- Published
- Read
- 12 Min
- Coach
- Maya Okafor
Hard days build the engine. Soft days keep the chassis from rattling apart. The athletes who last treat both as training, not as a reward you earn only after a personal best.
What belongs on a hard day
Pick one main lift, two accessories, and a short finisher. Leave the studio knowing you could have done one more set. That leftover is how you come back on Thursday.
Hard does not mean chaotic. Write the loads before you arrive. If the warm-up already feels sharp, cut the finisher and go home.
“A rest day with intention is still a training day.”
What a soft day is for
Breath, long muscles, and easy blood flow. A thirty-minute flow, a zone-two ride, or a walk with ankle rocks will do more for next week's squat than another set of shrugs.
Film one position you rushed on the hard day — a hip hinge, a split squat — and practise it slowly. Soft days are where technique is allowed to be boring.
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