Workout Plan

By Jon Wear ·

Source: me

Weekly Training Plan with Fallback Levels

This plan is designed to be failure-tolerant.
The goal is consistency, not perfection.

If a full session does not happen, you drop down a level, not to zero.

Weekly Structure (Anchor)

  • Monday / Wednesday / Friday: Cardio
  • Tuesday / Thursday: Strength
  • Weekend: Off or optional easy walking

CARDIO DAYS (MWF)

Level 1 — Full Cardio Stack (Ideal)

  • Zone 2 run: 20 minutes (outdoors)
  • Row erg: 5 min on / 2 min rest / 5 min on (moderate, controlled)
  • Jump rope:
    • 1 min on
    • 30 sec rest
    • 1 min on

This is the target session.

Level 2 — Anchor Only (Very Acceptable)

  • Zone 2 run: 20 minutes

If this is all you do, the day counts.

Level 3 — Indoor / Low-Friction

  • Row erg: 12–15 minutes, continuous
  • Easy to moderate pace
  • No intervals

Use this when weather, time, or motivation blocks running.

Level 4 — Bare Minimum (Non-Zero Day)

  • Row erg: 6–8 minutes easy
    OR
  • Brisk walk: 10 minutes

Purpose: maintain habit and circulation.

Cardio Rules

  • Never “make up” missed cardio later
  • Never skip because it “doesn’t count”
  • Zone 2 stays truly easy

STRENGTH DAYS (TR)

Current Strength Pattern

  • Pyramid ladders
  • Exercises:
    • Pull-ups
    • Weighted squats
    • Push-ups
    • Planks (seconds)
  • Current re-entry pyramid:
    • 1–5–1 (up to 5, then back down)

Level 1 — Full Strength Session (Ideal)

  • Full pyramid for all movements
  • Controlled pace
  • Stop if form degrades

Level 2 — Half Session (Highly Acceptable)

  • One full pyramid only
  • Stop after completing the descent

This is still meaningful training.

Level 3 — Partial Strength

Choose one:

  • Pull-up pyramid only
  • Push-up pyramid only

Focus on quality, not speed.

Level 4 — “Just Touch It”

Choose one:

  • 2–3 submax sets of pull-ups
  • 2–3 submax sets of push-ups
  • A single 1–4–1 pyramid

Purpose: joint signal and continuity.

Strength Rules

  • Do not add intensity to compensate for missed volume
  • If elbows or shoulders feel off, stop early
  • Missing volume is fine; missing weeks is not

Simple Decision Rules

  • Time < 20 min: Level 3 or 4
  • Energy < 5/10: Level 2
  • Energy ≥ 7/10: Level 1

No negotiation required.

Core Principle

Something easy today beats something perfect tomorrow.

The plan succeeds as long as:

  • MWF remain cardio days
  • TR remain strength days
  • You never let “all or nothing” win

This is a system built to last.

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