Hello! My name is Chris Merritt

If you are a trainer that’s tired of spending too much time writing programs only to lack confidence in the final product, then I have news for you…

 

1. You’re not alone

2. I can help

 

See here’s the thing…

 

In my almost 15 years of fitness coaching,

 

of which 8 years and counting have been spent running a successful small group personal training gym where I’m responsible for overseeing the program design process that helps people age 35+ to to look, move, and feel amazing without getting banged up in the process,

 

I’ve figured out what works, what doesn’t, and why…

 

And over the last three years I’ve turned my focus to helping you garner the same confidence and get the results to boot.

 

If you’re like most trainers, you want to write programs that elicit incredible results for your clients and not use up innumerable hours in the process…

 

You want a simple system that saves you time, gets repeatable results, and that you can understand inside out and backwards. 

 

If you can master that, you’ll free up headspace to be more present, both personally and professionally, and massively improve your quality of life.

 

I created a program design system that provides just that. One that’s been responsible for cranking out upwards of 100 individualized programs in a single month, still leaving me with plenty of time to co-run three businesses AND fully enjoy what really matters—time with my family.

 

But it hasn’t always been this way…

 

I remember in 2012 I was headed to Colorado for a week to help a friend.  Problem was, I needed to have programs written for every single person that would need one while I was away—all 11 of them—and I didn’t have a system for getting them done efficiently.

 

I wasted nearly an entire day writing those programs…

 

A day that I would have much rather spent with my then fiancé, Jess, before leaving her for a week…

 

I remember staring at the computer, overthinking everything, feeling like I was going to jump out of my skin, and still lacked the assurance that the programs would be good enough for a coach to run them without issue in my absence…

 

“This sucks!  I’ve spent all this time and money on an exercise science degree, as well as countless certifications and seminars, and I still feel like I don’t have the answers I need to put my clients in the best positions to be successful with any semblance of confidence.”

 

And that was when I realized that if the business continued to keep growing like it had to that point, I wouldn’t be able to keep up.  Something needed to change…

 

I knew I needed to develop a system for writing and delivering effective programs efficiently, but I had to overcome a lot of problems first.

 

PROBLEM #1: I was burning out.

 

Overthinking program design wasn’t my only problem, but it was the root cause of pretty much everything. 

 

The energy consumed by overthinking and spending entirely too much time writing programs led to me consume copious amounts of caffeine to bring the energy on the coaching floor, which only left me in a brutal combined stated of anxiety and complete exhaustion by each day’s end.

 

Needless to say, I was getting completely burned out and my ability to be present with my family, have a social life, and even get my own lifts in was fading fast.

 

PROBLEM #2: I wasn’t sure where to start.

 

I knew I needed to create systems for efficiently selecting exercises, sets, reps, and weights, as well as to progress those things over the long-haul, but I had no idea how to go about building each of them.

 

I tinkered with different things I knew other people were doing, but I always found issue and went looking for the next possible solution.

 

PROBLEM #3: I needed answers for training real people, with real lives, not weightlifters and athletes.

 

While my degree and certifications provided solid scientific foundations, they didn’t provide practical answers for training people with real-life problems.  You know—limited time, inconsistent schedules, old injuries, wavering motivation, etc.… 

 

Further, most everything they did teach me was based around weightlifting and athletics or were based on controlling every variable in a research lab, not helping regular everyday people to look, move, and feel amazing without getting banged up in the process.

 

And I was thinking to myself, “These people trust me—depend on me!  I need to figure this out.”  Honestly, there were days I felt like a fraud.

 

So, after returning from that week away in Colorado, I made a commitment. 

 

I made a commitment to find the answers I needed my clients deserved.

 

I bought a myriad of books and DVD’s, attended even more courses, and got on the phone with coaches dealing with the same issues.

 

I took things away from every interaction. 

 

I tried them out with hundreds of people with practically every goal imaginable.

 

I tweaked them to my needs.

 

Over the years I’ve developed a simple, effective, efficient, systematic approach to program design for people age 35+ that want to look, move, and feel amazing, without getting banged up in the process, and it boils down to 5 crucial steps…

“Before Chris’s program design systems, I was not programming efficiently at all. I’d spend time writing workouts and stressing if I was on track with client goals. Exercise selection seemed daunting and my confidence in long-term client programming was very low.

Now I feel like I have a clear picture of where my clients want to go and how to get there. I can build a program in about 10 minutes that provides a path towards client goals while allowing wiggle room. Most importantly, the programming is scalable for all my clients, and I am organized, prepared and confident. There are no other certifications, seminars, or textbooks that can deliver the comprehensive knowledge provided with Strength Faction.”

– Kevin Riordan

These are the 5 Crucial Steps to Simple, Effective, and Efficient Program Design

 

1) Collect: The Initial Interview and Movement Assessment

How do we create a plan if we don’t know where to start?  Step one starts everything off by collecting the pertinent information we need to begin the process of putting our people in the best positions to be successful.

 

Observe: The Personal Orientation Session (2

The second step is to observe—beyond the initial assessment.  This crucial step provides a framework for both teaching clients how to perform basic movements while also making the design of their initial program a walk in the park.

 

3) Design: The Initial Program

Our third step is program design in a systematic fashion, using our program design checklist.  Gone are the days of staring at the screen wondering how many sets and reps to use, what exercises would be appropriate, and whether this plan will actually do what we hope it will.

 

Track: Measure So You Can Manage (4

Step four is to track our results from the actions we take—both lead and lag measures.  As Peter Drucker says about business, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.”  The same holds true for helping our clients to look, move, and feel amazing.

 

5) Evolve: Day One to Goal(s) Done… now what?

The fifth and final step is to evolve with our clients for the long-haul.  If you’ve ever trained a client for years on end and struggled with what throw at them next, the evolve step will be a breath of fresh air and huge weight lifted from your shoulders.

To Teach The 5 Crucial Steps to a Simple, Effective, and Efficient, Approach to Program Design, I Created a 4-Module Program Design Course, complete with a Facebook community for all the coaches taking part…. INTRODUCING:

4 Weeks to Simple, Effective, and Efficient Program Design

We’re going to spend 4 modules fully unpacking each of the 5 crucial steps, and you’re going to walk away knowing exactly what you need to do to begin writing simple, effective programs for your clients in record time.

Here’s A Breakdown of the 4 Modules:

 

Module 1: Setting a Baseline + QnA + Action Steps

… introduction and background

… meet your new clients and the “6-minute” drill (opening case study)

… discussion of how folks approached the case study

… see the simple, effective, efficient approach in action

 

Module 2: New Member Intake, Interviews, Assessment, and On-Boarding + QnA + Action Steps

… how to ask questions to put your clients in the best positions to be successful before they even step foot in the gym (and the exact questions we use)

… why and how to determine what your clients think they need to have and do to accomplish their goals (this is super important and yet easily missed)

… how to assess your clients so that you can KNOW where to start them RATHER THAN GUESS where to start them

… how to balance teaching your clients what they need to know, while also giving them the space and time to actually work out

 

Module 3: Program Design (Part 1) + QnA + Action Steps

… the 3 overarching goals of a sound program design system

… how our programming sheet is laid out

… the program design checklist

… how to select reps for Power, strength, and assistance

… how to decide how many sets to use and how we use each week to set goals on the day

… the what/why/how of conditioning

 

Module 4: Program Design (Part 2) + QnA + Action Steps

… why entertaining our clients with exercise selection is based on flawed logic

… how to select exercises for power, strength, assistance, and conditioning

… the goal, intent, skill down/up assessment

… how to keep our clients progressing while still using the basic exercises

… auditing our program with the FMS in mind

… the most common FMS correctives

… the 4 x 4 matrix

… individualizing cooldowns

… using questionnaires to stay on the same page and progress over the long term with our clients

“In the past I often spent my weekends trying to keep up with the demands of programming, but I often fell behind and would have to come up with something on the fly, which doesn’t not work well at all.

I’m now training 40 to 50 hours a week while keeping up with programming AND my honey-do list, thanks to the Strength Faction approach. Even though I’m busier than I have ever been, I no longer spending my whole weekend programming. I now have time for life.

I overcame 4 big challenges through this change:

1) Too much time spent on programming rather than training, which was leading to burning out for me.

2) Uncertainty about how to use assessment info to develop a 4-month program.

3) Building systems that can also be individualized for each client’s needs.

4) Programing for an average of 60 clients per week!

The absolute biggest success I’ve seen since learning these systems is client success, for sure—sometimes it feels like it’s raining PRs! And the best part is knowing that I have a system now that can make that happen for the next person who walks in the door. It delivers results for clients, and makes the complex simple for me. Also, let’s be honest, you got into this field because you wanted to help people or make money, and this helps you do BOTH.

While this seminar was only one day, I learned more about programing design and how to apply it than you would in 4 years of college. Do yourself a favor and learn how to be a more effective trainer in less time.”

– Matthew Geraghty

NOW I WANT TO BE 100% TRANSPARENT WITH YOU, NOT EVERY TRAINER IS A GOOD FIT FOR THIS COURSE

 

You can get access to 4 Weeks to Simple, Effective, and Efficient Program Design for $300, a small price to pay for taking back your time and putting your clients in the best position to be successful.

 

But I want to make sure that this course is the right fit for you.

 

I stand behind the information I’ll be providing and what it’s done for trainers all over the world… I truly believe it’s the best course of its kind in the industry.

 

But I know you might be thinking, “Okay, but what if it doesn’t work for me?!”

 

Well, here’s the deal:  If you don’t get value from this course—the real answers you’re looking for—I’ll provide a 100% refund.  Seriously.

“Before learning programming from Strength Faction, I was in a state of near total confusion—I knew exercises and body parts, but I was always overthought how to organize them based on my clientele. It was like I had all the ingredients to chef Ramsey’s beef Wellington, but no idea how long I should cook it or how much of each ingredient to add. Now I have a clear and organized foundation of where to put exercises and it is that much easier to know where, or if, I want power, strength and assistance work for my clients. I have overcome the blank stare at the screen trying to think of the perfect exercise to pick or the perfect amount of reps for that exercise, which has allowed me to put my efforts elsewhere in my professional and personal life. What I love most about this approach is that it had so many options to change things but, if I never changed anything, it would work just as well—I mean, that sh*t is priceless! One thing I wish everyone knew about program design is Chris’s Goal, Intent, Skill assessment. What is their goal? What is the intent of the program or exercise? And does it meet their skill level? Knowing and repeating that to myself every time I sit down and write a program keeps me in check.”

– Wade Haras

Click Below To Get Access, Take Your Time Back, and Put Your Clients in the Best Position to Be Successful.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

You’ve mentioned supporting and bonus materials… what else is included?

… each module’s slides

…the exact checklists I provide our program design team to make sure no details are missed

… a video on how we use the FMS, beyond just getting a bunch of numbers

… the exact warm-up we use with our members

… our strength standards (what, why, and what’s next when they’re met)

… our intake, end of phase, and end of block questionnaires

… and more! 😉

 

The course seems to be marketed for training people age 35+, will it work for other types of clients too?

Yes, anyone that wants to look, move, and feel amazing without getting banged up in the process would benefit from this approach.  We say 35+ because that’s what most of OUR clientele is…

 

What’s the refund policy?

If you don’t get value from this seminar by the end of the 4 weeks—the real answers you’re looking for—I’ll provide a 100% refund.  Seriously.

 

 

IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES IN YOUR PROGRAM DESIGN, YOU GOTTA DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT…

And if you’re hesitant right now to sign up for something where you’re going to have to spend hours across a month to learn a new system, I get it… 

 

But think about it like this: 

 

…if you don’t make a change and get out of your comfort zone, things might stay the same, which sucks in itself.  BUT, there’s another chance, a big one, that things may get worse. 

 

That’s why I’m guaranteeing that this course will provide the change you’re looking for. 

 

All you have to do is register, review the modules (we recommend 1 each week, hence the name), and do the exact action steps you’ll be provided with in each module…

 

Go ahead and register now: Take your time back, you deserve it!