How to Write a Program for An Athlete

Edited by: Danielle Abel

To design an effective strength and conditioning program for an athlete, we suggest using the framework below to help you get started and structure your programmed training sessions each week. Keep in mind that this framework can be used for different types of athletes who have an overall goal of improving power, strength, lean mass, and overall performance for their sport(s).

Start With a Template

Forget about wresting with spreadsheets and reinventing the wheel every time you sit down to program. A structured template ensures consistency and saves you precious time and mental energy. 

• This helps organize the program and ensure all necessary components are included. A typical template includes:
  • Warm-up (general and specific)
  • Plyometrics
  • Resistance training
  • Conditioning
  • Cool-down

You can download our free training template here (scroll all the way to the bottom of the page). 

Choose a Weekly Split

For athletes, traditional bodybuilding splits often fall short.

Crushing individual muscles in the gym doesn't set up athletes for their best performance on the field. Remember, their primary goal is to excel in their sport, not just build impressive biceps.

• Consider the athlete's sport, goals, and training availability. Some examples include:
  • 2 days per week: Full body with conditioning.
  • 3 days per week: Full body with conditioning, potentially using daily undulating periodization (DUP) to vary the focus (power, strength, hypertrophy) across sessions.
  • 4 days per week: Options include 3 days of resistance training with 1 day of conditioning or a 2-day upper body/2-day lower body split.
  • 5 days per week: Offers flexibility but may be challenging during the season. A hybrid split with 3 days of resistance training (using DUP) and 2 days of conditioning/mobility could be effective.

Identify and Assign Testing

Testing provides objective data to assess whether your athletes are moving toward their goals. It allows you to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement, guiding your program design and adjustments.

• Testing helps to track progress and measure the effectiveness of the program. Select tests that align with the athlete's goals:
  • Power/athleticism: Vertical jump, 40-yard sprint, broad jump, agility tests, 1RM back squat, medicine ball throws, 1RM power cleans.
  • Endurance: 5K running time, submaximal heart rate test, functional threshold power (FTP) for cyclists, lactate threshold testing.
  • Mixed goals: Choose 1–2 metrics for each goal (power and endurance).

Exercise Selection

Once you've outlined your training frequency, split, and testing protocols, exercise selection becomes a much clearer process. 

The goal is to choose movements that directly support the athlete's goals and address any areas identified through testing.

• Once the training split and testing protocols are established, select exercises that support the athlete's goals.
  • Plyometrics: Include both extensive (lower intensity, greater landing force variability) and intensive (higher intensity, maximal efforts) variations, adjusting the distribution based on the training season (e.g., more extensive plyometrics during the offseason).
  • Resistance training: Choose exercises that target the specific areas needing improvement based on the chosen tests and goals.
  • Conditioning: Prioritize concentric-based movements, particularly during the season, to minimize eccentric-induced muscle soreness. Examples include sled pushes, incline treadmill walking, and rucking.
  • Cool-down: Incorporate static stretching for muscles, tendons, and fascia worked during the training session.

Determine Conditioning

Conditioning is often the missing piece in programs. Many coaches aren't sure if it's best to add conditioning at the end of a session or have an entirely separate day for it. The answer to this question is: it depends. A question that may be helpful to ask yourself is, "What does the rest of your athlete's week look like?"

For example, if you spend quite a bit of time with your athletes during the off-season, say 3-4 times per week, you could either do 20-30 minutes of conditioning at the end of your sessions or program their conditioning on a separate day. However, during the in-season when you only get to see your athletes maybe once per week, you'll likely be forced to add conditioning on to their end of their session. 

See how, depending on the season and frequency, it may change? 

• Athletes who are in-season should primarily use concentric-based movements, this allows for a decrease in DOMS and will improve recovery.
• Consider the needs of the athlete: If the athlete's primary goal is endurance, you might want to start with conditioning at the beginning of the session. During the off-season, athletes may benefit more from a traditional bodybuilding split to help put on size and save conditioning for the end of the session. 

By following this framework, you can develop a well-rounded strength and conditioning program that helps the athlete achieve their specific performance goals while mitigating the risk of injury.

Support & Courses Available

Ready for even more support on how to write a program for an athlete? Our Program Design 101 Course teaches you exactly how to organize an annual training plan and provides sport-specific examples, and even includes done for you programming templates by phase. Click the link here to check it out.