What a week of training looks like for Salt Escapes co-founder Mike Chapman.
If you've ever built the ideal training week, you'll know how it goes. Every session slotted in, every rest day earned, everything lined up.
Then life turns up.
Work runs over. Travel happens. Someone's unwell, or you just didn't sleep. The perfect week lasts until about Tuesday.
With running a travel business and working across multiple time zones, my life is pretty much always in motion, so I've had to get comfortable with that. The ideal routine is brilliant on paper, but hitting it consistently is a different story. So these days I think about training as something that needs to flex.
[TRAIN WITH SALT ESCAPES]
My training approach
My priorities have shifted a lot over the years.
When I was younger, training was built around sport. It was specific and it had a purpose, and everything I did in the gym, on the road or in or on the water was aimed at performing at my peak.
These days it's about different stuff. I train because I enjoy it. I train for general health and fitness. And, more than anything, I train for longevity. I want to be strong, fit and capable for as long as possible. Running, lifting heavy things, getting out in the mountains, crushing a hard workout and everything else - I want to still be doing all of it when I'm 85.
Training with Amy
When Amy & I first met, most of our first dates were based around fitness, workouts, or heading out for a run along the beach - it's how we bonded and it's a passion we both still share. A lot of couples do date-night - for us, it's a workout. We love pushing each other in a fun team-based or pairs-based workout.
My training week (the template)
Here's roughly what a normal week looks like when everything goes to plan:
- Monday: Strength
- Tuesday: Threshold development, anaerobic intervals
- Wednesday: Strength and accessory work
- Thursday: Zone 2 run
- Friday: Strength
- Saturday: Pairs workout
- Sunday: Long, easy run (Zone 2)
Broadly, I'm looking for three strength sessions, two easier aerobic sessions, one super challenging VO2 Max anaerobic conditioning session, and a fun pairs workout with Amy (which is usually a conditioning format as well, but we’re loose on the session structure).
When the week goes sideways, I don't try to cram everything in. I work out what matters most and keep that. Usually that means a couple of strength sessions, something aerobic and the Saturday morning workout date with my wife. A slightly shorter week that actually happens beats a perfect one that doesn't.
The Strength Sessions
I aim for three strength sessions a week. One might lean towards upper body, another towards lower body, and another is more full body + accessories. If there's an area I'm trying to develop, I might tweak the split and give it a bit more attention.
Depending on my training block, sometimes the strength sessions are about lifting as heavy as possible, whilst sometimes it's about building muscle.
The Wednesday session will also typically include more accessory work: unilateral work plus balance and coordination stuff alongside the strength work.
Building the base of the pyramid
Alongside strength, I want plenty of aerobic work. Zone 2 work is great for improving mitochondrial density - and mitochondrial density dictates how efficiently your cells produce aerobic energy (ATP), directly determining your endurance capacity, metabolic health, and overall physical performance
Thursday is usually a Zone 2 run for 45 minutes to an hour. I try to make it feel nice and chilled, at a pace where I could have a relaxed conversation or focus on nasal breathing.
Sunday is usually another longer run with the same mindset. Get outside, get some sun, run through nature and just cruise. It's good training, but it's also a really good way to spend a Sunday.
Once a week, get properly uncomfortable
Tuesday is where we focus on building our VO2 max. It’s essentially the opposite mindset to the Zone 2 stuff. VO2 max is considered by many experts to be the mostly highly correlated metrics for all-cause mortality & longevity.
I like doing my VO2 Max session on ergs, and I try to do it alongside others (so they can keep you accountable when it gets tough). That means repeated efforts of varying durations at (or close to) my max heart rate on either a C2 rower, C2 bike, C2 SkiErg, or sometimes an AssaultRunner or a Woodway.
I might start with 20 seconds at as close to 100% power and effort as I can produce, followed by 40 seconds of rest, repeated 10 to 20 times. Then I'll move into longer pieces, like 3-4 minutes at around 90-95% effort with a couple of minutes' rest, repeated four times. By the end of each effort I want to be at +190bpm and completely spent. Then I might finish with a couple of five-minute pieces to really push my ability to produce and clear lactic acid.
Saturday is for the fun stuff
Saturday is usually Amy and me doing a pairs workout. It'll often follow a functional fitness format, with running, ergs, barbells and dumbbell stuff in a challenging WOD.
We might do a big chipper, working through a load of exercises and splitting the reps between us. I go, she goes, back and forth until it's done. The aim is to get through it as quickly as we can.
There's a fitness benefit, sure. But mostly we're having fun together. If every workout feels like something you have to do because the programme says so, compliance and sustainability come into question.
Why this order
A lot of it comes down to managing fatigue.
If Monday is mostly upper-body strength, my legs are fresh for the harder conditioning on Tuesday. Wednesday is more full body, but with the added accessory work, balance and single-leg movements it’s less taxing on my CNS. Thursday's easy run keeps me moving and acts as a bit of recovery again before the big lifts on Friday. Saturday is the fun whole-body session, then Sunday goes back to easy effort.
It means I can train consistently across the week without overloading my Central Nervous System (CNS) or any one particular muscle group. And because the hard days and easy days are spread out, moving one session around doesn't bring the whole thing down.
What I eat around all of this
Protein is the big one. I usually finish a workout with a protein shake, then make sure I'm getting plenty of protein and vegetables through the rest of the day.
Hydration matters too, especially as I sweat a lot. I generally have electrolytes during the day and take creatine as part of my routine. I also try to stop eating a couple of hours before bed, because I sleep better when I do.
There are plenty of ways to approach sports nutrition, and what works for me won't necessarily be right for everyone. I keep it relatively simple and give my body what it needs to train and recover.
This is my week, not a prescription
It changes depending on how busy life is, how my body is feeling, and what Amy and I fancy doing. What stays the same is the approach.
Get strong. Build the aerobic base. Do some hard stuff. Move well. Recover properly. And make sure some of your training is there simply because you enjoy it.
If you can't hit the perfect week, hit a good one. Then do it again.
M
Written by
Mike
Salt Escapes
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