Cissus Quadrangularis no longer gives a false positive in drugs tests

A few years ago I wrote about the plant Cissus Quadrangularis (Click here for that write-up).  Last weekend I decided to check up on where we stood with the plant.  So I contacted the UK branch of WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) & got the reply that it now does not give a false positive.  This is great news, but it will probably still be worth checking with your own federation you compete in & probably your own regional WADA office as I'm not sure how recent this is nor how long it will take any updated tests to filter through the system.  I obtained the information from Sarah Foxton at ukad.org.uk (United Kingdom Anti Doping) & I'm not sure if it's the same worldwide, so check first!  Also bear in mind with any supplement the risk of cross contamination is always possible.
I suppose I should take the time to check if there is any update on the research on cissus q as I kind of lost interest when I found out you couldn't compete while using it.
Just thought you'd like an update as this is quite a useful supplement.

Overcoming issues (making changes on the fly)

I'll use me as an example.  This last week I caught a very nasty bug.  So for the last 8-10 days I've been unable to eat properly, lost weight, felt weak & been unable to train.  I think this is certainly the worst illness I've had in well over a decade (maybe 20 years since I was anywhere near this bad!), so I realise my immediate training plans are up in smoke as I have to think about regaining previous mass, so when I get back to training the plan I had has just been chucked out the window & it will be a hypertrophy (muscle growth) phase. 
Stuff like this happens, it can be illness, injury, sudden change in circumstances.  It can be a pain if you planned a cycle or two where you wanted to make some real strength gains on your 1 rep max & instead you have to spend time building up the size again as you've lost a lot unexpectedly.  Those are the breaks when it comes to training in the real world, stuff happens!

If you are a beginner this won't affect you too much as you just get back on doing a weight you can do & begin the build up again, but as you develop a goal, you have to play about with things as you work towards it.  For me I know I need a certain bodyweight to perform or I suck in terms of strength, so although my goal is to achieve a decent amount of absolute strength, to achieve that I need to build up my size a bit more again, that is the only option for met.  For some people that might not be an issue.  You may need find that after a stressful month you've added fat & so need to move from a mass building to a cutting phase for example.  Sometimes we need to adapt when life smacks us in the face.  So, don't be afraid to change the plan if you have to.  This isn't an excuse to have you swapping up stuff every few days as you find THE new routine in "Big & Buff" magazine (trust me it's not 'THE' routine, it's just a routine often written by the copy writer for the magazine & then they add the pictures of the latest Mr Perfect to that - Mr Perfect does his own routine & has 'supplements' to help him achieve his results).
So, plan your training, but remain flexible enough so that when the world hits you in the face you bounce & don't splat!
If you've hit a roadblock in your training, don't hesitate to post below, or for a more indepth answer pop over to the messageboard at http://veganbodybuilding.userboard.net/ & get the help of a whole herd of clever people!