Welcome to the Training Notes Newsletter.
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Monday is where the week gets decided, usually in the first 20 minutes. Not because you do something heroic, but because you set a marker for what “normal” looks like. When the first marker is clean and repeatable, the rest of the week has something to snap back to.
The move today is simple: pick one measurable thing you can execute well—pace, load, or total work—and treat it like your baseline. You’re not trying to win Monday. You’re trying to make Monday easy to repeat.
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TODAY’S TRAINING NOTES
Here are two options for today’s training session. Choose Strength if you want the more resistance-focused option or better lifting practice today. Choose Conditioning if you want simpler aerobic work or a lower-lifting-stress session. Pick the one that best fits your schedule, readiness, and goals. Feel free to make substitutions if you need to adjust the exercises.
Strength
Warm Up
- Hip Flexor Rockback — 2 Sets × 8 Reps
- Cat Camel — 2 Sets × 6 Reps
- Scapular Wall Slide — 2 Sets × 8 Reps
- Ankle Rockers on Wall — 2 Sets × 8 Reps
- Dead Bug — 2 Sets × 6 Reps
Main Workout
- Back Squat — 5 Sets × 5 Reps
- Chest Supported Dumbbell Row — 4 Sets × 10 Reps
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press — 4 Sets × 8 Reps
- Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift — 3 Sets × 10 Reps
- Goblet Squat — 3 Sets × 12 Reps
- Band Face Pull — 2 Sets × 15 Reps
- Ab Wheel Rollout — 2 Sets × 8 Reps
Cool Down
- Couch Stretch — 2 Sets × 45 Seconds
- Doorway Pec Stretch — 2 Sets × 45 Seconds
- Seated Hamstring Stretch — 2 Sets × 45 Seconds
- Supine Spinal Twist — 2 Sets × 45 Seconds
Total time: 58 minutes
Conditioning
Warm Up
- Easy effort — 10 Minutes @ 55–65% max HR
Main Workout
- Steady aerobic — 30 Minutes @ 65–75% max HR
Cool Down
- Very easy effort — 5 Minutes @ 50–60% max HR
Total time: 45 minutes
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Today’s Research Note
A simple way to make training feel better (and progress more predictable) is to manage how much your performance swings from day to day. Big swings usually aren’t about willpower—they’re about readiness: sleep, stress, fueling, and how much fatigue you carried in. When readiness is low, the same plan costs more, and you end up “buying” the session with sloppy reps, extra soreness, or a longer recovery tail.
This is why auto-regulating with a performance target works so well for busy people. Instead of forcing a preset number at all costs, you anchor the day to a quality metric you can actually hit—like a rep speed you can control, a heart rate cap, or a rep-in-reserve target. Over time, you get more consistent exposures to good work, which is what your body adapts to.
The key is picking a target that’s stable enough to compare week to week, but flexible enough to respect real life. Consistency isn’t doing the same thing. It’s producing the same training signal more often.
Practical takeaway: Choose one quality anchor (RPE/RIR, rep speed, or HR cap) and adjust load or volume until you hit it cleanly.
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Today’s Final Note
Here’s a Monday rule that keeps the whole week calmer: decide what “counts” before you start. Not the perfect session—just the minimum standard that makes you feel like you showed up on purpose. When you define that line early, you stop negotiating with yourself mid-session.
Make the standard measurable and boring: a time cap, a top set that moves well, or a steady pace you can hold without drifting. If you have extra in the tank after you hit the line, great—but the win is that you can repeat it next Monday without drama.
Use today: Set one baseline target for the session and stop the moment you’ve hit it with good quality.
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Signing Off
That’s the start: one clean marker you can come back to. If you keep Monday controlled, the rest of the week gets easier to steer. The Training Notes helps by turning those baseline targets into a simple, adaptive plan you can execute without overthinking. Come back tomorrow and we’ll focus on protecting output quality when the week speeds up.
Quote of the Week
Champions keep playing until they get it right.
Billie Jean King