The 50/50 Rule (when training less is exactly the right call)

Have you ever wondered how to adjust your training when you are sick? Or what if you haven’t worked in a few weeks and you’re ready to get back to it? What about after having a terrible night’s sleep?

These situations come up all the time in our coaching program, so today, I want to walk through the 50/50 rule: my strategy for helping people train safely and effectively when life throws you a curveball.

Let’s find out.

The 50/50 rule

Here is the premise: do 50% of the total reps and 50% of the weight. (This gives you 1/4 of the total training load.)

Let’s say your workout calls for 2 sets of 10 reps with 20lb dumbbells. Apply the 50/50 rule, which becomes 2 sets of 5 reps with 10 lb dumbbells.

Another example – a body weight exercise like pushups, 4 sets of 6 reps. With the 50/50 Rule, that turns into 2 sets of 3 reps of an easier pushup variation.

Because it works

When your body’s resources are overstretched – from prolonged intense training, illness, or periods of high stress – pushing at the same intensity does not produce the same results. Take water from a well that has already been drained.

Coming from an illness or a prolonged break from training, your body is significantly more sensitive to the training stimulus than normal. The threshold for “too much” is much lower than you think.

Have you ever jumped right into your normal workout after being sick, felt great during it, and then been wrecked for days afterward? That’s exactly what happens.

The good news is that you still don’t have to need as much, too. A reduced session still gives you real benefits – practicing technique, maintaining the habit, pushing recovery forward – without digging yourself into a deeper hole.
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Think of it less as “going easy” and more as training at the right dose for where your body really is right now.

Practical applications

• Download it – If you have been training hard for 4-8 weeks without a break, take a full week with the 50/50 rule. This gives your body extra time for rest and recovery, so you come back stronger and ready to train. Note: if your training program is inconsistent, you already get mini “breaks” built in, so you probably don’t need a dedicated deload week.
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• Sickness – If it’s really mild (no fever, no muscle aches, etc.), the 50/50 Rule can keep you moving while you recover (don’t hit the gym and make others sick!). Get out of being sick, use it to bring it back. Start at 50/50, then add 10-20% each session as long as you feel good and recover well.
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• Terrible Night’s Sleep – Come in, do a 50/50 day, and go home. There’s no need to grind your way through a full session. Hopefully he’ll sleep better and get back to full reps and weights later in the week.
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• Extended Break Time – How long have you been working? Apply the 50/50 Rule to your first few sessions back. The goal is to move and feel good, not obliterate.

The Takeaway

Training is not to go hard all the time, no matter what.
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The most effective approach is to work the right amount, in the right way, at the right time – and the 50/50 Rule gives you a simple way to do exactly that in a surprising number of situations.

Simple enough to remember, easy enough to execute, and will serve your training and recovery for the long haul.

You have this. 💪

– Matt

PS Looking for practical, real advice without all the BS? That’s exactly what ours coaching program is built on. 🔥