The Sub-7 Experiment

Tag: Recovery

  • A New Coach in the Room

    It feels like I have a new coach.
    You might remember that I’ve been asking ChatGPT to prepare workouts and coaching advice to help me row 2,000 metres in under seven minutes. That is the whole point of The Sub-7 Experiment. Can I use AI to help me achieve a fitness goal.

    When I first tried this, the model available to me was GPT 4.0 and it was good. I set up the role, gave it the context, kept the conversation alive, and each day I told it how I was feeling. It responded with the workout for that day. That simple rhythm worked well.

    Then 4.1 came along. The improvements were small but noticeable. It held context better, got confused less often, and could handle my slightly lazy and vague questions more easily. As with most tech, each release pushed things forward.

    Earlier this year GPT 5.0 arrived with a huge amount of hype. It was supposed to push ChatGPT into a whole new league. PhD-level reasoning. Better accuracy. A genuine step up.

    The reality was mixed.
    Yes, it produced better code for a different project I was working on. Yes, it had more “thinking” capacity and could reason more deeply without me having to explicitly tell it to think. That part was a massive improvement.

    But as a conversationalist it was a step backwards.
    It forgot things. It lost context. It got confused about tasks. The backlash was so strong that OpenAI reinstated version 4.1 as a choice because so many people preferred to keep using it. It felt like my coach had left the building.

    I worked around it with careful prompting, but it was frustrating. The Sub-7 Experiment relies on continuity and rhythm, and something was always slipping.

    Which is why it now feels like I have a new coach. GPT 5.1 has arrived and it feels different in a very good way. The tone is consistent. The help it offers is actually useful. It anticipates the next step instead of fumbling it. It feels like an upgrade in the true sense of the word.

    Let me explain why this matters.

    I have a WHOOP device and I’ve used it for almost two years. Before ChatGPT became part of my training, WHOOP was my only guide. It sits on my wrist and picks up all sorts of measurements: heart rate, skin temperature, strain, sleep quality and plenty more.
    Every morning the app shows three dials. Yesterday’s strain, today’s recovery level, and last night’s sleep. When you start a workout you tell WHOOP what you’re doing and it gives you a target strain. When you hit it, the band vibrates and tells you to stop. Simple. Clever. And it worked well.

    But in the last few months I’ve been questioning the value.
    The subscription model has changed. The promise of free device upgrades for active subscribers has been replaced by an “uplift fee”. My renewal is in February and it will cost a lot more to keep going into my third year. And that makes me ask what I actually need it for.

    Most of the data WHOOP collects I don’t really use. I know how well I slept because I was there. What I actually value is recovery guidance and strain targets. And there are other devices out there that do similar things for a simple one-off cost. Polar Loop is one I’m looking at seriously.

    So I turned to ChatGPT 5.1 for help. Reviews. Recommendations. Thoughts based on my training. And one of the threads pointed out something obvious: I have not been using most of WHOOP’s data anyway. Not deeply. And the only thing that truly matters is the workout planning, which comes from CoachGPT.

    I asked if there was any way for ChatGPT to access WHOOP data directly. It said no, the APIs are not available yet. But then it made the suggestion that genuinely impressed me.

    It told me exactly which two screens in the WHOOP app to screenshot each morning. It told me to upload them, and it would analyse everything it needed: recovery, sleep, strain, HRV, and readiness. It would then produce a fully tailored workout for that day. And if it thinks I need a rest day, it will tell me that too.

    I have used this new process for the last few days and it is genuinely brilliant.
    Two screenshots. Upload. Instant plan. Clear reasoning. Exactly what it expects from me. Exactly what to avoid. Exactly how hard to push.

    And it works.
    The coaching is better.
    The structure is better.
    The whole system feels like something new.

    Well done, ChatGPT 5.1.
    This is The Sub-7 Experiment.
    Recovering using structured data.

  • Back and Building

    And we’re back. Thirty minutes on the rower, steady pace, light resistance, just finding rhythm again. Nothing heroic, just movement with purpose.

    After that, some strength work: sled pushes at 80 kg, solid but controlled, then farmer’s and suitcase carries with 20 kg in each hand. Nothing fancy, just the foundations.

    It feels good to move with intent again. Each session adds a little more confidence, a little more strength. The engine’s coming back online.

    This is The Sub-7 Experiment — back and building.

  • Back in the Fast Lane. Almost

    Tuesday, and it’s been a good couple of days. Yesterday I saw the doctor and got the all-clear after both procedures, signed off, back to normal life, and very happy about it.

    So today I went to the gym, mostly to reconnect with the rowing machine and see where I’m at. Knocked out 7,000 metres in 31 minutes, lower intensity, low drag factor, but smooth and steady. The old me would’ve jumped straight back in and pushed too hard, too soon. This time, I’m not doing that.

    Coach ChatGPT’s advice is still in my head: take it easy, rebuild properly. I might’ve gone a little harder than planned, but it felt great. The legs worked, the form felt good, and more importantly, the head was clear.

    So, we’re climbing back into the fast lane, not quite there yet, but picking up speed. And that’s enough for today.

    This is The Sub-7 Experiment — recovery mode disengaged.

  • Finding Patience in Recovery

    It’s been a while since I’ve written one of these. The last big thing was the 150km cycle — a brilliant day out. But not long after, I came down with a cold. Headachy, wiped out, all the usual. And just as that started to ease, I went straight into leg surgery two Mondays ago.

    Today was my first time back in the gym in weeks. Literally weeks. I’m nowhere near full power. I did some rowing (even though I’m not really supposed to) and a few light weights — nothing heavy, just enough to move, to feel like I’m doing something again.

    And I do feel weak. Underpowered. Off. But I know this isn’t a new baseline. This is a blip. A temporary stop on a longer road. I’m grateful more than anything — grateful that I’m on the mend, that I have a gym to go to, and that I can move at all.

    I’ve got another surgery in two weeks, so I know I’m not fully back yet. The sub-7 experiment is still very much alive, but realistically, it’s not going to happen this yar. And that’s okay.

    What I need to hold onto now is patience — something I’ve never been great at, especially with myself. But recovery takes time. Push too hard, too soon, and I’ll just end up further back. So this is where I am: moving, mending, grateful, and trying to let time do its job.

    This is The Sub-7 Experiment. Slow for now, but still moving.

  • The Point Is Not Dribbling Into My Soup

    July was a break month. I called it “movement, not measurement” — no calorie counting, no chasing numbers, no obsessing over pace or distance. Instead, it was about moving because I wanted to, not because I had to. And it worked.

    There were plenty of walks, a few gym sessions, and a lot of time spent with family. Camping, holidays, and just enjoying being Dad. And yet, even with the lighter approach, July gave me one of the biggest breakthroughs of the summer: I realised my rowing form was wrong. For months I’d been driving off my toes instead of my heels, which explained the knee pain I’d been ignoring. With heel wedges and a focus on connection, I started the awkward process of re-learning how to row. It felt strange, disconnected, even underpowered, but it was a step in the right direction.

    August was tougher. Coming back, I was hit by frustration: sore knees, comfort eating, a few pounds up on the scale, and the voices in my head louder than they’d been in a long time. The ones that say, “What’s the point? Stop now.” But in the middle of that I found an answer: the point is not becoming an old man dribbling into my soup ruing the day i decided to stop moving. The point is staying strong, independent, and capable.

    So I kept going. Rebuilding form on the rower. Long, hilly rides on the bike — including a brutal 112 km in rain, wind, and navigational mishaps that turned into a bigger ride than planned. No coffee stops, soaked to the skin, but proud I stuck it out. That cup of tea at the end tasted like a medal.

    By the end of the month, structure was back. Gym sessions, meditation rows when my head was scattered, and one big endurance block: two × 45 minute blocks on the rower with a 20-minute bike in between. Over 21 km rowed in total, despite being under the weather. Proof that the base fitness is still there.

    So here we are at the start of September. July gave me the space to reset. August gave me the chance to face setbacks head-on and still move forward. Now it’s time to sharpen things again — with a 120 km ride on the horizon and the 150 km event at the end of the month. And beyond that, the Sub-7 Experiment continues.

    This is The Sub-7 Experiment.

  • Data, Decisions, and Rest

    It’s been a busy couple of days, especially with that 75km bike ride on Sunday. Looking back, maybe I should have paid closer attention to my recovery score that day, too—Whoop had me at 66%. Not terrible, but still yellow. I went out and did the mammoth ride anyway.

    Lesson learned: these recovery scores are there for a reason. Sometimes, it really is worth listening.

    Today I was planning to go to the gym, but I checked the Whoop score and thought, “Maybe I should actually ask ChatGPT what to do.” The answer? Take a walk and do some light core work. So that’s what I did—and I feel much better for it.

    I’m glad I didn’t push it. Old me would have ignored the warning signs and gone full tilt, probably ending up worse off. But this version stopped, asked, and listened.

    We’ll see what the Whoop score says tomorrow. Just another data point to factor in.

    This is the Sub-7 Experiment—and every day is a school day.

  • Old Limits, New Baselines

    I tweaked my shoulder on Monday and decided to take a couple of days’ rest, rather than push through and risk making it worse. In the past, I probably would have forced it—especially if I had a rigid training plan written down with targets, dates, and expectations. If the plan’s written down, you have to follow it, right?

    Well… no. And that’s the beauty of this experiment—I can pivot.

    The conversation with ChatGPT went like this:

    Me:
    “Hey good morning. I’m in the gym, shoulder’s still a bit twingy, but I want to row. What do you recommend—and a warm-up too, please?”

    ChatGPT:
    Warm-Up (10–12 min total)

    1. Assault bike or light row – 5 minutes easy
    2. Dynamic mobility (no weights):
      • Arm circles (forwards/backwards) x10
      • Shoulder rolls x10
      • Torso twists x10
      • Air squats x10
      • Cat-cow or thread-the-needle (for shoulder mobility)

    Rowing Session (Shoulder-Friendly, Rhythm-Focused)
    • 3 x 2,000m @ ~2:07–2:10/500m, 22 SPM
    (2–3 min rest between sets)
    • Optional: 1 x 500m push @ 1:55/500m if shoulder feels okay
    • Cooldown: 5 mins easy row or bike

    “Keep your stroke smooth—no need to muscle through the finish. Let the legs drive, keep the core engaged, and guide the handle in.”

    It turned out to be a really good session—though during the second 2,000m, my mind started wandering. I found myself questioning all of it:
    What’s the point? Where is this going? Is a sub-7 even possible for someone like me? Am I getting bored?

    It came out of nowhere. It was like my old mindset trying to sneak back in and talk me out of it. Talk me into giving up.

    And give it up for what?
    Go back to how I was?
    No thanks.

    That second 2,000m came and went. Then the third. Then a 500m push—1:42.
    And that’s when it hit me: real progress is showing up.

    Three sets of 2,000 meters at a cruisy 2:05/500m pace and 21 SPM. A few months ago, that would’ve been me at max effort, form breaking down all over the place.
    That final 500m at 1:42? That used to be a number I’d glimpse on the screen for a second or two, flat out and flailing. Today, it was measured. Solid.

    The physical progress is great. But the mental shift is the bigger win.

    Old thinking tried to creep in—but the new mindset held strong.

    It’s not about hitting the perfect session.
    It’s about making the average ones stronger, more consistent.
    That’s how I know this is working.

    This is the Sub-7 Experiment.