The standard you are graded against
The NoStagnation Method in four threads. Every week of a program carries all four. A program that is excellent on one thread and silent on another scores low.
| Thread | What it means in a program |
|---|---|
| Mobility protocol | Every session opens with movement prep: shoulders, spine, wrists, hips, a dead hang with scapular control. Not "warm up 5 minutes." |
| Calisthenics foundation | Push, pull, squat and core patterns progress through bodyweight first. Weights are layered on top of that foundation, never instead of it. |
| Rotational and conditioning | The kinetic chain gets trained: footwork, rotation, plyometrics or combat style conditioning, scaled to the person's level, at least once a week. |
| Nutrition habit layer | Protein near 1 g per lb of bodyweight, whole foods, steps, fuel timed around training. Muscle gain and fat loss together, no crash cut. |
Part 1: the program
Build weeks 1 to 4 of a 12 week plan for the client below. Any format: a doc, a sheet, a PDF. Say what phase 2 would be in a short paragraph at the end.
The brief · a composite of real NoStagnation clients, not one person
| Who | Marcus, 34, operations manager. Married, one kid, long desk days, travels one week a month. |
| Stats | 6 ft 0, 198 lb, estimated 24 percent body fat. Sleeps about 6 hours. About 5,000 steps a day. Protein intake roughly 110 g a day, eats out 4 lunches a week. |
| Goal | Lose about 15 lb of fat and add visible muscle in 12 weeks. Wants to start boxing recreationally once a week by month 3. Wants to look athletic, not just lighter. |
| Training history | Lifted on and off for 8 years, mostly machines and a bench and curl habit. Never trained calisthenics seriously. Can do 5 clean push ups, 2 pull ups, bodyweight squats are fine, cannot hold a plank over 30 seconds. |
| Injury | Right shoulder impingement two years ago, physio discharged. Still flares with heavy overhead pressing and with dips if he goes deep. |
| Equipment and time | Home: pull up bar, adjustable dumbbells to 50 lb each, a set of bands, a jump rope. Gym access once a week on Saturdays. Four sessions a week maximum, 60 minutes each including warm up. Travel week: hotel gym, usually dumbbells and a treadmill only. |
| From the closing call | Says he has "started 10 programs and finished none." Wants to be told exactly what to do. Gets bored of pure strength work. His wife is supportive and will cook what he asks for. |
Deliverable
- Weeks 1 to 4, every session: a one line focus, the movement prep, the main work with sets, reps, load or progression variant, tempo or hold time where it matters, and a one line why for the client.
- A travel week version of one session using only dumbbells and a treadmill.
- The nutrition layer for the phase: the protein target, the step target, two habits, and how you would handle the four lunches out.
- The phase exit test: what Marcus should be able to do by the end of week 4 that proves the phase worked.
- One paragraph on phase 2.
Part 2: the walkthrough
A 5 minute video, phone is fine, talking through why you built it this way.
- Why this structure for this client. The trade offs you considered and rejected.
- How you handled the shoulder and the boredom.
- If you used any AI tool to draft, say what it got wrong and what you changed. If you did not, say where it would have saved you time.
- Talk as if the assistant coach is listening and has to load this into Trainerize tomorrow.
Part 3: two check-ins
When Joe sends the go, you also get two anonymized weekly check-ins from real clients, exported from our coaching system. One progression decision in them is right. One is weak or missing.
- For each: progress, hold or pull back, and why in two or three sentences.
- What data is missing that you would want before deciding, and what you would ask the assistant coach to collect.
- Written feedback to the assistant coach on each, the way you would actually send it.
- Which of the two, if either, you would bring to Joe, and why.
How to submit
Reply to Joe's go email with three links: the program, the video, and the check-in review. Share links that do not need a login. Deadline is 5 days from the go email. Payment for the test goes out within 5 days of submission, whatever the outcome.
Scoring is out of 40 across the three parts. Anything that would put the client at risk ends the test regardless of total, and we tell you why.