The Recomp Chronicles

Tag: workout

  • Phase 2, Week 1: Back at it!

    I’m a day late; I try to do these weekly recaps on Sunday, but I ended up working from 6-2, so my day got all kerfuffled. It was a great week though all in all.

    The week’s biggest win? Consistency. I actually got all my workouts in. For me, consistency has always been my biggest issue, and for once I didn’t fuck it up halfway through the week. Three gym sessions down, plus the walks and mobility — it feels good to say I showed up every day I said I would.

    Biggest frustrations? Two-fold:

    1. The park where I walk the dogs did their annual pesticide maintenance, so I decided to keep them away from the park. Bane would have been good, but Ivy loves to eat the grass. Each day I did my walk I checked, but even Saturday the signs were still up, but hopefully Tuesday morning they’ll be gone and we can get our walk on.
    2. The lower ab strain. The light bulb moment came when I was going over some notes, and realized that the lower ab strain kicked in a little after I started doing the GMB drills. A lot of them are very core centric, so I pulled back after Monday and swapped in other mobility work. The soreness dropped off almost immediately. Sometimes progress isn’t about adding — it’s about knowing what to remove. I’ll give it a couple of weeks, then start adding things back in.

    On the upside, weight was down a couple of pounds, and my waist and body fat continue to go down.

    Week 2’s focus: Start the running plan. My calves have been solid through the walking volume the last couple of weeks, and I’m ready to lace up and reintroduce running without pulling myself back into strain city. That’s the test for this week: keep the momentum, keep the joints happy, and get the dogs back out and walking again.

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

  • Day Zero: Fat(ish), Flat-Footed, and Fired Up

    Welcome to The Recomp Chronicles.

    This blog marks the official start of a long-overdue transformation. I’m a 49-year-old desk jockey who’s been skinny, strong, soft, and sore—but never truly fit. That’s about to change.

    This isn’t a guru blog. I’m not here to sell you on magic routines or “one weird trick” that’ll melt your gut in 10 days. I’m doing this the slow, hard, honest way: lifting, running, recovering, and trying not to burn out—or disappear again—when life gets messy.

    🔎 The Baseline: Fitness Test Week

    Here’s where I’m starting as of June 2, 2025:

    📊 Stats:

    • Weight: 204.6 lbs
    • Body Fat: 27.08%
    • Neck: 14.08 in
    • Waist: 38.34 in
    • Goal: 175 lbs, 14–15% body fat, 32” waist

    🧠 Mobility & Posture

    • ❌ Can’t touch toes
    • ❌ Can’t do a wall slide without major hip arch

    🧱 Core & Control

    • Plank: 60s (mild psoas pain early)
    • Step-downs: 20 reps each leg (solid control)

    🦵 Lower Body

    • Wall Sit: 45s (shoes slipping)
    • Bodyweight Squats (1 min): 29 reps (full depth)

    💪 Upper Body

    • Dead Hang: 45s (grip holding, elbows sore)
    • Pull-Ups: 5 strict, no assist
    • Push-Ups: 15 (elbow pain)
    • Dips: 8 (no pain)

    🏃 Cardio

    • 1-Mile Run: 10:34
    • Avg HR: 149 BPM
    • Notes: Psoas pain early, faded after a few blocks

    🎒 What’s Next?

    I’ll be heading to Michigan for a couple of weeks, so the full training program won’t launch until mid-July. But I’m not vanishing. I’ll be walking, hitting mobility, and doing what I can not to come back packing a bunch of vacation fluff.

    Until then, I’ll be using this space to post updates, log some workouts, maybe upload a couple of fitness trackers or mobility sheets, and start getting Lean Leroy—the stick-figure version of my alter ego—warmed up.

    Whether you’re just here to lurk or laugh at my attempts, welcome. This blog is for guys like me: mid-life, tired of the yo-yo, and ready to finish what we’ve started a dozen times before.

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