Machete

Nice. Do you have a plan for your workouts and running? (I hate running.)

So first week done. 4 barbell sessions, 3 locomotion sessions, and 3 martial arts sessions. I'll give it a B overall.

What up?

A race would be good. Learning how to properly run was pretty entertaining for me. I got myself some minimalist running shoes and a metronome, and worked on decreasing ground contact with a midfoot strike. A heart rate monitor is also useful, if you're training for cardiac output with long, slow, boring FM 21-20-stlye runs; or if you want to run at around your lactate threshold. Believe it or not though, I actually broke the 14-minute mark in the 2-mile when I started strength training.

Ah. I used to be that guy, running 11-minute miles. Hahaha. Have you read FM 7-22? Good stuff. Really underrated. On another note, is it 50 pullups in one session, or 50 pullups straight (which is a bit of a tall order)?

Gentleman. Scholar. Sinner. Skilled lover. Centurion. Gladiator. Night's Watch. Philosopher King. Closet romantic. Man for all seasons. Village Idiot. Chronic underachiever. A man has been called many things in his life, but his present desire is to be but three: Strong, Fast, and Brutal. These are qualities that a man lacks. Although persistence will eventually take one to one's destination, a man believes that a little bit of intensity goes a long way. So the goal is simple for a man's first challenge: QUEST: INTENSITY 1. STRONG: Barbell Training session (A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0) 2. FAST: Bipedal locomotion session (A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0) 3. BRUTAL: Martial Arts Training session (A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0) SIDE QUEST: WISDOM Complete NESTA's MMA Conditioning Certification program and pass the final exam. MOTIVATION Somewhere out there, somebody bigger, stronger, faster, smarter, richer, better-dressed, and prettier than you is training while you are not.

Keep it up. (It would probably be fun to keep 'before' and 'after' pictures.) Expect the unexpected. All the way... P.S. Sweet challenge setup, by the way.

Yeah, a problem I see with CF is you really need to get into one of their Foundation courses at the very least, or have some experience with barbell and gymnastic training. All you really need to strength train is a place with a barbell, a power rack, and bumper plates. The Starting Strength webpage has very detailed descriptions on how to perform exercises. Stronglifts 5x5 however I believe is free and has a very extensive program, covering everything from training loads to progression, so I'd probably start out with that. Don't worry about your calorie intake. A calorie is just a unit of heat. Most people estimate them wrong anyway, and the best thing about Paleo is you can pretty much eat as much as you want, as long as it's the right food. Eat as long as you are hungry, half meat half vegetables. Pretty hard to overeat the good stuff. A good rule of thumb I have is 'when you're strength training, you're probably not eating enough.' And don't worry too much about your weight. I'd say focus on your strength gains for now, and the weight that you are able to lift. The body composition will follow. Have your read about Staci? http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

Haha. I know how that feels. I have a weakness for cheesecake. I usually satisfy my sweet tooth with a thick calorie-dense protein shake.

Okay. I've heard that CF is pretty big in Drum. It's understandable to be overwhelmed. The lack of routine and programming kind of throws me off, and really my WOD times aren't competitive enough for other people (except with bodyweight movements), since I weigh as much as a 13 year-old girl. Kind of hard to stick with too, unless you have a group that you go with. A big part of CF seems to be the community. There appears to be a big strength bias here, and that would be a good thing. There won't be a shortage of knowledge on strength training. I usually suggest dillignetly following one program, like "Stronglifts", "Starting Strength", or "5/3/1" for 3-6 months. It's easy to follow and low-volume (you only train 3-4 days a week), you use up an insane amount of calories, it preps you for the movements of CF workouts, you can see actual training results, and it's perfect for the winter, since it's indoors.

I do it with a notebook, and highlight my "bad" meals so I can berate myself later for eating them. Haha

Don't know about temperature ratings, but I was looking for running boots in preparation for running in the Alaskan winter. I really liked my New Balance Minimus, and I ran really well with it. I considered the New Balance 110 boot, the ECCO Biom GTX, and something by Karhu. All a bit pricey, so I ended up buying a Merrel Mix Master 2 Waterproof, which has served me well so far being a minimalist shoe, but I still don't run like I did with my NB.

http://militaryathlete.com/index.php They have some good training principles to go by, if you're training for that kind of challenge.

Heart rate training is a bit of an advanced method, and although it would help it's not really necessary starting out. Depending on your fitness goals, you can utilize it to improve your aerobic fitness and cardiac output (by a continuous low-intensity "cardio" session of 30-60 minutes at a heart rate of around 120-150 bpm) which trains your body to become more efficient at utilizing fat for energy and delivering oxygen to your muscles, or you can do high-intensity interval training which focuses on your anaerobic capacity. At that intensity your body primarily uses stored Glycogen as fuel, and trains your body to store more Glycogen and clear accumulated lactate. You can only maintain this pace for a few minutes, and would require some time in-between intervals to recover. If your goal is body composition manipulation however, your diet has a much bigger influence than your workouts.

I usually use the winter months to concentrate on strength training, or treadmill intervals. Any protocol really that doesn't require for me to go outdoors. I also tend to eat more during the winter, so it really helps with my strength gains. P.S. I'm from Alaska.

Hi. You already have the right mindset. I's suggest finding a strength program you can follow, like Stronglifts, Wendler's "5/3/1", or Rippetoe's "Starting Strength". I'm all about strength training (to an extent). Dairy isn't too bad either. Some people go semi-Paleo, incorporating dairy in their diets. I personally like dairy, and it's usually how I satisfy my sweet tooth. I have made a lot or concoctions and experiments with whey protein that have been better alternatives to my passion for cheesecake.

It usually helps to stick to a diet 6 days a week, and eat whatever you want on one day. It's a lot better than sporadic periods of "eating clean", usually because people tend to think they're eating cleaner than they actually are. Try writing a food log. Eating a whole pizza is harder when you have to write it down and look at it for the next few weeks.

I also pick Bulbasaur. Squirtle sucks, and picking Charmander is just asking for trouble.

Greetings. "Cardio" really isn't that complicated. Just find an activity, or multiple consecutive activities that elevate your heart rate in the 120-150 bpm range for 30-60 continuous minutes. Hope that helps.

Same here. One of the pickiest eaters ever, though sometimes it works to my advantage. Never had a burger in my life, so fast food really isn't an option once I forget that chicken nuggets exist. One thing about me though is I never tire of the foods that I like. (I ate peanut butter on toast, and tuna with rice every day for 5 years.) What are the foods that you love to eat?

Starting Strength is a great start. I'd suggest ditching the HIIT sessions for now though. Strength training, particularly squatting big is neurologically taxing enough. Besides, Rip did say that you should follow the program to the letter, otherwise the galaxy would implode (or something like that). Also, having someone watch your form will greatly increase the efficiency of the program. I was Deadlifting wrong for years, and I wasn't making any gains. It was also rather challenging to perform the Power Clean on my own, but I finally got it (after like 3 years).

What's up, nerd? You know what? I feel like I can relate. I'm a grad student, I used to be a 6th grade English tutor, I love to cook and bake (but I love eating what I create even more), and I crush Crossfit WOD "Diane" while listening to "Cups" by Anna Kendrick. Lifting is a great start. I started a lot of people off with that, and because of the linear progression (you getting stronger) and the visible results (more weight eventually lifted) it's a fantastic choice to start one's fitness goals. Besides, as Mark Rippetoe said, "Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general." Strength is king, and Crossfit becomes a lot more fun when you can handle weight. So I was curious: where are you guys stationed?

Hi, everyone. My name is Machete, and I believe in fitness. I have been a believer of performance enhancement through exercise since I was 6, when I started dabbling in bodyweight exercises. I was introduced to bodybuilding theory when I was around 12, but I eventually went back to calisthenics after a year or so, reading about different training theories and eventually forming my own. At 22 I read about the Crossfit movement and realized I had been following some of the same exercise principles for years. I have been training in martial arts on and off for the past 22 years, and have competed in various events in Boxing, Wrestling, Submission Grappling, Kickboxing, and MMA, some semi-professionally. I worked as a striking and conditioning coach at an MMA gym for a year after college. (I'm a poster at the Sherdog forums, and was a frequent winner of their old conditioning challenges.) I have also dabbled in various forms of Yoga for 6 years. Right now I am working on strength training using Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 while doing the occasional select Crossfit workouts. Though I have never experienced being severely obese, genetics have not really been on my side. Asthma, hypertension, balance issues, and joint misalignment have always put a damper on my athletic pursuits, so I mostly banked on experience, persistence, and smart training. I'm also diagnosed with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (which does not, by the way, give me Rain Man powers, it just makes me a bit socially-awkward) that may or may not help me focus. I have a Fitness Trainer certificate under the ISSA and am currently working on an MMA Conditioning Certificate, a Yoga Instructor Certificate, and a MS in Sports & Health Science. I enjoy talking about fitness, and am rather disgusted with today's commercial mindset; huge machine-infested gyms, misleading fitness magazines, a skewed concept of "diet", the undying myth of spot reduction, and Bro Science. I'm glad to have found this rebel alliance, and wish to see what I can learn from it and what I can bring to the table. Cheers.