Two guests have booked you for a fortnight. One runs marathons. One has not exercised since university and has told you, twice, that he wants to "get in shape before the wedding". If you give them the same programme you will bore one and injure the other.
The five principles
| Principle | What it means | Onboard application |
|---|---|---|
| Specificity | You get better at what you actually do | A guest who wants to hike in Corsica should be walking hills, not curling |
| Overload | Improvement needs a stimulus beyond the habitual | Add reps, load, range or control — slowly |
| Progression | Overload must be gradual and planned | Change one variable at a time |
| Recovery | Adaptation happens between sessions, not during them | Charter guests sleep badly and drink; assume less recovery, not more |
| Individuality | People respond differently | Screen, ask, adjust. There is no universal programme |
Add reversibility — a fortnight is not long enough to transform anyone, and you should say so kindly. Honest expectations are part of the service.
Session structure
- Warm-up (8-10 min). Raise temperature, mobilise the joints you are about to use, rehearse the patterns with light load. Not static stretching.
- Main work (25-40 min). Two to four compound patterns first, while the guest is fresh. Accessory or isolation work after.
- Conditioning (optional, 5-10 min). Intervals, rowing, circuits — sea state permitting.
- Cool-down (5-8 min). Bring the heart rate down, then gentle static or developmental stretching and breathing.
A useful default is push, pull, squat or hinge, carry, core — five slots, any length of session.
Gauging intensity
You will rarely have lab equipment. You will always have these.
| Method | How it works | Practical range |
|---|---|---|
| RPE (rate of perceived exertion) | Guest rates effort 1-10 | Most guest work sits at RPE 5-7. Leave 2-3 reps in reserve |
| Talk test | Can they speak in sentences? | Full sentences = easy; broken phrases = moderate; single words = hard |
| Heart-rate zones | Roughly: 50-60% easy, 60-70% aerobic base, 70-80% moderate, 80-90% hard | Age-predicted maximum is a crude estimate. Treat zones as a guide, not gospel |
RPE and the talk test are more useful than a watch, and they work on a mat on a foredeck with no signal. Note that medications, heat, alcohol and dehydration all distort heart rate — a common and under-appreciated issue on charter.
Onboard Notes
- Keep an honest written log per guest: what they did, how it felt, what to change. It is also your record if anything is ever questioned.
- If a guest is sleeping four hours a night and drinking, reduce intensity. This is not the week to chase records.
- Progress the deconditioned guest by improving movement quality first and load second.
- Preparatory study only. Nothing here qualifies you to instruct. Leading guests requires an accredited qualification and professional indemnity insurance.