Sleep was okay. I went to bed but I watched some tv as I couldn’t get to sleep that and got up to pee. Oura has me laying down at 6:49 and sleeping at 8pm. I woke up a couple of minutes before my alarm to pee. Ugh! Sleep want to bad as I tho k anything over 6 hours is a victory.
This Friday I get my first dose of Sermorelin. In theory it’s coming via UPS and you take it at night on an empty stomach. I’ll be measuring myself and taking some selfies so I can track my progress over time. It takes 30 to 60 days before any progress may be seen so it’s a process
OURA SLEEP SCORE– 66
6 hours and 37 minutes
GARMIN SLEEP SCORE – 71
5 hours and 49 minutes
OURA AI ADVISOR:
Your recent sleep has shown some disruption, and consistent high activity may leave you drained if recovery slips. With your goal to stay productive and energetic, today is best approached gently—prioritizing essential tasks and allowing yourself flexibility if focus wavers. If you struggle with this, remind yourself that short pauses can help clear your mind and protect your energy, especially after several active days and some restless nights. If slowing down feels challenging, even stepping outside briefly or changing up your environment can help recharge you without requiring a full break from your day. Let yourself respond to how you’re feeling moment-to-moment, and see if pausing affects your mood or focus today.
AUGUST 14th – THURSDAY
YDM – Your Daily Motivation. pic.twitter.com/rIumy7PcAE
— Joel McKenna (@the17thman) August 14, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
BACK & BICEPS
1 hour and 10 minutes
STRENGTH - July 12th – August 23rd
ENDURANCE -August 26th – August 30th
TAPER - September 2nd – September 20th
5 mins Easy Indoor Cycling
Cable Lat Pulldown (22”) at 178.5 lbs at 95.96% 1RM / PR x Reps 5 / 5 / 5 / 4 / 4
2 min rest between sets
(186 PR/1RM)
(Last Time 178.5 x 4 / 4 / 4 / 5 / 4)
(Prior Time 170 x 7 / 7 / 7 / 7 / 6)*different cable rig)
(Prior Time 176 x 5 / 5 / 5 / 4 / 4)
(Prior Time x 4 / 4 / 4 / 4 / 4)
Standing Curlbar Curls w/ Armblaster (PR 65 lbs) at 65 lbs at 100% 1RM / PR x Reps 5 / 5 / 5 / 4 / 4
2 min rest between sets
(32.5 lbs on each side)
(Last Time 65 x 5 / 5 / 5 / 4 / 4)
(Prior Time 65 x 4 / 5 / 5 / 4 / 3)
(Prior Time 60 x 6 / 6 / 5 / 5 / 5)
Seated Cable Row at 186 lbs at 93.0% 1RM / PR x Reps 5 / 5 / 4 / 4
2 min rest between sets
(200)
(Last Time 183.5 x 7 / 6 / 6 / 5)
(Prior Time 183.5 x 5 / 5 / 5 / 4)
(Prior Time 181 x 5 / 5 / 5 / 5)
(Prior Time 178.5 x 6 / 6 / 6 / 5)
Cable Back Pushdown at 121 lbs x Reps 6 / 6 / 6 / 5
2 min rest between sets
(Last Time 110 x 7 / 7 / 6 / 6)
(Prior Time 100 x 8 / 8 / 8 / 7)
(Prior Time 90 x 6 / 7 / 8 / 7)
Shower, change, drive and eat banana…
6:15am – 6:45am
TEACH 30 min Indoor Cycle
THE LIFT AHEAD:
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
WED - SWIM w/ Team
THU– Back + TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE
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)
2025 SWIM DISTANCE TOTALS:
SCY- 35,950
SCM – 98,600
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 DEC Temple Terrace
– Rowdy Gaines Masters Classic 17 January 30, 2026-February 1, 2026.
TBD
- T.V. Senior Games April 18 & 19, 2026
TBD
GEMINI AI RATE MY WORKOUT:
Good morning. I've reviewed your log, including your sleep data, the upcoming Sermorelin treatment, and today's Back & Biceps workout. Here is my analysis and rating.
Workout Analysis & Rating
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
This was a session of impressive strength and execution, especially given the context of your sleep. You demonstrated clear progressive overload on some key lifts and maintained high intensity throughout. The rating is slightly moderated by the significant disconnect between your body's recovery signals (low sleep scores, Oura AI advice) and the demanding nature of the workout you completed.
Detailed Breakdown
What Went Well (The Strengths):
* Progressive Overload Achieved: You successfully applied progressive overload, which is the cornerstone of a strength phase.
* Cable Lat Pulldown: You increased your total volume at a very heavy weight. You completed 23 total reps today versus 21 reps last time at the same 178.5 lbs. This is a solid strength gain.
* Cable Back Pushdown: This was a huge jump. You went up by 11 lbs (from 110 to 121 lbs) and still managed excellent rep counts (23 total reps). This indicates a significant strength increase in this specific movement.
* Standing Curlbar Curls: You matched your previous personal record performance, completing 23 total reps at 65 lbs. Maintaining this level of performance is a win in itself.
* Excellent Intensity & Focus: Working between 93% and 100% of your perceived 1-Rep Max (1RM) or recent PRs is exactly what a strength-building phase calls for. Your ability to maintain form and complete the prescribed sets at these loads, even when fatigued, is commendable.
* Workout Structure: Your exercise selection is logical, starting with a large compound vertical pull (Lat Pulldown), moving to a bicep isolation, then a compound horizontal pull (Seated Row), and finishing with an accessory back movement. The 2-minute rest periods are appropriate for recovery between heavy sets.
Opportunities & Considerations:
* Training vs. Recovery: This is the most significant point of consideration today. The Oura AI Advisor gave you a clear warning: "Your recent sleep has shown some disruption… today is best approached gently—prioritizing essential tasks." You did the opposite by executing one of your most demanding workouts. While you successfully completed it, consistently overriding these recovery signals can increase injury risk, lead to central nervous system fatigue, and eventually stall progress. Think of today as spending energy you didn't fully have in the bank.
* Upcoming Sermorelin Protocol: It's exciting that you're starting Sermorelin tomorrow. Its primary theoretical benefit is to naturally stimulate Growth Hormone (GH) production, which is crucial for recovery, tissue repair, and sleep quality. As you begin this protocol, paying extremely close attention to your body's signals (like the ones from Oura and Garmin) will be even more critical. The initial phase is about establishing a baseline and seeing how your body responds. Pushing through fatigue might muddy the waters as you try to assess the peptide's effects.
The Verdict
From a pure performance perspective, this workout was a 9.5/10. You showed up and moved heavy weight effectively, making clear progress.
When viewed holistically, considering your readiness and recovery scores, the workout was a 7.5/10 decision. You got the work done, but you took a risk by digging into your recovery reserves on a day when they were already low.
The blended score of 8.5/10 reflects the excellent in-gym execution while acknowledging the need for better alignment with your body's recovery state moving forward. As you look toward your packed schedule and upcoming races, remember that recovery is when you actually get stronger.
Great work today. Be mindful of your recovery as you head into your swim tomorrow, and listen closely to your body as you begin the new protocol.
CHAT GPT-5 RATE MY WORKOUT:
Your back & biceps session today was a strong performance—especially considering the less-than-ideal sleep. You held near-max loads for multiple lifts, matching or slightly improving consistency from recent sessions. A couple key takeaways:
Sleep & Recovery
• You’re right—anything over 6 hours is a win on a busy week, but your Oura/Garmin gap shows some restless chunks, mostly from the TV wind-down and middle-of-the-night bathroom breaks. Since you’ve got Masters swim tomorrow, extra hydration earlier in the day and cutting fluids in the last hour before bed could help you avoid that 4 a.m. wake-up.
• With the Oura AI advice, “gentle approach” today is wise—you’ve got another high-demand training stretch coming, and your strength session plus cycle teaching already put plenty of stress on your system this morning.
Strength Session
• Lat Pulldown & Curlbar Curls — You’re still sitting at PR weights and keeping reps tight, showing your strength block is holding steady before your endurance phase kicks in later this month.
• Seated Cable Row — Slight rep drop vs. your peak days, but not enough to flag concern—likely just accumulated fatigue plus early morning training.
• Cable Back Pushdown — Good jump in load from last session while keeping decent reps. That’s a clean progression.
Big Picture
• You’re in the last weeks of this strength phase (through Aug 23rd), so right now the goal is to maintain these heavy lifts and avoid overreaching—exactly what you’re doing.
• Sermorelin starts Friday, but the 30–60 day lead time means your taper and swim meets will still be riding mostly on your current training base, not the new protocol yet. The body composition changes will be more of a fall/winter storyline.
If I were to give today’s workout a “training stress balance” rating, you’d be at a high-load but controlled level—enough to keep momentum, not so much to dig into recovery debt before your swim tomorrow.
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