Mango's Journal

MangoTux MangoTux Logging since November 2025
Yesterday wasn't super busy; writing this update just slipped my mind.
2026-03-17
Recomp: Fire and Fury (HIIT)
Daily Push-Up Variants: Decline 25 x 2
Touch The Bar: Pull-up plus dead hang

2026-03-18
Recomp: Legs of Steel (Lower Body), Ironclad Abs (Core)
Daily Push-Up Variants: Decline 25 x 2
Touch The Bar: Two pull-ups!

I've been happy with the consistency at which I can make it above the bar, but the next thing I should focus on is probably pace. I'll get to the point where my elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle, and then I'll pause there for a second as my body tries to figure out how to coordinate muscles to go the rest of the way. It'll just take some time and practice, I'm sure! I learned how to wiggle my ears when I was younger through the same process - notice that my body can sometimes move in a new way, and then slowly and clumsily isolate which muscles are moving and try to control their activation.

With all of that being said, happy Wednesday! It looks like it'll finally be warm enough today to clean and refill the bird feeders outside.
 
2026-03-21
Recomp: Stretches and nature walk x 2 (Mobility, steps)
Daily Push-Up Variants: Decline 25 x 2
Touch The Bar: Pull-up plus dead hang

It got up into the 90s (Fahrenheit) today, which is insane considering there were still pockets of yet-unmelted snow this morning. I went on a nature walk this morning when the temperature was around 50F (and saw three Belted Kingfishers flying overhead!), and went back out with my wife this evening when the temp was around 75F. The weather must have convinced the forest to come alive, because some Hepatica were there this evening that weren't visible in the morning!

I hope you all had a happy Saturday!
 
And I'm once again falling a bit behind in my goal of daily updates.

2026-03-22
Recomp: Equilibrium (Yoga)
Roll Day!
Daily Push-Up Variants: Close Grip 25 x 2
Touch The Bar: Negative pull-ups

2026-03-23
Recomp: Forge Master (Upper Body), Plank <no specific workout today> (Core)
Daily Push-Up Variants: Close Grip 25 x 2
Touch The Bar: Negative pull-ups and working on elbow movement from dead hang

My calves are still a bit sore from Friday's exercise, so I opted not to go for a run yesterday.
Recomp started as an attempt to push myself in new ways, but I think it's morphing into a general self-discovery process. The days that target multiple body parts are especially rough, because I tend to thrive on exercises that are more intense, rather than ones that take up more time. Between workouts, push-ups, and bar work, I find myself taking shortcuts or otherwise skipping parts of the routine (which has included meal prep/diet, unfortunately). I'm trying to reign things in bit-by-bit, starting with fixing food options and setting aside time each morning before work to have proper food, rather than something from a convenience store.
With that being said, I might lower the expectations to one Recomp workout per day, and do the second one only if I'm feeling restless to avoid pushing too hard and burning out on this. There are a lot of workouts on here that I still want to try, so I'll keep following the rough plan for the next few weeks, at the very least. I'm not really upset by any of the results so far; this is primarily me recognizing some mental patterns and trying to course-correct before any spiraling.

I hope the week has started well for everybody!
 
Things have been hectic/draining for various reasons. I'm continuing to make time to exercise, but updates have been notably sporadic.

2026-03-24
Recomp: Hard HIIT (Yog- nah just kidding HIIT)
Daily Push-Up Variants: Close Grip 25 x 2
Touch The Bar: Negative pull-ups

Glad I got the exercise done in the morning. I've got this weird thing where some combination of allergies, eye strain, and certain foods(?) will cause some pain/pressure behind one of my eyes that ramps up very quickly. Had to take some medicine and lay down for a few hours. I'm thankful that I can pick up on symptoms quickly, but dealing with it eats a chunk out of my day.

2026-03-25
Recomp: Brute Abs (Core)
Daily Push-Up Variants: Close Grip 25 x 2
Touch The Bar: Controlled negative pull-ups

Sat through a two-hour presentation on using AI/LLMs for code development, and then immediately had to defend a submitted change I've been working on from an AI-assisted review that was, quite frankly, very wrong. The technology/theory behind these systems are very cool, but I'm frankly just tired of how pervasive they've become.

2026-03-26
Recomp: Leviathan (MetCon)
Daily Push-Up Variants: Close Grip 25 x 2
Touch The Bar: Dead hang

For the past few months, I've been volunteering with a local birding group to help manage/support/develop their website. I was training under the current developer, but we got news that she unexpectedly passed away earlier this week. There are still a lot of things I don't know, as we had planned on doing some final knowledge transfers in April. It's easy for me to keep momentum when there are clear things to do (or rather, I tend to get more anxious about things when I'm not able to do anything), so I'll be spending a lot of upcoming time trying to dig through the servers and ensure that things are organized, well-documented, and able to keep operating smoothly. I had only known her for a few months, but everybody spoke very highly of her, and of her involvement in various conservation organizations. I'd like to make sure her work is able to keep chugging along, even if I've been tossed in the deep end as a result.

With all of that being said, I hope things have been going well for all of you. Happy Thursday!
 
That sounds like a lot going on, and I'm very sorry for the loss of your colleague. The birding group is lucky to have found support in her efforts but also in your integrity and commitment to continue her legacy.

As the self-appointed mom-acquaintance, a gentle reminder to also get up and wiggle around once in a while. 😉☺️
 
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