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Hi Everyone! I am JuMun and this is my first challenge! Based on everything I read so far I want to become an assassin, but with kinda ogre nature it is going to be hard... So let's start and keep on track! For my first challenge my Main Quest is to become Fit and Toned with a side of Looking good naked. My goal for this 6WC is to lose weight (6kg - preferable of fat) and gain muscle (3kg - please let me know if that's unrealistic...) all the while being more emotionally distanced and relaxed. My goals are: - Do a strength training routine every weekday morning (+3STR, +2STA) (100%=3+2. 80%=2+1, 60%=1+0, <60%=0) - Eat less than 50g of carbs every day (even on weekends *sigh*) (+5CON) (100%=5, 6/7=4, 5/7=3, 4/7=2, below 4=0) - Meditate every day, starting at 1 minute the first day and increasing by 1 minute each week (thank you Steve for inspiring this goal - I need it very much) (+5WIS) (100%=5, 6/7=4, 5/7=3, 4/7=2, below 4=0) Let me know if you thins this is doable / ridiculous / out of there / too easy! Thank you all for your help Cheers, JuMun

This is my first try at doing this, I hope I get it sort of right. I might have to reformat this. Main Quest: To Lose Weight and Get Stronger Side Quests: 1. Lose ten pounds, get to 180 lbs. 2. Increase deadlift from 185 to 235 - maybe a bit much, but I'd mentally just like to have those 45's on the bar. 3. Increase bench presses by 20 pounds - feel like I'm at a plateau at 115 4. Increase squats by 30 pounds - currently at 125, I feel like I'm about to plateau here soon. 5. Increase overhead press by 20 pounds - currently 65. 6. Do 5 unassisted pull-ups and 10 unassisted chin-ups. 7. Get my HIIT to 15 minutes with 30 second intervals at level 16 for the entire duration - currently at 12 minutes with a 50/50 mixture of levels 15 and 16. 8. Cut out sugar from my coffee - down from 3 packets of sugar to less than 1 right now. For all the lifts and strength exercises I'm looking to be able to do five sets of five reps each at these levels. Daily-ish tasks to achieve this? 1. Keep tracking what I eat everyday, keep around 2400 calories or less a day. 2. Continue going to the gym five days a week using the same routine that I've been doing. I wish everyone luck with their challenges!

Hey Ya'll! I'm here because I'm tired of being fat and tired! Haha! I'm twenty-three years old, currently serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. When I get home, one of my goals is to run a tough mudder no matter the shape I am in, and I've got nine months left of it! So here I go! Main quest: To be at least fifty pounds lighter by the time I go home (Or as we say in the mission field, to look good naked ) Side-Quest: To get my chestpress and lat-pulldown to 170! Currently at 150: and To get my bicep curl and tricep push-down thingy to 140: Currently at 120 (strength + 7) A: 170 / 140 B:165 / 135 C:160 / 130 D: 155 / 125 F:150 / 120 Side Quest: To do Beginning Bodyweight stuff on non-gym days! (Stam +3) A: 3 days B: 2 days C: 1 Day F: 0 days Side Quest: To do ten minutes on the treadmill before gym stuff (Stam +3) A: 3 days B; 2 days C: 1 Day F: 0 Days Motivation: I want to be able to look good when I get home!

I have been meaning to post my challenge for a few days now, but I just keep pushing to the back burner. I guess that right there says a lot about me. I need to rearrange my priorities and make me #1. I wasn't always like that, I used to be at least in the top 3 on my priority list, but time and age change you. A little back story: I have always struggled with my weight. I was always a "big" kid. Not only was I taller than everyone, but I was overweight as well. My parents took me to nutrition classes, put me in sport, and did just about anything else they could think of to try and help me with my weight. My parents are GREAT! They tried, but I wouldn't have it. Even if they made healthy food I would each junk, in excess, when I went over to friends' houses. That's not to say I didn't have an amazing childhood, I couldn't have asked for a better time growing up, but my weight was always the thing lurking in the corner. I slimmed down a little in high school, but I was still overweight. It didn't help that I had a job working at Arby's all through high school. Can you say easy access to junk? I graduated and left home to go to a university about 6 hours from home. Far enough away to have freedom, but close enough to go home for breaks. I gained the Freshman 15 and then some. I was up to my highest weight at that point, 260lbs. I yo-yo dieted for the next few years while trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. At 22 I was still struggling trying to find a major while some of my friends were graduating. I soon was filled with wanderlust. I needed a change of scenery so I started trying to find places to move. Somewhere in the back of my head I heard 'What about the Navy? Haven't you always wanted to serve your country?' I started to really think about it. I was 60 lbs over the weight max for my height (I'm 5'10"), but I wanted to do it. I started telling my parents I was going to join the Navy. They both kind of thought I was kidding, as they knew I had to lose weight to do it. They didn't believe me at first, and I don't blame them based on my track record, but once I started getting motivated and actually losing weight they were VERY supportive. After contacting several recruiters who just laughed at my and told me to come back after I'd lost the weight I finally found one willing to help me. She is amazing, we're still friends to this day. Anywho, I worked my butt off for 9 months and lost 60lbs. This is Oct 2009, I left for Bootcamp in Jan 2010. I was in the best shape of my life and that continued through Bootcamp. When I got to my "A" (training) school, I did a little less. Once I got my duty station, I did even less. I worked 12s (which were more like 14 hour shifts), and I was sitting down for the majority of that time. I didn't have motivation to go train after work, so I started to get out of shape again. I got engaged and got in a little better shape, but when my marriage started to go south I went into a deep depression and completely gave up. I didn't care about my weight, my apperance, all I cared about was ending my marriage and moving on. I wanted to be done with the Navy and move back home and restart my life. Fast forward to today, 2 years after I left the Navy, I'm 28 and I'm at the heaviest I've ever been, 292lbs. I've had a rough 5 years, I'm not going to blame anyone but myself. I know now that I am in control, and I have to be in control in order to get where I want to be. Thankfully my family is happy and healthy and I've been in an amazing relationship for a year now with someone who is very supportive. He's a power lifter and he's gotten me into that and I absolutely LOVE it! I had wanted to lift for a long time, but I didn't have anyone willing to show me. He is my rock, and I am so thankful he's a great trainer. My goals: Ultimate goal: Become stronger! I think 160-180 once I'm more muscular. My main quest for this 6-week challenge: Lose 10lbs. I will achieve this by: 1. Adding cardio at least 30 mins/3 days a week 2. Drinking WATER 3. Bench pressing 180lbs. I'm currently stuck at 175lbs. Jeez, that was a lot of sharing, I feel really proud of myself! I hate disclosing my weight, but you guys are here for the same reason I am and you won't judge me. The bf and I are going to take starting pictures soon. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to keeping up with your accomplishments.

Name: Viking-Doc Age: 26 Gender: Male Height: 6' Weight: 300lbs Class: Ogre Class: Adventurer Attributes: STR- 0DEX- 0STA- 0CON- 0WIS- 0CHA- 0Main Quest: Build Strength and Endurance for life's voyage Goals: Strength train at least 3x/week Prepare meals for the week on my off day Cut down on liquid caloriesSide quest: Save money for next tattoo Motivation: Set a good example for my niece and nephews on fitness and following through on your word.

Hi Everyone, my name is Maddy, I'm 23 and live in Melbourne, Australia. I've just finished my honours degree in history and now its time to make health and exercise a main priority of my post-uni life! I've been a pretty avid gym rat for the past couple of years, but have been struggling through an extended plateau. I've recently changed up my routine a little bit, and lifting and yoga are taking centre stage! My Main Quest for this challenge is to build the habit of this new routine and the habit of eating mostly Paleo (level 6/7), but also to document my progress/regressions so that I can adjust accordingly! My Goals are as follows: Goal 1: Follow workout regimeMondays - H.I.I.T Class (kettle bells and bodyweight exercises - currently at 12-14kg kettle bell) Tuesdays - Yoga Wednesdays - Heavy lifts (PT session, we do clean and jerks, deadlifts and squats - currently at 23-30kg just to get the technique perfect) Thursdays - Yoga Fridays - Mix of weights and bodyweight Saturdays (Optional - Bonus marks!) - Yoga Goal 2: Document every workout regime (for weights - I'll do yoga too if I do something particularly interesting) Goal 3: Maintain level 6/7 diet (minimise carbs/dairy - more veggies and protein with every meal!) Goal 4: Document food every day - I use a specific website for this, but I might do a quick run down on here too! Life GoalUni was pretty hectic this year and my recreational reading has fallen to the wayside, so my life goal is to read from whatever novel I've got going EVERY DAY. Grading/Stat Points are as follows:Goal 1: 30 days = A; 25 days = B; 20 days = C; 15 days = D; 5 days = F - A=3 STR; 2 STA; 2 DEXGoal 2: A - 100% B - 75% C - 50% D - 25% F - 0% A = 2 WISGoal 3: 42 days = A; 32 days = B; 22 days = C; 12 days = D; 2 days = F A= 2 CONGoal 4: As above. A= 1 WIS Life Goal: As above. A= 2 CHA And last but not least, my motivation:For this challenge my motivation is to reflect my inner fitness externally, just in time for my trip to my hometown at Christmas!But my more serious overall motivation is that I want to do everything humanly possible to buck my family trend of being diagnosed with some form of cancer, terminal or no, and being nutritionally and physically healthy seems as good a prevention as any!

"Tank weazel, before you go toe to toe with the all powerful Ruskies you must overcome the deaded deads" Class: Dwarf Race: Level 1 MAIN QUEST Defeat the dreaded deads. Hit a national record deadlift (163.5kg @57kg) Quest One, consistency is cey. Keep up with prehab and rehab exercises so my hip stability improves. Quest Two, we need a battle plan! Sensible deadlift programming will be required. I know what works ok and what hasn't worked. Time to build on the ok. Quest Three, alchemy 101! Prepping sensible lunches and pre workouts the night before rather than relying on something decent being in the Boots fridge for lunch. Aim for one good source of protein with every meal. Motivation: For honour and glory! (Like seriously tanky, how long have you been stuck around the 140kg mark?)

Challenge Date: Nov 3rd to Dec 21st, 2014 Introduction: Hi, I am reynalia, and this is my first challenge. I like to workout, play ultimate, and do regular things like watch TV, read manga, etc. I am a third year undergraduate college student, majoring in Biochemistry. I am working towards a better body in general, but my main goal is to be better at ultimate for this challenge. Main Quest: To build muscle and be in better conditioning for ultimate tournaments for the spring semester. This is perfect because the fall semester ends right after this challenge. Specific goals: To do Starting Strength 3x a week (18x throughout whole challenge, skipping a week for Thanksgiving break) Beginning lifts to current lifts: Squat 85lbs ->130lbs Bench 45->80lbs Deadlift 85 ->135lbs Press 45lbs ->50lbs [sTR +5 | A= 15-18x | B=11-14x | C=7-10x | D=3-6x | F=0-2x] Stretch my back every night to prevent reinjury and foam roll at least 2 times a week I injured my back two years ago and was diagnosed with a pinched nerve. The doctor said there is nothing I can do to fix it, but I read this PT book that gave me stretches to do, and they have helped immensely. Doing these stretches lets me prevent pain on a daily basis, especially after sitting in lectures for so long. [CON +3 | A=foam roll 2x a week and stretch for at least 5 days a week | B=foam roll 1x a week and stretch at least 4 days a week | C=stretching at least 3 days a week] Go throwing outside of practice at least 2 times a week. [DEX +3 | A=45-60 minutes a week| B=30-44minutes a week| C=15-29minutes a week] Side Life Quest: To do cleaning activities for 15 minutes every day. Don’t leave dishes in the sink overnight. [WIS +2] [A=washed more than half of the days of the whole challenge | B=less thank half] Write a smiley face on the calendar, and then tally them up for the days of the challenge. Diet Side Quest: To hit my macros everyday and have only one serving of sweets a day. Write “macros†on a successful day of the calendar. Remember to have more carbs on workout days and less on rest days. [CHA +2] [A=more than half the days | B=less than half the days] Strength Workouts: (write the date of the workout if completed- 3x a week) Week 1: 11/3/14 | 11/5/14 | 11/7/14 Week 2: 11/10/14 | 11/14/14 Week 3: 11/17/14 | 11/19/14 | 11/21/14 Week 4: 11/23/14 | Week 5: Week 6: I will have Thanksgiving (one week) and Christmas (two weeks long) break without a gym, therefore I will substitute using bodyweight workouts. Stretching- Week 1: MTWRFS(foam)S(foam) Week 2: MTWRFSS Week 3: MTWRFSS Week 4: MTWRFSS Week 5: Week 6: Throwing Week 1: 30 minutes (hucks) Week 2: None Week 3: None again.... Week 4: Week 5: Week 6: Also a side note: Make it to the first two days of Winter League for Dallas Ultimate. First game is Dec 13th, and second is Dec. 20th. Race: Half Elf Class: Adventurer Current level: 0 STR: 0| DEX: 0| STA:0 | CON:0 | WIS:0 | CHA: 0

Hi fellow Rebels! 19 year old guy from sweden here. I have been thinking about starting to lift for quite some time, and with this 6 week challenge I am officially starting my new life as Rebel. I (after a lot of reading) have decided to follow the StrongLifts 5x5 workout, because of its focus on strength and general newbie friendliness. I have never been strong, but now is the time to change that. I have no previous weight training experience, so I am starting completely from scratch. Now, onto the quests! Main Quest: Get stronger, simple as that My current goal is to be able to rep out body-weight squats. Quest 1: Lift 3 times a week, every week 3*6 = 18 so the goal is 18 workouts. I am intentionally being harsh with the rewards on this one, since the most important part of getting started is building the routine Measurement: A = 18 workouts, B = 17 workouts, C = 16 workouts Reward: A = +3 STR +2 STA, B = +2 STR, +1 STA, C = +1 STR Quest 2: In 6 weeks, be able to squat 65 kg for 5x5 If I follow the program for 6 weeks, and progress without issue I will reach this. For every day I miss a rep, or miss a workout, I will fall 2.5 kg behind this goal Measurement: A = 65, B = 60, C = 55 Reward: A = +3 STR, B = +2 STR, C = +1 STR Quest 3: Cut out on unhealthy snacking I have habit of eating sweets as snacks when I am hungry, instead of eating something else. I will replace the sweets with fruit. Measurement: A = no random snacking, B = 1-2 relapses, C = 3-4 relapses Reward: A = +3 CON, B = +2 CON, C = +1 CON Motivation: I don't want to be weak, I do not want my physical strength to prevent me from doing things. I have a fairly oddly shaped rib-cage, and getting some chest muscles will make that look a lot better. Given that I am pretty tall, building muscle will also help me with avoiding back-pain since I spend a lot of my time sitting. Will try to update after every workout!

I’ve been going to a gym with my college roommate for about a month now and have not been seeing the results I wanted. I have been feeling a lot better in terms of energy and feeling overall healthier because of all the researching I’ve been doing but I want to “bulk upâ€. Been a skinny guy all my life and now I need to have that change and get in the best shape of my life for the rest of my life. I want to gain muscle and maybe start lifting heavy eventually into power lifting. Main Quest I want to build up at least ten (10b) pounds of muscle by May. Goals I will eat 3500 calories per day I will work out at least four (4) times a week. I will get eight (8) hours of sleep every night Side Quest Life quest: Studying at least two(2) hours each day Stats Weight 150lbs Dealift: 6RM 135lbs Bench Press: 6RM 135lbs Pull ups: 10 Chin ups: 10 Push ups: 30 Scoring: A: 4 lifts per week B: 3 lifts per week C: 2 lifts per week D: 1 lift per week F: no lifts

Main goal is a difficult concept for me – because I have so many! I kayak/canoe, cycle (road/distance and MTB), run, lift and play badminton for fun. I have been known to dabble in thai boxing, surfing and indoor climbing too. I’d put up a goal about running seeing as that’s slipped a lot, but off to see a physio tonight about lower back pain – so perhaps that’ll be sorted in time for the next challenge and I can do that then. So in order to help all goals, I think losing weight without losing muscle mass is a good thing to start with! (it’ll assist lifting, kayaking, running and climbing too). Main goal – get down to 85kg – currently 106.5 – but this will obviously take longer than 6 weeks! Quest 1 – down to 100 kg within the 6 weeks here for this challenge. Quest 2 – eat at least 60g protein a day (easily done with a tiny bit more than 2 protein shakes). Quest 3 – no loss in lift ability during diet – must still lift 3 x a week and not be lifting less by the end. Still trying to figure this site out... quite a lot to read.. but hopefulyl this is a good start.

Please note: by reading this page, you may have violated your Listener's License and any associated Creativity Permits, and may be subject to various sanctions up to - and including - mandatory recycling. This is independent ranger dynamic Brian Bravo the IV, this is journal log 10.11.2014.2.30.0.1 this is a pirate broadcast in queens English from sometime after now by listening/reading this you should be advice you're violating your listener's license agreements and could be subject to suspensions of your listeners license, you should disconnect now if you've come across this by accident. So it has finally come, the day I venture out of the Arcolgy I was born in, and into the great unknown. I heard the fringe can be a very treacherous and hard to navigate land but I'm willing to risk it, I've heard of tales of people finding who they really are in such hazardous conditions. As for me, the fringe is not my final destination, its the out-lands. A place where I can be one with my self, mentally and physically. I've never felt comfortable with who I was and what I looked liked, so I'm hopping that the out-lands can help me find harmony with myself. Level: 1 Class: Ranger Name: Brian Weight: 74 kg Height: 165 cm Hey guys! Names Brian and Im a former fat kid, used to weigh 101 kg or 220 lbs at 165 cm or 5 feet 5 inches, now Im down to 73 kg and Ive never looked better. However I still feel like the shy fat kid I used to be, but not anymore! This six week challenge I'll embark on the final quest to get rid of my belly fat and finally get my abs to show, hopefully this will convince the shy fat kid that is still inside that hes no longer fat. To do this Ill need to loose 6 more kgs and from what I've read, the last couple of kgs are the hardest to loose. And that’s great, nothing is worth it if it there is no sacrifice. So my translated goals are: Goal 1: Quit drinking Beer is my favorite thing in the world, I love to drink with friends family and sometimes by myself. But beer is the thing that is keeping me from reaching my goal, all the empty calories are not good at all. Also I usually eat more than I should when I'm drunk. Goal 2: Lift 30% more by the end of the six week challenge Pretty good at working out, in fact its my favorite thing to do in the mornings. So I'll set a goal to increas weight by 30%. Goal 3: My diet and workout go out the drain when I go back home for the weekends. So for this challenge I will no longer be stuffing my face with home cooked mexican meals. Instead Ill limit my intake to a healthy portion. (TBD on what a healthy portion is) Note: I'll be keeping this thread with a "Tales from the afternow theme"

OK, I'm new to this, so my first concern is if my goals are too ambitious. A few basic stats to introduce myself: Male, Age 52, weight 195-ish. I have been following SL 5x5 for several months, and have been pleased with what I've been able to accomplish so far. The snag is time, as it always seems to be. I'm worthless in the morning so getting up at zero dark thirty is a no-go. I have to do that anyway to get myself and a kid ready for work/school. My workplace has a gym, but no free weights- only a Smith machine. I have a pretty good man cave equipped with a power rack and weights (and drum set!). Afternoon/evening seems to be my best time- as long as I make it to the basement before THE SCHEDULE or the wife take hold. Almost every night of the week I am dragging the chumpling to one after-school activity or another... the list goes on. Still, I have made a good start and think I can knuckle down and hit it hard for another 6 weeks. Project Name: Nerd Fitness Challenge 1 Main Goal My Main Quest is to Build muscle, Increase Strength. I went on Weight Watchers about a year and a half ago and brought my weight down from 220lbs (a personal worst) to about 180 lbs. The problem is I stalled at 180lbs, and I had NO energy by the end of the day to exercise. I was so tired it was all I could do to stay awake long enough to help with dinner (she cooks, I set up and clean up) and put kids in bed. I felt like I was literally fading into old age, and decided to refuse to age gracefully! StrongLifts was a revelation to me... I have put on a good bit of weight (15 lbs) but I think a goodly percentage of that is good muscle mass. I feel so much better now that I'm not literally starving myself! There is still room to improve, in the diet area, but I think that may be a bit much for a first Challenge, though.Specific Goals Work Out 3x per week following Stronglifts 5x5.Cardio for 30 minutes 1x per week.Maybe fast 1 day per week. Mainly just curious about intermittent fasting. (I'm still on the fence on this…I'm kind of addicted to food)Resources STRONGLIFTS5x5Power Rack in the man cave. Tunes.Buy Olympic weights vs gym with free weights? I have a standard Weider set, and have been adding extra 25-lb plates piecemeal, but I am running out of space on the bar. So I need to make a decision shortly. Hello, Craigslist!Treadmill (We actually don't hang clothes on the thing!) Targets 10-Nov 12-Dec Squat 190 275 Bench Press 120 160 Overhead Press 115 150 Barbell Row 115 130 Deadlift 260 320 Body Stats Current 10/27/14 Start 11/10/14 Target 11/24/14 Weight 195 Body Fat 21.8% Waist 40.13 Hips 39.25 Neck 16.13 Biceps L/R 13.25/13.5 Wrist 7.13 Let me know what you all think!

Introduction: I joined a gym for the first time in my life a few months ago. It took me almost 6 weeks to do more then set foot in the weight room, look around, get overwhelmed and then quickly run off to a Pilates class or the pool. I finally asked for help and was walked through a simple weight lifting program built manly around cable and weight machines. I have been following the program for a few weeks and I discovered I like lifting weights! I have just started exploring the idea of training with weights that allow fuller ranges or motion and use larger groups of muscles. That is how I found Nerd Fitness! In the last three months I have stuck with some simple changes to improve my physical and emotional health. I committed to walking daily and a progressively longer block of daily yoga and meditation. I am working up to 20 minutes of meditation, adding one minute to my sit times per week. This week I am up to 17 minutes. Honouring these commitments daily has given me the confidence that I can make further changes successfully. Bring on my first 6 week challenge! My Main Quest: To lose inches and build muscle to achieve a base fitness suitable for enjoyable backpacking Quest One: Follow the six week Stage One work outs as detailed in The New Rules of Lifting for Women, Schuler, Forsythe and Cosgrove. Three times a week for six weeks at my local gym. Quest Two: Build on my momentum of daily 30 minute walks and yoga/meditation. Increase daily walks to 1 hour, 4 out of 7 days. Continue to increase meditation by 1 minute every week and hold at 20 minutes for the duration of the challenge. Quest Three: Renew logging food and activity with MyFitnessPal accurately. Life Quest: To finally knit a sweater. I have the wool, I have an achievable pattern. Motivation: Angry chaffing marks on my thighs makes simply walking around in shorts painful and difficult. I want to be complete a 4 night solo backpacking trip (in shorts!) in 4 months.

6-Week Challenge #1 Introduction: I've been consuming a vegetarian diet for two years and transitioned to a vegan diet in September. In the past few years, I've become somewhat obsessed with health, particularly cutting all fast food out of my diet (as well as those with whom I spend time regularly, to their dismay), as well as reducing my refined sugar and empty calorie intake. Four or five years ago, I was incredibly enthusiastic about arm musculature and benched fifty pounds regularly. I then proceeded to become lazy and weak over the course of moving several times and not understanding how to properly deal with my emotions and surroundings. I've never really been fond of cardio--I'm not built to be a runner, and I've never made a habit of it. In the summer, twenty miles of cycling to commute here and there does me in for the day, and in the winter I cycle less than a few miles a day. After realising this summer that I had been gaining body fat at an unattractive rate, I am finally getting around to exercising a bit and eating a more careful diet and have begun to lose those stubborn pockets of fat. I presently find myself of an average build, if not a few pounds of fat too many. Despite this, I've been rather busy lately and fear losing my motivation and failing to accomplish my goals. Thus, I'm holding myself accountable here and beginning a challenge which will hopefully help me to push myself that extra mile. Main Quest: • Become prepared for the revolution. Goals: 1-Exercise. • Lift MWF. Five sets with ten reps each of bar curls and bench presses. Starting at ten pounds and progressing to thirty. • Jog Tues/Thurs. One mile circuit progressing to three miles. • Rest Sat/Sun. 2-Eat. • Cut out refined sugars. • Refine diet to primarily include proteins, vegetables, and fruits. • Adopt the Warrior Diet and assess effectiveness. 3-Meditate. • Take up beginner yoga routine (MTWTF). Life Side Quest: • Learn the basics of the Russian language. Motivation: My motivation is that I want to be prepared to handle any situation and that I want to be the most productive member of society which I am capable if being, which all has to start somewhere. Where better than here?

Introduction: hey my name is Kenny and this is my first challenge. I like to play and watch sports but I've never been able to stick to a weight training routine. I'm a senior in college and plan on going to graduate school. I joined the rebellion because I would really like to start making weight lifting a habit. Main Quest: Build lean muscle and get stronger get up to 140bs (currently weigh 135lbs) Quest 1: Workout 3 days per week at home since I have a bench, squat rack, etc. Quest 2: Consume 2500-3000 quality/nutritional calories every day Quest 3:Get 8 hours of sleep every night Life Quest: Get good grades the rest of this semester and keep my GPA above a 3.2 Motivation: I want to have a great body an avoid getting overweight. I also want to feel better meaning more energetic and just generally healthy. I'm sick and tired of wondering what I(my body) would look like if I put effort into my body. Since this is my first challenge, I could use some feedback about how I can possibly improve what I have written for my quest so I would definitely accept any feedback.

Hello all, My first challenge got a warrior tag because of my goals. I was just wondering if anyone had recommendations for a routine to do three days a week to pack on the muscle. I've lifted weights before but pretty basic exercises so I'd like a relatively simple routine involving dumbbells, barbells, and I also have a gym rack with some cable exercise components. http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/56070-first-challenge-for-this-guy/ ^this is my challenge post if you're interested in taking a look.

Hi everybody, My name is Andy and this is my first challenge. I’ve been reading Nerd Fitness for a little while and joined the forums not so long ago. I’m a 28y old 5ft 11†guy and I currently weight around 150lbs (max). This sounds pretty decent and most people would be okay with that. So was I a long time. But I also remembered that I did lots of sports when I was younger. I did competitive swimming, changed to ice hockey and at some point I tried out Taekwondo for a while. This however, has been years (about 8ish) and since then all I’ve done is some recreational rock climbing and a bit of running for fun. I only ever did one official run (a 10 mile competition) in which I nearly died. I found I was missing a goal and so it was either: run faster/further or find another goal to work toward. When I pondered the options my old goal of not looking like a stickman resurfaced and I began researching bodyweight and other strength training and this is how I ended up here. Since then I started eating more and began a bodyweight progression for whole body exercise. I gained some muscle in the right places (though now looking at the pictures I just took, I'm not so sure :-/)and lost some of my late-twenties belly fat. But now it is time for the real challenge. As of 1st October I’ll be working at a place with near-free gym access and I want to dig into Starting Strength! Main Quest: Weigh 165-175lbs at about 12-15% body fat and do that while I’m strong and powerful! So, as the title says, I wanna go from jester Mat to blacksmith Perrin. I already got the beard ;D Quest 1: Do the Starting Strength routines three times every week from 1st October onward (before that, do bodyweight progression) Measurements: A: 18 (12 SS workouts + 6 BW); B: 15, C: 12 Reward: A: +3 Str ; B: +2 Str, C: +1 Str Quest 2: Eat 2700kcals consistently (500 above maintenance – estimation). This might change according to progress. Logging is done in MFP and a minimum of 100g proteins is required. Measurements: A: 42, B: 35, C: 28 Reward: A: +3 Sta, B: +2 Sta, C: +1 Sta Quest 3: To keep mobility/fitness high, I will be doing yoga or HIIT runs at least once a week. Measurements: A: 6, B: 5, C: 4 Reward: A: +3 Dex +2 Con, B: +2Dex +1 Con, C: +1 Dex Life goal: This is a hard one…I spent the last two years studying in another city, so I’ve lost a bit of contact with my old friends. I also used to play the guitar but it too has suffered from my absence and preoccupation. So, I will play guitar once a week and try to meet some of my friends at least once a week. Measurements: A: 6/6, B: 5/5, C: 4/4 Reward: A: +2 Cha +1 Wis, B: +1 Cha +1 Wis, C: +1 Cha Motivation: I want to feel in control of my life. I want to look and feel as confident as possible. In the end it comes down to being self-confident enough to do things I don’t do now, like apply for my dream job, make decisions without consulting everybody endlessly although it should be mine in the first place.

Although this is my first challenge, I don't plan on breaking any new ground here. For the past 5 weeks, I've been developing new habits which I would like to reinforce. While I feel like these habits are becoming routine, the environment is about to become more challenging. During the fall and the winter I spend a lot of time on the road with work and the next six weeks will be no different. I will have to complete the first two weeks and the last two weeks living out of a hotel room. On top of this, I will be meeting up with some old friends in Las Vegas for four days over the middle weekend. Here we go. GOAL 1 - Continue to increase overall strength following stronglifts 3 times a week. I've located a gym with a power rack close to where I'll be staying on the road so I've got no excuse to miss any workouts in weeks 1,2,5 or 6. The four days in Vegas will be a problem, but I will try and adjust my schedule to make up the workouts while ensuring I have enough recovery time during weeks 3 and 4. I'll accept missing one workout but no more. GOAL 2 - Continue to reduce BF% on my way to a 215 target. Drop 9 pounds over the challenge period. Edit: Starting weight on day 1: 245 even Track intake with MFP. Weekly intake of 15,400 kcal for an average of 2200 a day. I'm not going to worry about the Veags trip too much. I'm pretty sure most of the carbs will be liquid, but I'll make smart choices at the trough. During the 4 weeks of work travel, I plan to cook my own meals and avoid eating out. GOAL 3 - Take care of my back. Yoga four times a week on non lifting days Edit: scoring: 90% is an A. 80% - B. 70% - C. Less than 70% - F. If I can't do something 5 days out of 7 I don't think it's much of a habit. That's it. Should be easy, right?

This is my first challenge, and I'm brand new to the NF forums as well...so I am the rankest of the rank beginners. My nerdery of choice is typically JRPGs, especially of the 8- and 16-bit variety, as these are what I grew up playing, so my framework for my narrative will lean a bit heavily on that concept. That being the case, I will be setting up my challenge to mirror, in some ways, the steps one often goes through in a classic JRPG at the earliest experience levels--getting equipped, getting acquainted with the system, staying alive, and exploring the local environs. Not terribly exciting, I know, but I've languished many lumpy, chain-smoking years without a real routine, and I know if I throw myself into something extreme, I'll get myself into trouble quite fast. So here we go. Main Quest To establish a healthy, sustainable routine that can be built on in later challenges as my abilities progress. In game terms, I'm sitting at 0 XP with no gear and no clues to my name. I've got a long way to go, so the foundations must be established here. Quest 1 - Get Equipped and Get Out There I can't slay the monsters of my personal situation without weapons and experience. And in my case (as I am interested most in strength training and the Warriors' Guild), those weapons will be a beginner's strength training regimen and whatever basic weights that requires (can't be too much; like most low-level warriors, I've got limited cash). My low-level encounters "out there" (the slimes and goblins of my experience) will be a regular routine. I will assess myself in the following ways: I will gather my equipment by the end of week 1 (and do bodyweight exercises until I have it).I will do the beginner's regimen at least 3 times per week.I will track my performance to be able to chart growth and progress.Quest 2 - Get Acquainted With the System Like most adventures, this one operates according to certain rules and guidelines. If I don't know the way things work, I'm likely to make critical errors. To that end, I will also incorporate research and learning from others (fellow warriors, knowledgeable NPCs, etc.) into my daily routine. I will assess this in these ways: I will read at least one article on the NF site each day and actively seek ways to incorporate its ideas into my routine where applicable and safe.I will visit the NF forum daily to interact with and learn from others on the same path.Quest 3 - Stay Alive The biggest threat to low-level adventurers is death by careless risk taking and/or death by unpreparedness. This aspect of my quest will help to prevent that. I will take proactive measures to ensure that I stay healthy and that I can keep on fighting. Here's how that breaks down: Visit the Inn: I will get 8 hours of sleep per night. I will also work toward doing this at reasonable hours of the night. At the moment, I tend to sit up very late and wake up late, but by the end of 6 weeks, I will be going to bed no later than 11:00 PM, sleeping for 8 hours, and actually getting up by 7:00 AM.Get Unpoisoned: Right now my two biggest issues this way are nicotine use and diet soda consumption. I know these are toxic to my system. Quitting them both this challenge may be too much change all at once, but I will track my use of both, and then I will work to reduce my use of at least one of them by 50% at the end of 6 weeks. Life Quest One of the greatest problems I've encountered as my health has worsened, is a tendency to withdraw from other people and shut myself up in the house. My life-related side quest will address this by mirroring the JRPG starter-zone lesson of exploring the local environs. At least once a week, I will ensure that I not only leave the house entirely for most of the day, but that I go someplace I haven't been before and/or try something new while I'm out. As in many video games, you never know quite what you'll find exploring that may be useful to your quest. Motivation I've daydreamed about transforming my gaming heroics into something in the real world for years, so taking a step toward that goal and its effects on my happiness is certainly motivation. However, there's more to it than that. The longer I sit here doing nothing and poisoning myself, the worse my health will get. And eventually, it will get too bad for me to save it--and myself. To save my health, and, by extension, my very world, I'm taking up my sword and embarking upon this endeavor.

INTRODUCING THE QUESTS OF NEWSTART We begin at the beginning. My name is Newstart, and here in lays the plot of my first challenge. Im 44, 18 months post cardiac surgery. Fairly mobile, active and keen. Ex smoker, non drinker. trying to regain my life. I'm starting here at 145 kg (320 lb). I'm a science nerd, having an engineering degree, a chemistry degree and an interest in renewable energy (double major with the BSc). I live in Australia. I'm married, 7 kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 budgies, brown hair, blue eyes and a Sagittarius. I cook, clean and do washing. I even fold towels. I want to lose weight, get fitter, get stronger and keep on living. Main Quest: Become more by becoming less My main goal for the challenge is to lose weight. How much weight ? In the long run ~45 kg (99 lb) That's besides the point. It took me 44 years to get here, its going to take longer than 6 weeks to get to "normal". As long as I'm heading in the right direction I will be happy. Goal 1: Stay committed ! (STA & DEX) This is all encompassing. Eat well, sleep more, go to the gym regularly, take my medicine on time! For the sake of quest points I will focus on the gym. I am aiming for 5 times per week. It can be cardio, weights, a half hour, a full hour. Just go! Just do SOMETHING. A = 5 times (2 sta + dex) B = 4 times (1 sta + dex) C = 3 times (0.5 sta + dex) D = < 3 (0 sta + dex) Goal 2: Eat more to lose more ! (CON) Counter intuitive ? Maybe. Had to see Dr today and discussed my stalling weight loss. In his opinion my body may be in survival mode. My BMR is around 2700 CAL (large male) and my intake wavers around 1200 Cal. Due to drugs I take, I have no appetite. So the challenge is to get intake up towards 2000, eating 3 meals plus snacks per day. A = eat 5 times, approx 2000 Cal daily (con +2) B = eat 4 times, approx 2000 Cal daily (con +1) C = eat 3 times, approx 2000 Cal daily (con +0.5) D = eat < 2 times, < 1800 Cal daily (con +0) Goal 3: Lift myself or at least my equivalent (STR). As like most of us, I would like to do a pull up. Standing at the pull up bar, its soul destroying to groan and realise thats just from grabbing the bar. But I have a cunning plan . My favourite machine in the gym is the lat pull down. Currently I can do approx 100 kg. The plan is, at the end of the 6 weeks, be able to 3 rep 14 5kg. The logic ? If I can pull down 145 kg just using back/arm muscles, I can pull UP 145 kg. Hopefully by the end of the challenge I shall weigh less than 145 Be able to pull down 145 kg + weigh less than 145 kg = A pull up will be born !!. This theory will be tested in the form of performing said pull ups. A = 3 reps/pull ups (+ 2 str) B = 2 reps/pull ups (+ 1 str) C = 1 reps/pull ups (+ 0.5 str) D = 0 reps/pull ups + 0 str Life Quest: Live ! (WIS & CHA) Where to start ? I have been dead and its not that much fun. I have lots of things I could aim for. Live to a right old age. See my kids grow up Play sport Travel more Finish building my boat Build a race car Retire from work Read a book a day the list could go on. For the sake of starting the life quest, I will measure it by my success at the quest above. 2 > quests A rated (2 + wis & cha) 2 > quests B rated (1 + wis & cha) 2 > quests C rated (0.5 + wis & cha) 2 > quests D rated (0 + wis & cha)

Introduction: Hi, this is my first challenge. I've already been working out for a while with already some set goals in mind so I guess I'll just be aligning this challenge with that which is my desire to be a competitive olympic lifter. I've dabbled in a lot of sports before such as Taekwondo, Fencing, and Badminton but none of them has me hooked liked Olympic weightlifting. Despite those, I'm not really particularly athletic and this would be my first time dabbling with strength training and olympic weightlifting and given my age (28), I guess I have a LOT of catching up to do. Main Quest: Increase my lifts to the following: Back Squat: 82.5 kg => 100 kg Front Squat: 60 kg => 80 kg Clean & Jerk: 30 kg => 50 kg Snatch: 20 kg => 40 kg Sub Quest #1: Get at least 7 hours sleep every day. I have a bad habit of always staying way past midnight. Curse you Dimas, Klokov, and Youtube! Sub Quest #2: Eat a fruit or a cup of vegetables 3x a day. GOMAD does a number on one's digestive system, and some fruits and veggies will definitely help! Sub Quest #3: Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. Sometimes I forget to drink water when I drink a lot of milk. I often find myself feeling pretty dehydrated, so this is to make sure that doesn't happen. Side Quest: Find other people who share the same passion for weightlifting. I imagine it would help a lot to be around people I could compete with. Alright, let's get it on!

So, I pretty much know how to do this fitness stuff. I’m also lucky to have a wise, patient and immensely knowledgeable ex-PT as a friend who has revolutionised my eating, taught me to lift heavy and given me the tools to stop hating being in my body. What I don’t have is consistency. I’ve made big changes to my shape over the past year… and then let my emerging muscle definition be reclaimed by wobble. I’ve lost 30 pounds over the past year and a half… and put 10 of them back on. I’ve done weeks at a time of consistent lifting… and then let life stresses push me back to having to start my programme again. I’ve eaten cleanly and sensibly for two months at a time… and then spent the following two months eating beige, sticky things. I currently feel waddlesome and ungainly in a way I haven’t for months. I want to stop feeling frumpy, uncomfortable and disappointed in myself and start feeling bouncy, strong and positive again So, I know I can do it, I just need to actually do it, consistently! MAIN QUEST Fit comfortably into my UK size 12 non-stretch skinny jeans. I fit into these jeans comfortably earlier this year and now they’re tight. By the end of the six weeks I want them to feel comfortable again. QUEST 1 Eat a maximum of 1850 calories each day. I am allowed one free pass of three days for alcohol only (I must stick to the calorie limit for food) when a friend visits me this month. Update: In week 2 I lost the plot completely with work and life planning, and had 7 straight days of eating stupidly. As a result, I reassessed how I eat and I have a new eating plan based around high days (2000 cals) on training days, low (1700) the day after and medium (1800) on any other day. A: 39/42 days ▪ B: 37/42 days ▪ C: 35/42 days Update: as a result of the above-mentioned idiotic eating, I can now only get a C, and then only if I stick to my calories perfectly for the remainder of the challenge. This is fine - I screwed up and getting a C (or a fail) would be a good mental reinforcement that progress won't come without learning consistency. However, I am giving myself an incentive to get a B. If I stick to my new eating plan 100% for the rest of the challenge, I get a B. This will be hard to do, so I think it would justify "cheating" on my original grading. QUEST 2 Work out four times a week (three days of my existing lifting programme + one cardio class, usually spinning). A: 22/24 days ▪ B: 21/24 days ▪ C: 20/24 days Update: I lost a whole week of training, partly through the aforementioned stupid week but also I was hampered by a hip injury (still ongoing and requiring daily mobility work and stretching). So, I'm going to be a little forgiving towards myself and give myself a chance to get a B. If I do all my workouts AND do my stretching + mobility routine every day for the rest of the challenge, I get a B. This might sound tough, but doing the stretching + mobility routine is really important and I should be doing it every day anyway. QUEST 3 Eat at least eight portions of fruit/veg per day. I used to eat loads of veggies but recently I’ve been lazy and I’ve noticed the difference in how I feel. A: 39/42 days ▪ B: 37/42 days ▪ C: 35/42 days LIFE SIDE QUEST I’ve been planning on finding myself a gig doing housesitting somewhere exciting via Trusted Housesitters but haven’t yet had the persistence to set it up. My quest is to send at least three emails to people needing housesitting in the hope of setting up a gig. If I’m not accepted, that’s fine, but I must make at least three approaches. SHINY THINGS!! My main reward will be feeling more bouncy and less waddlesome. However, I’m also allowed these additional rewards if I meet the above criteria. The rewards stack. Grade A: Nerd Fitness t-shirt (I’ve wanted one of these for aaaaaages but haven’t felt I deserve one, hence it being my top-level reward – I REALLY have to earn it to show off my NF credentials!) Grade B: £100 on new workout gear and/or new clothes for autumn Grade C: Massage I’m looking forward to creating my character and stats too STARTING MEASUREMENTS Chest: 39.5 Waist: 32.5 Belly: 39.25 (this is the one I most want to see go down!) Hips: 42.5 Weight: 164.5 lbs MOTIVATION I want to break my habit of inconsistency and stop the basics (sensible food, consistent workouts) getting in the way of the more exciting goals I could be aiming for. I have a hankering to one day squat 100kg, but I know I’ll never be able to aim for things like that until I get the basics sorted and stop letting my emotions and what’s going on around me influence what I put in my mouth and whether I exercise.

This is my first challenge - I'm pretty excited! Been powerlifting somewhat consistently for a little more than a year now but I've been unable to work out consistently for a couple months. My main goal right now is to be stronger than I was before my break. My previous lift totals were 335/260/430. My 3 specific goals: Squat 345lb Bench 270lb Deadlift 440lb I'll be following Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 with the following assistance work: Squat day - front squats and power cleans Bench day - weighted dips and DB rows Deadlift day - deficit deadlifts and rack pulls Press day - DB press and lat pulldown or weighted pullups Conditioning will consist of pushing a stroller up and down hills and hiking with another nerdfitness member.

Hi, I once attempted to complete the "old style" challenge but failed miserably after one week. I'm hoping to finish this one. I'm The_Captain, a 22 year old Finnish student and overweight. My interests are nearly all of nerddom: video games, movies and TV, board games and lately Magic The Gathering (I ordered my first deck, a Golgari graveyard play, just today!). I'm also going to try to write some flavor text for my challenge thread (it was meant to go up with this post, but school got in the way of writing it). Without further ado, my Challenge thread. I'd appreciate any feedback and critique that you guys come up with! Name: Bhaskar Alias: Break-Spear Race: Half-orc Class: Spirit Warrior Age: 22 Alignment: Neutral Good Main Quest: Lose 30 kg in 9 months’ time A very good and old friend of mine decided to give up the glorious (sad and lonely) bachelor life and is getting married next summer. I am way too large to fit in my old suits and I really don’t have the money to get a new one. So I need to get slimmer, stat. Also, if I might go on a slight misogynist slant: I need to look good for the bridesmaids and for the wedding pictures that my friends are going to cherish till death do them part etc etc. And it would just generally be healthier (though that’s a secondary objective after looking good ). As such I’m trying to get all the knowledge and accountability that I can find, that’s why I’m here. Goal: Bench Press back to 90kg 1 rep maximum – 4 STR, 1 CHAMy former one rep max for bench was a solid 100kg (well, a bit shaky 100kg). But that was months ago and it has decidedly dropped after I stopped hitting the gym regularly. I’d like to see that max up there again, along with the rest of the major lifts. This seems like a reasonable goal when I consider my current max is about 75kg. Goal: Run at least 72 km – 3 STA, 1 DEXRight, there is also a secondary reason for this being one of my goals: I downloaded the Zombies, Run! app and ran the first 18 missions for a bet with my family and they were all awesome! This way I counted that I can run 4km thrice a week, which fit quite nicely in with going to the gym four times a week. Drop soft drinks to once a week, instead of everyday – 2 WIS, 2 CHAThis just seems generally smart. I drink way too much of soft drinks (specifically Pepsi Max) and it is not good for my teeth or general health. I drink around one liter a day. Goal is to cut that to just one bottle per week. Going tepid turkey with the beginning of this challenge. Life goal: Finish at least two of my missing courses from last year – 2 WIS I’m studying management in University of Applied Sciences, and if I ever want to graduate I need to start finishing off my courses. I’m starting with the intros to International Marketing and European Media Law to be specific. Luckily our teachers are really friendly and flexible so I get to do both of these courses virtually in addition with my current course load for this year. Both require a learning diary of 15 pages, so easy peasy lemon squuezy (nope not that easy at all).