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I know, I know… I said I wasn’t gonna change my name… Hello everyone, most of you knew me as The Wolf. And now, I am Animal Man! There are a lot of reasons why I changed my name, but one of them has to do with me outgrowing The Wolf. I feel like my skillset would be limited to just one animal…so I call upon “The Red†and the entire animal kingdom for this challenge. Another reason I changed my name is my current obsession with the DC character Animal Man. It has to be the best comic I’ve read, hands down. Not only is the “style†of Animal Man right up my alley, but I can relate to him on a lvl that holds the high regards of my other favorite hero, the Flash. I honestly can’t get enough of Animal Man, and have volume 3 pre-ordered. I’ve read volume 1 at least twice and making my run through volume 2 for a 2nd time! This challenge, I will be dipping into “The Red†and calling upon my fellow animals to assist me. For those of you who do not know what “The Red†is; well let me explain: The Red is a force which connects and pervades all animal life in the universe. It is intended to be the force from which a number of animal-powered heroes get their abilities. I started doing this in real life too…and scary enough…it worked! Anyone who’s followed me knows about my love for sports. I recently got back into softball and this is the 2nd “season†I’ve participated in. Last season I had trouble at bat. I wasn’t keeping my eye on the ball and kept striking out! Naturally, this pissed me off cuz I know my abilities are much more keen than that. The 1st game of this season started out the same. I struck out twice at bat..and looked horrible doing it. This past Monday, I went 3/3 with 2 RBI’s! Before the game I told myself I needed patience… just a little bit of it. So I called upon the patience of the crocodile. This ancient dinosaur can sit still for extended periods of time waiting for its prey and strike without warning! THEN…I reached farther and called upon a creature, which in my eyes may be MORE patient then the croc. I called upon the patience of a trapdoor spider. HAVE YOU SEEN THOSE SOB’s HUNT? It’s incredible! Low and behold, it worked. I remained calm, kept my eyes on the ball, and hit with relentless aggression. I realized, then, that I was more than The Wolf…I had become Animal Man! This 6WC I will be calling upon The Red and it’s abilities to get me to the finish line. I am continuing my minimalist approach to fitness, so of course I will be posting on that throughout the 6-weeks, but my powers will be used for more specific goals this go-round. I’m very excited about this change cuz I think it will reflect my creativity a LOT more and help me stay focused J Character Stats Name: Ryan aka Animal Man Age: 25 Height: 6’2 Weight: 185lbs BF%: 7.5 STR: 15 DEX: 15.5 STA: 12.5 CON: 17 WIS: 12.5 CHA: 12.5 GOAL #1: Strength & Power of the Rhinoceros Beetle: The Muscle-Up The rhinoceros beetle is one of the strongest creatures on Earth. It can lift up to 850x their own body weight. For a human, it would be like lifting 65 tons!! I will call upon the strength and power of the rhino beetle to get a muscle-up. Back when I 1st started here at Nerd Fitness, I attempted a muscle-up and pretty much tanked it. This was ALMOST a year ago today when I constructed my 1st challenge thread w/ NF! I didn’t keep up with the progressions and every movement was ugly and sloppy. But then again, that was a fresh, young, new Wolf. This time around, things will be different. I have the progressions down now and I want to get my 1st HIGH QUALITY muscle-up be the end of the 6-weeks. BUT, to really make use of these new found powers of mine…I would like to knock out 3! Yes, 3 Muscle-Ups! (I realized that I was closer to getting 1 muscle-up then I initially thought.) So I wanna challenge myself! Possible Points: +3 STR +2 DEX Goal #2: The durability of a Tardigrade aka “The Water Bearâ€: Recovery is key The tardigrade, or the Water bear, is considered the most durable “creature†on earth. Straight from Wikipedia: Tardigrades are notable for being one of the most complex of all known polyextremophiles. An extremophile is an organism that can thrive in a physically or geochemically extreme condition that would be detrimental to most life on Earth.[3][4] For example, tardigrades can withstand temperatures from just above absolute zero to well above the boiling point of water, pressures about 6 times stronger than pressures found in the deepest ocean trenches, ionizing radiation at doses hundreds of times higher than would kill a person, and the vacuum of outer space. They can go without food or water for more than 10 years, drying out to the point where they are 3% or less water, only to rehydrate, forage, and reproduce. I will call upon the durability of the water bear to maximize recovery and increase the amount of time I spend on mobilization. I have 2 off/recovery days a week and I need to make sure and get the most out of those 48 hours! I MUST mobilze 2x a day on training days and 4x a day on off/recovery days. Possible Points: +2 CON +1 CHA Goal #3: The fasting ability of an Echidna: Intermittent and Micro Fasting The echidna, or spiny anteater, (OR Knuckles from Sonic the Hedgehog, lol) is one of several nocturnal, burrowing, egg-laying mammals. It lives in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. It is toothless and covered with spines. It has a slender snout and an extensible sticky tongue used for catching insects, such as ants and termites. The echidna can abstain from food for a period that may exceed a whole month without it having the least effect on its vitality. Lack of food does not weaken it. The secret behind this may be that the anteater eats greedily, filling its body with extra fat that burdens it. When food decreases due to an increase in their numbers or during their migration, anteater's involuntarily fast. Hence they lose extra weight and restore their activity. Anyone who follows me knows I’m a firm believer in Intermittent fasting…which is basically “not eating for a while.†I like to go from one dinner to the next day’s dinner..and that’s usually from Sunday night to Monday night. So, in this regard, I will call upon the fasting ability of the echidna. The goal is to continue my intermittent fasting ONCE a week and Micro fast (basically skip breakfast) 3x times a week. *When I micro fast, I have an 8 hr window to eat. So my 1st meal would be around noon, and my last meal around 8 PM.* Possible Points: +1 CON +2 WIS Goal #4: The forbearance of a Trapdoor Spider: Patience is a Virtue The trapdoor is difficult to see when it is closed because the plant and soil materials effectively camouflage it. The trapdoor is hinged on one side with silk. The spiders, which are usually nocturnal, typically wait for prey while holding on to the underside of the door with the claws on their tarsi. Prey is captured when insects, other arthropods, or small vertebrates disturb the 'trip' lines the spider lays out around its trapdoor, alerting the spider to a meal within reach. The spider detects the prey by vibrations and, when it comes close enough, leaps out of its burrow to make the capture. This goal will cover 2 specific things: My wolf pups and Softball. I need to be more patient in life and stop expecting everything to run at superspeed. With the pups, I need to realize their young…and their lack of patience should not affect my own. I can’t let them “disturb my trip lineâ€â€¦ I love them TOO MUCH! So I HAVE to do better at letting my own lack of forbearance tarnish the cherished time I have with the pups. In softball, you have to keep your eye on the ball. Once the ball gets close enough, with patience, you can smack the hell outta it! I need more patience in my life and I will call upon the forbearance of a trapdoor spider to complete this goal. I will limit myself to yelling at Race for misbehaving or pooping his pants…and always remain calm with Declan, he’s only a baby. No more than 1-2 mishaps per pup for the next 6-weeks because if I can keep that up, it will become something of a habit going forward. And NO MORE STRIKE OUTS in softball! Possible Points: +1 CHA +1 WIS Along with my 4 goals, I also have the 100-day push-up challenge. I’m on phase 2/day 5 @ 150 a day. Phase 3 marks another 50 added and so on and so forth until phase 5 when I’m up to 300!! I also wanted to add a bonus goal: BONUS GOAL: The “Brisk Walk “endurance of a Lemming In the Arctic tundra, over-population and a scarcity of food sends lemmings on mass migrations at high speeds. Researchers clocked one trek of the petite mammals at almost 10 miles a day. For the weak, the pace of the journey is just too much and they are left behind to die. Brisk walking is AWESOME for you. And if you have the means, walk outside. The best times to brisk walk are right after you wake up in the morning, while your body is still in a fasted state and RIGHT after your workout as a cool down. Pat Flynn recommends brisk walking EVERY day and stands by it 100%. I’ve began to feel the positive effects of it and wanted to add it in as a bonus goal to keep myself accountable, so I will call upon the endurance of the lemming to brisk walk at LEAST an hour a day. Possible Points: +2 STA And there you have it folks. The new and improved Wolf is now the unstoppable Animal Man! The only difference this go round is a name change ladies and gents. I am still the same crazy, funny, positive person as before..but I may be even better this time. A good friend on here once said that “If you are not broken yet, you will NOT be broken at allâ€. This is the unbreakable version of me. I hope you all enjoy! A-Man