RoryAverage

Thank you! I felt is was the best I could do in tough circumstances, so I counted it as a win too! Week 3 Challenge Wrapup Goal 1: Success! I went running Friday afternoon, then I took my 1.5yrold trail running on Sunday. Damn, do my legs hurt. Goal 2: Success! Got my planks up to 1.5 mins, and moved crunches up to 150 per day Goal 3: Success! Did my meditations every night. Def feeling clearer. Personal Goal: I have all of my songs tightened up and ready to go. I've got some studio time booked, now I'm just fine-tuning things and making sure I've practiced enough. I'd hate to pay studio rates only to end up not having anything done.

He's basically how I ended up here. I listened to a few podcasts with Aubrey Marcus from Onnit and Dave Asprey of Bulletproof exec on Human Optimization, and during the course of the podcasts they talked alot about the research that has gone into epigenetics, self impovement, etc. I was in a kinda bad place mentally, and Rogan's admonition to "just be yourself, and try to make yourself better everyday" really hit home with me. I started training for ninja warrior, doing parkour and rock climbing, and was looking for some bodyweight training stuff when I ended up here. Also, he's had some guests that prompted new hobbies and areas of interest, as well some science badasses like Michio Kaku and Neil Degrasse Tyson. I actually don't listen to his fighters or comedian podcasts.

One of the hardest tricks I had to learn to become a better climber was not to overgrip. I found myself getting pumped(climber term for no longer being able to grip due to temp burnout of muscles) really fast. I asked a woman I know from the gym about it, and she asked me "how hard do you grip the holds?". I told her that I grip as hard as I can. She clued me in that the secret is to grip only just enough so that you don't fall off. It took me about 3 months to get it down but once I did my deadhangs and general climbing improved dramatically. I practiced on my pullup bar, basically seeing how little I could grip it w/o falling. Oddly enough, I also noticed that individual finger strength and control improved as well. Holds I had to use 4 fingers on could be done with 2, and I noticed greater endurance both in climbing and playing guitar.

JoeRoganExperience: Daddy of all awesome podcasts! Dude literally altered the trajectory of my life. joerogan.net Hardcore History: If you like history this one is amazing dancarlin.com Dan explores some very interesting angles of history such as History of Slavery, Use of drugs in the past, Morality of A-bomb drop in 1945(Mindblowing!) as well as narrative histories. My fave series are Ghosts of the Ostfront, Fall of the Roman Republic, and the abovementioned topics. Sin and Solace: Pretty cool fictional story. "Jeremiah “Sin†Sinclair is an assassin, employed by a company known only as “The Corporation.†Join him and his best friend, Trevor “Solace†Solento, as they complete a long journey..." http://sinandsolace.podomatic.com/ ArtofManliness: Great site, great podcast! artofmanliness.com

Whew! Last week was a long, hard slog uphill. I kept my challenge goals, but otherwise I was running from one work emergency to the next. It got me pretty down, but I'm determined to make this week better. Goal 1: Damn you, running! No progress whatsoever on this one. It's been a big hurdle, and one that I haven't made a priority. Goal 2: Success! Goal 3: Success! Personal Goal: Wrote another song that I liked, and booked a 4 hour slot for Sat, April 4th! Feeling good, but I have ALOT of work to do to be ready.

Relevant Seriously though, the price of freedom is eternal vigilance against the various stripes of people who think you're a stupid piece of crap who cannot run your own life, thus you must be constantly told what to do by your betters. I'm looking at you, high-ranking dbags of every govt on the planet.

Week 1 Challenge Check-in: Goal 1: eh....Didn't get to do any running. I could make excuses, the weather was terrible this week, had a romantic weekend for my 7th year wedding anniversary, work stuff, blahblahblah. It wasn't a huge priority so I didn't do it. Bad Rory, bad! Goal 2: I did keep my planks and crunches sched. Probably came in somewhere around 750 crunches for the week. I usually stop counting after 100. My wife and I even did some planks and crunches on the floor of our 200-a-night bed&breakfast room! Yayay me! Goal 3: Kept up my meditation schedule as well. *self back-pat* Personal Goal: Made some calls to the local studios and priced out time. It's not too bad, but the problem is when one person plays everything it takes 3-4 times longer, hence 3-4 times more expensive. I also wrote a song that I liked. I would also like to say thanks to everyone for reading and encouraging me. NerdFitness is the nicest place EVAR online, and its wonderful to be somewhere that accepts people for who they are, and encourages both weirdness and fitness! I reckon I'll end up in the assassins. I do ALOT of rock climbing, 3 days a week. Plus I like black. Here's me doing something assassiny from last year.

Doble desplazamiento es molesto

This is something I can personally attest to. I'm from Cajun Country, South Louisiana originally. No joke, hyperbole, or exaggeration, but back home its not unusual to go into a convenience store and see 3-4 people who all weigh over 300lbs. I've been in rooms with friends where the next skinniest person after me is literally twice my bodywieght. My best bud's wife is literally heavier than me and him put together. Another close friend and his family's (3 people, including the 12 year old) total weight is somewhere near 900 lbs. Contrast this with Austin TX where I live now. It's unusual to see anyone even near to the size of "average" Louisianians. Healthy living and good eating are super trendy here, and it is rare to see someone who would qualify as obese. one definitely has to be careful not to say "This is what I see daily, therefore the whole world must be this way".

Thank you, Blaidd. I appreciate the compliment. Challenge Check-in: Did my 5 planks yesterday, along with 100 crunches. Meditated for 15 mins. Felt very refreshed and energized afterwards. Still no running. I plan on going this afternoon after work, and we have our family run on Saturday.

I'm Gnostic, so I do the Gnostic Meditations. From doing some research into meditation it seems as if the goals and methods are very similar across the world, only the language/symbolic constructs are different. I'd suggest looking into the different traditions until you find one that resonates with you. Here's basically what I do. http://www.gnosticorderofchrist.org/about/basicmeditate.htm Challenge Check-in: Did 5 1min planks, and 130 crunches. Meditated for 15 mins. So far so good.

I've been around the NF Boards for awhile now. I've started a challenge or two, but never followed through. I've started an assassin challenge before, but I thought I'd follow the rules and join the recruit ranks since I never finished. Goal 1 Endurance: My endurance is crap. I'm very strong for the first 20 secs(Beastmode FTW!), but I quickly lose steam. It doesn't help that I smoke cigarettes either. I'll never get on Ninja Warrior being a badass for only 30seconds. Challenge: Run at least 2 miles, 3 times a week. Goal 2 Combating the Office Spread: I worked in the field forever, but have spent the last year in the office. After sitting on my butt for a year I'm getting a little pudgy round the middle. So... Challenge: Abs, baby! 5 1min planks a day, along with at least 100 crunches. Goal 3 Cleaning the Muddied Halls: I think waaaaaaay too much. I tend towards negative, and if I do not make a daily concerted effort to remain positive I quickly sink back into the mud mentally. I think that mental &physical fitness go hand in hand. Challenge: Keep meditating 10 mins a day, at least 3-5 days a week. Personal Goal: I get antsy if I don't do something creative. I play guitar and drums everyday, as well as write stories/books/screenplays often. I've been working on an album for awhile, and in the next 6 weeks I'm going to finish writing, and being the recording process if possible. I play everything, all the guitars, piano/keys/synth, bass, drums, etc. It's a slow process, but one I enjoy. Anyone interested can give a listen here. https://soundcloud.com/fairyunnatural

Not directed at any posters in the thread, just a general statement. Just another example of magical thinking to me. Every time I hear about "fat acceptance" I think "Who are you trying to convince? Me, or yourself?" If you wanna see it get crazy, look up fitmom.She got a ton of shit for daring to post this pic: http://time.com/25014/fit-mom-still-wants-you-to-feel-inferior-and-kind-of-lazy/ Alot of people seem to be under the impression that tearing down someone else automatically lifts themselves up. Quite sad, IMO

Lol, I totally made it up. They call themselves MRAs, men's rights advocates. They get goofy with it but have some legit points.

Rostov: I think your post was excellent and spot on. I do have a few things to add. I think the more appropriate term is civil. As in, I act civilly to strangers, but I do not automatically respect them. I'm unfailingly polite, until they are impolite to me. Then I tell them off in no uncertain terms. It does get problematic, but I have friends of friends who have repeatedly been very uncivil to me for no reason I am aware of. I tell them off, make it clear just b/c we have a mutual friend does not mean they get a pass to be an asshole to me. Lo and behold, they act civilly to me, which I return. That seems to be the conundrum of modern man. We're biologically predisposed to act/think in certain ways, and like every other ideological difference, people blow it out of proportion. I find the statements "Women belong in the kitchen" and "Every man is a rapist" to be equally repugnant. Much of the current "debate" between feminists and meninists isn't a debate, it's a grand straw man burning party. Whilst both sides have legit points(see Custody courts ruling almost always in favor of mother vs Glass ceiling), it usually seems to me that the point of both sides is not to lift themselves up, it's to tear down the "opposition". Just makes bad blood between people who probably have alot more in common than differences. Anyway, I highly suggest you check out that link I put up earlier. It's an attempt to find the middle path, where men can stay true to their biological drives, yet retain all the good stuff of current society. http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/06/09/semper-virilis-a-roadmap-to-manhood-in-the-21st-century/