If you’re any good with your money, you will have, on an average month, money being deposited into your account that is equal to or (ideally) greater than the amount leaving your bank account. Deposit more than you spend, and you’ll end up with a cache of savings for emergencies, vacations, a home, etc.

Your capacity for training -- or any energy-expending task for that matter, be it work-related, home-related, or whatever else -- works in much the same way. There are deposits and withdrawals. On average, the aim should be to deposit more than you withdraw. Practically, this would look like getting stronger, improving your cardiovascular fitness, increasing your range of motion, or improving your capacities in a skill. But much in the same way that you have to adjust your spending habits depending on the status of your bank account, there are times where your output may change based on how much is left in your physical/mental “account.” For example, if you just cut a check for a big down payment on a car, or your house had a slab leak and you had to shell out to get things fixed, your spending on incidentals, entertainment, and luxuries may have to be a bit slimmer than usual until you can get your account balance back up. In the same way, if you experience a big energy expenditure in your life -- a day or three of extra challenging training, emotional stress, or a lack of sleep, for example -- you can expect your capacity to “spend” to be diminished temporarily.

By no means is this necessarily bad. In the days following an extra demanding day of training, you should expect some fatigue and adjust expectations accordingly. It is part of the cycle of stress -> recover -> adapt. Sometimes your bank account gets lower than usual, and that’s okay. Just remember to do what you can to deposit a little extra in there now and again.

- PS

8/31/18

• “Monostructural Medley”

• Complete the following for time, in any order you please, resting exactly 2 mins between each effort:

• 2 mile bike

• 1 mile run

• 2000m row