Coaching & Mindset
Personal Trainer Imposter Syndrome, Part 2: A Programme Design Checklist
From the FASTER syllabus: this article is taught in full in See the Certified Personal Trainer route →
In short: Imposter syndrome in programme design fades when you follow a repeatable system — screening, a structured TGROW interview, research, testing, periodised planning, detailed week-one components, a designed experience and post-session SOAP notes.
Imposter syndrome when writing personal training programmes almost always comes from the same place: you're relying on memory and instinct, so every programme feels like a guess you might get caught out on. The fix is a system you trust. This is the approach I use to make sure I've covered every angle of the programme design process.
The checklist
Run every programme through the same sequence and the doubt has nowhere to live.
- PAR-Q, informed consent and screening. The non-negotiable first step.
- Identify the client's needs using a structured interview (TGROW — more below).
- Research the hurdles and issues — injuries, chronic conditions and anything that changes what's safe or appropriate.
- Physical testing, if it's actually required.
- Design the long-term periodised plan, where the client needs one.
- Design the week-one components — the concrete detail: exercises, reps, sets, resistance, rest, and any systems such as pre-exhaust.
- Design the experience around the beats of a story (more on that in a later blog).
- Post-session SOAP notes and adjustments, so the programme keeps improving.
I'll unpack each component across this series. The point for now: with a checklist like this, you always know what you've covered and what's next.
Interviewing: getting the right data
Good programmes come from good information, and good information comes from a good interview. I use the TGROW model alongside the "Why Why So So" technique to make sure I gather what actually matters.
TGROW stands for Topic, Goal, Reality, Options and Will — a structured way to understand a client deeply:
- Topic. What the client wants to work on — the primary focus of the session.
- Goal. Their specific objectives, both short and long term. What do they actually want to achieve?
- Reality. Their current situation — fitness level, lifestyle and challenges. This is where the "Why Why So So" technique earns its keep, digging beneath the first answer to find the real drivers. It's something we teach on our Specialist courses.
- Options. The possible actions — which exercises, approaches or modifications could move them towards the goal.
- Will. Their commitment. What are they genuinely ready to do, and how motivated are they to stick to it?
What I'm listening for
Through that interview I'm trying to pin down specific things:
- How hard the client needs to work.
- Which exercises to choose, and which to avoid.
- Which exercises need building from scratch.
- The right resistance training tools for each movement.
- The optimal exercise order for the best outcome.
- The coaching style and sequence that will deliver the best experience.
- Likely hurdles — motivation, injuries, chronic conditions, fears.
Once I have that, I can build a programme that genuinely matches the client's goals. I take detailed notes after every session and focus on delivering a great experience — confident that the programming and exercise selection underneath it are right.
That confidence is the whole point. Follow the system, and the imposter feeling has nothing left to feed on.
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Set-up
- Import clients Bring a whole client list across in one go.
- My quotes Daily lines your clients see — yours, not stock.
- Programme templates The programme shapes you reuse — a session or twelve weeks. Pick one for a client, get your own copy.
- Exercise library Every exercise with FASTER coaching detail.
- Money Products, payments and who owes what.
- Send from your own email Connect your own email service so invites arrive from you, on your domain.
- My brand & client view What your clients see when they walk in — views, header, accent, logo.
- Your enrolment pack What every new client gets the moment you enrol them — your forms, ours, or a mix.
- Products and services What you sell — blocks, packages, memberships and one-offs, with their prices.
- Insurance Your policy on record — provider and expiry. Client features unlock while it is valid.
- My menu Switch any tool on or off — for your menu, your home and your whole account.
- Your website A free website on your own web address, filled from PT Manager. Or just the client sign-in door on your domain.
- Your public page Your verified Trainer Register listing, linking out to your own site and socials.
Business day to day
- Clients Your client list — invite, open a client, manage their space.
- Clubs Group your clients — a board they share, a programme or a monthly price if you want one.
- Challenges A dated push everyone logs against — for everyone you train, or for one club.
- Calendar Sessions, classes, capacity and bookings.
- Reminders The dates your business can't let lapse — insurance and first aid, nagged ahead of time.
- Nudges Who needs a nudge today — opportunities, one tap each.
- Who needs chasing Every conversation about money, in the order to work through them.
- What needs doing Your own list, in your own words — the jobs you keep meaning to get to.
- Till Sell at the desk — cash, card or on their phone — and download the sales sheet.
- What you are making What is coming in every month, what was paid in the last 30 days, and what sells.
Templates and systems
- Forms & interviews PAR-Q, consent, consultations and your own forms.
- Coaching room The coaching tools shelf — wheels, journeys and resources in one place.
- Radar wheels Build a life or performance wheel a client fills in — see change over time.
- Nutrition by FASTER Nutrition sheets and habits without meal-plan pretence.
- Pathways Automated coaching journeys you assign to clients.
- Programmes Start a programme — a session, a month, 12 weeks or a season — and find the ones you have built.
- Games & drills planner Build game-based sessions and drills.
- Sport screens Pick a sport — the shots to film, the analyser, and a ready-made radar of the qualities that matter.
- Movement screen → radar Read joint angles off the analyser — they auto-score and fill a radar wheel.
- Assessment builder Build and run client assessments and re-tests.
- Tag analytics Every tag across your clips, grouped and exportable.
Client
- AI prompts Your reusable prompt library for coaching copy.
- Before & after Side-by-side progress comparisons.
Trainer tools
- Exercise generator Fresh exercise ideas from constraints you set.
- FASTER dice & wheel Spin-and-roll session variety for groups and games.
- Movement demonstrator A 3D model of the FASTER movement patterns — body or skeleton view, prime movers lit up, live joint angles.
- Client video analysis Your media library — client folders and your own. Pick a clip to analyse.
- Movement by FASTER (HMAC) Human movement analysis charts — see how a client moves.
- Live analysis Mount your phone and coach live — skeleton, reps, angles and depth in real time.
- Tell a group One thing, to the right people — and you see exactly who it reaches first.
Media centre
- Video builder Reels, stories and client report videos, in your own branding.
- Image builder Branded posts and cards for your socials, at the right size.
- Shot list builder Every shot with its size, angle, lens, location, people, kit and sound; sorted into shooting order, ticked off on the day, printed or sent as a sheet.
- Storyboard builder Plan a video shot by shot: what the camera sees, what is said, the move and the cut.
- Script writer Write what you will say, with the word count and how long it takes to say.
- Teleprompter Read your script off the screen at your speed, and film yourself behind it.
- Video and image organiser Everything you have made and every source you can pull from.
- Ad builder Make your own ads, coached as you go, in your branding. As many as you like, no fee, no cap.
Frequently asked
Why do trainers feel like imposters when writing programmes?
Usually because they're relying on memory and instinct instead of a repeatable system, so every programme feels like guesswork. A checklist removes the doubt.
What is the TGROW model?
A structured interview framework — Topic, Goal, Reality, Options and Will — that helps you understand a client deeply and gather the right information before you design anything.
What is the 'Why Why So So' technique?
A questioning method used at the Reality stage of TGROW to dig beneath a client's first answer and uncover the real drivers, constraints and starting point.
What should week one of a programme specify?
The exercises, reps, sets, resistance, rest and any systems such as pre-exhaust — the concrete components, not just a vague plan.
What are SOAP notes?
Structured post-session notes (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) that let you record what happened and adjust the programme session by session.
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