I received this email through the EFS Q&A section and liked it so much that I wanted to address it through my log instead.

Hi Steve,
I've been following your log for a long time now. I've always had a lot of respect for you because of your no-nonsense approach to training. Work hard, lift heavy, get it done. Your answer to overcoming obstacles was always "work harder". This approach has carried you to great places.

Your body is falling apart now. Two broken knees, tight hips, high blood pressure. You're in constant pain and now you've given up on squatting. Since when has your answer to anything been "give up"? You need to be foam rolling. You need to be stretching. You need to be giving your body the attention it deserves. I guarantee you that if you spend a few months giving just 20 minutes a day to your quads, hamstrings, and hips with a foam roller and stretching, you can be squatting again pain-free. Pulling sumo pain-free.

You've gotten this far by not giving up. Iron Sport is still around because you didn't give up on it when times got rough. Don't give up on squatting. Give yourself a chance.
-Ben Scott

Ben, when I say I’m giving up squatting it’s really not a bad thing. It will give me a chance to redirect my lower body training with other exercises that I actually can and should be doing. Foam rolling and stretching won’t cure what is wrong with me, trust me. I have no meniscus in my good knee and the amount of damage that I sustained when my other knee was hurt last year can’t be reversed. Not to mention the crooked foot I’m left with after blowing out all the tendons in it four years ago. I’m retired now from competing and I’m just bodybuilding a little at this point with a few heavy things thrown in. So much like every other athlete has to face as he gets older, you just have to look in the mirror one day and say “I just can’t do it like I used to anymore” and retire. It’s your time to hit it heavy and hard, It’s my time to inspire and coach now Ben.

Todays training
Bench: worked up to a max single with 80lbs in chains, then dropped the chains and did 3x3
135x10- all sets with 80 in chains
225x8
275x5
325x5
365x1
385 (miss)
365 (dropped chains) 3x3

Flat dumbbell bench:
85x8, 110x6, 130x4, 85x13 wow I suck at heavy dumbbells. I’m going to try to work on that though.
Over head triceps extensions: 4x15