DOMAIN THREE

Program Design
EXAM WEIGHT 23% / CHAPTERS REFERENCED 14-16
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Program Design
The type of training program that will deliver the best client results is one that’s comprehensive, periodized,
and progressive. After you have collected the necessary client data, including a detailed snapshot of their
lifestyle, occupation, goals, and interests, along with any medical parameters or issues, you can develop
your client’s individualized exercise program. Program design does not need to be complicated or confusing.
It should be an organized blueprint for solving your client’s problems and helping them achieve their
goals. You will use your knowledge and expertise to address strength, cardio fitness, flexibility, and overall
performance of the body. You will be able to implement acute program variables to influence physiological
adaptations.

ELEMENTS OF FITNESS
There are four elements of fitness programs and they include strength, cardio, flexibility, and body
composition.

STRENGTH TRAINING
Strength is the ability to contract muscles with maximum force given certain constraints. It’s also a key
factor in fat loss. There are different categories of strength.

• Limit strength is the amount of force you can generate for on all-out effort without the use of work
producing aids. There are three types:
°° Eccentric strength is the strength required to resist and control the resistance in the
downward phase of a movement.
°° Static strength is the strength required to resist and control the weight resistance in a
stationary position.
°° Concentric strength is when the muscles generate enough force to exceed the load
opposing its contraction. It’s usually the upward phase of a movement.
• Absolute strength is the same as limit strength but adds an element of being under the influence of
a work-producing aid like supplements.
• Speed strength is the ability of the neuromuscular system to produce the greatest impulse (either
force or motor unit recruitment) in the shortest amount of time.
• Anaerobic strength is force produced without oxygen.
• Linear anaerobic strength endurance is a sustained, all-out maximum effort over an extended period

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of time. It can be achieved by maximum running speed or completing repetitions in bodybuilding.

• Nonlinear strength endurance is the ability to perform an activity with increasing explosiveness over
a period of time. For example, a three- or four-hour powerlifting competition.
• Aerobic strength is the efficiency which you can use and deliver oxygen to muscles and remove
waste over a period of time

3 7 10 12 16 20 30
Benefits
reps reps reps reps reps reps reps
Muscle Very Med/
High Med Med Low Low
Note: To achieve Strength High Low
benefits at
designated Med/ Very
Hypertrophy High High Med Low Low
rep. range, final Low High
rep. should be Anaerobic
performed at or Med/ High/ High/ Med/
Strength Low Med High
near 1RM. Low Med Med Low
Endurance
Aerobic
Very High/
Strength Low Low Low Med High
Low Med
Endurance

CARDIOVASCULAR TRAINING
Cardiovascular fitness is the capacity to take in, transport, and utilize oxygen. Specifically, the efficiency at
which the heart and lungs can provide oxygen-rich blood to working muscle tissue.
• Key aerobic training terms used in fitness include:
°° Oxygen deficit - the occurrence when you begin to exercise and your intake of oxygen
doesn’t immediately meet your demands
°° Oxygen debt - when inspired oxygen during the recovery phase from exercise is in excess of
resting needs
°° Aerobic fitness - the capacity to take in, transport, and use oxygen
°° Aerobic exercise - moderate activity places demand on oxygen-using pathways
°° Aerobic strength endurance - musculoskeletal force and energy production that requires
oxygen
°° Maximal oxygen consumption - (also referred to as O2 max and maximal oxygen uptake) is
the maximum amount of oxygen that can be transported to the body’s tissues from

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the lungs and, as such, provides a quantifiable index of the body’s capacity for aerobic
energy transfer; it is most accurately measured in a precisely conducted laboratory test
°° Aerobic power - measures fitness by Vo2Max/bodyweight (kg)
°° Aerobic or heart rate training zone - the training intensity that should be used for a desired
outcome
°° The maximum heart rate should be 220 - Age. 70 – 85% is the maximum heart rate
intensity for aerobic exercise recommended by the ISSA.
°° The lower and upper limits of a training zone are based on a percentage of the
maximum heart rate.
• Applying cardiovascular training:
°° One application of cardio is cross-training, which means using several modes of training to
develop a specific component of fitness
°° Trainers should take into account any necessary modifications their client may require;
being cautious when having clients perform cardio on rowing machines because if
performed with poor form, it can cause low back pain

FLEXIBILITY TRAINING
The definition of flexibility is the range of motion around a joint.
• One of the most common modalities used in flexibility training is the use of a foam roller to perform
self-myofascial release.
• To speed up the removal of waste products during or after a workout, clients should stretch to a
point that’s short of joint discomfort.
• If the goal is to increase range of motion (ROM), it’s recommended to stretch to the first point of
discomfort.

Laws of Training
The Laws of Training serve as the foundation for all fitness program development. Following these laws will
help you analyze any exercise program for adequacy and effectiveness.
• Principle of individual difference is important to help clients obtain realistic goals. It also suggests
that genetics can contribute to limitations in change and adaptation. However, it is in rare
circumstances that clients aren’t reaching their recreational or aesthetic goals due to genetics.
• Overcompensation principle states that our bodies will compensate to handle repeated stress.

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• Overload principle states that in order to gain strength, muscle size, or endurance from training, the
client must exercise against a resistance greater than that normally encountered; this helps
to ensure continued improvement.
• SAID principle states that bodies will physiologically adapt according to training prescription.
• Use/disuse principle (also known as the law of reversibility) applies to both training and cessation of
training. Putting it another way, “use it or lose it.” If you stress your body and its systems enough, it
will adapt to meet the stress.
• Specificity principle states that one must perform specific and highly specialized training as a final
objective draws closer. For example, squats, barbell bench presses, and deadlifts would be the
exercises a powerlifter should perform as competition draws closer.
• GAS (general adaptation syndrome) principle implies there must be a period of low intensity training
or recovery after extreme intensity training bouts. It contains three stages:
°° Alarm (shock) stage - caused by application of training stress
°° Resistance (compensation) stage - muscles adapt to resist weights more efficiently
°° Exhaustion (fatigue) stage - if stress continues, one will exhaust reserves
Overtraining is caused by cumulative microtrauma (cellular damage from an overreaching episode that gets
worse and worse over time).
• Anaerobic clients will be more likely to experience sympathetic overtraining.
• Aerobic clients will be more likely to experience parasympathetic overtraining.
• A change in the ratio of testosterone to cortisol is an indicator of overtraining.
• Excessive training happens when volume, intensity, or both are increased too quickly and without
proper progression.
• Warm-up
°° A general warm-up should increase the functional potential of the body as a whole.
°° A specific warm-up should establish the optimal relationship between the forthcoming
movements. A warm-up that can improve athletic performance involves movements similar
to the sport to follow.
°° Purpose of warming up includes:
°° Increased muscle temperature
°° Improved metabolic adjustment to heavy work
°° Increased velocity of nerve conduction
°° Greater number of capillaries opened in the muscles
• Cool down – The purpose is to return the body to its resting state and help to alleviate DOMS
(delayed onset muscle soreness).

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PROGRAM DESIGN APPLICATIONS

Part of program design is modifying acute variables, which can be thought of as training load. This includes
factors like intensity, reps, sets, and frequency. Each of these will be manipulated intentionally to achieve a
specific result.
• 55% – 85% of 1RM is needed to achieve maximum power with 1 – 2 reps, 3 – 5 sets
°° When considering a progression for training load, a simple method to use is called the for 2
rule; if your new client can successfully complete two or more repetitions in the last set of
two consecutive workouts, then you should increase the load 5 – 10%
• Resistance training methods which have become popular:
°° Eccentrics - contractions 1.6 times stronger and helps to maximize growth
°° Rest-pause method - one set into several mini-sets with rest
°° Pre-exhaustion training - perform isolation movement prior to compound movement
°° Post-exhaustion training - a heavy compound movement is performed first, and then the
isolated exercise is performed second, for example, performing a squat first and then a leg
extension; this is how most powerlifters or power bodybuilders train
• During strength training, the following are important:
°° Grip - for example, a pronated grip is the best hand placement when doing a pull-up
°° Breathing
°° New trainees should exhale through the sticking point and inhale during the less
strenuous portion of the lift
°° The Valsalva maneuver is expiring against a closed glottis, combined with
contracting muscles of the abdomen and ribcage, creates rigidity in the torso; this
stabilizes the spine and gives up to 20% greater force
• Exercise will stimulate a series of metabolic responses that affect the body and cause adaptations.
Energy metabolism is how the body breaks down and uses energy for activity:
°° Aerobic is with oxygen and anaerobic is without oxygen
°° The ATP/CP energy pathway is anaerobic, meaning oxygen isn’t needed; for example, if
you’re having your client do sprints or max powerlifting, they’d be using the ATP/CP energy
pathway
• Common exercise induced-adaptations are:
°° Increased size and number of mitochondria
°° Greater myoglobin content
°° Increased levels of myoglobin
°° Increased level and activity of enzymes in the metabolism of glucose

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• Anaerobic adaptations can include increases in the body’s functional capacity for explosive strength
and maximized short-term energy systems
• Neural adaptations are primarily responsible for increased strength gains in beginning clients.
• Muscle hypertrophy is an increase in the size of the muscle fibers
°° When deciding to increase the load or repetition, the trainer should closely monitor
responses to ensure they are progressing toward their specific goals
When conceptualizing the development of a fitness program, periodization is the most commonly used term
to refer to how a training program is broken down into discrete time periods.
• Periodization, also called cycle training, is important to help clients stay injury free and keep their
bodies responsive to adaptations. The time periods are referred to as macrocycles, mesocycles, and
microcycles.
°° Macrocycles can be thought of as the entire training period – generally a year.
°° Mesocycles can range from two weeks to a few months, but in general, they typically last for
one month.
°° Microcycles should alternate in terms of intensity; they are the shortest cycle in periodized
programming and last from five days to three weeks. A powerlifter during peak week is an
example of a microcycle.
°° Periodized programs can help reduce the extent of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).
In addition to periodization, the incorporation of a cool down after every work out can help
alleviate DOMS because the rhythmic contractions of the muscle help return blood to the
heart. This helps to remove waste.
• Three reasons why periodization may help with DOMS:
°° Connective tissue damage
°° Skeletal muscle damage
°° Spasms which reduce blood supply
• Popular Sub-Principles of Fitness Training
°° FITT Principle applies to any form of resistance training and is best for beginning clients. It
includes the following acute variables:
°° Frequency of exercise
°° Intensity of exercise
°° Time or duration of exercise
°° Type of exercise

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• Four technologies of training equipment:

°° Constant resistance devices (e.g., dumbbells) is the type where the weight lifted is always
the same, regardless of changing the leverage through movement. An advantage to
dumbbell training is that it targets smaller synergists and stabilizer muscles
°° Variable resistance can vary the amount of weight being lifted to match the strength curve
for a particular exercise.
°° Accommodating resistance is a training machine which, through the use of air, fluid or clutch
plates in tandem with a flywheel, controls the speed with which you are able to move.
°° Static resistance focuses on developing the most muscle mass and strength through the
smallest amount of motion and time in the gym.
When selecting exercises, you should pick movements that target major muscle groups. Exercise technique
is just as important to client success as program design. The following are common technique recommen-
dations for typical exercises.
• Squat
°° Avoid having the heels come off the ground
• Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
°° Inhale on the eccentric phase (downward) and exhale on concentric (upper)
• Chin-Up
°° Do not allow your body to swing and do not lock out arms at bottom
• Lunge
°° Do not allow legs to bow inward or outward
• Hanging Leg Raise
°° Keep shoulder blades down and together throughout the movement

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