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Get Fit, Stay Fit, Feel Good - 2026

Got in lower body day yesterday and man it was a pain literally but it felt good to get it out. With so many breaks lately in teh gym routine not moving up as fast as I was initially so probably after mid october I should start seeing some weight gains again. Today is an off day so will probably just work the core stuff and then Thursday its back to upper body.

While in Europe it was just a lot of walking sightseeing and such. Not so much right after meals but did walk to dinner quite a bit as its a small town and the hotel was centrally located so it was easier just to walk. Then after carousing for a few hours during and after dinner we walked back to hotel. Still not sure I am totally over the lag but I get to do it again in about 2 weeks but this time I am ponying up for some good Bose noise cancelling headphones so hopefully I can get some better shut eye on the plane.
 
Got SOLID 2 hour upper body in today. Feeling the blood running through the bod saying "you done good".
Hit my goal in bench press too. New max of 295. Woot woot! 280 triple was easy and I decided to take a moment of extra rest and give it a go. Solid rep and a smile was had... and a second rep was a total fail. :laughing

Off to ride for 3 days and then Monday AM is the first new training session.

Progress feels good.
 
budman said:
Got SOLID 2 hour upper body in today. Feeling the blood running through the bod saying "you done good".
Hit my goal in bench press too. New max of 295. Woot woot! 280 triple was easy and I decided to take a moment of extra rest and give it a go. Solid rep and a smile was had... and a second rep was a total fail. :laughing

Off to ride for 3 days and then Monday AM is the first new training session.

Progress feels good.
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Fuck yeah! Pushing weight bud!
 
Well fuck. Hit the gym last night really wasn't feeling it but stuck it out and was actually pretty shocked at how easy some of the weight was going up. Got done with the upper routine and then decided to go upstairs and work on the abs. I got down and started doing some normal situps and looked in the mirror and saw this weird vertical ridge right in the middle of my stomach on the way up on the situp. I will admit I freaked out quite a bit. It went away when I got back to the flat resting position but now I am worried I might have a hernia even though all I read on the internet shows it as not really going away so it should always be there but whatever I have goes away when I am not doing the situp. Made an appointment with my PC for next week to see what it is but not sure I want to hit the gym again until I know for sure. Fucking Hell why is it every time I start to make good progress something always seems to go sideways.
 
Google AI agrees that it is likely not a hernia...interested to see what your PC says

That visual—a distinct vertical ridge appearing along the midline of the abdomen during a situp and disappearing when lying flat—is very characteristic and frequently freaks people out, but it usually isn't a hernia.

What your friend is describing is almost certainly diastasis recti (sometimes called abdominal doming or coning), not a typical abdominal hernia.

What’s Happening​

  • Diastasis Recti (Abdominal Separation): The "six-pack" muscle (rectus abdominis) consists of two parallel bands joined down the middle by a band of connective tissue called the linea alba. Under heavy exertion, intra-abdominal pressure pushes forward against this connective tissue. If the tissue is stretched or lax, the abdominal contents bulge forward creating a vertical ridge along the midline during flexed movements (like situps or crunching up). When relaxed or flat, the tension releases and the ridge vanishes.
  • Why it Happens in the Gym: Heavy compound lifting or rapid increases in load generate significant intra-abdominal pressure. If core stabilization and bracing aren't fully managing that pressure, or if the linea alba is under tension, that midline bulge pops out during flexed core exercises.

How it Differs from a Hernia​

  • Hernia: A localized hole or tear in the muscle or fascial wall where tissue or intestine pokes through. Hernias typically present as a localized, distinct bump or knot (often lower down, near the belly button or groin), rather than a continuous long vertical ridge along the midline. Hernias are also frequently associated with localized pain, tenderness, or a burning sensation.
  • Diastasis Recti: A widening or stretched band of connective tissue across a larger vertical area. It usually doesn't involve a distinct defect/hole in the fascial wall itself, though severe diastasis recti can sometimes coexist with a midline/umbilical hernia.

Immediate Action & Next Steps​

  1. Modify Core Exercises: Tell your friend to hold off on full situps, crunches, or heavy double leg lifts for now. Flexion movements that increase forward abdominal wall pressure tend to exacerbate the doming/ridge effect.
  2. Focus on Deep Core & Bracing: Exercises that emphasize anti-extension and deep transverse abdominis engagement (like dead bugs, pallof presses, and controlled planks with proper bracing) help manage intra-abdominal pressure without forcing the midline to cone.
  3. Get a Professional Check: While reassuring, your friend should still have a primary care physician, physical therapist, or sports medicine professional perform a quick physical exam to confirm diastasis recti and rule out an actual hernia or fascial tear.
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man I googled the shit out of that last night and couldn't get a good answer. makes me feel a little better but I too am interested in what he says I hope it turns out to be a big nothing burger.
 
Hit legs last night. 15minute bicycle warmup, Barbell Squats, Stiffleg dead lifts, back extensions. Relatively no soreness, I think I can start upping the weights and maybe add leg extensions / hamstring curls to the mix.

Push/Pull today. Bench press, military press, lat pull downs, rows, tricep extensions and curls. Muscle memory is kicking in, I'm not big but the pump makes my shoulders look big :cool:
 
I signed up for intervals.icu so that Robert can be the boss of me. Went on a pretty mellow 15 mile ride yesterday. I hate bicycle saddles. I ordered a new one yesterday that is the right size and hope it helps alleviate the pain in the ass factor of the bikes. So many things to tweak... if the right size helps on the Vassago, which is currently my climbing bike, I'll order new saddles for everything else in the fleet.
 
My kiddo brought home a most wonderful cold last weekend. I spent Tuesday through Thursday in bed and only today did I feel kinda normal so I hit the weights again. I haven’t ridden since last Sunday and am bummed about that. Still haven’t decided if I’m going to do the Nevada City race in a couple of weeks.
 
two wheel tramp said:
I signed up for intervals.icu so that Robert can be the boss of me. Went on a pretty mellow 15 mile ride yesterday. I hate bicycle saddles. I ordered a new one yesterday that is the right size and hope it helps alleviate the pain in the ass factor of the bikes. So many things to tweak... if the right size helps on the Vassago, which is currently my climbing bike, I'll order new saddles for everything else in the fleet.
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Have u tried those riding shorts with built in padding? They look silly but they help
 
Dog Bless @stangmx13 who is trying to help me deduce why I hate all bicycle saddles ever invented. :laughing
 
two wheel tramp said:
I signed up for intervals.icu so that Robert can be the boss of me. Went on a pretty mellow 15 mile ride yesterday. I hate bicycle saddles. I ordered a new one yesterday that is the right size and hope it helps alleviate the pain in the ass factor of the bikes. So many things to tweak... if the right size helps on the Vassago, which is currently my climbing bike, I'll order new saddles for everything else in the fleet.
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What is intervals.icu and how does Robert get to be your boss😁
 
Ridley said:
What is intervals.icu and how does Robert get to be your boss😁
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it's a program that lets him see... stuff about my rides and gimme some feedback. i gotta get ready for a fondo next april. i am trying to be a bit more methodical in how i proceed. he's giving me a couple of pointers, aka, being the boss of me. Ha.
 
Had a good couple of rides over the weekend. Leg offers no pain while doing so although my cheeks get a bit tired from smiling so much. :teeth

Just did my first "Physical Training Session" to take the fitness up a level. To start that it was getting down a level as in getting on the floor. A true test of being :afm199

Trainer started conservative because of all the broken bits over the years and to see where I am at.
Flexibility is terrible as I already knew. He noted that the back is affecting the hamstrings and has prescribed stuff that will work on both that are basically simple and gravity based. Easy stuff I can add to my balancing / stretch after work routine.

Some things I surprised him with where I am at and others probably met his expectations for a busted up 68yo X-Motorcycle racer.

BTW I saw Holeshot over the weekend. The guy looks like Captain America FCS. He was always lean and fit as a motorcycle racer, but it is obvious that he has taken that up a level and he is now lean and very muscular. Honestly.. he looks as fit as the Cap of Snap in the movies. Impressive brother. :thumbup :flag
 
Ridley said:
What is intervals.icu and how does Robert get to be your boss😁
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Intervals.icu is a free workout analysis platform. It works best for cycling, especially if you have a powermeter. But it’ll do just fine with only HR data, especially for endurance activities. Other platforms like TrainingPeaks and WKO5 charge for the analysis that Intervals gives for free.

You could sign up and add me as a friend or coach if you want. Coach allows me to add workouts and change some settings. Friend just allows me to view stuff.

This is the Fitness and Form chart. The easy thing to do is keep the Form chart in the green for 3-4wks. Then chill for a week and let it go blue. Then get back it and repeat. I’m mostly going to give TWT suggestions on whether or not she should workout more or less, based on this chart.

IMG_6937.jpeg
 
two wheel tramp said:
Dog Bless @stangmx13 who is trying to help me deduce why I hate all bicycle saddles ever invented. :laughing
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Brooks B-17

The drawbacks are it's heavy and takes time to form to your butt. It will also signal to some other cyclists that you are a "casual."
On the plus side, It just keeps getting more comfortable with age and it will signal to some different other cyclists that you know what's important in going for a ride. :laughing

I rock a B-17 on my MTB and swap it onto my road bike if I'm planning on going for a long ride on it.

I suppose someday the ohh so comfy printed saddles from Specialized won't cost north of $300 but until then I'm on a B-17 as often as I can be.
 
stangmx13 said:
Intervals.icu is a free workout analysis platform. It works best for cycling, especially if you have a powermeter. But it’ll do just fine with only HR data, especially for endurance activities. Other platforms like TrainingPeaks and WKO5 charge for the analysis that Intervals gives for free.

You could sign up and add me as a friend or coach if you want. Coach allows me to add workouts and change some settings. Friend just allows me to view stuff.

This is the Fitness and Form chart. The easy thing to do is keep the Form chart in the green for 3-4wks. Then chill for a week and let it go blue. Then get back it and repeat. I’m mostly going to give TWT suggestions on whether or not she should workout more or less, based on this chart.

View attachment 602817
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I should look into this a bit. My volume for all activities year over year has fallen about 35% and that bothers me. It's mostly swimming and running that have takes a steep hit. My cycling feels stronger than ever and there are some numbers that back that up. The result is not knowing if I should care so much that my volume is down. Basically I don't know if I have gotten lazy or do I train more effectively than I used to? On top of that I'm not strictly "training" with a structured plan so that muddies the waters a bit. My rides usually feel kinda hard and kinda "fun" and I don't really know what to make of that.
 
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