Not just crunches. Not just bracing.Train the middle third of the body to work at the intensity appropriate for the task — not to max brace while tying their shoelaces.

Teach graduated recruitment. Use exercises that target TA, pelvic floor, and rotational control under various loads and postures.

5. Mobility (vs Flexibility)

Mobility = strength in range.Hypomobile clients need to build range with control.Hypermobiles? They need motor control and starting-position consistency, not more passive stretching.

6. Compound Lifts

Big movements. Big bang-for-buck.They trigger hormonal cascades, improve coordination, and make people feel capable.Use them smartly — modify or use non-axial options when needed.

7. Accessory / Isolation Movements

Yes, these matter. They:

• Improve mind-muscle connection

• Help clients see and feel progress

• Build awareness in rehab or chronic pain clients

• Can bridge gaps between awareness and integration

A client who knows what their hamstring feels like will perform hip hinges more effectively.

8. Functional Movement (But Not As the Star of the Show)

Let me be blunt:The goal is not to turn your clients into circus performers.Functional movements can train agility and mental patterning, yes.But loading them is inefficient when multiple joint actions with competing load demands are combined.

Use functional movements to:

• Fire up the cerebellum

• Prime the brain for variability

• Make real-world movements smoother (getting off the ground, dancing, picking up the dog)

But don’t expect these to chisel physiques. No one got ripped from functional patterns alone.

⚠️ What to Avoid

• Over-prescribing broomstick drills unless the person has time and a technical goal

• Neglecting isolation work because it’s not “functional”

• Running a full session of reaction drills without checking for structural readiness

• Program-hopping based on trends, not outcomes

Remember: looking like they lift is often the first metric clients care about — even if they tell you otherwise.

🧠 My Take on Functional Training vs Results

I’m not anti-functional training — but I’m also not delusional.

Yes, some people in the FP world look incredible. But they didn’t get there from the wooden stick work. They built muscle with bodybuilding or hypertrophy-style training first — then maintained with functional patterns.

If your client’s goal is strength, posture, fat loss, or body shape, they need structured loading — not balancing on wobble boards juggling kettlebells.

📘 Coming Soon: My Programming Book

I’m putting together a guide on how to train Gen Pop clients with actual strategy and science — including:

• Macrocycles and mesocycles for non-athletes

• Volume/intensity structuring for real life

• Practical progression without gimmicks

• What to include (and what to skip) when time is tight

If this sounds like something you need, DM me or drop your email to get updates.Got feedback? Let me know — it might shape the next chapter.