Daily Exercise Log April 2026

 Welcome to April 2026. It's warming slowly, but still wet.

monthly, 2026

January: https://hobbytreat.blogspot.com/2026/01/daily-exercise-log.html
February: https://hobbytreat.blogspot.com/2026/02/daily-exercise-log-february-2020.html
March:  https://hobbytreat.blogspot.com/2026/03/daily-exercise-log-march-2026.html
April:  https://hobbytreat.blogspot.com/2026/04/daily-exercise-log-april-2026.html

End of the month summary:

April 2026 Exercise Log SummaryYou ran a consistent 6-day cycle (weights → walk → row → walk → row (4x4) → walk/rest) for most of the month, with a deload week at the end (April 23–29).Overall Structure

• ~12 full cycles completed before deload.
• Heavy emphasis on weights (Day 1) and rowing 4x4 intervals (Day 5) as the big effort days.
• Recovery days focused on walking and lighter rowing.
• Ended with a planned deload (reduced sets/load) to recover.

Key Metrics & Notes

• Walking: Multiple 2–3 mile walks. You noted slower speeds this month and deliberately went longer on some deload days to test it.
• Rowing: 4x4 intervals on hard days; lighter form-focused rows on recovery. Added bench crunches frequently.
• Weights: Felt strong on higher BG days. Deload felt noticeably easier (shorter sessions, lower HR/PAI).
• PAI / HR: Variable — sometimes high on easy walks (coffee + low BG effect noted). Deload dropped PAI significantly.
• Other: Birthday walk (April 20), rain-soaked sessions, consistent crunches for core. You mentioned looking forward to the June cardiac stress test.

Tone of the month: Solid consistency with awareness of recovery needs. You pushed on hard days, respected deload, and tracked how BG, weather, and stiffness affected performance.Solid month — ready for the next cycle post-deload. Want a quick table of weekly totals or focus on any specific day/type?

April 30, 2026

Day 2, walk

Day 2, walk, is intended to be a recovery day thing. Getting out of bed today, my stiff and slightly sore body parts reminded me of the design. Both good because it means I survived yesterday.

"If I see the morning hours, I'll have one more yesterday"

I started out (mid-40s, kinda nice, mostly partly sunny) just intending to stroll. I really don't know, before hand, my upcoming path. Decided against long walk (starts with uphill on Paul Rd to Chili), short walk (just around the Chili Paul buildings). Couldn't just stand there, so 2 miler it was. Which goes uphill on Paul once I get east of Greenwood. That's the big hr uphill.

April 29, 2026

Day 1, weights

Day 1, weights, is the first post-deload. Added back the 1 set removed for the deload Kept the weights same as deload. Back to 'new normal' next day 1. I'll update the set list before I need it again.

Everything felt light, just like it's supposed to. Ripped thru many sets because I could. Looking fwd to getting back to 'heavy'.

April 28, 2026

Deload Day 6, walk

Deload Day 6, walk, is the last of the deload days proper. Nice enuf day (upper 50s, windy, kinda sunny) to start, getting worse by the minute.

And I deliberately went long. I'm not happy w/ my walking speed this past month, as it is getting slower. While I do wonder how come, I don't like it.

Tomorrow is Day 1, weights. For the first post-deload day, I'll use the full exercise set from Deload, adding +1 set to each. That'll get the sets/reps counts back to nominal normal. Leave the loading weights unchanged. 'Till next time ...

Asked grok to go find the records for my walking speeds:

April 27, 2026

Deload Day 5, row

Well, I did it. and Managed to fail w/ the tracker. It was Exactly, to the tiniest detail, just like 2 days ago, Deload Day 3. Scroll down, and consume that one ...

April 26, 2026

Deload Day 4, walk

Deload Day 4, walk, is just what it sounds like - an easy stroll. 2.8 mph is an easy stroll. So, doing what I should, i got my 29 PAI points!! WTF, not far, not fast, not cold, but jacked heart rate.

Reasons: 1) hr tracker reads 'high' at / over my max hr; 2) coffee + low BG numbers race my heart; 3) I'm not 'deloaded' yet. need more time at really slow / low / easy work.

Makes my upcoming exercise cardiac stress test in June a bit more interesting.

April 25, 2026

Deload Day 3, row

Deload Day 3, row, is intended to be EASY, just movement and good form, w/o pressing. Done. I might have been able to go slower, but I'm not sure. did 2x20 bench crunches after.

Lovely day. 40-ish degF, solid, steady rain. Soaked on the way to the gym, and not dryer when I got home. It's all good ...

April 24, 2026

Deload Day 2, walk

Deload Day 2, walk, is supposed to be short, sweet and EASY, Just walk baby. Short, because I didn't want the hr climb to keep going; sweet, on the one block-ish walk; easy, no press. Done.

April 23, 2026

Deload Day 1, weights

Deload - having done 12+ cycles of my current 6 day pattern, it's is time for a deload. For this, I reduced the number of sets and weight, so that total load is reduced by 40%-50%. Did that.

Man, it was a lot easier than the full load. Only slightly faster (36 min vs the usual 50-60 min), almost zero cardio impact (hr flat-ish, low at 85bpm), and PAI was laughing at me ...

The rest of the 6 day cycle will be walk/row/walk/row (NOT a 4x4), walk. The hard part will be to take it easy.

April 22, 2026

Day 6, walk/rest

Day 6, walk/rest, is intended to allow full-ish recovery from the 6 day cycle. This Day 6 is also the 12th repeat of the 6 day cycle. Next 6 days will be a deload cycle. Same pattern of exercises, but way less load.

April 21, 2026

Day 5, row (4x4)

Day 5, row (4x4) is intended to be as hard to do as I can. It's a good gauge for how well I've recovered. Note: no max hr; very few PAI points. Numbers show how I felt - good enuf, but not great.

I am greatly looking fwd to a de-load. wondering how I'll feel after that.

April 20, 2026

Day 4, walk

Happy Birthday! Felt pretty used up when this started. I ground thru it.

April 19, 2026

Day 3, row

Day 3, row, is a stretching / massage / loosen day. 5 min warmup n x 7min work 1 min rest. Followed by 2x20 bench crunches. Form is improving there, but still pretty sloppy.

I felt fine, occasionally brought power to the pace, which surprised the heck out of me. Maybe there is something to this exercise thing.

April 18, 2026

Day 2, walk/rest

Day 2, walk, is supposed to be a recovery day from lifting. Dear Lord, how I needed it.

April 17, 2026

Day 1, weights

Day 1, weights is one of the two big hit days, as well as Day 1 of the next 6 day cycle (week 12 of 12). After the current 6 day cycle, i finally get to a deload week (same daily pattern, -1 sets, 50-75% weight).

Entering the gym, I felt slow and tired. Maintained it. Got the extra duration i was looking for.

April 16, 2026

Day 6, rest/walk

Day 6 is either walk or rest, depending. This one started out as a rest day, wound up walking.

April 15, 2026

Day 5, row (4x4)

Day 5, row (4x4) is the second day of the 6 day cycle where I'm supposed to pound hell out of me. Day 1, weights, is the first. 4x4s are good for that, but I'm supposed to bring the form, tempo, and power. Yeah, well ...

I was short a cup of coffee, long walking BG, low on feeling lively, really feeling the weight of the gym door. I went anyway. Functionally, the set was ok. form was maintained, pull pace was ok, but I felt not as strong as usual. So, i got what i got.

Then, after a minute or two, i did 2 x 20 bench crunches, properly cued mostly, and only reverted to sit-ups a few reps.

April 14, 2026

Day 4, walk

Day 4, walk, is supposed to continue the recovery from day 1, weights. My quads and hams feel heavier than usual. Proof recovery is required.. So, I walked.

Got an earliesh start, because it was forecast to rain, in about an hour. Well, it started about 35 minutes in, just got harder, and maxed out thunder et al as I got to my driveway. Decent timing. And, I'm kinda soaked ...

April 13, 2026

Day 3, row

Day 3, row, is intended to provide a full body stretch/massage, as recovery from Day 1, weights. It reveals whatever's too tight or muscle stiff. Today's happy issue is that I wanted to go too fast / pull too hard. That's excellent.

Almost warm enuf to wear shorts. Almost. Closed with 40 more properly cue'd bench crunches. still too chicken to lower the bench back full decline.

April 12, 2026

Day 2, walk

Day 2, walk, is planned as a recovery day - easy walk, not very far. But, I felt stiff, used by lifting, higher food intake (mostly 2 ingredient chocolate cookies), so higher BG. Tough.

Weather is dry, cloudy, upper 30s, wind variable 0-15 MPH.

April 11, 2026

Day 1, weights

Day 1, weights, wasn't difficult much at all. It has become obvious, even to me, that when my BG number is higher, I'm stronger. I'm Hulk-like today. Probably not a good tradeoff.

Almost all my metrics are ok to good. No issues lifting, my weight is well controlled, skeletal muscle weight is stable, all my blood labs work came back 'no issues'. Too fucking bad I'm old .....

April 10, 2026

Day 6, rest/walk

I'm pretty sure this will stay on 'rest' until I get younger.

April 9, 2026

Day 5, row(4x4)

Day 5, row (4x4) is hard for me. That's why it's here. That, and prep for my stress test in June, are hard work. 

Today was that odd combo of too hard and hard enuf. Came out better than i'd thought.

Then, 50 bench crunches, using new cues. felt harder, but 4x4s'll do that to me.

April 8, 2026

Day 4, walk

Day 4, walk, is intended to aid recovery and try for PAI points. I needed the recovery, and didn't expect that many PAI points. 

My bg number this morning was very low - like 32 . I've not much clue as to why. Normies probably wouldn't have awoken. Swallowed a bowl of cereal, went for a walk. BG still high, so 3 units NovoLog.

April 7, 2026

Day 3, row

Day 3, row is primarily for a full body stretching session. The interval seeking technique is to warm up, start the first cycle at whatever pace, then stay above/ go faster with each cycle. Did that.

Note that the hr peak goes up with each cycle. felt strong. recall this is recovery. so, did 50 bench crunches to finish.

April 6, 2026

Day 2, walk

Day 2, walk is intended to be a recovery day after weights. This almost disqualified because having my hr up there is not an 'easy' walk. I tried, and just naturally sped up. Always happy to hit double digit PAI point gain.

April 5, 2026

Day 1, weights

Day 1, weights is the OG of needing recovery. usually, taking a rest day then day 1 weights leaves me feeling strong. today, i felt strong on like 2/3s of the sets, and way less on the rest. 05_ was difficult. 06_ was 'easy'. go figure.

PAI shows the 'cardio' impact of weights, which ain't much. Even after the session duration was shorter (implies moving weights quicker, resting less). Implies I need to lift more weight. oh goody ....

April 4, 2026

Day 6, walk / rest

today, and I'm thinking of making this more permanent, a rest day. I recall how relatively easier the weights session felt last time. 

April 3, 2026

Day 5, row (4x4)

Day 5, row (4x4) is intended to be difficult. It was successful. then, 50 bench crunches

I look for the clear heart rate work/rest pattern, and, equal or increasing highs thru the cycles. Bingo.

I also look to see how much time i spend at my red line, and it wasn't much. The issue is within the engine proper, and not the fuel and delivery systems. I think. WTFK?

April 2, 2026

Day 4, walk

Day 4, walk is intended to be a not so mild walk. I did the strongest pace I could hold. Keep in mind that my cardio strength is high, at least by 3 years ago cardio stress test. Next one this June. I have no cardio physical issues, except for being in decent shape, for 'a man my age'. Which make it harder to race my heart rate. Oh well ...

April 1, 2026

Day 3, row

Day 3, row, is a recovery day. Just row. Changed the time sequence to 7 minutes row 1 minute rest.

PAI kinda fell out of bed because the higher numbers - 30+ drop off after a week. No hard walks, no high PAI numbers.