Structured Chaos: Inside a Week of My Training

Andy McTaggart
Aug 8
3 min read

If you’ve ever followed my training on social media, it might look like I’m all over the place, bouncing between strength, conditioning, CrossFit, and StrongTrain (strongman). At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be a clear structure. But the truth is, every session I do has a purpose.

Over the past eight weeks, I’ve refined a weekly training flow that works for my lifestyle over the summer, it keeps me motivated, and allows me to progress across multiple disciplines consistently. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or someone looking to better understand how to train with intent, here’s a look behind the curtain at how my training week is structured at the moment and why it works for me.

Sunday – StrongTrain Double Day

The training week kicks off with a double StrongTrain session, one in the morning, one in the evening. Both sessions are dynamic focused, meaning they’re built around explosive effort, speed and moving heavy loads quickly.

Morning session: Lower body dynamic work
Evening session: Upper body dynamic work

These sessions get me fired up for the week and help me build explosive power without excessive fatigue or muscle soreness.

Monday – Zone 2 Conditioning

Monday is all about movement with zero intensity. It’s my aerobic flush and recovery day, focused on keeping my heart rate in Zone 2 or lower.

Duration: 30–60 minutes
Modalities: Usually rowing or biking
Purpose: Just move and stay aerobic

This helps me stay recovered, loosened up, and mentally reset from the heavy Sunday work. Monday can also be incredibly busy and a session like this does not add additional stress to the day.

Tuesday – Max Effort Upper Body

Tuesday is a Max Effort Upper Body day and has stayed largely unchanged for eight weeks now.

Main lift: Bench press variation
- Regular bench, tempo, banded, dead stop — always aiming for 90%+
- Format: 6 sets of 2–3 reps
Accessory work:
- Upper body push and pull
- Biceps and triceps finisher

It’s high-intensity, strength-focused, and keeps my upper body progressing consistently.

Wednesday – CrossFit Skill & Intensity

Wednesdays are sport-specific and right now, that means CrossFit. It’s a mix of skill work under fatigue and short, intense efforts.

Movements:
- Gymnastic variations
- Dumbbell/barbell work
- Monostructural pieces (row, ski, bodyweight)
Format: Fast-paced intervals, no long grinders and there is a decent amount of rest
Focus: Build capacity in high-skill movements while under pressure

This day helps me stay sharp with CrossFit skills without burning me out.

Training with a purpose and intent.

Thursday – Aerobic Conditioning with a Twist

Thursday is back to aerobic conditioning, sometimes pushing into Zone 3.

Format: Long, varied efforts across machines or light mixed-modal work
- E.g., hard row into hard ski, with bike for recovery
- Or something simple like rowing and burpees
Duration: 60 minutes
Focus: Low-skill, high effort work but staying within a comfortable effort level

This day is about building the engine without overloading the nervous system or joints.

Friday – Max Effort Lower Body

Friday mirrors Tuesday but shifts focus to the lower body.

Main lift: Heavy squat variation
- Back squat, front squat, or zercher squat
- There are no overhead squats as they don’t allow the same leg stimulus for me
Accessory work:
- Lower body strength and hypertrophy focus

This is probably my favorite day of the week. I love training legs, and I go all-in knowing Saturday is my rest day.

Saturday – Full Recovery

Saturday is sacred. No training. Just full physical and mental recovery to reset for another big week ahead.

Structure But Flexible

Throughout the week, core training is a consistent element. It’s baked into most accessory work across multiple days.

There are also moments of flexibility. If I’m feeling good, I might jump into an additional CrossFit session, especially on a day where it won’t negatively impact the following day’s focus. For example, if Thursday was aerobic work and I add in a CrossFit piece that’s upper body dominant, it won’t affect Friday’s lower body work.