Summer '25: Week 03
Fitness Journal
[Go to my last workout this week.]
[Go to Week 04.]
Current Training Season (or “mesocycle” for the exercise-science geeks)
July 2025
I started a new training season this summer. The emphasis is running! I am preparing for an endeavor that requires running and plenty of capacity to endure. It’s a big commitment. More details on that later.
Things I’ve learned about myself through experience (and frustration) . . .
Muscle growth (hypertrophy) is not my gift. This is a tough one. There are whole thriving video channels online that go on and on about this. But I agree with Dr. Doug McGuff, that the reason why being muscular is so impressive, is because it’s rare.
But all is not lost! I do believe building strength–even significant amounts, tedious as it may be sometimes, is very doable. That leads to my next point . . .
I have other gifts, fortunately. This includes the ability to get stronger (I’ve done one-arm pushups and pistols repeatedly in the past), train with consistency, skill, and concentration, and to build endurance.
What I’m Working On Now
First, I have to prioritize endurance. I will be running. (No, High-Intensity Training (HIT) folks, weight training will not cut it for conditioning the heart and blood vessels). Running may provide wear-and-tear on my joints, but I will try to minimize this by running in grassy parks, as well doing hill sprints and intervals. Quite nicely, hill sprints are high effort and a great conditioning tool, but they’re not as hard on your joints IMHO as other modalities.
Second, I’ll lift. Given my limitations (and modest gifts), I will do compounds movements (multi-joint exercises) slowly, as usual, but never to failure. (I will save 1-2 reps in the bank each set). I will push isolation movements to failure–maybe half the time, at least, because I think these lend themselves well to that and my biology tolerates it.
As I get deeper into this training season, I will have to occasionally do some maximum sets on pushups, bodyweight squats, or other calisthenics, because that’s a specific element that I need to prepare for. Normally, I wouldn’t do that, but it’s something I need to be ready for.
Third, I will do some mobility drills and physical therapy for my lower back and knees. My this time, I’ve already got plenty of wear-and-tear on some of my joints. I will make the time, often 20 minutes after waking up, to mobilize and do different joint-health exercises. In this category I will include occasional weighted walking, bicycling, or any other physical activity that I fancy.
Fourth, it’ll be 4-5 days per week. If I want to rest Wednesday, I can. If I rather get some work in, then I’ll do that. But it’ll be at least four days per week, with about 75–90 minutes of running spread throughout those days and 1–3 days of resistance training.
That’s it, folks. I am not complicating things here. Runs will be about 25-30 minutes. If that’s not good enough, then I will run harder, or cover that ground with intervals and hill sprinting. I will build whatever strength that I can while I emphasize conditioning.
Daily Workouts
7/24/2025, Th
Routine:
Squats–10 minutes, multiple sets of 5, 45s-75s rests
Pushups–10 minutes, multiple sets of 5, 45s rests
Run–25 minutes, about 2.5 miles, hilly course, moderate pace
Walk–5-minute cooldown
McKenzie lower-back exercises
Notes:
I have been running. Yes, hitting the parks and the road! I am not what I used to be. It was a fool’s errand for me to abandon running for so long. At the least, I should have been doing HIIT with hill sprints. I’ll cut myself some slack, though–I was living in Florida for nearly a decade.. There weren’t any hills. Looking forward to tomorrow. It’ll be walking backwards uphill, hill intervals, and midsection–at least.
Last Workout
(Back to top of page).
7/25/2025, Fr
Best… workout… in… a… long… time….
Routine:
Backwards treadmill walking warmup (13% grade, 2 mph)--10min
Resistance training:
DB Tripod Row: 35#s/5, 5, 5 \
Pullups: 2, 2
DB Reverse Raises: 5#s/12
Treadmill intervals (10% grade, 30sec fast, catch breath 80%, repeat)--20min
Treadmill cooldown (13% grade, 2 mph, walk backwards, sideways, and forwards)--10min
Notes:
- It’s weight lifting–not weight throwing. I lift “defensively” now, for longevity, but also, because throwing the weights around does not allow the muscle to the work.
- Loving the incline backwards walking–feels great on the knees. That’s an important goal--get my knees as good as my lower back feels (95%).
- This was the best workout in a long time. It just felt great to run hard–sprint, push, and break a sweat. Is that the purpose? Heck no. I want to train as intelligently as possible, but I also love the work involved.
- Diet will be key, as well. My goal is to skim off about 5% of body fat (~10 pounds) and be athletic lean. That should put me around 9-10% body fat.
- Another point on diet... I am quite strict right now (like 95%). My goal is with a Paleo/Primal diet that I can clear up some lingering joint aches and pains (mild arthritis).
- Again, a great workout. I am in week 3 of this training season. I am looking forward to build on it and get better and better.
I don’t feel my age! I feel 25!