Day Thirteen- Flips, Fitness & Second Chances: A Middle-Aged Man's Return to Gymnastics
- Jay M. Horne
- Apr 15
- 4 min read
Day 13: Breaking Barriers
Thirteen days into this journey, and today marked some significant breakthroughs that have me excited about the path forward.
The Numbers Tell a Story
My weight dropped to 191 pounds today – a new low point that puts me at 9 pounds total lost since beginning this journey. Even more impressive was my 5K time: 31:33. This represents not just my fastest time during this transformation but actually beats my Day 1 baseline of 33:00 by nearly 90 seconds. This is a powerful indicator that my body has successfully adapted to using fat as its primary fuel source and is now performing better than it did on a carb-heavy diet.
Nutritional Reset
After yesterday's modest deviation with vodka, I returned to strict nutritional discipline with a significantly reduced caloric intake:
Atkins protein shake (160 calories)
Egg whites & veggies (350 calories)
Total: 510 calories
This represents my second-lowest caloric day since beginning the journey, surpassed only by Day 1's 670 calories. The restriction served two purposes: first, to balance out yesterday's higher intake, and second, to test how my now-adapted metabolism would respond to a significant deficit on performance days.
The results suggest that once keto-adapted, the body can perform well even on very low caloric intake, drawing efficiently from stored fat for energy. The protein shake and egg whites provided the essential amino acids needed for recovery, while the overall deficit encouraged continued fat utilization.
Exercise Diversity
Today I expanded my training variety significantly:
100 push-ups (12th consecutive day of 100+)
120 sit-ups (40+40+40, returning to the "forties" approach)
20 minutes of kicks (reintroducing martial arts practice)
2 miles biking (adding back cross-training)
This more diverse approach helps prevent overtraining any specific muscle group while maintaining overall conditioning. The "forties" approach to sit-ups – three sets of 40 – comes directly from my book and the training methodology that Chico originally taught me. There's something magically sustainable about breaking exercises into sets of 40.
The kicks practice is particularly important as it maintains flexibility and hip mobility, which are crucial for gymnastics progression. Similarly, biking provides low-impact cardiovascular work that complements the running.
Metabolic Adaptation Confirmed
Today's performance confirms what I suspected was happening: my body has fully adapted to ketosis as a metabolic state. The initial performance decreases (Days 2-10) represented the adaptation phase, where my systems were learning to efficiently use fat for fuel. Now that adaptation is complete, I'm seeing performance that surpasses my starting point.
This is consistent with research on fat adaptation in athletes. The initial "keto flu" and performance declines give way to enhanced endurance and energy stability once the body becomes efficient at mobilizing and utilizing fat stores.
The dramatic improvement in 5K time, especially on such a low-calorie day, suggests I've crossed an important metabolic threshold. My body is now efficiently accessing stored energy, allowing for better performance even in a significant caloric deficit.
Looking Forward
With these encouraging breakthroughs, I'm now planning to:
Begin implementing more gymnastics-specific training, including handstands, tumbling progressions, and flexibility work.
Explore the optimal balance between very low and moderate calorie days, now that I've confirmed my body can perform well in either state.
Continue the diverse exercise approach while gradually increasing intensity in specific areas.
Potentially test longer running distances to explore the endurance benefits of fat adaptation.
Begin more structured recovery strategies, including specific mobility work and perhaps some contrast therapy (alternating hot and cold exposure).
Yesterday's momentary deviation now appears as just that – a brief pause in what has become a consistent journey of improvement. Today's results remind me that what matters most is the overall trend, not any single day's choices.
As I enter the second half of my second week, I'm increasingly confident in the foundation I've built and excited about the gymnastics-specific skills I'll soon be able to reintroduce.
Day 13: Breaking Barriers
Major breakthrough day! Weight dropped to 191 pounds (-9 total) and my 5K time improved dramatically to 31:33—beating my Day 1 baseline by nearly 90 seconds. This confirms complete adaptation to ketosis, where my body is now efficiently using fat as its primary fuel. Returned to strict nutrition with just 510 calories (Atkins protein shake and egg whites with veggies) after yesterday's vodka deviation. Expanded my exercise variety with 100 push-ups (12th consecutive day), 120 sit-ups using the "forties" approach (40+40+40), 20 minutes of martial arts kicks, and 2 miles of biking. The ability to perform at my best while on such a significant caloric deficit demonstrates I've crossed an important metabolic threshold. My body is now efficiently accessing stored energy, allowing for better performance than when I started. Ready to begin implementing more gymnastics-specific training, including handstands and tumbling progressions, while exploring the optimal balance between very low and moderate calorie days.
A Middle-Aged Man’s Guide to Beginner Gymnastics is awaiting an official announcement, but has a planned latest release date of January 2026.
Jay Horne is the author of the science fiction fantasy realm of Rootworld where magic came before science. His latest works explore the discovery of magic on the Earth when the first witch is born and turns water into wine. Now, both realms are trying to educate and acclimate their students into new subjects.
Jay is the father of four and works as a cardiac monitor tech while he writes. He has a newsletter at substack called Stories that Slap. The only thing he loves more than writing is fooling his children.
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