Tom Rowland | Dad Bod Destroyer - In The Remaining Time | Ep. 813

Tom Rowland, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, professional fishing guide, CrossFit enthusiast, and fitness advocate based in the Florida Keys, breaks down the "in the remaining time" workout format -- a powerful tool for destroying dad bods and maintaining consistency without burning out. In this episode, Tom reveals why this format is one of his favorites for creating infinite workout variations, how a simple structure of buy-in movements followed by max-rep finishers can transform your training, and the exact scoring system that keeps you honest. He shares real examples from his own training and even from the recent Masters online qualifier that show how this format scales from simple ten-minute sessions to complex multi-interval challenges. If you've struggled to stay consistent with your workouts because of boredom, this approach might be exactly what you need.

Why Boredom Is the Real Enemy of Progress

Tom opens this episode with a declaration that cuts through all the fitness noise: "Consistency is king, and boredom kills progress." This is the fifth video in his series on workout formats, and Tom explains why having multiple formats in your arsenal is the secret weapon against the monotony that destroys even the best intentions. The "in the remaining time" format is particularly effective because it introduces an element of competition -- against yourself, against the clock, and against your previous scores. Tom walks through why this format keeps workouts fresh and exciting while maintaining the structure needed for real progress. The psychological hook of chasing a score while racing against time creates a unique training stimulus that traditional sets-and-reps programming simply can't match. Tom's full breakdown of why this format beats workout boredom starts at 0:00.

The Simple Structure That Creates Infinite Variations

Tom breaks down the elegant simplicity of this workout style: you perform a buy-in movement (or movements) followed by a max-rep finisher, and your score is only those final reps. He gives a concrete example: in ten minutes, run one mile, complete 100 double unders, then do as many squat cleans as possible in whatever time remains. If you finish the mile in six minutes and the double unders in two minutes, you have two minutes for squat cleans. Maybe you get eight reps -- that's your score. Tom emphasizes that the beauty is in the scalability and creativity. You can manipulate the time domain, change the buy-in movements, adjust the rep schemes, or modify the finisher exercise. This single format can generate hundreds of unique workouts, each with its own demands and challenges. Tom's walkthrough of the basic structure and scoring system starts at 0:18.

From Simple to Competition-Level: The Masters Qualifier Example

After demonstrating the simple version, Tom levels up with an example from the recent Masters online qualifier that shows how sophisticated this format can become. He describes a workout where every four minutes for sixteen minutes (creating four total intervals), you complete a 500-meter row, 25 wall ball shots, and then max reps of squat snatches in the remaining time. The complexity multiplies: you're managing pacing across multiple intervals, balancing effort on the buy-in movements to preserve energy for the scored movement, and tracking cumulative reps across all rounds. Tom explains how you might complete the row in two minutes, the wall balls in one minute, leaving one minute for squat snatches in each interval. Your score might be nine, eight, five, and ten reps across the four rounds for a total of 32 reps. This demonstrates how the format scales from beginner-friendly to competition-level without losing its fundamental structure. The Masters qualifier example and advanced applications start at 0:45.

The Creativity Challenge: Building Your Own Workouts

Tom issues a challenge that separates those who simply follow workout plans from those who truly understand training principles: "Be creative. Find a movement or reps of a movement that will take a certain amount of time, and then add just a little and complete as many rounds as possible." This isn't just about following templates -- it's about understanding energy systems, time domains, and movement patterns well enough to design your own effective workouts. Tom promises that if you text him at (305) 930-7346 with the phrase "in the remaining time," he'll send you five of his favorite workouts in this format for free. This text-to-get approach gives you a starting point while encouraging you to develop the creativity to build infinite variations on your own. The goal is self-sufficiency in programming, not dependency on pre-written workouts. Tom's creativity challenge and text offer comes at 1:18.

Final Thoughts from Tom

This is the fifth format in our series, and it's one I come back to again and again in my own training. The beauty of the "in the remaining time" structure is that it forces you to be strategic with your pacing while maintaining that competitive edge that keeps workouts exciting. You're not just mindlessly grinding through reps -- you're racing the clock and chasing a score.

I've seen too many people with great intentions fall off their fitness journey because they get bored doing the same workouts week after week. This format gives you the tools to create something new every single session while maintaining the structure that produces results. Whether you use the simple ten-minute version or scale up to something like that Masters qualifier workout, the principle remains the same: consistency is king.

Text me for those five free workouts, try the format yourself, and see how it changes your approach to training. The only way to lose a dad bod is through consistency, and formats like this keep you interested, excited, and progressing toward your goals. This one's worth implementing right away.