Wednesday's scheduled workout was lost somewhere in Glasgow, so it looks like the awaited bench press max test will have to wait another week.

Tonight's workout saw the return of both Zercher squats and good mornings, adding elbows to the list of things likely to be a little tender tomorrow. A few Romanian deadlifts and a bit of ab work proved to be quite enough to ensure a good night's sleep; it's been a long day.

The weekend's lack of sleep finally caught up yesterday, pushing the usual Monday workout forward to today. A good night's rest certainly makes a difference.

As with the squat, a month without deadlifting is a long one indeed. Fortunately its absence from recent workouts didn't have any negative impact on the weights; in fact the max was a healthy 10kg up on the previous best. Slowly creeping towards the short-term goal of pulling double bodyweight.

The Romanian Deadlifts which followed also benefitted from a slight increase in weight - probably due to the fact that almost anything feels light in comparison to a full-strain deadlift.

The routine concluded with the ever-popular (and nauseating) Seated Good Mornings, and a solid bout of ab work. There was certainly a decent pool of sweat forming on the floor after that.

Still somewhat sleep-deprived following last night's extended farewell gathering for Sanna (about to head home to the warmth of Finland), I kept today's workout to a brief half hour. Certainly enough to ensure the head hits the pillow at a respectable time.

Despite the fatigue, the bench presses felt pretty good; even when using slightly heavier weights than last time I did them - at least the explosive variety - back in August. Hopefully this points to a higher max appearing next wednesday.

A month without squatting is a long one indeed, as I'm sure Kris will attest. Knocking out a few sets of the box variety was more than welcome.

As wednesday's workout was evidence enough that one month without free weights hadn't done any harm, I simply followed the last pre-travel friday routine without altering the weights. Added to this session was a little more calf work - never welcome, always needed - in the form of seated calf raises. Must remember to add a little padding to the bar next time to avoid creating grooves above my knees.

Carlton Hugo (sometimes Hugh) le Bird (Hughe l'Oise or Lois or Layse) was born between 1010-1020 in Normandy, France. He arrived in England with William the Conqueror in 1066 to fight at the Battle of Hastings. Later he lived in Canton.

Hugh was a skilled Falconer, hence the name Bird.

Hugh married Werburger, daughter of Roger Dombue. They had at least one child, born around 1030-1040, who died in England.

Carlton Hugo (sometimes Hugh) le Bird (Hughe l'Oise or Lois or Layse) was born between 1010-1020 in Normandy, France. He arrived in England with William the Conqueror in 1066 to fight at the Battle of Hastings. Later he lived in Canton.

Hugh was a skilled Falconer, hence the name Bird.

Hugh married Werburger, daughter of Roger Dombue. They had at least one child, born around 1030-1040, who died in England.

I arrived back in Edinburgh yesterday afternoon, far too tired following four separate flights (just over 36 hours' total transit) to contemplate hitting the weights prior to a good night's sleep in a bed. Still haven't mastered the art of sleeping on aeroplanes.

With a bit of AC/DC support I slipped under the bar this afternon for a refreshing session, reasonably pleased at the fact the weights don't seem to have dropped all that much despite my recent absence. Having said that, I kept them slightly lower in order to verify that. Increases expected for future sessions.

Also pleasing is the fact that my bodyweight didn't drop as a result of a month's change of routine (a week was enough to do that in the past, ala the last Amsterdam excursion); in fact I've actually managed to put on a kilo or two. No doubt that's partially the result of large numbers of meat pies consumed during the past few weeks.

Apart from a bit of soreness following yesterday's session, there didn't seem to be any great changes following the brief vacation in Queensland. Today's workout also followed much the same routine as the last Monday session on the all-in-one machine; this time a modified ME SQ/DL pattern.

Following a few hours soaking up the sun around Sydney Harbour, it was time to get comfortable with the wondrous machine again. After working up to the machine's max of 200lb on the hack squat (I simply ran out of weight plates at that point, the machine itself would undoubtedly handle far more than that) I worked through several of the exercises that rarely find their way into my routines : leg extensions, curls and seated calf raises. That last one will certainly make more appearances in the near future.

Last night was the first real opportunity to hit the weights again, and it was back to the 16 wheels of fun at my parent's house. Working with a machine (rather than free weights) still feels unusual, but certainly much better than the bodyweight routines that tend to fill gaps like these.

The routine followed a similar pattern to the previous Sunday (DE BENCH) workout here, with the only major change coming in the form of the weather; the sound of rain is always welcome in this part of the world, which has been in drought for some time now.

The workout was a simple blend of bench presses, flyes, pulldowns and rows, and went something like :

After a relaxing break - or at least as relaxing as a wedding can ever be - in Queensland I'm back in Sydney for the remainder of this trip. Nearly two weeks without hitting the iron felt like two months, and I'm curious now to see whether the time has had a recuperative effect or if I'll be looking at lighter weights for a week or two.

Shortly before heading north I decided to increase my bodyweight over the next few months, setting a target at 90kg. The increases won't start in earnest until I return to Edinburgh at the end of the month, well away from the temptation of travel-inspired takeaway meals. I'm not looking to increase bodyfat here.

Now I just have to be wary of places with names like 'The Groovy Groper'.