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Yes, this is yet another grab bad challenge. What can I say? As soon as I saw stillskies' challenge last round I knew I wanted to get in on the grab bag fun. (Also, does "grab bag fun" sound kind of wrong to anyone else?) Anyway, during the last challenge life kept throwing giant, stress-filled curve balls my way, and I kind of went into survival mode, which can work for a time but isn't anyway to operate long term. Coming out of that I'm feeling overwhelmed with life. It would be easy for me to slide into a minor depressive state right now, and the last week or two there have been days when I felt the shift happening. So the goal of this challenge is to give myself little wins everyday. Goal: Earn 600 pts. over the course of the challenge by completing items on my list. Each item is worth 5 points and falls into one of three categories. Health Take a walk (take dog for an extra 5 points)Workout (strength training, bjj, or kickboxing)Log food for the dayEat a plantAbstain from sweets for a daySchedule a long overdue doctor/dentist appt. Drink a large water bottle of water before noonPlantar Fasciitis stretchesStretching/Foam Roller SessionLights out and kindle off by 11PMLife 500 words or 1 undistracted hour writingResearch panelist @ upcoming writing conference (Anyone else attending NerdCon:Stories?)Do something nice for someone (cards, phone calls, quality time, etc.)Spend 30 minutes unpackingTry a new quality time activity with JohnUpdate my address Get dressed for the day before sitting down at computerGo on a social outingThat's it for now. I may come up with some bonus point challenges along the way depending on what's happening that week, but otherwise I'll check in every couple days to update my progress.

In judo, we have a laugh during unilateral work where we say "warriors don't wobble." Which is really appropriate here since I'm probably more of a warrior branching back into monk stuff for something that'll become official later in the year. A couple of years ago grappling took a step back so I could get to grips with equipped lifting, but It's something I have a lot of fun doing and I'm getting my conditioning back up and looking to compete properly again. Drills Recent training has highlighted that while I have good instincts and a good base from TKD and Judo I really need to understand and being able to drill some basic movements other than shrimp and arm bar (it got a a 1st dan in Judo but it's gonna take more in BJJ.) Goals: By the end of week one, have a program for movement drills to be done in the morning and do these drills for the six week challenge. Gym I needed a new gym, I just didn't get on board with the philosophy at my last gym. I got some good advice at the weekend about gym loyalty and the fact that I was gaining so much from my adventures in visiting lots of new gyms and learning from different perspectives. Lets face it, cross training is why I took up BJJ in the first place. Goals: Find a new gym/ gyms and train there consistently during the challenge. At least one fundamentals per week and one rolling. Sleep I will need at least eight hours a day if I'm working morning sessions back in. Goals: 8 hours a day and up at 7am for morning drills. More Fruit Bulking out my macros with micro rich food seems to work well for my body composition. And without coming across as big headed I'm starting to tread into a territory where that extra 5% in performance is going to matter. My micros and macros need to fit now. Goals: aim for at least 5 a day with two being fruit portions. Some pretty pictures to make it interesting.

MAIN QUEST: Keep on keeping on. Re-establish habits to make me a happier, well-balanced person. Break necks with my thighs. As of the last challenge, I hit my weight goal. Now it's all about maintaining and focusing on my mental well-being. Also, keeping up with jiu jitsu. Those three months of no bjj really show, and I need to re-learn the things I've lost, and continue to work on the things that I'm learning. Everything is shades of progress. THE CHALLENGE: Collect hearts to fill my crystal bottle. I mentioned in the last challenge that I was starting to feel burned out - not just in life, but on challenges. Building habits takes work and commitment, but with only a week or so between challenges, it's easy to burn out. Add in that I have a vacation coming up where my usual routine will be disrupted (yay Mexico!), I really need a break. However, I also recognize that, for me, a break will likely signify not coming back (at least I'm honest). So I'm going to do something a little different from what I've been doing. Instead of the usual 3 habit quests + life quest, I'm going to do one challenge, grab bag style. In order to complete this challenge, I have to collect 400 hearts by the end of the challenge, which averages out to about 67 hearts a week. The 'hearts' are points, and points are earned by completing activities. Of the 400 total points, I have to have at least 50 in each activity category. I've grouped out the activities into the four general categories I usually do for quests: Exercise, Food, Mental Health, and Fun. Some of the activities can only be achieved once (it's hard to, say, get multiple 3rd stripes on my belt, or hit 25 books read more than once), while others can be reaped daily if I so choose (I likely won't choose, because the whole point of this is to be fun and relaxing). Some activities have really high points because of the difficulty (3rd stripe, race PR, hitting 50 books read, etc) while others have relatively low points because it's feasible for me to do them daily/they're habits (taking my pre-natal, getting 8 hours of sleep, etc). So, without further ado, here's my crystal bottle! THE BONUS CHALLENGE: Participate on the forums & Ioryogi's special challenges As the type of challenge suggests, this is a BONUS, not a requirement. I used to do a good job of keeping up on the forums, participating in the Courtyard, keeping up with my challenge log, etc, and then I fell off the wagon. Hard. Part of it was feeling overwhelmed with everything that was going on. Part of it was just pure laziness. So, when I'm not feeling overwhelmed and I have free time, I'm going to try to improve upon the following: Updating: I've been trying not to use the internet at home - I'd rather spend my time playing video games or reading, or cuddling with my wife - and I used to do the bulk of my updates at home before bed. But that was when I had set goals. This goal is set up so that I really just have to keep a weekly total, so updating at work will make it a little easier. Other People's Threads: I had this habit of following ALL THE PEOPLE! and wanting to give ALL THE SUPPORT!, but that's a sure fire way to have me feel overwhelmed and trail off a few weeks in. This challenge, I'm going to be mindful of who I follow, and I'm going to try to comment every so often to show support. The Courtyard/Minis: I've just been lazy. Really going to just try to be around more. THE BONUS CHALLENGE PART 2: Ioryogi's special challenges In addition to the being around thing, I'm also adding in the following bonus minis, but these ones will net points! Study Spanish: I'll be going to Mexico during week 4 of the challenge, and since I will inevitably have someone speak Spanish to me (I look mixed, but Spanish speakers tend to see me and start talking to me in Spanish during the summer, curse you tan!), I'd rather not stare blankly at them. I was decent as Spanish before moving to Colorado, so it's really just a matter of reviewing. +5 points for every hour studied (Fun Category) Let Maaya Pick My Food: I'm crap at eating lately, and I have to be completely and say that I've never even bothered to look at macros (not since the Great Sugar Challenge, anyway). So, in an attempt to get back on the eating well bandwagon (and see what balanced macros feels like), I'm going to let starsapart pick my food. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. If she doesn't choose it (or okay it within my macros), it doesn't go in my mouth. +25 points for every week she picks my food (Food Category) Watch BJJ Videos: As last challenge showed, I'm really bad at this. I recognize the positive impact/potential of it, but I'm just lazy, and let's be honest - watching these videos is boring. +5 points for every video watched - max of 10 points per day (Fitness Category) THE POINTS Because my grab bag kind of addresses everything, I'm just going to go with a nice easy point system for this challenge (are you sensing a theme here, yet? dumb down my challenge enough that even Kobato could achieve it): STR : 2 DEX : 2 STA : 2 CON : 3 WIS : 3 CHA : 3 THE WISH aka the rewards So, since I'll be running my very first half marathon in November, I'm going to make my reward be this: if I can pass this challenge, I will buy myself a brand new running costume/outfit for the race - including accessories (but not including shoes). THE STARTING LINE to come night before/day of challenge The Pictures The Measurements Neck: Chest: Waist: Hips: Thigh: R: L: Bicep: R: L: Weight: 158.8lbs Dress/pants size: 8

Zettai daijobu dayo! MAIN QUEST: Get to my goal weight and be able to defend myself in the (unlikely) event of an attack. QUEST 1: FIGHT (+3 WIS) I’ve been really lax in my jiu jitsu training since I started up with PT. I’m trying to step up how often I go, but I also have to be cognizant of my back - I don’t want to worsen my condition. At the same time, I don’t want to fall so far behind that I can never catch up. I think that I’ve found a solution to this. CHALLENGE: Watch 60mins of jiu jitsu technique videos A: 60 minutes B: 45 minutes C: 30 minutes QUEST 2: POWER (+2 STR, +2 DEX) My core sucks. Like, hardcore sucks. Like, I can barely do a straight arm plank for :45 seconds sucks. So, we really need to fix that. And while the PT stuff has been helping, it’s really basic and not really enough. Since your core is where your power comes from in martial arts, I can’t afford to not work on it. CHALLENGE: Do three core workouts a week A: 3 workouts B: 2 workouts C: 1 workout QUEST 3: DASH (+3 STA, +2 CON) In keeping with my non-monkly tradition of running, I have four races during this six week challenge. I’ve also recently moved, and there are really pretty places within running distance of my house that I’ve yet to explore. Besides, the weather is super nice and I just need to get into a real habit of doing this, especially since I’m considering a half marathon in November. CHALLENGE: Run outside 2x a week (races are included) A: 2 runs B: 1 run C: 0 runs LIFE QUEST: SWEET (+3 CHA) I have a big, new kitchen. It’s really pretty. And has a lot of light. And kind of makes me want to bake. Which is something that I keep meaning to do more of. So might as well get on that, right? Besides, starsapart keeps saying that I have all these baking things that I never use, so clearly I have to use them. CHALLENGE: Bake something once a week and post a picture PASS: Baked something FAIL: Did not bake BONUS CHALLENGE: Invite someone over to eat said baked thing (or starsapart will cry about her waistline) No grading for this since it’s a bonus Point breakdown: STR : DEX : STA : CON : WIS : CHA : REWARDS: Again, no rewards because this house buying thing is expensive as heck. MOTIVATION: Hit that goal weight! I’m so. Freaking. Close. Improve my 5K time! Train for that (theoretical) half marathon! Before pictures: (will be posted night before the challenge) Measurements: (will be posted night before the challenge) Neck: Chest: Waist: Hips: Thigh: R: L: Calf: R: L: Bicep: R: L: Weight: lbs Dress/pants size: 8

OH LOOK. A CHALLENGE. Let's not be too hasty, though. Leon has an important question. Now that that's cleared up, let's go! MAIN QUEST: Get to my goal weight and be able to defend myself in the (unlikely) event of an attack. QUEST 1: Beat Seifer in the Struggle tournament! (+3 WIS, +3 STA) It’s really hard to be all that you can be when you have no clue what you’re doing. And Roxas knows the basics of Struggle, but he’s nowhere near ready to take on Seifer. Except that he really has no choice because that’s the luck of the draw. So to make sure that we’re not caught off guard, we need to practice. Because practice makes perfect and all that jazz. Also, practice means you won’t tire out two rolls in. CHALLENGE: Get to randori/open mat at least once a week PASS: Made it to at least one randori/open mat FAIL: Didn’t go to randori/open mat QUEST 2: Move those hips! (+3 DEX, +1 STR) Demyx’s Nobodies can move like no one’s business, and that hip mobility is just what I need to get better at jiu jitsu. So it’s time to take some lessons from the dancer Nobodies and Demyx. Well, maybe not Dem-Dem; he just likes to run away. But his Nobodies for sure. CHALLENGE: Complete three hip mobility workouts a weeks A: 3 workouts completed B: 2 workouts completed C: 1 workout completed QUEST 3: Be healthier than Captain Jack! (+2 CON) Hush, Jack. Captain Jack Sparrow really wants to know why the rum’s gone. I’ll tell him why. It’s because rum has no nutrients. (It does, however, have really awesome mellowing powers.) I have an issue with vegetables (it’s really complicated), so I have to get my nutrients somehow. Hence a vitamin. And since I’m wanting to get pregnant in the near future, may as well make that vitamin a prenatal. CHALLENGE: Take my prenatal vitamin daily A: 7 days taken B: 6 days taken C: 5 days taken LIFE QUEST: Be stylish like Kairi! (+3 CHA) I have a really hard time dressing like an adult because I really like comfy clothes. Well, dressing like an adult is a necessity. And with my wardrobe being kind of… limited, the dressing nice is kind of easy now. So, it’s time to up my game with hair and make up. Le sigh. CHALLENGE: Dress nicely - clothes, hair, make up - three times a week. Post a picture to keep accountable. A: 3 adulting days B: 2 adulting days C: 1 adulting day Point breakdown: STR : 1 DEX : 3 STA : 3 CON : 2 WIS : 3 CHA : 3 REWARDS: A overall: Seat upgrade for Wicked B overall: Mici date pre-Wicked C overall: Moar wicking socks MOTIVATION: Hit that goal weight! I’m so. Freaking. Close. Don’t be afraid when I’m running on the streets because damn are people creepy! Don’t get sweeped by the same sweep four times in a row! Figure out how to do the offense thing! Before pictures: Measurements: Neck: 13.8" Chest: 37.6" Waist: 33" Hips: 40.2" Thigh: R: 24.5" L: 24.2" Calf: R: 15.5" L: 15.6" Bicep: R: 12" L: 11.8" Weight: 166.8 Dress/pants size: 8

HERMIT TRAINING Well, I'm back where I was years ago; need to start all over again. I should not let that stop me like it did last time and just turn into a lazy slob. Ryu never let not having training partners prevent him from being the best. In the meantime, I'll do what I can with what I have. THE QUEST Rise (+4 CON): Get up from the bed before 0730 every day. Visualize (+1 DEX +2 CON): Perform at least 15 minutes of meditation / visualization practice 6 days a week. Small Person Jiu-Jitsu (+4 WIS): Watch instructional videos by smaller individuals. Week 1 - How To Defeat Bigger, Stronger Opponents with Stephan Kesting and Emily Kwok Week 2 - Back Attacks with Ryan Hall Week 3 - Mastering the Rubber Guard with Eddie Bravo Week 4 - Marcelo Garcia Series 1 Week 5 - Marcelo Garcia Series 2 Week 6 - Marcelo Garcia Series 3 SIDE QUEST 5/3/1 (+4 STR): Perform the 4 main lifts every week. Can't be neglecting those biceps. THE MOTIVATION

ok, the last challenge did not go oh so well. There were pros and cons…more cons, but I do think I have a few ideas on how to avoid the pitfalls and failures I experienced in the last challenge. No real theme to tie this all together, I have a feeling I will be bouncing all over the board on this one. Goal 1: Can’t out run your fork Stated this way due to the fact I do not eat awful, I eat too much!!! I have to break a lot of old habits when it comes to food. Tracking intake is the key yet again. 2000 cal limit, and keeping an eye on what are my trouble zones…aka too many fats, wrong food choices. Minimal bread or flour tortillas, these are a crutch I have to break out from. Goal 2a: Bendy like Cheechoe Do the hip stretches from the wonderful mind of Cheechoe…I needz the moving hips. Goal 2b: Breaking Muscle 12 week beginner program I am choosing this program due to the fact it was developed and created for both strength and mobility. It acts like you are starting from a ‘clean slate’ and helps train the body proper movement. The strength aspects look minimal, but when I realized the support muscles and movement range being worked, I’m pretty sure I will suffer DOMS like never before. Plus it stresses to obtain great form before taxing the load. So I will stick to its workouts, even if I can do more of said exercise. Be one with my Noobness! Goal 3: Update dee threadz I need to update on here! I tend to get sidetracked when I get on NF trying to keep up with everyone else to the point that I overwhelm myself and barely even comment on all the outstanding Nerds!! I will make sure to continue the trend from last challenge and comment on at least 3 threads a day, even if all it says is “Hi†(just so you know I’m watching, as SFG has pointed out can be just enough sometimes). I will also more importantly update my own thread daily. I realized last challenge how bad I am at this considering how much I am on these boards. I realized that trying to update at night was bad, I was tired and would fight it so to make this easier I will be updating my thread FIRST each morning (sorry guys, but I need to prioritize myself foe once) when I log in after training. So updates will normally contain info from the day before and that mornings training. Goal 4: Start blog I have always had a need to find a place in the world and have always wanted to one day inspire, motivate or help teach someone something, anything. I have come to realize that there are many blogs that share training tips and experiences for BJJ, but maybe 1% cover what it’s like to be a big/fat guy trying to learn the art. I know that not a lot of bigger people try BJJ or even stick with it but there are some of us, and on the other hand not many people train against someone my size. I feel like I have a unique perspective that I can share and hope there are people who are out there that will appreciate it, hell I’d just be happy if someone read it. This is a big deal to me due to being so critical of myself in all aspects, writing, photos, fitness, skills, etc and I am planning on putting it all out there….so this might actually be as tough as goal 1. To not overwhelm myself here I will only require 2 posts a week, no daily blogging for me yet. Today was a rough one so this all starts in the AM tomorrow......enough babbling. Onward and upward!

A bit late to the party for discussion on this one but it's something that may or may not become an issue to me depending on what level they decide to enforce this at. At the moment it only looks like Judo internationals are in the firing line. This article discusses a statement realeased from the IJF Scecretary from the views of the BJJ guys: http://www.bjjee.com/bjj-news/ijf-general-secretary-jean-luc-rouge-mma-fighters-are-stupid/ From my point of view there's things I've taken from BJJ, Sambo and Aikido that have improved my judo, and guys from BJJ, Sambo and MMA have taken things from my judo for use in their sport. There was mutual respect from all of us. I infact remember my first BJJ contest (entered as a Judoka) I bowed on judo style and the other girl did as a mark of respect to me, we then did the fist bump as a mark of respect to her. I understand the difficulty judo have had recently with the IOC and being criticsed for judo looking too simlair to various other sports, but the spirit of judo (and a grading criteria in the UK) is that the judoka develops their judo style from the techniques learned to suit their build and own personal strengths. If we can't learn from other sports then we can't develop our own unique and innovative style.

Hello Finally signed up to the rebellion after reading the articles/newsletter for ages now. Finally decided it's time to kick it up a notch. I started my journey in november 2013, which was a new years resolution that just kept getting pushed back. At the time i was 87kg, (considering i'm 5ft 8", i was pretty overweight). I had always been an armchair MMA fan, so i decided to start doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I managed to lose all the weight i was trying to lose, and got down to 72/73kg. It sort of forced me to lose weight, as all the guys in my weight catergory we're these huge monsters. My new goal is to improve my diet, (been looking at paleo and i'm giving it a try, but slipping up here and there), and to just get in a consistent training pattern, as i can stick with jiu jitsu every week, but other than that, i find i'll work out solid for two weeks and then i'll have no motivation to work out for the next 2 weeks. Anywhoooo, just introducing myself

A man has traveled across the NerdFitness universe, coming under the tutelage of other clans to learn necessary skills, in order to find himself. Adventurers. Rangers. Scouts. Assassins. Warriors. Druids. Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless and add what is specifically your own. (Lee) Finally, a Monk has come home. THE QUEST 1. Science: Watch and study Demian Maia's Science of Jiu-Jitsu vol. 1-6. (+4 WIS) 2. Lonely Man Grip: Execute 25 gi pull-ups 6 days a week. (+2 STR, +2 DEX) 3. Compete: Participate in 2 grappling competitions. (+2 DEX, +2 STA) War educates the senses, calls into action the will, perfects the physical constitution, brings men into such swift and close collision in critical moments that man measures man. (Emerson) SIDE QUEST Read On The Warrior's Path by Daniele Bolelli. (+3 WIS) THE MOTIVATION That belt looks like it needs more blood on it.

I'm very new to the Monks and very new to BJJ so this challenge is all about building the basic habits of going to class and working on nutrition and my core strength. Goal 1 - BJJ: If I want to get better at BJJ and not just be a pain for everybody who has to train with me, it's important to keep going and to figure out the way to move and flow better. How will I do that best? Well, going to BJJ class I suppose. I will go to class 2x week. There will be weeks where I might not make it, due to work and my parents coming to visit but there will be plenty of weeks where it's only my fault if I miss a class. Grading: 2/wk A - 1/wk B - 0/wk F Goal 2 - Handstand/Core Strength: Being a desk jockey doesn't help with my core strength, so this is my real weak link in about everything I do lift, handstand, BJJ you name it. I will work on my handstand which includes core strength 3x week. This is as easy as spending 5min stretching, doing some core exercise or hanging out upside down if I fancy. Grading: 3/wk A - 2/wk B - 1/wk C - 0/wk F Goal 3 - Bring lunch to work I tried to loose some weight over the last challenge with limited success, mostly because I didn't bring my own lunch to work. This challenge I will concentrate on bringing my own lunch to work, because I know if I do that it will be more nutritious that what I would buy otherwise. Grading: 5/wk A - 4/wk B - 3/wk C - 2 or less/wk F Life Goal: Create a budget for August and stick to it! I'm going to move flats in September so will need some money to pay for overlapping rent, cleaning etc.

I am new to the forum and have now developed my Challenge. This is my first one, so any tweaks to this to help it be more specific would be welcomed by the community. I have trained in Martial Arts for half my life and have recently been dedicating time to training in BJJ and Muay Thai. I have been trying to compete in both for the past few months and I love the idea of setting up a challenge to help me prepare. Besides the enjoyment I receive from these activities, I love the mental and physical challenges, as well as the confidence I build when I improve. Here goes: Main Quest: Compete in both BJJ (gi & nogi) and Kickboxing. Longer term quest goal would be to obviously do WELL in these competitions/matches but I am just down for the learning experience, as well as the motivation to keep the smaller fitness goals in my mind. Goals: -Skill goal: 2-3 classes a week in both BJJ and Kickboxing with an extra day dedicated to just sparring/rolling -Strength goal: I can't seem to develop a very specific strength goal that may be good for this quest but I would like to be able to do all of my kettlebell workouts with a 30lb. kettlebell or higher. -Diet goal: I try to eat a mostly Paleo/Primal diet but this will definitely be the most difficult goal. I aim for 80:20 and allow myself cheat meals for special occassions. A good goal would be to only allow myself 1-2 cheat meals a week with none a week prior to competition. I realize now that I was supposed to post this in a separate forum, being my first challenge...but it would not allow me to start thread.

So, I'm back! After a long challenge hiatus, though not really a fitness hiatus. I've been goodish about going to lots of Muay Thai classes, eating decently, and being crazy stressed out and not getting enough sleep (oops). But, one of my 2014 goals is to get back to Brazilian Jujitsu after a 6+ month hiatus. Need to get over the whole "I'm going to absolutely suck" thing and just do it, since that's how you get better. Also, have realized that my stamina is laughable in class, and I really need to step it up to get as much as I can out of the classes I go to. To that end, here are The Goals: 1) Attend 16 classes over 6 weeks. +4 STA I've looked at my calendar, and between work obligations, visits with long distance partner, and social events I can make 16 classes over the next 6 weeks. Because I tend to get sick/injured a lot, grading on a generous scale for this (A = 100%, B = 75%, C = 50%, D = 25%). However, to get any points I have to have made at least 1 BJJ class (there are 3 in those 16 planned (Saturday mornings), though in a pinch I could go to a Tuesday/Thursday class I haven't accounted for in the 16 classes since Muay Thai is M/W/F and I'm not quite ready to wreck myself with 5x week yet...). 2) Work one of three conditioning techniques each morning (jump rope, pushups, planks) with an eye to increasing max reps/time; 6x/week (36 total). +5 STR Couple reasons for these small frequent workouts: 1) As mentioned above, I tend to get injured a lot, and in particular I've got a trick calf muscle that does not like jump roping. So while ideally I will be doing 2 days of each technique each week in a rotation, if I get a bad tear again I want to be motivated to keep working on the other techniques. 2) I have a really hard time getting up/motivated in the morning, and already roll into work later than I should sometimes, so I'm keeping these to short (<5 minute) intense workouts daily so they'll actually get done. Anything longer and it probably wouldn't. So, starting on the morning workout habit small here. 3) Planks, pushups and jump roping are the 3 common conditioning moves we do that I struggle most with. Squats I'm pretty solid at now, and a lot of other things flow from the abs and pushup movements. Point of this is to narrow my focus and make some improvements where I'm seriously lagging. Same grading as above. 3) Be in bed by 11:30 every week night, for 7.5 hours of sleep (30 total). +5 CON This is going to be super hard. I'm really bad at sleeping. Let's work on that. Same grading scheme as above. 4) Journal goals 1 & 2. +2 WIS I've on and off kept a martial arts journal to record new techniques/critiques on my form/"inspirational" words of wisdom from my coaches, but I need to get better at that (I've got a 45-60 minute subway ride post class, so I've got no excuse). Also won't be able to tell for goal 2 if I'm actually improving unless I, y'know, record it. Bought a spiffy new perfect bound journal that won't get wrecked up in my gym bag, so I'm ready to roll. Pass/fail - either I record every time, or I don't get the points. And I had a lovely image I'd 'shopped with some fightspo from my coach, but since I've apparently forgotten how to post images that'll happen later. But the motivating quote: "Don't let stamina be the boss of you. You be the boss of it." Let's do it!

I recently “started†training in BJJ for the second time and I’m really excited to keep training. I’m not in as good of shape as I would like to be, and it’s difficult for me to make it through the class and sparring afterwards. Along with this, I’d like to improve my body composition. I figure the two will go hand in hand with this challenge. The hardest part of this challenge will be actually getting to my BJJ/Muay Thai classes. I tend to put everything else in my life ahead of my personal well-being, and I need to balance it out. I’m good at working and getting great grades, now I need to be good at taking care of myself and doing things I enjoy. Primary goal: Improve body composition/overall fitness level How this will happen: Attend BJJ classes and Muay Thai classes at least twice a week I’m going to school and working on top of training, so I will make as many classes as I can without compromising grades. I also want to make some of the cardio conditioning classes at my dojo, but they are at 5:30 am… I’ve noticed it is way too hard to get myself to do much of anything when I’m sleep deprived. Maintain a healthy diet (no buying “fast foodâ€) Since I’m a student, this will require a lot of cooking in advance. I also won’t be making much money until late January (when I start my second job), so I would rather concentrate on saving money than spending it on food that isn’t even good for me. Strength training As of now I don’t have a great deal of body strength. I feel like trying to get a little stronger would help me fare better in sparring matches in BJJ. The plan is to hit the gym on days I can’t make it to a class. I will give myself 1-2 rest days a week. Life goal: I want to work on stress management. Training definitely helps relieve the stress, but when I’m not in class I get into my head and worry about grades, getting into med school, backup plans in case I fail, etc. I think I’m going to try meditation. I’ve never done it before though, so if anyone has any resources for a beginner I would appreciate them Side note: I’m going to Chicago for 3.5 days this week for an interview (2 days interview + 1.5 days for traveling and a little exploring.. even though it's going to be freezing). I’m going to try as hard as I can to stay on track, but I may not count those days in my final grading.

Hey there! I just found out about this site a couple of days ago, and It really motivated me to join A little about me: I'm from Southern South America a native of The Eastern Republic of Uruguay a country of 176 215 km² (slightly bigger than England and Wales combined) and a population of 3.3 million people. Here is a map so you get the idea, we are also among the closest countries to Antartica For more info about my country just check http://www.lonelyplanet.com/uruguay http://www.uruguayuruguay.com/ I was born and currently live in Montevideo the largest city and capital, a port in the south of the country, I'm 20 years old and a student of first year Economics with my objective of becoming an economist. I found about this site looking for more info about parkour and I found this awesome article: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/08/12/the-definitive-guide-to-parkour-for-beginners/ and then I started reading more and more articles and knew the rebellion was for me! I have very poor cardio and Pathetic coordination things I seriously want to Improve About my training and convictions: I have a year of training in Karate Kyokushin I got the first belt after white but then decided I wanted to try something else and started with Muay thai and Brazilian Jiu jitsu in another academy, training I just started with the Thai and BJJ (a couple of months ago) but I'm doing my best to keep a good regime, I'm even pretty excited since today I got my first submission! a rear naked choke during a No-gi rolling . Besides the martial arts I want to get really good at parkour and train to become and efficient non flashy traceur I have been to about 3 parkour training meetings and learned a couple of things but I really want to dedicate much more time to it so I'm going to start the training regime described in the definite guide to parkour for beginners. I'm now about the add the parkour starter training to the days I don't train martial arts (I train BJJ/Muay thai: Mondays, Wednesday and Friday) so for the first time in my life I would train 5 or 6 days a week, my first time training 4 days in a week was just a couple of weeks ago, sadly my schedule didn't allowed me to continue that way but I plan to change it TOMORROW I WILL TRAIN JUST LIKE TODAY (I'm writing this at 00:49 in the morning lolz) Basically my goals now are:To Train 5 days a week and assist more parkour encounters (I got all the parkour people in facebook and I find out about all the training meetings) Compete in Jiu Jitsu, get in better shape and climb a small monument with the parkour folks! My other goals: Improve my english (I'm sorry for all my mistakes please correct me ALWAYS, I will be very grateful), I'm a native Spanish speaker and I want to besides english, also learn Portuguese and German, I got a couple of sites and programs for that until I can join the free language courses of my university next year. Of course Keep up with college! and maybe you people will give me another idea Hobbies: Hmmm I don't have a proper hobbie like music or collecting coins, I like to read about history and science stay tuned with the latest news about scientific discoveries and such for example I have followed the story of the deep under antartica Vostok Lake since 2012 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Vostok. Videogames!: Now that's my other passion I have been playing videogames since I can remember, I love the Thief series, The Assassin's Creed series, DWARF FORTRESS! the awesome indie game of managing the lives of dwarfs game I have been playing the since 2008 (they keep updating the game and adding features and IT'S FREE), also a big fan of RTS games. Well I guess that's it for now, I'm happy to be on this board and I could use the motivation! See you all over here!

Hello Everybody! My name is Michiel and I live in Belgium. I was wondering if there is anyone here who practices some kind of martial art, and combines it with Rebel Strenght? I'm looking for a way to get some more mass/strenght, but I also train BJJ 3 times per week. Rebel Strenght looks like a solid option, and I have heard alot of good things about it. But if I go 100% for this and still keep my BJJ training it would mean that I would not get as much rest as the books says. (doing less BJJ is not an option, I'm addicted) What do you guys think? someone else who happens to be in the same position? PS: sorry for my bad english or weird sentences

Hi there. I stumbled across NF about 3 weeks ago and have been reading a bunch of Steve's blog posts and linked articles and have since learned a lot. I have always been an active person (playing sports, running, BJJ etc.) but have never really dabbled with weight lifting or the gym at all for that matter. Now, In between my junior and senior year of college, I figured I should introduce myself to the gym because I'd like to achieve my body's full potential. Obviously in order to do that I have to alter my diet a bit and have come here to this pool of knowledge to do so. I have a bunch of questions to ask the community here and of the few threads I've read so far I know I'm in the right place. I was hoping to find some info on: A list on what exactly is/isn't paleo (rice, quinoa, legumes? an others).Some help on how to build a workout regimen.Through my BJJ classes a lot of my fellow students seem to like kettlebell excerices because of the compound type exercise working more than just an isolated muscle. I was wondering what your take on kettlebells is?I guess if there are any good threads on those topics I would be grateful to be linked to. Thanks! Pawl

I've been doing MMA,BJJ, and Muay Thai for a month now. I enjoy all MMA being my favorite. Most people who do MMA have a background in some other type of fighting. I'm trying to become the best that I can as fast as I can and I'm unsure how to effectively train in these 3 areas. As of right now I do MMA on Mondays and Wednesdays, Muay Thai on Tuesdays, and BJJ on Thursdays. BJJ is offered everyday and I'm thinking about taking that class more often. Thoughts?

Hello all, I started doing BJJ and the first thing I noticed, especially on the no-gi day where we started from standing, was how much my neck is getting pulled on and how much my back is working. I've been doing yoga and pull-ups for a while, as I have a rounded back that I'm trying to correct. But, I have hurt my neck once before pretty badly in the past. A real bad strain. I was wondering if any grapplers out there had tips for strengthening and protecting the neck and back? I know bridging is popular among grapplers, but I've read a lot of negative things about it, such as it over-develops the back neck muscles at the expensive of the front ones and leads to bad posture and injuries down the line. A secondary question is: I was considering beginning Starting Strength 2-3x a week to build a more structurally sound frame in hopes of injury prevention while doing BJJ. I've been doing bodyweight and KB work-outs for about a year now, but I feel like I could probably build a stronger back and neck if I started deadlifts, heavy squats, and doing some supplemental grip/neck stuff like farmer's carries. It seems like in the wrestling world, 3x5/5x5 weightlifting programs are mandatory, but in BJJ from what I've read, there's mixed feelings about heavy lifting. Obviously I've spent a lot of time thinking about this, but I'm interesting in hearing from more experience grapplers.

Now that I've turned 30, the stress of actually reaching this age has diminished for the most part, so it's time to look to the future!! It's my first 6 week challenge, and my first time ever being a part of a forum, really. For the next 6 weeks I will: 1. Start a BJJ journal. I've been at it for over 2 years now, but with 4 kids and a couple minor injuries, I make it to the gym only 2x each week at best, and feel like I don't remember anything!! A journal may be the key... Who knows? 2. Do 100 snatches in 5 minutes using a 16k kettle bell. At last attempt, I managed 100 in 4 minutes using a 12k kettle bell. Time to step it up a notch! 3. Drink AT LEAST 6 12oz bottles of water each day by the end of the 6 weeks. Because I currently drink nothing all day long, I think a safe route would be to start off this first week by drinking at least 1 a day, and moving up by 1 each week. Seems like a fool-proof plan. Bonus: for every alcoholic beverage, I will counter it with a glass of water. 4. Menu planning. Tough one!!! Though its diet related, in our home, it's a stressful situation, and I would consider getting this daunting task under control a level up kind of goal! I have 4 kids, a husband, a full time, split shift job, a dog, and a home to take care of. With school almost over, I will be preparing 3 meals each day for 6 people. The nearest grocery store or farmers market is a 15 minute drive away, which means I have to make the most of the time I have there. I hope to have a list of at least 21 different lunch and dinner ideas, as well as 10 different breakfast ideas that are easily accessible and we always have the ingredients for. I also hope to create a spreadsheet-like menu to post in the kitchen, so as not to duplicate meals so close to each other. Budget is another thing I need to consider, and I think these next weeks will be just saving and looking at my receipts and realizing where I can use coupons and for what, and also comparison shopping. Wow! That was a mouthful!! If you made it through, I apologize for the length. Now...... To find the smallest bit of motivation to begin this challenge in the morning.....

Kamek's starting stats: Height: 5'9 Weight: 240 pounds Race: Freckled but not a ginger Skills: Oversized legs good for car pushes and making it difficult to buy jeans Fitness Goals: 1. Go to BJJ 3x a week 2. Lift Heavy 2-3x a week 3. Lose 10 pounds to get to 230 (Currently 240) Life Goal: - Aside from one free hour a day, only use my computer for school assignments (this has more to do with correcting my posture than avoiding wasting time). For about the last year, I've worked out at home with a 35 pound KB and bodyweight, usually doing interval circuits. I also boxed for about five months until a reoccurring wrist injury forced me to stop, heal and start BJJ. But, I've already noticed how hard my back, core and neck are working when grappling and I want to avoid "snapping my shit" so to speak. My goal is to build a strong body with structural integrity. So, I'm going to start a slightly amended Starting Strength program. Instead of doing Bench 2x a week, I'm going to add heavy dips. And for my neck and grip, I'm going to add farmer's carries/holds 2x a week. I'll probably be posting a lot in the form check forum soon. I have an appointment to tour a nearby gym on Wednesday. WORK-OUT: MONDAY) Squat 3x5 Bench 3x5 Pull-Up 3xF Farmer's Carry 3x90 seconds Neck Exercises 1-2 sets of push-up progression 100 burpees WEDNESDAY) Squat 3x5 Overhead Press 3x5 Deadlift 3x1 Neck Exercises 100 Burpees FRIDAY) Squat 3x5 Dips 3x5 Chin-up 3xF Farmer's Carry 3x90secs Neck Exercises 1-2 sets of push-up progression 100 Burpees As far as BJJ goes, my plan is to go, soak it up, roll, and make sure I get there at least 3x a week. If I'm particularly beat up, I'll drop a heavy lift day, not BJJ. I also started writing down all the techniques I'm learning in a book since there's a lot more stuff to remember than jab-right cross-left hook-roll under-left hook. ... Although, I'm sure after six months of grappling, I'll probably be craving to hit a heavy bag or do focus mitt drills. I'd really like to be able to compete once I get skilled enough, but I know I'd have to start going like 5x a week if that becomes a real goal. As for losing weight, I'm going to try my best to stay to a whole foods diet, avoiding wheat and sugar -- mostly paleo, but I'm going to eat dairy like cheese and real, high fat yogurt, as well as peanut butter (I'm still not convinced 100% organic peanut butter is full of anti-nutrients and bad for me). I may use a calorie counter since the last time I went paleo, I under-ate for my activity level by about 600-800 calories -- I just wasn't hungry most of the time.

Hi everyone I'm new here at NF. I'm Taking MMA,BJJ, and Muay Thai classes. I'm looking to find other fighters to have enough experience to help me become my best. Looking for tips, tricks and any training advice. Thanks!