Week 1: 18 - 22 June

Illness affects training once more… Monday skipped.
DAY	EXERCISE	RESULT	MAX(EST)
Wed	Squat	105x6	126
	Bench	80x5	93
Fri	Press	33x14	48
	Deadlift*	130x1
* Done for Singles, Doubles, and Triples.
No Max Rep work.

Week 4: 11 - 15 June

Week 4 is recovery/rest week.

Everything is done 40%-50%-60%. So no straining for me.
Started developing a cold towards the end of the week, and took Friday off.
Hopefully it won't impact training on Week 1 next week.

My gymnastic rings have arrived, and I will start including them in my training.

The 531 whole-body training is not quite as flexible as I need. (I can't always make 3 workouts a week).
I read an article by Jim Wendler: "Effective Training For Busy Men".
The 531 twice a week option is very similar, so I decided to move in that direction.
That way, even missing one workout a week, I will still hit the main exercises.
Day 3 will be an assistance/volume day. I believe that the bones of this workout is stilll 531.
Unless there is serious pawpaw in the fan, I should be able to get the two main workouts every week.

If you need some good reading the latest article by Jim Wendler: "Mentoring Wendler" is up.
I've also found som egood article links posted weekly by Ben Bruno: www.benbruno.com.

Where is it all Headed?

In the beginning of modern strength-training there was the Squat.
Then came the enlightenment that Squatting was bad for you. Knees and backs were breaking everywhere.
Next came the new wave of functional training. [Im still not sure what function bosu ball squats train, unless you spend your life on a ships deck ].
Then it was decided that squats were not actually bad. But you had to prepare yourself fully. Foam Rolling and Movement Quality were the new buzzwords.
Then someone said: "Shouldnt exercise make you move better?" And now some feel that the whole Movement movement has gone too far. Back to basics they say.
Squatting should improve your squat movement.
Its only a matter of time before the next "evolution" of training.

Here is my biased, personal opinion:
Do what works for you. Stretch if it helps you. Foam roll if it makes you feel better. Squat if it makes you stronger. The experts agree to disagree. You have to decide what you will accept, implement, and live with.
In the end, your progress is the yardstick of the effectiveness of your approach.
If you aren't going forward, maybe you should try foam rolling with a bosu ball. Or doing mobility drills on the monkeybars. Or zercher squatting every day.
In the end, it comes down to one person. You.
Don't be afraid to try the recommendations, but don't be afraid to strike out on your own either.

Week 3: 04 - 08 June

The 5-3-1 reps for Week 3 have been ok
DAY	EXERCISE	RESULT	MAX(EST)
Mon	Squat	105x8	133
	Bench	90x2	96
Fri	Press	35x10	46
	Deadlift*	135x1
* Single, Doubles and Triples only (Speed Focus)
Combined workouts this week due to other matters.
Started the mobility and flexibility work in the evenings.
When combining workouts:
1. Get the Main Exercises Done
2. Do Main Assistance if possible
3. Include extra work last.

Apart from a big error on the Bench (90 instead of 85), its going well.
The Deadlift really seems to get overcooked easily. Doing Speed reps seems to work.
135 came off the ground easily, so I'll just keep going and see how it ends up.

Week 2: 28 May - 01 June

The 3-3-3 reps for Week 2 went well.
DAY	EXERCISE	RESULT	MAX(EST)
Mon	Squat	100x7	123
Wed	Bench	85x4	96
Fri	Press	?
	Deadlift*	?
* Single, Doubles and Triples only

A small drop in est. max for Squat, but the 7 was not full out.
Tiny increase in bench est. max.

Trying to catch up with the logs again. Perhaps some more interesting prose will follow soon.

Week 1: 21 - 25 May

The 5-5-5 reps for Week 1 went well.
DAY	EXERCISE	RESULT	MAX(EST)
Mon	Squat	92.5x11	126
Wed	Bench	75x8	95
Fri	Press	33x10	44
	Deadlift*	125x1

* Done for Singles, Doubles, and Triples.
  No Max Rep work.

Cruel Eld Doth Encroach Upon me

Yep, I am getting older. One of these days I might actually grow up. Maybe.
When you are young and fresh [16~23] its easy to recover from just about anything that you can throw at your body.
You are pliable. You may not be flexible, but generally your muscles and sinew are unscarred and have little damage. But this changes as you get older. You lose it little by little. Pretty soon you're a brittle old codger. (Metaphorically speaking. You might only be 30). You realise that you actually have to work at your mobility, flexibilty and structural qualities.
I used to do the splits. No more. All the desk work has made me tight.
But, its never too late. So, a much as I hate it, I need to start doing foam-rolling and mobility work.
I cant bring myself to spend my training time doing it, as I only have 3 hours a week as it is. So, my solution is to create a pre-bed routine. 15-20min of rolling and mobility every day.
Soon I will return to my youthful vigour. Or, at the very least, stop doddering around like a rusty old robot.
The other side-effect I would like is to be a little more injury-proof again.
Let the test begin...