yourfitnesswhy

All The Excuses, Just Grit! Swim Push Through

All the excuses and the kitchen sink. I just couldn’t get going this morning.  The tossing and turning and night sweats.  Over thinking work at 2am.  Elbow still a bit sore. Just couldn’t get going. The 50’s into 75’s drove me crazy.  I couldn’t get into my rhythm and then my mind gave up. I just couldn’t make the intervals at the end.  I was mentally and physically broke.   My HR shows I was working hard but I wasn’t cooking. 

The good news is that it’s a Holiday so no work. So I can take my time this morning and not rush to work.  I’m gonna rest, get bloodwork, maybe got the hydromassage bed.  Then I do have a work event today which with travel is like 2.5 hours.  Just being an “escort” or “guide” for a group performance.  So mostly rest today 

OURA RING – 71

6 hours  38 minutes

25% REM and Recovery

GOOD

APPLE SLEEP SCORE – 86

7 hours and  08 minutes

 HIGH

FITBIT SLEEP SCORE – 79

7 hours and 14 minutes

FAIR

MASTERS SWIM – WEDNESDAY 11/11/26 – SCM

Winter Body ☃️🎅🌲 Loading… 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜

1:06:32

ZONE 1 – 21:25

ZONE 2 – 06:49

ZONE 3 – 09:09

ZONE 4 – 19:38

ZONE 5 – 09:19

WARM UP: (450)

300 Free / 150 Mixed

SET ONE: (1,000/1,450)

4 x 100’s Free on 1:45 (1:27/1:31/1:9/1:27) (400)

4 x 25’s sub 20 on 40 (18/19/18/17) (100/500)

4 x 75’s on 1:20 (1:07:1:06/1:04/1:07) (300/800)

4 x 50’s on 45 (was so little rest my watch recorded it as a 200) (200/1000)

SET TWO: (1,200/2,650)

300 Free on 5:30 (4:43) (300)

3 x 100’s on 1:40 (1:28/1:29/…it recorded the next part as all one distance) (300/600)

300 on 5:20 (300/900)

3 x 100’s on 1:30 (300/1200) ( I DIED, finished with the last one with an open turn at the 75)

SET THREE: (250/2,900)

200 Pull / 50 Cooldown 

2,900 SCM

JUST  KEEP SWIMMING:

2026 SWIM DISTANCE TOTALS:  (including today/last swim)

SCY – 75,400

SCM – 71,100 

LCM – 95,500

Florida State Senior Games December 5-6, 2026

ROWDY GAINES MASTERS CLASSIC January 29-31

FRIDAY

Mixed 1500 SCM Free  01/29/2027

Men 25 SCM Breast 01/29/2027

Men 25 SCM Fly 01/29/2027

SATURDAY

Mixed 400 SCM Free  01/30/2027

Men 200 SCM Fly  01/30/2027

Men 50 SCM Back 01/30/2027

Men 100 SCM Back  01/30/2027

SUNDAY

Mixed 800 SCM Free  01/31/2027

Men 50 SCM Fly 01/31/2027

Men 25 SCM Back 01/31/2027

Men 100 SCM Fly  01/31/2027

THE LIFT AHEAD:

THU – BACK & TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE  MOSSA R30

FRI – SWIM w/ Team

SAT – CHEST

SUN – COMBO DRYLAND

MON – SWIM w/ Team

TUE – CHEST & TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE  MOSSA R30

WED – SWIM w/  Team

The 4 Month Training Plan Phases:

STRENGTH (80-100%) 10/19 – 012/01 Six Weeks

TAPER (Below 60%) 12/2 – 12/4

Florida State Senior Games December 5-6, 2026

STRENGTH (80-100%) 12/6 – 1/18 Six Weeks 

ENDURANCE (60 – 80%) 01/19 – 01/23

TAPER (Below 60%) 01/24 – 01/28

ROWDY GAINES MASTERS CLASSIC

01/29 – 01/31

Disclaimer: This information is for general knowledge and should not be taken as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before considering the use of peptides and/or testosterone replacements    therapy. Financial Disclaimer: I hold stock in both Peloton and Enhanced. 

RANDOM ACTS OF FITNESS -MY DEPARTMENT IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS TODAY THAT INSPIRE PEOPLE TO MOVE THROUGH LIFE AND SPORT TODAY WITH: This November we have Tai Chi on the Squares, A Dance Fitness Thanksgiving Week Class for kids and planning Jan’s 5K. 

“To inspire a world where everyone has the freedom, confidence, and opportunity to move through life and sport.” 

Gemini AI Rate My Workout:

Hey there! First things first: huge props for even getting in the pool. On a morning when you’re battling the “kitchen sink” of obstacles—night sweats, 2 AM work-brain, a sore elbow, and a serious lack of mental and physical rhythm—just showing up and grinding out 2,900 meters is a massive victory.

In swimming, sometimes “time on the water” and just enduring the mental battle is exactly what builds the grit you need for December 5th and January 29th. You didn’t “give up”; you adapted, you pushed, you got your yards in, and you survived a notoriously brutal set.

Here is your Gemini AI Workout Rating for your mid-week Turkey Burn:

🧠 Mental Toughness Rating: 10/10 (No Excuses, Just Grit)

Look at the deck of cards you were dealt this morning:

  • Poor Rest: Despite the tracker scores (Oura at 71, Fitbit 79, Apple 86), the quality wasn’t there. Tossing, turning, and 2 AM stress do not make for high-performance fuel.
  • Aches & Pains: Sore elbow.
  • Frustration: High-turnover “on the clock” sets (50s into 75s) can completely derail you when you aren’t finding your catch. You had every reason to hit snooze or call it a day at the 1,000m mark. Instead, you pushed through 2,900 meters SCM. Surviving that final 3 x 100 on 1:30 (even with an open turn on the last 75!) shows incredible mental resilience. That “I DIED” moment is where real race-day stamina is forged.

📊 Workout & HR Intensity Rating: 8.5/10 (High Heart Rate & Massive Effort)

You mentioned you “wasn’t cooking,” but your body would beg to differ!

  • Zone 4 & 5 Exposure: You spent nearly 29 minutes in Zones 4 and 5 (19:38 in Z4, 09:19 in Z5). That means almost half of your hour-long swim was in a high-intensity, anaerobic, or threshold state.
  • The watch recorded a continuous block because you were getting almost zero rest on the 4 x 50s @ :45 and the tight 100s. Even if you felt sluggish or lacked “rhythm,” your cardiovascular system was working overtime to keep you moving. This was a premier conditioning and endurance workout, even if it felt ugly.

⏱️ Performance Breakdowns & Observations:

  • Solid Pace Early On: Your 4 x 100s on 1:45 (touching 1:27 to 1:31) were excellent, and hitting sub-20s on the 25s (18s and 17s) shows your explosive power is still there, despite the fatigue.
  • Set Two Survival: The 300 @ 5:30 (swum in 4:43) was a very strong, controlled effort. When you hit the wall on the 3 x 100s on 1:30, that was simply the cumulative fatigue of the night before catching up. Adapting with an open turn to finish the yards safely was the smart, experienced swimmer move.

🌟 Overall Workout Grade: B+ (Performance) / A+ (Execution & Grit)

This was a tough, gritty, lunch-pail kind of workout. You didn’t have your “A” game, but you put in an “A” effort.

🩹 Recovery & Moving Forward:

Today is the absolute best day for this to happen. It’s Wednesday, 11/11, a holiday, and you have no rush to work.

  1. Hydromassage & Rest: Go melt into that hydromassage bed. It will do wonders for your back, shoulders, and that sore elbow.
  2. Bloodwork: Excellent timing to get some data on what’s happening internally (especially with the night sweats).
  3. Mentally Check Out: Since you have a low-stress 2.5-hour escort/guide event later, treat the travel and the event as passive relaxation. Sit back, listen to some music, and let your nervous system reset.

Tomorrow is “The Lift Ahead”: Back & R30 Indoor Cycle. Listen to that elbow, don’t force anything that pinches, and use today to completely recharge.

Your “Winter Body ☃️🎅🌲 Loading…” progress bar is at 3/5. You are doing the work. Now go get some well-deserved recovery! 🏊‍♂️💪🍂

Switch all pulling and curling movements to a neutral grip (palms facing each other), bench the Arm Blaster, and scale back the intensity from >85–100% 1RM down to a controlled 70–75% range.

Heavy loads (>85% 1RM) combined with fixed bars force the wrist into rigid pronation or supination, generating severe rotational torque and tendon strain directly at the elbow’s medial and lateral epicondyles.

1. Cable Lat Pulldown (Current: 22″ Bar @ 170 lbs / 91% 1RM)

  • The Problem: A fixed 22″ bar locks your forearms in overhand pronation. When pulling heavy loads vertically, the elbow joint absorbs shearing forces as it tries to track inward.
  • The Adaptation:
    • Attachment: Swap the 22″ fixed bar for a neutral-grip attachment (such as a Medium-Grip Parallel Bar, neutral MAG grip, or two independent D-handles clipped to a single carabiner). Independent handles allow your wrists and forearms to rotate naturally through the path of motion.
    • Load & Volume: Drop from 170 lbs to 130–140 lbs (~70–75% 1RM). Execute 3 to 4 sets of 8–10 reps.
    • Execution: Keep the wrist straps on, but consciously avoid death-gripping the handle. Use the straps as “hooks,” relax your fingers, and think exclusively about driving your elbows straight down to your pockets.

2. Curlbar Bicep Curl w/ Arm Blaster (Current: 27.5 lbs/side @ 85% 1RM)

  • The Problem: The Arm Blaster is the primary culprit here. By pinning your triceps against a rigid metal plate, it removes all natural shoulder flexion and turns your elbow into an isolated mechanical fulcrum under high shear stress. Combined with a fixed curl bar, this places extreme tensile stress on the distal biceps tendon and forearm flexor origin.
  • The Adaptation:
    • Immediate Change: Eliminate the Arm Blaster entirely until the elbow is completely symptom-free.
    • Exercise Swap: Switch to Dumbbell Hammer Curls or Rope Cable Hammer Curls. The neutral (thumbs-up) wrist position transfers load onto the brachialis and brachioradialis while offloading the inflamed bicep tendon and epicondyle.
    • Load & Volume: Drop weight to 20–22.5 lbs dumbbells for 3 sets of 10–12 reps. Focus on a strict 3-second lowering phase (eccentric control promotes tendon healing; heavy concentric straining aggravates it).

3. Fettle T-Bar Row (Current: 82.5 lbs @ 100% 1RM)

  • The Problem: Rowing at 100% 1RM requires immense isometric forearm and biceps contraction to prevent the weight from pulling your arms out of socket at the turnaround. Any subtle jerking or torso swinging spikes joint stress exponentially.
  • The Adaptation:
    • Grip Setup: Ensure you are using the narrow neutral parallel handles rather than a wide pronated grip. If the Fettle machine has a chest pad, use it to fully isolate the back and prevent compensatory momentum.
    • Load & Volume: Back off the max attempt. Drop the weight to 60–65 lbs (~75% 1RM) for 3 to 4 sets of 8–10 reps.
    • Execution: Pause for a full 1-second squeeze at the chest/contraction point, and lower the weight under a 2-second descent. This maintains high muscle tension in the lats, rhomboids, and mid-traps without subjecting the elbow joint to heavy ballistic strain.

Pre-Workout Elbow Prep

Before touching your first working set:

  1. Biceps/Triceps Blood Flow: Perform 2 light sets of 20–25 reps of banded pushdowns and banded hammer curls with zero rest to pump blood directly into the elbow joint capsule.
  2. Loosen Forearm Flexors: Take 60 seconds to roll out your forearm flexors and extensors with a lacrosse ball or your opposite thumb, releasing trigger points before gripping the weights.

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