via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKDFX0DT8Y0
📅 17th of February – Rank 1, Iron Novice Acquired
🌅 Late Nights, Early Mornings & Unexpected Productivity
⏰ Time check: 10:03 AM, February 18th. Yep, I pulled an all-nighter. It wasn’t intentional, but things spiraled from “just one more episode” of anime to full-blown XP tracking madness.
🎯 What happened?
- 🚗 Car service at 8 AM – Dropped it off early, so no morning mindfulness post.
- 📖 Brought my book – Managed 30 minutes of reading while waiting.
- 🗣️ Caught up with a friend – He picked me up after school drop-offs.
- 🏋️ Straight to the gym – No nap, straight into leg day.
🏋️♂️ Leg Day: Overcoming the Fear of Squats
I haven’t squatted properly in YEARS due to shoulder pain, but today was the day I faced that fear. Instead of a regular barbell squat, I used the safety bar squat—a total game changer.
- 🔥 Warm-up Sets: Just the bar, then 5kg, 10kg, and 15kg per side.
- 🏋️ Working Sets: 20kg per side for 12 reps per set.
- ✅ Form Wins: Chest upright, good depth, no pain.
- 💪 Biggest Challenge: My cardio endurance, not the weight itself.
🚀 Takeaway: This was a HUGE confidence boost. After two rib injuries from leg exercises, I’ve been hesitant, but today showed me I can push forward safely.
💪 Strength Training Adjustments
After squats, we moved into Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs):
- ✅ Corrected my form for the first time ever – I wasn’t pushing my hips back far enough, which explained my lower back pain.
- ⚠️ Dropped the bar too far forward before – Fixed that.
- 🏋️ Final Set: 15kg per side, but the focus was on technique over weight.
✅ Other exercises:
- 🏋️ **Walking lunges with dumbbells** – **Forced my left leg to lead** to fix my muscle imbalance.
- 🏋️ **Seated hamstring curls & single-leg extensions** – Again, isolating my **weaker left leg** to build balance.
- 🏋️ **Calf raises** – Not my favorite, but no one wants **chicken legs**.
🏃 Running Progress & Recovery Work
After lifting, I pushed through a 1km treadmill run, followed by 3 minutes of walking. Nothing crazy, but enough to keep the momentum going.
🔹 Post-Workout Recovery Hack: SPA TIME.
- 🛁 Spent over 2 hours in the spa.
- 🦵 Jets helped with soreness – My lower back and legs were wrecked but relaxed.
- 💆 Best I’ve felt in weeks.
💡 New Routine? Gym + Spa = Elite Recovery Combo.
🥘 Nutrition & Small Wins
- ✅ **Lunch:** **Homemade chicken wraps** – Simple, high-protein, and filling.
- ✅ **Protein Intake:** Two shakes throughout the day.
- ✅ **Tracked Calories:** Getting better at **estimating home-cooked meals.**
- ✅ **Ice Frappe Hack:** Just **protein powder + ice + water** = tastes **like a shake but feels like ice cream.**
🎸 Guitar, Reading & Learning New Skills
- 🎸 35 minutes of guitar practice – My old strings are DEAD, but progress is progress.
- 📖 Extra book time – Trying to make reading more of a daily habit.
- 🛠️ Automating My XP System – Started exploring scripts to auto-track my YouTube uploads & Garmin data for easier XP calculations.
📊 The XP Leveling System: Rank 1 Unlocked!
I spent HOURS going through old blog posts to tally my guitar, reading, gym, and running hours.
📌 Total XP Progress (Jan 1 – Feb 17):
- ✅ **Gym:** **26 hours** (Iron Novice Rank 1 unlocked!)
- ✅ **Guitar:** **9 hours** (Almost at Wandering Bard Rank 1)
- ✅ **Reading:** **7 hours** (Close to Apprentice Scholar Rank 1)
- ✅ **Running:** **25km** (Halfway to Rookie Runner)
- ✅ **30 days no soft drinks = 50XP**
- ✅ **Full month alcohol-free = 50XP**
Total XP = 200/500 toward the next level.
🚀 **Takeaway:** Seeing my progress in XP form makes everything feel more rewarding.
🔄 Looking Ahead: Goals & Next Steps
- 📌 **Push the XP System further** – Automate tracking for **efficiency.**
- 📌 **Fix my sleep schedule** – Pulling all-nighters can’t be a regular thing.
- 📌 **More guitar practice** – **1 hour away** from leveling up.
- 📌 **Gym goal:** Consistent **safety bar squats** to rebuild leg strength.
- 📌 **More reading** – **2.5 hours away** from rank 1.
🔥 Final Thoughts
💡 Biggest Wins:
- ✅ Overcame my fear of squats.
- ✅ Unlocked my first XP rank.
- ✅ Started automating my progress tracking.
“You’re enough. You’ve got this. Keep pushing forward and crushing those goals!” 🚀
