Becoming an Athlete

An alternate title could be: Reasons To Go Retro With HIT I donated a kidney to a very close friend of mine on 5/26/2020.  It was supposed to be in March, but COVID-19 pandemic exploded, and everyone's plans were derailed.  I was genuinely afraid my friend would die while we waited for the hospital to give us the green light for surgery.  It was scary enough giving up an organ for a friend, but even scarier to be in a hospital with no visitors allowed because of COVID.  I was quarantined in my room for 2 days.  She was there, totally alone, for 12 days.  We are nearly 2 months since our surgery and both recovering well.  Her health is better than it has ever been since I've known her.  We were part of a genuine miracle. After a few weeks of doing nothing, and sleeping constantly, I finally tried to get back to normal life.  I radically overestimated my ability to sustain physical effort.  I thought I could just lower the weights and ...

Man, so much has happened since I last posted. COVID pandemic was a huge one.  I made changes to keep systemic fatigue low so I could train almost every day.  Sometimes I could go 8 days with no rest days.  Sometimes only 3 days. The key for me has been to move to push/pull splits, and to manage fatigue with ladders.  Here is a simple framework you can follow. Add rest days between sessions whenever you need it. Day 1: Push 1 Compound circuit a. Overhead press: 5 x 5 b. Kettlebell swing: 5 x 10 Isolation circuit: Ladders a. Incline lateral raise: 3 x 3-5-7 b. Kettlebell swing: 3 x 5-10-15 Day 2: Pull 1 Compound circuit a. Ring row: 5 x 5 b. 1-arm swing: 5 x 5+5 Isolation circuit: Ladders a. Supinating dumbbell curl: 3 x 3-5-7 b. Kettlebell swing: 3 x 5-10-15 Day 3: Push 2 Compound circuit a. Pushups: 5 x 15 b. Kettlebell swing: 5 x 10 Isolation circuit: Ladders a. Skull crushers: 3 x 3-5-7 b. Kettlebell swing: 3 x 5-10-15 Day 4...