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So I've had my Walk to Mordor on hold for the summer, because I got really tired of tracking all my steps. But that hint of fall in the air is making me itch to get out and about, so I'm ready to hit the trails again! (Side note: the Walk to Mordor Adventure Party is currently celebrating the Baggins' Birthday Bash! Come join us for a commemorative sticker) When the Fellowship leaves Lorien, they know that they're quickly approaching the point where they have to decide if they are going South or East but they're not willing to split up yet, so they just drift in the current mostly. All summer I did a pretty good job of living in the moment, and even though the fall was when I originally planned to pick a direction and go, I've decided I'd rather drift in the current a little longer. So this challenge is going to be very similar to the last one, with a focus on reducing screen time and working to be fully present and enjoy what is going on around me. Here is the state of my garden: Athelas: My morning reading is going well. This challenge I want to focus on being more consistent with my breathing exercises and also add my vitamin back in. I've been feeling pretty lethargic in the evenings, which probably has multiple contributing factors, but adding in vitamins can't hurt. My horse was very lame yesterday, so my morning routine has been all off while I doctor him up, but there's already been considerable improvement, so hopefully I'll be back in the groove soon. White Tree of Gondor: I'm going to leave strength training on hold a little longer while I work on my barn, since there's lots of lifting involved there. I'm going to focus on walking this challenge, since I am getting back into my Walk to Mordor. The goal is going to be 7,000 steps every work day (I get lots of steps at home, but I don't move in the office enough) and 2-3 outdoor walks a week. To count as a walk, I just have to go outside with the express purpose of walking and soaking in the outdoors, it doesn't count if I get a lot of steps while doing something else outside, although that is a nice bonus. Old Man Willow: I think I've discovered that my problem with my evening routine starts right after dinner. I go sit on the couch for "just a few minutes" and often end up not really moving the rest of the night. So as soon as I finish eating, I have to go do something productive for 5 minutes. I'll tweak this as needed, but I think if I can avoid that initial post-dinner slump, I'll be good for the rest of the night. Party Tree: I have my last puppy class on September 18th and my small group starts meeting this Thursday. Also want to take one Sunday this challenge and go visit my friend Bud at his church. Two Trees of Valinor: I freaking love fall, so outside time shouldn't be an issue this challenge. As temps drop, though, I'm going to have to make sure I'm pushing the water. The goal is to empty my Wonder Woman bottle three times a day. To Do List: - change oil in truck - undercoat truck - remove truck bed liner - spray on bed liner - mow pastures (I want to do this in October, so if I don't get it done this challenge, I have two weeks left) - weed eat (rolled over from last challenge) - clean bedroom (also rolled over from last challenge) Barn Goals: - kickboards - temporary bracing - post extensions - headers - floor joists (this might be getting too ambitious, but if the weather holds, I should make it this far.)

12 Week Hypertrophy Quest Quest Goals: 1) Increase Muscle Mass 2) Decrease BF% 3) Increase Strength In All Lifts Overview/Details Each working set should be performed to near failure with 12 being the most reps you should perform and 6 being the lowest. This workout utilizes supersets.Take a 1 minute break between each superset. Supersets are grouped by letter before them. See Quest Objectives for context. Increase weight on each set by at least 5lbs. Increase weight from week to week as well. By the end of the 12 weeks, you should be 10lbs+ stronger in many lifts. This program can be repeated with endless variation. If you begin to plateau, seek ways of making the workouts harder. An example could be adding some dropsets. SPLIT CHEST/BACK SHOULDERS/ARMS LEGS Quest Objectives: Day 1: Chest/Back | Warm-up 5 minutes of cardio A1) Bench Press 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working A2) DB Row 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working 1 - 2 minute rest B1) Hammerstrength incline Chest Press 3x12 working B2) Hammerstrength lat pulldown 3x12 working 1 - 2 minute rest C1) Cable Crossovers 5-7x12 working C2) Reverse Flye 5-7x12 working Day 2: Active Rest | Start with 5 minutes of cardio if you normally don't do cardio, and add 5 minutes to your average time of the cardio you do regularly. Increase total time by 5 minutes every other week. By Week 12 you should be doing 30 extra minutes of cardio. For the sake of this program, cardio is considered 150bpm+ for the whole session. Day 3: Shoulders/Arms | Warm-up 5 minutes of cardio A1) DB Shoulder Press 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working A2) Standing DB Curl 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working 1 - 2 minute rest B1) DB Front Raise 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working B2) Tricep Extension 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working 1 - 2 minute rest C1) Reverse Flye Machine 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working C2) Barbell Curl 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working 1 minute rest D) Skull Crusher 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working Day 4: Active Rest | Do the same amount of cardio as you did on your first active rest day this week. Day 5: Legs | Warm-up 5 minutes of cardio A1) Squat 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working A2) Leg Curl 1x6 warmup , 3x12 working 2 - 3 minute rest between A and B B1) Leg Extensions 3x12 working B2) Standing Calf Raises 3x12 working 2 - 3 minute rest between B and C C1) Weighted Walking Lunge 3x12 working C2) Lower Back Extensions 3x12 failure Day 6: REST Day 7: REST Let me know what you think below!

Maintain Lifting and Running – 12 week program at 4 days a week and running at least 30 km a week. Exception on the running for trimming for the half marathon trail run on April 8th and recovery. Bulking – Still trying to eat the same calories and plan ahead, but I’m going to try to hit my goals without eating as much sugar. Easter Candy and Hershey Kisses are not a great way to hit your macros. Bob’s got the pasta for my pre-race dinner: Hobbies – Crafting/building. I’ve recently gotten some projects done around the house and I want to keep going. I have an outdoor garden to set up for the Mrs. and a bench to restore. Finances – I’m going to sell off a few things for a couple bucks on Craigslist. We need some furniture as well so I’m going to try and bargain hunt there as well. See if I can find some free stuff and put it back to #2 and polish it. Wait… I didn’t phrase that well. Long-term goals – I’m hoping to see a bit more progress on my size this 4 weeks, but I don’t have too high of hopes with the half marathon at the end. I think my bulking goal is going to have to be a year of bulking trying to get into the groove. My wife and I are also still keeping an eye on houses and might break our lease to spring for something if we fall in love with it. At the very least we can go to open houses and learn more about the areas nearby. CAN WE FIX IT?

Hey! I'm going for a chiseled, well-muscled look. I would like to lose some 10-13% bodyfat and I would like to build muscle. I've seen people say that you cannot do both at the same time, and I'm wondering what I would change about my diet and exercise habits depending on which I decide to do first. Seems like the most obvious thing would be to cut the fat first, but maybe not. Thoughts? I'm not worried about weight so much as body fat, understand. I want my muscles to show up more (and less obvious cellulite on my buns and thighs would be nice). My current nutrition: just a balance. I'm trying for a 40-40-20 (protein-carbs-fat) split, but my calories always come up very short despite getting enough protein, carbs, and fat. I'm only taking in around 1,000 calories (not on purpose...it just happened when I cut out processed and fast food) but I've read in various places that to sustain a less active lifestyle than mine I need at least 1,500... My current exercise: I go to the gym 4-5 times/week to strength train (6-8 exercises w/ +/-12 reps), hoop shoot for cardio, and walk across my college campus (which includes multiple stairways). On my off days I walk and do at least one 4-minute HIIT round. Usually I end up doing 3 rounds of HIIT. I don't even know if my current habits are for muscle building or weight loss. I have a body type goal, but at the start just healthy habits were an important thing to establish. tl;dr What do I even want to do?!

Alright, this is it. This is the one. No more excuses. Hi. This is me. (Warning: Shirtless chubby/fat 20-year-old) Looking at those pictures is painful. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not in the best shape in the world. Certainly not the worst, but definitely not where I need or want to be. At twenty years old, I'm ashamed of my body. That's enough reason for me to want to change. Main Quest Over the next six weeks I am going to build a strong foundation for better physical health. At the moment I don’t have much going for me physically. I'm incredibly weak for my age. And while I’m trying to improve my diet, I’m not as consistent as I’d like to be. With that in mind, here are the steps I want to take: No more sugary drinks. My liquid intake will be restricted to straight water, unsweetened tea or sugar-free flavored water packs. Start a bodyweight exercise routine. I don’t really have a whole lot going on in the upper-body department (as you can see), so I think it’s time to finally start incorporating some upper-body workouts. I haven't decided what my routine will be yet, but I'll keep everyone posted on my progress. Keep up with my cardio. At the moment I try to run at least three times per week. I'm usually pretty good about keeping with my schedule, but I'll often find myself slipping up and not going here and there. I want to stick with it and try to build my endurance. Right now I'm using the Zombies, Run! app on my phone to track my progress, and use it as a motivator.Life Quest It took a lot of thinking, as there are so many aspects of my life itself that I want to improve, but I finally settled on something. Over the next six weeks, I want to read--and write about--at least five non-fiction books. I've only really just began seriously delving into non-fiction, and I have a whole stack of books that I’d like to read over the course of the next six weeks, starting with Fabric of Freedom by Esmond Wright. I feel non-fiction will help me broaden my horizons and help me finally delve deeper into things I've always been interested in. Motivation I’m doing this because I want a better tomorrow. I'm always the guy that looks forward to the future, who dreams about all the possibilities life can throw at me. And I want a tomorrow where I can look into the mirror at the end of the night and say 'yes, today I worked hard, learned something I didn't know before, and did something to benefit my future.' I’d be lying if I said I’m not doing this for vanity’s sake too. I want to look good for other people, and I want to feel and know that I look good. I’d like to be able to fit into those clothes I like, and wear them well enough to be noticed.