by Craig Hysell

Congratulations! Next week you will MAX OUT ALL WEEK LONG and bring your 5/3/1 Wendler Cycle to a close!

I truly hope you enjoy your NEW GAINZ and have a greater understanding of training, of commitment and of yourself. Whatever you received, you earned. It’s yours and no amount of money can buy it. It’s based solely and uniquely on effort. So tip of the cap to you, my friend. Enjoy it.

Please write your Old PR’s (OPR) and New PRs (NPR) on the PR board during this up coming week. We are testing and your data helps us tremendously to improve your program.

Going into summer, you will get to play with your new, stronger muscles, stronger bones, stronger ligaments, tendons and joints!

As our programming shifts into our Summer Phase, the purpose of many of the workouts will be to put your additional strength and stamina to the test in some exciting ways. You will be exploring output, your output, in challenging workouts and I encourage you to view your work capacity as a constant work in progress.

I would like to point out that many of you might lean out during this phase. If you begin to feel “off”, drink more electrolytes (like Emergen-C, CeraSport, or a pinch of sea salt in your water) to combat the heat, eat more healthy fats (almonds, avocados, fish oil, MCT oil) for joint health and energy, and eat more protein to aid in recovery.

I also encourage you to practice some self-awareness. If you are not taking notes, if you are constantly scaling into your comfort zones, if you are not sleeping 7-8 hours a night, if you are imbibing too much and eating well too little, and are UNHAPPY with the way things are going for you
in your training plan, then change these habits immediately as it is not the time you spend in the gym that is the issue. (If you are happy and doing the above, that’s cool too. It’s America.)

We are always here to help, but we cannot help you if you insist on remaining comfortable or uncommitted. Your progress comes from constantly stepping outside your comfort zone and committing (or re-committing) yourself to The Process. It’s a journey. Enjoy the ride.

You never know what you are capable of until you take The Risk.

Enjoy your summer. Congratulations on where you’ve gotten to thus far in your training. Love you guys! Hugs!