The Recomp Chronicles

Phase 1 Wrap-Up – Six Weeks of Showing Up

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mlfergus

in

Dogs are the best alarm clocks and the worst recovery tools. Most mornings, I’m up at 4 AM to hit the gym, but some nights I’m already awake because Ivy, my youngest, has decided to boop me square in the face at 2 AM like a drunk friend confessing their love. “Hey. Hey. Hey. Guess what?! I fuckin’ love you man.” Meanwhile, Bane, my older hound, itches from allergies, then needs to go outside. After all, he’s up, so why not? A full, uninterrupted night of sleep? Rare as Bigfoot flying a UFO.

But six weeks later, I’ve learned something: consistency doesn’t mean perfection. It means showing up even when the night before was chaos. It means stringing together enough good days that the bad ones don’t completely screw up your progress.

The verdict? Mission accomplished — in a George W. Bush sort of way.

The Numbers (July 19 → Aug 31)

  • Weight: 208.4 lb → 208.2 lb (flat, but the real story is in the details)
  • Body Fat % (tape): 28.6% → 27.3% (–1.3%)
  • Waist: 39.5 in → 38.6 in (–0.9 in)
  • Lean Mass: +2.5 lb
  • Fat Mass: –2.7 lb

Fitness Test Highlights:

  • Plank: 60s → 70s
  • Push-Ups: 15 → 20
  • Pull-Ups: 5 → 6
  • Dips: 8 → 9
  • Wall Sit: 45s → 60s

Not breaking records, but breaking my old limits — and that’s the whole point.

Wins

  • Consistency streak: I finally stacked six weeks of gym sessions, runs, mobility, and recovery. Not perfect attendance, but no disappearing acts either.
  • Logging became a habit: Every lift, every run, every measurement tracked. The data pile is now a foundation, not a chore.
  • Recovery tools came online: Steam room, EMS, massage gun — when used, they worked.
  • Walking became non-negotiable: Daily walks with Bane and Ivy. Some days that was the win, and it was enough.

Challenges

  • Calf sabotage: My left calf staged a revolt near the end of the phase, forcing me to swap runs for rehab walks. It was a reminder that durability comes before distance.
  • Sleep disruptions: Between dogs and on-call shifts, “uninterrupted sleep” was more of a fantasy. Some mornings the real victory was just getting out of bed.
  • Balancing lifting and running: Learning how much was enough without tipping into too much took trial, error, and a couple strained muscles.
  • Biggest Challenge = Me: Mentally, I’m still my own biggest roadblock. I can overthink, second-guess, or want to scrap it all when things don’t go perfectly. But this time, I didn’t.

Lessons Learned

The single biggest lesson from Phase 1: missing workouts doesn’t mean failure.

I missed Fridays. I missed Saturdays. Sometimes back-to-back weeks. In the past, that would’ve been the end. I would’ve scrapped the plan and “restarted later” (translation: months down the road when I looked in the mirror and wondered when I was due).

This time, I just kept showing up. Mondays were my reset button. Dog walks were my insurance policy. A bad day, a bad night of sleep, or a missed workout didn’t derail the whole thing — it was just like tripping on a raised bit of sidewalk. I stumbled, caught myself, and kept going.

I also learned that:

  • Recovery matters as much as training. Push through a strain and you lose weeks. Rest smart and you’re back in days.
  • Data = accountability. Logging everything, even the ugly sessions, kept me honest.
  • Consistency isn’t about streaks, it’s about persistence.

Recomp Week (Deload)

This week isn’t about progress, it’s about preservation. The plan:

  • Training: Light weights, mobility, calf rehab, walks, maybe some biking.
  • Nutrition: Simple, clean meals. More protein, less fluff. Sandwiches and salads are the name of the game.
  • Recovery: Steam room and sauna back in the mix, EMS/TENS daily for the calf, compression on rotation.

It’s not retreat — it’s reset.

Looking Ahead – Phase 2

Phase 2 officially starts Sept 7, with the half marathon training plan launching Sept 14. The goals:

  • Push gym weights upward with a fresh baseline.
  • Rebuild my running base without re-aggravating the calf.
  • Keep recovery non-negotiable.

The foundation is built. Now it’s time to layer strength and endurance onto it.

Closing

Phase 1 is done. I’m leaner, stronger, and still standing. Not because everything went perfectly — it didn’t — but because I kept showing up. Even when the calf blew up. Even when sleep didn’t happen. Even when Ivy booped me awake at 2 AM to remind me that she loved me.

The base is built. Recomp week is here. Next stop: Phase 2.

Still lifting. Still losing. Still showing up. Usually.

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