What Happened to 2013?

Suddenly it's 2014.
2013 was full, and fast. I just realised it passed without a single post.
A lot has happened.

Training
I finally managed to buckle down and 'Just Do It'.
I've had Training A.D.D. for a long time, but in 2013 I managed to contain it. Mostly.
This meant that although I didn't push my bench into new territory, I reclaimed the previous PR.
(My shoulder issues are now mostly fixed.)
Deadlift was good. I increased my PR to 180kg (395lbs in old money).
Squat is not going very far, but that is due to a bad knee, that will probably never be 100%.
I can still squat 135kg (300lbs), so it's not awful.

Life
New Child.
Career change.
Family Visits.

2014
I recently purchased Simple And Sinister.
I only have one statement to make after reading it: "Buy It. Read It. Apply It."
I have been using it as my base for a month so far, and I can see the benefits already.
This year will continue the Powerlifting Goal Pursuit.
  Deadlift: 205kg (450lbs). This will be more than 2.5 Bodyweight.
  Bench: 135kg (300lbs.)

I'm interested to see if I can make this work. I have a plan. More to follow...

Changing Goals

Life is a tale told by an idiot. (According to Shakespeare anyway).
I'm not so sure I agree, but in a sense we are all idiots.
We strut around the stage, thinking we have it all figured out, only to prove ourselves wrong most of the time.
If you think back on the different goals that you have had throughout life, you will realise that many have changed.
What you wanted out of life at 5 changed when you reached 10, again when you made it to 15, ad infinitum.

This is neither good nor bad, it simply is. And when I look back on my lifting "career", I realise that I've done it several times.
Certain goals are still there, but the priority shifts and changes like the tides.
Strong...Big...Lean...Big And Lean...Strong And Lean... etc.
Lifting weights is constant. Striving to improve is constant. The finer details shift.
As life happens, things change. Sh!t Happens, as they say. You gotta roll with it.
Do I still want to be strong? Hell, yes. Is that all I train for? Hell, No.
I adapt to my age, my lifestyle, my current desires.
I think Long-term AND Short-term, and try to weave it all together into something meaningful.
But, I may wake up tomorrow with a completely new perspective, and that will change everything.
C'est La Vie.
Don't fight it, just work with it...

Progress On The Ultimate Program

Once upon a time I believed in the ultimate program. I KNEW that if I read enough, researched zealously, and applied myself, I would find it.
Then I discovered that there was no way. All paths led to Rome.
But even that didn‘t last.
Now I believe that there is an ultimate way to train. You won‘t get it from a guru-trainer. It will probably not be a cookie-cutter printout from a website. It might be, but probably not.
Don‘t ask me where to find it. I only know where to find mine.
Unfortunately you are going to have to find your own.
Sorry.

Swimming In The Wild Seas

Life is like a box of chocolates...
I‘m sure that everyone is familiar with that quote. I think it may be a little too Hollywood. (i.e. not based in reality).
I say this because I am currently in the firing line of a business restructuring process. This is a fancy way to say that they want to cut employee numbers. Even a chocolate with orange centre (yuk!) is better than losing your job.
I think life is more like the end-result of a collision between a hardware truck and a confectionery van. Then you really wouldn‘t know what you‘re going to get.
And exercise is very similar. You can train with the best plan, and put in all the effort only to discover that you chose the wrong parents for your goals. Or that you can get sweet rewards from little effort.
The problem is you can‘t be sure your results (or lack thereof) are the result of genetics or effort, until you have really given every option a fair chance. That could take years.
So its better to enjoy both the journey and the destination, otherwise you might never look at what you have as a chocolate and not a screw...

What Is Awesome?

The goal with my current training is to be awesome. Or, in my case, MORE Awesome!
But, what is awesome?
For some it is defined by the size of the biceps. “Sun‘s out, guns out!“ But, to others it is defined by weight lifted from the floor. To still others it revolves around GPP abilities (read Crossfit). That is the difficulty with awesomeness. It is defined in the eye of the beholder. To me “Chuck Norris“ might be the epitome of awesome, but to you he might just be some idiot who went “Missing In Action“ (several times!).
So, I have defined my criteria for awesome, and will measure myself against that. The goal is to narrow the gap between where I am now and “Awesome“.
I invite you to do the same. Choose a level of awesome that is within you to achieve. No point trying to be an Awesome Bodybuilder if you are a skinny-fat hardgainer. That will only lead to disappointment. You have to take your limits into account, but don‘t pander to weakness. EG: Oscar Pistorius made it to the Olympics. Awesome. He did not try to take on Usain Bolt in the 100m. That is beyond his actual limitations.
Be realistic, but don‘t be a pansy.
Awesomeness is within reach of us all. It just takes some dedication, hard work, persistance and cojones (metaphorical ones for ladies).
Become Awesome!

Week 2: 20 - 24 August

FRONT SQUAT	88	x	5	:	103
FRONT SQUAT	85	x	7	:	105
BENCH	83	x	5	:	97
BENCH	75	x	5	:	87
HANG CLEAN	65	x	3	:	71
DEADLIFT	130	x	5

Week 1: 13 - 17 August

A slight change to the plan. Included some 5x5 and dropped Press, as my left shoulder is unhappy with it.
Tired of always having one shoulder or the other complaining. I must be getting old or soft. Possibly both.
With the current split some exercises will be done twice a week. Once 531, and once 5x5.

FRONT SQUAT	83	x	5	:	97
FRONT SQUAT	75	x	5	:	87
BENCH	75	x	5	:	87
HANG CLEAN	60	x	5	:	70
DEADLIFT	110	x	5

Week 4: 06 - 10 August

Rest Week again...

FRONT SQUAT	80	x	3	:	88
BENCH	70	x	6	:	84
DEADLIFT	110	x	3

Week 3: 30 July - 03 August

SQUAT 120 x 3 : 132 BENCH 90 x 2 : 96 PRESS 50 x 5 : 58 HANG CLEAN  60 x 5 : 70 DEADLIFT 150 x 1

Missing In Action

Blink and you‘ve lost a month.
Bueller said it best: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don‘t stop and look around every once in a while, you just might miss it.“
The truth of that statement continues to apply all these years later. In fact, I think life moves even faster now than old Ferris could have imagined. Which is why I keep having periods of MIA on my blog.
In an attempt to fix this I have procured a blogging app for my phone. Hopefully this means that I will be able to be more frequent with my posts. When I look at all my posts at the end of the year, I want to be able to check my progress on 531, without having gaps.
So, first I need to post my missing weeks, and then get ack on the blogging saddle.

Food for thought: There is very little that is truly new in the weight lifting game. Why do people spend so much time ad effort chasing the latest fad. Where could you be, and what could you achieve if you used that time and effort to work hard on the big, basic principles instead?

Week 2: 22 - 26 July

Week 2 Details:
Squat:    115x5 : 134 Projected
Bench:   85x3   :  93 Projected
Press:    45x7   :  55 Projected
Deadlift: 140x2

Week 1: 15 - 20 July

Week 1 Details:
Squat:      110x6   : 132 Projected
Bench:      80x5    : 93 Projected
Press:       40x10  : 53 Projected
Deadlift:    130x1

Week 4: 09 - 13 July

Rest week.

Week 3: 02 - 06 July

Time really does seem to be flying. I've been through two cycles already.
8 weeks gone in a flash.

DAY	EXERCISE	RESULT	MAX(EST)
Mon	Squat	115x7	141
	Bench	90x2	96
Fri	Press	40x10	53
	Deadlift*	145x1
* Done for Singles, Doubles, and Triples.
No Max Rep work.

Everything is still rolling along. Projected maxes still increasing (mostly).
I may have to step down bench press soon, but will see how it goes.

Week 2: 25 - 29 June

A pretty good week. Time flies. Already 3x3 again.
DAY	EXERCISE	RESULT	MAX(EST)
Mon	Squat	110x8	139
	Bench	85x3	93
Fri	Press	37x12	52
	Deadlift*	135x1
* Done for Singles, Doubles, and Triples.
No Max Rep work.

Wed was some play at the park. Chins, Dips, Jumps.
A nice break, and some good "work".

Bench press is very narrow due to shoulder issue.
I'm happy with it. Training maxes based on standard width.

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.