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This thread is where I post metrics around training and diet, as a companion to the changing monthly challenges, and with bonus content to house challenge-specific metrics. It should be a boring list with more engaging narrative happening on the challenge threads. See my signature for the current challenge.

This challenge is basically a roll-over of the previous one. I have the same goals and quests: Goal 1 – Workout - Continue my barbell regimen (based on Wendler’s 5/3/1 “Boring but Big†program). - Progress with my accessory work, i.e. pull-ups, dips, rows, etc. - Do one Aerobic session per week for cardiovascular health. Goal 2 – Eat - Stick to eating clean, whole foods that are high in protein, natural fats, fiber, and micronutrients. Avoid refined carbs and sugars. - Log all food and keep weekly calorie total under 20,000 with a balanced macro profile Goal 3 – Drink - Only water throughout the challenge period: I'm keeping this rolling at least through May. Goal 4 – Sleep - In bed on time every night. That’s 10 pm before work days and 11 pm all others. - New for Challenge 16-2: Train myself to sleep on my side and/or back instead of my stomach. Finally replacing our old mattress should help with this. As usual I’ll employ MyFitnessPal to track my eating. Standard spreadsheets will be employed to track progress on my workouts, and I’ll keep an updated chart of my challenge goals (strictly pass/fail) here in my challenge thread. Sleep position tracking will be a work-in-progress--but hopefully I can figure out a way to put it in a spreadsheet. For 2016, I have three specific things I want to accomplish: - Reduce my body fat to 10% of total body mass at least once, maintain below 14% thereafter. - Join the 1,000 pound club for combined deadlift, bench press, and squat in a single session. - Do 3 sets of 10 pullups in one session. I am going to weigh in weekly and resume my progress photos just as soon as we're settled in the new house. (I pick up the keys today, and our stuff should be delivered tomorrow.) I also intend to have my composition analyzed in the BOD POD early in this challenge so I can have the initial set of numbers to work on for the year. I haven't attempted a set of strict pull-ups yet this year, so I'll start my first workout with those to establish a baseline as well. Simple stuff, let's get it on!

I'm back from my amazing Japan holiday, had the best time! I'm starting this challenge a week late but I was on a Snowboard in possibly the best powder in the world so my thoughts were far from computers! I had an unbelievably good instructor who has raised my snowboarding skills to a whole new level in only a few days. I can do turns and hold the edge on both sides now and I do a lot less falling over, suddenly I'm having a whole lot more fun I can't wait to go back again next year. Now then time to get real and get onto my first challenge of 2015. This challenge I'm going to be boring These are the boring things I will be doing: Goal 1: Walk 150km's this challenge Goal 2: Drop 5kg's Goal 3: Exercise/Lift 3 times a week. Ideally Oly lifting but a swim or skipping or yoga or something else I feel like doing will also count Side goal: Goal 4: Spend 5 hours a week working on a business idea. This can be networking with people, learning a new skill, writing a business plan, whatever but I have to actually do something! Simple, achievable, boring FTW.

My last couple of challenges have been a bit of a waste. I've continued to workout and make progress but its often not in the areas set out in my challenge. After the holiday excesses i now need to get back into dropping weight and more importantly bodyfat. Main goal for this quest: Drop 6lbs Side quests to help this: 1 - Lift 3 times a week. I'm moving off stronglifts onto a split routine as of today (5th jan). This is because recovery has become an issue and due to time constraints (i workout during my lunch breaks) 2 - Track calories. I eat dinner at home as i'm currently a boomeranger while waiting to emigrate. Over the last few weeks i've worked out i'm eating an average of 1000 cals during that. So my tracking will only cover during the day, that i control. On workout days i want to eat 1000 cals (for a total of about 2000) and on non-workout i'm gonna try and stick to 600 mostly protein calories (for a total of 1600) 3 - Fast and refeed. I've not tried this approach before so we'll see how it goes. I want to do a 24hr fast from after dinner friday until dinner on saturday and then eat a slightly more carb-heavy diet on sunday. I will still try and stick to 2300 cals on the suday. By my calcs this should set me up for a weight loss of 1lbs/week TL;DR Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri - 2000 cals. Workout Weds - 1600 cals. Rest Saturday - Fast from friday dinner until sat dinner - 1000 cals. Rest Sunday - More carby refeed - 2300 cals. Rest Total calorie goal: 12900 Workout calories, guesstimated: 1600 TDEE (per week, without exercise): 15120 Calorie deficit per week: 3820 Tracking - I'll be periodically tracking using some bio-impedance scales but i'm trying to move away from the obsessive tracking i've been doing over the last 18months. I'm mostly going by how i look in the mirror now Routine Right, i've come up with a new routine, i thoroughly enjoyed the first session i had. I may be too much volume for the calories i'm eating but if i can eat wisely around my workouts i might just be able to eek out some muscle growth (worth a shot, i'm eager to grow muscles but am too fat to bulk ). If it gets too much i'll scale it back Workout A Bench 2x3-6, 2x8-12, 1x13-17 Rotate weight plate around head move (no idea what its called) 3x10 Lat pulldown (rotate pullup/chinup grip) 2x3-6, 2x8-12 Pec machine thing 3x10-15 Shoulder dislocates 3x10 Workout B Low bar squat 2x3-6, 2x8-12, 1x13-17 Thick bar sumo deadlift 1x3-6, 1x8-12 REST DAY Workout C OHP 2x3-6, 2x8-12, 1x13-17 Bench 3x8-12 Kroc rows 2x3-6, 2x8-12 Workout D Sum squat 2x3-6, 2x8-12, 1x13-17 Barbell hip thrusts 3x8-12 Deadlift 1x3-6, 1x8-12 Reasonings: Rotate weight plate/shoulder dislocates - good for rotator cuff injury Lat pulldown - i like this machine, so i use it. Machine naysayers ner! Thick bar deadlift - grip is weak, got some fatgripz for xmas Pec machine thing - feels like it may help my rotator cuff injury Bit more on diet In order to have any chance of managing that volume while cutting i think i'm gonna need to be pretty on-point with my diet around the time of my workouts. So my plan for workout days are as follows: Breakfast - protein + some complex carbs Pre-workout - protein + some complex carbs Post-workout - protein + simple carbs (to induce an insulin spike to try and trigger recovery/growth) Non-workout days will be pretty boring. Mostly protein with little carbs, other than the un-tracked evening meal.

BlamedCat Wars Episode 5 "The Return of Three Dead Nigh" This time around, I've identified a bad habit creeping up in my person. As I jump from challenge to challenge, I'm slacking on previously dominated goals. This challenge is going to be me revisiting three key goals from my past challenges and implementing them. I know we're suppose to have four, but I feel my life goal would be best served to establish these three "old" goals once again and fashion them into something stronger in my life than just a pat on the back and an A on a challenge goal. In church today, the pastor brought up a very good quote that I'd like to share as my motivator for this challenge. The quote he shared was thus... I found a similar quote online and it's equally as inspiring and true. For those of you who are curious... Either way you look at it, now is the time to stop sowing laziness and "instant gratification" into our lives. Otherwise we will continue to reap the poisoned fruits of our labors (bad health, bad habits, bad examples for the next generation, etc) I'll put up my goals tomorrow at work.