Wild Wolf

5/3 WOD: Wolf

Wolf

Thanks, brother! Wolf

"You must be proud, bold, pleasant, resolute, and now a then stab, as occasion serves." - Christopher Marlowe Train the Body: First and foremost, training is important to me. There is an aesthetic I like, a vainness that I enjoy. But, I like being strong. Not just inside the gym, but outside the gym. I thought a lot about it this past weekend with moving and knowing how the strength I've garnished over the years of lifting really helped me out. I think about being weaker and not being able to lift as much weight and how much more difficult the move would have been. I'm thankful for the time I've put in and how it's translated to real world application. I started a new training program through the middle of the last challenge and love it. The programming is great. The structure and ability to complete within an hour is even better, given that 60-65min is basically the max time I have to train before I have to get ready for work. I'm excited to get back into the program called "Comanche" later this week. The program calls for sprints 2x a week but I think with my busy schedule and two jobs that I'll just go for 1x a week for now. Train the Mind: I know that I am mentally strong. The key to me being successful in my every day life is to be strong mentally. I work 2 jobs. Sometimes my day extends around the 17-18hr mark from the time I wake up to the time I get off from Costco and get home. I have a BRAND NEW routine now that I've moved and this week is going to be an adjustment. Finish 2 audible books during this challenge. Utilize my longer commute. Train my Creative Mind™ Empire of Silence (Sun Eater Book #1) (16hrs left) Howling Dark (Sun Eater Book #2) Recover the Body: Foam roll, yoga, massage gun: USE ALL OF THESE THINGS. Work hard. Play hard. Recover hard. Recover the Mind: Nap. Eat at your desk to save time and use part of your hour lunch to catch some Zzz's. Meditation goes a long ways, I think. I definitely don't take the time to relax my mind in that regard and train it up to be stronger and more palpable. 5min a day is not long. I can do this. Wolf

The format and coloring of your challenge is amazing. It's aesthetically pleasing to the eyes and your font game is high-level . As someone who's been in an out for the last couple years, I know the weight of a respawn and applaud you for getting back on the boards for a challenge! Definitely following along! Wolf

You woulda made a great linebacker like Bobby Boucher. Here for the ride, my friend Wolf

Hiiiiiii Yes, the move is COMPLETE! It took all weekend long, but it was complete. All day friday was loading up the moving truck/Uhaul and moving and unloading all the heavy stuff. Saturday was a basketball game and my oldest son's bday party at our church. We played football and I dominated lol. We also packed up some things in the van and brought it back over to my dads. Then Sunday: was cleaning and getting the rest of the crap out of the house. We were done around 4pm so we could grab some food and get my oldest to his 2nd basketball game of the weekend. Long, long days this weekend was... BUT, we did it. Now, back on the work grind and feeling tired. I did tweak my upper back on the right side yesterday putting duct tape on a box and packing things in there. It was already feeling tight that morning and I think I just strained it some. Maybe it was ALL the heavy lifting, maybe it was playing football on top of that? Why knows. I decided to rest today instead of push it. I'll see how I'm feeling Wednesday for the gym. Challenge Recap: Overall, this was a good challenge. Despite giving up on the RPG aspect and moving into a more Mistborn themed challenge, I did fairly well. My eating was on point say for some sweets here and there. Pretty much had veggies 2-3x a day, almost with every meal. I could have taken advantage of more naps, but I didn't. I'm loving the new training program and can't wait to get back on that. I didn't focus on weighted pull-ups like I had originally intended, but that's ok. I like doing knuckle push-ups. That's fun. I did not journal or read scripture...so there's always improvement there. I did not follow a new challenge...but with the newest one starting next week, now seems like the perfect time to do so! I think there was just a lot on my plate towards the end of this one, so, it made it harder to stay engaged and give it my all. You win some. You lose some. I would probably call this more a tie than anything, lol. Wolf

It was an eventful week last week. Busy, per usual, but what else is new? We are slated to move out by the end of this upcoming weekend and still have a lot to do. Heather and I worked on our room yesterday and packed away a lot of stuff. I'm gonna try and work from home possibly Wednesday and Thursday so Heather can have the van (since we're down to one car again). We are looking at getting another vehicle as well with our income tax money and we're either going to get a smaller, fuel efficient car for me, or get another high occupancy vehicle, like a newer Honda Odyssey. Lots, and lots to do this week. Today's WOD: I was wearing a sleeveless Darth Vader "I am your Father" shirt today and my arms were looking veiny and jacked . I'm going to the gym tomorrow to play basketball with Racer and then I'll lift again on Wednesday, skipping Thursday and Friday to rest before I have to move all weekend. I'll be doing like 95% of the heavy lifting and need my body in prime shape. I stopped listening to Jade City. I like the idea behind it...but just wasn't feeling it. Maybe it was the narrator that made it seem a little more... "young adult" in an annoying way. I wanted a book that reminded me of Red Rising. Holy shit have I found it: The Sun Eater Books. Book 1 is Empire of Silence. I'm only 7 chapters in and loving it immensely. The writing quality is top notch. I did a little research and discovered the author wrote it when he was 22!! There's 5 books in the series now so I have a healthy amount of reading/listening material Happy Monday!! Wolf

Today's WOD: A good workout today. I'm really loving this program. I've gone through and saved all the workouts on Google Docs and went through and saved phase 2, Mohican, as well. I'm gonna save phase 3, Apache, sometime this week so I always have the programs. If anyone is looking for programs, let me know. I'll copy and paste it for you to have for yourself - I don't mind sharing . They have conditioning programs, military-esque programs, strength based ones, hypertrophy ones, bodyweight, beginner. Lot's of good material. Wolf

That is MOST EXCELLENT news! I'm so happy to hear she's on the upswing and that you have this amazing pup to help. Great name too, btw! This makes me extra happy. I'm glad that the tumor drama is behind you guys. I know that was hella stressful! WOW! That's really freakin cool! I would assume he makes MOST people nervous and intimidated lol. How's your knee?? Heather would love to hear from you. If you ever do get on, drop her a line. Aaaaaaaaand if you guys plan on visiting Texas anytime soon, let me know! We would love to have dinner with y'all Wolf

Today's WOD: It was a good weekend. We had a garage sale Friday and Saturday and made about $500 while getting rid of a bunch of stuff. Heather and I had the chance to have a date night Friday night and that was good. Work at Costco on Saturday was OK. We have a little more coverage so I had someone there till 6pm which helped out a lot. And, our grease caddy is working again so I didn't have to dump the grease, which is a huge pain in the ass. My brother and sister in law had their baby really early on Saturday at 31 weeks. The baby is doing good and looks really good despite being early. Heather and I know this all too well with having Trixie at 31 1/2 weeks and spending 36 days in the NICU. We are encouraging them and took them some things Sunday evening. My oldest had another basktball game Sunday afternoon and scored 15 pts leading his team to their 2nd victory in a row. That was awesome to see....cuz they kind of crushed the other team lol. All in all, it was a great weekend! Wolf

Today's WOD: - Happy Friday, y'all! I finished Dungeon Crawler Carl Book #5 on Wednesday. What a series! Book 6 is slated to come out this year as far as I know but I'm not sure. I started a new series called: Jade City. It's like The Godfather meets Mistborn with Kung Fu. It's been VERY good so far. There are 3 total books out; Jade City, Jade War and Jade Legacy. Wolf

Exciting news!! Well, for me at least. I was able to start the new program this morning and it was tough. I ALMOST waited to start next Monday but said "eff it" and started in the middle of the week and I'll just repeat it next week. Both Hypertrophy A & B called for 6 rounds each but I did 4 instead. This is a HIGH volume program and I see how difficult this will get. Either or, I'm very excited about this. The programs name is: Comanche. It's apart of the Raider Cycle including: Comanche, Mohican and Apache. The goal is to slowly work my way through all 3 phases and build up as much muscle (and speed and strength) as possible. This program should take me all the way to summer where I can look like a sexy dad, perform like a sexy dad and ultimately make all the other dads around me jealous. It's a little petty, I know. I hope the week is treating everyone nicely Wolf

TERRA! Hiiiiiiiiiii It's really good to see you! I hope all is well with you and the fam. Wolf

Mistborn 3-Week Challenge Allomancy is the predominantly genetic ability that allows a person to metabolize ("burn") metals, ingested by the Allomancer, for magical powers that can enhance physical and mental capacities. Snapping – is the process by which someone gains the powers of Allomancy Push Physical: o Steel (external) – pushes on nearby metals OHP – main pushing exercise this challenge. Work on 1RM. Focus on daily push-ups - no specific # just get in the reps o Pewter (internal) – increases physical ability Sprinting 1x a week (work on increasing your sprint distance over each week) Weighted stair master Mental: o Zinc (external) – enflames emotions Don’t eat like an asshole. Veggies with at least 1x meal a day. o Copper ((internal) – hides allomantic pulses Journal or update challenge daily. Reading and memorizing Scripture also works. Pull Physical: o Iron (external) – pulls on nearby metals Weighted pull-ups – main pulling exercise this challenge. Work on overall volume. Superset with 1-arm cable rows. Lower weight - Higher volume o Tin (internal) – increases senses Get the house in order to move: Packing, organizing, cleaning. GET. IT. DONE. Move out date us 04/30. Mental: o Brass (external) – dampens emotions Daily meditation. Minimum 5 min. Can also substitute for a nap. o Bronze (internal) – can hear allomantic pulses Follow 1 new challenge and encourage/support them through the next 3-weeks “Never try to burn a metal that isn't one of the ten. I warned you that impure metals and alloys can make you sick. Well, if you try to burn a metal that isn't Allomantically sound at all, it could be deadly.” — Kelsier to Vin There are two metals for every power. One Pushes, one Pulls--the second is usually an alloy of the first. For emotions--the external mental powers--you Pull with zinc and Push with brass. You just used pewter to Push your body. That's one of the internal physical powers. - Kelsier to Vin @Elastigirl & @KB Girl, this ones for you ladies Wolf

BAITER!! There is the "what can I control" and "what I can't control" level to all this. I can't control the shitty economy and how it negatively effects the middle class, especially those who work their booties off. But I'm glad you guys lucked into the house, it's a pretty awesome gig and I KNOW you are working your tail off to upgrade The Abode™ to higher standards. I completely understand my brother. As the Husbands/Men we value that contribution to the marriage and family. We are providers down to our deepest core and I think with you doing a lot of the remodeling that it helps out immensely. Not saying Spezzy isn't handy with this stuff but I can guess she's pretty appreciative for you're working through the home improvements like a boss! I'm definitely trying, my brother. Thanks for the encouragement Wolf

Sometimes I feel even more now that I have to be the gross and immature little gif monster that he was so good at portraying but he was also encouraging and thoughtful and just a good all around friend. Willes was definitely a brother-from-another-mother and I most definitely take that as a high compliment And I'm happy to give some encouraging words anytime. We support each other around here - NO MATTER WHAT. You're most welcome! You will definitely get past this! It's hard for a certified bad ass to stay down Wolf

Damn... I guess you didn't take the bait this time. I purposely said that hoping you would chime in, you dirty little paladin, you Wolf

I just want to point out something. I'm kind of proud of it and it really just boils down to genetics, but.... My hair looked EXACTLY like this this morning: I showered last night and this is how it dried and looked when I got up for work. If only I had taken a photo for proof! I was definitely feeling myself a little today Carry on my wayard son(s) (and daughters). Wolf

My guess, which is merely a guess and not a diagnosis by any means is that...You're just "having a day/week" right now. Post race fatigue could be part of it. All the stuff you're doing on a daily could factor in. But, I think recognizing that this is just gonna happen sometimes and knowing this DOES NOT define you, your challenge or your progress is a real thing. It's ok to have bad days/weeks and even months from time to time. I don't know you as well as I would like but I don't see you letting this derail you anymore than it has. Something I've had to do working and living the busy schedule I have is to compartmentalize. I can overwhelm myself with task after task after task and all it does is get me tilted in a negative way and then the infamous Spiral Out of Control™ happens. Just know this: You are strong. Not just physically but mentally as well. You are a Ranger of Dunedain and something they do better than most is ENDURE. So, keep your chin up, Ranger. Grab your bow and sharpen your sword. A time to rise for the battles ahead is now and you are more than suited for the task. I believe in you. You got this. Wolf

That honey mustard chicken sounds delish! I must make me some! Wolf

Thanks, Foxxy. I don't disagree with you at all This is also true. Hard work still pays off, right? lol I have a good track record of making the most out of situations and this isn't going to be easy. I have a feeling in a years time I'll be singing a very different tune knowing we've saved all this money and moving forward with our lives 😂 Correction: TWO Nerds who will be very happy Wolf

The newest one being built is literally 1.5 miles down the road from our house now. I kept thinking to myself that I would work there and have the advantage of it being so dang close....NOT ANYMORE. So, the moving situation I mentioned... We are moving in with my dad and stepmom at the end of the month. We had a long talk, my wife and I, about needing to save money and wanting to BUY a house opposed to renting. I realize there are drawbacks to either one, but we feel like owning a house is the better long term option for us. We talked with my dad and stepmom thinking this wasn't even gonna be an option to move in with them but they were on board and wanted to help. It's just...I'm taking a family of 8 (when we have Jamison) and moving us all into someone else's house. Now, My dad and stepmom have the room for all of us. Albeit, it will be a little tight, they do have the extra space. This just feels like a slight step backwards and it's frustrating. Everything these days is so damn expensive! Working my 2 jobs barely gets us by and that just downright sucks because I work so hard to provide for The Wolfpack™ and I'm gone all the bloodydamn time. I literally work 65-70 hours a week, and sometimes that's all done in a 4-day time span. The plan is to move in with them for the next year. If we play our cards right and aggressively save, we could be walking away with 30+k in savings. This is a game changer when wanting to settle down somewhere...it's just a whole year to be crammed up with my dad and stepmom doesn't sound ideal. And this is with me having a great relationship with them both. I just feel like I've failed at providing for my family because this is where we've ended up. On the other end of that spectrum, I feel like I've worked my ass off for...what? Nothing? Not really but also yes at the same time. Maybe this move is what is best for the all-around aspect of things. Maybe this allows me to be a little more flexible with my jobs and start hunting for something I truly enjoy without the wholesome worry of income. It's a lot. I'm trying to be positive about it and I feel like I'm doing an ok job right now. We have a metric ton to do in the next 3 1/2 weeks and I despise packing and moving. But, I'm gonna keep a level head and just get it done. I figured instead of planning for what could happen that it might just be easier to take things as they come right now and deal with it during the "right then and there". Sigh... We'll be ok. I'll be ok. I got this. Wolf

This right here proves what a remarkable person you are. Love ya, sir. Wolf

That's a lot of green on the graph! Way to go, dude! I think the constant refilling of willpower for replenishment does take some skill. It's just a matter of your willingness to replenish. I also think there are direct crossovers of discipline and willpower in the great circle of life. It's exhausting but I I personally feel like a well-worth-it type situation when you do Wolf