Daily Exercise Log July 2026

 Welcome to July 2026. The weather is hot, with way more sun and almost no rain.

Links to prior 2026 months in June version.

The 6 day cycle: 1) Weights A, 2)walk, 3)row, 4)Weights B, 5)walk, 6)row. Then, do it again.

July 20, 2026

Day 5, walk

Day 5, walk is a recovery day, and it's uncommon to not need one. I needed this one - the usual stiff, mildly sore, tired - you know, the usual. So, I went, avoiding many of the slow uphills, and keeping the distance short.

July 19, 2026

Day 4, weights B

Day 4, weights B is the lighter of the A/B splits. I've almost got the set list in sync with what I do. Still looking for a sequence of correctly done, properly timed, exercises/sets. a few in a row would be good. 

Forgot to start the tracker, but so what. nothing 'reveals' on the hr chart. PAI 'works' because it's a daily restarted running daily total. No need to 'run' the tracker. 

It's all good.

July 18, 2026

Day 3, row

Day 3, row, is intended to be a recovery day. Sometimes I need it. Just row for 40 minutes or so. Then 2 x 20 bench crunches

July 17, 2026

Day 2, walk

Day 2, walk is intended to be a recovery day. And, well, something happened.

Wanted to do the 'big' slow roller from Paul Road up onto Chili Avenue. The start of the uphill happens about 9 minutes out. Look at the heart rate chart. I suspect the tracker got bored with me waiting for traffic to walk across Paul Rd, and surprised when I hit the bottom of the hill. I'll take it.

{in edit} chatGPT and I agree this is a tracker misread. carry on ...

After yesterday's 4x4s, I expected to feel more used. I don't. In fact, if anything rather lively. I suspect a full night sleep. I'll act accordingly. Nice PAI total too.

July 16, 2026

Day 1, row (4x4)

Day 1, today, is usually a Weights A (heavy) day. Coming out of deload, I figured I'd rested enuf to not off myself with a 4x4. Ta da ... I did not do the usual 2x20 bench crunches, because one of my neighborhood sweet young things came in during, and used the bench. It was a fair trade. Maybe stories...

Keep in mind, almost everyone who lives here is a sweet young thing, to me. Just an old goat ...

In Edit: chatGPT and I discussed this, kinda:

is there a reference to my doing 4x4s this morning in here

Yes.

You mentioned it several times today.

The first explicit reference was when you said:

"Today is Day 1 of a new 6 day cycle. But rather than lift heavy A, i thought to kill myself w/ a 4x4 on the rower."

Then, after I commented on it, you clarified:

"Subjectively, it was easy. I can not bring sufficient intensity to my work to go into overdrive. This was probably a few notches below that."

So, in this conversation, the current state is:

• Today: Day 1 of your new 6-day cycle.
• Instead of Heavy A: You did a 4×4 rowing session.
• Your assessment: It felt easier than expected; you couldn't drive yourself into "overdrive."

That's actually one of the more interesting data points today, because it wasn't just "I rowed." It was "I expected this to be a hard test after a deload, and it wasn't." Whether that's improved fitness, pacing, or something else is still an open question.

July 15, 2026

Day 6, deload, walk

Day 6, deload, walk is the last of the deload 6 day cycle. Was simply going to stay home, but I felt stiff and needed the motion. Nothing special, but I needed light and simple. Done and done.

Tomorrow, I start the next 6 day cycle, and the first of 12 6 day cycles to come. BUT, rather than do Weights, A, I'm going to do a 4x4 on the rower. Usually kills me. We'll see,

July 14, 2026

Day 5, deload, walk

Day 5, deload, walk is intended to be a recovery walk. What I discovered is that my quads are tired. So, instead of replicating the 2. mile experiment, I did the 'short' loop and came home. Tomorrow, a rest day. Might even sleep in ...

July 13, 2026

Day 4, deload, walk

Day 4, deload, walk, is just a 'simple' walk. Did mostly the same as 2 days ago, but my hr pattern is different. BG 125 vs. 2 days ago 60's. One point of proof.

July 12, 2026

Day 3, deload, row + 2x20 bench crunches

Day 3, deload, row, is an easy kinda short (31min) row. the bench crunches help keep my back feeling loose. Short, because I just wanted a rhythmic massage. Easy, because I can, w/o killing myself.

July 11, 2026

Day 2, deload, walk

Day 2, deload, walk.

I walked as easily as I would go. Had no interest in exerting myself or pressing to go harder.

Then, this walk happened. I am of the opinion (measured at 63) that my BG was low, and my muscles wanted more of the good stuff, so my heart et al upped the supply flow. If that theory is correct, I'm going to abuse the relationship.

Day 1, deload, walk

Day 1, deload, is intended to be just hard enuf so I notice I'm walking. Pretty sure my quads are grateful. And, no, I found it difficult to do less. Maybe tomorrow.

July 9, 2026

Day 6, row + 2x20 bench crunches

Day 6, row is a mostly recovery / partially mid-load work. Day 6 of this cycle means tomorrow is day 1 of a 6 day deload cycle. Light walks, maybe a shorter row, maybe even a day off. WhoodaThunk.

The 'next round' of 6 day work will swap out weights A, for a 4x4 Tabata session. That destroys me, so fully rested with 2 rest days to follow seems a reasonable exit / rentry path.

 

July 8, 2026

Day 5, walk

Day 5, walk, is a recovery day, and I need more of those. Approaching the last of the 12 cycle cycle sets. Next is a deload week, where we'll see just how little I can do.

July 7, 2026

Day 4, weights B

Day 4, weights B, is the lighter of the A/B split. Last weight sets until after the deload. For which, I'm grateful.

02_ was done, and should be, 6 (3+3) not 4 (2+2).
05_ should be 4 x 8, not 3x10.

There were no issues with the work.

July 6, 2026

Day 3, row

Day 3, row, is a recovery day. All I wanted was a long, slow stretch/flex/relax session. got it. Then, 2x20 bench crunches. Let the tracker run till past that. Spent 41min on the rower.

I'm really looking fwd to a deload week. Like to not feel tired every once in a while.

July 5, 2026

Day 2, walk

Day 2, walk, is a recovery day for weights A. I don't always feel the physical need for an easy walk, but when I do, it's obvious. from my knees to my butt, my legs are tired and need a recovery/rest. Here we are ...

Really looking fwd to a deload cycle. find out just how little i'm willing to do.

grok's opinion: Bottom line:

You’re doing the 80/20 (actually more like 90/10) of what works. The returns on additional “hacks” diminish fast at this age. Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s the right approach.

July 4, 2026

Day 1, weights A

Day 1, weights A, is the heavy exercise set for the 6 day cycle. Several of these went up by 1 set per exercise - from 3x10 to 4x8. More weight, easier reps. go figure.  Progress. 02_ went well. Add one more plate to each side. 04_ was better than last time, but Still subject to balance loss/wobble. WTF? The rest, relatively easy grind. Feel strong, balance at issue.

Note that this list is slightly lighter than the prior version. Also more amenable to adding another set or more weight

Duration was 36 minutes, up from the prior low-30s. I believe it's the additional sets leading to additional more rest times.

And, totally forgot the tracker. I can feel the friction lower as I slide thru being conscious. 24oz of coffee insufficient?

July 3, 2026

Day 6, row

Day 6, row, is many things. Mostly a recovery day. and: End of 6 day cycle; near end of 12 cycles cycle; wide range of work available; how much of me is left, before and after?

Experience tells me I care a lot more about how deeply I drain energy, than about how hard I train. Killing myself to live, indeed. Everything's a prediction.

July 2, 2026

Day 5, walk

Day 5, walk, is a recovery day. How I know? My quads were pissed off almost immediately. Didn't want to go. 80 degF at 8am might have been a reason. I think this is the first time, iirc, I've deliberately walked to the more shady parts of the area. Not a good nights sleep either. it's tough being me.

I'm in the 11th repetition of the 6 day cycle. One more to complete the 12, and then a deload week. Deload week: 6 days of easy row + easy walk only. No weights. Keep everything light and conversational. Focus on flushing, mobility, sleep, and food.

July 1, 2026

Day 4, weights B

Day 4, weights B is the lighter of the A/B split. Lighter does not mean easier.

Today is Day 4 of the 6 day cycle, weights B. Also, today is inside session 11 of 12, before I get a week off to deload.

Started the tracker way late. That's starting to be a well formed habitual mistake. Wonder if I'll fix it? My usual thought is "well, I did the work." Doesn't help with the discipline issue.

02_ at (16) w/ long flex handles worked . Decent form, kinda. Do it again, and I'll add a plate.

03_ at 10 plates worked ok.

For the next set list, split B, change the 3x10 sets, w/ 4x8 sets (01_, 02_, 06_, and 07). progression.