Want results? Your fitness program needs THIS...

By Pieter Vodden

The noise in fitness is so loud it’s easy to be overwhelmed.

As an industry we have explored, entertained and experimented a multitude of modalities and protocols – from traditional bodybuilding to Crossfit to HIIT to youtube booty gains …and now after 20+ years of evolution in fitness, there’s no shortage of options, opinions and dogmas. It’s becoming more inclusive and broad, but also pretty confusing and contradictory.

If you are programming for yourself, 1on1 clients or larger groups, the mistake is in thinking that one way is THE way…and the key is programming for the hybrid athlete in a hybrid facility. 

Let me explain…

It’s easy to take for granted what a gym like PHAROS is because we have now been in it and seen it duplicated many times. And we definitely weren’t the first, but prior to Pharos, gyms especially in the LA area were more “single-disciplined.” People ‘stayed in their lanes.” You had globo style gyms made for bodybuilders or cardio bunnies, CrossFit boxes, yoga and boxing studio’s and bunda bars. Different pieces of the fitness puzzle were spread out and separated and you would have to travel and have multiple memberships if you wanted to fit those pieces together. 

PHAROS was designed to set aside dogma and offer a space for people to explore their potential through multiple offerings under one roof. A fitness playground for active adults anchored in mechanics, strength and conditioning. 

And once it caught on, gyms had to evolve to serve that consciousness and coaches had to become better at programming to get their clients results. People wanted it all – to get strong, be capable, recover well, feel like a superhero, get 1% better daily and still have a life outside the gym. 

But as it turns out, as more “hybrid facilities” are emerging, it’s not easy to program for the hybrid athlete without it just turning into “a bunch of stuff.” If it’s going to work, it has to be smart, progressive, and has to include some key performance pieces that make a big difference.

WHAT EVERY PROGRAM MUST INCLUDE TO GET RESULTS THAT LAST >

1. Prioritize lean muscle tissue.

   • Establishing a fundamental base of strength will support a fast metabolism (which will help burn fat faster and allow you to eat more calories!), nurture strong bone density and hormone balance as you age, and you’ll be able to actually do things and look good doing them. 

   2. Balance the basics with FUNctional movements.

   • In addition to your main lifts, include power driven, compound/athletic movements that will forge your ability to move well, perform, and fuel the fun in your training.

   3. Carry the engine. 

   • Conditioning compliments strength and muscle. If you want to be able to run to catch the bus, keep up with your kids, or play a game of volleyball on the beach, you have to include tests of conditioning in both aerobic and anaerobic formats. Life is not lived in the gym. We work in here to be better out there. Condition yourself for a life well-lived. 

   4. Learn new (and hard) things to develop your mindset and character.

   • As humans we can never stop learning or challenging ourselves to create new opportunities. Doing your first box jump, trying a boxing class, learning double unders, training for a competition. We’re not looking to overwhelm and compromise our bodies, but to get outside of the norm and challenge yourself progressively in an intelligent way. If you can do more things tomorrow than you could yesterday, you’ll walk a little taller and stay motivated to keep coming back for more.

   5. REPAIR. 

   • Your body is like a bank account with a set amount of funds. You can only withdraw so much before you go broke, so you must re-invest. Extra sleep, massage, Repair/Yoga, a magnesium bath, swim, cold/heat therapy, meditation - it all makes a difference. Activating your parasympathetic system reduces cortisol, one of the biggest enemies against fat loss and muscle building, so find time to repair.

And so the challenge of the modern programmer in a hybrid facility is to include a combination of all of these elements in a way that you and your clients will appreciate and get results from.  We must provide a great fitness experience for every body through our carefully thought out programs and passionate coaching. We must learn from all that has come before , take the best and build on what could be – not with a sense of dogma but with openness and adventure.