The Training Programming Bible: How to Build the Right Programme for Your Goal
- Joe Gilbert
- 6 days ago
- 16 min read
Strength, muscle, fitness, fat loss, running, athletic performance and hybrid training—explained simply.
There is no perfect training programme. There is only a programme that suits:
what you want to achieve;
what you can currently recover from;
how often you can train;
what you enjoy enough to continue doing;
and what your body is ready for.
That distinction matters. A well-designed strength programme will not look like a marathon programme. A plan for building muscle should not be organised like HYROX preparation. Someone training three times per week around work and family does not need a watered-down version of an elite athlete’s schedule.
The best programme is not the one with the greatest number of exercises, the most scientific terminology or the hardest individual sessions.
It is the one that directs enough work towards the qualities you want to improve, controls fatigue and allows you to make measurable progress over time.
This is Revival’s practical guide to programming training properly.
The five rules behind every good training programme
Before discussing specific goals, it helps to understand the principles that apply to almost everyone.
1. Your programme must have a clear priority
You can improve several qualities at once, particularly when you are relatively new to structured training.
However, you cannot maximise everything simultaneously. Training for a faster marathon, a bigger squat, more muscle and peak explosive power at the same time creates competing demands. A good programme therefore has:
one primary goal;
one or two secondary goals;
and several qualities that are simply maintained.
For example, someone preparing for a half marathon might prioritise running performance, continue lifting twice per week to retain strength and muscle, and temporarily place maximal power development lower down the list.
That does not mean abandoning other forms of fitness. It means deciding what should receive the greatest share of your time, energy and recovery.
2. The training must be specific enough
Your body adapts to the demands placed upon it.
To become stronger, you need to practise producing high levels of force.
To build muscle, you need sufficient challenging resistance-training volume.
To improve endurance, you need repeated aerobic work.
To become more powerful, you need to move with speed and intent.
General training can build a broad foundation, but the more specific your goal becomes, the more specific your programme must become.
A few casual runs may improve someone’s general fitness. They are unlikely to prepare that person fully for a fast 10K.
Likewise, random strength circuits can make a beginner stronger. They eventually become less effective than a progressive programme built around repeatable lifts.#
3. The work must gradually progress
Training only works while it continues to provide an appropriate challenge.
Progressive overload does not simply mean adding weight every week. Progress can include:
lifting more weight;
performing more repetitions;
completing more high-quality sets;
moving the same load more comfortably;
running further at the same effort;
running faster at the same heart rate;
using better technique;
reducing unnecessary rest;
or performing a more demanding variation.
The important word is gradually. Trying to force progress faster than your body can adapt usually produces worse sessions, persistent soreness or injury rather than faster results.
4. The programme must manage fatigue
Every useful training session creates some fatigue.
The aim is not to avoid fatigue completely. The aim is to ensure that the fatigue created is proportionate to the benefit of the session.
An exercise might be effective but unnecessarily expensive to recover from. Five hard conditioning sessions may each look productive in isolation while making the training week as a whole ineffective.
Good programming considers how sessions interact.
A demanding lower-body strength session on Monday may affect Tuesday’s intervals. Friday’s high-volume lunges may compromise Saturday’s long run. Repeated high-intensity classes can leave someone constantly working hard but never fresh enough to improve meaningfully.
Programme the week—not just today’s workout.
5. It must be realistic
A theoretically perfect six-day programme is useless to someone who can reliably train three times.
The latest resistance-training guidance from the American College of Sports Medicine places considerable emphasis on regular participation, individualisation and training the major muscle groups consistently rather than chasing unnecessary complexity.
Start with the schedule you can sustain.
You can always add more later.
How many days per week should you train?
There is no universal answer, but these are sensible starting points.
Two days per week
Two full-body sessions can significantly improve strength, muscle and general function, especially for beginners or people returning to exercise.
This is often the best option for someone with a busy schedule, particularly when combined with walking, cycling or an occasional run around Hammersmith, Chiswick or Ravenscourt Park.
Three days per week
Three sessions provide enough frequency to build a very effective general fitness, strength or muscle-building programme.
Common structures include:
three full-body sessions;
two full-body sessions plus conditioning;
upper body, lower body and full body;
or two strength sessions plus one longer endurance session.
For many people, three well-planned sessions are better than five inconsistently completed ones.
Four days per week
Four sessions allow training to be divided more precisely without making each workout excessively long.
Examples include:
upper body and lower body, repeated twice;
two strength sessions and two conditioning sessions;
three resistance sessions and one long run;
or a balanced hybrid programme.
This is an excellent frequency for people who enjoy training and can recover reasonably well.
Five or more days per week
Training more frequently can be useful, particularly for endurance athletes, experienced lifters and people preparing for a specific event.
However, more training days do not mean every day should be hard.
Higher-frequency programmes usually work because the total workload is distributed intelligently—not because the athlete repeatedly empties the tank.
How to programme for strength
Strength is the ability to produce force.
A strength programme should therefore give you regular exposure to relatively heavy, technically consistent movements.
What matters most
A good strength programme normally includes:
one or more primary lifts;
sufficient rest between demanding sets;
repeated practice of the important movement patterns;
lower-repetition work performed with good technique;
and supporting exercises that address muscle mass, control and weak areas.
Heavier loading is generally more effective for maximising one-repetition strength, although useful strength gains can occur across a range of loads. Current ACSM guidance suggests heavier loading—around 80% of one-repetition maximum or above—as a useful emphasis for strength development.
A simple strength session
Primary lift: 3–5 sets of 3–6 repetitions
Secondary compound lift: 3–4 sets of 5–8 repetitions
Unilateral or supporting movement: 3 sets of 6–10 repetitions
Upper-body push or pull: 3 sets of 6–10 repetitions
Trunk or loaded carry: 2–4 sets
Exercise examples
A lower-body strength programme might use:
back squats;
front squats;
trap-bar deadlifts;
conventional or sumo deadlifts;
split squats;
Romanian deadlifts;
and heavy step-ups.
An upper-body programme might use:
bench presses;
overhead presses;
weighted pull-ups;
dips;
barbell or dumbbell rows;
and heavy carries.
The exact exercise matters less than selecting a movement that:
trains the intended quality;
suits your structure and current ability;
can be performed safely;
and can be progressed consistently.
Example three-day strength week
Monday — Squat emphasis
Back squat
Romanian deadlift
Dumbbell bench press
Chest-supported row
Hanging leg raise
Wednesday — Upper-body emphasis
Weighted pull-up
Overhead press
Split squat
Cable row
Farmer’s carry
Friday — Deadlift emphasis
Deadlift
Front squat
Incline dumbbell press
Lat pulldown
Pallof press
Do not test your maximum strength every week. Build it.
Most working sets should finish with good technique and approximately one to three repetitions still realistically available.
How to programme for muscle growth
Muscle growth requires challenging resistance training, sufficient weekly volume and adequate recovery.
Heavy weights can build muscle, but they are not mandatory for every exercise. Hypertrophy can occur across a broad range of loads when sets are performed with sufficient effort. Heavier loads remain preferable when maximal strength is also a priority.
What matters most
For hypertrophy, focus on:
training each target muscle consistently;
accumulating enough challenging sets;
using stable exercises that allow the muscle to work hard;
gradually increasing repetitions, load or volume;
and taking most working sets reasonably close to failure.
Training to absolute failure on every set is unnecessary. It often creates additional fatigue without a proportionate benefit.
A useful general target is around 10 challenging weekly sets per muscle group, adjusted according to experience, exercise selection and recovery. Some people progress with less; experienced trainees may benefit from more.
A simple hypertrophy session
Primary compound: 3–4 sets of 5–8 repetitions
Secondary compound: 3–4 sets of 8–12 repetitions
Stable machine or dumbbell movement: 3 sets of 8–15 repetitions
Isolation exercise: 2–4 sets of 10–20 repetitions
Optional second isolation exercise: 2–3 sets of 12–20 repetitions
Example four-day muscle-building week
Monday — Lower body
Hack squat or back squat
Romanian deadlift
Reverse lunge
Leg curl
Calf raise
Tuesday — Upper body
Incline dumbbell press
Pull-up or lat pulldown
Seated dumbbell shoulder press
Cable row
Lateral raise
Triceps extension
Thursday — Lower body
Trap-bar deadlift
Front-foot-elevated split squat
Leg press
Seated leg curl
Calf raise
Saturday — Upper body
Flat dumbbell press
Chest-supported row
Machine shoulder press
Single-arm lat pulldown
Biceps curl
Lateral raise
Muscle-building sessions should feel challenging, but they should not become disguised conditioning workouts. Rest long enough to perform the next set properly.
How to programme for fat loss
Fat loss is not a special style of training.
It occurs when energy expenditure exceeds energy intake over time. Training supports the process by:
helping retain muscle;
increasing energy expenditure;
improving fitness;
maintaining physical performance;
and giving structure to the week.
The biggest programming mistake during fat loss is attempting to burn as many calories as possible in every session.
That often leads to excessive fatigue, poorer strength performance and an unnecessarily miserable experience.
The priorities for fat-loss training
Retain resistance training.
Continue trying to maintain strength.
Use walking and manageable aerobic exercise to increase activity.
Add harder conditioning sparingly.
Control the calorie deficit through nutrition rather than punishment workouts.
Example fat-loss week
Monday: Full-body strengthTuesday: 30–45 minutes of easy cardio or a brisk walkWednesday: Full-body strengthThursday: Rest or light activityFriday: Full-body strengthSaturday: Conditioning, sport or a longer walkSunday: Rest
A long walk beside the Thames, through Chiswick or around Ravenscourt Park may not look as impressive online as a brutal circuit, but it can increase expenditure without interfering heavily with recovery.
The goal is to lose fat while remaining capable—not simply to become tired.
How to programme for endurance
Endurance training should improve your ability to sustain work without every session becoming a test.
Most successful endurance programmes include a large amount of relatively comfortable work and a smaller amount of genuinely hard training. Research on trained endurance athletes commonly finds predominantly low-intensity training, whether described as pyramidal or polarised, rather than spending most of the week at an awkward medium-hard pace.
The three main endurance sessions
Easy aerobic work
This builds the underlying engine.
It should feel controlled enough that you could speak in sentences and finish with more available.
Examples include:
easy running;
cycling;
rowing;
swimming;
SkiErg;
and incline walking.
Threshold or tempo work
This develops your ability to sustain a faster pace.
Examples include:
3 × 8 minutes at a controlled hard effort;
4 × 6 minutes;
20 minutes at a steady tempo;
or longer intervals around your sustainable race effort.
This should feel demanding but repeatable—not like a sprint.
High-intensity intervals
These target higher aerobic power and speed.
Examples include:
5 × 3 minutes hard;
6 × 800 metres;
10 × 1 minute hard;
or short hill repetitions.
These sessions are effective, but also expensive to recover from. One genuinely hard interval workout can provide more value than three mediocre ones.
Example three-run week
Tuesday — Easy run
30–50 minutes at a conversational pace.
Thursday — Quality session
For example, 4 × 6 minutes at a controlled hard effort with two minutes of easy movement between efforts.
Sunday — Long easy run
Build duration gradually while keeping the majority comfortable.
The long run does not need to become a weekly race. A steady route along the Thames through Hammersmith and towards Chiswick can be excellent aerobic work without creating unnecessary damage.
How to programme for hybrid fitness
Hybrid training combines meaningful resistance training with meaningful endurance work.
It is not simply lifting weights and finishing every session with ten minutes on a machine.
The aim is to develop both qualities while controlling how much they interfere with one another.
Evidence suggests that strength and endurance can generally be developed together successfully. Concurrent training does not appear to meaningfully compromise whole-muscle hypertrophy or maximal strength in most circumstances, although explosive strength may be more sensitive to accumulated fatigue.
The main challenge
The problem is rarely that cardio mysteriously destroys muscle.
The usual problems are:
doing too much total training;
placing hard lower-body sessions too close together;
turning easy cardio into moderately hard cardio;
insufficient food or sleep;
and refusing to establish a priority.
A balanced four-day hybrid week
Monday — Lower-body strength
Squat
Romanian deadlift
Split squat
Calf or trunk work
Tuesday — Easy endurance
40–60 minutes of easy running, cycling or rowing
Thursday — Upper-body strength and short conditioning
Bench press
Pull-up
Overhead press
Row
6–10 short controlled intervals
Saturday — Long endurance or mixed conditioning
Alternate between:
a longer easy run;
longer cycling;
or a controlled mixed-modal session.
A five-day hybrid week
Monday: Lower-body strength plus short intervalsTuesday: Upper-body strengthWednesday: Easy aerobic workFriday: Full-body strengthSunday: Long easy endurance
When two demanding sessions must occur on the same day, separating them by several hours can improve the quality of both. However, there is no magical gap that makes poor overall programming disappear.
For most recreational athletes, the total weekly workload and placement of hard sessions matter more than obsessing over cellular signalling.
How to programme for HYROX or mixed-modal competition
HYROX-style events require more than being good at individual exercises.
They require the ability to run repeatedly while carrying local muscular fatigue from sleds, lunges, rowing, SkiErg work, wall balls and loaded carries.
The programme must therefore develop:
aerobic endurance;
running durability;
leg strength;
muscular endurance;
movement efficiency;
grip and trunk strength;
and the ability to transition between stations and running.
Build the ingredients before combining everything
A common mistake is performing full race simulations too frequently.
Simulations can be useful, but they create considerable fatigue and often reveal weaknesses rather than correcting them.
Most training should improve the individual components.
Example HYROX week
Monday — Lower-body strength
Front squat
Romanian deadlift
Heavy sled push
Walking lunge
Trunk work
Tuesday — Easy run
40–50 minutes at a conversational pace.
Thursday — Upper body and erg intervals
Push press
Pull-up or pulldown
Chest-supported row
Farmer’s carry
SkiErg or rowing intervals
Saturday — Compromised running session
For example:
1 kilometre run
500-metre SkiErg
1 kilometre run
sled push
1 kilometre run
walking lunges
Use controlled volumes initially. The purpose is to maintain running form and pacing while fatigued—not to collapse dramatically on the gym floor.
Sunday — Optional easy aerobic work or complete rest
As the event approaches, sessions can become more specific. Earlier in the programme, build the engine, strength and movement quality separately.
How to programme for power and athleticism
Power is the ability to express force quickly.
It is not the same as strength, although strength provides an important foundation.
Power training includes:
jumps;
throws;
short sprints;
Olympic-lifting derivatives;
and lighter resistance movements performed explosively.
Programme power while fresh
Power exercises should normally appear near the beginning of the session, after an appropriate warm-up and before high levels of fatigue develop.
Current ACSM guidance recommends moving moderate loads quickly for power development, often within roughly 30–70% of one-repetition maximum depending on the exercise.
Keep the volume controlled
Power work is about output quality.
A useful starting structure is:
3–5 sets;
2–5 repetitions;
generous rest;
and stopping when speed or jump quality clearly declines.
Example athletic session
Broad jump — 4 × 3
Medicine-ball rotational throw — 4 × 4 each side
Front squat — 4 × 4
Romanian deadlift — 3 × 6
Rear-foot-elevated split squat — 3 × 8 each side
Farmer’s carry — 4 lengths
Short controlled conditioning
Do not turn jumps and sprints into endurance exercises. More repetitions are not better once explosiveness has disappeared.
How to programme for general fitness
Not everyone needs to specialise.
Many people simply want to:
feel stronger;
look reasonably athletic;
improve cardiovascular fitness;
move without pain;
and have enough energy for everyday life.
That is a perfectly worthwhile goal.
A general fitness programme should cover:
squat;
hinge;
push;
pull;
single-leg work;
carrying or trunk control;
easy aerobic training;
and occasional higher-intensity work.
Example three-day general fitness week
Monday — Full-body strength
Goblet or front squat
Dumbbell bench press
Romanian deadlift
Lat pulldown
Farmer’s carry
Wednesday — Aerobic and movement
30–40 minutes of easy cardio
Mobility or technique work
Optional short core circuit
Friday — Full body plus conditioning
Trap-bar deadlift
Split squat
Overhead press
Cable row
8–12 minutes of controlled conditioning
Add walks, a casual cycle or another easy aerobic session where convenient.
This is not a lesser programme. For a great many people, it is exactly the right programme.
Exercise selection: how to choose the right movements
Exercises are tools.
There are no compulsory lifts for the general population, and no exercise deserves permanent selection simply because it is considered traditional.
Choose exercises based on five questions.
Does it train the intended movement or muscle?
A front squat and a leg extension can both train the quadriceps, but they serve different roles.
One demands whole-body coordination and stability. The other provides a stable way to challenge the quadriceps directly.
Neither is universally superior.
Can the person perform it well?
Technique does not need to look identical between people, but the movement should be controlled, repeatable and suitable for the person’s current mobility and skill.
Can it be progressed?
An exercise is more useful when you can clearly alter load, repetitions, range of motion, tempo or complexity.
Is the benefit worth the fatigue?
A movement that leaves someone exhausted for four days may not be the best choice if a simpler option trains the same quality effectively.
Does the person enjoy or tolerate it?
Enjoyment is not the only consideration, but it matters.
The technically perfect exercise that someone repeatedly avoids is not doing much for them.
How many exercises should be in a workout?
Most productive sessions do not require 12 different movements.
For many people, four to seven exercises are enough:
one primary movement;
one secondary movement;
two or three supporting exercises;
and optional trunk, carry or conditioning work.
Adding exercises can create the feeling of completeness without adding much useful stimulus.
Do enough to progress, then recover.
How hard should each set be?
A simple method is to consider how many technically acceptable repetitions you had left at the end of a set.
This is often called repetitions in reserve.
Three or more left: relatively comfortable
Two left: challenging but controlled
One left: very hard
None left: muscular failure
Most useful resistance training can be performed with approximately one to three repetitions in reserve.
Beginners do not need to train at their absolute limit. They can make rapid progress while learning movement quality and consistency.
Isolation movements and stable machines can generally be pushed closer to failure with less risk than highly technical compound lifts.
How to progress a programme
The simplest method is double progression.
Suppose an exercise is programmed for three sets of 8–10 repetitions.
You might perform:
Week one: 10 kg for 8, 8 and 8;
Week two: 10 kg for 9, 8 and 8;
Week three: 10 kg for 10, 9 and 9;
Week four: 10 kg for 10, 10 and 10.
At that point, increase the weight slightly and return towards the lower end of the repetition range.
For conditioning, progress one variable at a time:
duration;
distance;
number of intervals;
pace;
or reduced recovery.
Do not increase everything simultaneously.
When should you deload?
A deload is a planned reduction in training stress.
It can involve:
fewer sets;
lighter loads;
less conditioning;
shorter endurance sessions;
or simply several additional rest days.
You do not automatically need a deload every fourth week.
Consider reducing training when several of the following persist:
performance is declining;
normal loads feel unusually heavy;
motivation has dropped;
sleep is disrupted;
soreness is accumulating;
minor aches are worsening;
or you are unable to complete planned work with normal technique.
Sometimes the programme needs a deload. Sometimes your life does.
Work pressure, poor sleep, travel and emotional stress all affect what you can recover from, even though they do not appear in the training spreadsheet.
Common programming mistakes
Making every session hard
Hard work is valuable. Constant exhaustion is not.
A good week contains variation in intensity and stress.
Changing exercises too frequently
Exercise variety can be enjoyable, but progress requires enough repetition to develop skill and compare performance.
Keep important exercises in the programme long enough to improve them.
Adding volume before earning it
More sets and sessions are only helpful when you can recover from them.
Begin with a manageable dose and add work when progress requires it.
Confusing soreness with success
Soreness indicates that training was unfamiliar or damaging enough to create soreness.
It does not automatically indicate a productive stimulus.
Copying an athlete with a different life
An elite athlete’s programme is supported by years of preparation, carefully managed training and often considerably more recovery time.
Your programme should fit your life—not someone else’s social-media highlights.
Ignoring enjoyment
A programme must create results, but it also needs to be lived with.
There is room for exercises, classes and forms of cardio that you simply enjoy.
Training randomly
Random exercise can still be healthy and enjoyable.
However, random training produces random outcomes.
Once a goal matters, record what you do and create a progression plan.
The simplest way to build your own programme
Use this seven-step process.
Step 1: Choose your primary goal
Pick one:
strength;
muscle growth;
fat loss;
endurance;
hybrid performance;
athletic power;
competition preparation;
or general fitness.
Step 2: Decide how many sessions you can reliably complete
Use your real schedule, not your ideal one.
Step 3: Place the most important sessions first
These should occur when you are most likely to be fresh and able to complete them.
Step 4: Cover the necessary movement patterns
For most resistance programmes, include:
squat or knee-dominant work;
hinge;
push;
pull;
unilateral work;
and trunk or carry work.
Step 5: Select repeatable exercises
Choose movements you can perform, measure and progressively improve.
Step 6: Add the minimum useful conditioning
Start with an amount that supports the goal without dominating the programme.
Step 7: Review the programme using evidence
After several weeks, ask:
Are the key lifts improving?
Is aerobic pace improving?
Am I recovering between sessions?
Are aches increasing or decreasing?
Am I completing the planned sessions?
Does the programme still match my main goal?
Then adjust one or two variables—not the entire plan.
The final rule: the programme serves the person
Programming is the process of making intelligent decisions about training.
It is not a competition to create the cleverest spreadsheet.
The strongest programme is usually built from relatively simple ingredients:
clear priorities;
suitable exercises;
manageable volume;
progressive overload;
enough easier work;
and regular review.
The details matter, but they matter after the foundations are in place.
At Revival Personal Training in Hammersmith, our coaching is built around this principle. Whether someone trains through one-to-one personal training, small-group personal training or a mixture of strength and conditioning sessions, the programme should reflect the person in front of us.
That might mean helping a beginner become comfortable with strength training, preparing someone for HYROX, improving a runner’s resilience or building a genuinely strong and capable body.
The programme does not need to be extreme.
It needs to be appropriate, progressive and consistent.
That is how training works.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best weekly workout split?
The best split is the one that gives sufficient attention to your priority, trains the necessary muscle groups or energy systems and fits your schedule.
For many people, two or three full-body sessions work extremely well. More experienced trainees may prefer an upper/lower split or a more specialised hybrid structure.
Can I build muscle and improve my running together?
Yes.
Strength and endurance can be developed concurrently, particularly when the total workload, nutrition and placement of demanding sessions are managed sensibly. Explosive power may be more sensitive to fatigue than maximal strength or muscle growth.
Should I do cardio before or after weights?
Do the most important component first.
When strength is the priority, lift first. When endurance performance is the priority, complete the key endurance session first.
Easy cardio can often be combined with lifting without creating a major problem. Hard intervals and demanding lower-body lifting require more careful planning.
How often should I change my programme?
Do not change a programme simply because it has been running for four or six weeks.
Keep productive exercises while performance is improving and the programme remains appropriate. Change movements when progress has stalled, the goal changes, pain develops, motivation genuinely suffers or a different variation would better serve the next phase.
Do I need to train every muscle twice per week?
Twice-weekly exposure is a useful and practical default, but weekly volume and training quality matter more than frequency in isolation. When total volume is equal, frequency itself appears to have a relatively small effect on muscle growth.
How long should a workout take?
Many excellent sessions can be completed in 45–75 minutes.
Longer is not automatically better. Session length should reflect the amount of useful work required and the time you can sustain consistently.
Is three workouts per week enough?
Absolutely.
Three well-programmed weekly sessions can develop impressive strength, muscle, fitness and general health. The quality and consistency of the work matter more than having a crowded calendar.
Where can I get help building a programme in West London?
Revival Personal Training is based in Hammersmith, close to Ravenscourt Park and Chiswick. Our coaches provide one-to-one personal training, small-group personal training and structured strength and conditioning for a wide range of goals and experience levels.
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