16 May 2026

#roadto1000 continues with Workout Day 2.

When it's about building a strong, functional body, the scale only tells a fraction of the story.

Tracking the relationship between my chest, waist, and hip measurements is one of the best ways to measure true progress. The Waist-to-Hip Ratio: This isn't just about aesthetics;

it’s a vital marker for metabolic health and fat distribution.

Keeping the waist leaner relative to the hips is strongly linked to lower cardiovascular risks.

The Upper Body Frame: Tracking my chest measurement alongside my waist

helps ensure I am building or maintaining vital upper-body muscle mass

while not adding much in the way of visceral fat.

True fitness is about composition, proportion, and longevity.

#borninfiftynine

A-Jay

19 May 2026

Workout Day 3.

This session starts off with a cable sissy squat, which helps set the tone right off the bat.

When I first started doing this one, it took me a while to learn how

to get the balance and the range of motion just right.

Once I did, my leg training went to another level.

#borninfiftynine #roadto1000 

A-Jay

Workout Day 4 ~ Stepping into the home gym today with a bit of a bad attitude.

Walked out with a better one.

#borninfiftynine #roadto1000

A-Jay

Went on the IL yesterday with torn rib cartilage.

Good times

Rehab started today. Could be a few weeks.

No videos for a while

A-Jay

An update on my latest challenge.

It happened as I was tightening a mower blade nut on my riding rig.

Lying on the ground, as I exerted force bringing the top & bottom rackets together.

It's a movement where I have a lot of mechanical advantage and can torque it pretty good.

Felt the pop in the middle of my chest, and I knew exactly what it was.

Symptoms were the classic torn or, at the very least, strained rib cage cartilage.

The first several days and especially the nights included some discomfort.

Breathing and sleeping were compromised.

Got past that stage and am currently 'taking it easy.'

Which is not one of my strong points.

There's no real pain, which makes judging my actions the next few weeks a little tricky.

I definitely want to get this healed, but I'm in no real rush.

Patience & self-discipline will drive the train.

It's an area that doesn't get much in the way of blood flow.

Which means 'healing' is at a snail's pace.

Not wanting to settle into a complete inactive state.

So after letting the initial inflammation and weakness reduce,

I started back in the home gym with what I'm calling my Rehab Workouts.

They are basically the same deal I was performing before the injury.

Just a super light and low-intensity version of each.

Part of the fun of being an OG is we rarely ever come completely back from an injury.

There's always something left behind.

Which is OK, as long as I do get back. Quality of life type stuff.

Soon I plan on running the GoPro in the home gym again.

If nothing else, just to document my efforts as I travel the road to recovery.

So there it is.

#borninfiftynine and feeling it.

A-Jay

I hope you heal up quickly A-jay. I have had this issue for years and it can be quite painful if you tear a great deal of cartilage. In my early 30s I was playing volleyball with some other couples in a sand pit. I dove to make a save and stretched my body out full length, hitting the ball and then landing flat on my chest. It felt like every part of my rib cage had popped loose after I landed. What I didn't know was that this type of injury hurts much worse after a day or two and I was in extreme pain for a few weeks. It eventually healed but due to how much cartilage had been damaged, I would "repop" or "repull" it on occasion. Fortunately, I am still able to lift weights and remain active because I have learned over the years how to avoid popping the cartilage. All I can say is I don't lean across an auto console to pick something up off the floor on the passenger side of a vehicle anymore.

So some good news on the injury front.

I think that I made a mistake in my self-diagnosis.

Instead of a rib cartilage tear, I think now that this was an intercostal muscle strain.

Because the intercostal muscles sit directly between the ribs and layered over the costal cartilage,

injuries to either tissue present with nearly identical symptoms.

A major clue that I am dealing with a strain rather than a tear is the timeline of my recovery:

cartilage has a notoriously poor blood supply and typically takes 6 weeks or more to heal,

whereas mild-to-moderate muscle strains often begin showing noticeable improvement within just a few days.

I am glad that I am in the later grouping.

Either way, I've been able to get back in the home gym.
I'm still taking it slow, meaning way low on the resistance & intensity with a big focus on smooth and deliberate movements. Unless there is some unforeseen major setback, I think I'm going to recover just fine.

Which is a huge relief.

Ran the GoPro for this one.

So this is what my Total Body one workout centered around intercostal rehab looks like.

#borninfiftynine

A-Jay

That is good news!

10 minutes ago, senile1 said:

That is good news!

It sure is Thanks.

Also gets me back on the water sooner, like Thursday sooner.

Good Times

A-Jay

The intercostal healing continues without setback.

Accordingly, the rehab-style training also continues.

Today was Workout Day 2.

I increased the intensity slightly while reducing the volume—adding a little weight and increasing the time under tension with a few more reps per set.

The volume drop came by performing 2 working sets rather than 3.

This one felt pretty good while allowing sufficient time to recover and hopefully continue to heal.

#borninfiftynine

A-Jay