Design Wizard

Our semi - impromptu mini-meet up is set for Saturday at 9am (EST) at Military Park, just outside the convention center. Come meet some fellow rebels, practice some body weight exercises, talk about diet, and get a special sneak peak of our up coming Yoga program!! Anyone interested please check out the event and group here:https://www.facebook...09885902441216/ Look forward to seeing you and may the dice fall in your favor.

Our semi - impromptu mini-meet up is set for Saturday at 9am (EST) at Military Park, just outside the convention center. Come meet some fellow rebels, practice some body weight exercises, talk about diet, and get a special sneak peak of our up coming Yoga program!! Anyone interested please check out the event and group here:https://www.facebook...09885902441216/ Look forward to seeing you and may the dice fall in your favor.

I'm glad you're interested! Looks like we'll have a few people. You should definitely join the FB group! It'll be easier to communicate with the participating rebels while on the go that way. https://www.facebook.com/groups/809885902441216/ If we have enough people commit, a company called Small Potatoes may bring us breakfast! It's going to be much excite!

Our semi - impromptu mini-meet up is set for Saturday at 9am (EST) at Military Park, just outside the convention center. Come meet some fellow rebels, practice some body weight exercises, talk about diet, and get a special sneak peak of our up coming Yoga program!! Anyone interested please check out the event and group here:https://www.facebook.com/groups/809885902441216/ Look forward to seeing you and may the dice fall in your favor.

Hey! Indy nerds! Anyone going to GenCon? I want to get a meet up planned, anyone interested? I've stared a facebook group. You can see it here:https://www.facebook...09885902441216/ Can't wait to see you all!

You shshould join our Facebook group and help spread the word. Thanks! https://www.facebook.com/groups/809885902441216/

Currently we're leaning toward early afternoon on Saturday. We'll get together in military Park and get a little exercise! It should be a welcome break from all the standing in lines and sitting to game. After we'll all find some paleo (or as close as we can to paleo) grub and hang out! Post any events you are for sure going to attend so we can avoid them if possible!

Hey! Midwest nerds! Anyone going to GenCon? I want to get a meet up planned, anyone interested? I've stared a facebook group. You can see it here:https://www.facebook...09885902441216/ Can't wait to see you all!

Hey! Midwest nerds! Anyone going to GenCon? I want to get a meet up planned, anyone interested? I've stared a facebook group. You can see it here:https://www.facebook.com/groups/809885902441216/ Can't wait to see you all!

So, been taking it easy for a few days. I did some yoga yesterday. Just focused on designing today. I feel like my back is back to normal. Tomorrow I'll head back to the gym. I think I'm working chest and upper back. Probably need to get in some more yoga and a head stand. Yeah, a friend of a friend has a favor called in to get me in on the first cancellation. We'll see and I'll start exploring other options.

So I need to post my thoughts on the rest of the weekend and Monday: Ugh! My body seems to be breaking. Following our workout, we had lunch with Steve and even ended up in a rowdy game of freeze take at a nearby Park. My 8 year old quickly found half a dozen other 8-ish year old and it was on. Steve was officially designated the "freeze monster"! It was a ton of fun, but kinda hard on my knee. Later we went to the convention center for more time with stitches. We did a little shopping, explored the Opryland hotel and had dinner. We were pooped. Sunday I was sore everywhere. Way more than I expected. Our workout wasn't extreme, but something was off. My knee was tender and my back was stiff. But we had stuff to do, and that stuff was the Nashville zoo. It was a nice zoo. A little expensive as zoos go (we visit a lot when we travel) but all in all, very nice. After that we found a sushi train and I went on a total binge. All you can eat sushi for $9 doesn't come along often, so I went nuts! We drove home and passed out for the night shortly after arriving. When I woke on Monday nothing was working right. I could barely stand. My back was completely locked up. I was beside myself. I hadn't had that happen in a year or more. Ugh! I got to the chiropractor and did a lot of stretching through the day. I didn't go to the gym or do any yoga. About the end of the day, it loosened up. Tuesday I finally had a chance to discuss my MRI on my knee with my doctor. It's not good, but it could be worse. So there is range of various types of damage and deterioration on my knee, chondrosis, arthritis and a few other things. Basically I have the knees of a 60 year old, the consequences of being over 100 lbs over weight for the past 20 years. Now that I'm trying to become an athlete, the damage is starting to be revealed. The treatments are 1, physical therapy to teach me how to protect my knee. 2, steroid injections and 3, collagen injections. From what I've read, the collagen injections sound promising. The problem is, my insurance don't give me "priority" access to the orthopedist that would provide either of the shots. Nothing till October. So, for now, I'm still in a holding patter. No leg exercises for a while. I have some clarity, but nothing actionable. I'll update as I can.

What takes you guys to the sheep and wool festival? Do you or Shandon knit? Kelly just told me another friend asked her to come to another fest in New York. I don't know if this is the year for a New York trip, but the wheels are turning. Spezzi and I are the only "full time" warriors, I think, but we may convince Lairpie to stay with us after this challenge. Rah! And yes, it is obviously the right choice! Haha

On Saturday, the family and I woke up at 4:30 AM and headed to Nashville, TN. My wife was attending a class at Stitches (http://www.knittinguniverse.com/south2015) a yarn and knitting convention, one of the largest of it's kind. And I was planning to meet Steve at his YMCA for a workout. It was great. The Y has a "Kid's Zone" where they could play, Steve and I could workout, and my wife was free to enjoy her class. Other than being a little sleep deprived, the workout was great. I got some great help with my form and warm-ups. First we did Steve's typical warm up. He tried to help me with some hand stands. When I practice them in my office, I do them in a hall way. I have both walls to push off of to eventually get my feet upright. Here I attempted to just flip up to a single wall. Even with Steve's coaching I fell. I still have a goose-egg on my head to show for it. I've come to the conclusion that I don't quite have the upper body strength yet. I'll keep practicing in my hall till I do. We also lifted weights. Rah! Deadlift 3 Sets: 8 reps @ 195 lbs Steve really helped me focus on form here. I think I made some significant improvements and learned a bunch! Good Mornings Set 1: 5 reps @ 45 lbs (bar only)Set 2: 8 reps @ 45 lbs (bar only)Set 3: 10 reps @ 55 lbs This was my first time seriously trying good mornings. It felt good. I think the work for my lower back and hamstrings could really do me some good. Steve said my form looked good, so I think I'll be adding these in. Overhead Press 3 Sets: 8 reps at 95 lbs.

Awesome leg day, man! I worked out with a friend who did some Snatch Grip Deadlift. I may try adding that in. Anything to strengthen my lower back. How do you think it's working for you?

I'm a little behind, so I think I'm going to break this into two posts. In addition to yoga and some handstand practice, I got a workout in on Friday. Pull Up Set 1 x 4 Set 2 x 3 Set 3 & 4 x 2 Bench press Set 1: 18 @ 135 (failure) Set 2: 5 @ 150 (failure) Set 3: 5 @ 155 Set 4: 5 @ 160 Set 5: 5 @ 160 Inclined Bench dumbbell fly Set 1: 20 @ 30 each arm Set 2: 12 @ 35 each arm Set 3: 12 @ 35 each arm Barbell Rows Set 1: 12 @ 135 Sets 2-4: 5 @ 155 Set 5: 4 @ 155 I wasn't getting these reps in as strict as I should've been. I'm going to re-evaluate my form and probably drop some weight. Later that day I hear from my doctor. He said they'd heard back from the physical therapist and the earliest possible appointment for me was Oct. 6th! What the crap?! That's not a referral, that's a deferral. My doctor understood my disappointment and offered to set up an appointment with him. I realize the need for a specialist, at times, but I don't think my situation is all that unique, so I hope (and am confident) that my doctor will be able to tell me what my next steps are. One of the reasons I'm so frustrated is that for Chondrosis, the possible treatments range from... Rest... to ...Surgery! That's a huge range and I need to know how to proceed. I have an appointment with my doctor on Tuesday.

How are things going? Seems you've had a few late nights. Hope you're still getting enough rest. I'm looking forward to seeing some pics of your rack once you get it built!

Two more days of Yoga in the books. Yesterday and today were really nice. Especially today. It was focused on back stretches. My back has been a long time problem for me, and even though it's much better now than it was a few years back, it still feels good to give it a nice stretch. Especially with Yoga, where everything is new to me, so it's that much more pleasant! You know, exciting new experiences and all. I feel so loosey goosey in my lower back and hips now, I'm a little wobbly. Ha! Here's day Four from Yoga with Adriene if you're curious: Sleep was somewhat elusive last night. Not bad, more like my typical "just enough". As opposed to a couple nights ago where it wasn't enough. A podcast isn't a bad idea, but the ones I'd be interested in tend to activate my brain, rather than calm it. I may go for some audio fiction. No worries Rooks. I'm new. Not too key to the forums. I'm focused on design. But, as you can tell by my challenge title, I'm trying to be more involved on the forums. I got a report back on my knee MRI. I have Chondrosis? (http://www.rcmclinic.com/patient-info/knee/diagnosis/44-medial-injuries/79-grade-iv-chondrosis-medial-compartment maybe not the best source, but it's a link to some info) Right now I've got 6 days of a prescription. I'm waiting on a call from a physical therapist that my Dr referred me to. I'm getting a little impatient. I just feel like everything is kind of on hold till I know how to move forward. I don't want to risk making it worse. I want to know if it's chronic, or will heal and be good as new. I am Indigo Montoya

So does an X mean you completed or failed? And does a P means? Poor? Perfect? Petunia?

So, I got a workout in yesterday, just didn't have a chance to post it! Overall, I got all my lifts in. I felt like everything was stuck in mud though. Each lift felt like it took a little more effort than it did the time before. I have two theories, but I'm not sure. 1. Maybe I'm not getting enough sleep. This is an area I struggle with. 8 hours per night? What am I, a toddler? Of course I don't mean that, but I think that's what my body feels. In my previous life, BNF (before Nerd Fitness), I slept around 5 or 6 hours a night. I needed to get up as early as possible to try to squeeze a few extra hours out of the day to make my business run. It was a never ending cycle, but I was stuck in it. Now my body thinks 6 to 7 hours is all it can take. I wake up at 6:30 almost every day no matter when I go to bed. Last night I forced myself to stay in bed over 8 hours, but I wasn't asleep the whole time. I feel more rested, but I'm wrestling with getting my body to properly rest. 2. Maybe it's food. I've been on a slow carb diet for about a year and nine months. It's great! I feel like I have enough energy, I'm not gaining weight. Initially I lost a ton of weight. But, for the last couple of months I've been a little less strict. And during that time I've felt like I wasn't being strict enough. Also during that time I've been making steady "gainz" at the gym. I didn't associate the two till this week. I've had a much more strict week diet-wise. I've down a couple of pounds, I can see a few veins in my arms. Great right!? I donno. I felt weak yesterday during my lifts. Clearly, I'm just babbling to get some thoughts out and share with all my new NF friends. On to the workout: Chin Ups 3x5 Overhead Press Set 1: 16 reps (failure) @ 85 lbs This is the same weight I did last session and I got in less reps. Feeling frustrated, I went for max reps at the same weight on the next set. Set 2: 10 reps @ 85 lbs Sets 3-5: 5 reps @ 100 lbs Deadlift Set 1: 20 reps @ 185 lbs Got in all 20 reps at this weight (only made 18 last time). It felt good and heavy. I was nice and controlled for each rep.

HAHAHA Awesome! I'm not nearly as gif-ly talented as most the NF community. Gonna have to change that!

Got in a 45 second wall hand stand. Easier than yesterday, but it's not easy for me either way. Also got in about 25 minutes of yoga. This session was a little harder too. Other sessions I've done were more "stretchy/relaxy". This one was more like cardio. Not too intense, but it sort of snuck up on me.

Got in a 30 wall hand stand. Man I suck at those. No yoga yet this week. Tomorrow! I'm excited, I'm meeting a friend on Friday to discuss some custom training programming. Rah! Thanks! Yeah, I know it's typically the other way around for reps and weight progression. I'm going to keep the high reps first for a couple of weeks. If I don't like the progress, I'll switch it.

Yeah, fish is awesome. I'll often get frozen cod or tilapia and keep it in the freezer at work. If I'm feeling like a chance, it cooks up nice in an electric skillet. Good luck!

MRI: Done. I'm told I'll have some results in a few days. Workout: Done. I did workout B, but felt like doing a little more, so I added pull-ups and dead lifts. Pull Up 3 x 4 Bench press Set 1: 19 @ 130 (failure) I hit some kind of wall. Maybe I just exhausted my muscles, which I know is the goal, but I should've gave myself a little more time before the next set. Set 2: 3 @ 160 (failure) I realized I wasn't getting far with this today, so I just dropped the weight. Set 3: 3 @ 140 Set 4: 7 @ 140 Set 5: 6 @ 140 In my mind, and I don't have any real reason for this, I want to get in around 20 reps with the lighter weight and then 20 going as heavy as I can. Inclined Bench dumbbell fly Set 1: 12 @ 35 each arm Set 2: 12 @ 12 each arm Set 3: 12 @ 12 each arm I switched from flat bench to incline. I'm hoping to fill out my chest a little more. I've got quite a bit of sag from my extra skin. I'm hoping changing up the exercise will help. I also went a little lighter. It felt like I got my arm wider and deeper. Form felt pretty good. Barbell Rows Set 1: 12 @ 135 Sets 2-5: 5 @ 150 Had to really jerk the bar to get the last couple of reps in on a few of the sets. Still felt good, but my form declined as I went on. Dead Lifts Set 1: 3 @ 225 Set 2 & 3: 1 @ 275 (new PR) I just felt like seeing how heavy I could go at 275, I knew I could pull it based on some of the volume work I was doing. RAH! Work? Next. Can't wait to show you.

Lifting was pretty good today, despite a deadlift failure. Chin Ups 3x5 Kind of a warm up. I have been forgetting chin ups and pull ups lately. D'oh! Overhead Press Set 1: 18 reps (failure) @ 85 lbs Set 2: 5 reps @ 105 lbs Sets 3-5: 5 reps @ 100 lbs Got in the 5 reps on the 2nd set, but I just barely got the 5th up. I knew I wouldn't get far on the last 3 sets, so, I dropped 5 lbs. Deadlift Set 1: 18 reps @ 185 lbs I had some grip problems. I think I could've made it another 2 reps, but I could keep the bar from slipping. Even after 18 I was too gassed to try to just reset and pull the last two. Once I stopped, I stopped. Next I tried 275. I thought I could get a few reps in. I got 3 at 265 earlier in the week. I put on the weights, pulled on the bar and ugh! It wasn't their today. I even recorded my failure for all my Rebel Friends to see: https://instagram.com/p/1lkmJEPz7b/ Also did some Concentration Curls, Bro! 25 lbs, each arm x 12 and 2nd set x 8 Finished with 20 Hanging Knee Raises