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Behind the Design

Behind the Design is the live program design show from OPEX coaches Daniel Persson and Brandon Gallagher. Each week they take a real client, a real program, or a real coaching situation and explain the thinking behind every decision: what was assessed, what was prioritized, and why the plan looks the way it does. These recaps are the written version, for coaches who would rather read than scrub through a recording.

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AllProgram DesignProgram Design Pro TipsCoaching FrameworksBehind the DesignMarketing for Fitness CoachesCoachRx Feature HighlightsCoach SpotlightsCase StudiesCommunity CallsWeekly Coaching Challenges
Program DesignHow to Run a Group Session: Don't Let the Community Get in the Way of the IndividualWhat changes when there is more than one person on the floor? Daniel Persson and Brandon Gallagher on ratios, reading the room, and why community is your job.October 27, 2026FrameworksHow to Deliver a Personal Training SessionWhen was the last time you thought about how you deliver a personal training session? Not the program. The hour itself. What happens before the client walks in, what you say and do not say while they train, and how the session ends?October 20, 2026Program DesignBenchmarks and Models: Tools, Not TruthsWhat are you actually tracking with your clients? When a one rep max moves, do you know why it moved? And when a benchmark says one thing and the person in front of you says another, which one do you believe?October 13, 2026Program DesignWhat To Do When the Program Isn't WorkingEvery coach hits this moment. In Episode 38 of Behind The Design, Daniel Persson and Brandon Gallagher close out their series on the coaching process with the part most coaches handle worst: what happens when the plan doesn't deliver.October 6, 2026Program DesignProgression and Regression: High Intention, Nowhere to HideWhat does progression actually mean for the client in front of you? Is it more weight, or is it something you would have to explain? And when the numbers stop moving, is the program broken, or has the definition you handed the client just run out?September 29, 2026FrameworksClient Goal Setting: Stay Curious for LongerWhat is your client actually asking for? Does the goal they walked in with match the life they described? And how far into the conversation do you get before you start writing the plan in your head?September 22, 2026Marketing For Fitness CoachesShould You Specialize? Go As Wide As You Can Stand FirstWhat do you want to be known for? Who do you want on your roster? And how early is too early to decide? This is the fourth episode in this series Daniel Persson and Brandon Gallagher spent on the start of a coaching career. Certified, now what. You own a gym, now what. Employee or employer.September 16, 2026Marketing For Fitness CoachesEmployed vs. Self-Employed Coach: Choosing Your PathA coaching certification doesn't decide the kind of career you'll build. Employed and self-employed coaching can both create a strong career, but they ask for different responsibilities, different sacrifices, and a different definition of freedom.September 9, 2026Marketing For Fitness CoachesYou Own a Gym. Now What?OPEX Coaches Daniel Persson and Brandon Gallagher have opened facilities, operated them, and exited them. In this episode they take gym ownership apart from the inside, from the first month to the decision to walk away.September 1, 2026Marketing For Fitness CoachesCertified, Now What?A certification can feel like the finish line until you realize the work that matters most begins after you earn it. New fitness coaches need more than a credential to build confidence, help clients, and create a career that lasts.August 26, 2026FrameworksLifestyle Prescription with OPEX Coaches Daniel Persson and Brandon GallagherOPEX coaches Daniel Persson and Brandon Gallagher on why "sleep more" is the lifestyle equivalent of "train harder," and how to prescribe lifestyle with the same rigor as program design.August 18, 2026Program DesignConcurrent Training: Designing Multiple Adaptations Around One ClientIn episode 30 of Behind the Design, OPEX Coaches Daniel Persson and Brandon Gallagher make the case that concurrent training is not a scheduling puzzle. It is problem solving. And the coaches who get it right begin somewhere completely different than session counts and exercise order.August 12, 2026Program DesignPlyometrics and Ballistics: Smarter Program DesignExplosive training shouldn't be reserved for competitive athletes or complicated Olympic lifts. With the right progressions, plyometrics and ballistics can help clients practice speed, coordination, and force transfer in ways standard strength work may miss.August 5, 2026Program DesignPlyometrics in Program Design: Build Back Your JumpA strong squat or deadlift doesn't automatically mean you can sprint, change direction, or land from a jump with confidence. Plyometrics help bridge the gap between controlled gym strength and the fast, unpredictable movements life and sport demand.July 29, 2026Program DesignOlympic Weightlifting in Program Design: When It FitsOlympic lifts can look like the obvious choice for building power, but a clean or snatch only earns its place when it matches the goal, and the coach's ability to teach it well. For weightlifters and CrossFit athletes, these movements may be required skills. For a general fitness client, they can beJuly 23, 2026Program Design Pro TipProgram Notes That Help Clients Train With IntentA well-built workout can still miss the mark if the client doesn't understand how to perform it. Program notes turn sets, reps, and tempos into clear coaching direction, especially when you aren't standing beside the client. For online coaches, thoughtful notes also build trust. They show clients thJuly 15, 2026Program DesignHow Reps and Sets Shape Program DesignMost coaches spend plenty of time picking exercises, then rush through reps and sets like they're the easy part. They're not. Once tempo is set, reps and sets are the final tools that tell the body what to adapt to. A good session doesn't happen by accident. It happens when load, tempo, reps, and inJuly 8, 2026Program DesignHow to Use Tempo in Strength Program DesignA lot of programs tell you what exercise to do, how many reps to hit, and when to rest. Far fewer tell you how the rep should feel. That is where tempo matters. In a Behind the Design session from OPEX Fitness, Brandon Gallagher and Daniel Persson showed how tempo turns a basic strength plan into reJuly 2, 2026Marketing For Fitness CoachesRemote Coach Finances: Build Confidence With a BudgetRemote coaching can look simple until you have to decide what to do with the money. When your fixed costs are low, the cash left in your account can feel like a paycheck, even when your business still needs it. That is where a lot of coaches get stuck. Financial confidence does not come from staringJune 17, 2026Program DesignConditioning Progressions for Air Bike, Rowing, Running, and MMAMost conditioning plans fall apart because they repeat the test instead of building toward it. In this session of OPEX Fitness' Behind the Design, coaches Daniel Persson and Brandon Gallagher move past theory and show real conditioning progressions. The common thread is pace. The examples below showJune 10, 2026FrameworksOPEX Pain Training: How to Use High-Intensity ConditioningHard conditioning gets too much credit and too little thought. If every brutal session made a client fitter, most coaches would just write five minutes of all-out work and call it a day. It does not work that way, and chasing the feeling of a wrecked client is one of the fastest ways to stall a progJune 2, 2026Program DesignConditioning Program Design That Improves Strength and RecoveryIf "conditioning" makes you picture lungs burning and lying on the floor after a workout, you're using too narrow a definition. Good conditioning can be a walk, an easy bike ride, a steady run, or a sport-specific piece, and it often helps strength training more than people expect.May 29, 2026FrameworksCoaching Other Coaches: Why Great Coaches Still Need a CoachIf you coach athletes for a living, you may be the hardest person to coach. Your own training mixes ambition, bias, curiosity, and fatigue in a way that is hard to judge honestly. That is why this conversation lands so well. Daniel Persson and Spencer Crankle show how good program design comes fromMay 20, 2026Program DesignStrict Press Faults and Fixes With OPEX CoachesA bad strict press rarely starts at the shoulder. When the press breaks down, it often exposes issues in the rib cage, core, scapula, and even hip position. That was the core idea in this OPEX Fitness discussion with coaches Brandon Gallagher and Daniel Persson. Their point was simple: the strict prMay 13, 2026Program DesignStrict Press Program Design: How OPEX Coaches Build ItThe strict press looks simple until the bar leaves the shoulders. Once it does, you get a clear read on overhead mobility, trunk control, scap movement, and how well someone can handle load without turning the lift into something else.May 6, 2026Program DesignPull-Up Faults and Fixes With OPEX Coaches Daniel Persson and Brandon GallagherA stubborn pull-up usually isn't a grit problem. Most people are fighting poor positions, missing range of motion, or trying to force strength through a shape their body can't hold well yet. In this Behind the Design session, Daniel Persson and Brandon Gallagher move past simple pull-up progressionsApril 29, 2026Program DesignPull-Up Programming: How OPEX Coaches Build Your First RepA strict pull-up looks simple until you try to earn one. You hang from the bar, pull yourself up, and realize fast that strength is only part of the job. If you've been chasing your first rep, or trying to help a client get there, this breakdown is useful because it treats the pull-up like the skillApril 23, 2026Program DesignBack Squat Faults, Fixes, and Accessories That Build StrengthA back squat can look solid on the way down and still fall apart at the bottom. If you keep seeing buttwink, hips shooting up, or a squat that never feels as strong as it should, more random volume usually won't fix it. This breakdown follows the OPEX Behind the Design coaching session with Daniel PApril 15, 2026Program DesignHow to Build a Stronger Back Squat in Program DesignA big back squat is not only about leg strength. It can raise athletic potential, make daily movement feel easier, and give clients a kind of confidence that shows up far outside the gym.April 8, 2026Program DesignBench Press Accessory Work That Fixes Common FaultsA stronger bench press rarely comes from benching more and hoping for the best. It usually comes from spotting where the lift breaks down, then picking accessory work that solves that exact problem. That was the big theme in this OPEX Fitness conversation with coaches Brandon Gallagher and Daniel PeApril 1, 2026Program DesignHow OPEX Coaches Build a Bench Press Program From 200 to 225 PoundsA bigger bench usually looks simple from the outside. Add weight, train hard, repeat. In practice, it rarely works that cleanly. Bench press programming gets better when the goal is clear, the weak point is known, and every exercise has a job.March 25, 2026FrameworksWhat OPEX Coaches Changed Their Minds About in Program DesignGood coaching isn't about defending old opinions forever. It's about noticing what actually works, what wastes time, and what helps clients make steady progress. In this conversation, OPEX coaches Brandon Gallagher and Daniel Persson unpack several ideas they once believed strongly, then explain whyMarch 17, 2026Program DesignDaniel Persson's 240 kg Deadlift Update on the Road to 250 kgIn this Behind the Design session, Daniel Persson and Brandon Gallagher share a real update from Daniel's push toward a 250 kg deadlift. The headline is clear: after about four months of focused work, Daniel pulled 240 kg for a heavy single, moving his goal from "someday" into "closeMarch 11, 2026Program DesignBehind the Design: Real OPEX Program Design Examples From Daniel PerssonIf you've ever looked at a workout and thought, "This seems simple, but it's going to hurt," you already understand part of what great program design does. The goal is intent, not novelty. In this Behind the Design session, I walked through several real examples Coach Daniel Persson has beMarch 4, 2026Marketing For Fitness CoachesRemote vs. In-Person Coaching: What It Takes to Go OnlineA lot of coaches want remote coaching because it looks like freedom. You can work from anywhere, reach more people, and build a schedule that fits your life. The problem is that many coaches try to jump straight to online work before they've built the skills that make online coaching effective. In tFebruary 26, 2026FrameworksLifestyle Prescription for Real Results (Behind the Design)Most people spend 1 hour training and then wonder why the other 23 hours keep canceling out their progress. That's the gap this episode of Behind the Design focuses on, not perfect sets and reps, but lifestyle prescription and behavior change that actually holds up in real life. OPEX coaches DanielFebruary 18, 2026Program DesignMMA Athlete Peaking Program Design (Part 2): Week Structure, Lifts, and ConditioningPeaking an MMA athlete isn’t about doing more work, it’s about putting the right work in the right place so the fighter can show up sharp, healthy, and ready. In this episode of Behind the Design from OPEX Fitness, coaches Brandon Gallagher and Daniel Persson move from concepts into real program desFebruary 11, 2026Program DesignPeaking an MMA AthletePeaking an athlete gets talked about like it’s always some flashy, complicated plan. In this episode of Behind the Design, OPEX coaches Brandon Gallagher and Daniel Persson laid out a much cleaner idea, peaking is mostly about timing, load management, and keeping the athlete confident and healthy whFebruary 4, 2026FrameworksFreedom in Coaching: 3 Shifts Daniel Persson Uses in Individual DesignMost coaches say they want freedom. Not just more money, but the kind that lets you coach the people you actually care about, coach in a way that feels right, and build a life that doesn’t slowly squeeze the joy out of training. OPEX coaches Daniel Persson and Brandon Gallagher talked through what tJanuary 29, 2026Program DesignNew to Fitness Program Design: A Real Client Example From OPEX CoachesA “new to fitness” client isn’t always new. Sometimes they’re returning after years away, carrying fear, old injuries, or a bad past experience. In this episode of Behind The Design, OPEX coaches Brandon Gallagher and Daniel Persson walk through what that actually looks like in program design, usingJanuary 21, 2026Program DesignBehind the Design: How Daniel Persson Programs a Former Competitive CrossFit AthleteThis Behind the Design session from OPEX Fitness is a great example of how program design changes when an athlete shifts from competing to training for health, longevity, and “still being able to play” once in a while. Daniel Persson and Brandon Gallagher walk through the intake, the reasoning behinJanuary 14, 2026Program DesignBehind the Design: 3X Bodyweight Deadlift and Running Program DesignWhat does good program design look like when the client is also a coach, has a clear strength target, and still wants to keep running? In this first episode of Behind the Design, OPEX coaches Daniel Persson and Brandon Gallagher walked through a real training plan, showed it inside CoachRx, and explJanuary 8, 2026

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