Health & Longevity

You live in a society that celebrates self-destructive behavior. This is my plan to fight against the stupidity. My goal is longevity and if I have to be socially excluded for working out on the playground or not owning a cellphone then it is worth it. Here is my obsession:

Mental & Physical Health Regimen

SLEEP
-no caffeine or stimulants ever (exacerbates my PVC’s anyways)
-no eating after 6pm most days
-exercise no later than four hours before bed
-red blue-blocking glasses at 8pm
-hot shower or warm face cleanse right before bed
-deep-breathing meditation right before bed (4s in nose, 8s out mouth)
-keep bedroom DARK, cool, and quiet
-don’t lay awake in bed for more than 15 minutes
-walk in the morning sunlight or a sunlamp
-books: Why We Sleep, Sleep Thieves, Summary

PHYSICAL
-Full body weight & mobility work 2-3x a week (2 days rest)
-3hrs of 57-63% max HR each week (run or bike) for mitochondria health
-3-8 hrs zone 1 (run or bike) each week for base miles
-VO2 max intervals once a week (4x4x4)
-Rotate: weighted rucking, neck training, animal flow
-no more BJJ ever (the life-long injuries are not worth it, (don’t even think about it!))
–yoga once a week
-no more bike commuting (broke thumb, fight, hit by car, everyone texts while driving)
-do NOT bike on the road, drivers don’t give a fuck about your life
-focus breathing through nose (not mouth!)
-sun hoodies, face sunscreen, & sunglasses 24/7
-bloodwork and injuries: link
-DAILY EXERCISE LOG: link

MOBILITY
-leg mobility 2 or 3 times a week
-upper body mobility 2 or 3 times a week
-backwards sled pulls and tibialis raises 3 times a week (knee health)
-full squats daily
-60 second hang daily
-read, eat, and sleep on the floor
-eccentrics or yoga routine daily when appropriate

NUTRITION
-protocols: my reasoning , Pesco-Mediterranean , & Denise Minger
-low fat, mostly vegan
-target 1:1 ratio for Omega 6 to 3
-make all meals from scratch every day
-two raw salads every day
-no eating after 6pm
-no processed sugar (including honey & syrups)
-no dairy
-no meat (sometimes fish “when in Rome”)
-no oils
-no gluten unless no other option available
-mimic Dale E Bredesen’s ReCODE protocol
-24 hour fast once a month (it just leads to binge eating)
-no binge eating, stop when you are content
-no over-eating for gains (risking an overweight future isn’t worth it)
-alcohol only on rare occasions, mixed with lecithin/antioxidants to protect liver
-quit all processed foods
-remove ALL junk food from house
-DENTAL = after every meal, brush, tongue scraper, floss, NO aligners

What do I eat? -> Longevity recipes

MENTAL
-socialize more, find others that prefer “boring” human connection above screen time
-at least 15 minutes outside daily no matter the weather
-ice-bath 4 minutes head above water & 1 min under water 3x a week
-no cell phone (on May 2023 I lived 1 year w/o a phone, now I have a dumb phone)
-no porn EVER
-quit YouTube and other sources of depressing world news (motivation)
-when stressed? deep breath, hold 4 seconds, exhale – repeat for 5 minutes (Quantum Body AND Spontaneous Happiness)
-find a tribe of like-minded friends (mycology? cycling? rucking? yoga? slacklining?)
-mindfulness when with family
-mindfulness has been proven to decrease stress levels and improve Alz. DO IT!
-learn a new language for brain health (latin names while foraging?)
-do more things that make you happy (how to choose?)
-seek PURPOSE, not happiness
-“I broke my personal health-rules to stay up late with friends and got terrible sleep, I’d do it again.” ~Peter Attia (don’t forget to live a little ;))
-“…creative expression is just as important for health as exercise, sleep, and nutrition” ~Project Unlonely
-read: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3459459/

Values
-Family
-Autonomy
-Health
-Resilience
-Nature
-Curiosity
-increase personal integrity by aligning my life with chosen values
-modern society entices us to forgo our values in exchange for shallow levels of entertainment (alcohol, social media, porn…) which creates constant background stressors which are antithetical to living a life of true contentment.

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Workout Goals

Start calisthenics – COMPLETED 4/18/2017
Pistol squat – COMPLETED 7/12/2017
One arm pushup – COMPLETED 7/15/2017
Kipping muscle up – COMPLETED 8/29/17
Back lever – not complete
Front lever – not complete (5 second with 1 leg tucked 9/7/18)
Strict muscle up – COMPLETED 9/3/18 (was very close by 6/16/18)
Max kipping muscle ups – 20 without touching ground on 11/28/24
Bent Arm Planch – not complete (tucked B.A.P. for 5 seconds 10/9/18)
Handstand pushup – COMPLETED 11/5/24 (2 x head to floor)
Freestanding handstand pushup – not complete
One arm pull up – not complete (chin to bar on 8/27/2018, unable to repeat)
Planch – not complete
Flag – not complete

200 lbs bench – COMPLETED 10/17/2019 (body weight = 165 lbs)
250 lbs bench – not complete
80 lbs shoulder press – not complete
twice bodyweight deadlift (340 lbs) – not complete (295-9/15/25, 325-12/1/25)

Start cycling – COMPLETED 8/11/2009 (Bikepacked the North Shore)
100 mile bike ride – COMPLETED 7/13/2012
200 mile bike ride – not complete
>300 FTP – not complete (FTP 281 on 5/10/2019)
26.2 mile run – COMPLETED 11/29/2021
2.4 mile swim – not complete
Sprint Triathlon – COMPLETED 6/21/2013
Half Ironman Triathlon – not complete
Ironman Triathlon – not complete

Forward fold palms to floor – COMPLETED 8/5/2023
Low bridge rotation – not complete
Handstand – COMPLETED 11/8/24 (13sec, 9sec on 9/17/18, every workout 4/4/25)
Bridge rotation – not complete
Pancake – not complete
Dragon squat – not complete

HEALTH JOURNAL

10/11/25

Woot! Second place at the Crossfit Kota Hyrox tournament. My wife convinced me to do it. I was reluctant… mostly because I hyper-obsess about any competition that I enter, and it becomes very stressful and time consuming. I also always over-do it, get injured, etc. I did a practice run, solo, 3 weeks ago and my time was 59:32. After doing race-specific training for 3 weeks I got a time of 57:31. (apparently the practice course was 50m shorter too). At first, I had regretted doing a hard VO2 max day (4x4x4) on Wednesday but having two days off plus a massage gun on Friday (race was Sat) ended with me feeling pretty great. Perhaps I shouldn’t go so hard next time though as I entered Friday with a lot of pain in my legs.

The better news is that my elbow is almost fully healed! The stretches and weight work listed below has really helped! I hope to start working on handstands again soon!

8/26/25

Damnit! I am so sick of this tennis elbow. It has gotten MUCH better but I have been pushing my workouts lately and it still has a sting with certain movements. READ THIS:

Link: https://stevenlow.org/overcoming-tendonitis/

• If you worked through pain/stiffness for 3+ months you are at higher risk of degenerative changes which is why you have to STOP the offending exercises.
• It is important to understand that most tendons, even if they are in a degenerative state, can be rehabbed to be able to perform at a high level of performance with no pain or dysfunction.
• If you have sore joints or tendons that are starting to become sore, this is your body letting you know that you should back off from exercise. This indicates that those body parts are under excessive volume or repetitive strain that you cannot recover from.
• No one should be really worried about degenerative tendinopathy unless they have been training through the pain for months or years. Most cases building load tolerance is going to help to get the reactive to dysrepair range to improve back to normal.
• Pain — You may have heard that you shouldn’t push through painful exercises as pain is bad. This is false. The reality is that you shouldn’t push through aggravating exercises.
• Some exercises during the rehabilitation process may be painful, but they yield a positive result over the course of the next few sessions. These painful exercises are positive to the rehabilitation process. On the other hand, non-painful exercises may aggravate the tendon and lead toward more degeneration.
• I tend to suggest painful rehabilitative exercises be only performed under qualified medical professional treatment. Do so at your own risk.
• Chronic pain is considered a nervous system sensitivity issue and is not a death sentence like it was in the past. (good reading on solving chronic pain)
• Start bent arm, but straight arm is better: wrist curls, DB hammer pronation/supination, finger rolls / finger curls – 3x a week
• Stretch: https://www.instagram.com/p/CglBrBpDSXs/

May 22, 2025

Ok, my workout regime, sleep, and nutrition need a huge fucking organization. After finishing a recent cycling block, riding a century, and keeping up with some very fast (much stronger) riders I decided to take a long week off of everything aside from commuting. I worked late one night, stayed up late, ate an entire bag of cassava chips, watched a movie, and woke up the next morning feeling like absolute shit. Rules:

WINTER – Lifting is priority. Cycling is zone 2 and as many miles as possible. That way this allows me to keep the hardest part of cycling (time in the saddle) in check while avoiding recovery issues for lifting.

SPRING/SUMMER – Lifting is still priority. UNLESS I have a big cycling event planned which will simply require a 6-8 week block to get back into “finishing-fitness”. I had no problem riding a century or keeping up with fast roadies on my gravel bike which is all I want these days.

LIFTING – Pick ONE lift and focus on it for a block (6-10 weeks). Let’s start with your long forgotten deadlift. Max lift needs to be double body weight!

CYCLING – Focus on zone 2. Wednesdays are hard group rides which will replace a HIIT day. 4x4x4 Vo2 max intervals once a week OR squat sprints.

SLEEPING – For fucks sake, just because the kids are sleeping well doesn’t mean you can stay up late. NO BIKING TO PK. NO EATING 2 HRS BEFORE BED. NO MOVIES BEFORE BED (graphic novels if you must). NO TAKING MELATONIN OR SLEEP AIDS. When you do any of these things you wake up with a headache, feeling like shit, angry at the kids, and have no motivation for eating healthy.

NUTRITION – I finally teased out the problem. Wayyy too much fat. Stopping eating fried fats, eat more whole grains as a filler, do not eat nuts unless in a homemade dressing. Focus on hitting EPA and DHA levels daily. OH AND NO CAFFEINE EVER! Don’t give yourself a month of PVC’s again.

April 4, 2025

Ok. I just hit my max weighted pullup. +140 lbs dead hang to hand touch chin. I have been feeling amazing. It’s time for some goals:

-Freestanding handstand pushup
-Double body weight deadlift
-Bike 200 miles in one day (The new bike should help ^)
-AND… repeat a one arm pullup

Am I going to die? Probably. When ever I am feeling this great I ALWAYS go too hard, get injured, and then have to start at the beginning. So I CAN’T FUCK THIS UP. I just want to have fun, get strong, hit some goals, and be healthy. This is probably my last chance to attain a second OAP. I HAVE TO TAKE IT SLOW.

Edit: My focus is going to be the double century ride. I started working the one arm pullup and already felt like I was destroying my shoulder even taking it easy. Deadlifts coincide with the long ride, and I am close to the free standing handstand pushups so I’m going to keep shooting for it. But 200mile bike will be my main goal.

In preparation for this I was imagining all of my past century rides. I looked up one of them in my Strava history. It was the best I ever felt during a century ride, and I assumed it was 5 or 6 years ago. NOPE!!! 12 fucking years ago! Jeese, I am old.

February 16, 2025

This is absolutely unheard of. My aphasia is gone. This last year has been incredibly stressful because many times a day I would be unable to remember a word (especially names). But, last week I noticed it wasn’t happening so much and yesterday at work there wasn’t a single time that I “lost” a word. In fact, I quickly came up with MULTIPLE coworker’s names which has literally never happened to me. What changed? The only immediate things that come to mind: I went from high-fat low-carb to low-fat high-carb (grains, fruits, etc) two weeks ago, I have been drinking the super green smoothie every morning for a month, stopped using salt four weeks ago, started religiously taking B12 and vitamin D every morning, sleep didn’t change, stress didn’t change, exercise didn’t change, is this just a fluke?

February 12, 2025

I got my bloodwork back and LDL levels have risen since leaving veganism two years ago. Even though I went from a crappy highly processed vegan diet to a “clean” whole foods make-everything-from-scratch diet with fish as the only meat source (and sometimes a few bites of my kid’s food) all of my bloodwork was WORSE. So I am going back to strict veganism for a year to see if my bloodwork gets better. That should finally settle my personal debate. However, now I will be mostly eating whole food vegan diet. No processed oils, no processed sugars, and NO SALT. I’ve noticed my word recall has been incredible lately, like what happened when I did Michelle’s diet last year. I realized it coincided with starting veganism two weeks ago. Placebo? Probably. But I have been eating WAY less fats (olive oil, nuts) in exchange for more grains and fruits (no gluten). We will see!

December 1st, 2024

Lately I have been consuming a lot of peanut butter, grains, and fish although I have been quite strict on not eating after 5pm. I keep rotating between weird diet rules trying to find the optimal one for me. A few months ago, when I was doing Michelle’s allergy diet (very strictly) my memory was flawless! I could recall anything and everything I wanted. For the first time in years, I felt like I may not have early onset Alzheimer’s after all. But these past two months I went slack on what I was eating, even consuming some processed meats that my kid’s left on their plates, and I have just had the worst brain fog. I want to go back.

After fasting during Thanksgiving I binged on some junk food the next day and realized I need to STOP fasting. My only focus needs to be not eating processed foods (and binging) because it gives me painful stomach issues for hours (just for that few minutes of taste on my lips). Fuck that, I need to get a sustainable diet. Michelle’s allergy diet is likely too strict to sustain forever so I am considering the MIND diet or just going back to being mostly vegan (“How Not To Age” is slowly convincing me of this.)

Also, I plan to take a full fast from the internet again. I was just soooo damn happy! I want that back.

November 8th, 2024

Can you feel it!? After following this routine for ONE workout I nailed my first 10second handstand. I held it for 13seconds with legs scissored. Keeping 1 foot low really helps to not over-throw my legs backwards. I also give credit to the work I’ve been doing with handstand pushups (strength) and forward folds (hamstring flexibility). Man does it feel great!

November 5th, 2024

Damn do I feel fucking GREAT! I just nailed my first handstand pushups against the wall, TWO in a row… Since doing my 3 day fast a few weeks ago (it was insane) my mornings start with a decaf coffee and a leafy vegetable smoothie. Workout mornings I add a bit of matcha. Almost 100% of my food is handmade from scratch. I stop eating and drinking water at 5 and have zero cravings which helps me sleep like maaaad. Started doing some yoga classes and just trying to mix up all of my workouts to be great at EVERYTHING. I’ve even been reaching out to friends for that mental boost, started a mycology club, and am hoping to get a slack line club started too!

You know what the biggest driver was? My 40 day fast from the internet. We blow so much time staring at a screen and when I got that time back, I realized how much more I could be doing with my life. Ahhhhh, I feel good 🙂

July 19th, 2024

Yuck. Scrolling through my latest journal entries and I realized the only thing I ever talk about here lately is my stupid heart. Let’s change that. This summer has been crazy for mushroom hunting so like 90% of my free-time has been spent hiking, doing microscopy, and submitting my observations online. However, I’ve been getting mentally burnt out from it and recently picked up a new heavy bag. My goal is to focus on my stand-up game, leg mobility, and just overall AVOID INJURIES.

Nutrition has been AMAZING. I feel like it has been just over a year of suffering through different extreme diets to change my habits and I am finally reaping the rewards!!! No eating after 5pm has become incredibly easy and I assume will stay forever because I sleep so much better. No processed junk or sugar has also been quite easy lately. My oldest recently made this weird alien cookie from a cookbook and I had one… instead of saying “fuck it, I ruined my diet for the day I’m going to eat a whole pan of them” I was perfectly content just eating one. I’m winning 🙂

May 30th, 2024

Well I went a solid month or so without PVC’s then they, of course, came back after a few late nights of hanging out with some friends that were visiting. I beat the treadmill again at the Cardiologist. They said it didn’t go any faster so we didn’t find my Max HR like I asked. BUT, earlier I was told I needed to go on beta blockers because that is the “protocol”. Fuck you guys. I mean, thank you for doing what you do but, come on. I’m not some 70y/o obese guy waiting to die. Heart is currently back to normal. Let’s see how long that lasts. Maybe all the wild edibles will keep my heart young and healthy, haha.

March 24th, 2024
It’s almost like clockwork. I began to feel a couple of PVC’s yesterday and today. We will see… I’ve noticed only one or two skipped beats each day until 3/28/24 after I finished a bike ride of 40minutes @ 135bpm. A few hours later and I have chest fluttering with measurable skipped beats on my pulse.

February 23rd, 2024
Ok… PVC’s disappeared 4 days ago. It was a slow decline over 5ish days where I felt good and then they would come back for a few minutes. One morning, before my pvc’s disappeared, I rolled nine 6 minute rounds and that evening my heartbeat hit 25 bpm. I felt like absolute shit. But now they appear to be 100% gone.

January 22nd, 2024
Wierd. My PVC’s came back my first morning back at BJJ during warmup front rolls. I got so dizzy I almost passed out. I rolled hard and felt great (although the day after I feel like I got ran over by a train). Two days later I haven’t felt chest fluttering at all until noon when I was jumping on the trainer. I only felt one skipped beat but then felt normal while on the trainer. Perhaps my body was over-taxed from jumping back into BJJ so hard?….

Nope, since January 27th my PVC’s are back in full force. Three normal beats and then a PVC almost constantly (but not regularly). Last time it took roughly 4 weeks for my heart to return back to normal. Let’s see what happens this time around.

Back to doing BJJ! That is me in the lavender gi ;). Goals: #1 don’t get injured. #2 don’t fucking get injured. That is it. I’m going to consider a new weight program for a bit. Reps no higher than 3 for my target exercise and only once a week. It has to be HEAVY! See what happens!

January 15th, 2024
Great start to the new year: my PVC’s are gone, my shoulder feels great, my knees feel great, finally getting more sleep with the kids, and I am mostly back on my original nutrition plan (no meat, dairy, gluten, or processed sugars). In fact, today was my first day of attempting BJJ again. Yes, in my list of rules it says “NO BJJ EVER. THE LIFE LONG INJURIES ARE NOT WORTH IT”. But you know what? Every single fucking sport that I do has injured me within the last two years. I’ve almost DIED multiple times while cycling and two months ago I was ACTUALLY hit by a car… A switch went off in my head when I started watching the Netflix show “poisoned” which talked about how American food is all tainted and we could randomly die eating it. Combine that with my random case of frequent PVC’s and I realized that it is pointless to attempt to avoid everything that might severely injure me.

So what does it all mean? This year biking has proven itself far more dangerous than BJJ. I broke my thumb, I got hit by a car, and almost died at an intersection when car made a random right turn. Cars are rarely held accountable for the death of a cyclist. So commuting is out. Maybe I will still ride into the boondocks or on a bike trail with friends but no more open roads for a while. As for my other hobbies?

Calisthenics = yes. less reps, more rest between sets, easier on joints
Mobility = yes. don’t push too hard looking for quick gains
Bike trainer = yes.
Hiking = yes. mushroom hunting, duh.
Running = yes. keep doing “knee-over-toes” routine to protect knees
Weightlifting = yes? need to actually buy weights. great for longevity
Crossfit = no? expensive. pushes me to do high reps and dangerous lifts
Climbing = retired. you never thought about it the way you did BJJ for the past 2 years
BJJ = yes????? because you can’t find the people you seek with the above sports

December 26, 2023
Had a freak shoulder pain a few days ago (did shoulder rehab + 20×3 pushups, bike an hour, then ran with kids at park). Physio therapist said 20×3 was way too much. If I’m going to be doing higher reps or weight I need 2-3 minute rest in between. She said that I should slowly build back up to muscleups and should not expect full recovery for another 2-3 months. REST! DON’T GO CRAZY ON REPS OR WEIGHT! Go slow, think long term. Start with assisted muscle ups, then 3 sets of 1, then 5 sets of 2, with 2-3 minute rests inbetween!

December 12, 2023
MY PVC’s ARE GONE!!!! On Saturday 12/9/23 I finally recieved my home EKG and had a rough morning (see photo below). I had some chest fluttering the next morning on 12/10/23 and then finished work that day confused that I hadn’t felt SOB. The last two days I have had zero symptoms and my ekg’s have been perfectly normal.

I have no idea what I did different? My sleep was a little better (chewy,melo,mag), I was completely recovered from all illnesses, and I had come to terms with needing a betablocker so I wasn’t stressing about it and I was eating near perfect again. This is great!!!

Today at my shoulder physio I told her I was having a hard time with shoulder-dislocates using a bar. Going back was easy but coming up and forward hurt bad. She gave me these techniques:

-lay on back on ground, head facing door, pull band from above head with arms straight and hold perpendicular to the ground 10seconds x 10 reps. Arms were shaking. It was hard.
-stand with shoulder against wall, back 45* from wall, upper arm parralel to the ground, elbow bent at 90*, use other hand to push down and hold stretch. Give resistance on the way back up DO THIS DAILY!!!

December 6th, 2023
My shoulders are almost pain free! The physiotherapist said I will probably be back to 100% by March/April. She has been awesome. Recent techniques to add to my exercise list:

-Stand facing wall with weighted ball in hand. Tap the wall with it while moving hand up and over hand like a clock.
-When doing pushups DO NOT go negative which means chest won’t touch the floor.
-Use a light band to connect wrists, then with hands facing out to the sides do a seal walk with arms while dragging feet on sliders behind you (pushup position).
-Hang, shoulder squeezes like bending the bar above you. Do not go into hollow hold.
-Use a heavy band to support pullups. Pull up quick then drop slowly. This works GREAT for burning out biceps without hurting shoulders much!

November 28th, 2023

My PVC’s are still here. On 11-27-23 I woke up and went 60sec with no PVCs. Later that day I went on the trainer for 1 hour and again measured 60sec no PVCs, HR was 120bpm. But today I feel like I can’t catch my breath and have a continuous chest flutter. When I feel my heart beats they are so random that it is nearly impossible to count. I also read the following: “their […] agonism at serotonergic receptors should be considered in the context of possible serotonin-related cardiotoxicity (5-HT2A/2B and 5-HT4 receptors), influence on platelet aggregation (5-HT2A receptor), and their proarrhythmic potential.” So my goal right now is to see the cardiologist and try going a year without any known contributers to PVC’s (cocao, caffeine, alcohol, sugar, etc…). If that doesn’t work I guess I’m gonna go get depressed and fat taking beta blockers. FUCK ME.

November 14th, 2023

My frequent PVC’s are back. Fuck. They started three days ago now and, unlike in 2020, I noticed them even while sitting on my bike (three months ago riding home from work, and now). Nothing seems to make it better or worse. They are just always there. This is fucking with my head. I’ve dedicated my life to health and fitness and here I am in my mid 30’s with a heart problem. In Oct-Nov of 2020 my cardiologist recommended a heart medication which I declined because it had the potential to increase depression, lower my libido, and make me gain weight. I concluded that it would be safer for me to deal with the PVC’s than the above. Did I mention that I BEAT their EKG test? As they were trying to find my max HR the tech looks at me and says “the treadmill doesn’t go any faster… I guess this is the end?” HAHAHAHA! Damn did that make me feel proud AF. (See the journal entry, estimated max HR was 196). The PVC’s eventually disappeared until now. I think it might be stress (screaming children, no sleep, etc) I’m going all in on this hypothesis. If I don’t get better in two weeks I’m going back to the cardiologist.

Also never thought I would say this but I’m done commuting for a while. I got hit by a car a few weeks ago and combine that with my broken thumb, getting in a fight with a car, and sleep deprivation from my kids and I’m just done riding outside for a while. I picked up this loud as trainer and am trying to ride 5hrs a week now. (it’s set up infront of my computer and I’m riding as I type).

Next up is my shoulder. WHICH IS FEELING AMAZING! My therapist is great. Here is what she has me doing in case this ever happens again in the future:

October 20th, 2023
Met with a physical therapist and discussed a new strengthening routine for my shoulder. It still hurts. My plan is no lifting until 100% feeling better.

October 9th, 2023
Corticosteroid injection in my right shoulder on Oct 5th. No using it for at least 2 days. No hot baths and ice daily. Pure regret, maybe it will help my recovery but after reading longterm side effects (AFTER THE SHOT!) I wish I would have just put my head down and worked harder at healing my shoulder without the need for medicine.

October 3rd, 2023
Well I finally learned from my mistakes. I hurt something in my wrist 4 weeks ago and decided to completely stop all upper body work. In fact, I took the last two weeks off of EVERYTHING. Between my wrist, throwing out my back from cleaning chicken of the woods, and my fucked up shoulder I just needed a break. I decided to get an MRI of my should and I received the following diagnosis:

IMPRESSION:
1. Mild acromioclavicular degenerative changes.
2. Biceps tenosynovitis.
3. Mild subacromial subdeltoid bursitis.
4. Supraspinatus tendinopathy without a convincing supraspinatus tendon tear.
5. If high clinical concern for labral tear, MR arthrogram may provide additional diagnostic value.

Yikes. I’m going to start focusing on running, vo2max, rucking, lower body mobility, light upper body mobility, and possibly a few arm exercises that don’t use the shoulder. The chiropractor gave me two good exercises for my glutes:

One leg on table, knee center of body, hips square, same side hand on table, reach forward with other hand (don’t just bend back). Next is to hold onto sink with one foot back, hands close, lean but back, keep from leg straight, stretch hamstrings and pretty much everything.

For bum shoulder, here are two easy workouts: squeeze shoulderblades back and down “into your pockets”. Do this 10 times, 3 sets (bob & brad say everyday). Next is stand by a table, push down with your hand, arm straight, walk backwards while pushing down until all the way past head. Also do this one daily.

STOP USING THE COMPUTER! Hurts shoulders.

Upper Body (FIXING SHOULDER)
1. arm-tracers on wall?
1. bicep curls (5×5 @ 40lbs on 10/10/23)
1. shoulder dislocates with band?
2. triangle back stretch
2. tricep band pulldowns (still have golfers elbow)
2. 30 second hang?
2. supermans GO HARD
3. standing back extensions straight leg
3. elbows on bench, bar over head?
3. chest squeeze
3. weighted shoulder shrugs?
4. (see above) shoulder moves

ADD: bottom up kettlebell press, 360 body rotation from single arm hang, swinging from arms

Leg Day
1. weighted tibialis raises (alternative – stand against wall, back NOT touching, hands on quads, feet 2 feet in front, flex quad, left toes)
1. backwards walk/sled pulls
1. nerve floss
2.*^ long lunge (goal, keep hips close to ground, glute squeezes, leg straightish, no knee touch ground, slow 5 up/down x2 or hold 30s x2)
2. backwards heel touches
2. midline glute stretch from chiropractor
3.* (WARMED UP) weighted jefferson curls
3.*^ reverse nordics (alternative, couch stretch against wall)
3. calf stretches
4.* pistol squats (or deadlifts @ 265lbs x 3 …8/25/23)

Vo2Max
4 reps of 4min on x 3min off: Vest + 20lbs kettle bell + 10 incline (speed 45)

August 17, 2023
I’m going ALL IN on the full bridge and forward fold. Notes…

Each week your focused muscles should receive 5 minutes of hard active stretching:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v53qrmawvOo

Incredible list of back bend resources:
https://www.reddit.com/r/flexibility/comments/6e57x8/a_year_of_backbend_progress/

Best exercises:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7aKjSk67vU

FULL BRIDGE ROUTINE:
1. arm-tracers on wall
1.* weighted pullups (+50lbs x 6reps on 8/24/23)
1. shoulder dislocates with bar
1. stretched shoulder press with 20 lbs (weighted once shoulder heals)
2. triangle back stretch
2.* pullovers laying on bench with 10 lbs
2. 30 second hang
2.* supermans GO HARD
3. standing back extensions straight leg (measure)
3.* backbridge GO HARD (5 ups into 30sec hold)
3. elbows on bench, bar over head

FORWARD FOLD ROUTINE:
1. weighted tibialis raises
1. backwards walk/sled pulls
1. nerve floss
2.*^ long lunge (goal, keep hips close to ground, glute squeezes, leg straightish)
2. backwards heel touches
2. toes to head
3.* (WARMED UP) weighted jefferson curls
3.*^ reverse nordics (alternative, couch stretch against wall)
3. calf stretches
4.* pistol squats (or deadlifts @ 265lbs x 3 …8/25/23)

August 5, 2023

I am quitting intermittent fasting. I hated that I would over-eat in preparation for my fast so that I wouldn’t have to endure hunger pangs near bedtime. I did some reading and it turns out this is just one of the many signs I have of disordered eating habits. Yikes. I first started to second guess the negative effects after watching an interview with the longevity doctor Peter Attia (https://youtu.be/N9u_uyb6K1Q). I put his words in the back of my mind and realized the following three days that I was overeating (albeit, very nutritious and unprocessed meals). It was so bad at work one day that I decided to dive deep and found great information like this: https://www.phillyvoice.com/intermittent-fasting-diet-overeating-binge-eating-disorder/

Currently my plan is to eat any unprocessed food I want up to 4pm then only vegetables and nuts as needed until 6pm. This will free up my mornings from always worrying about getting enough calories. After reading this research study: https://easenutritiontherapy.com/minnesota-starvation-experiment/ I decided I must let myself it whatever and whenever I want. The goal is to make known healthy foods (like vegetables) incredibly tasty so that I choose them over empty calories. But, while I get back on track I give myself zero restrictions and if I want to choose healthy meal it is because I WANT to, not because I’m forcing myself to. I also plan to follow the rule of no distracted eating (eating while reading a book) and the rule of putting my fork down between every bite to prevent over-eating. Ironically the catalyst to these new ideas was actually a stomach bug that caused me significant pain which I originally assumed was due to over-eating. The next night my middle child started vomiting all over and I was vindicated! So fortunately I do still have some self-control (yay! haha) but after reading some of the research I am completely rethinking my definition of healthy eating.

Also, forward fold palms on the floor!!! My knees felt 100% locked back but doesn’t look like it in this photo. Hmmmm….

July 26, 2023

Three nights of great sleep combined with 3 days of fasting after 5pm AND a no-processed food diet = incredible workout. FINALLY, I have just been feeling like crap during my workouts even with caffeine. But this morning it was 90*F, I had all 3 kids, and I crushed that shit hard. Felt great. Headache is gone and SOB is gone too which had me worried the last two weeks. I surprisingly don’t have any sugar withdrawal yet and only minimal cravings when I am helping the kids with their food. Start working on Knee Over Toes Beginner routing: https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/knees-over-toes-guy-workout

Also, Cronometer says I am deficient in calcium almost everyday! FIX THIS. Ca-AKG?

July 22, 2023

Music for the mind:
Spacy – https://youtu.be/ICmWwxaTmB8
Dance – https://youtu.be/3KbmoqMhmeE
Vocal – https://youtu.be/Z5IJhiiogYE
Relax – https://youtu.be/uegl-yzC94w

F’ forgot date. June?

Lets just call this my injury journal. HAHA! I was at the playground with my boys and attempted a muscleup on the swingset with my weight vest on. I did it!!!! I then felt so great that I repeated it 9 more times. I gave myself golfers elbow. Yay me! I’m never going to learn my lesson. Turns out the injury was actually caused by overcompensation in the elbow because my right shoulder was bad. Anyways, rehabbing that plus added in a bunch of new stuff:

I got some inspiration from Knee Over Toes Guy, Leon Hendrix, and Bryan Johnson.

KNEES
-Backwards walk the block every other day.
-Backwards jog up stairs
-Backwards sled pulls
-Knees to ground, hands to heels
SHOULDERS
-stand back to wall, hands from waist to overhead while constantly touching thumb on wall
-band behind back, stretch arms back then touch in front of body
-band in front with arms out to sides, twist hands up to stretch band
-bar front at waist, swing around to back at butt
-backwards pushups (once shoulder heals)
SLEEP
-in bed by 10pm
-15min mind prep before laying down
-9pm orange glasses
-no eating after 5pm which helps with weight gain due to calorie restriction, upset stomach in the mornings, staying asleep due to bloodsugar levels, I won’t be eating late in the day which is when I am weakest to saying no to junk food, and I will be more excited to go to bed so I can wake up and eat haha

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May 27th, 2023

Yikes, my backbridge needs a lot of work!

My wife tried convincing me to do crossfit with her for many years and her hard-work finally paid off. Today was my 3rd(?) Murph: 1mile run, 100pullups, 200pushups, 300squats, 1mile run all with a weight vest on.

2023 Murph time was 46:36

Apparently my pushups were “questionable” so I can’t count this as an official time. Next year I’ll have a person calling no reps and see what I can do! Thumb is feeling good, still looks all weird and I can’t extend it backwards but pullups are great!

Also, fuck Strava. After getting rid of my phone I realized how fucking stupid Strava is. Don’t get me wrong, on 150 mile adventure ride I think it is super cool to see a map with elevation and speed statistics. But seriously, just ride your bike. I quit Strava but left my profile for SEO gains.

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February 20th, 2023

Four days ago I wrote: “Injuries NO MORE!” …fuck.

With all this extra time sitting on my bike trainer I’ve built a gameplan for when I heal up. I realized that biking for the purpose of biking doesn’t gain me anything. I no longer race so I don’t need to be fast. I just want to ride relaxed centuries or go exploring on my bike a few times alongside my daily 15 mile commute. I do however yearn for incredible mobility gains and have really been enjoying yoga. So:

My new weekly routine:
Commute to work via bike every day
Consecutive 2 hour bike ride once a week
Forward fold stretches 4 times a week
Hip mobility every calisthenic session
Shoulder mobility every calisthenic session
Calisthenics 2-3 times a week
Sprint workout once a week

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February 16th, 2023

Injuries NO MORE! My goals this year are to increase my hip & hamstring mobility to hopefully lower my back & knee injuries. While I’m at it I plan to “bullet proof” my shoulders so I can finally pull off perfect handstands. Here are a few videos that helped inspire me to start doing yoga and mix shit up:

Video 1: “stop doing pushups” (do backwards pushups instead)
https://youtu.be/RdCmHurCBwM

Video 2: Strength Side – hamstrings
https://youtu.be/RCtMzDjL_Bo

Video 3: hilarious video about knee pain
https://youtu.be/WAuPlk_2naI

I’ve also been slacking on my sleep routine and want to improve it before the new baby arrives. I prefer no medicine/supplements but recently found an interesting discussion summed up here: “Huberman’s Sleep Cocktail: Magnesium L-Threonate 300-400mg Apigenin 50mg L-Theanine 100-400mg.” It interests me because Huberman talked about how it affects people with night terrors (something that I have endured since I was a child). He said be careful, it makes dreams more vivid, but he “likes it”. Haha. My awesome job has just one downfall, I work later than I usually go to sleep so it has pushed my ability to fall asleep later into the evening. Perhaps this will help?

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September 23rd, 2022

It seems as though I only update my fitness log when I have an injury. Damnit! I hurt my back very bad again (or re-injured my past BJJ injury). The low part of my back has a low throbbing pain that is worse in the morning (especially when sitting) but gets better as the day goes on. If I try to lift anything heavy it feels like my back will snap. I did it during a workout: 10x [three ring muscle ups then two 260lbs deadlifts]. The ironic part is I have recently been training solely to avoid injury… in other words, for long term health. Freezing cold showers every morning, not over-eating to bulk, stretching, etc. But then my ego got the best of me.

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May 6th, 2022

I’m going to say this again: fuck you South Dakota. I hate the wind and don’t want to bike anymore. That is all.

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February 13th, 2022

Enough of this running crap. I decided to do a marathon in November after I read “Exercised” where the author discussed the Tarahumara runners and the fact that they don’t workout or train for their ultra runs. They just do it.

So how did it go!? HORRIBLE. It was a nightmare. I stopped to urinate like 85 times and around mile 18 my body decided that it no longer wanted to run. I pushed, I pushed, and I pushed some more until I realized that if I didn’t pick up the pace I was gonna be running all night. But I made it. A bit of an injured foot and some knee pain and I can honestly say that I can’t fathom ever doing that to my body again.

So I am back to calisthenics (even popping a bit of creatine). My wife has me dropping into crossfit classes too so I’m seeing some quick gains. However, I have a goal (and many future ideas!) of starting yoga and learning some of the more advance movements. I’m so psyched!

April 19th, 2021

It is now MONTH EIGHT of me enduring tennis elbow!!! Last year I wanted to complete another 1 arm chinup, went too hard, then was stupid enough to try training through it (my job definitely didn’t help the healing process). I spent the ENTIRE winter resting from upper body workouts. But… I become pretty obsessed with cycling.

I yearned for a powermeter to train with TRAINERROAD (again) but I am sooo happy that I didn’t invest in one. In fact, I didn’t use ANY technology during my rides except a timer. Call me a retro grouch but using Rate of Percieved Exertion for all of my training was AWESOME. It was FREEING!!!! I followed the century program from “Time Crunched Cyclist” which gave me something to think about when it was -20*F outside. Oh, did I forget to mention that I didn’t even use an indoor trainer?

Another thing I learned while enduring this retro training program is that fun = faster. My prime cycling fitness in my early 20’s didn’t come from a training regime. I simply rode my bike all week long for many hours at a time because I loved it! I had an incredible cardio base because I was always pedaling my damn bike. So I have reverted to the simplest program possible: just ride. After my 8 week peak I went out and CRUSHED a bunch of my old Strava records and snagged some new KOMs. This proves that you DON’T need to train with power to get faster and DAMN was that fun! I am not going to be chasing prize money in a cat 2 race any time soon so all I do is have fun pedaling while chasing down people on the local bike trail or seeing how fast I can ride into a 30mph headwind (haha, fuck you South Dakota).

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Want to see how it all began?

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