If I Haven't Started To Work Out Is It Too Early To Start A Taper? Chest Day and Maybe A Swim Day?

I thought I was doing everything right last night before bed but it took me a bit to fall asleep and I must of had a wild night.  This morning my sheets including my fitted sheet and my pillow top was pulled off the bed to one side.   I must have been thrashing again.  Ugh.  Once up I felt a bit groggier then normal.  But I got my act together and headed to gym.

Chest Day and a bit of a 10 minute Low Impact Ride. pic.twitter.com/E4q9C4izlT

— Joel McKenna (@the17thman) March 28, 2023

Today was Chest, Shoulders and Triceps.  

TUESDAY
5 min walking
BB Flat Bench
10x EB
8x at 82.14% of 1RM
7x at 82.14% of 1RM
7x at 82.14% of 1RM
7x at 82.14% of 1RM
5x at 82.14% of 1RM
Flat Bench DB Fly 1 2 3
Seated DB OH Press 1 2 3
Flat Bench DB Skullcrusher 1 2 3
Flat Bench DB Close Grip Press 1 2 3
SS - Rope Tricep Pulldown / Facepulls 1 2 3

Once I go to the BB Chest Press my body woke up.  Today was all about just getting as much movements done in about an hour.  Don't need to kill myself just another progressive overload workout.  I picked DB Press vs BB Press as I plan on swimming after work tonight and don't need to kill my shoulders.  While doing the bench work I did really feel my abs aching from Saturday, still.  I had a hard time just laying back down.  I know I need to work on core but jeez.  

After the gym it was a foggy drive home to do a 10 minute Low Impact Ride.  I have a 30 minute sprint fly focused swim planned for tonight so cardio on the bike isn't so important right now.  It's just more movement.  As for the swim hopefully I wont work late tonight.  I'm aiming to leave a 5pm and get in the pool by 5:30pm.

Three Weeks to Senior Games!  Today is the last day for entering so I should have the final roster to build the Psych Sheets in the next few days.  My goal in the next two weeks is three swim workouts a week.  The weekend before I'll be at Disney for the Run Disney Springtime Surprise Pixar Monsteer's 10K.  I'm driving down Friday, running on Saturday and returning Sunday afternoon.  Some would call that a taper but since I'm not really in shape it's not a taper.  

Monday is Slay Day for Leg Day and 478 Random Acts of Fitness

Sleep last night wasn't great and it wasn't horrible.  Sunday nights are always tough.

MONDAY

Monday Slay The Day! Leg Day at gym and a 15 low impact ride. pic.twitter.com/FiJo2IGoxN

— Joel McKenna (@the17thman) March 27, 2023

This was the warm up, getting those legs ready for the lifting...

10 min Incline Walking
Leg Curl - Hamstring 1 2 3 4 5

Now here comes the workout...
Hack Squats
10x 83.33% of 1RM
8x at 83.33% of 1RM
8x at 83.33% of 1RM
8x at 88.88% of 1RM
8x at 88.88% of 1RM
8x at 88.88% of 1RM
6x at 94.44% of 1RM
8x at 100% of 1RM
8x at 100% of 1RM
7x at 100% of 1RM

Wowser!  The good thing about Hack Squats is that I can lift more.  So really using my 1RM BB Back Squat as a base for the movement.  Also if I'm a bit tired I don't have to worry about a barbell on my back.  

Leg Extension 1 2 3

That finished up a 60 minute gym visit.  It's past 5am and the Instagirls are now taking over the gym.  So time to head home and get on the bike.  Did a 15 min Low Impact the same one I did last Thursday.  I didn't realize it to the second song.  Doh!  It was Low Impact so no biggie.

Tomorrow should be Chest Day in the AM and a quick swim after work.  Yup another swim workout.  I gotta force myself to leave on time.  Otherwise I'll be swimming to past 6pm and bed by 7:30pm.  Ugh

As for Random Acts of Fitness both of my centers have a few exercise classes also at work we offer 112 recreation facilities, 110 pools, 241 pickleball courts and 15 softball complexes.  So although I'm not over all that I'm just a small cog in the system but it's all the small things that add up.

Youngblood Is That Like Tigerblood Or Like A Shark Seeing My Blood In The Water Swim Workout?

I skipped the Peloton for a Swim!  Yup Back In The Pool!  

Oh My Gawd!  Day One Of Swimming Sucked!  But I got to add a new Category to my Blog Posts!  Introducing Swim Training 2023.  I did try a few times to swim again like back in 2021.  But I really haven't been swimming since 2012-2023 and even then that wasn't much.  But I'm back for at least the next four weeks.  

At first I could feel how stiff my body was and my lack of technique was killing me.  It actually got easier as I got going but my flexibility is just not the same.  I so noticed in butterfly as I couldn't sweep my arms like I use to for entry into the water.  I'm so wide with my hand entry.  But maybe a few swims will change that.

Warm Up

300 Free

6x 50's Kick on 2:20 (they must have known I hate kicking)

4x 25's Drill on 45

Pre-Set

4x 50's Stroke on 1:35 I did mixers Fly/Back, Back, Fly/Back and Fly/Back

4x 50's Fly on 2:00 OUCH!  I did them all on about 37 secs

Main Set:

4x 100's on 2:10 1:34, 1:33, 1:28 and 1:25

6 x50's on 1:30 Descend.  My times 40, 39, 36, 25, 37 and 38

4x 50's Cool Down on 1:10

Dead Set:

Oh don't mine me and my body.

Spotify knows me so well that it added Hillary Duff's song for the movie Jem and the Holograms with Youngblood:

Who's got the eye of the tiger?
If you a fighter
If you got soul
Who wants to walk on the wire?
Dance in the fire
Never get old

So cheesy. But Never Get Old.  53 and starting to get in shape for the Senior Games which are just 4 weeks away.  I used the MySwimPro app and will use it to track the workouts.  At least for now.  

Skipping The Peloton With A Good Reason Plus Another Good Old Back and Bicep Workout

Sunday Funday.  Well yesterday was the funday with a quick trip to Animal Kingdom.  I sometimes forget how nice it is just to walk around the park and see the animals and the plants.  I could walk around certain parts of that park and never go on a single ride and it would still be a blast.  It was just for the afternoon so I was able to get to bed somewhat early.

After my morning workout had a nice Animal Kingdom afternoon. Tried to keep to my normal sleep schedule. Almost 8 hours! pic.twitter.com/9gdWP8yoR7

— Joel McKenna (@the17thman) March 26, 2023

Almost getting 8 hours sleep is a good thing.  I woke up had 1 protein fluffy Kodiak waffle and one Publix Chocolate Chip muffin with my coffee.   Then on to the gym for Back and Bicep Day

Back and Biceps at the gym. Some recovery and refueling for now. pic.twitter.com/kgxx1hwwyY

— Joel McKenna (@the17thman) March 26, 2023

SUNDAY
10 min cardio walking incline
Asst Widegrip Pull Up 1 2 3 4
Seated Curlbar Preacher Curl 1 2 3 4
Seated Lat Pulldown 1 2 3 4 5
Standing Cable Hammer Curl 1 2 3 4
Seated Cable Row 1 2 3 4 5
Curlbar Drag Curl 1 2 3 4 5
Seated Machine Lateral Raise 1 2 3 4

Just the standard workout.  I did go heavier in the Cable Hammer Curl and Cable Row.  Yeah!  I had planned on doing a 20 minute Peloton Tread Run but then had a better idea.  Go home, eat, drink a protein shake, rest a bit and then go swimming.  So swimming may throw a monkey wrench into my workout schedule.  I got to squeeze in some swims between now and the middle of April.  

Defeating Chernabog & Other Demons At The Gym Via Chest Day Workout & Other Random Acts of Fitness Musings

As always not much thought goes into my posts.  It's just my musing ranting thoughts as I'm typing away.  Don't read too much into these musings.

Wake Up Wake Up!  I had planned on going to bed early and getting a great night sleep.  But...I just couldn't fall asleep.  My mind would not shut off.  Finally I did fall asleep after some tossing and turning.  Then before my alarm could go off this morning I was up.  Played around on my phone and finally got up and got ready for the gym.

I tried to go to bed early but couldn’t fall asleep. Also up before my alarm. At gym, new tires appt at 8:30 and then a Disney afternoon! pic.twitter.com/ALmf011yYo

— Joel McKenna (@the17thman) March 25, 2023

The Gym...CHEST DAY!  With Shoulder and Triceps!

SATURDAY

10 min cardio walking warm up

BB Flat Bench Press

10x EB

10x at 67.85% of 1RM

6x at 85.71% of 1RM

6x at 85.71% of 1RM

6x at 85.71% of 1RM

6x at 85.71% of 1RM

BB Incline Chest Press

8x at 67.85% of 1RM

7x at 67.85% of 1RM

7x at 67.85% of 1RM

6x at 67.85% of 1RM

Standing BB OH Press 1 2 3 4

Flat Bench DB Fly 1 2 3 4

Flat Bench DB Skullcrusher 1 2 3 4

Flat Bench DB Close Grip Press 1 2 3 4

Standing Tip Of The DB Lateral Raise 1 2 3

Seated DB Front Raise 1 2 3

SA - Rope Tricep Pulldown/ Facepulls 1 2 3

Decline Bench Sit-up 1 2 3

 

Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. Now breakfast. Skipping Cardio as it’s a Disney Day! pic.twitter.com/FEou8bl6Lc

— Joel McKenna (@the17thman) March 25, 2023

I finished with Core Work.  What?  I never do that!  I need to add ab work into my workouts.  As for the workout it was good.  I had the whole gym alone for the entire time!  Guess getting to the gym at 4am on a Saturday is a good thing.  

 

I am skipping cardio as it is a Disney Day.  I didn't do Biceps to get a Disney Pump going as I wanted to do Chest today.  I know on Sunday there are three guys who are at the gym doing chest when I'm there.  Not that I avoid people but I do avoid people at the gym.  Workout by workout I am getting stronger as my body dysmorphia gets stronger.  

 

He said, "Son, when you grow up
Would you be the savior of the broken
The beaten and the damned?"
He said, "Will you defeat them?
Your demons, and all the non-believers

 

Demons.  Gotta beat them.  My current Fitradio playlist has Chemical Romance's Welcome To The Black Parade so it's been in my head a few times this week.  Now I'm no savior but I am beating my demons.  We all have them.  As I get older and older, 53 is old, I'm becoming a better person.  I consider the person I am at 53 should have been the person I was at 23.  But it's all good.  Tomorrow is Back and Biceps!

 

As today is a Disney Day I don't know how much sleep I'll be getting but I'll be back at the gym tomorrow. Random Acts of Fitness for today includes one of my centers hosting the cycling club and another Walk Away the Pounds.  

Sleep + Recovery = Weekend Warrior

It's Friday!  TGI Recovery Day!  I still treated last night as if I was waking up early for the gym.  In fact I went to bed without adjusting my alarm so it did go off at 3:30am.  Ugh!  I did get some nap time after that.

Good sleep night. No gym today. Just work for a Recovery Day. pic.twitter.com/86moR07QZi

— Joel McKenna (@the17thman) March 24, 2023

Today will be a relatively easy day at work compared with yesterday.  I was debating on going in to work early as it seems I'm always running from a Tsunami of paper work.  Mostly Activity Counts database entry.  

Tonight I'll try to get to bed early-ish.  At least by 8pm.  Tomorrow I'd like to get to the gym by 6am.  I do have a Disney Animal Kingdom day planned tomorrow but that could change.  For workouts today is sort of the big reset.  In that Friday's will be my recovery day and Sat/Sun the hard workout days.  The big debate is will Monday be a Recovery Day or Leg Day.  Sunday nights are usually the worst night for sleeping at least for me.  

In between all my gym visits I do need to get in a swimming pool.  Yesterday and today I'm working on the Senior Games entries and woah I did see my name for the 100 fly.  It wasn't a shock since I entered but we had a few more entries in the even then I expected.  Now I got to at least perform well.  I did sneak a peak of the other competitors and looked up their past swims to get an idea of how hard I need to train.  So I gotta get to a pool at some point in the next five weeks.

Oy!

Random Acts of Fitness: Today at work one of my centers host a cycling group so around 90+ cyclist start and finish at the center using restrooms and getting water.  Both centers host a bunch of Resident Volunteer Groups of exercise such as Walk Away The Pound, Bone Builders and more.  

Some up and coming Random Acts of Fitness:  On Wednesday, April 5th I'm leading a 2 mile walk for National Walking Day.  After that on the same day a Table Tennis Event.  We got the 5k in April which I usually MC and rock that mic.  And Sr Games Swimming.  Lot's of putting movement forward in April.

It Isn't How Much I Lift or How Fast I Run Just As Long As I Keep Moving Forward And Other Tales of Random Act of Fitness Leg Day Workout

Last night by the time I got home it was almost time for bed.  Ugh!  I worked later but also I stopped to visit a former Co-Worker who was in the hospital.  Since they don't have any family in the state I know I needed to stop and say Hi.  I didn't know if they'd remember me but they did and what I smile they had when I walked in.  Felt so good.  I grabbed a turkey sandwich for dinner, ate and went to bed.  Knowing it was a Leg Day today I made myself go to bed.

Leg Day!  I'm barely recovered from Sunday's Leg Day but yet here I am again.  Hack Squats and Bulgarian Split Squats.  Lets Fry These Legs!

THURSDAY
10 mins incline walking
Hack Squats
10x 90
10x 90
10x at 77.77% of my 1RM BB Back Squat
10x at 83.33% of 1RM
9x at 83.33% of 1RM
8x at 83.33% of 1RM
8x at 83.33% of 1RM
7x at 83.33% of 1RM
7x at 83.33% of 1RM
6x at 83.33% of 1RM
Bulgarian Split Squat 1 2 3 4 5

I went for the Hack Squat since I know I could get to 80% of my 1RM and do many sets.  My heartrate spiked during all of these sets.  Phew!  Glad I'm done.

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

Once home it was a 15 minute Low Impact Ride.  I felt the leg day workout while riding.  Glad I did a Low Impact.  One of the songs in the Low Impact Ride was Miley Cryus' The Climb.  It's cheesy but great at least the lyrics are.  

My Random Acts of Fitness so far this week are all the High-5's I gave in the Peloton Classes.  One of my new centers will have a new weekly Yoga Classes and yesterday I spoke to the Instructor.  Of course the cycling club meets at one of my centers three times a week to start and finish their ride.  And this morning I got Small Group Lessons with 64 signed up for Bocce, Shufflebord, Corn Toss and Masters Tennis.  Hey it's movement.  It's about helping others move through sport and life no matter how slow, no matter how little the effort we are still moving forward together.