What is Programming?

Programming refers to the determination of certain variables in order to achieve particular outcomes. With respect to exercise, it refers to how we structure and plan our training in order to trigger certain physical adaptations. In this article, I will be focusing on the role of programming in strength training.

Strength is an adaptation. It is the body’s response to certain stressors that we place on it. When the stress is sufficient, the body responds and adapts. When the stress is insufficient or excessive, the desired adaptation does not occur. Programming is all about identifying the appropriate dose of stress to apply to trigger the desired adaptation.

The important thing to understand here is that once the body has adapted to a given stress, it now requires a higher dose to trigger further adaptations. In other words, once the body has adapted to the stress of a 95 lb. squat, continuing to squat 95 lb. no longer constitutes a sufficient dose. The trainee must now squat 100 lb. to elicit further adaptations.

While in principle, this is quite simple, in practice, it is complicated by the fact that trainees differ in their rates of adaptation. Some will recover and adapt within 48 hours, while others may require an entire week. In fact, the same individual will adapt quicker at the beginning of his training cycle but will require more time to recover and adapt later in the cycle.

Recovery and adaptation are also impacted by sleep and nutrition. A trainee that is sleeping 5 hours a night will not recover as well as a trainee that is sleeping 8 hours a night. Nor will a trainee that is cutting weight recover as well as one that is bulking. A good program needs to account for these variables and adjust as necessary. Nonetheless, while the rate of adaptation will differ from trainee to trainee and from week to week, the overall trajectory of any training cycle should be such that the load is constantly increasing.