Daily accountability and check in

mkksemail

Snow clearing me too, walkin!
Trixster ... 💪
mikey ... deepseek? Man I love your posts, always learn something! *off to google*


Edit - googled! Ahhh, like ChatGPT. Fascinating. If it's too personal, pls disregard, but I'm curious what kind of insight it gave you, mikey?

trixsterjl31

303.4. Continues waiting to see 299.8

walkintofit

scale moved! .2 so its a win! keep tracking and keep on moving the caboose!

mkksemail

That was a nice *whoosh!* down, Trix! walkin, whooohooooo for scale movement! BTW, where do you live, if you don't mind me asking. We also got 3" of snow Sunday night . I cleared snow for 3h 24m . Ended up with over 24k steps yesterday! AND a good sleep too (before midnight, no less! quite a feat for me, screwed up circadian rhythm from 5 yrs of shift work, which ended 3+ yrs ago, but still affects me 0 I feel for you, working nights, Trix!).

I finished my first Conqueror Virtual Challenge yesterday 💪. Actually, the day before, but I got the notification yesterday (didn't see until today, tho ).

trixsterjl31

303.4. Same as yesterday. I'll take it. Eventually i'll sleep 8 to 10 hours instead of 4 to 6 and it will drop.

mikeyrowlands

I'll post it here, it was just my routine, I tapped it in to see how good it would be, I'm not sure I'll follow the advice but the detail was amazing, I don't really use AI much but I'm thinking of doing more of it, its inevitable.



This is what I tapped into the app


This was my workout yesterday

I started with 20 mins of exercise bike cardio.

I then did:

5 sets of bench press
8 Reps at 70 kilo
12 Reps at 60 kilo
9 Reps at 60 kilo
8 Reps at 60 kilo
8 Reps at 60 kilo

3 Reps of Dumbbell bench press
12 Reps at 35 kilo
10 Reps at 35 kilo
7 Reps at 35 kilo

4 Reps of incline bench press

12 Reps at 25 kilo
12 Reps at 30 kilo
12 Reps at 35 kilo
10 Reps at 35 kilo

3 sets of deadlifts
10 Reps of 40 kilo
10 Reps of 40 kilo
10 Reps of 40 kilo

Once done, I spent 20 mins in the sauna and steam room and then had an avocado and poached egg salad and cappuccino. I also had a protein drink with water.

What help or advice can you give me to make this workout more effective?


Response


Your workout routine is already quite comprehensive, but there are a few adjustments and tips you can consider to make it more effective and balanced. Here's some advice:

---

### 1. **Progressive Overload**
- **Bench Press**: You’re doing a good mix of reps and weights, but consider gradually increasing the weight or reps over time to ensure progressive overload (e.g., aim for 70 kg for more sets or increase to 75 kg for fewer reps).
- **Deadlifts**: 40 kg seems light for deadlifts unless you're focusing on form or endurance. Consider increasing the weight gradually while maintaining proper form.

---

### 2. **Exercise Variety**
- **Incorporate Compound Movements**: Add exercises like squats, pull-ups, or rows to target more muscle groups and improve overall strength.
- **Balance Push and Pull**: Your workout is push-heavy (bench press, incline press). Add pull exercises (e.g., rows, lat pulldowns) to balance your routine and avoid muscle imbalances.

---

### 3. **Rep and Set Structure**
- **Dumbbell Bench Press**: Your reps and sets are inconsistent (e.g., 12, 10, 7 reps). Aim for consistent reps (e.g., 3 sets of 10-12 reps) to build endurance or 4-6 reps for strength.
- **Incline Bench Press**: Add more sets or increase weight to challenge yourself further.

---

### 4. **Rest and Recovery**
- **Rest Between Sets**: Ensure you’re resting 60-90 seconds for hypertrophy (muscle growth) or 2-3 minutes for strength training.
- **Sauna and Steam Room**: Great for recovery, but don’t overdo it. Limit sauna sessions to 15-20 minutes to avoid dehydration.

---

### 5. **Nutrition**
- **Post-Workout Meal**: Your avocado and egg salad is a good choice, but consider adding a carb source (e.g., sweet potato, quinoa) to replenish glycogen stores.
- **Protein Timing**: Ensure you’re consuming enough protein throughout the day (1.6-2.2 g/kg of body weight) to support muscle repair and growth.

---

### 6. **Cardio**
- **Exercise Bike**: 20 minutes is a good warm-up, but consider varying your cardio (e.g., HIIT, rowing, or running) to improve cardiovascular fitness and burn more calories.

---

### 7. **Track Progress**
- Keep a workout log to track weights, reps, and sets. This will help you monitor progress and adjust your routine accordingly.

---

### Sample Adjusted Workout Plan:
- **Warm-Up**: 10 mins cardio (bike, rowing, or jogging) + dynamic stretches.
- **Bench Press**: 5 sets (increase weight progressively).
- **Dumbbell Bench Press**: 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
- **Incline Bench Press**: 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
- **Deadlifts**: 4 sets of 6-8 reps (increase weight).
- **Pull-Ups or Rows**: 3 sets of 8-12 reps.
- **Cool-Down**: Stretching or light cardio.
- **Post-Workout**: Balanced meal with protein, carbs, and healthy fats.

---

By incorporating these changes, you can make your workout more effective, balanced, and aligned with your fitness goals. Let me know if you'd like more specific advice!

mikeyrowlands

Separately, I didn't do the gym yesterday, I've slept well and eaten well but was nackered so I skipped and had an extra rest day.

Had a really interesting chat with a local brain charity about neurodivergent coaching, its a possible opportunity and actually aligns with my experience, they are retained coaches with minimum hours confirmed, so I could do something else for myself.

Maybe this is the one that rings my bell.

This Morning on a podcast. Not sure how true it is, but love it.

When the word 'priority' was added to the language, it was a singular word with no plural. There were no 'priorities', only 'priority'.

mikeyrowlands

“The word priority came into the English language in the 1400s. It was singular. It meant the very first or prior thing. It stayed singular for the next five hundred years. Only in the 1900s did we pluralize the term and start talking about priorities. Illogically, we reasoned that by changing the word we could bend reality.”

~ Greg McKeown Essentialism

walkintofit

I would rather have 1 priority not several. i know I am doing several: exercise 4xwk, logging food everyday, getting outside everyday for at least 10minutes. journaling, (trying it )

mkksemail

That is super interesting, mikey. Especially the part about balancing push/pull muscles. I had a session with the personal trainer at Planet Fitness (free, included with membership, cool, right?). He mentioned the push pull balance when he was showing me the weights machines, too. I'd never considered that before.

Then again, I'd never done weights before, so there is that. heh

walkin', I'm trying journaling too. Just began this month. I also have a bunch of oars in the water; I bought an undated journal for each, to keep track. And joined some Conqueror Virtual Challenges, with each Challenge tracking a different focus. Because you're right, how can everything be equally a priority, and how can a brain keep track of all of the goals and focuses?

Super interesting that the word wasn't pluralized until the 1900s. I wonder if that was a gift of the auto age? 🤔

mikeyrowlands

Agree, should be only 1 priority. So much stuff happening to grab your attention in this modern age.

I love the exercise and walking consistency walkintofit, well done. How are you finding the journaling? I'm always intrigued as there are so many approaches.

Well done on the virtual challenge mkksemail. How is Harry Potter going?

Inspiring me to keep my momentum going, its been a tough draining week this week and it's easy to revert.

walkintofit

ok, not really a fan of journaling, it stems from when a kid I had a diary, my brother broke the lock on it and was reading it and said he will tell mom. who needs that kind of negativity and stress.
day 1: breathe.. breathe in hold it, let it out to the count of 4. use as needed to de stress
not sure if I am going to write everyday but still a work in progress.
No binging on my days off. glad there was no binge worthy food in the house cause I tried to reach for the chips and the bag had just crumbs in it.. so its a win for the 2 days off.

mkksemail

Hogwarts is a blast, mikey. They have a 'race' event scheduled for this weekend. It's like a relay sort of thing. There's a team of 20+ people, and a list of (guessing, b/c the list isn't out until Fri am Eastern) ~100 'tasks' to do, some exercise, some foods, some creative, etc, and you 'race' against the other teams, to complete the list in order. One person works on a task, then 'tags out' by posting they completed it, and another person jumps in, to start on the next task. Great fun.

Good work, both of you, pushing through when you didn't want to.

trixsterjl31

302.4: Guessing the next major milestone 299.8 is withing a week. 2 at the most. Then it will be getting to where the end of the day weight is below 300. Then 286 for 100 Lbs lost. At that point my wife wants me to stop. I'm thinking 260. We'll see.

walkintofit

trixsterjl31, go where u feel good, ask the questions are u able to do what u want? and congrats on meeting a new major milestone!

alvarotaipe12

Hey guys! I lost my 30 some streak on the app I've got into a new job that is far from my house, so I'm doing some activities around the area and then leave around 9-10pm. When you guys have a long day and get home you eat something or go straight to bed? I'm eating something light (could be lighter ) and watch TV o relax someway.

mkksemail

Sleep is one of my major challenges. I can almost never go straight to bed, no matter how tired I am. That said, I also can't get to sleep soon after eating. So, I try to finish up eating about 4 hrs before I'd *like* to go to sleep, no matter what kind of day I have.

I don't always succeed ;-). But I try .

trixsterjl31

mkksemail wrote: »

Sleep is one of my major challenges. I can almost never go straight to bed, no matter how tired I am. That said, I also can't get to sleep soon after eating. So, I try to finish up eating about 4 hrs before I'd *like* to go to sleep, no matter what kind of day I have.

I don't always succeed ;-). But I try .

I too struggle with sleep. For me I think it is the massive amount of caffein I take in throughout the day. I dont take any in the last 5 or 6 hours but I think that it still carries over. There are some foods that are better if you are gonna eat late:

Foods rich in tryptophan:
Milk, Yogurt, Cheese, Eggs, Turkey, and Seeds (e.g., pumpkin, sunflower).

Foods rich in magnesium:
Bananas, Almonds, Avocados, Spinach, and Dark chocolate.

Foods with melatonin:
cherries and walnuts.

Other healthy options:
kiwi, oatmeal, hummus, rice, and apple slices with peanut butter.

That late meal is often also the bane of weight loss. A 4th meal is why a lot of night shifters gain weight.

trixsterjl31

304.(something). Slight setback I went up 2 Lbs from yesterday. I'll kind of take it because my end of day weight yesterday was like 310. I know it is retention of waste and will fall off eventually.
@walkintofit Ya. I'm thinking 260 because I know I was about that the only other time during my current carreer that I lost below 300. I started with a goal of 239. The weight I had to be in the Navy to be within regs. We'll see.