Last night I went to bed 7:10pm and was asleep about 8:44pm. I’m getting above 6 hours which I think is good for a work night. I get home between 5:30pm and 6pm so it’s pretty much eat and get ready for bed. That and lay out my gym clothes for the morning.
This AM woke before my alarm but just stayed in bed to it went off. Which was less than 5 minutes so no big deal. On the scanle I’ve gained a few pounds but I’m chalking that up to being on creatine again and being bloated with water. Then I Grabbed my stuff and it was off to the gym.
OURA SLEEP SCORE– 69
6 hours and 46 minutes
GARMIN SLEEP SCORE – 71
6 hours and 32 minutes
OURA AI ADVISOR:
Given your consistent movement and optimal Activity Scores, you're supporting circulation and sustained energy, which aligns with your goal of staying productive and energetic. High activity can feel demanding if life is hectic, but even short walks or light movement during busy moments can help maintain your energy and focus. If today feels overwhelming, small, gentle movements still make a difference. If you need more support, you can always check in again.
AUGUST 12 – TUESDAY
Happy #chestdaybestday Tuesday. Hit the gym before I taught 30 min cycle class which is all before work. #gymtok #groupxinstructor #CapCut pic.twitter.com/6rQehjTTRy
— Joel McKenna (@the17thman) August 12, 2025
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CHESTIE
1 hour and 4 minutes
STRENGTH - July 12th – August 23rd
ENDURANCE -August 26th – August 30th
TAPER - September 2nd – September 20th
5 mins Easy Indoor Cycling
GEMINI AI Suggested Chest – Aim for 3-4 sets of 1-3 reps with weights above 90% of your current PR (160-170 lbs).
* Rest 3-5 minutes between these heavy sets
BB Flat Bench Press (175 lbs 1RM / PR)
8 x EB
2 x 170 lbs at 97.14% of 1RM / PR
2 x 170 lbs at 97.14% of 1RM / PR
2 x 170 lbs at 97.14% of 1RM / PR
2 x 170 lbs at 97.14% of 1RM / PR
1 x 170 lbs at 97.14% of 1RM / PR
3 min Rest in between sets
(Last Time 165 x 3 / 3 / 3 / 3 / 2)
(Prior Time 135 x 7 / 165 x 4 / 2 / 2 / 2)
(Prior Time 135 x 6 / 165 x 3 / 2 / 2 / 2)
(Prior Time 170 x 2 / 2 165 x 2 160 x 1 /1)
Flat Bench DB Close Grip Press at 55 lbs Each Side x Reps 5 / 6 / 5 / 5
(Last Time 50 x 8 / 8 / 8 / 8)
(Prior Time 50 x 8 / 5 / 8 / 6)
(Prior Time 50 x 5 / 6 / 6 / 5)
(Prior Time 45 x 9 / 8 / 8 / 8)
2 min Rest
Tricep Rope Pushdown at 122.5 lbs at 81.67% of 1RM / PR x Reps 6 / 6 / 4 / 5
1 min rest between sets
(150 1RM /PR)
(Last Time 120 x 6 / 6 / 5 / 5)
(Prior Time 115 x 5 / 5 / 5 / 4)
(Prior Time 110 x 8 / 8 / 8 / 8)
Face Pulls at 50 lbs x Reps 8 / 8 / 8 / 8
1 min rest between sets
Shower, change, drive and eat banana…
6:15am – 6:45am
TEACH 30 min Indoor Cycle
THE LIFT AHEAD:
WED - SWIM w/ Team
THU– Back + TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE
FRI - SWIM w/ Team (Masters)
SAT - CHESTIE + PELOTON WALK+RUN
SUN- COMBO + TEACH BODYPUMP
MON - SWIM w/ Team (Masters)
TUE - CHEST + TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE
2025 SWIM DISTANCE TOTALS:
SCY- 35,950
SCM – 95,650
LCM – 51,100
- 24th Annual Gainesville Senior Games
Sept 14th
500 Free
100 Back
100 Fly
50 Fly
100 IM
- 2025 ROB CURRY PANCAKE PENTATHLON
Sept 21st
100 Fly
100 Back
100 Breast
100 Free
200 IM
–3rd Annual SWAGtoberfest Meet October 12th
- Florida Senior Games - TBD
– Rowdy Gaines Masters Classic 17 January 30, 2026-February 1, 2026.
TBD
- T.V. Senior Games April 18 & 19, 2026
TBD
runDISNEY:
Wine & Dine 10K – OCT 25th
12K’s of Christmas Virtual – TBD (Registration 8/19)
WDW 5K – JAN 8th
PRINCESS HALF – MARCH 1st
Springtime Surprise – APRIL 17-19th (Not Running)
GEMINI AI RATE MY WORKOUT:
Of course. Here is an AI-powered analysis and rating of your workout and training log.
Gemini AI Workout Rating
Overall Score: 9.5/10
This is an excellent training session that perfectly embodies the principles of a structured strength phase. Your execution, tracking, and adherence to progressive overload are top-notch. The small deduction is only for external factors (sleep) that can impact long-term recovery and performance.
Detailed Analysis
What I Like:
* Perfect Execution of Strength Phase Principles: Your main lift, the Barbell Flat Bench Press, is a textbook example of how to train for pure strength. You worked with a very high intensity (170 \text{ lbs} is ~97% of your 175 \text{ lbs} 1RM) for low repetitions (1-2 reps). This is precisely what's needed to adapt your central nervous system and muscle fibers to handle heavier loads. Moving up from last session's 165 \text{ lbs} is a fantastic progression.
* Clear Progressive Overload on Accessories: You demonstrated clear and intelligent progressive overload on every single accessory lift.
* DB Close Grip Press: Moving from 50 \times 8 to 55 \times 5-6 is a significant and smart jump. You correctly increased the weight and accepted the natural drop in repetitions. This is how you build strength.
* Tricep Pushdowns: The small, incremental increase from 120 \text{ lbs} to 122.5 \text{ lbs} while maintaining similar rep volume is a sustainable way to keep pushing forward without sacrificing form.
* Excellent Logging: Your detailed notes on past performances for each exercise are invaluable. This allows you to compete with your past self and ensure you are consistently making progress. This is a habit that separates good lifters from great ones.
* Workout Structure: You correctly prioritized the most demanding compound movement (BB Bench) first, when you were fresh. You followed it with well-chosen accessory movements to target the chest and triceps from different angles, and finished with Face Pulls, which are crucial for shoulder health and balancing out all the pressing movements.
Areas for Consideration:
* Sleep Quality & Latency: Your sleep scores from both Oura (69) and Garmin (71) are fair, but they indicate room for improvement in recovery. More notably, you went to bed at 7:10 PM but didn't fall asleep until 8:44 PM. This sleep latency of 1 hour and 34 minutes is quite high. While your demanding evening schedule is a factor, optimizing your wind-down routine could help you fall asleep faster, increasing your total restorative sleep time, which is critical during a heavy strength block.
* Self-Awareness (Creatine): Your assessment of the weight gain is spot on. Chalking it up to water retention from creatine is the correct interpretation. This shows you're in tune with your body and understand the effects of your supplementation. Just ensure you are staying extra hydrated to support the creatine and your demanding swim/cycle schedule.
The Big Picture
This "CHESTIE" workout was executed brilliantly. You are in the middle of a well-defined strength block and your performance reflects a clear understanding of the goal. This strength base you're building now will be a massive asset when you need that power and speed for your upcoming swim meets in September, particularly in the 50s and 100s.
Keep up the fantastic work and focus. Good luck with your team swim tomorrow!
CHAT GPT-5 RATE MY WORKOUT:
Joel, this was a strong, well-structured workout and it looks like you’re in the sweet spot for strength progression heading into your endurance block later this month. Here’s my breakdown:
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Sleep & Readiness• 6h 32–46 min for a work night is solid, especially given your early gym sessions.
• Both Garmin & Oura put you in the “OK but not optimal” zone — not enough to derail performance, but if you can sneak in even 20–30 min more, you might notice better recovery for those heavy sets.
• Creatine water retention weight gain = normal, especially at your lifting loads.
normal, especially at your lifting loads.⸻
Lifting Performance• Flat BB Bench: You’re essentially parking yourself at ~97% of PR and holding form/volume very consistently. Compared to your last sessions, your rep count is similar or slightly lower, but at the absolute peak end of your strength range. That’s classic peaking work.
• Close Grip DB Press: Jumping from 50s to 55s, even with slightly lower reps, is still a win — you’re pushing progressive overload.
• Triceps Pushdowns: Minor rep drop on set 3, but load is high and fairly consistent with last session.
• Face Pulls: Solid accessory volume — no drop-off.
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Training Strategy Notes• This was a pure strength focus day — low reps, heavy load, long rest. It aligns perfectly with your plan to push strength before shifting to endurance.
• You’re getting in smart accessory work (triceps & rear delts) to support pressing strength and shoulder health.
• Given your upcoming swim meets, this kind of low-volume, high-intensity strength work is exactly what will keep you strong without overly fatiguing you for the pool.
⸻
Energy & Scheduling• Hitting the gym and teaching a 30-min cycle class afterwards is no small feat.
• You’re stacking an aerobic session right after heavy lifting — fine for now, but if you notice bench progress slowing, try swapping the order on some days so the heaviest lifts get first priority energy.
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Overall Rating: 9/10• Heavy strength work
• Accessory balance
• Recovery baseline okay, but could be nudged higher with a touch more sleep 
• Great alignment with your short-term and seasonal goals
Here’s your recent bench press trend chart.
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Total volume (blue line) dipped slightly today because you’re lifting near-max weights with fewer reps.
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Average load per set (red) and top set weight (green) are both at their highest point — a sign you’re peaking for strength rather than building volume.
You’re right on track for a PR attempt before your endurance phase kicks in. If you want, I can forecast when your optimal PR window might be based on this trend.
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