Stop Overcomplicating It: Why Foundational Training Still Wins
By Erik Schreiber, MS, CPT, Founder – NSFTA
Let’s be honest: we, as fitness professionals, tend to overcomplicate things.
I’ve probably said that a hundred times, and I’ll say it again—because it’s true. Especially now, in the age of TikTok gurus and Instagram influencers showing off the latest “functional” circus trick. One day it’s a banded kettlebell reverse lunge with overhead rotation on a BOSU. The next, it’s a bicep curl while standing on a medicine ball.
Cool? Maybe. Useful? Not unless you’re training for an earthquake.
Now don’t get me wrong—there is a time and place for instability training. If you’re rehabbing an injury or retraining stabilizers after a setback, sure. But for most clients, especially the general population? They need strength, stability, mobility, and consistency—not acrobatics.
The Core Truth
Here’s the core truth:
You don’t need to reinvent exercise science to be a great coach.
You need a decent grasp of biomechanics, anatomy, and physiology. From there, programming becomes a skillset we can teach and refine.
More importantly, you need to master and apply the 6 foundational principles of exercise programming:
Individuality – Every client brings their own needs, abilities, and limitations. Cookie-cutter doesn’t cut it.
Specificity – Train the goal. Don’t mix a strength block with 200 burpees just because.
Progression – Move from simple to complex as skill and load tolerance improve.
Overload – Apply enough stimulus to promote adaptation—whether that’s intensity, volume, or both.
Variation – Break up monotony and maintain adaptation through strategic changes—not randomness.
Consistency – Nothing works if you (or your client) don’t show up and put in reps.
That’s it. That’s the blueprint.
For the General Population, Keep It Practical
When we train everyday people—not athletes, not influencers—we need to stay grounded in what actually works. Progressive loading, appropriate movement selection, real-world conditioning, and programs that people can follow for months… not just a week.
Trainers don’t need to be magicians.
They need to be problem-solvers who apply simple, effective solutions that improve people’s lives.
Let the flashy stuff go viral. We’ll focus on what gets results—and keeps clients coming back.
Closing Thoughts
At the NSFTA, we’re here to raise the bar for the practical application of coaching—not just the theory. We believe in preparing coaches to lead with confidence, simplify complexity, and serve their clients with purpose.
Your job isn’t to impress Instagram.
It’s to change lives—with real movement, real principles, and real results.
#YesYouCan
