The Benefits of Personalized Programming
Written by Holden Rethwill
Raise your hand if you’ve ever come up with a workout for yourself.
Now keep that hand raised if you’ve gotten to the gym after a long day, looked at it and decided “meh, not for me today” or “actually I’ll do this instead”.
…I bet there’s a lot of you that still have your hands in the air.
We’re all guilty of it. I am, you are, even the most elite athletes on the planet are (spoiler alert, that’s why most, if not all of them, have coaches). It’s crazy how easy it is to rationalize not doing something, completely changing something or even just being biased towards something when it’s you writing and deciding for yourself.
Insert personalized programming
Insert a coach into the situation and that narrative is completely flipped. Whether you’re an aspirational CrossFit Games athlete or just a general fitness enthusiast we all benefit from other people doing the thinking for us. At the end of the day less time wasted = more productivity.
This is why people buy programs from fitness influencers: so they don’t have to think for themselves. If you’re willing to pay for someone that doesn’t actually care about your progress or have extensive experience, why wouldn’t you take that money and invest in a coach that has a proven track record who actually cares about you and your journey?
The barriers you might have for personalized programming
It’s expensive.
Yes, it is expensive, but so are hospital bills from neglecting your health. So are following dreams and aspirations that you may have. So is the time that you’re wasting following mindless programs that are mass produced just to make a quick buck. Expenses are everywhere in our world, nothing is free and the best things aren’t cheap. One thing that you should never slouch on or sacrifice is your health and wellness. We get one body and one life. Take care of yours.
I’m not a professional athlete.
99.999% of the world isn’t either. That doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from someone who actually cares about you and your specific progress. The vast majority of our program design clients, contrary to popular belief, are folks that have no competitive aspirations. Most of our clients just want to be held to the highest standard of not only programming, but accountability, that you can have in a coach/client relationship.
I’m injured.
Injuries happen. You know the best situation you can find yourself in when working through injuries? Having a coach that knows you, knows your abilities, cares about getting you healthy again and knows how to help you continue to progress while still in your rehab phase.
Insert any other excuse here and I’d love to refute it.
Basically what we are saying is that by signing up for program design with us you get so much more than a piece of paper with words on it. You get a relationship with a coach that is just as, if not more, invested in your health and fitness journey than you are. Our coaches have been around this industry for many years and have coached individuals on all ends of the fitness spectrum. We’ve worked with CrossFit Games level clients, semi-finals level clients, aspirational athletes, clients from completely different sports, and especially clients with no competitive interests whatsoever. That list goes on and on.
What do I get with personalized programming?
It all starts with your coaching consultation. You get to meet with your prospective coach in a one on one setting (either in person or via zoom). From there we get to learn a little bit about you, your goals, your fitness history, and so on. In turn you get to learn about us; our programming style, how you receive your program, our history within the fitness industry, etc. The consultation is also a great time to help you to establish goals if you are unsure as well as discuss how we as coaches can deliver you a product and relationship that is going to set you on the best track for success.
Once you’ve signed up and are ready to go you’ll get weekly programming that is completely customized to your specific goals and needs. Inside that program you’ll have places to track your results, add input and feedback, leave notes, view movement demo videos and so on.
Outside of the program you get regular communication with your coach. That part includes but is not limited to zoom meetings and check ins, video reviews, workout feedback, and so on. Every athlete is a little different regarding communication so in your coaching consult just be sure to discuss with your coach what is going to help keep you most accountable.
So who are your coaches?
When you sign up for program design you’ll have your choice between two coaches. Holden Rethwill and Hunter Britt. Here’s a little bit about us…
Holden Rethwill
“I’ve been a coach with Invictus for over 8 years now. Prior to that I owned and operated a gym in Washington and before that I started in the industry working as a personal trainer during college. My background in athletics includes football, basketball and baseball (the former I played in college) as well as competing multiple times at the CrossFit Games as both an individual and on a team.
Post competitive career I have transitioned from coaching primarily group and specialty classes to running our Invictus Athlete program and being the head of our in house athlete development. I still coach a few competition classes but the bulk of my duties now involve the online programs, our in house games level athletes and my personal clients.”
Hunter Britt
“In 2011, I found CrossFit and quickly it took over as main athletic endeavor. I have had the opportunity to work and learn from some of the top coaches in Strength Training and in CrossFit. These coaches aided me in my development as an athlete, but also as a coach.While competing I had coached athletes in person, remotely and in group settings. After 7 years of competing in CrossFit and multiple appearances at the CrossFit games with a top finish of 2nd place in the team division, I switched focus from competing to coaching.
I have had the privilege of coaching with many athletes remotely for the last 9 years. Athletes have spanned a large range of people whether they are training for the CrossFit Games or someone who has 45 minutes a day and wants to get the most out of the time they have to be the healthiest they can be. No matter where someone falls in these categories, the general goal is the same and that is to get better.”
Sounding pretty sweet?
If I’ve piqued your interest but you’re still on the fence, it doesn’t hurt anyone to set up a call with a coach to see if this is going to be the right fit for you. Consults are free and it just might be what you need to get you on track to becoming the fittest version of yourself! Schedule your consult today.