The "in the remaining time" format is a workout where you complete a fixed buy-in — a run, a number of double unders, a row — and then perform max reps of one final movement in whatever time is left, with only those last reps counting as your score. This is one of my favorite formats in the Dad Bod Destroyer Blueprint because it turns a single time cap into an endless source of new workouts. In this Physical Friday I walk through how the format works and give you simple and advanced examples you can run today.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
It is a format where you set a time cap, complete a fixed buy-in of work, then do as many reps as possible of a final movement in the time you have left. Only those last reps count as your score. For example, in ten minutes you run a mile and do 100 double unders, then do max squat cleans in the remaining time. If the buy-in takes eight minutes, you have two minutes of squat cleans, and that number is your score.
You score only the reps of the final movement completed after the buy-in. The run, row, or double unders that come first do not count toward the score — they just eat into your clock. If you finish the buy-in faster, you earn more time for the scoring movement, so efficiency on the front end directly rewards you on the back end. That built-in incentive is what makes this format push you.
One simple version: in ten minutes, run one mile, do 100 double unders, then max squat cleans in the time remaining. A more advanced version from a recent Masters online qualifier: every four minutes for sixteen minutes, row 500 meters, do 25 wall ball shots, then max squat snatches in the remaining time of each interval. You add up the snatch reps from all four intervals for your total score.
Because boredom kills progress, and this format gives you an almost infinite number of workouts from one structure. You change the buy-in, change the time cap, or change the scoring movement, and you have a brand new test. Consistency is king, and the easiest way to stay consistent is to stay interested. A format that never runs out of variations keeps you showing up.
Text the phrase “in the remaining time” to me at (305) 930-7346 and I will send you five of my favorite in the remaining time workouts for free. They range from simple single-movement finishers to the more complex interval versions, so you can pick whatever fits your space, your equipment, and the time you have that day.
I make Physical Friday for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen who want to stay strong and capable for life. I cover the why and the how in the player above, so press play and follow along.
The whole idea is simple. You build a workout with a buy-in followed by a scoring movement, and only the reps you get in the leftover time count. If you knock out the buy-in faster, you buy yourself more reps. That tension between front-end speed and back-end output is what makes the format honest. I break down exactly how I structure the buy-in versus the score in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Here is the easy version I use to teach the format. In ten minutes, run one mile, do 100 double unders, then do as many squat cleans as you can in the time remaining. Maybe the mile takes six minutes and the double unders take two, leaving two minutes of squat cleans. If you get eight, your score is eight. I talk through how to scale the loading and the buy-in in the episode, so press play in the player above.
I also pulled a tougher version straight from a recent Masters online qualifier. Every four minutes for sixteen minutes — four intervals — you row 500 meters, do 25 wall ball shots, then max squat snatches in the remaining time. You might score a nine, an eight, a five, and a ten for a total of 32. The interval format adds a recovery element that completely changes the strategy. I get into how to pace it in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Consistency is the only thing that loses a dad bod, and the enemy of consistency is boredom. The reason I love this format is that one structure spins off an infinite number of workouts. Swap the buy-in, swap the time cap, swap the finisher, and you have something new every single time. I explain how I keep my own training fresh with it in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Press play in the player above to get the full breakdown.
The in the remaining time format is proof that you do not need fancy programming to keep training interesting. One time cap, one buy-in, one scoring movement, and a little creativity gives you a workout you have never done before.
Take the format, plug in movements you have access to, and run it this week. Then text me for five of my favorites and keep the streak going. Press play in the player above.
Dad Bod Destroyer Blueprint · in the remaining time format · double unders · squat cleans · squat snatches · wall ball shots · rowing · Masters online qualifier · CrossFit
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
I am Tom Rowland — a Florida Keys fishing guide for more than 30 years, a competitive angler, a lifelong CrossFit athlete, and the host of the Tom Rowland Podcast. I started Physical Friday because staying strong, mobile, and durable is what lets all of us keep hunting, fishing, and chasing the outdoors for life. I train the same way I want you to: simple, consistent, repeatable.
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