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Bro's and SwoleMaidens, Last challenge was a bunch of Meh... So, time to get this shit in gear. Q1: lose 5lbs Q2: Do PT on off days. like for reals this time. Q3: Incorporate progression training into my bench training so I can ultimately win the NF Bench Bro title. LUYL: Learn Tapatalk so I can keep up with all my faithful The Theme for this is in honor of season 2 of DareDevil with my favorite Anti hero.

Brothern and SwoleMaidens, This year we figured out what we could have done better and then we competed to prove to our selves and others how much we improved. But times for celebrating PR's are over, it is time to put in the hard work to get new PR's next time. The challenge is simple. Load the bar to 50% of your bodyweight, put it on your back, and squat it as many times as you can in one set. You can judge breaks between reps for yourself, but it shouldn't be forever. Many will get to the point where you're taking 4-5 breaths between reps if you're really pushing yourself, and that's fine. EASY and Normal Mode: The goal is 50 reps. If you can do this, you've got some strong ass legs and some good endurance. +1 Strength and +1 Stamina to any who get all 50 reps. +0.5 of each to those who hit 25. Everyone who makes a honest attempt will get +1 Wisdom. For you vets of the 50/50 mini-quest (this is a "bench mark" mini-quest, the warriors do it once or twice a year) who have completed the 50 reps before, we've got two advanced ways you can take a run at. This is only recommended for people who have completed the 50/50 challenge as perscribed above. HARD Mode: The first is by doing it with front squats. That simple. 50% of your bodyweight across your clavicles for as many reps as possible, with the aim of hitting 50. +1.5 Strength and +1.5 Stamina to any who get all 50 reps. +0.75 of each to those who hit 25. NIGHTMARE Mode: The second is by still doing back squats, but using your full bodyweight for as many reps as possible in 5 minutes. The difference here is that you can put the bar down, it doesn't need to be one set. However, the time cap is 5 min. +2 Strength and +2 Stamina to any who get all 50 reps. +1 of each to those who hit 25. Think that last one is impossible? Watch these bad asses. Be careful! This mini-quest will push you to the very limits of your endurance and many, if not most, of you will not complete the 50 reps. Form will start to slip as you fatigue, and fighting to keep it as good as possible is a huge part of the challenge to this exercise. If it starts to slip to the point where you are risking injury, STOP! This is a fun test of high rep squatting and may be a new experience to many of you, but is not worth injuring yourself over. This mini-quest will run 2 weeks, so March 13 will be the last day.

Br0thern and Swolemaidens, I have lost my way for a few days and no I'm back. Long version of what was wrong: Or the short version: I will be better. I will get back to basics. 1. if I eats I tracks. 1a. do food prep. 2. do my gyming, but don't be afraid to take rest days. 3. do my PT stuff - heat/ice back daily. 4. Be social in the forums and motivating for others.

Br0thern and Swolemaidens, It is deemed time to partake in an epic challenge of body and mind. I have seen Br0’s and Swolemaidens struggle and excel at all the glorious feats of strength like squats, deadlifts, snatch, clean and jerks just to name a few. I’ve also witnessed the awesomeness of the lifting Br0 with the shrugs, curls, bench press and calf raises. However, one neglected body part must be given its proper worship. The back. In light of this, I declare this month to be Rowvember. You shall go to your Iron Sanctuary and give worship by doing 10 sets of 10 1 arm rows within 10 minutes. Make sure you are doing proper 1 arm rows. This is a great example of a proper row. As not all worshipers are at the same level of difficulty, so do the level that will challenge you. Weights in (m/f) Beginner 25lbs/15lbs +.5 str, +1 wis, +.5 con Medium 50lbs/30lbs +1 str, +1 con Hard 75lbs/45lbs +1 str, +1 con, +.5 sta Nightmare 100lbs/60lbs +2 str, +1.5 con, +.5 sta Insane 150lbs/90lbs +3 str, +1.5 con, +1 sta Summary: 1-arm dumbbell row, your difficulty level, 10 reps each side, 10 sets; for time. Post your glory in this thread.

Br0thern and Swolemaidens, When you last saw me, I found the strength of the gods to lift more than ever. I didn't know I was just a lil'bro until I became a monster and people were 'mirin. And all the foodz disappeared But I started to look like a cross between this and this So no more. time to get skinnier again. 1. start counting all the calories again. 2. food prep again. I've found Broki's mother Frigg and I'm married to her. Don't let her stop me from eating well. 3. get PT appointment for back/hip/leg problem. I have a Dr appoint on Monday to start this process as I have similar symptoms prior to my major back injury last year. 4. Find a competition to do some competing. Do I want to enter that powerlifting comp? beer league softball? Something!! 5. Be awesomer

It's that time of year again warriors, the virtual lifting competition looms. We must prepare ourselves by planning our lifts! For each of the 3 big lifts (squat, bench, deadlift), over the next week work up to a difficult triple (3 reps), double (2 reps), or single (1 rep). Don't fail or max out! The idea here is to do this with a weight that you are fairly sure that you could have gotten 1 more rep with, but definitely not 2. This will help you get a good idea of what your max reps are for that weight, from which you can estimate your 1 rep max. 5 rep max ≈ 83-86% 1 rep max 4 rep max ≈ 87-89% 1 rep max 3 rep mx ≈ 90-93% 1 rep max 2 rep max ≈ 94-96% 1 rep max Say I squat 295 for 3, and know I could have gotten a 4th, but definitely not a 5th. That means that 295 lb is somewhere between my 4 rep max and 5 rep max. I can then divide 295 by the high end of 4 rep max (89%) and the low end of the 5 rep max (84%) to estimate my 1 rep max somewhere in the realm of 331- 351. I might even be able to narrow it down more depending on how hard I think that 4th rep would have been. If it would have been grindy and barely gotten there, I'm probably at the lower end of the range. If it would have been pretty quick, then maybe I'm closer to the higher end. We want to do that for each of our 3 lifts, so we have an idea of what our final attempt will be. From there, wa can back track to plan the rest of our attempts based on experience and what we're trying to get out of the competition. First meet and just trying to have the experience of going for 1 rep maxes (1RMs) for the first time? Be conservative and plan your 3 attempts as something like 85%, 91%, 96% of the estimated 1 RM. An experienced lifter and trying to push your limits and hit a PR, then maybe you plan for something like 90%, 97%, 102%. Post your experience with the mini and what your estimated attempts would be here! And of course, we're more than happy to field all comments and questions and help everyone out

Bro's, Its that time to enjoy our work and show it off. Summer is in full effect and I still look like I'm extra in a vampire movie. No!! Not that one you idiot. This one.... Whatever, lets get down to the goals. These goals remain the same, cause they will always be the goals. New Goals: 4. Get tan. or at least less pasty white. 5. track more body stats. Weight loss progress is getting to the point were I don't get anymore easy victories. so I need to make sure that arms are big and waist is small. 6. Take progress pics. Cause, Bro's... we know the truth....

Brethren and Swolemaidens, I appreciated your worship in the vast many temples of Iron as your dedication will lead you to swolehalla. Peace be among the swoleful and let me read a story about Broses: “Now, when Broses say the crowds, he lifted up a mountainside and sat down. His bros came to him, and he began to teach them The Beautitudes. He said: ‘Swole are the poor gains, for theirs is the kingdom of swolehalla. Swole are those who fail reps, for they will have gains. Swole is the bearmode, for they will inherit the Iron Temple. Swole are those who hunger and thirst for Whey, for they will be filled. Swole are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Swole are the pure in form, for they will see the light. Blessed are the Swole of heart, for they will be called children of Brodin. Swole are those who are persecuted and swolested, for theirs is the kingdom of swolehalla. Swole are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of your gains. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward of gains, for in the same way they persecuted the bros who came before you.’” But I am not here to preach to you about your gains as you already know the path of the righteous, but I come to you here to warn you of the forces of Broki that will rob you precious reps in your place of worship. I’m talking about swobility and flexability. Whoa, Brethren and Swolemaidens, I know what you are thinking, Why would I waste my precious minutes of worship doing things that don’t give me instant swoleness? Because you have to relax and stretch your muscles, tendons and ligaments so you can continue your praise at the Iron sanctuary for many years to come. Part 1: I decree that each Brother and Maiden of Swole will perform 4x 10 minutes sessions of mobility and/or flexibility each week for the next 2.5 weeks (to the end of this challenge.) You may choose your form of worship by stretching, yoga, foam roller, massage, physical therapy already prescribed or another method that you share with your fellow swolemates. (+1 Dex) Part 2: We must share how the forces of Broki robbed you of gains so that all the followers of Swole can be on the guard for them. Were you able to stay off the gainz goblins before you lost any gainz or did you have to have Valkytris carry you on your shield to the Halls of bloodletting and Exorcisms for months as the gainz goblins feast upon you? Tell us a tale about what ailed you, how did you diagnosis it (were you blessed by Saint Arnold and discovered the cure on your own or did you visit a sorcerer for a cure?) and how did you exorcise Broki from your life? (+1 wis)

Bro's, it's still that time of the year. Summer time and like any good Bro, its time to show off all the hard work of the year. Put down the useless stuff like chalk, weight belts, and sleeves and get out the spray tanners, hair gel and Axe. 1st Goal: Track all foodz and get lean. A Bro knows that starving now = lots of attention later. A Bro lifting status should be known from miles away. The question "do you even lift bro?" should be to so obvious that if asked, the only response is a blank stare. 2. A Bro knows that he has to be ready to bro at anytime. You can't bro if you are at home with an ice pack on your shoulder. A Bro must do the things to ensure the Bro is at his best all the time. 3. A Bro lifts not to be strong, but to be big is all the right places. A Bro doesn't waste time on unless exercises that don't make your arms bigger. A Bro does curls every day. A Bro also does chest, traps and calves. These are the only 4 body parts that matter. A Bro doesn't care what equipment a bro uses as long as he can see his gainz in the mirror. But at the end of the day, this is all I really want:

Place holder for my Challenge since I can't write it up right now. Basically its going to get back on the horse (so to speak.) Lose the fat, get back inshape, do my PT and track my stats. More details to come later...

Conclusion from last challenge: Main Quest is overall a success. Clothes I bought 4 weeks ago are getting loose on my already and last year’s pants are unwearable. My weight is about the same, I bottomed out at 212.2lbs but was sticking around 214 most of the time. However I lost .75 of an inch off the waist. This is what is most important to me, the fat loss (15.75% on Jun 8th and 14.91% today) not the weight loss. I have come to the conclusion that I will need to get around 195lbs to have the abs and quads that I want. I fully logged 29 out of 42 days for a 69% success rate. I need to do better, lots of blank Sundays and Fridays. D+ I tracked my stats and took pictures. A 2 weeks on the disabled list with strained back sucked. The other 4 weeks I had no problem hitting the gym hard and really pushing myself. A Main Quest: To get to 8-9% Body Fat while maintaining strength. I think this will put me right around 190-195lbs on the glide path that I’m on. Main Quest (part 4): I’m guestimating that I’m at 14.91% BF today. I need to keep this train going. Also, all past quests are still in play. I just don’t stop doing a quest because the challenge is over, I stack them up. Everyone who follows me, knows I push myself in the gym hard. So it isn’t a challenge quest anymore. Tracking my body stats is now expected, so I will just do it. And… I still need to find new music to keep the motivation up. I thought I was doing well until I listened to some of Loren Wade’s playlist and my mind was blown. All these great songs and bands that are new to me!! 1st Quest: Log everything consumed. Stop eating when total calories for the day have been consumed. 2nd quest: Muscle imbalance is a bitch. Known weak areas are Abs and front core, overhead strength and flexibility (you should see me fail badly at this in yoga) and ankle flexibility. I need to add some kind of heavy abs exercise to each workout, foam roll and yogi at least twice a week. 3rd quest: Start my VA disability paperwork. I put my body on the line for years, why am I allowing the .GOV to not pay me. Life quest: Enjoy my Alaskan cruise!! Last week of this challenge I will be on vacation so I need to enjoy my time off and not worry about fat loss. I will do my end of challenge stats prior to leaving on my cruise.

Main Quest: To get to 8-9% Body Fat while maintaining strength. Main Quest (part 3): I determined that I was at 14.7% BF at the end of last quest, but I think that number is wrong. I think I’m closer to 15.75% weighing in at 216.6lbs. I think I’m in a body recomp mode for the last 8 weeks, but I don’t really know. I think I am, but I don’t have the stats to prove it. And that shit won’t fly anymore. Today, I do something I should have been doing for a long time (like 25lbs ago) but am too shy to do. NO LONGER!! 1st quest: Log 100% foods consumed on MFP. If I stuff my face with 3 baskets of chips and 2 grande margaritas at Chevy’s, then it will be logged. If I go to happy hour at the Yard House, then that IPA and whole pizza gets logged. No excuses, no lying to myself, I can no longer take it!! 2nd quest: Track body stats. Did you know I put on over an inch to my chest since New Year’s? I’ve lost almost 2 inches off my thighs and 2 inches off my shoulders since New Year’s!! I should have not been neglecting entering the data. Therefore, I will do full body measurements once a week and take a #selfie. 3rd quest: ITS YOUR MOTHERFUCKING SET!! I’m glad Flex Luthor posted some of CT Fletcher’s videos in chat. Cause I was working hard, but I was really going through the motions. I need to focus on 1 more rep, 1 more set and 5 more pounds. I will no longer think about doing a set, I will do it. When I lift a weight, that weight will be lifted. I will get it up and when I fail, it won’t be for long, because next time, I will do it. (Damn, I’m motived to lift right now!!) The incident that brought this to my attention happened when we had a pull up challenge at work. Normally, on back days, I would do a 10, 8, 8, 6 set, but on this work comp, I knocked out 22. Why was I only doing 10? I should have been doing 15 or 18 or 20 or even 40!! Hidden bonus quest: break the “next plate” barrier. I’m stuck right around 305lbs on the Bench, 385lbs on DL and my squat is all over the place. For some reason, I can’t add that next full plate and I think it’s all mental. Just do it, break that barrier.