Today
Week — / 12
— d to re-test
Trends
LDL cholesterol182 mg/dL
Weight192 lb
Body fat27 %
Bench · Squat · Deadlift PRslog your sessions
Plan
Week structure
| Day | Session | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Basketball · Melrose YMCA | 7:45 pm |
| Tue | Gym · Upper + light legs | 6:00 am |
| Wed | Basketball · Melrose YMCA | 7:45 pm |
| Thu | Gym · Hinge + posterior chain | 6:00 am |
| Fri | Gym · Heavy squat + deadlift | 6:00 am |
| Sat | Rest, or make-up missed session | flex |
| Sun | Rest · mobility · meal prep | flex |
Lightest gym sits the day after Monday's basketball. Heavy squat / deadlift sits on Friday with the most accumulated recovery.
Lifting program
Day 1 — Tue, Upper + light legs
| Goblet squat (warm) | 2 × 10 |
| Bench press | 3 × 6–8 |
| Lat pulldown / pull-up | 3 × 8–10 |
| DB shoulder press | 3 × 8 |
| Chest-supported DB row | 3 × 10 |
| Face pulls | 2 × 15 |
| Plank | 3 × 30–45 s |
Day 2 — Thu, Hinge + posterior chain
| DB Romanian deadlift | 3 × 10 |
| Walking lunges | 3 × 10/leg |
| Hip thrust | 3 × 10 |
| Incline DB bench | 3 × 10 |
| Cable row | 3 × 10 |
| Pallof press | 3 × 10/side |
Day 3 — Fri, Heavy squat + deadlift
| Back squat | 3 × 6–8 |
| Trap-bar deadlift | 3 × 5 |
| Chin-ups (assisted if needed) | 3 × max |
| DB curl + triceps pushdown | 2 × 12 each |
| Calf raise | 2 × 15 |
| Side plank | 3 × 20–30 s/side |
Progression rules
- Add weight when all sets hit top of rep range with 1–2 reps in reserve.
- Log every session — phone notes, app, paper. No log, no progression.
- Warm-up sets for compound lifts: 50% × 5, 70% × 3, then working sets.
- Deload every 6–8 weeks: drop weights 30 % for one week.
- No grinding to failure on barbell lifts.
Basketball
Pre-game (6:30 pm)
Banana + 1 tbsp peanut butter, OR half a turkey sandwich, OR rice cake + honey. Carb-forward, low fat / fiber so you're not sprinting on a full stomach. ~300–400 kcal.
Warm-up (15 min, non-negotiable)
- Bike or jog — 3 min
- Leg swings front/back, side/side — 10 each direction per leg
- Hip circles — 10 each direction
- A-skips — 20 m
- Glute bridges — 15 reps
- Bodyweight squats — 10 reps
- 2 progressive sprints at 70 %, 85 %
Hydration
1 L water + electrolytes (½ scoop LMNT or Liquid IV, or ¼ tsp salt + lemon). The YMCA is heated — dehydration is faster than you'd guess.
Post-game (9:15 pm)
Whey shake + banana, OR Greek yogurt + toast. 25–40 g protein + carbs to start glycogen refill before bed.
Plyometric ladder (2× / wk, before lifting)
- Wk 1–2: box step-ups 3 × 8, pogo hops 3 × 15
- Wk 3–4: low-box jumps 3 × 5, broad jumps 3 × 5
- Wk 5–6: depth drops 3 × 5, lateral bounds 3 × 6
- Wk 7–8: depth jumps 3 × 5, single-leg bounds 3 × 5/leg
Nutrition
Daily target
| Calories | 2,400–2,500 kcal (~300 kcal deficit) |
| Protein | 160 g (1.8 g/kg) |
| Fat | 65–75 g · saturated < 15 g |
| Carbs | 270–290 g |
| Fiber | 35–45 g |
Add daily (for LDL)
- Oat bran 30–40 g (beta-glucan binds bile acids)
- Ground linseed 1–2 tbsp (soluble fiber + ALA)
- Green banana flour 1 tbsp (resistant starch)
- Nuts 30 g (almonds, walnuts, pistachios)
- Beans at lunch — keep it. Optional second bean meal in the week.
- Olive oil as primary cooking + dressing fat
- Fatty fish 2–3× / wk (salmon, sardines, mackerel — canned sardines count)
- Vegetables fill half the lunch plate
Reduce
- Red meat to 2–3× / wk max, lean cuts. Replace with chicken, fish, eggs, beans.
- Cheese — cap at ~30 g/day. Prefer minas frescal, ricotta, cottage.
- Bread — wholegrain, 1–2 slices not 3–4.
- Butter, manteiga, bacon, embutidos, pastries — minimize.
- Wine — 4 glasses one night is too much. Try 2 × Fri + 2 × Sat.
Sample day (~2,450 kcal · 155 g protein)
| Meal | What |
|---|---|
| 5:45 am | Black coffee + 1 banana (pre-gym) |
| 7:30 am | 3 eggs + 2 slices wholegrain + oat bran 30 g with milk + linseed + small fruit |
| 12:30 pm | 150 g chicken/fish + brown rice 4 tbsp + beans 4 tbsp + big salad + olive oil + linseed |
| 4:00 pm | Greek yogurt 200 g + nuts 30 g + green banana flour 1 tbsp |
| 8:00 pm | 150 g lean protein + roasted vegetables + small sweet potato/rice + olive oil |
Supplements
Morning, with breakfast
Formula 14132-0 (B-complex + CoQ10 + ALA + Mg + methylfolate + Fe + Vit C) + creatine 5 g. B vitamins energize; iron absorbs better with vit C; fat in breakfast helps CoQ10.
Formula 14132-2 (Exsynutriment + cysteine + collagen + biotin + Vit E + zinc). Vit E is fat-soluble — take with food fat. Note: zinc + iron compete; if issues, split this to evening.
Pre-task / focus moment
Formula 14132-1 (taurine + theanine + inositol + caffeine 25 mg). Functional dose — use before work, study, or training. Skip in afternoon so caffeine doesn't hurt sleep.
Anytime, consistent daily
Creatine 5 g — timing doesn't matter; consistency does. Mix into coffee, latte, or water. Drink 3+ L water daily.
Watch list
- Iron 35 mg + ferritin already at 113 ng/mL → re-check on next labs. If ferritin climbs past 200, ask Ana Paula about dropping iron.
- Niacin no-flush 15 mg in Formula 1 is too small to materially affect LDL.
Mobility
Daily morning (5 min, before coffee)
- 90 / 90 hip stretch — 60 s each side
- Couch stretch (hip flexor) — 60 s each side
- Cat-cow — 10 reps
- Deep squat hold — 60 s
Pre-basketball (10 min, never skip)
- Light bike or jog — 3 min
- Leg swings front/back, side/side — 10 each / leg
- Hip circles — 10 each direction
- A-skips — 20 m
- Glute bridges — 15 reps
- Bodyweight squats — 10 reps
- 2 progressive sprints at 70 %, 85 %
Post-basketball (5 min)
- Pigeon stretch — 60 s / side
- Standing hamstring stretch — 30 s / side
- Calf stretch on a step — 30 s / side
Twice a week (added length work, 15 min)
- 90 / 90 transitions — 10 reps
- Cossack squats — 8 / side
- Jefferson curls or seated forward fold — 60 s × 3
- Thoracic rotation (open book) — 8 / side
If hip mobility hasn't improved noticeably in 8 weeks, see a physiotherapist.
Sleep & recovery
- Target 7–8 hours. Current 23:00–07:00 is OK; for 6 am gym, shift bed to 22:00–22:30.
- Wind-down at 21:30 — screens off or blue-light filter, dim lights, last meal done.
- Caffeine cutoff: noon. Formula 2 has 25 mg caffeine — morning only.
- Alcohol within 3 h of bed wrecks deep sleep. Earlier in the evening is better.
- Track sleep with whatever wearable you have, or write it down. Consistency > perfect duration.
Re-test plan (16 Aug 2026)
Mandatory draws
- Full lipid panel (Total, LDL, HDL, TG, VLDL, non-HDL)
- ApoB (new) — better than LDL for cardiovascular risk
- Lp(a) (new, only once in life)
- HbA1c, fasting glucose, fasting insulin
- TSH, free T4
- Vitamin D, B12
Worth re-checking
- Ferritin, iron (started iron supplementation)
- hs-CRP
Decision tree
- LDL drops below 130 → keep doing what you're doing.
- LDL drops but still > 130 → tighten saturated fat, add plant sterols, recheck in 12 weeks.
- LDL barely moves or rises → discuss genetic component (Lp(a), familial hypercholesterolemia) and whether to consider pharmacology. At 34 with this family history, the conversation isn't premature.
Open questions for Ana Paula
Labs (Apr 2026)
| Marker | Value | Reference | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total cholesterol | 256 mg/dL | < 200 | Elevated |
| LDL | 182 mg/dL | < 100 optimal | Elevated |
| HDL | 54 mg/dL | ≥ 60 high | Acceptable |
| Triglycerides | 98 mg/dL | < 150 | Normal |
| HbA1c | 4.7 % | < 5.7 | Elite |
| Fasting glucose | 87 mg/dL | 70–99 | Normal |
| Fasting insulin | 1.7 µUI/mL | 1.9–23.0 | Below floor |
| Total testosterone | 689 ng/dL | 165–753 | Upper-mid |
| Free testosterone | 16.96 ng/dL | 3.03–14.80 | Above range |
| Vitamin D | 41.2 ng/mL | 30–100 | Sufficient |
| B12 | 356 pg/mL | 200–900 | In range |
| Ferritin | 113 ng/mL | 30–400 | In range |
| Vitamin A | 0.82 mg/L | 0.30–0.70 | Above range |
| hs-CRP | < 0.50 mg/L | < 1.0 | Low |
| Homocysteine | 9.42 µmol/L | < 10 | Normal |