Week Two: When The Data Starts Telling A Story
From 27 to 41: two weeks of paying attention
Last week I called it “Day One (Again).” I’d had a lot of those. The difference this time was that I was going to track everything - the training, the sleep, the WHOOP data, the bodyweight—in real time and report back honestly about what was working and what wasn’t.
Week Two is where things got interesting.
The Numbers
Starting the week: 170.8 lbs, HRV 28, resting heart rate 71. End of week: 170.7 lbs, HRV 41, resting heart rate 67, recovery 89%.
The weight barely moved — down just 0.1 lbs. But here’s the thing: the body was doing a lot of adapting this week. New training intensity, schedule adjustments, and new practices are being layered in. The HRV moving from 28 to 41 over the course of a week — up from a baseline of 29 when this all started two weeks ago — tells a more important story than the scale right now.
VO2 max ticked from 37 to 38 this week as well. One point doesn’t make a trend, but combined with the HRV movement and what happened on Saturday morning, the direction is unmistakably right.
What The Week Looked Like
Monday: upper body strength with progressive overload applied for the first time. Same movements as Week One, more weight on the bar. Pulldowns at 110 lbs, seated row at 70 lbs, incline dumbbell press at 50 lbs. The last set of pulldowns was a grind, which is exactly where you want to be when you’re trying to push the ceiling.
Tuesday: lower body plus Zone 2 cardio on the treadmill.
Wednesday: cardio and VO2 max training. Started with 1.5 miles on the treadmill at a 3.5% incline, then moved to the bike for two full rounds of 4 minutes at 85% effort with 3 minutes of recovery in between. Finished with another easy mile, keeping heart rate around 122.
That bike session is worth explaining. I’ve been building toward something called the Norwegian 4x4. A VO2 max protocol involving four rounds of four minutes at hard effort (85-95% of max heart rate). Two weeks ago, I couldn’t hold 2-minute intervals at that intensity. This week I completed two full 4-minute rounds.
Thursday: upper body again with a conditioning circuit to close.
Saturday — this is the one. Lower body strength session (trap bar deadlifts, DB step-ups, single leg RDLs), then core work and loaded carries (farmer carries for 30 meters, suitcase carries for 20 meters, ab wheel, dead bugs, Palloff press), and then (for the first time) a complete Norwegian 4x4. All four rounds. Four minutes at 85%, three minutes recovery, four times. Followed by a 1-mile cool-down walk. Total daily strain: 15.7 — the highest of the entire two weeks. WHOOP logged it as a cycling strain of 13.2 on top of a weightlifting strain of 11.3. The body showed up.
The New Additions And What Happened
Three things were added intentionally this week.
Progressive overload showed up immediately. Heavier weights, same rep schemes, the kind of session that tells you something is actually happening rather than just going through the motions. This is the mechanism. Without progressively asking more of the body each week, you can train hard forever and just be treading water.
Sauna — I’ll be honest, I kept finding good reasons not to go. It’s rolling into Week Three as a genuine priority. Three sessions per week, no more good excuses. Heat exposure has real research behind it for cardiovascular adaptation, cellular resilience, and cortisol regulation. I’ll have actual experience to report on next week.
Evening slow exhale breathing — this is the one I think drove the 94% recovery score on Wednesday and the sustained HRV climb through the week. Starting Sunday night, a few minutes before bed, breathing where the exhale is longer than the inhale with roughly 4 counts in, 6-8 counts out. This is the opposite of the Wim Hof practice in the mornings. Wim Hof is a stress stimulus that includes fast breathing, breath holds, and a controlled jolt to the nervous system. The evening practice is the counterbalance. A longer exhale stimulates the vagus nerve, the main highway for the parasympathetic “rest and digest” nervous system. Seven consecutive nights. HRV went from 28 to 41. I’m not saying it’s the only variable, but the timing lines up, and the body doesn’t lie.
What’s Actually In The Stack
I’ve been asked about this enough that it deserves its own space. Here’s everything going into the system every day, and why.
First thing in the morning: one scoop of Diesel whey isolate in water… fast protein and hydration the moment I’m up, before anything else happens.
The refuel shake (post-workout): this is where most of the work happens in a single glass.
Wild blueberries (¾ cup) — antioxidant density for managing oxidative stress from hard training. Wild blueberries specifically have higher antioxidant concentration than cultivated.
Fresh pineapple (1 ring) — contains bromelain, a natural anti-inflammatory enzyme.
AG1 (1 serving) — comprehensive greens powder covering vitamins, minerals, adaptogens, probiotics, and prebiotics. Fills the micronutrient gaps that even a solid diet misses.
Chia seeds (1 tbsp) — omega-3 fatty acids, 4g fibre, magnesium, calcium. Forms a gel that slows digestion and supports satiety.
Flaxseed (1 tbsp) — additional omega-3s, 2g fibre, lignans for antioxidant and hormonal support.
Psyllium husk (1 tbsp) — soluble fibre that feeds beneficial gut bacteria and supports healthy cholesterol. Combined with chia and flax, the shake delivers roughly 15-16g of fibre — more than most people get in an entire day.
D3 + K2 (5,000 IU) — D3 for immune function and calcium absorption, K2 to direct that calcium into bones rather than arterial walls. Essential pairing, especially in Canada, where sun exposure is limited for most of the year.
Creatine (10g) — one of the most researched supplements in existence. Fuels short, explosive efforts in training, supports muscle retention, and has emerging evidence for cognitive function and brain health.
Diesel whey isolate (1 heaping scoop) — 25-30g of fast-digesting complete protein for the post-workout window.
Extra virgin olive oil (1 tsp) — healthy monounsaturated fat that aids absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins in the shake, plus its own anti-inflammatory properties.
Naked EAAs (1 serving) — essential amino acids including leucine, which directly trigger muscle protein synthesis. Ensures the full amino acid profile is covered on top of the whey.
LMNT electrolytes (in water at the gym) — 1,000mg sodium, 200mg potassium, 60mg magnesium. Replaces what’s lost through sweat and supports muscle contraction, nerve function, and recovery.
With breakfast:
Ashwagandha — adaptogen with strong evidence for cortisol reduction and stress resilience. Directly relevant to HRV and the “less stressed” feeling that’s showing up this week.
Lion’s Mane — stimulates nerve growth factor, supporting brain health and cognitive function. The long game.
Omega-3 with DHA — the DHA form is more bioavailable than the ALA in chia and flax, and is critical for brain health and inflammation management.
Rhodiola (5x/week) — studied specifically for reducing physical and mental fatigue and improving endurance. Good pairing with the training load.
Ubiquinol — the active form of CoQ10, critical for mitochondrial energy production. Cellular fuel efficiency, cardiovascular health, longevity.
Curcumin — the active compound in turmeric. One of the most studied natural anti-inflammatories supports joint health and reduces systemic inflammation.
Multivitamin — baseline micronutrient insurance.
The shake alone delivers approximately 500 calories, 36-40g protein, 15-16g fibre, and meaningful amounts of omega-3s. Combined with the morning protein drink and four scrambled eggs at breakfast, the day starts with roughly 85-90g of protein before any other meal. That foundation matters, especially for someone trying to lose fat while preserving muscle and training hard every morning before most people are awake.
The Part I Didn’t Plan For
Wednesday night was a birthday celebration for four people in my life. Later bedtime, real evening, a different kind of night than I’ve been running.
It got me thinking about something bigger. There’s a new someone in my life that I’m spending time with, and I’ve started to recognize that a 6 pm bedtime is a wall. Not just a scheduling inconvenience, but a wall between me and the kind of evenings that make a life feel full. If longevity is the real goal here, connection is part of that equation. The research on social relationships and lifespan is as strong as almost anything I’m doing with a barbell or a WHOOP.
So the schedule is shifting. Not the habits, just the window. The training, the breathwork, the writing, all of it stays. But I’m making room. The body felt the adjustment this week, and that’s honest. Change has friction. But a life optimized entirely around recovery metrics at the expense of real human connection isn’t the goal either.
Thursday was a full day off work, and the stress monitor read 0.8, LOW. The lowest of the entire two weeks. The moment the work pressure lifted, the nervous system exhaled. That tells its own story.
What’s Coming In Week Three
Protein is the deep dive this week. We’ve established the shake and the stack, but we haven’t properly tracked whether daily protein intake is where it needs to be to support the goals. Each day this week, I’ll be sharing a short note on what I’m learning about protein… the timing, the targets, the why behind it for someone at this age and training volume. Daily posts, real numbers, plain language.
Sauna — three sessions. Actually happening this time.
Norwegian 4x4 — the full four rounds happened Saturday. The next session builds on that.
Steps — consistently landing around 10,000 steps or more. Low-impact daily movement is a meaningful lever for fat loss that doesn’t add training stress. This week, it gets attention.
The number is 155. The goal is decades. Two weeks in, HRV up from 27 to 41, RHR down from 74 to 67, VO2 max moving in the right direction, and something that feels (for the first time in a while) like actual momentum.
More next Saturday.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section below.
Congrats on this week’s progress!