Codename: Resurgam

The Recomposition Breakthrough

Week 3 was the first real sign that the adjustments made after Week 2 were moving Resurgam in the right direction.

At the end of Week 2, there was a decision to make.

Returning to regular strength training had brought significant DOMS, and that soreness was beginning to interfere with Joshua’s running. At the same time, a persistent pinch in his lower back was a clear sign that the current approach needed some adjustment.

Instead of forcing the original plan and hoping the problem would sort itself out, we adapted.

Back squats and barbell deadlifts were removed from the program. Dumbbell Bulgarian split squats and machine leg curls took their place, allowing Joshua to continue training his lower body while reducing unnecessary stress on his lower back.

Week 3 gave us our first indication that the change was working.

The Victory the Scale Didn’t Tell

On paper, Week 3 looked uneventful.

Joshua’s weight moved from 223.5 lbs to 223.1 lbs, a loss of just 0.4 lbs.

If the scale were the only metric we tracked, it would have been easy to look at that number and call the week a stalemate.

Fortunately, Resurgam isn’t built around a single number.

The body composition data told a much more interesting story:

• Skeletal Muscle Mass reached a program high of 109.6 lbs, an increase of 5.2 lbs from the previous measurement.
• Body Fat Mass decreased by 0.9 lbs.

While smart-scale measurements should always be viewed as estimates rather than absolute truth, the direction of the data combined with Joshua’s training and recovery progress points toward something encouraging.

The body may be beginning to do exactly what the Recomposition phase is designed to encourage: preserve and potentially build lean tissue while gradually reducing body fat.

That is a much more meaningful story than a 0.4-pound change on the bathroom scale.

Finding the Balance Between Training and Life

We already knew it would take time to get running, strength training, and recovery working together.

Week 3 wasn’t perfect. Joshua completed 1 of his 2 scheduled mid-to-long runs, meaning some planned aerobic volume was left on the table. But compared to the previous week, there was an important improvement: the physical soreness that had been interfering with training became much more manageable.

Just as importantly, the changes weren’t limited to the gym. Joshua’s average felt-experience score increased from 5.6 to 6.0, with particularly strong improvements in The Forge (Strength) and The Spirit (Mindset/Why).

Resurgam isn’t simply about losing weight or hitting a number on a spreadsheet. It’s about rebuilding a sustainable relationship with training, health, and the life surrounding both of them.

Week 3 reinforced an important lesson: progress doesn’t always come from doing more. Sometimes it comes from recognizing when something isn’t working and having the discipline to change course.

By protecting the lower back, adjusting the strength program, and allowing recovery to become part of the strategy rather than an obstacle to it, Joshua created the conditions for progress to continue.