
#162 - Learning How to Program
From Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast by Legion Strength & Conditioning
December 3, 2025 · 30 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the art and science of programming in fitness, sharing personal experiences and insights on effective coaching.
We often hear programming referred to as an art grounded in science, and learning to write good programming can take time. You get those with some academic background who struggle to match it with real world application, often leading to programming that is not feasible or that misses the forest for the trees. On the other hand, some coaches may struggle with the theory behind programming, which can create challenges in long term development or in understanding how to go deeper when training certain qualities. A combination of learning the essential theory, like learning basic multiplication, and then using tested and proven programming usually creates a good balance. In this episode we talk about our own experiences in learning how to programme, teaching others how to programme, and learning from our mistakes while trialling programming on ourselves. Check it out to hear more about Jon's first (wild) experience of carb loading as a teenager, tales of early internet training information on T-Nation, and our recommendations for coaches looking to learn how to programme. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of…
People in this episode
Host: Legion Strength & Conditioning
Topics covered
- programming
- coaching
- fitness theory
- real world application
- training development
Keywords
- programming
- fitness
- coaching
- training
- theory
- development
- carb loading
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: T-Nation
More episodes of Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast
- #169 - Optimal Amount of Noise in Training · May 7, 2026 · 33 min
- #168 - 2026 Open Programming · April 14, 2026 · 27 min
- #167 - Using and Deciding on Fitness Standards · March 28, 2026 · 30 min
- #166 - Right Amount of Legibility in Training · March 3, 2026 · 30 min
- #165 - How to Write Programming Faster · January 29, 2026 · 28 min
- #164 - Templates for Group Programs · January 13, 2026 · 31 min
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