Now don’t get me wrong, I believe in sharing and paying it forward. I’ve spent plenty of time mentoring younger coaches, hosting clinics, jumping on calls. I’m all for learning. But “send me your program” isn’t always about learning. More often than not, it’s about shortcutting. It’s about looking for a finished product without doing the foundational work.

Here’s the reality: a training program is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The workouts I wrote for our team last summer? They were designed specifically for those athletes, in that environment, with our facilities, and our staff dynamics, goals, and calendar. Copying that program and dropping it into your setting is like trying to fit someone else’s suit – it might cover you, but it won’t fit right.

I’ve seen it too often, coaches trying to replicate what worked elsewhere, only to find out it doesn’t translate. Why? Because the real magic isn’t in the sets and reps; it’s in the relationships. It’s in the way you coach, the way your athletes respond, the buy-in you’ve built, and the standards you hold.

You ever hear the phrase “teach a man to fish”? It’s a classic for a reason. What I’m seeing more and more of, though, is people saying they want to fish but really, they just want to be handed the fillet. They want the results, not the responsibility.

If you’re truly serious about growth, don’t just ask for the program, ask for the process. Ask how we assess. Ask how we communicate. Ask how we adapt when things go wrong (because they will). That’s where the gold is. Not in a PDF full of exercises, but in the mindset that built it.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to learn from successful programs. That’s how we all grow. But don’t confuse access with understanding. What worked for us worked because we lived it, adjusted it, refined it; we didn’t download it from someone else’s drive.

So next time you think about asking a coach for their program, pause. Ask for their insight instead. Learn how to build a program, not just borrow one. Because when you understand the principles, you’ll never need someone else’s plan, you’ll be too busy writing your own.