Welcome to the Training Notes Newsletter.
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Wednesday is where good training weeks get protected. Not by doing nothing, but by doing the right kind of “something” that lowers stress while keeping your routine intact. The goal today is simple: leave your body feeling more capable at 6pm than it did at 8am.
Recovery works best when it’s planned, not improvised. Treat it like a skill: you’re practicing restraint, keeping joints moving, and keeping your system calm enough to hit the next hard day with real output.
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TODAY’S TRAINING NOTES
Here are two options for today’s training session. Pick the one that fits your schedule and goals. Feel free to make substitutions if you need to adjust the exercises.
Strength
Warm Up
- Cat Camel — 2 Sets × 8 Reps
- 90 90 Hip Switch — 2 Sets × 6 Reps
- Quadruped T Spine Rotation — 2 Sets × 6 Reps
- Ankle Rockers on Wall — 2 Sets × 10 Reps
- Nasal Breathing Reset — 2 Sets × 5 Breaths
Main Workout
- Easy Cardio (any modality) — 1 Sets × 25 Minutes
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
- 4 7 8 Breathing — 2 Sets × 4 Breaths
Total time: 45 minutes
Conditioning
Warm Up
- Easy effort — 10 Minutes at 50–65% max HR
- Smooth build — 3 Minutes rising to 65–70% max HR
Main Workout
- Steady recovery — 20 Minutes at 55–65% max HR
Cool Down
- Very easy — 5 Minutes at 50–60% max HR
Total time: 38 minutes
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Today’s Research Note
A lot of “fatigue” isn’t just sore muscles. It’s your nervous system turning the volume down: slower coordination, worse timing, and a higher perceived effort for the same work. That’s central fatigue, and it can show up even when you feel mentally fine.
The practical issue is that central fatigue changes your risk profile. Your technique gets a little less consistent, you miss positions you normally own, and you start compensating without noticing. Recovery days that emphasize easy movement, breathing, and low-stress aerobic work help restore readiness without adding more load to the system.
Look Up: central fatigue recovery signals
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Today’s Final Note
Use a “minimum exit standard” on recovery days. Decide in advance what “done” looks like, and stop there. The win is finishing feeling better, not proving anything.
This works because it removes negotiation. You don’t need hype, and you don’t need perfect conditions—you just need a clean finish line you can hit on busy weeks. Keep the standard small, repeatable, and boring enough that you’ll actually do it.
Look Up: minimum exit standard
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Signing Off
That’s the midweek play: reduce noise, keep the habit, and protect tomorrow’s output. If you trained today, you should finish with more margin than you started with. Come back tomorrow for a sharper day where we turn that margin into real work.
Make each day your masterpiece.
John Wooden