The Bad Week Protocol: How to Stay on Track When Life Gets in the Way
Work gets mental.
One of the kids gets sick.
Sleep is broken.
Meetings run late.
Something unexpected lands in the diary.
Training suddenly drops down the priority list.
Having an imperfect week isn’t the problem.
The problem is deciding that because you can’t execute 100% of your plan there’s no point doing anything.
THE ALWAYS-SOMETHING STANDARD
A good training programme shouldn’t depend on perfect conditions.
Long-term consistency requires having a minimum standard you can fall back on until life settles again.
YOUR PLAN SHOULDN’T ONLY WORK WHEN LIFE IS PERFECT
Explain why programmes requiring perfect sleep, five gym visits, loads of meal prep and plenty of spare time often fall apart for busy adults.
Especially parents, professionals and business owners over 30.
Consistency doesn’t mean doing exactly the same amount every seven days.
Sometimes consistency means knowing how to scale the week without abandoning the process.
THE 5-PILLAR BAD WEEK PROTOCOL
1. TRAINING – TWO 20-MINUTE FULL-BODY SESSIONS
Two short sessions across the week.
Squat or lunge
Push
Pull
Hinge or carry
Keep roughly 2 to 3 reps in reserve.
No PB chasing.
No punishment sessions.
Example: 20-Minute Bad Week Session
Complete approximately 3 rounds:
A1. Goblet squat OR split squat
8 to 10 reps
A2. Push-up
8 to 12 reps
Elevate the hands if needed.
B1. One-arm dumbbell row
10 reps each side
B2. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
10 reps
OR
Farmer carry
30 to 40 metres
Rest roughly 60 seconds where needed and keep 2 to 3 reps in reserve.
2. NUTRITION – ANCHOR YOUR MAIN MEALS WITH PROTEIN
Keep food simple and repeatable.
Aim for a sensible serving of protein at each main meal.
Use simple meals that work with the person’s schedule.
Most importantly:
Don’t compensate for an off-plan meal or weekend by starving yourself or skipping meals.
Return to normal structure.
3. SUPPLEMENTS – KEEP YOUR NORMAL BASICS CONSISTENT
Continue whatever normal supplements are already appropriate to the individual and part of their established routine.
A chaotic week isn’t the time to start adding new products or making things more complicated.
4. STRESS AND RECOVERY – PROTECT THE BASICS
Keep this practical:
Maintain a reasonably consistent wake-up time where possible
Get outside for daylight
Take a 10-minute walk most days
Reduce screens for approximately 30 minutes before bed
5. MOBILITY – FIVE MINUTES OF DAILY MOVEMENT
Five minutes of mobility or stretching.
HIT FOUR OUT OF FIVE? THAT’S A WIN.
The Bad Week Protocol isn’t designed to produce your best-ever week of progress.
Its job is to stop you sliding backwards and keep you connected to the process.
THE MINIMUM IS THE FLOOR, NOT THE CEILING
The Bad Week Protocol isn’t a replacement for structured training.
It’s the fallback.
Once life settles, return to the normal programme.
Don’t stay at the minimum because it’s easier.
The minimum keeps you in the game. It isn’t the goal.
STOP TRYING TO “MAKE UP” FOR MISSED DAYS
Starving yourself on Monday.
Excessive cardio.
Combining missed sessions.
Suddenly training much harder.
Trying to undo an entire weekend in one day.
“In January 2016, the first Monday after Christmas, I went into a 5am session trying to make up for everything I’d missed. No warm-up, heavy barbell rows. Halfway through a set I felt my lower back go. An MRI later showed three bulging discs. It completely changed how I think about training. More isn’t automatically better. Structure and sensible progression matter far more than trying to make up for lost time.”
The lesson wasn’t to stop training hard. It was to train hard with purpose.
I still lift heavy and I’m currently preparing for the Lisbon Marathon followed by HYROX.
The point is intelligent progression rather than punishment.
WHAT IF EVERY WEEK FEELS LIKE A BAD WEEK?
One disrupted week is normal.
But if somebody has spent months repeatedly starting and stopping, the problem is different.
They probably don’t need another motivational video, another generic programme or another Monday restart.
They need structure they can return to when life gets busy.
BUILD A PLAN THAT FITS YOUR LIFE
Has one difficult week turned into months of drifting?
You don’t need another fresh start.
You need a structure you can return to when life gets busy.
The 12-Week Online Rebuild starts with an assessment here in Carlingford. You then get an individual programme, weekly coaching from me and a retest at the end so you can see exactly what changed.
AGE STRONG. TRAIN PROPERLY.