40 reps each was difficult - the second round I had to stop and catch my breath before I got to 40 reps. 2nd round killed me, and I couldn’t do 3 rounds. 2 rounds left me in a gasping puddle on the floor - wasnt sure if I was going to vomit or not.
I failed to complete this session - I’m going to drop back to week one and keep building.
Felt good to get a hard session like that in though - haven’t had one like that in a long long time. I’m going to keep cycling these first 3 weeks over and over until I can complete each workout, then move on and tackle the 50 rep week.
I’ve also realized that 60 minutes on a stationary bike does not equal 60 minutes running - going to research some generally accepted conversions and plan to get more minutes on the bike each week.
nasty stomach bug - was weak and wobbly and dehydrated for a few days, then had to take an unexpected trip.
back at it
I’m abandoning the Tactical Barbell program and starting a Zwift cycling program. Did my FTP (functional threshold power) test yesterday which confirmed just how out of shape I am. Oh well - that’s where I start from.
four day “FTP Builder” program - I’ll continue stretching, moving, walking, lifting in between.
Fuckarounditis and lack of discipline got me. In the 20 weeks since my last post, I’ve completed:
25 rides (both trainer and outside) averaging 48 min per ride
plus 21 lifting workouts
roughly one ride and one weight session per week.
over the last 141 days, my fitbit has tracked 980,045 steps - average 6950 steps per day
Moving JUST enough to not feel like a complete slug, but not as much as I was telling myself I was. I’m also not managing my diet and have not lost the belly fat like I want to.
I need to improve my cardio capacity - let’s do that Tactical Barbel Base Building again and see if I can stick with it for the entire program.
Today: Tactical Barbell Base Building Week 1 Day 1 SE Cluster 3x20:
DB Floor Press 2x10lb
Lunges 2x10lb (10 per side)
DB Row 10lb (10 per side)
DB Push Press 2x10lb
DB Goblet Squats 20lb
Lying Leg Raises BW
rest 1 min between exercises, 2 min between sets
yesterday’s steps: 3643
this morning’s weight:190.2
Tactical Barbell Base Building Week 2 Day 3 E40 - 130 minutes, 30 miles, avg heart rate 134
Rode out to the bridge and back. Plan called for 40 minutes in zone 2. I spent 117 minutes in zone 3 instead. I need to slow it down and spend more time in zone 2.
notes for myself so I can find it again later:
169.5 Max heart rate based on Tanaka formula (men and women over age 40): 208 - (0.7 × age)
Zone 2 107 - 134
Zone 3 137-145
Thought I’d stop in and take a look. Don’t understand all the terminology and abbreviations, I very old school, but this jumped out at me from a few days ago, “Took a walk up the hill. 13 miles total, 2,939 ft elevation gain, 5 hours with 107 minutes between 125 - 1499.” Nice walk!
Thanks - it was a nice walk! Every year on my birthday I take a nature trail up a local ski mountain. Haven’t been able to do the hike the last 4 years due to my bum hips - brand new hips are wonderful!
Terminology is new to me too - I’m following the Tactical Barbell book, going through a Base Building phase to ramp up my endurance before getting back into lifting. Currently on week 3 of 6, then will start a 3 x week lifting phase.
