Welcome to the Training Notes Newsletter.
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Thursday is where good training gets honest. You’re far enough into the week to feel what’s working, and close enough to the weekend that sloppy effort starts to cost you.
The move today is calibration: keep the plan, adjust the dial. Push the things that are moving well, and hold steady on the things that feel “expensive” for the output you’re getting. Progress isn’t always more—it’s often cleaner.
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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
- Scapular Wall Slide — 2 Sets × 10 Reps
- Ankle Rockers on Wall — 2 Sets × 10 Reps
- Dead Bug — 2 Sets × 6 Reps
Main Workout
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press — 4 Sets × 6 Reps
- Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift — 4 Sets × 10 Reps
- Front Squat — 3 Sets × 8 Reps
- Lat Pulldown — 3 Sets × 12 Reps
- Incline Push Up — 2 Sets × 12 Reps
- Hamstring Walkouts — 2 Sets × 8 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: 50 minutes
Conditioning
Warm Up
- Easy effort — 10 Minutes @ 55–70% max HR
Main Workout
- 3 Rounds — 6 Minutes @ 82–88% max HR + 3 Minutes @ 60–70% max HR
- 1 Round — 6 Minutes @ 82–88% max HR
Cool Down
- Easy effort — 8 Minutes @ 55–65% max HR
Total time: 51 minutes
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Today’s Research Note
A useful way to think about training stress is “how much did this session disrupt me?” not just “how hard did it feel?” Two sessions can have the same effort rating, but very different recovery costs depending on how much muscle damage, joint irritation, and nervous system strain they create.
This is why some people can stack consistent weeks on moderate loads, while others keep getting derailed by a few “hero” sets. The body adapts best when the signal is strong enough to matter and predictable enough to repeat. If the disruption is too high, you don’t get more progress—you just buy a longer recovery bill.
A simple calibration tool: track how you feel 24 hours later. If you’re noticeably less coordinated, unusually sore, or your resting mood/energy is flat, that session was probably more disruptive than productive for your current week.
Practical takeaway: Judge session quality by next-day readiness, and cap the work that reliably makes tomorrow worse.
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Today’s Final Note
On Thursdays, the best lifters aren’t the ones who “send it.” They’re the ones who can make small, correct adjustments without changing the whole plan—load, range, pace, or exercise choice—so the work stays high-quality.
That’s calibration under load: you keep the intent, but you stop paying extra for sloppy reps or forced intensity. It’s also how you protect the weekend without turning Thursday into a throwaway day. The goal is a session you can repeat next week with confidence, not a session you need to recover from like an accident.
Use today: Pick one thing to push and one thing to hold steady, and let that be enough.
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Signing Off
Keep it precise today and you’ll feel the difference tomorrow. Small adjustments beat big reinventions, especially midweek. The Training Notes is built to make those calibrations automatic so you keep progressing without guessing. Come back tomorrow for a clean way to close the week without bleeding into the weekend.
It never gets easier, you just go faster.
Greg LeMond