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More Time To Get Fit - 2025

Didn’t quite make it all the way to Robinsons flat. We turned around at mile 18.5, it was sooo hot and the last bit of the ride had no shade, stupid fires. Doesn’t matter though we had a great time. We are going to go back in the fall when it’s much cooler.
 
my pace is slowly picking up and my heart rate is going down a bit. my VO2 max is garbage all the sudden, lower than just a few weeks ago. i thought i’d stayed in decent shape while recovering but i’m also now moving longer distances.


8/10/25

split 1: 23:45, 133 bpm
split 2: 23:45, 130 bpm

the second mile often has a bit more downhill but also the leg seems to have worked out some of the kinks and warmed up.
IMG_8480.png
 
two wheel tramp said:
my pace is slowly picking up and my heart rate is going down a bit. my VO2 max is garbage all the sudden, lower than just a few weeks ago. i thought i’d stayed in decent shape while recovering but i’m also now moving longer distances.


8/10/25

split 1: 23:45, 133 bpm
split 2: 23:45, 130 bpm

the second mile often has a bit more downhill but also the leg seems to have worked out some of the kinks and warmed up. View attachment 581112
Click to expand...
Try not to stress too much about the number. I know it sucks to see a dip, but if you stay consistent it will improve :)
 
Mike95060 said:
Maybe I should try high doses of Creatine. Sleep has always been tough for me

Click to expand...
I've been hearing more about creatine over the last 4 years, I would suggest caution, there have been numerous wonder substances over the years and pretty much every one of them turned out to be a bust.
 
Climber said:
I've been hearing more about creatine over the last 4 years, I would suggest caution, there have been numerous wonder substances over the years and pretty much every one of them turned out to be a bust.
Click to expand...
Creatine has been studies for a long time Brett. I was very cautious about it for a long time. I have used the 5g/day routine with no Ill effects. If I use it again i many experiment with higher doses.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of Creatine in Metabolic Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - PubMed

Using the guidelines from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), this meta-analysis (MA) tried to figure out how well creatine (Cr) improves metabolic performance. We searched Google Scholar, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? - PMC

Supplementing with creatine is very popular amongst athletes and exercising individuals for improving muscle mass, performance and recovery. Accumulating evidence also suggests that creatine supplementation produces a variety of beneficial effects ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
 
The problem with any supplement that may give benefits is that many people will think that if a little does some good, then a lot will give a lot more benefit.

As always, that path will almost always lead to issues.
 
Mike95060 said:
I had a really good evening in the pool last night. After a solid block of mostly cycling I have spent the last few weeks trying to get my swim body back. I haven’t felt that comfortable I the water for at least a year. Until that swim I was laboring through sets of 250 yards and doing 2k per workout. Last night though everything was clicking. Its awesome when swimming feels easy. I didn’t start that workout thinking there was anyway I could do a 1000 yard set. After 3 500’s I was able to just roll through a 1000. Im not particularly fast, I don’t flip turn and “real” swimmers do much more impressive workouts. But damn, when a session feels good it can really lift your spirits. Keep pushing gang. Good days do come and they are worth the tough ones.

Interesting to me, I actually got about an hour and a half “extra” sleep the night before that good swim. I really struggled to get more than 5 hours of sleep per night. I have tried all the things. It seems like dumb luck if i get 6-7 hrs in a night.

View attachment 581008
Click to expand...
Dude I totally hear you on the 6 hours sleep. I usually only get about that long before my stupid body wakes me up for something stupid like going to the bathroom. When I do get 8 hours by some miracle its feels like I am a new guy.

So Friday was a go and it felt good to hit the gym but too many gym bros upstairs hogging all the treadmills so I cut it short after about an hour but was for the better as knees didn't feel at full strength. Time to start a new grind this week.

Did mowing again this weekend and used Pedialyte as the electrolyte mix and seems to work better as I didn't feel as drained after the 4 hours. might have a new replacement for GatorLyte.
 
Mike95060 said:
Maybe I should try high doses of Creatine. Sleep has always been tough for me

Click to expand...
I added a creatine routine about 2 weeks ago - 15 grams daily mixed into whatever I have for breakfast. Will see how it goes. On week 4 of lifting regularly (6x/wk) so lots of change going on and not ready to attribute anything specific to just the creatine. Trying to keep the constant hunger under control is enough to manage. 🫤 I have blood work done regularly so will be alert for any anomalies showing up.
 
^ I'm mostly interested in how it might affect your sleep or cognitive function. I know its hard to tell when you have a lot of new things happening though. Please keep us posted! Your current dosage is higher than any time I have ever used it. I was on the 5g/day routine.
 
So far no changes with sleep - hot flashes and kittens trying to use me as a cat bed are my problems :laughing As for cognitive, I'm definitely feeling more dialed in but always did when I was on a regular workout routine. Looking forward to seeing what week 3 of 15g is going to bring
 
I'm on day 13 of creating, 5mg/day. My sleep seems within range so far. The weather is finally getting hot and I've been kinda gassed from training - this would normally cause my sleep to worsen. But it hasn't changed noticeably. My resting HR might be trending down - that also could be a side effect of my VO2Max work.

Oh, HRV has been consistent too in the mid 90s.

Screenshot 2025-08-11 at 1.25.01 PM.png
 
The Dr. Rhonda Patrick video talks about sleep and brain benefits kicking in above the 5g/day militance dosage. IIRC 15-25g/day was where studies showed benefits outside of strength and muscle mass changes. :)
 
Like this? :LOL:

Single high dose of creatine improves cognitive performance when sleep deprived. Dose was 0.35g/kg, so >25g for most.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation - PubMed

The inverse effects of creatine supplementation and sleep deprivation on high energy phosphates, neural creatine, and cognitive performances suggest that creatine is a suitable candidate for reducing the negative effects of sleep deprivation. With this, the main obstacle is the limited exogenous...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
 
Climber said:
The problem with any supplement that may give benefits is that many people will think that if a little does some good, then a lot will give a lot more benefit.

As always, that path will almost always lead to issues.
Click to expand...

Agree on small changes. Creatine does have a negative effect WRT arm pump. Not sure how that translates to other muscle groups. For sleep, Magnesium, IME.
 
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