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Programming for a team usually forces coaches to choose between two bad options: write a generic program for everyone, or spend hours writing individual programs from scratch. This section shows you how to use Relay’s multi-level architecture to get the best of both worlds. You’ll learn how to build a base program, create positional variations, make individual adjustments on the fly, and push bulk updates across your entire roster. By the end of it, you’ll have a scalable system that allows for highly individualized training without the administrative headache.

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How multi-level programming works

Understanding how programs cascade from the team level down to the individual athlete is the key to managing your time effectively in Relay. The core philosophy: Instead of building 20 distinct programs, you build one master template, duplicate it, and tweak the specific variables.
  1. The Base Level (Team): The overarching macrocycle that dictates the core lifts and schedule for the whole team.
  2. The Second Level (Positional/Group): A copy of the base program, adjusted for specific positional needs (e.g., adding extra plyometrics for outside hitters, or neck strengthening for linemen).
  3. The Micro Level (Individual): Real-time, daily adjustments made directly on a specific athlete’s calendar based on readiness or injury.
Understanding this top-down approach helps you create a highly tailored experience for your athletes in a fraction of the time.

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Your programming workflow

There are three main phases to utilizing multi-level programming in your daily workflow: setup, individual tweaks, and bulk synchronizations. Navigate to Programs in your sidebar to get started.

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Step 1: Set up your base and positional programs

We highly recommend establishing your master template before assigning anything to your athletes. How to structure it:
  1. Create the Base: Build your standard team program in the /programs tab. Include the core lifts, conditioning blocks, and schedule that apply to everyone.
  2. Duplicate for Sub-Groups: Copy that base program and rename it for your second-level groups (e.g., “Team Base - Linemen” or “Team Base - Rehab”).
  3. Customize the Copy: Open the duplicated program and swap out the necessary exercises, adjust the volumes, or add specific positional drills. (Note: You can repeat this duplication process as many times as you need for different groups).
  4. Assign via Tags: Use your Athlete Tags to assign these customized sub-programs to the correct groups in bulk.

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Step 2: Make individual adjustments on the fly

Once the programs are assigned and live, the realities of an in-season schedule take over. You can easily modify an individual athlete’s workouts without affecting the rest of the team. How to adjust individuals:
  1. Navigate to the Athletes tab and click on a specific athlete to view their individual calendar.
  2. Select the specific workout day you want to adjust.
  3. Make your changes directly on their calendar: add new exercises, swap out a movement due to a tweak, increase the assigned weight, or move the workout to a different day.
  4. These micro-adjustments are saved immediately and only apply to this specific athlete.

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Step 3: Make bulk adjustments (Synchronization)

If you realize you need to change a core exercise for an entire group or if your game schedule shifts you don’t need to go into every single athlete’s calendar. You can push updates from the top down. How to sync changes:
  1. Navigate back to your overarching program in the Programs tab (e.g., “Team Base - Linemen”).
  2. Make your adjustments to the master program (e.g., swapping Barbell Squats for Box Squats, or shifting Thursday’s workout to Friday).
  3. Click the Synchronize button.
  4. Select the athletes currently assigned to this program to push the update.
How Synchronization works: When you sync a program, Relay automatically overrides the respective upcoming workouts on the athletes’ calendars with your new changes. Crucially, synchronization will never alter or delete workouts that the athlete has already completed. All of their historical tracking data remains completely untouched. This dual-layered system ensures you can always make granular, individual tweaks while retaining the power to bulk-edit your entire roster in seconds.