Search the Community

Ooooooh man. My first 6 week challenge. I'm like a puppy that is all excited because of the stick and throw the stick and oops I peed myself. All the options in the world of fitness are open to me. I could base jump, rock climb, cross-fit, do earth push-downs, and even... run? Nah, I think I'll just lift heavy things. Main quest: Improve my working set in all four of the powerlifting exercises that I do by 30%. That's right, I want to be lifting one-third more weight than what I'm lifting now. So here's how the numbers break down right now: Deadlift: 315lbs Benchpress: 225lbs Sqwaaaaaaat: 275lbs Overhead press: 145lbs So that means these are the actual weight gainz that I'll have to hit in 6 weeks (These weights are rounded up): Deadlift: 95lbs Benchpress: 68lbs Sqwaaaaaaat: 83lbs OHP: 44 lbs. And that means the grand total is: DL: 407lbs 450lbs BP: 293lbs Sqwaaaaaat: 358lbs 375lbs OHP: 199lbs Obviously, those are weird weights. The goal is to lift at least that much with a margin of error of 5 lbs either direction. I think I learned that in statistics. Or on Bill Nye the Science Guy, which is on Netflix. Side quest: Run at least twice a week. I don't care if it's around the block or sprints or for ten miles, I will run at least twice a week. Even though I'm an American and let's face it, these colors don't run. Gross, cardio. Life quest: As I'm not going to school, it's weird not having a thing to do in the afternoon. I used to have a vlog on YouTube. I think... I think I'm going to start back up. I'm funny. And handsome. And loquacious. And humble. All the good things, really. Methodology: I'm going to keep doing what I do. I meal prep already, I eat plenty of calories and I lift heavy 4 times a week. I'll have to add another light lifting day to keep myself filled with precious blood, and I'll need to be better on the weekends. Even though pizza is my spirit animal. It's just going to be a grind all the way up, no big jumps, no rushing. I don't want to come up lame and then the farmer comes and shoots me and makes me into glue. That would harsh my mellow. Motivation: Sick gainz. Seriously, I've never been really in shape. Even during my military career, I was focused more on being a good medic than physical fitness. While I passed everything, I never excelled physically. I want to change that before I exit out of this wacky place. I want to be able to bench press people. I also want my darling, beautiful baby girl to look at Dad and see him as strong, not flubby. I might also have a wedding to go to that will be filled with friends that haven't seen me in a few years. That might have something to do with it. Maybe. Nah. Grades: Main quest: 30%- A+ 25-29%- A 20-24%- B 15-19%- C 10-14%- D >10%- F Side quest: Pass/Fail Life quest: Seeing me? Everyone wins. Let's get silly.

Good morning I've been doing bodyweight for 4 months with great result, it has helped me break my 22% bodyfat plateau and now I'm battling with 19%, I keep making adjustments to diet and i still making progress although is getting harder but still moving forward. last week a gym open a block from my house at a very low price and I've been thinking about doing some barbell workout and keep doing bodyweight I like bodyweight very much, what I think is the following, please tell me what you think. Monday, wednesday and friday - GYM focus on squats and deadlifts tuesday, thursday and saturday - BODYWEIGHT focus on pushups, dips and pullups I'm concerned about resting and recovery do you think it is ok? Thanks

Good morning guys, noob here I've been doing bodyweight training for almost 4 months with good results, it has helped me break my 22% body fat plateau, now I'm battling against the 19%, I've been adjusting my diet give and take here and there and still making progress. last week a gym opened a block from my house with a very cheap rate. I've been thinking in joining and start doing some barbell training but I still want to continue with the bodyweight and this is what I've been thinking: GYM 3 days a week, mostly focus on squats and dead lifts BODYWEIGHT 2 or 3 days a week, mostly focus on push ups, dips and pull ups monday - gym tuesday - bodyweight wednesday - gym thursday - bodyweight friday - gyn saturday - bodyweight sunday - rest What do you think about this? do you think I will have enough rest? Thanks

I'm an 18-year-old girl who is 4'11 and 90lbs. I just got a membership at my local YMCA and am interested in building strength through a beginner's program (i.e., Starting Strength). However, since I am not yet strong enough to do barbell work, I have been using dumbbells to work out, and I'm finding it difficult to make progress within some of the exercises I'm doing. Currently, I alternate between these two workouts: Workout A: 3x5 Goblet Squat (35lbs) 3x5 Dumbbell "Bench Press" (15lbs each arm) 1x5 Single-Dumbbell Deadlift (45lbs) Workout B 3x5 Goblet Squat (35 lbs) 3x5 Dumbbell Overhead Press (12lbs each arm) 2x5 (each side) Dumbbell Rows (12lbs each arm) I have been making progress in the deadlift (30lbs to 45lbs in 2 weeks, although I started light), but, for the most part, I find the 5-10lb jump in progression to be too heavy. Let me know what you guys think. Any advice or feedback is appreciated.

Hey Folks, my first post other than my introduction here on the forums, and I just wanted to share my experience of the past 2 days. So I’ve been exercising for the past 7 months or so, lots of different exercises but me and my buddy, we never did anything Squat related at the gym. When we just started going to the gym I would do squats at home, but just body weight, no additional weights or anything. So last Tuesday I was at the gym a bit earlier than my bud, I did my warming up, and then went to my favorite machine, the Leg Press and did 4 reps up to 150kg, when my buddy was ready to do our regular routine, among the exercises we did leg extension up to 55kg, leg curl up to 50kg, calve press up to 100kg, and we did another 6-7 exercises to finish our Tuesday routine. Then at the end we noticed the Barbell Squats “machine†Smith Machine was free, and since we never tried it, I suggested that we would give that a go, I went first, and it was only the barbell which weighs at least 5kg by itself, and I went for a full squat (which I can do easily with just my body weight), but just with the bar it felt it was a hard exercise to do. After 2 reps (12 then 10) we added 5kg on both sides which today I realize was a mistake.. and we did another 8 and 6 reps. Afterwards my legs felt like they were glowing, and I joked to my friend that it was a mistake to first do the regular leg exercises and then finish with this squatting. So we said our goodbyes, I went home, showered and went to bed. Next day I was laughing, the muscle ache was old school (like you feel when you just start out in the gym) but taking my foldup bike down the stars (2 floors) riding it to the train station (10 minutes) walking down the stairs holding the bike, then in Amsterdam where I work walk up the stairs holding the bike and riding it to my work (10 minutes) was no problem, same on the way back. But today.. my god today.. Crouching especially is torture for my legs, going down the stairs holding my bike I felt like as if I was 95 J walking up the stairs was a new kind of hell.. But I love It. It feels good to have this ache again and I cant wait till the next time we do the Barbell Squats. But first.. tonight is cardio night, normally that means 30 min running, 20 min bike, 15 min Elliptical machine, and 10 minutes rowing, and here I am curious if I’ll make it up the stairs to the 3rd floor where the gym is located. I already read that when you have this much muscle ache its better to skip a day or take it easy and see where your limits are, so that is my plan for this evening, see how far I can take cardio day without it being painful or destroying my legs, so wish me luck, Kind regards, m0j0

{ M O G I S H A D E ' S B A T T L E L O G } Welcome to my "battle log", a digital fitness and life goal notebook. I have an epic quest thread and multiple challenge threads, but here is where the minutiae of the day-today struggle will be recorded. Epic Quest - MogiShae's Five Year plan and his Impossible List Challenge 01 - Escape from the Underdark! Challenge 02 - Discovering the Path Challenge 03 - Man on Fire (Yeti on Fire?) Challenge 04 - LIFT. RUN. EAT. (failed/abandoned) Challenge 04.1 - The Dead City of Aku'Mah (current) Web Resources adventure Alastair Humphreys Adventurous Habits - The Science of Stoked minimalism Clutter Busting with Brooks Palmer diet & nutrition physical fitness LIFT-RUN-BANG Jim Wendler "The Iron" by Henry Rollins Start Bodyweight finance miscellaneous 50 Ways to get a Job Jack Donovan Chris McCombs J.D. Moyer Grammarist the jsomers.net blog The Art of Non-Conformity

Hey all. I've been running a modified 5x5 program for a while but my gym just updated some of their equipment so I've been trying some new things out and want a little advice on my program. Here's what I'm doing currently: Warm-up x2: Mountain Climbers x25 Jumping Jacks x25 Burpees x10 Air Squats X10 Half-Crunch on a ball x10 'A' day: Squats - 5x5 Bench - 5x5 Bent-over Row - 5x5 'B' day: Squats - 5x5 Press - 5x5 Deadlift - 1x5 Accessory: Kettlebell Swing - 5x10 Medicine Ball Slam - 5x10 Planks Yoga - 10 minutes to stretch at the end of my workout. I also walk about 2 miles every day, minimum, as the gym is a mile away. My only issues with this program have been stalling out on my Press. Before I took a few months off from the gym I had been stuck at 90-95 lb on my Press for nearly 3 months. I need to focus more on my Press I feel. Thoughts?

A couple years ago I was biking with my kids... it was our FIRST long ride (about 50 miles)... we were on our way back to the car but still about 10 miles from the car... we were tired.... we were hot... Zombie (my youngest he was about 10 then??) got VERY frustrated and threw down his bike... he wanted us to go get the car and come back for him (wasn't an option because we were miles from the nearest access point)... I told him whenever I get frustrated I think of my favorite verse and my favorite childhood book and he was like HUH? and I said... I can do all things (through Christ who strengthens me) and the little engine that could... I just say over and over I can do all things I can do all things I can do all things... like the little engine and he was like... ok mom and started riding... then like 1/2 mile later he started to slow down... so I asked him "what does ALL mean"... and he was like HUH?!... does all mean some? does all mean just a few? does all mean only the easy things?... and he was like DUH mom all means ALL and he kept riding.... about 1/2 mile more he started slowing down... and I was like... hey chris is this one of those things? he says no mom and I am thinking that he totally missed the point... and then he says... mom we already done 32 miles and we only got 8 more till we get to the car... this isn't a thing... this is HALF a thing... and we made it to the car with no more arguments so now when we got hard stuffs.... we tell each other... this isn't a thing... and we kinda know what it means so this challenge.... It isn't a thing... it's half a thing here's a little backstory here's a little motivation here's a couple (or three) goals gym 2xweek run/walk Ezra daily (I don't have any pics of ME running... so you get my constant companion/running partner) don't die/cross the finish line at the spartan Shakespeare and I will be flying to Boston on le 14th of november to race ... we will be meeting with a bunch of other nerds... nerdsgiving is going to happen... we are flying back on that sunday... TL:DR - here's the goalsgym 2xweekrun/walk Ezra dailydon't die/cross the finish line at the spartan ------------------------------------------------disclaimers: you might notice I don't do stat points... I decided long ago that they are detrimental to my mental health... although I do say grading will be based on effort and not achievement – achievement will come with sufficient effort also... if you've been around here a while you know that I do a LOT of hiking... because of my health issues I HAVE to draw a fine line on how much I do... I reserve the right to substitute a hike for a run/gym day

So, last challenge, I got started late because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do and went on vacation with my parents for a week and then didn't finish because of a short period of no internet and the fitness room at my new university not having barbell plates for a week and then stressing out about stupid assignments, so I'm trying this again. Main Quest (nerdy phrasing): Achieve my next form (the first one where people can comment on how much more in shape I am so that I can reply "This isn't even my final form.") Getting Focused Part 2 again Objective 1: Stick to my diet, and try to get 220g of protein a dayObjective 2: Continue lifting 3 times per week (SL 5x5)Objective 3: Get an average of 7 hours or more of sleep each nightLife Side Quest: Work on time management I'm hoping this helps me not get as stressed out and helps me do well in my classes while still having time to relax and do other things. I'm thinking pomodoro might work well for this purpose. My obstacle with it is that most things I would want to do take more than 5 minutes (30 minutes can seem quite short as well), so it can feel like just more wasted time instead of a break, so I need to work on how to make the 5 minutes seem worthwhile and refreshing.

LIFT. RUN. EAT. No creative intro or theme this time. Just a basic plan. Goal: Reduce BF to 20% Quest One: Strength Barbell Workout 2/week – Awards 2xp per workout Calisthenics Workout 3/week – Awards 1xp per workout Grading: A=38+, B=34+, C=30+, D=26+, E (fail)=<26 Quest reward: Strength* Quest Two: Conditioning Sprints 2/week – Awards 1xp per workout Grading: A=11+, B=10, C=9, D=8, E (fail)=<8 Quest reward: Stamina* Quest Three: Diet Eat less than calculated TDEE – Awards 1xp per day Eat less than TDEE -15% – Awards an additional 1xp per day Grading: A=137+, B=122, C=107, D=92, E (fail)=<92 Quest reward: Constitution*, and an epic cheat meal at the end of the challenge. Maybe. *A = +4, B = +3, C = +2, D = +1, E (fail) = +0 Side Quest: Food Write, cook, and share (on NF) a new low-cal healthy recipe each week. Quest reward: Constitution +1 Life Quest: Introspection and Purpose Write a personal manifesto Quest reward: Wisdom +2 ------------------------------------------- Workout Schedule Sunday: Rest Monday: Calisthenics (squats, leg raises, push-ups) Tuesday: Workout B (deadlift, OHP, back, shoulders, arms) Wednesday: Rest Thursday: Calisthenics (bridges, pikes) Friday: Calisthenics (squats, leg raises) Caturday: Workout A (bench, chest, arms) GTG: Chin-ups (1 - 3 reps sporadically throughout the day, everyday) Barbell Program Workout A: Bench 5/3/1, Chin-ups (5 sets), Push-ups (5 sets), Rows (3 sets), Dips (3 sets), Bicep Curls (2 sets), Plank (1 set) Workout B: Deadlift 5/3/1, OHP 5/3/1, Bridges (5 sets), Pull-ups (5 sets), Pike Push-ups (3 sets), Lunges (3 sets), Bicep Curls (2 sets), Plank (1 set) ------------------------------------------- Weight & Diet (Starting) Weigh-In (Sept 9th): 241.6lbs BF%: Est. 25% (will attempt a more precise measurement on Monday) I measured my BF% using skin fold calipers and came up with 23%. Calipers are often lower than actual body fat, so I think my estimate (from looking at body pics) was fairly accurate. Calculated Macros BMR: 2145 TDEE: 2949 (I selected "Exercise 3/week". I exercise way more than that but I have a desk job.) Target (TDEE -15%): 2507 Protein Target: 250g/day ------------------------------------------- Challenge Resources IIFYM Calculator More to follow.

I'm horrible and am just now making a post. For a while, I wasn't sure what my goals should be this challenge. I knew generally what I wanted to do, and have been working to keep up with it anyway but wasn't sure specifically. This week, I just got back from a vacation with my parents. The hotels that we stayed at had gyms, but neither of them had barbells, and one only had dumbbells up to, I believe, 45 lbs. This made me realize how much I love lifting with barbells, especially squats and deadlifts. There's something about the feeling of how a bar fits to one's back while squatting that I love especially, and I really missed that while I was away from my normal gym (though I did impress a random kid when I was doing deadlifts with the heaviest dumbbells, which were 75 lbs each at that hotel, which was kind of cool). Anyway, on to the challenge stuff. Main Quest (nerdy phrasing): Achieve my next form (the first one where people can comment on how much more in shape I am so that I can reply "This isn't even my final form.") Getting Focused Part 2: Adjusting Focus Objective 1: Continue sticking to my diet.Objective 2: Continue lifting 3 times per week (SL 5x5), but also work in more warm up. So far, I've only been in the starting segment of SL working up from the bar from scratch focusing on getting the technique down, so I have been a little lazy on warm up lifts, but OH Press is becoming exertive, so I have been thinking I should probably go ahead and get in good habits before the other lifts do too.Objective 3: Auxiliary work. This one is 2 parted.Objective 3.1: Biking 30 minutes 3 times per week to work on asthma. In my previous challenge, I put more focus on this goal and was more ambitious with it, but I wasn't really getting the results I wanted and was spending a ton of time at the gym, so, for this challenge, I'm going to take a step back and try to more closely replicate the progression before my first attempt at C25k.Objective 3.2: Do more work on flexibility. I have been doing some stretching before and after lifting and biking, but I should probably do more. I am naturally quite flexible, but it seems to be dipping down toward average flexibility. My plan is to continue stretching before working out, but, then stretch extensively after working out. I have thought yoga might be good too, but I would need to take the time to learn it too. Life Side Quest: Work on time management I'm transferring to a new school which is brand new, and classes start 8/25. I need to be really diligent about my studies while still finding time to go to the gym and hopefully being able to still find time to relax (I am prone to procrastination, especially when stressed). There are also leisure things which I would like to do that I normally don't because they feel time consuming such as reading. I'm thinking pomodoro might work well for that purpose. I have used it a little for reading so far this challenge period, and it worked pretty well, so I'm going to try applying it to other things. My obstacle with it is that most things I would want to do take more than 5 minutes (30 minutes can seem quite short as well), so it can feel like just more wasted time instead of a break, so I need to work on how to make the 5 minutes seem worthwhile and refreshing. Since I have known generally what I wanted to do for this challenge, I'm going to grade myself retroactively in a bit in another post (this post took around 5 pomodori x.x; ).

Just shooting straight with myself and anyone who cares to follow. I'm starting late, but I'm starting. I'm angry and upset, not at a certain friend who busted my chops, not even at the calling to the carpet that was mostly on the mark, but at the fact that it's true and I've let it get to this point. I've been doing "enough" for a challenge to get a challenge done and pass, but I haven't been challenging myself since a couple of failures back for one reason or another. I can talk a good talk, but if I don't really stick with what I'm saying, what's the point? Yes, we're not perfect this side of Heaven, but I need to get back to progress that maintains itself. This isn't easy and I shouldn't try and game the system, nor should I be hard on myself for failing, that's part of progress. I'll post goals and clean them up before the day is over.

Is it considered proper gym etiquette to leave a 45# plate on each side of a barbell when you're done using it? I find that most of the time I go into my gym, the barbells at all the benches/squat racks/etc are left with a 45# on each side. Personally, I am definitely not at the point where I want to start my sets with that much weight, so I'm left to re-rack them before I can get started. Not a huge deal, maybe, but it's annoying feeling like I have to clean up after someone else before I can even warm up.

Should I be embarassed that I use straps? My grip isn't up to where it should be yet, and I was born with hairy little baby hands. My grip strength just can't keep up with the rest of me. I'm working on my grip, using towels and hanging from the chin up bar and stuff. I don't like that I have to use them like a crutch, but if I know I can go heavier on a move I don't want to miss out on it just because of my lagging grip.

Hi all! I'm relatively new to weight training in the gym and I've got what are probably some of the most basic questions in the world! I'm hoping someone can help! Currently I weigh about 55kg (120lbs). I'm currently doing bench presses and squats with a barbell and I can currently do the following (sorry, here in the UK we work in kg but I've converted to lbs as best I can!): Bench Press - 45kg (Approx 100lbs)Squat - 65kg (Approx 140lbs)My main issue is although I can do these weights my form tends to suffer a little bit and I really don't want to do any damage to myself or end up with poor form. Is it best to drop the weight right down and really focus on getting my form right? Also, just from experience (I've only been doing this around 3 weeks) am I lifting too much weight to begin with? Thanks guys, I'm sorry it's so obscure and it's probably really stupid, simple answers that I should know but I had to ask! Ant

Hello guys. This is my first post on this forum but i have been reading NF for a while now! First of all. AWESOME site and community. You guys changed my life... A little about me I'm following the paleo diet for over 3 months now and i'm doing strength training for over 3 months too, but in the last month i added bodyweight workouts to my weekly routine. So this makes 3x weights exercises and 3x bodyweight exercises per week. The weight exercises are for burning fat and they're a full body routine. I already lost around 8kg. Went from 17% body fat to around 11% which is great for me. I'm not looking at gaining much mass, but i want that lean look. My main focus though is control of my body and being generally strong. If i had to choose how i would want to look i'd choose frank medrano I really like how he controls his whole body without a problem. He's the perfect example of how i want to be able to control my body. I know i have to add many calisthenics exercises to my routine but i can't right now. So i made a push/pull routine which i think is great, but i still want to hear some feedback. I looked around on the internetz for a good split routine which uses bodyweight and weight exercises and then i made this routine http://shrani.si/f/3x/J2/2pC0DnW1/1/zaslonska-slika-2014-02-.png Thanks in advance!

Hi guys! Like a lot of people, I've gone back and forth between periods of "exercising" and "not-so-much" over the years. I first developed a love for working out in high school, when I decided I was finally ready to shed all that weight I put on during puberty. I am not a runner. I never have been, and I doubt I ever will be. My body responds best to building muscles, and since figuring that out, that's what I tend to stick with. I dropped 30 lbs in about a year and felt great. I never put on the so-called Freshman Fifteen, but I have gained a bit back over the years (although I feel like I wear it better now). Back in December I got home from trip to India during which time I had, perhaps surprisingly, put on a little weight. I decided it was time to get rid of it and get strong, even stronger than I used to be! After geeking around on the interwebz I found NF and by the time I'd finished reading the first article, was hooked. Where I am right now: I've picked weight training back up and am more into it than ever. I played around with a variety of workouts since returning home in early December and have settled on NF's Barbell Battalion as my weapon of choice. I love being "the girl doing deadlifts" and my current goal is to also become "the girl doing pull-ups." Call me an attention whore if you must. I can tell I've gotten stronger already, just in the last month or so. Right now the scale tells me I'm within 5 lbs of my all-time heaviest, except this time it's more muscle than fat. My jeans are about a size 7 instead of the 13 I wore late in middle school, even though my weight is almost the same. Woot! Sheer laziness has kept me from posting here until now, but I'm hoping to be a little more vocal now that I'm nice and motivated, and feeling social. Here's to group adventuring!

For the most part I'm loving the NF Guides. However, I've got a question on the Barbell Battalion one: Rank one uses 2 exercises per workout, each exercise having 5 sets of 5 reps. Does this mean I go, warm up, then do a set of 5 push presses, rest, another set of push presses, rest, etc until completing the 5 sets, and then start my sets of squats? Or do I do a set of push presses, rest, a set of squats, rest, a set of push presses, a set of squats, etc until I've done 5 of each? Does it matter?

Name: Hammlin “Hammi” Race: Wood Elf Class: Footpath Ranger Attributes: Strength (STR): 22.5 Dexterity (DEX): 21.75 Stamina (STA): 23 Constitution (CON): 22 Wisdom (WIS): 24.5 Charisma (CHA): 19.75 Level 12 Motivation: My motivation this round is to get my body composition healthy to conceive and also to keep my progress towards a damn pull up. Hammi’s Main Quest: Changing the Expectations (Nov 11 – Dec 22) Missions: 1. Lift. I am starting week 3 of Barbell Battalion in Nerd Fitness Academy. 3 workouts a week, and I will be doing 2 rounds of level one. Progress tracked on MFP 17-18 days = A 15-16 days = B 13-14 days = C 11-12 days = D 0-10 days = F Reward: (+2 DEX +2 STR) 2. Sugar. It is time to tame my sugar dragon (Zukerwad) once and for all. When I track my food, days under 50g will be full points for the day, 51-75= half a point, 76-100 a quarter point. Over 100g for the day disqualifies. 36-42 points = A 29-35 points = B 22-28 points = C 15-21 points = D 0-14 points = F Reward: (+3 CHA +1 WIS) 3. Walk. With the weather getting colder, it’s getting harder to find 15 minutes a day where I *feel* like getting out for a walk. My goal is 15 minutes a day. 36-42 walks = A 29-35 walks = B 22-28 walks = C 15-21 walks = D 0-14 walks = F Reward: (+2 DEX, +1 CON) Life Quest: 4. Write. Working on my NaNoWriMo, a novel loosely based on my life and the trials I’ve walked through with anxiety, abuse, divorce and love. 50k words by the end of November, and editing done by December 22nd. If I get the courage and a super sweet pen name I will maybe get it to a professional % Done of the 50k words will be grade. Reward: (+1 CON, +3 STR) TRACKING My Story (challenge history): 1. Wandering across the mountain ranges of the west, I came upon another wood elf, who was running through the tree lined forest. I tried to keep up, because I knew he was waiting for me, but nothing I did would keep me at pace with him. Eventually I slowed, to catch my breath and I lost him. Dejected and worn out, I decided to dedicate my life to keeping up with this other elf... 2. Sneaking through the woods I can feel my senses getting sharper and I begin to wonder if the elf that I'm following, is actually following me... 3. Catching my breath I slow my run as I approach a clearing. Did I get lost? I don't know where I am and the elf I had been following has picked up the pace. My mind... it's jumbled up... my thoughts are foggy... I need to focus. I'll stay here for a while, find my center, and then continue on... 4. After pausing in the clearing to refocus, I see what looks like a beaten down path off to my right. Have I been here before? Walking up to the path, it looks familiar, but overgrown. I take out my sword and slowly start hacking away the brush that seems to have grown in over the years. Yes. THIS is my path. 5. Following the path for what seems like a lifetime I suddenly find myself at the tree lined edge of a beautiful meadow. The sun in the sky that is glaring down on me makes me realize something glorious- I have made it through the woods! Over the hill I see the elf that I have been tracking this whole time. He is napping… This is my chance!!! 6. Running up to the elf that I have been following for what seems like forever, I find myself out of breath. As I slow down and approach him, I see him slow down and turn to me. I don't know if he knows that I have been following him, but I can tell by the look in his eye that he's ok with this. As we start to wander the forest together we notice that things aren't quite as bright and cheery as they were months ago... something is wrong... 7. As we continue to approach the edge of the forest we can feel something bearing down on us. Picking up the pace we stay laser focused on getting out of here. The night has grown darker and the forest is eerily quiet. The wood elf and I look at each other and begin to run. I can tell that the time where we have to battle is near and we really need to stay focused... 8. Standing on the front line, victorious, I wonder "Now what?" I ponder with wise words of a foreigner who taught my people to stay motivated when they feel like they have arrived. The skills I have learned in the past keep me pushing forward. I move confidently north, to find new lands. And that other pesky elf can come with me… 9. On the north side of the valley I see something far away that I can’t take my eyes off of. It almost looks like the mountain side is glistening and the sun is dancing with the peaks. I fall into a trance, staring off into the distance, as if I'm under a spell. A few minutes later I am able to snap out of it, but the lingering desire to see who, or what, had a hold on me begins to push me forward. Is some powerful mage up in the hills, drawing people to him? Or is someone sending out a distress signal, begging for help. All I know is the allure of finding out what is in those hills is forcing me onward. We have mountains like these back home, but I am far from that place, and out of practice. It will take some time to traverse these mighty giants, but I have no choice but to start… 10. From the top of the mountain I can see everything. I have a level of clarity that I've not experienced before and it makes me take notice to my surroundings. I have an epiphany and realize that I need to race home to my family. They have no idea what’s in store! As quickly as I can I need to make my way back down the hill and back to my village… Part of the way down the hill I trip. When I catch myself I see that the sign in front of me has directions. I’m tired of being a follower in my own life. I need to go my own way. I turn on my heels and walk south. 11. Down in the city to the south I find myself in the camp and company of strangers. Although I’m not entirely sure that I can trust them, they seem safe enough. Maybe, I’ll hang back and just observe them and mind their ways. Something inside of me says that these people have information that may be valuable to me and my quest, and I am determined to get my hands on it. Knowledge is oddly alluring and very appealing to my senses… 12. As I spend weeks on end with these people, I start to sense a power coming over me. I am being changed from the inside out- is it sorcery? Magic? Am I evolving? All I know is that I need to stay the course. Over time, my memories start to fade. The days of running through the wilderness with the other elves feel miles away- as if they occurred a lifetime ago. Only the here and now makes sense. I have my plan.

First off, a GIANT Thank you to everyone who supported me through my first challenge and hi again to everyone who followed me over here. You guys are the best and you made last challenge so much easier! Also, HI to anyone who is coming to visit for the first time. Main life quest: To turn myself into a better person on all fronts: Stronger, healthier, smarter, nicer, and at a better place in life. Goal 1: Avoid the unknown edibles a la Mrs. Lovett! My biggest vice is pop, but do I really know what I’m taking in when I drink that stuff? Nope, not a clue, but probably it isn’t good for me. Same with junk food, although that isn’t the focus this time around. Ever seen Sweeny Todd? If you think about it, drinking a can of pop is kind of like going to Mrs. Lovett’s for a meat pie, you haven’t a clue what is in it, you probably don’t want to know what is in it, and you don’t really want to be putting it in your body. So for this challenge I have 2 parts 1: drinking fewer than 21 pops in the challenge (that is one every other day and is more than I want but I also don’t want to set myself up for failure) and I give myself 1 CON and 1 CHA point for that. The second part of this is 2 weeks straight of no pop at all! Presumably the last two weeks of the challenge but if I can nail this one down earlier I will! Also 1 CON and 1 CHA point. Total 2 CON and 2 CHA points. Goal 2: Lift all the heavy things like Jean Val Jean! I love to lift but things are a little crazy right now with all the house repairs and moving scheduled. Lifting therefore can be any of the heavy things like boxes, furniture, floor tiles, barbells, or whatever else I can wrap my arms around and move. Could Les Mis have really been a story worth singing about if Jean Val Jean had been a scrawny weakling? Nope! So I will lift all the heavy things too! 2 times of lifting the heavy things a week for a total of 2 STR points. I had wanted to make this a pull-up challenge but with the move I decided to broaden it. Still, I want to work on my pull-up so I also want to get in 2 times of pull-up work a week or until I get 1 pull-up for 2 more STR points. Total 4 STR points. Goal 3: Go the Distance with C25K! Hercules went from Zero to Hero just like that, and I’m not Hercules but I’ve got to get going on this running thing. I’ll be taking the police exam in December and running is part of the test and I’m terrible at it. I’m starting week 4 of C25K now, my goal is to finish C25K during this challenge and run the distance just like Herc! It has been slow going because I am terrible at running but being bad at it isn’t an option anymore. 2 DEX and 2 STA points for this. (Thanks to Batwoman for the idea for using Hercules Go the Distance for this goal.) Goal 4: Defy Gravity and work on savings and debt. Student loan debt is holding me down. Me and most other kids in my generation, it is true, but I’m determined not to let it hold me down anymore! Last challenge I made the move to not transfer any money out of savings. I am going to continue that this challenge (with the exception of money for a plane ticket for a wedding, maybe a new dress for the wedding, and maybe emergencies but that is what savings is for) and expand that to include not using my credit card at all. 2 WIS points for this. The big goal is to get a smashing dress for the wedding without having to transfer monies from savings or bust out the cc. If I can manage that then I get 1 WIS point. Total 3 WIS points Beginning measurements and maybe photos coming soon (Don't let me forget)

(I have a feeling this will be revised a lot until the challenge starts) So, I'm back to Rangers. I spent one challenge at Warriors and I sort of missed you guys here. Briefly about me: I'm Laura, I'll turn 23 during this challenge. I'm a student in university, I also work two jobs, I'm an active member of 4 societies and I'm a president of a university's Book Club wooot. Being this busy was a bit of an issue throughout all of my challenges but I'm not complaining. I'm 5'8'', I'll weight myself tomorrow. I began my transition towards Paleo in summer, now I eat 99% Paleo diet (with an occasional beverage thrown in... I'm a student duh). When we start this challange, I'll already be in my third week of a 30-day Paleo Challenge. Yay! (let's not count some alcoholic beverages. There were only a few, I promise. Food is 100% Paleo). So yeah, I'm currently very into baking Paleo desserts which is probably not helping me lose weight but whatever. I started lifting in August. My stats are something like OHP: 32,5kg, DL: 92,5kg, Squats 63kg. I want to improve my squats and deadlifts this challenge but I'm not sure how often I'll be able to lift. So yeah. Main Goal: Keep Getting Fitter! I'm quite strong and fit but I still don't look like it. I need to continue doing what I'm doing. I want to look fit, goddamnit! Side quests to achieve my main goal: 1. Strength training 4 times per week. I'm meshing kettlebells and the barbell into one quest as I have no idea if I'll have time to go to the gym to lift. I have a pretty awesome 16kg kettlebell at home so I'm able to do a lot with it. There are always bodyweight exercises too. 2. Paleo 95% at least. This is not too hard as I'm already sort of there. Continue eating Paleo. Exceptions for which I won't blame myself: socials with some (smart) amount of alcohol and if some boy is cooking me dinner. Also, it's Christmas holiday time so I guess I'll have to do some non-Paleo eating with friends/family but I won't enjoy it as much as last year! Yuck, sugar. EDIT: I'm making this more difficult by banning all the sugary Paleo things as baked goods, honey and dried fruit. 3. Move it, move it. I cycle about 1 hour per day but apart from that I spent most of my days in front of the laptop. So: work standing if possible or take a break every 30mins and have a stroll around every time I work/play/do shit with my laptop. I feel like this will be the most challenging thing since I'm a very big fan of laying down whenever I can. Life goal: Write all 3 essays BUT don't forget to socialise. As the title says, I want to focus on tiny beautiful things in my life (there's also an INCREDIBLE book by the same name) and don't get too tangled into small problems. Side life things: I want to write all my coursework before Christmas so I feel okay during the holidays. I'm a founder and a president of the Book Club in my university and this involves certain responsibilities. I also accidentally made quite a few new friends this year and I really should try to be a better friend. I need to stop being a bitch to my old friends too. So, enough about me. Go nerds go! EDIT: My progress, as measured by my belts: <-old belt (size M/L) ->new belt (size M yay). Hope I'll see the progress on this one too!

Hi all! Can't believe it's a new challenge already. Just came back from my holidays and now trying to get back into my routine. Difficult, it is. I'm already late for this challenge so no theme this time. Although I'm still slaying the White Walkers in my head. Before: This is my third NF challenge and I'm switching to the Warriors guild as strength training is all I can think about. Last time I was with Rangers and completely ignored my endurance goal so thought I might actually belong here I started kettlebells in June and barbell training in August. By the end of the last challenge I deadlifted my bodyweight and was pretty proud. Hoping to increase the weight this time. I'm now back at uni so this will definitely make everything harder so I'm keeping it simple this time. Also, as I said, I'm back from holidays which means I didn't do much strength training for the past two weeks and I need to get back on track. Main Quest: Get stronger, obviously I want to increase my weights in deadlift, squat and press. How: 1. Barbell training twice a week. I won't manage to do more with my work, studies and life. Also, my gym gets too crowded sometimes. My stats: deadlift 90kg (although I'll start with 80kg now), BP 35kg, OHP 32kg, squat 52,5kg. I'm not sure how much progress I'll be able to make (any suggestions to what healthy goals to set?) as I'm still a big n00b. 2. Kettlebells twice a week. I just love the class, I'm not leaving it. I now use a 16kg kettlebell, I want to use a 18kg one by the end of this challenge. 3. Paleo. I'm on and off with Paleo since June but I always fall back to my stupid habits. I'd like to eat Paleo 6 days a week. Maybe being broke student will help a bit. Fitness side goal: I know it's stupid but I still can't comfortably do a press up. So I'd like to learn that finally. Life side goal: Be social. I love being alone but it doesn't really help to level up my life. I want to join a few societies in uni, try to get a volunteering place in my department and just be more social in general. I'm not going to repeat my mistake in setting up too many goals so I'm keeping this simple too. I'll just be happy if I make a few more friends by the end of this. Side notes: First week will be a little different as it's the Freshers Week at uni and all the smart people keep out of gym during the Freshers Week. I'm studying full-time, working two jobs and trying to get fit at the same time. It gets hard sometimes so bear with me. Also, anyone in similar situation? Would be nice to see I'm not alone with crazy schedule I have so many tiny little goals but I feel like I'm already taking up too much (as my year at uni will be reeeeally busy). Anyway, here they are, it's entirely for myself so I could remember: re-learn how to cross stitch and crochet, paint something, sign up for Russian language courses, clean my flat, plan my 2014 summer.

http://instagram.com/p/fErQnUIT9o/# Gymbro got pics, wish he'd gotten a shot of me at the bottom of the squat, but he assured me it was below parallel. !!!!!!!!!!!!!! I weighed in at 155lbs. tonight, major PR for me tonight, physically wiped but that much closer to a 2x bodyweight squat for reps. YYYEAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

Previously I've been focused on Strength, Skill and Endurance but after 5 challenges like that, it's time for a change! So back to this challenge... I love CrossFit. I live and breathe it on a daily basis and it's the highlight of my day. I noticed recently that I am struggling with body weight movements and running because I am so heavy. I guess that's what happens when you're a 6 foot tall Wookiee Ranger! So I've decided to get rid of the extra fat that I'm carting around so that I can increase my efficiency during workouts and in life. My goal is to get to 17-20% bodyfat. I have about 8-11% to go. I don't need words to motivate me at home, so I won't be writing out anything. My motivation is knowing that I'm essentially carrying around a 10kg medicine ball on every single run and workout that I do. My Quest To become a (lighter) CrossFit BEAST! aka a strong, supremely fit CrossFitter who excels in lifting, bodyweight movements and endurance. Starting Stats Age: 30 Height: 183cm (6'0) Weight: TBA (currently 84.4kg) BF: 28% (DEXA) Current Skills: Push-ups: 15 strict Pull-up: 1 kipping pull-up; 2 strict (lightest band) Pistol squat: purple band T2B: 1 Double unders: 42 unbroken 1000m row: 3:47 500m row: 1:41 Wall Handstand: 2:00 Deadlift: 102.5kg (226lbs) Back squat: 77kg (170lbs) Front squat: 65kg (143lbs) Overhead squat: 37kg (81.5lbs) Power clean: 58.5kg (129lbs) Clean: 61kg (134lbs) Power snatch: 40kg (88lbs) Snatch: 42kg (93lbs) Strict press: 40kg (88lbs) Push press: 50kg (110lbs) Push jerk: 52kg (115lbs) Jerk: 60kg (132lbs) Thruster: 45kg (99lbs) Bench press: 45kg (99lbs) KB swing: 24kg (53lbs) KB snatch: 20kg (44lbs) Main Goals 1. Develop Strength Under the Bar (STR 3 | STA 0.5) a) Hatch squat program (back squats & front squats 2 sessions/week) b ) Oly lifting sessions (minimum 2 sessions/week) End of challenge goals: i) Snatch >= 45kg (+3kg) ii) C&J >= 65kg (+5kg) iii) Bench press >= 50kg (+5kg) 2. Improve bodyweight movements (STR 2 | STA 1 | DEX 0.5) a) Extra skills/strength sessions weekly focusing on the below movements (minimum 4 extra sessions per week) End of challenge goals: i) Handstand push-up (Goal: 5kg plate + ab mat) ii) Strict pull-up (Goal: unassisted) iii) Pistol squat (Goal: orange band assisted) iv) Flexed arm hang (Goal: >30 seconds) v) Double unders (Goal: >50) 3. Get rid of the dead weight! (CON 2 | CHA 1) a) Reduced calorie intake (aiming 1500 cal/day) b ) Log all food daily c) Paleo + occasional dairy (once per day max) d) Alcohol once maximum during challenge e) Fish minimum once per week f) Repeat DEXA scan once at 78kg (not necessarily in this challenge) End of challenge goal: i) Weight <80kg Side Quest (STR 1 | STA 1) Compete in first CrossFit competition Life Quests 1. Back to the books! (WIS 1 | CHA 1) I don't find time to read as much as I would like, so I am going to set myself a little challenge of reading every day. It doesn't have to be much, even just one chapter! a) Read one chapter of Game of Thrones book 1 per day b ) Read one chapter of my Sports Medicine text book per week. Make notes. Revise relevant anatomy as appropriate. End of challenge goals: i) 36 chapters read of GOT ii) 6 chapters read of Sports Medicine textbook 2. Level Up the Dogs! (WIS 0.5 | CHA 0.5) It has been almost 6 months since I competed with my dogs and I miss it a lot (and so do they!) So this is an 'extra' life goal for the puppies. a) Attend a minimum of 4 Obedience/Rally-O trials and compete with all 3 dogs. End of challenge goals: i) Jedi's Goal: Rally Excellent title ii) Ahsoka's Goal: Rally Advanced title iii) Revan's Goal: Rally Advanced title + another Novice Obedience pass

So this is what the Strength Guild looks like...I like it It's been a long time since I last lifted, but I remember really enjoying it. My problem has been that we moved away from my gym, and I just haven't got one nearby that's worth the price of admission. I'm thinking it may be time to start putting together a home gym. For now, all I really want to do is deadlifts. I've got a decent bodyweight training reperatoire going, but I haven't found a good replacement for the deadlift.On top of this, i really can't afford to go all out with squat racks, bench press rigs, etc. I just want to keep it simple, with the option to add equipment as time goes on. What I'm wondering is, what type of bar/weights should I get? I've looked around a bit, and can get a 'standard' 7ft bar, or I can get an Olympic bar for a lot more money. Are there brands you'd recommend, or that I should steer clear of? Do you think it's worth the investment to get the bigger bar/weights, or is a standard bar sufficient? If it helps, the last time I did a deadlift, I was pulling 100kg...that was after a few months training, so I think I can probably go a fair bit more than that. This is offset by the fact that I'm primarily a runner, so I'm not looking for huge gains here, just an increase in leg/core muscles. I look forward to hearing your thoughts...