Judicator

Hi fellow Rebels! I'm a lapsed Rebel who hasn't been here for a while, but now I'm looking to jump back in with a group of friends. The trouble is ... well, we're all getting old, and between injuries and living situations none of us can actually do the Beginner's Body Weight Workout as it's written, all for different reasons! Do the Rebels have any advice for a couple of alternate exercise possibilities for each of the BBWW sets? Thanks! -- Judicator, aspiring to be a Ranger - still an Adventurer for now!

The apprentice sat cross-legged on the forest floor, leaning against the bridge-post, listening attentively to the elder Ranger. For a week his mentor had been teaching him the essentials of treading lightly, moving softly, covering his tracks ... and he knew he would be tested today. He was just unsure of the method. "Have you taken to heart all I have taught you this week, fledgling?" "Of course! Every word, Greencoat." The older man grunted, and with a motion so fluid and swift the youngster nearly missed it altogether, brought three arrows from his quiver to the young boy's hand. "Mark the fletching well." The boy grinned smugly. "Tail-feathers from a Brown Mynah." "You don't win any awards for that, whelp, I just want to be sure you don't steal some hunter's arrows by mistake and embarrass me!" His face red, the boy bit back his response. The Bowmaster sighed and flicked the boy's hair with the tail of an arrow. "You're a quick study and you've a sharp eye, lad. But you need to learn not to think like a schoolboy. I've forty years on you in forestcraft, and I know just enough to know how little this place cares if you know the difference between a grey lichen and a Possum Moss. You get full of yourself every time you answer a question right, that confidence may serve you well in a city college. But in the green, arrogance and complacency will make you careless. And a careless Ranger is worse than no Ranger." The first comment had stung the apprentice's pride. But the explanation had rung true enough to reach the boy's heart. He recited one of the pledges the older man had drilled him on, months ago. "I will walk the paths and unmarked ways, seeing all but harming naught. I will keep the order of the woods by restoring what I disturb and passing like a breeze through the leaves." The teacher nodded his approval. "That's the right words, boy. Now prove you can act on them." Quick as thought, the older man loosed an arrow. A few heartbeats later, the dull THUNK told the boy it had found purchase in wood. He squinted and could just make out the trembling haft of the arrow, lodged in the post at the other end of the bridge. The Ranger turned and loosed the other two arrows, both flying to opposite ends of the sister bridge downstream. "You know my fletching, you know how to move quietly and without leaving a trail... I want those arrows in my hand, and I want it done without you scaring the woodland creatures to the hills." "Go." Half an hour later, the youth crept back with a smile on his face. The Ranger nodded. "Your woodcraft is sound, and you're quicker than the average new apprentice ... but that's half again as much time as a true Ranger would need!" --- My w00t milestone: I did this bridge loop walk for the first time, and it only took me half an hour! A bit more than 3 km including to and from my house. This isn't a huge thing in absolute terms, but psychologically it's pretty huge for me, if that makes sense. I've been looking at that walk and it has looked like A Big Challenge. The two bridges really do look a long way apart to me, and I was suspecting it'd take me 40 minutes or more. After doing it, I realise it was a lot scarier in my head than it was to actually do! Now to try and cut down my time...

Haven't heard from you for a bit, Xepher... how'd you go?

Good to see you're keeping things achievable. Let us know how you go later in the week!

Glad someone else picked up on that one, Xepher. Oh gods, that quest... it goes forEVAH.

So, Day 1 and I did the 30 minutes of walking ... I think I set that goal at just about the right difficulty. I felt awful when I finished, but pretty good afterwards. Assuming it's going to kick my butt tomorrow. Tomorrow, the BBWW!

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys! Just realised I didn't give much info about myself here. I'm a male nerd, 32, living in Sydney, Australia, and working as a nurse. Shift work is hell on any kind of routine, let alone a workout routine! Looking forward to the next bunch of challenges.

Go for it, Mustard! I thought it was best to go for achievable goals first time out, and then when things really get going near the end of Feb, I'll go for the more ambitious stuff. Feel free to steal, borrow, adapt, improve, critique, etc. We're all here to help one another!

Hey fellow Adventurers! Since I'm new to the whole NF thing, and there's a few weeks 'til the next proper challenge kicks off, I thought I'd get the ball rolling for myself with a mini-challenge for the next two weeks. As I'm going to be working towards a Ranger-ish workout in the long term, these goals are going to kinda fit in with that theme. * Exploration/Fitness - An apprentice Ranger should know his territory A brisk half-hour walk (to raise a sweat), twice a week - using this time to find somewhere nearby with a pull-up bar and a bench! Seeing as I'm currently not doing any cardio, anything's an improvement! I just moved to this area, so I'm going to check out the local park for good spots for the next part of the challenge... * Strength - Every apprentice needs arms strong enough to string and draw a bow Performing the Beginner's Bodyweight Workout (BBWW is how you Rebels refer to it, right?) twice each week. This could show up some serious gaps in my current ability, especially in my upper body, so I'll give it two weeks and then assess whether I need to make it more challenging. * Flexibility - Without the ability to move freely, an aspiring Ranger cannot adapt to change I've found a basic stretch routine which I'm going to do three times a week. I frequently find my back gets tight and over the past few years I've lost some range of motion in my shoulders, so it's time to get it back! * Food - No Ranger should be relying on a tavern for sustenance Not buying food out for the whole two weeks - this one always gets me as I'm a shift worker and sometimes it's hard to get a meal with erratic break times. This will involve planning and preparation to make sure I have at least a sandwich or some leftovers for work, every day. Not embracing the Ranger lifestyle enough to go Paleo, though. Here we go!

Sydneysider, literally just starting on my adventure here.

Hey Rebels, I found this place via a friend of mine who raves about NF in between completing Tough Mudder runs and performing with aerial silks (!!). From where I'm sitting, she looks like an Elite, and I'm just about to start killing rats. I'm here because I was in great shape in high school, and only realised just how badly I've let that slide in the past 10+ years when I tried playing some Ultimate Frisbee with some much younger and fitter friends... and got winded after about five minutes. For someone who used to play an hour of basketball without a problem, that's a big drop. My aim is to work on my general aerobic fitness and strength, with some work on flexibility too. So, I guess that makes me a Ranger with a touch of Druid? Glad to be in a community of such supportive people. From my quick looks through the forums, it looks like a great environment for improving my body.