Individual Programs: Big Cost, Little Benefit

Let’s get a couple things straight. The perfect program is the most specific program. However, the relationship between the specificity of a program and its effectiveness isn’t one-to-one. To simplify, an athlete could say find 95% of his/her potential with the most general of programs. A program custom tailored to an athlete’s mood, weaknesses, femur length, and fast twitch muscle fiber ratios could be 200% more specific and make half a percent difference.

This is why I can’t begin to buy into the asymmetrical cost of personal training. In fact, most people these days put programming on a pedestal that it doesn’t belong on, in my opinion. You know who doesn’t follow a specific program, the best NFL and NCAA teams. Yet, there are thousands of accountants, school teachers, and fake CrossFit Games Regional athletes that are demanding their special programs.

The NFL’s most valuable asset, Tom Brady, has a personal trainer and it’s all but broken up the team culture in the New England Patriots. Here you have world-class, multi-million dollar athletes following a general program.

If you find yourself blaming your program, you’re likely deferring responsibility. After all, we aren’t as special as we like to make ourselves out to be.

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach