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Hello my sweet rebel friends! I'm Cici the Beast, rebel and aspiring warrior. Two years ago, I was in the best shape of my adult life. I rowed crew competitively. I liked it. I had a boring job, so why the hell not work out 3+ hours/day on the water? And then.... work. And then rowing turned into a part-time job, got a little too competitive, my coach was being sort of an asshole, and I had some shitty personal stuff happen. I know I can get back to that place, but I also know I can surpass it in terms of my own happiness with being in my body/meat sack. I don't know how much I weigh. My gym does, as I weighed in on assessment day and didn't look at the scale. My true, real "before" stats are safely logged in a 3-ring binder at the gym, where I might look at them in a few months. But my guess is that I'm 5'3" / 190 lb / size 14 in dresses / 38DD / 34" waist. I'm a 30 year old woman. I have PCOS and my weight has yo-yo'd over the past few years, beginning with a pretty big weight gain after starting anti-depressants at 21. The ultimate irony: I was using workouts as self-medication before going on psych meds. Boo fucking hiss. I work a sedentary, nerdy job with long hours and got in a rut of "if I work super hard during the day, it's a valid excuse to not work out because my CAREER depends on it" and now I hate my body. I want to look, be, and feel strong. Part of my yo-yo weight stuff is definitely related to sexual assault, wherein I find myself wanting to take up more space. It's not wanting to "hide" behind fat, it's that I want to not feel small in a world that has made it clear that women should be small, dainty, and pleasant. I struggle with my own self-image, mostly because I think that if given the option, I would be BIG in my personality, life, friendships, voice, and body; but I feel like I don't want to stick out, and that people don't like loud, mouthy women. If it makes a difference, I'm queer and femme. Stuff I can currently do: Back squat 100# (ORM) Dead lift 170# (ORM) Bench press 75# (ORM) Underhand bent-over row 75# (8 reps total) TODAY: 2 eggs cooked in olive oil, I ate these with salsa 1 cup of coffee with whole milk 1 "bounce" protein bar (peanut butter flavor) -- I was out and about and HUNGRY AS THOR and it was better than eating completely empty calories 4 paleo-ish chicken tenders (made from scratch at home, breaded with sugar-free panko, cooked in the oven with olive oil to keep them from sticking to the pan) 1 bell pepper (raw) 1 giant scoop of baba ghanoush (organic, from the farmer's market, locally made) A fuck ton of water while working out 1 grapefruit La Croix seltzer 1 small carton of raspberries 1 very small yam, microwaved 1 small chunk of feta cheese, organic/full fat A ton of herbs and spices for taste a dash of balsamic vinegar (for the feta and the yam situation!) 1 glass of white wine (l'chaim!) Note: 1 of the chicken tenders, the yam, the feta, and the balsamic were in a bowl together with herbs and spices, post-workout. Workout: Warm-up: pushup/downward dog/cobra x 15; body weight squats x 10; 20 jumping jacks; 2 sets of 20 mountain climbers, etc. WERK: 4 sets of.... DB bench press 5-8 reps using 20 lb dumbbells / 8 assisted pull-ups using TRX things / 30 second plank hold / 30 bicycle crunches FINISHER: 1 set = 5 reps of arnold press (15 lb DB), bicep curls (15 lb DB), KB high press (25 lb), tricep dips, MB squats to MB slams) Between sets (total of 3): 10 burpees, running with band around waist (held by awesome coach), farmer walks. Just for fun: battle ropes, 30 seconds. Things: I finally got my hands on a super super super compressing sports bra. Life is better now. BOOOOOM DONE.

Introduction: I leveled up in a big way my last challenge and proved to myself that I'm a Beast by completing my first Tough Mudder Half. I'm planning to do a Full Mudder in October. My weight keeps fluctuating around the 206-212 range, but I'm learning to not put so much focus on the number. These quests have worked for me so far, but I'm still working on turning them into long-term habits. There's a 5K color run coming up that I want to run, so I need to work on my cardio stamina, which is hard because I've been having foot pain lately (plantar fasciitis). There's also a series of free 5Ks this summer and I'd like to run as many of those as possible. I'm still trying to find my overall purpose and direction — the though of which derails me sometimes. But progress is being made and I'm determined to keep it up. For a full introduction, check out my battle log. Main Quest: My target weight is 180 pounds. I'm aiming for July 4, my seventh year anniversary at my current location/job. But I recognize that my weight is just a number and that it's not absolutely critical for me to hit it by that deadline. The important thing is that I feel good and comfortable and confident, and every quest is designed to get me there. Quest 1: Complete my assigned Bodyweight exercises three times a week and complete a cool down afterward. I will update these daily on my battle lof you want to see details and follow along. A = Complete workout/cool down 3 times a week. B = Complete workout/cool down 2 times a week. C = Complete workout/cool down 1 time a week. D = Complete 0 workouts/cool downs in a week. F = No physical activity. Quest 2: Walk and/or jog every day with my dog Booklet and complete a cool down afterward. I usually track these with the RunKeeper app on my battle log as well. I'm also tracking my miles on my Walk to Mordor. A = Walk/cool down 6-7 days a week B = Walk/cool down 4-5 days a week. C = Walk/cool down 2-3 day a week. D = Walk/cool down 1 day a week. F = No walking/cool downs. Quest 3: Drink less alcohol. A = Have no more than 3 drinks per week. B = Have no more than 5 drinks per week. C = Have no more than 7 drinks per week. D = Have no more than 9 drinks per week. F = Anything more than that. Quest 4: Cook paleo meals more often, eat out less. If I do eat out, I will find healthy/paleo-ish options. A = Eat out no more than 2 times a week. B = Eat out no more than 4 times a week. C = Eat out no more than 6 times a week. D = Eat out no more than 8 times a week. F = Eat out more than 8 times a week. Life Quests: Sleep better. Read more books and power down for bed every night. Less screen time. Motivation: I feel like my lack of self confidence is a big obstacle that gets in the way of enjoying life and taking chances. I'd like to look good, so I can feel good and live life to the fullest.

During this challenge I'll be continuing on my 2016 mission to earn five Spartan Trifectas. Each Trifecta comes from completing one of each of the three Spartan Race distances - Sprint, Super, Beast. I completed my first Trifecta back in May when I survived the Montana Spartan Beast. I've been nursing some minor injuries, training, and doing a few shorter or less-brutal races since that race in preparation for my two biggest challenges of this year: The Breckenridge Spartan Beast on 27 August The Killington Spartan Beast on 17 September There's a strong chance these are the two most brutal courses on the entire Spartan calendar: Breckenridge due to the altitude, and Killington due to the fact that last year, there were complaints that the course was not hard enough. I'm more than a little terrified of both. Being terrified isn't going to help me complete either event. Training will. I'll continue with my usual regimen at my gym, which is heavy weights on Tuesday and Thursday, except on race weeks, when I'll skip lifting on Thursday but do a body weight set instead. I'm consistent enough with this that it doesn't need to be a goal, it's just a thing that I do. Goal: Ascend the Spire This is Minnesota and there is no "Up" here, not like there is in Colorado and Vermont. We have a couple hills - and by "a couple" I mean, like, ten - but no mountains. I've been running hills all summer, and emphasizing significant change in climb when I've run trail, while being smart about this ankle problem I've had since I limped down the mountain in Montana. I tweaked it again in Illinois at the end of July when I ran the Chicago Savage Race (also a blast, btw), but it's healing and caused me less issues than my right last weekend at the MN Terrain Race. As long as I continue to wear my brace, I should be fine. Goal: Run 3x per week, 2x with significant elevation change. Goal: Hold Fast This thing will be back on the course at Killington. Holy crap. DO YOU SEE THIS? LOOK AT IT. This looks horrible. Beyond the fact that there's a swim in a lake in Vermont in September, I struggle with rope grips like this. If only there were somewhere that I could do grip-specific training... Oh yeah. They opened a gym five minutes from my office. Goal: 1x/week training session at Ninjas United Goal: Strength Flows from the Force I'm stressed out. All. The. Time. I have a senior-level software development job that has taken more time in the last year than it did in the first three, and that doesn't appear to be changing any time soon. I have a second job as a personal trainer that takes time. I am a single parent of five kids, including two in middle school, which starts back up in three weeks. I am a volunteer leader with my church youth group. This year I accepted a nomination to the church board because literally nobody else would do it. I've adjusted my race schedule for the remainder of the year to compensate, but I'm flat-out tired all the time. It's time to make sure I can feel the flow. And I suck at this part. Goal: Spend 30 minutes per day in meditation and prayer. I'm going to do my best to keep this thread current and active. Keep me accountable, Rangers.

Just looking, as it looks like I missed a fellow nerd last year, any nerds looking at going to Killington next year?

I ran my first Spartan Race in January of this year. Shortly after that I learned what the Ultra Beast was (26+ miles, 50+ obstacles in the mountains of Vermont), and shortly after that I registered for the race, knowing it would be the hardest physical thing I have ever done. One could argue I'm not good at moderation, or elevating up my race distances in a logical way. Now with the race less than two months out, I have no more room for half assing my training or nutrition. It's time to get serious, put on my big girl pants and put everything I've got towards finishing this race. This challenge comes at a perfect time, and ends just as my taper should start. For the next six weeks I will be focusing on only two things: 1) Training: - Complete all workouts as prescribed by coach. - Spend 15mins a day foam rolling, stretching or working on recovery. 30+ mins on rest days (can include epsom salt or ice baths). 2) Nutrition: - Paleo with some allowances - corn, white rice, high quality cheese used to meet macros and for carb refueling. - NO - Sugar, honey, sweetener of any kind, processed foods, desserts (even "paleo desserts"). - For the first three weeks I can have 1-2 drinks ONCE a week, after that no-alcohol until the race. For this challenge there will be no grades, it's only pass or fail. I know it will be incredibly challenging at times, but for only 6 weeks I know I can handle this. There are harder things in life than training and eating strictly. I admit that this is not a sustainable way to train or eat, and were I just aiming for general fitness my rules for myself would be much less strict. However, with only a few short weeks to put the finishing touches on my race prep, I'm willing to sacrifice normalcy for a finishers medal at the Ultra Beast. Bonus Quests: - Train with race day foods, and detail the items that I will carry with me on the first leg of the race as well as the items that will be included in my drop bin. - Plan out and train in race day clothing (including alternate options for inclement or extreme weather situations).

About me: My name is Stephen. I am a 28 year old male - father of 2 - Married - Working on my Bachelors in Network Administration I live in Pennsylvania I am about 220lbs at 6'1 (This Pic is a few months back when I was training - I put on maybe 8-10lbs since then : / ) I recently stopped working out and I of course regret it I made huge strides - 250lbs to 212lbs - almost doubling my lifting abilities in every area The issue is, I lost my motivation. I was working towards becoming a police officer but due to me being a juvenile diabetic, I realized it would be a liability. I love computers and I know I can be successful in this field, diabetic or not. The issue is, working with computers requires no fitness specifics. I want to do this for me. I am a nerd at heart and I stumbled across this forum and saw it as a sign : ) I am going to Florida in 4 months and I want my goal to be a reality: Main Quest – Build enough muscle and lose enough fat that I am comfortable without a shirt on in public 3 Goals each week Work out at least 3 times a week including 1 dropset Get 8 hours of sleep Cut out junk food – Focus on Protein based meals I hope I can join a team where people who have similar goals want to encourage each other Please message me and I will provide a cell number or email address or w/e so we can become accountability partners or even better accountability teammates : ) Thank you God Bless

Welcome. Level 0 newb here, Handle is "Toomine". Main Quest: Play for a club soccer team. Measurable goals: I. work on fundamentals: (3x/week)*(15 mins/drill). There are 8 excercises that I work on here. 1. juggling 2. shielding (moving the ball in all four directions without changing the orientation of your hips) 3. triangle dribble patterns 4. soft touch (look at a video of messi if you don't know what soft touch is) 5. Shooting (accuracy and form only, not actual goals yet) 6. Passing accuracy (I developed this drill, its like around the world from Basketball but on the soccer pitch) 7. more classical agility drills 8. ball speed drills II. (3 days at interval training +3 days at constant cardio training)/week. the longer term goal is to get to tabata (I think that's what it is called) and get signed up for a professional scouting combine. III. Regularize a bedtime and arise time. My goal is to bed by 10 each evening and be up at 5:30 each morning. (7.5 hours works better than 8 for me). This provides perspective on how quickly life goes by, as well as a consistent framework for the habits I'm building right now. My motivation: The only way to be satisfied, to live with no regrets, is to pursue the dreams in your heart. I live to die with no regrets. Therefore, I work when it is uncomfortable.

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

To say that a lot has happened since last I sullied the challenge boards would be an understatement: I've changed jobs (went from Director of Technology at a small private school to English teacher at a huge high school), MSI has released a new album ("...I'm gonna break the english language with my four letter flow..."), and I have officially registered for the Carolinas Spartan Beast, a 12+ mile / 25+ obstacle mud run on Novemeber 9th (anybody want to join me? I've started a team...). That gives me three ("...not one, not two, four's definitely out...") challenges to get ready. As I thought about all the changes that have occurred, I realized that spartan was not only the name of my upcoming run, it was also the perfect theme for this challenge. "Rigorously self-disciplined or self-restrained; Simple, frugal, or austere" With that in mind, my goals are geared towards simplifying / developing self-discipline while building over the next two challenges to get to culminate in my run Nov 9th. Diet - Track everything (WIS +2) Initially, I'm not going to worry about WHAT I'm eating as much as making myself aware of what I'm eating. I'll stil be using moderation and trying to make good choices, I'm just not going to obsess over any specific aspect of my diet. Using the data I collect this challenge, I'll tweak my diet goals next challenge to hit specific targets. Grading will be based on days tracked each week with the weekly grades averaged at the end of the challenge. A = 6-7 days B = 5 days C = 4 days D = 3 days F = 2 or fewer Workouts - 5 per week (STR +3, CON +2) While the focus of the workouts will change dynamically throughout (various combinations of raw strength and functional workouts), as a minimum I'll be shooting for five per week. With two different vacations scheduled for mid-June and early July, this could get tricky. As with the diet tracking, I'll be giving myself a weekly grade then averaging them at the end. A = 5 B = 4 C = 3 D = 2 F = 1 Cardio - 5 per week (STA +3, CHA +2) To count, must consist of 30 min of HIIT or cover a distance of 2 miles. The plan is to vary this a bit to try to get accustomed to unusual terrain / conditions, including off-road, obstacle courses, . Grading will be same as Workouts above. Finances - Begin rebuilding savings by setting aside $300 in a separate account It sounds like a small amount, but the job change was challenging financially for a number of reasons (change in payday, extended time lapse between receiving last check at old job and first check at new job), and really made me painfully aware of how important having a significant cushion can be. There are a number of ways to accomplish this (for example, ditching cable TV...we actually bought a Roku last week and will be returning our cable boxes next week--that alone will save us nearly $200 a month in our budget), but grading the end result seems both easier and more efficient. No weekly grade, just an end grade based on total amount in the account at the end of the challenge. A = $250-300 B = $200-250 C = $150-200 D = $100-150 F = <$100 General goals, but easily quantifiable, and oes designed to get me to where I need to be for the next challenge, then the next, then my run. Looking forward to spending more time in the community after being AWOL for over two months!

I'm new to all of this, but here goes! Starting an accountability group! Team LEVEL UP is for peeps who have lost weight, or have weight to lose and are ready to take this challenge to the next level. LEVEL UP PEEPS! I'm Strongmama and I have lost 180 lbs. I still have some more to lose, but my focus is eating clean and training mean. If/when I lose more pounds, it will be great, but the number on the scale is not my primary focus. I want the numbers on my dumb-bells to go UP! Here are my before and current pics. Feel free to post pics, so at the end of challenge, you'll have a good comparison! Let's DO THIS. LEVEL UP!

I'm starting a new personal Battle Log because I've been inspired to really take things to the next level. Back story: I'm an amateur/recreational aerialist. I've been doing it for about 3.5 years now and have a fairly intermediate skill level. For about the past 9 months I've been working on building my flexibility up, and I have a fairly good strength base, however I don't do any cardio or endurance work whatsoever, aside from an occasional adult beginner ballet course. I've been kind of searching around for what's going to be my "next level" for a little while and I think I've come up with a plan. What I really want, long term "epic quest" style is to be able to do one really great aerial performance. Something within my skill level, but executed really well. What's standing in my way? Refinement and endurance. So this battle log is really about taking things to the next level. Refinement: I need to work on 2-3 really great signature tricks, things that capitalize on my strengths and I can execute beautifully. This is something I need to work on with my instructors. I have two main strong points, strength and flexibility. Ideally I'd like to identify 2 strength moves, 1 move that utilizes my hip flexibility and 1 move that utilizes my back flexibility and work on them until they're back pocket moves that I can pull out whenever needed. Then when it comes time to put an act together I'm not struggling to identify my highlights. Endurance: OK... so I'm strong for a girl. But right now I simply don't have the endurance to make anything of that. I can do something that my coaches call "boy moves" but then I can't really integrate them because I'm fairly spent. During this NF challenge I've been reading up on some of the cross guild challenges, and I've come up with a plan to work on improving my endurance in a complementary way: TRX. I have a TRX, but I've only used it when traveling and only the strength type workout... it came with a jumprope interval training DVD, but I've never used it. So... here's my plan: Right now, I need to do some rehab on my neck/traps/shoulders following a car accident. So step 1A is to complete my PT, so I can get back on the trapeze & silks. Step 1B is to start learning the exercises on the TRX interval DVD. Review the whole DVD, work on form for the ones I can do right now (the squats & lunges), cognitively review the ones I can't do because of my shoulders and do a few minutes of jumprope 6 days a week. Step 2: As soon as I'm cleared by the PT and have full ROM back in my shoulders, learn all the TRX moves to be able to complete the DVD. Carefully return to normal aerial training schedule, no open workouts. Continue a few minutes of jumprope 6 days a week. PT as needed. Step 3: Do the TRX interval training DVD 2 times a week, substituting out lower intensity cardio for the jumprope as needed. Normal aerial training schedule, 1 open workout a week (when I can) working on overall conditioning. Step 4: TRX interval training DVD 2 times a week with jumprope intervals. Normal aerial training schedule, 1 open workout a week working on overall conditioning and drilling signature tricks. Today I started out the morning with 1 minute of jumping rope, twice. Check. -jj