Bulletproof Friday
What is it?
This is a term I carry with me from my time operating as a Recon Man. Throughout selection, Friday had a unique significance. It didn’t matter what we were doing or how brutal the day was; we knew the weekend was coming. A brief regeneration before starting again at 0400 on Monday morning outside on the pool deck cold waiting to be drowned for the next few hours seeing who would quit. Friday became a mental checkpoint: no matter the task, I wasn’t going to quit.
On Fridays, I was bulletproof. Eight hours of eight-count bodybuilders? Bring it. Drown-proofing drills in the pool for hours? Didn’t matter. My mind was locked in. Nothing could penetrate it.
Today, I use that same mindset for tackling difficult challenges. No matter what day they land on. But more often than not, it’s still Fridays when I create or assign tough workouts for myself or my athletes. Whether it’s a heavy day of training or a mental battle in life, I lean into the Bulletproof Friday mentality: no excuses, no surrender.
I don’t do this every Friday, but the mentality has become a part of how I approach hard things across all areas of my life. Out of respect for where it came from, I wanted to share it with others. Maybe it can help you too.
Here’s a Bulletproof Friday workout I want to share.
A fun one.
I designed it for an ultra-runner who occasionally jumps into Hyrox races and performs exceptionally well. Think of her as a cycling world competitor who also crushes triathlons throughout the same seasons. In her case, she excels at running long distances fast, and we’re balancing multiple goals.
Coming off a big race weekend where she placed 3rd in a 50k, she’s got a 100k race at the end of the month. The priority is to maintain her cardiovascular system while letting her lower body recover from the pounding it just took. The solution was to focus on keeping her muscles and joints moving without adding more wear and tear.
Instead of hitting the mountains hard, we shifted gears to the gym. This allowed us to take advantage of recovery time by building a stronger foundation and raising her overall performance ceiling. Bulletproof Friday isn’t just about pushing limits—it’s about working smart to grow tougher, stronger, and better prepared for the next challenge.
Here is the workout.
If you complete it, please feel free to post your reflections in the comments.
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