Longer workouts are tough to do during the week when work, school and life limit the amount of time to train.
My recommendation often is to make a workweek day or two to be your exercise day(s) off when you are most busy anyway, versus spending the weekend as your natural rest days. So if you like to work out five days a week, here is a plan that can enable you to train harder on the weekend and allow for a busy day of the week to be a logical rest day, or non-workout day. You may find this method to be much less stressful during your workweek.
If you can start your weekend on a Friday and lift/PT, then get a good set of cardio in on Saturday and a Mobility Day off on Sunday, you may find that rest days on Monday and Thursday may work for you. But keep the rest days fluid and use them when you are most busy.
Friday full-body lift, PT, cardio mix
Warmup with 10-minute run or bike
Repeat 5 times
- Five-minute Tabata (bike) or half-mile run timed
- Pull-ups (with weight) max
- Bench press 5
- Squats 5
- Overhead plate carry lunges 10/leg
- Deadlift 5, hang clean with front squat 5 or mix all together doing the MJDB#2 for 15. You can skip the triceps extension of the MJDB if you want to make it heavier.
Light stretch
Cooldown 10-minute run or bike
Saturday cardio day
Depending on your cardio of choice, mix in what you want to work on or all of them if you have time:
Run, ruck, swim options day
Four-mile run or four-mile ruck
If available, find a hill and mix in a few hill runs/rucks during the workout.
Or swim one hour with fins and without fins/rest with tread as needed. If focusing on swimming endurance, concentrate on treading, drownproofing, etc.
Lower back plan - do stretches later in the evening
Day 7 can be Mobility Day
This has become a favorite way to squeeze cardio, stretching and foam rolling into a workout day. I prefer non-impact options like bike, elliptical, rowing or swimming for the five-minute cardio sets. See the way to arrange this new classic:
Repeat 5 times
- Bike, elliptical, row or swim five minutes
- Stretch or foam roll five minutes
Top it off with a five- to 10-minute tread. If you have a pool, work on kicking and circling the arms in as many directions as possible that still keep you floating. Then spend the next 5-10 minutes in chest-deep water doing as many dynamic stretches as you know: butt kickers, leg swings, hip hinges, Frankenstein walks, etc.
Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you’re looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.
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