Welcome to the Training Notes Newsletter.
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Tuesday is where good weeks get built or quietly blown up. Not because the work is harder, but because it’s easy to spend effort early and then “manage” the rest of the day with caffeine and willpower.
The useful skill is output control: decide what deserves your best focus, then protect that quality with boring discipline. When you pace the first third of your day (and your training) like it matters, the last third stops feeling like damage control.
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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
- Ankle Rockers on Wall — 2 Sets × 8 Reps
- Glute Bridge — 2 Sets × 10 Reps
- Dead Bug — 2 Sets × 6 Reps
Main Workout
- Trap Bar Deadlift — 5 Sets × 4 Reps
- Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat — 4 Sets × 10 Reps
- Suitcase Carry — 4 Sets × 40 Seconds
- Leg Extension — 3 Sets × 12 Reps
- Half Kneeling Cable Chop — 3 Sets × 12 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 @ 55–65% max HR
- Build effort smoothly — 5 Minutes @ 65–75% max HR
Main Workout
- 6 Rounds — 2 Minutes @ 90–95% max HR + 2 Minutes @ 60–70% max HR
- Steady easy — 5 Minutes @ 60–70% max HR
Cool Down
- Easy effort — 10 Minutes @ 55–65% max HR
Total time: 54 minutes
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Today’s Research Note
When you’re trying to control pacing, one of the cleanest tools is rate of perceived exertion (RPE). It’s not just “how hard it feels” in a vague way; it’s a practical read on how close you are to your limit on that set or interval. The key is that RPE tracks the whole system—muscle fatigue, breathing, focus, and even stress—so it often catches problems before the numbers do.
In real training, loads and heart rate can lag behind what’s happening. Sleep debt, a long workday, or a rushed warm-up can make a normal weight or pace cost more than it should. If you ignore that signal, you tend to “buy” the session with sloppy reps, longer recovery, or a drop-off later in the week.
A simple way to use RPE is to treat it like a governor, not a score. If the first working effort is already near your ceiling, you don’t need to prove anything—you need to adjust so the rest of the work stays productive.
Practical takeaway: If your first hard effort feels 1–2 RPE higher than expected, reduce the next effort slightly so you can keep quality consistent across the whole session.
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Today’s Final Note
Here’s a pacing rule I like for Tuesdays: earn intensity with clean output. That means you don’t start by chasing a number; you start by making the first few efforts look and feel the way they should.
This keeps you from overspending early and turning the back half into survival mode. It also makes your training more repeatable, because you’re practicing control under normal life stress, not only on perfect days. If you want one filter, use this: if quality is slipping, you’re done pushing for today.
Use today: Make the first 10 minutes of your training feel almost too controlled, then only build if the output stays crisp.
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Signing Off
Pacing isn’t holding back—it’s choosing where your best effort actually belongs. Do that, and you’ll finish the day with more in the tank and fewer “mystery” aches. The Training Notes helps by giving you a structured, adaptive plan so your effort goes to the right places without overthinking it. Check back tomorrow for a recovery-focused note that keeps momentum without adding stress.
You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
Wayne Gretzky