Adarq.org

13-07-25

Cardio

Run to gym
60 min incline walking on treadmill
30 min elliptical
Avg HR -- 127, ~1:35 total

Lift

Lat Pulldown 4 x Drop
Machine Chest Press 4 x Drop
Chest Supported Row 3 x Drop
Pec Deck 3 x Drop
Cable Lateral 4 x Drop
Cable Overhead Ext 4 x Drop
Machine OHP 4 x Drop

Started a separated watch activity for the lifting portion of the session. Amusingly also exactly 127 avg hr, though more spiky ranging from ~100-150. 24 mins too, for 26 sets. Intended to use the lap function to see time spent lifting vs moving between lifts (so one lap would be the entire time spent on the lat pulldown, including the like 20s or whatever taken to change the load, reattached my straps and get back in position). Didn't do a very good job of that, though, but something to try to pay attention to in future b/c it'd be fun to know the work:rest ratio.

ETA: Was thinking more about PTT and how it fits well with some stuff I experience with running.

1) I've always been an over-pronator on the right side. Hadn't really thought about it since I don't give much credence to gait stuff having much meaning. That said, given I have a neutral gait on the left, this suggests that the right-side could be a downstream symptom of an existing problem rather than a problem per se. A key role of the posterior tibialis is foot inversion, i.e. preventing (over)pronation.

1b) Moreover, this could also explain that camber preference I was talking about a couple of weeks ago. If flat ground isn't an option, I prefer running with my right foot landing on the lower part of the ground rather than the other way around. If you imagine this uneven height is a result of a naturally curved ground, you see this means that the instep of right foot is landing on higher ground than the outside of the foot. That is basically like wearing an insole that prevents pronation.

2) Plays an important role in downhill breaking. In that last Parkrun, I really gunned it on the downhills. Notably, I actually _lowered_ my cadence in the downhill portions to really take advantage of airtime (for downhills, cad 180/length 1.8m, else 188/1.33m). My quads were pretty sore, but they're very well-trained compared to calf/foot/ankle unit. Perhaps no surprise that given the existing vulnerability, this race was the precipitating event for the latent PTT to shift from "mild nuisance" to "actual problem".

Anyway, been doing a good job of doing regular banded foot inversion training. Think that + general calf/foot strength + integrating some stiff-leg/ankle-focused plyos seem like they'll be the key, since I rest of the hip/knee chain is pretty strong. Actually maybe more hip (ab/ad)duction stuff probably good to do too, but I've been good about that as well.

Basically no pain on the jog to the gym today as well, fwiw. Maybe go for an actual run again this week.

12-07-25

Cardio

jog to gym + get setup
Stairmaster --
- 5 min easy
- 5 min @ lvl 10 [151 Avg HR]
- 3 min @ lvl 12 [172]
- 7 min @ lvl 10 [175 ]
Treadmill (15 incline whole time)
- 3 min easy/switching machine etc
- 8 min @ 5.6 [155]
- 5 min @ 5.8 [164]
- 3 min @ 6.0 [167]
- 2 min @ 6.3 [170]
- 15 min @ 4.0 [139]
Elliptical
- 6.5 min @ 20/13 [143]
- 5 min @ 13/10 [146]
- 3.5 @ 9/8 [132]

77 mins total, 148 avg HR across, 33 mins SubT (or maybe crossing over) effort

Lifting

Leg Press 3 x Drop set

Calf Raise on leg press machine
100 x a bunch
114 x 8
127 x 5
134 x 4

Leg Curl 4 x Drop

Leg Ext 2 x Drop

(Ab/Ad)duction 3 x Drop each

EZ Bar Preacher x 5 sets

Notes

Great session. Finally tried out the elliptical at the gym. Like it more than the ones I've used in the past. Setting it to super high incline and then not letting my heels come up was an awesome stretch. Will defo come back to it.

I know in the past that I've wrecked myself by doing big leg session on the weekend, but think I have so much more recovery capacity with all this low/no-impact training than I do when running. Plus the risk of walking/stair-stepping/elliptical with tired legs is much lower. Hmmm.

Much prefer this form of calf raise since I can do it with straight legs. This (a) lets me get a much deeper stretch and (b) all the studies show that straight leg hits the soleus just as much as bent leg (or like at least 90-95% as much growth) while also hitting the gastroc, which is basically inactive in bent leg calf raises. idk how much that matters for running, but at the very least I enjoyed it more.

90 mins + upper lifting tmrw. Threw preachers in today b/c know I might get lazy and skip them tmrw. Feel like back work is much less effective bicep stimulation than pressing work is for triceps.

Eta: bought some cheap electrolyte tabs to put in my drinks. I think it has been helpful since I sweat way more doing indoor cardio even though it's much cooler than outdoor. I guess air movement makes a big difference in cooling

10-07-25

Gym--
Stairmaster x 25 mins
Incline walk x 20 mins

Machine Dip x 3 drop
D-Handle Cable Row x 3 drop
OL Seated Calf 40 x 4, 3 + a bunch two legged

Notes

Also jogged to and from the gym (like ~.5k each way) without pain. Hell yeah. Gonna still avoid running a few more days since I'm enjoying this routine, then will slowly reintegrate. Cycling I kind of hate but incline walking and stairmaster I'm into, so could see those sticking around even when I'm fully in the swing of things. No ego attached to them at all so it's easy to just pick an HR and lock in. Lower impact too so don't mind doing it more zone 2 rather than zone 1 without feeling like I'm gonna get beat up as compared to running.

Quote from: Joe on July 08, 2025, 03:56:58 pm

Quote from: LBSS on July 08, 2025, 09:08:05 am

go to PT?

maybe if i'm not seeing any improvement after another week of activity modification. i have never had particularly productive experiences with PTs, despite having seen 4 or 5 highly recommended people in my time training. like what are they gonna say "it's probably this, run less, strengthen your foot and ankle" cool thanks i worked that out already.

i guess if you've only had bad experiences, makes sense you wouldn't want to try again. i've definitely had that kind of PT, but i've had some good ones, too. helping identify root causes i wouldn't have thought of, for example. dry needling or other kinds of manual therapy. there must be some good PTs over there.

mhmm yeah, maybe. I mean in this case my point is that the PT wouldn't be wrong to say "it's probably this, run less, strengthen your foot and ankle"! but like I can work that out myself and I have no problems sticking to a routine on that basis. So for me,  I think the highest value is (a) for stuff that you can't make sense of yourself, (b) when you're someone who's not rly in the know so much or (c) you need some accountability to stick to a rehab routine. That said, I'd defo go much more quickly for anything like lower back or shoulder related. But lower leg + tendon stuff feels in my wheelhouse.

I'm also pretty sceptical of manual therapy beyond acute relief

go to PT?

maybe if i'm not seeing any improvement after another week of activity modification. i have never had particularly productive experiences with PTs, despite having seen 4 or 5 highly recommended people in my time training. like what are they gonna say "it's probably this, run less, strengthen your foot and ankle" cool thanks i worked that out already.

07-07-25

Stationary Bike -- 7 x (3' on / 1' off)
Total time 55:26 [123 avg hr, peak 159]

Notes

Man it's so hard to get HR up on the bike. I was really gunning it on the 3' on sections, respiration rate over 40 at times, and hr staying in the 150s. I know bike HR is generally lower b/c less musculature involved, but this feels like more than that, probs just lack of specific adaptations I guess.

Foot feeling a bit better today, didn't notice it at all during the day other than when I had to run across a street in my work shoes, which sucks at the best of times. sticking to non-running for at least a few more days. probs stairmaster/treadmill tmrw morning, then maybe another interval sesh on bike on wednesday, then maybe try an easy run thurs if i'm feeling good.

where is the pain in your foot?

medial arch (why i don't think it's plantar fasciitis). wondering if it's posterior tibial tendonitis, since that would be a single thing that would account for both the foot pain and the occasional "achilles" (i.e. back of lower leg) pain i've had. but idk that it matches that perfectly either. not rly found anythign that checks out 100% beyond "mysterious arch pain that will hopefully resolve"

edit: further investigation, PTT seems pretty accurate; hadn't noticed until doing some palpations just now that that region at the bak of my right leg is swollen, lol

05-07-25

Gym -- used same "gym cardio" session on watch (with hr chest strap) for whole thing as one continuous workout (with laps) for curiousity

Stairmaster -- 25 mins, 13 min easy (123 bpm), 7 min hard (161 avg, 170 max) 5 mins easy (145 avg)
Treadmill walking -- 12 min easy (125 bpm), 7 min hard (156 avg, 166 max)
lifting -- 28:30 (128hr, 158 max, less than 1 minute below 110 HR, min HR being 102)

Dip Machine 4 x drop
Lat Pulldown 4 x drop
Chest Press Machine 4 x drop
Wide-Grip Seated Cable Row 4 x drop
OL Seated Calf - 25 x 5, 4, 3
DL Seated Calf - 40 x a lot
Glute Machine - 130 x 6
Leg Ext - 1 set to failure
Leg Curl - 1 set to failure
Preacher Curl Machine 4 x drop

Notes

Finally got round to tracking HR data during a lifting session. Does this data suggest that the way I do lifting basically a cardio stimulus? I basically never rest more than 10-30s between sets since I either do drop sets or super sets and alternate muscle groups so I'm usually just resting to change load or walk to new machine. The one thing I did as straight sets was OL Calf, which I did alternating LR so still basically no rest between sets. I mean this workout was 27 sets in 28 mins so. Interesting!

03-07-25

Run -- 6k, 41:42

Inc Flye - > Inc Flye eccentric + db press concentric -> db press -> dips

bb row -> db lat pullover -> drip

Notes

Still feel like I'm recovering/a bit in the hole, but getting better.