Rupert Drew

AI can build you a programme.

Yay!

But if you’re still stuck where you are, why do you think that is?

If you’re currently using AI for your programmes I’d love to hear your thoughts on your experience using it.

Leave your take in the comments.

A lot of people put the effort in, turn up regularly, and still have no idea whether their sets are actually hard enough to drive progress.

They stop because the set feels uncomfortable.

Or they go too far too early, completely bury themselves on the first set, and then the rest of the session feels like s**t.

[Don’t forget to save this]

So I use a simple traffic-light system with clients.

Green means you’ve got plenty left.

Amber means it’s starting to get challenging.

Orange means you’re close, usually around one to three clean reps left.

Red means there isn’t another good rep there.

The aim isn’t to take every set to red.

Earlier sets usually finish around orange so you can still perform properly afterwards.

Then, on the final set, you can push closer to red where it makes sense.

A few useful things to watch:

Rep speed slows down as you get closer.

Technique starts taking more effort to hold.

And the set feels very different from ordinary discomfort.

That’s the whole point of the system.

It gives people a simple way to stop guessing, train hard enough to make progress, and avoid wrecking the session before it’s properly started.

One of the biggest things my weightlifting and powerlifting coach, and another tutor with a biomechanics background, have taught me is this:

Before you coach an exercise, you need to know what outcome you’re trying to create.

Take the barbell back squat.

If one of my guys says:

“I want to get better at squatting.”

I’m looking at things like their setup.

Their bar position.

Their bracing.

Their balance.

Where the lift breaks down.

Whether a variation or drill would help bring up a weak area.

Because now the goal is performance.

But if another client says:

“I just want to build bigger legs.”

My thinking changes.

I’m less interested in how much weight they can squat.

I’m more interested in what lets them train their quads and glutes properly.

Maybe that’s a back squat.

Maybe it’s a hack squat.

Maybe it’s a leg press or split squat.

The exercise might change.

The setup might change.

The coaching might change.

Because the outcome has changed.

That’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned, and I’m still learning it now.

The same exercise can be coached in completely different ways depending on what you’re trying to achieve.

So before choosing an exercise, ask:

What outcome am I actually looking for?

We spend so much time looking for certainty.

If there’s one thing CBT taught me when I was dealing with anxiety, it’s to focus on the things I can actually control.

I can’t control whether I get ill.

I can’t control my genetics.

I can’t control every bit of bad luck life throws at me.

But I can control whether I move my body.

Whether I get stronger.

Whether I go for a walk.

Whether I look after myself.

Exercise isn’t a guarantee.

It’s just one of the few things that shifts the odds ever so slightly in your favour

I think one of the biggest traps well-intentioned people fall into is thinking,

“If I just do everything… I’ll get there quicker.”

Then once they’ve got the result, they can kick back on a deckchair with a pina colada and live happily ever after.

Doesn’t work like that.

You burn yourself into the ground.

You stop enjoying it.

Then you stop doing it altogether.

Instead, figure out the least you need to do to make progress.

Build your week around that.

If you’ve got more time, more energy, and you fancy pushing it…

Brilliant.

Do it.

But don’t build your whole plan around your best week.

Build it around your normal week.

That’s the one you’re actually going to live.

Don’t overthink it.

There’s absolutely a place for bird dogs, breathing drills and activation exercises.

But rehab should bring about independence not dependence.

At some point, your body needs to be challenged.

For me it’s not about spending the rest of your life protecting your body. It’s to build it up so you can trust it again.

Do you agree?

Big up Brad