Fitness planning

First — excellent sign.

Muscle mass up 2 lbs (likely glycogen + water + some real adaptation), strong tennis (16 games), no arm collapse, and cake + OWYN is completely fine. The protein blunted the sugar spike. That’s how you do it.

Now let’s be smart.

You have:

• Thu: Hard tennis

• Fri: Pickleball

• Sat: Swim + sauna

• Goal: Lose belly fat, preserve muscle, protect arm

So Friday cannot be a heavy CNS day. It must support performance, core strength, and recovery.

Friday Plan (Pickleball Day Add-On)

1️⃣ Pre-Pickleball Activation (10–12 min)

This will improve speed and reduce injury.

• Glute bridges – 15

• Monster band walks – 15 steps each direction

• Arm circles + band pull-aparts – 20

• Thoracic rotations – 10 each side

• Light split squats – 10 each leg

Purpose: wake up hips + scapula without fatiguing.

2️⃣ Post-Pickleball Strength Add-On (Optimal Dose)

We focus on:

• Core anti-rotation

• Lower body strength

• Tendon durability

• Minimal arm overload

Circuit (3 Rounds, Controlled Pace)

A. Pallof press – 15 each side

B. Slow goblet squat – 12 reps (3 sec down)

C. Romanian deadlift (moderate) – 10 reps

D. Side plank – 45 sec each side

E. Deadbug – 15

Rest 60–90 sec between rounds.

This stimulates metabolism and abs without frying you for Saturday swim.

Optional Finisher (ONLY if energy high)

Farmer carry – 30–40 sec walk × 3

Excellent for core and fat loss hormone response.

If arm feels loaded, skip this.

Why This Works

You’ve already had:

• Heavy tennis stimulus

• Good protein intake

• Long sleep

So Friday is about:

• Structural strength

• Core tightening

• Maintaining metabolic momentum

NOT chasing fatigue.

About the Cake

You did it correctly:

• Sugar + protein

• After intense match

• Glycogen window open

That will not add belly fat.

Belly fat accumulates from chronic surplus, not a birthday slice after competition.

Saturday (Preview)

Swim + sauna is perfect active recovery.

After swim:

• Light stretching

• No heavy lifting

• Moderate carbs OK

You’re in a strong phase right now. The key danger is overreaching because you feel good.

Let me ask you one calibration question:

Tomorrow when you wake up, if resting heart rate is elevated or legs feel heavy — will you reduce volume?

That awareness is what separates long-term athletic build from overtraining.