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For the last months, I’ve been focused intensely on physical development (running, calisthenics, recovery, sleep), and it’s been great.
But as I look at the full picture, I realize: there’s a part of me that thrives on intellectual challenge. Not passive learning — but deep reflection, mental sharpening, and expanding frameworks of thought.

So I decided to initiate an intentional intellectual reset — a structured approach to reconnecting with reading and reflection, not for relaxation, but for long-term growth.
This isn’t just “reading more.” This is about reclaiming the mental edge through philosophy, psychology, cognitive science, habit-building, and personal mastery.

After a short research and reflection, here’s the essential list that stood out — all high-impact titles I either missed or never finished. Time to change that.

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🔹 Core Books for this Cycle

1. Meditations – Marcus Aurelius

A collection of private notes by a Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher.
A raw, honest insight into the mind of a man balancing duty, mortality, and virtue.
A manual of mental clarity and resilience — as real today as it was 2,000 years ago.

2. The Art of Learning – Josh Waitzkin

Chess prodigy turned Tai Chi world champion.
This book is about deep mastery: learning how to learn, developing intuition, and staying focused under pressure.
Perfect for anyone pursuing performance at a high level — in any domain.

3. Atomic Habits – James Clear

A sharp, systematic take on habit formation.
More practical and actionable than Duhigg’s Power of Habit.
If you want habits that stick and systems that scale — this is it.

4. The Presence Process – Michael Brown

A 10-week guided process to reconnect with your emotions through breathwork and awareness.
More intense than mindfulness — this is inner work with direction and structure.
Perfect for rebalancing energy and cultivating real inner stillness.

5. Mastery – Robert Greene

Not a motivational book — a strategic manual.
Breaks down the path from apprenticeship to genius through the lens of history’s greatest minds.
Essential if you value long-term development over shortcuts.

6. The Black Swan – Nassim Nicholas Taleb

A brutal takedown of our obsession with prediction and control.
Finishing this book is long overdue — and the timing feels perfect.
It’s less about statistics and more about preparing your mind for uncertainty.

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🔥 My 6-Month Reading and Reflection Plan

This is not about speed. This is a cycle of intentional study, reflection, and integration — one theme per month.

📘 April – Stoic Reset

Book: Meditations
Read 1 fragment per day + note reflection.
Evening question: What did I face today that was outside of my control?
→ Goal: Build mental clarity and calm from within.

📘 May – The Learner’s Mindset

Book: The Art of Learning
Track your “flow” moments, study your own learning habits.
→ Goal: Learn how I learn — and evolve my system.

📘 June – Habit Architecture

Book: Atomic Habits
Build 1 habit, track it daily.
→ Goal: Establish one foundational routine with consistency.

📘 July – Deep Presence

Book: The Presence Process
10-week breathwork and awareness cycle.
→ Goal: Reconnect with inner signals and emotional clarity.

📘 August – The Mastery Path

Book: Mastery
Reflect weekly on your own long-term craft and trajectory.
→ Goal: Own the slow process of becoming exceptional.

📘 September – Embracing Chaos

Book: The Black Swan
Finish what I started, embrace uncertainty, and extract personal insight.
→ Goal: Redefine my relationship with control and unpredictability.

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This isn’t a sprint. It’s a long-term recalibration of the mind.
No expectations — just intention, discipline, and reflection.
Let’s see where it takes me.

🎯 Objective

• Build stronger legs to support pistol squat progression
• Improve eccentric control and full-body stabilization
• Activate the core and connect it to L-sit tension
• Do it wisely: one solid but balanced session per week, without overtraining

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✅ LEG DAY — Master Tier

🔹 1. Bulgarian Split Squat (rear foot elevated)

3 sets × 6–8 reps per leg
Tempo: 3 seconds down, 1 second up
Optional: dumbbells (2×10–12 kg or heavier)

Builds eccentric strength, knee stability, and pelvic control

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🔹 2. Step-up on high platform (40–50 cm)

2 sets × 8 reps per leg
Tempo: 2 seconds up, 2 seconds down
Focus on core tension and avoid pushing off with the rear leg

Glute activation + teaches single-leg drive

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🔹 3. Wall Sit (isometric)

2 sets × 30–45 seconds
Thighs parallel to the floor, knees above ankles

Reinforces quadriceps tension without joint stress

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🔹 4. Reverse Plank Hold (L-sit counterbalance!)

2 sets × 30 seconds
Toes pulled up, hips high, shoulder blades retracted

Activates glutes + posterior chain + balances L-sit tension

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🔹 5. McGill Big 3 – Core Stability

• Curl-up – 2×8 reps (hold tension 10 seconds)
• Side plank – 2×20–30 seconds per side
• Bird-dog – 2×6 slow reps per side

Builds a strong spinal column to support pistol and L-sit control

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Smart, minimal, powerful. Let’s build the body that builds the move. 💪

Completed Phase 2 (Macrocycle) of Calimove Advanced Level 3.

This was the real start of calisthenics:

• 1 test week, 4 grind weeks
• 4 workouts/week
• Each session started with a handstand routine
• Two sessions per week with a 5-set structure (3 main sets, 2 accessory, 1 finisher), others with 4 sets
• Long rest periods: 3 minutes for hard exercises, 2 minutes for easier ones

Coming back rusty.
Test week was a clear reminder: my pulling strength dropped after a break.
Pull-ups (overhand) went down from 17 to 13.
Chin-ups? No test, but I could tell — no way I’d hit 21 again like I did a month earlier.

Exercises introduced:

• Handstand
• Skin the Cat
• L-Sit
• Typewriter Pull-Up
• Archer Push-Up (rings)
• Pistol Squat
• Hanging Side Lean

Progress notes:

• Handstand: Week 1 I couldn’t even stay up on the wall. Week 2 — a few seconds. Week 3 — I could hold. Week 4 — started feeling strength and the fun of balancing.
• Skin the Cat: Felt easy, a bit of cheating at first, but clean by the end.
• Typewriter Pull-Up: Manageable — pull-ups have always been a strength.
• Archer Push-Up: Wobbly at first, but steady progress. Felt the control by the end.
• Pistol Squat: My weak point — can do partials, but full is far off (weak legs + poor mobility).
• Hanging Side Lean: Surprisingly easy, likely the first step toward a Human Flag.

In the final week, I finally felt true strength across all exercises.
The body caught up. Calisthenics is officially on.

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On March 16th, I finally did it — I bought Calimove Mobility 2.0.

It’s a 32-week program, structured into four progressive phases: Prep Phase, Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3.
The early sessions are short — just 6 to 7 minutes — but toward the end, some workouts stretch to 30 minutes and can be done several times per week (even daily, depending on how deep you go).

And the truth?
I’ve been resisting this for over 20 years. Mobility work always seemed boring to me — not “sexy,” not exciting. Strength training? Great. Running? Fine. But mobility? I thought it would drain my willpower just to start.

But I was wrong.

Something strange happened. As soon as I started doing it, my body instantly loved it. I can’t even explain it rationally. The movements feel natural. It’s almost relaxing. And for once, it doesn’t feel like I’m fighting myself to show up.

Now we’ll see what consistent training brings.

Summary of BASE Phase (Feb 5 – Mar 16)

The BASE phase of my adaptive Garmin Coach 5K training plan is now complete. Over these six weeks, the focus was on rebuilding aerobic fitness, dialing in recovery, and getting back into consistent mileage.

Key Learnings

• Started strong: My first base run was at 6:02/km with an average HR of 152 — a solid reference point.
• Garmin showed promise: It intelligently adapted to poor sleep and fatigue, skipping sessions when needed, especially during my US trip.

Unexpected Intensity

Despite being the “base” phase, several intensity sessions showed up:

• Feb 18: First threshold run — aimed for PB pace, ended up maxing HR at ~180.
• Feb 20: First VO2max session — 8x2:00 fast. Brutal. HR hit 185. Recovery took days.
• Mar 5: Planned tempo run became a threshold effort due to wind + misjudged pacing.

Positive Adaptations

• Improved endurance: 10–15 km runs became manageable without high HR spikes.
• Resting HR dropped from ~44–45 bpm to 42 bpm.
• HRV improved from ~100–110 to 115–120.
• Better awareness: I learned to listen to my body more — not chase times blindly.

Takeaway

This phase laid a strong foundation. Even though intensity crept in, the consistent base mileage and growing HRV trends suggest good aerobic progress.

I’m now ready to step into the BUILD phase with more structure and smarter pacing.