A Note on TrueCoach and Programming

As you probably know by now, we’re using TrueCoach for all of our programming needs. This new system keeps us better organized and gives us the ability to better track your progress. The most important feature is one you may be overlooking.

The excel sheets we used to use were permanent. Slight changes in reps or exercise variations here and there was difficult. It wasn’t conducive to calling audibles or making changes as we gained more information. This is the reason for the whole whiteboard versus sheet person debate that’s been around the gym for a few years now. We liked programming on the whiteboard because it gave us the ability to make more subtle changes on the fly while keeping the direction of the program the same. 

Having a program is paramount. However, I don’t know how your week 3 day 2 workout is going to go when I write it. TrueCoach now let’s us take that extra information into account and make edits as we see fit. For example, if week 3 rolls around and day 1 was really tough for you, I can go in and edit Day 2 when it comes up and I transfer it to your personal whiteboard. Maybe you get an email that says you’re going to be kettlebell deadlifting on Friday. When you get to the gym and get in your space you notice a barbell set up. Well, what happened was we looked at previous weeks, and decided that it’s just time to try something different (that’s still the same). This also allows us use our creative coaching juices. Shaking up finishers and conditioning work week to week can give you a better training effect and sometimes it’s helpful for us to make those decisions right before your session.

What I’m getting at is that your workouts may change from what you see in the morning email. If that bugs you, turn off the email notifications. As you transition back into the gym, TrueCoach will be a record of what you’ve done, not a set-in-stone schedule of what we’re planning to have you do. We reserve the right to try new things, change rep schemes, add in different movement variations and keep the program fresh for all parties involved. As I mentioned above, a program is important, but so is creativity and variety. 

Justin MIner

@justinminergain