Wodify Editor’s Note: WOD-Science is now available on the Wodify Workout Marketplace, and we’re excited for you to check out some of the thoughts and ideas behind their programming.

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At 6:00am, your coaches have the ambitious task of catering to all different types of members. From the person who trains four times a week to the member who can only make Tuesdays, the experienced competitor to the newcomer. They’ve all booked the same hour. And they expect a good workout, some coaching and a reason to come back. Ideally, everyone also gets a little better along the way.

As a gym owner, you already know how much has to fit into that hour. Members come for the people and the atmosphere as much as the training. But wanting to enjoy themselves does not mean they are indifferent to progress. The person who never checks the leaderboard can still be delighted by getting their first pull-up.

Programming is a key part of all of this. Its job is to organize the training so your coach can lead everyone through an effective session together. And unfortunately, a well-run class goes unnoticed, while a repetitive or rushed session gets all the attention. And the prep work to deliver that successful class starts well before the 6:00am start time.

The Gym Programming Your Members Need

Consider the member who comes every Tuesday and Thursday. If those days always have the same focus, that person effectively follows a different program from the one you see when reviewing the whole week. A well-balanced calendar can still leave them with very little barbell practice, or repeated exposure to the one part of training they might already find frustrating.

This is why our CrossFit affiliate programming moves its six focus days by one weekday each week. Our HYROX affiliate program changes the arrangement every two weeks. Someone with a fixed schedule gets different focuses over the cycle. A gym can adapt that arrangement to its timetable. Before changing yours, follow your two most common attendance patterns through a month and see which lifts or skills those members repeatedly miss.

When a lift returns, members should have something to build on from last time. If someone squatted comfortably on their previous visit, today’s plan might let them add a little weight or another repetition. Both approaches can help people get stronger.1 

This leaves plenty of room to change the conditioning format, bring back a favorite workout or introduce a new challenge. Familiar lifts give members something to build on while other parts of the week provide variety. For you as the gym owner, the important balance is enough continuity to recognize progress without making every visit feel identical.

Focusing On the Whole Class

Using squat day as an example, members will arrive and make their own decisions about how to approach the class. Put heavy back squats before pistols and clean and jerks, and someone may decide to save their legs for the workout. Someone else may put everything into the squats because that is the part they enjoy. Both have read the same whiteboard.

We think about that when pairing the work. If developing the squat is today’s priority, a conditioning piece built around pulling and SkiErg work may fit the class better. On a HYROX day, running after demanding leg work might be exactly what we want members to practice. Overlap can be deliberate; the coach should be able to explain what the intent of the session should be.

That explanation also helps members choose their effort. For the squats, “finish with about two good repetitions left” is more useful than leaving everyone to decide whether each set should be an all-out attempt. You can build strength without taking every set to the point where another repetition is impossible.2

Repetitions in reserve is an estimate, however, and people will not always judge it accurately.3 The coach still needs to watch, ask how the set felt and help choose the next load. An experienced member might use a heavy barbell while a newcomer practices with a goblet squat. The common aim gives the coach a basis for adapting the work; it does not require everyone to use the same movement or weight.

The same applies when the conditioning begins. If the aim is to keep moving through repeatable rounds, the pull-up option needs to let each member do that. A harder variation that turns every round into a long wait at the rig changes the task. Equally, an experienced member needs an option that offers a worthwhile challenge. Scaling works in both directions, guided by what the session is meant to achieve.

Prioritize Room for Coaching

The decisions described above take time, which is where a thoughtful plan can unravel. The coach needs to explain the work, organize the equipment, and watch people move. The plates, unfortunately, do not change themselves. Filling the hour with prescribed blocks can leave the most valuable conversations squeezed between the final squat set and the start of the workout.

In our affiliate programming, we generally allow 44–50 minutes for the main blocks, including the warm-up. The remaining time gives the coach room for explanations and transitions. A class with complicated equipment changes will need a different allowance from one that stays at a rack and a rig.

The notes should help the coach use that time well. Alongside the day’s priority, notes include a practical loading target, the intended pace, and scaling options that preserve it. For example, “choose a pulling option that takes roughly 30 seconds each round” gives a coach something concrete. They can choose the cue or variation that suits the member in front of them.

If the class regularly runs late, look at where the minutes go. Perhaps the setup needs simplifying, or an optional piece needs removing. Consistently cutting the main work short to fit everything else is a sign that the written plan needs changing. Coach feedback belongs in the next version of the program.

Research helps us make informed decisions about progression and effort; coaches show us how those decisions work in a class. We want the competitor to feel challenged and the twice-weekly regular to feel that the class was written with them in mind too.

Some members will track every lift. Others will simply notice that a movement they used to avoid now feels manageable. Both deserve programming that takes their progress seriously, while leaving them free to enjoy the hour with everyone else.

If you are considering WOD-Science, we are happy to have a chat to understand your gym and help you choose the programming option that fits best.

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1 Plotkin D, Coleman M, Van Every D, et al. Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations. PeerJ. 2022;10:e14142. doi:10.7717/peerj.14142.

2 Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sport and Health Science. 2022;11(2):202–211. doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2021.01.007. 

3 Halperin I, Malleron T, Har-Nir I, et al. Accuracy in predicting repetitions to task failure in resistance exercise: A scoping review and exploratory meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2022;52:377–390. doi:10.1007/s40279-021-01559-x.