Airlia

I've been absent again all week. I haven't felt well all week, and my 13 yr old daughter has been severely ill so I've been up all night several nights even being sick myself. Daughter had 104 fever Tuesday night, doctor found nothing on Wednesday, then Thursday went to ER where they found she had severe pneumonia in her left lung. Got her on antibiotics and she's finally beginning to improve, plus I got a little more sleep last night - only up twice to administer meds, so I'm beginning to feel human again. Not sure I'm quite at quiddittch yet but I did manage to make some progress on my AMRAPs and will update those after this post. Everyone take care!

Happy Birthday to the birthday people! and welcome Tombo. I agree on the "too many threads" thing. I love, Love, LOVE the new challenges the Assassins are doing, but am having trouble keeping up with it all. I try so hard not to spend too much time on the computer, and of the time I did spend I like at least half of it to be spiritually or intellectually growth oriented. I've spent more than 2 hours on here this morning, haven't even done my cardio yet, am late for getting outside to work on the yard, and have only been able to catch up / respond to a few threads after getting my own tracking caught up. Still - I love NF and am SOOOO grateful to have a place to come and get/give motivation for physical fitness!

Hi Lucky Fire Dragon, finally got a chance to drop by and get caught up on your progress. So VERY impressive - as always. You always do such an amazing job.

Sorry my Hufflepuff team, I've been completely absent all week in terms of posting. Just really busy - but I did make some good improvement on my AMRAPs. We are totally swamped with family events this weekend. Our weekends are pretty busy but hopefully I'll be able to contribute to Quidditch next weekend. Again, sorry for not pulling my weight for the team. I'll do better next week.

Hey Lucky Fire - I've been slacking on posting all week - the party was great and bowling is going well. I bowled a 148 on Sunday and a 135 on Tuesday and beat my husband both times! - his average is 150ish, but he bowled especially poorly those games. It was fun. So, I started the week working hard, but slacked off the last couple of days. Still overall I didn't completely fail. My workouts have been good overall and still seeing progress in Nerdwarts School. Between several graduation parties and other such activities, sugar has been WAAAY too high. Need to get that back on track. I made some slight modifications to how I score the herbology and muggle arts quests, and finally added my stat points awards for all my quests. Here are my weekly summaries: Weekly status: --------------------------- Week 1 Summary - Grade: A Q1 Study hard and improve my Nerdwarts AMRAP scores (Strength) -- 5/4dw - A Q2 Improve my Quidditch game with better stamina (Cardio) - 4/4dw - A Q3a Herbology (Sugar) - goal: goal: 4/5dw - B+ Q3b Herbology (vegies) - goal: 3/3dw - A LQ1 Muggle Arts - 3/2dw - P Epic Quest: Avg weight - 123 --------------------------- Week 2 Summary - Grade: C+ Q1 Study hard and improve my Nerdwarts AMRAP scores (Strength) -- 3/4 - B Q2 Improve my Quidditch game with better stamina (Cardio) - 3/4 - B Q3a Herbology (Sugar) - goal: goal: 2/5dw - C Q3b Herbology (vegies) - goal: 2/3dw - B LQ1 Muggle Arts - 2/2dw - P Epic Quest: Avg weight - 124 My weight is creeping up. How much is water weight from heat &/or muscle gain as opposed to fat gain from poor eating choices is hard to say. I suspect some of each of those. Still, I really want to get this under control before it gets too daunting. Problem is that "want" is not translating to "resolve" and "appropriate choices" the past week. I started to track again in MyFitnessPall for a few days last week, then didn't track Th & F. I know that really helps me stay on track and make better choices so added my food and exercise for today, but that's only breakfast. It's late afternoon and evening that is going badly - I get the "munchies" / sweet tooth monster and eat way too much sugar and snacks. My plan is to save enough calories for 1 dessert, then if I still feel I need to snack, have smartpop popcorn or something similar.

Updating my workout log (I delete it above after I do the weekly summary): W: - Transfiguration.......(floor Push-up) - 18 - Flying...(straight leg inverted rows) - 18 - The Dark Arts.....(reverse lunges) - 60 - Charms..(lying straight leg raises) - 28 - Quidditch practice.......... (Cardio) - ~25 min/275 cals - Herbology........................(Sugar) - 1 serving - Herbology...................... (vegies) - Yes - 1 serving veggies w/dinner - Muggle Arts................................ - not today Th: Rest day for exercise - Herbology........................(Sugar) - 1 serving - Herbology...................... (vegies) - yes, two days in a row! - Muggle Arts................................ - no F: Busy day so only got in 1 workout - Transfiguration.......(floor Push-up) - 8 - Flying...(straight leg inverted rows) - 7 - The Dark Arts.....(reverse lunges) - 35 - Charms..(lying straight leg raises) - 14 - Troll attack................(Box jumps) - 10 - Troll attack.........................(kicks) - 200 - Quidditch practice.......... (Cardio) - not today - Herbology........................(Sugar) - too much - Herbology...................... (vegies) - not today - Muggle Arts................................ - yes S: Good workout this morning, now going to do some yard work, then a graduation party, then bowling... - Transfiguration.......(floor Push-up) - 8, - Flying...(straight leg inverted rows) - 8, - The Dark Arts.....(reverse lunges) - 40, - Charms..(lying straight leg raises) - 20, - Troll attack................(rolls) - ZERO but not for lack of trying - Quidditch practice.......... (Cardio) - 285 calories - Herbology........................(Sugar) - none yet - Herbology...................... (vegies) - none yet - Muggle Arts................................ - not yet

Trewest, you rock. After several attempts I'm embarrassed and sad to admit that I couldn't get one roll that resembled a roll enough to count. Its more like falling over sideways at best. Sorry Hufflepuff, but I did try at least. (I've never been able to do anything that remotely resembles a cartwheel and could barely do any kind of somersault even as a kid. I do have other assassin-y skills tho, really.... )

Okay... so I just did a quick perusal of the other house threads and, even though we are in the lead, we are the only house debating about initial AMRAPs. So perhaps it's really a non-issue. Me thinks talking strategy for increases (see Gryffindor thread page 3) and mini-challenge debauchery sounds more fun! I haven't tried any rolls yet (ever) but will give it a try in a bit here. How about you? As far as "study techniques", what are your thoughts/experiences on GtG vs. a more "standard" work to failure followed by rest day technique? I'm pretty new to strength training and have no idea what works best, but it seems from reading some other threads some people think that GtG is better for moves where technique is more important, and "standard" is better for moves that are more about brute strength? Is that true? If so, then maybe I should change from doing daily GtG for all my "classes" to using a "standard" study technique in some areas. Also, it seems like testing same muscle groups on different days would be better? So, just thinking "out loud" here: - Transfiguration.......(floor Push-up): this seems more strength than skill? Perhaps I should change from GtG on this to doing "work to failure" a few times a day on workout days with a rest day between? So let's say workout Sat, Mon, Wed. Rest Sun, Tue, Th, then test AMRAP Friday? - Flying...(straight leg inverted rows): This seems about half skill related, so maybe keep doing GtG on this? Perhaps GtG M-TH, rest Friday, test Saturday, Rest Sunday. - The Dark Arts.....(reverse lunges): Mostly strength in large muscles, so perhaps "standard" would be more effective here? If so, maybe follow the same schedule as push-ups. - Charms.(lying straight leg raises): I've always heard/read that GtG is the best way to see increases for Core. True or False? So, maybe follow the same schedule as for rows. Not sure my brain cells can remember that schedule (I'm over 50 and blonde - hehe) but I could keep it in notes on my phone or something. Open to suggestions and would LOVE to hear more about your "study strategy".

It seems to me that as long as you followed the instructions and weren't intentionally holding back when doing your initial AMRAP in order to get a better score, then you did the best you could at the time and should leave it as is. I changed my initial reverse lunge AMRAP because I didn't follow the instructions correctly (I counted one rep for both legs alternating rather than just one leg). But if I'd done it correctly the first time I'm sure it would have been lower because it wasn't something I normally did. Lack of experience with a given move makes for lower reps. Also I did a lot of reps between the initial AMRAP and the corrected AMRAP - so my "corrected" AMRAP was, I'm sure, higher than it would have been. That's the price for not following instructions. But just because you have a larger initial jump after gaining some experience with a move, I don't think that necessarily means your initial AMRAP was untruthful. It might just mean you learned how to do the move better. That's where it's an individual judgment call. So my take: If you feel that you did your best initially under the circumstances that existed at the moment, then you weren't cheating and there's no reason to guilt yourself into changing your initial AMRAP, but if you know that you didn't do As Many Raps As Possible, then go ahead and change it, even if it means a hit to the team's score. Integrity above score. So back to this Hufflepuff House training mini-challenge - where are we at with that? Do you think we have enough people interested to do it? Is there a way to even the playing field so that my wimpy practice reps of 20-25 or so floor pushups spread throughout the day can fairly compete with someone else with a floor pushup AMRAP of 47 pushups? (not naming any names... but that's awesome Trewest) I suppose if we are comparing training reps to AMRAP, and both of us did, say 60% of our AMRAP 5 times during the day, even though my total reps would be WAY smaller, we'd have the same % as compared to our own AMRAP..... hmmmm....

Me too - did some of each despite the number being reached already. It still appears to impact my teams score / % as far as I can tell, so my take is that the number listed is the minimum not the maximum. I mean, the form appears to be configured so that reps in excess of the minimum number listed have the same impact on team %, if that makes sense. Perhaps that can be confirmed by someone in the know?

PS: Here's a good article on GtG. The idea is train 4-6 times per day at 50%-80% of max (AMRAP). This is generally recommended for just one exercise at a time, but I'm doing it with all 4 of the challenge exercises with a rest day the day before I re-test my AMRAP. http://www.leanandmuscular.org/greasing-the-groove.php

I'm already doing a GtG type training. My reps per day aren't insane, but I've seen a little improvement. I'm in as long as @Hazard doesn't object to a mini-challenge within the mini-challenge. Oh, and I think your English is excellent! I'm always so impressed with multilingual skills!! Edited to say that, while I'm all for a mini-competition involving number of reps, after looking at the spreadsheet I'm not sure how well that will work in an individual level. For some of the exercises we only have a couple of people doing the same move, and even for the ones where multiple people are doing the same move, the number of reps shows a pretty wide range. It seems this would only really work well if we split our Hufflepuff house into mini-teams with a variance of skills on each team so that members who are weaker (me, for instance) are balanced out with member who are stronger / more experienced. Again, I'm all in and open to suggestions on how to make this work. I totally second the sentiment here - integrity above all! Small improvements that are REAL are way better than big numbers attained through questionable form. That's not to say that I think everyone with big numbers is using questionable means... beginners tend to show large gains early on, etc. We are all in this for personal improvement to our health, so any compromise in form hurts the ultimate goal.

Yes, 2000 was the minimum - no one said we have to stop there. I'm doing some box jumps in the morning (if my knees can handle it - if not then steps).

Removing the t-posts was a major workout, but I feel great and it's good to finally have it done. On the sugar thing - you are right about being more selective. I'm thinking a lot more about how I want to "spend" my calories - both in terms of being very picky about my one serving of sugar-based food per day, and in relation to "getting the most healthful BANG from the calories I'm eating all through the day. Focusing more on using food as a tool rather than just filling my body with "junk" that tantalizes my tastebuds but plays havoc on my fitness goals.

Hey Lucky Fire Dragon!! Seems like it takes forever for me to find threads of the people I like to follow. Love the garden theme!! It's not part of my challenge, but I'm spending a LOT of hours this summer trying to transform my yard from a weed infested wasteland to a lovely place of peace and relaxation. Problem is I'm much better at working out there than I am at relaxing (haha). And your rewards are great! I tend to shop when the mood strikes, but I think having specific rewards directly tied to accomplishments is a great idea!

you all quack me up

Tuesday summary: - Transfiguration.......(floor Push-up) - 14 - Flying...(straight leg inverted rows) - 13 - The Dark Arts.....(reverse lunges) - 60 - Charms..(lying straight leg raises) - 30 - Quidditch practice.......... (Cardio) - ~25 min/320 cals - Herbology........................(Sugar) - 1 serving - Herbology...................... (vegies) - LOTs of fruit but no vegies. Tomorrow.... I'll remember vegies tomorrow. - Muggle Arts................................ - YES! A couple of weeks ago I bought my girls some fancy "grown-up coloring books" and decided to buy one for myself at the same time. The pictures are intricate "repetitive patterns representing relaxation, tranquility, and creative expression". So I spent about an hour or so coloring tonight. Fun!

sub'd - love your challenge. Who is the Christian mystic?

Hi mom2sjm, twins are fun, eh? Totally different than the other kids (and totally different from each other in every respect except gender). I took a look at your challenge thread - great stuff!! Also sounds like we have something else in common - Washington state. I grew up in Spokane, lived on the other side of the state for about 12 years or so and moved back to Spokane in 2010. Today my husband is in Lakewood for business and visiting old friends. So, how are your Nerdwarts challenges going?

sub'd and looking forward to following your challenge!

Good day so far. I'll post my total reps and sets later, but after a good workout this morning I went outside and pulled 50 t-posts out of the ground. Being a lightweight can be a disadvantage for some activities - like when my entire body weight won't budge the lever that is suppose to lift the t-post. I'm kneeling on the lever of the t-post puller - hard to tell in the picture but I'm about 2.5-3 feet off the ground. I even stood on it and bounced a bit. After taking this picture my daughter added her weight to the lever and after 10 minutes or so of both of us bouncing on it the post finally came out of the ground. Most of them came out *relatively* easily, but still - if you are looking for a really good compound workout, this will do it. Every muscle in my body feels like it's been taken to the brink. Nice!!

Ok, I missed those instructions, which means my AMRAP for reverses lunges is probably incorrect as the number posted is for alternating (I counted 1 count for doing both legs). I doubt my AMRAP for a single leg would be hugely different. Can I just leave it as long as I test the same way each time, or do I need to test AMRAP following the instructions and change my starting AMRAP for that exercise? It would probably have to be tomorrow before I could change it as I spent almost 3 hours today pulling T-posts out of the ground in 85-90 degrees F weather and am beyond exhausted (great compound workout btw - every muscle in my body feels like it's been taken to the limit), so if I re-do it this evening my starting AMRAP would probably go down quite a bit. What say you Hazard?

Hi wildross, and thanks for dropping by my challenge thread. LOVED reading through your thread (and now I'm late for my workout) but this was the best story - I'm always so inspired by older folks staying in shape! My husband does similar work - network architect / technical sales engineer for Comcast. Happy to say he doesn't have to travel as much as you do, but is back and forth to Seattle a lot. Glad your cancer battle is moving in the right direction! Looking forward to continuing to follow.

Happy Big FIVE-OH Granny Nogg! I love the celebration and can't wait to follow along throughout the challenge. I'm not in bad shape for 50, but certainly not bikini shape! Fabulous! I also love the protein breakfast idea. I'm working on reducing sugar and though increasing protein in the morning isn't listed on my challenge it's something I have in my mind to work on. Great ideas!

Fabulous challenge Rowan! Well thought out, diversified, and very clean scoring system. Love it and looking forward to seeing your progress.