18 Dec -- ...have not started drafting anything for this month's reflection.
The chronic fatigue after Covid is REAL, like what many had told me! Another 13 days before the year draws to a close.
Looking through my training log since Jul and having came up with various intermediate markers along the way, I decided to add my final goal last month --
Complete 5000 pullups by 31 Dec 2022.
The one exercise I can say that has been the main impetus kick starting everything since Apr this year. And quite literally the "daily driver" in my workouts is - PULLUPS. A great compound exercise which is definitely one of the primary pillars of upper body calisthenics fundamentals. The other two being dips and pushups. However my own story with pullup and why its rather personal goes back for more than 40 years... but that's something for another time perhaps.
Looking good... from daily average to monthly tallies.
- Jul - 483 (kickoff month-- started with ~10-20 a day)... started with the fear of even mounting the damn bar and worrying not able to pull
- Aug - 1001 (progression was quick, went ballistic the first 1K/month target and probably overdid it... Strain injuries!)
- Sep - 570 ( took an "easy" month to recover from Golfer's Elbow)
- Oct - 1015 ( "back with a vengeance")
- Nov - 1390 ( Hyperdrive state, inclu. 535 L sit ChinUps and one ballistic wk with 3 days of 100+ reps)
Total head-over-the-bar = 4459 Pullups alone = 3924
Another 1076 shouldn't be too difficult right? Then it was COVID right after returning from the Paris trip earlier. The first 2 days was a bitch... Fever in 3.5 years and nothing can be done -- A total of 7 days in a row went by without a rep... and my zombified mind was in a suspended state.
By "conventional" wisdom, it's to stay away from any exercising... anyway, long story short-- Day 4, still positive but feeling "ok" by noon- hit the bar, raking in 22 pullups.
Slowly eased back in with some workouts over the next few days.
Everyone was telling me to take a break and have it easy. Of course I know they meant well. ...BUT I WAS ALREADY TAKING IT EASY . Totally vegetating away and getting de-railed at this juncture! No way.
Back to "adaptive training" once again. Just like the Golfer's Elbow episode, but instead of injury this time, its easing back into post infection recovery training.
After monitoring breathing, heart rate and fatigue level... the self "prescription" is longer rest interval with lowered volume and intensity than normal...
Looking at the daily log ... there is another 705 reps to hit the 5k goal... an average of 54-55 per day for the next consecutive 13 days! Quite a stretch even if all is well and good. Decided to carry on with the target but mentally, I already working out to forgo much of the other daily fundamental exercises this month to be realistic.
FOCUS! JUST ONE GOAL
...thus the hellish fortnight counting down to the end of the year began...
Recalling the entire month.. I realized that while the Golfer's Elbow was largely solved but in it's place came another kind of pain/ strain. This time on both elbow... it was hard to decipher at first what is which until the left elbow experience the same kind of strained feeling around Nov.
Having researched more-- this time I have it narrowed down to tendinosis. In my case it would definitely be from the repeated pulling action of daily pullups. Looking at the increasing daily numbers over the months, it wouldn't have helped either.
28 Dec 2022 Time to finish up-- and with 3 days to spare. Yep, in my usual state of anxiety over everything... The numbers were ramped up for pullups in the last 11 days. Total of 5000 and 5 done!
Time for re-evaluations and changes in training for 2023 in the next few days.