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Hello everybody and welcome to my Challenge Thread. This is my third Challenge and my second Challenge as a Warrior. We dropped a little bit of weight in the last Challenge and got exactly to the goal weight. However, in further reading, I found out that I am at the point where I should be starting a cut, not finishing. Therefore, this thread is about leaning out. Hence the title: Sam Ashen the Chisel! Here are my current stats, along with mid-term goals: (Format: Stat / Goal units) Age: 42 / 43 Earth years Height: 177 / 177 cm Weight: 86 / 82 kg Waist: 86 / 79 cm Neck: 39 / 40 cm TM Bodyfat: 16.5 / 9.8 Percent TM Fat Mass: 14.2 / 8.0 kg By mid-term goal, I mean beyond the 6-week Challenge Cycle, but within the next year. As time goes on and goals are met and circumstances change, these goals will be adjusted. I plan to revisit them once per Challenge Cycle. TM means tape measure. It is what I have the easiest access too. For comparison, I had a skin-fold measurement a few weeks ago and an in-body measurement. The skin-fold measurement came it at 17.0% and In-Body came in at 18.0%. So the numbers are consistent. The main thing is to get the waist measurement down a bit and see how it affects performance. Here are my mid-term strength goals: (Format: 1RM / Goal (3RM / 5RM) units) Squat: 134 / 148 (134 / 125) kg Bench Press: 102 / 111 (100 / 95) kg Deadlift: 184 / 202 (182 / 173) kg Snatch: ??? / 61 kg Clean and Jerk: ??? / 84 kg The increases in the power lifts are based on a 10% gain over my current PRs. The new 3RM is based on 90% and the new 5RM is based on 85% as a reference to suggest that we are getting close. Goals in the Olympic Lifts are based on 100% of current Push-Press PR and approximately 75% of current Push-Press PR. Here are the goals of the current Challenge: 1. Leveling the Diet: A. Keep tracking the macros daily. It has been working! B. Keep prepping the next day. Eggs are my friends! C. Six Days on target. One Day off! D. One boxed-meal per week for supper. Five per week for lunch. 5 Balance Bars. We have to work with it. Sorry. E. Evaluate once per week, on Friday. This determines what I can on on Saturday! F. Weigh-in on Saturday morning. G. Try 3 new Recipes. Slowing down just a little. 2. Make those weights move! A. Work through Back Squat, Front Squat, Bench Press, Rowing, Overhead Press, and Deadlifts once per week. B. Work a 10 to 12-Rep Volume cycle once per week. C. Work a 3 to 5-Rep Intensity cycle once per week. D. Practice the Olympic Lifts once per week. E. Don't forget to stretch and roll! 3. Try not to get Brutally Killed Out there! A. 100 Burpees per day. Record time. PR is 9:24 <------The Gauntlet! B. Try 3 new body-weight HIIT routines. C. Fran pwned me. I demand a re-match! Time 10:48; Pull-ups were terrible. D. The floor is open: Give me a Cross-fit WOD to try! 4. The Scouts Miss me! A. One run per week, 5000m or more. B. 5k run on June 27. Last year's time was 28:36. 5. Putting the "Nerd" back into "Nerd Fitness!" A. See 3 new movies. B. Play one computer game from start to finish. C. Play one Fighting Fantasy Gamebook. Other physical goals, not listed in this Challenge: (Currently optional, but listed) A. Learn how to do a Muscle-up. B. Learn how to do a Hand-Stand Push-Up. C. Learn how to do Pistol Squats. Other goals not listed, but here for reminder. (Currently optional, but listed.) A. Clean the house. Keep up with maintenance. B. Upgrade the Armor! C. Download Tapatalk on my phone! And smack in the middle of this 6-Week Challenge Cycle, I have a trip planned: In early July, I am spending a week or so in Calgary and catching the Stampede! I will also plan a couple of excursions. One of them will be to Yellowknife and I will get to experience the near-arctic in the summertime. I am sure all of this will be very exciting. So this means this Challenge has 32 days! I will get the 5k run in, then have a few days to do some work. Then I am doing lots of flying. I will definitely lose a few days. When I get back, there will be only one week remaining in the Challenge. I am up for suggestions what to do with the ten days of travelling. Body-weight work can be done. Weights would be subject to gym access. The other fun part will be quite like enjoying fair food. I wonder how much weight I will gain on the trip. Based on this, I might just start a week early. No theme yet. Sorry about that. It looks like a lot. I am just wordy. Substance is to be determined. Pictures will be taken on Saturday. EDIT: 100 Burpees for time. Got 9:06. DING! PR

OK, so last challenge I tracked the heck out of everything, made some tweaks, and had great success. Time to build on that! There are a couple more tweaks I want to make to diet and general health, and then two specific workout moves I want to be able to do for real. So here we go: 1) Don't purchase alcohol to bring home. Last challenge it turned out that it's way easier to not bring alcohol home than it is to not drink it once it's in the house. So I can still have wine with a dinner out, but not at home. Not even on weekends (!) (0 times = A, 1 time = B, 2 times = C, 3 times = D, 4 times = F) [Wis +2, CHA +1] 2) In bed by 10pm (+/5 minutes) In my end-of-challenge summary, I said that sleep wasn't really under my control, since it depends on which kids wake me up in the middle of the night. But there is something I control: when I get into bed. I don't have to be asleep by 10 (that would not really be possible), but I should be in my PJs and in bed at that point--whenever I stay up later it's never to do anything productive, it's usually just playing games and snacking. Both things I could do less of. This won't apply to the two weekends where I'll be at conventions with friends, which will happen twice during the challenge period. Full points if I go over less than 6 times (avg once a week), half points if I'm up too late less than 12 times (twice a week), no points for more than that. [Con +1 STA +1] 3) Prisoner Get-up Yeah, I want to be able to do those, five in a row. The only part of the move I can't do is the full sit-up--if I try, I end up having to kick my legs out to get leverage. Suck. So I'm going to be working hard on sit-up progressions this challenge. I can do crunches and flutter kicks, but not even a single un-assisted sit-up. So every time I have a workout, I'm going to work on moving from crunches to sit-ups. I know I used to be able to do them in college, so I can get back to them. I get full points if I can do 5 of these at the end of the challenge, one less point for each less rep. [sTR +3, DEX +2] 4) Full burpee http://darebee.com/exercises/burpees-exercise.html And I want to be able to do these, at least 5, maybe 10. The issue here is doing the full push-up. Right now I can kinda do four, but they're really shaky. So time to level up! Each workout day, I'll do as many full push-ups as I can, then switch to knee pushups until I can't do those, then inclines. I'll also do incline pushups during my breaks at work. I get full points if I can do 5 of these at the end of the challenge, one less point for each fewer rep. [sTR +3, STA +2] So every day that I get to do a workout, my RipDeck will be loaded this way: Sit-ups (start by trying situps, then move back to crunches) Squats (to help with the squat-jump portion of the burpee) Pushups (start with full pushups, then knees, then inclines) Four-count burpees (without the push-up or jump) All that, combined with maintaining a food log and continuing meditation practice should make some really good progress, both on feeling like a functionally fit person and getting back to my 120lb target weight (currently weighing in at 127). I also picked squats, push-ups, and sit-ups as part of my mini-challenge exercises, so we'll see what my progress gets to be! Looking forward to seeing what everyone does and what the mini-challenge has to offer!

I wasn't going to do a challenge this time, because I get so down about challenges so often but I just need to suck it up. Suck it up, do more conditioning and stop being a f*cking wuss about it I hate doing conditioning work and will wuss out of it even in pole dance classes. I just need to suck it up and do some, because it will make me a better lifter in the longer-term. The aim is to do something three times a week. Probably forcing myself to do burpees after a session but entirely open to suggestions (with the caveat that I won't promise to take up any suggestions). I'll allow conditioning sessions thrown at me in pole class to count. Scoring: A - 18 sessions B - 15 sessions C - 12 sessions D - 9 sessions F - 6 sessions or less +2 STA +1 CON +2 DEX Suck it up and teach lifts the way my examiners want me to I'm doing a fitness instructor course and I had my free weights training day today and I really loathe how they want me to teach lifts, but I have to just suck it up and do it their way even if their way is stupid. This one is just a pass/fail based on whether I pass or fail the course. +2 WIS +1 CHA Suck it up and keep moving For those of you who don't know, I've had an ongoing glute and lower back issue since December. It doesn't stop me lifting, but it's painful at times when I'm not actually lifting. It's a right bugger for pole dancing, as it has made some moves really difficult. I need to stick to doing some sort of mobility for it once a day and trying to work in what my physiotherapists have told me to do (some of it is still appropriate, some less so). Yoga counts for this, as far as I'm concerned, but usually still have to sit on a lacrosse ball before or after! A - Erryday physio/mobility shizz B - 5/7 days per week C - 4/7 days per week D - 3/7 days per week F - 1-2/7 days per week +2 DEX +1 WIS Suck it up and help someone else on their way Pick two recruits who want to be warriors and support them during their first challenge. Post regularly on their challenge threads and try to be helpful. A - Posted on each of their threads at least twice a week B - Posted on each of their threads at least once a week C - Posted on each of their threads at least once a fortnight D - Posted only twice during the challenge F - Not found anyone or posted anything (Whilst I'll try to be helpful, it may just be prompting them to come back and finish the challenge if they disappear.) +2 WIS +2 CHA ETA: My current weekly schedule looks a bit like this: Monday - Ashtanga yoga Tuesday - Lifting Wednesday - Pole dancing Thursday - Lifting Friday - Hot vinyasa yoga Saturday - Lifting Sunday - Pole dancing

I am a newbie, wannabe Ranger. But have been doing a lot. I work in Federal Law enforcement running around in the desert and mountains. I also am a CrossFit LV1 and LV 2 coach with 5 other certs. Why do I hurt? Well...last night I did the "Prison Workout" with a twist. You do 25 burpees, jog 25 yards then do 24 burpees and so on down to 1. The twist is that I added 10 sit ups per round. It comes out to 350 burpees and 250 sit-ups in just under 40 minutes (for me anyway) I had some athletes beat me by a few minutes and a few athletes take up to 55 minutes. Either way, it hurt. During the challenge I have a few goals. Modify my diet to cut out most "bad" carbs and sugar Up my cardio and get leaner. I lift weights, but for cardio, I lift weights faster. Stay off of the Copenhagen snuff. It's been 5 weeks since I had one, but the temptation is still there. So in general, I want to be a bad ass Ranger and keep up with the youngsters (I'm 44) Look forward to hearing from you all.

This really should have been a theme for my last challenge, but whatever. Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl was a very long running manga series in Japan from 1986 to 1993. It was also adapted into an anime. I've read the first 20ish issues (~3 volumes) of the manga and it's funny. I should finish the rest (see below). Compete in the Kata Competition This one is pass/fail, though if for whatever reason my partner ends up bowing out and I can't go with anyone else, I will void the goal. He's pretty motivated so that shouldn't be a problem. I am wary of goals that depend on someone else. The tournament is in March so we're spending March break working on kata until we dream about it. Try to do some randori with someone significantly stronger/larger than me at least once per week x/5 I'm excepting March Break from this. There are no formal classes over March Break and we'll be working on Kata only. This one perhaps requires explanation. I tend to either work with the younger ones closer to my size or shy away from working with the big guys in Randori. I'll go in for ne waza with the big guys anytime but I really don't work with the bigger guys in Randori. People bigger than me force me to use technique instead of muscling them around like I can with some of the people closer to my size. Burpee Challenge with the Judo Guys (x/2015) 4 of them have signed on so far :-) Read at least 3 times per week (x/18) The last challenge has demonstrated that I really do not make the time to read anymore. I'm not even putting a time limit on this. Suggested reading: Kodokan Judo, Mind Over Muscle, Yawara Manga for something lighter. Bonus goal: Practice Guitar 4x/week for 15 min. Decide whether to continue and look into getting my own. The course I'm taking recommends this for beginners. Had to borrow Yui from K-On! For this one.

Silent Jay's Beast Mode Challenge Overview / Motivation: Ramping up from my respawn challenge. Made some good progress over the past 6 weeks, but need to elevate to the next level and rebuild the fire inside. In life, I have been wound pretty tight over the past several months and need to channel the resulting stress, frustration and anger into something more healthy and productive. The biggest hurdle for this challenge will be the need to get the workouts in each morning since after work is a bit chaotic in terms of spending time with family, baby duty, and school. The weight training component will be based on the Body Beast routine – I think this goes a bit against what NerdFitness is all about in terms of more natural movements, etc., but personally I feel like I have been doing the same type of routine for so long that it is feeling a bit stale and I need to introduce a new dynamic. The 90 Day routine should provide more structure and accountability and help rebuild my routine. Main Quest: This quest will go beyond this challenge (and probably the next few), but my main quest is to hit the following benchmarks in strength and dexterity/stamina: · Bench Press 300 lbs. · Squat 300 lbs. · Complete 20 Pull Ups · Complete 20 Minutes of Hill Sprints (NerdFitness Academy: Ranger Quest) Side Quests: Average 4 Weightlifting Routines per week Points Potential: STR +5 Grading: A= Average 4 lift per week B= Average 3 lifts per week C= Average 2 lift per week F= Average 1 lifts per week Complete daily static stretching & 5 Lumosity Training Sessions per week Points Potential: CON +2, WIS +3 Grading A= Average daily stretching and 4 Lumosity Sessions B= Average 90 % daily stretching and 3 Lumosity Sessions C= Average 80 - 89% daily stretching and 2 Lumosity Sessions D= Average 70-79 % daily stretching and 1 Lumosity Sessions F= Average <70% daily stretching and 0 Lumosity Sessions Complete ’14 Days to 100 Burpees’ Challenge from the Coach App & Average 2 Heavy Bag Routines per week Revision: Dropped Heavy Bag Routine from 3x to 2x a week Points Potential: STA +3, DEX +2 Grading A= Average 2 Heavy Bag Workouts and Complete Burpee Challenge B= Average 2 Heavy Bag Workouts and Complete 90% Burpee Challenge C= Average 1 Heavy Bag Workouts and Complete 80% Burpee Challenge D= Average 1 Heavy Bag Workouts and Complete 70% Burpee Challenge F= Average <1 Heavy Bag Workouts and Complete 60% Burpee Challenge Life Quest: N/A for this Challenge Points Potential: N/A Grading N/A Initial Stats (2/22/2015) Race: Human Age: 30 Height: 5’10†Weight: 184 BMI: 26.4 Body Fat %: 14.1% Waist: Hips: Chest: Bicep: Thigh: Calf: Neck:

Today we celebrate the birthday of a person who doesn't get older; he gets better, he levels up. Someone who doesn't count years but burpees, and make those burpees count. Someone who took up the mantle of Guild Leader and turned The Monks Guild into the best guild in the Nerd Fitness Forums.* Someone who represents the embodiment of the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. Someone that, despite his everyday life, takes the time to read and give an insightful reply to every thread, almost every day. Someone who, if we give him any presents, would say that they don't really mean that much to him. But that he rather enjoy the realization that he has so many great people in his life who really love him and are thankful for his job and just for the fact that he exists.* Someone that I'm proud I met and that I can call him not only a friend, but a brother in arms. Happy Birthday, Kishi! Let us celebrate the occasion with what we do best: exercise A GIF PARTY SIDE QUEST 2.1: Let's have as many pages in this thread as the years of awesome Ryan a.k.a. Kishi The Unspeakable *I haven't run this announcement through Staci or Steven, so we are The Unofficial Best Guild in the Nerd Fitness Community. *This means, of course, that you're not getting any tangible, real present. We're all poor monks, after all.

Main Quest: This quest will go beyond this challenge (and probably the next few), but my main quest is to hit the following benchmarks in strength and dexterity/stamina: · Bench Press 300 lbs. · Squat 300 lbs. · Complete 20 Pull Ups · Complete 20 Minutes of Hill Sprints (NerdFitness Academy: Ranger Quest) Side Quests: Average 3 15-20 Minute Weightlifting Routines per week · Will be based on core lifts (Bench, Squat, Deadlift and some auxiliary lifts) Points Potential: STR +5 Grading: A= Average 3 lift per week B= Average 2 lifts per week C= Average 1 lift per week F= Average 0 lifts per week Complete daily static stretching & mediation (Zen12 Program –12 minute guided meditations that I will listen to upon waking up or before bed Points Potential: CON +3, WIS +2 Grading A= Average daily meditation and stretching B= Average 90 % of both meditation and stretching C= Average 80 - 89% of both meditation and stretching D= Average 70-79 % of both meditation and stretching F= Average <70% of both meditation and stretching Complete ’14 Days to 100 Burpees’ Challenge from the Coach App & Average 2 Heavy Bag Routines per week · Still need to buy the heavy bag, but looking forward to working this into my routine as soon as it is hooked up! Points Potential: STA +3, DEX +2 Grading A= Average 2 Heavy Bag Workouts and Complete Burpee Challenge B= Average 2 Heavy Bag Workouts and Complete 90% Burpee Challenge C= Average 1 Heavy Bag Workouts and Complete 80% Burpee Challenge D= Average 1 Heavy Bag Workouts and Complete 70% Burpee Challenge F= Average <1 Heavy Bag Workouts and Complete 600% Burpee Challenge Life Quest: N/A for this Challenge Points Potential: N/A Grading N/A Motivation: Returning to the Rangers from a good challenge with the Druids where I tried to get my mind right and a greater sense of balance. Helped me get my head around some new tools to keep a cool head and beat down some of the stress monsters. Now it’s time to start to work lifting and some endurance work back in. Focusing on shorter lifts to start as my schedule has crushed me recently have I haven’t lifted since my wife’s maternity leave ended the first week of October, 2014. Thought long and hard about Steve’s post on ‘respawning’ and feel like this is my opportunity to start small and rebuild. Initial Stats (1/5/2015) Race: Human Age: 30 Height: 5’10†Weight:184.5 BMI: Body Fat %: 14.1% Waist: Hips: Chest: Bicep: Thigh: Calf: Neck: 15

Ok so some changes are going on for me. I am settling into my life here on the farm. My work as a Homecare Area Coordinator is taking off and doing well. The bus now picks my kids up from the front gate. I have a new phone so I can get reception at home. I am getting back on track with my healthy living. I have updated my profile, with a new picture and a new description. Part of the description are from my daily affirmations. I am going back to Thom from Tomas, the latter doesn't sit well with me for some reason. Over the past couple of challenges as I have been trying to get back into things I have been trying to workout ways to well, workout. This challenge I am going to try going 'primal'. I am using the basic exercise guide from Primal guru, Mark Sisson. I am using this article as the basis for my routine. So one day of sprinting, two days of heavy lifting and one day of Hiit. At this stage I am looking at Monday Sprints, Tuesday strength, Thursday Hiit, and Saturday strength. Sprints will be done up my driveway. Mark suggests 6 by 50 metre sprints with a few warm up jogs before hand. So that is the plan with these. The Hiit workout will be Burpees. I do actually enjoy burpees [yes I am a sick and twisted individual, and your point is?] so having a workout that focusses solely on them is a cool idea. Besides eight sets of burpees has to count as High intensity. I am looking at either doing a 30 second on and 30-60second off for eight sets. Or simply eight max rep sets with a minute in between. For my strength training I plan to do a combination of bodyweight, kettlebell and hammer exercises. I have missed the kettlebell and hammer work over the last challenge so I want to get back into them. Although my left elbow is still proving to be a nuisance and not liking pushing exercises. I am walking the kids to the front gate to catch the bus most mornings and afternoons. So I am still getting my driveway walks in, albeit at a slower pace keeping up with my Elaina who is six. With the new phone [iPhone 5S] I can get decent reception once again and can access MyFitnessPal without the much trouble. So I am tracking my food intake again. I am focussing more on my Macros rather than total caloric intake. I have been eating too many carbs over the past couple of months and need to cut them back. So MFP is back in. With weekly average Macros goals of Carbs 35%, Fats 35% and Protein 30%. I am also doing the Rangers mini challenges as always and the next installment of the RPG Fanatics Daemon Slaying adventure.

That's become my new mantra. I can keep going. I can keep growing as a person as long as I follow that one simple rule. Be a little braver today than I was yesterday. That's exactly what I'm going to do. My name is Jess. I'm 22 years old, class 1 obese and training to be an assassin. I did well in 2014. I made a great foundation with my health and fitness. I'm ready to graduate to an intermediate level. I know what to do now, I just have to do it, and stick with it. Train for Spartan Sprint The next two months are a little nuts for me. Next Sunday I am running my first ever half marathon. It’s a week away, there’s not really a whole lot more I can do about it, except finish the damn thing! I’m ready! However, when that’s done, on February 8th I am running my first spartan sprint. Yup. All 220 pounds of me. I’m ready to train like a spartan warrior! I have a list of things to work on: Specifically BURPEES. God I suck at burpees. I’ve tailored my level 4 training for my spartan race. Level 4 Training 30 Squats 15 Push-Ups 3 Assisted Pullups or 15 sec Hang 20 Burpees 20ft Army Crawl 20ft Bear Crawl 30+ sec Wall sit 30+ sec Plank Repeat. Do this 3x per week for an A in this category. + 2 DEX, + 2 STA Whole 30 I started my first Whole 30 on the first of the month, and I’ve already screwed up and had to start over twice. But you know what they say: third time’s the charm right? So I’m going to be finishing like a week or two later than the rest of my friends in my support group. It’s not a race. I’m just going to keep trying until I get 30 days in a row of clean eating, even if it takes me all year. Complete a Whole 30 in this challenge to earn an A in this category. + 2 CON, + 2 WIS Improve Flexibility There’s two aims to this goal, improve my flexibility, and just generally calm the fuck down. When I got back from camp, I was in a really good habit of stretching and meditating before bed and it made my sleep much better. I want to make this a permanent habit. Take some time each day, even if it’s only a few minutes, to stretch and meditate to earn an A in this category. +2 DEX, + 1 WIS Girl it up I’ve never had a ton of self confidence in my appearance. It makes me comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt, with a ponytail and no makeup. I really want to start putting more effort into my appearance because I think it’ll help my self confidence. I’m going back to school a week from tomorrow and I want to make a good impression. I also have a list of girly things I want to do/learn how to do: Wear makeup every day Coordinate a nice outfit for school everyday Accessorize things Start wearing earrings again Lean to french braid my hair Master liquid eyeliner Learn to do a smokey eye Be okay with buying clothes. It’s important. Walk out of the house feeling gorgeous and presentable every day for an A in this category. + 4 CHA How I’m going to do it: Identifying personal triggers I’ve been doing a lot of self reflection in the last two weeks. I’ve been trying to identify what makes me fall into this endless pendulum swing between being on fire and wanting to hide in my bedroom and ignore the outside world. It’s not something I’ve really wanted to confront, but now that I have I can make a conscious effort to fix things. Peer pressure I’m a total sucker when it comes to peer pressure. Somewhere there is a happy medium between hanging out with my friends, or completely skipping an outing because *gasp* they might want to go to a restaurant or go to the bar. I’ve gotten completely college-girl plastered these past two weekends. I ruined my whole 30 challenge twice because of alcohol and peer pressure. I’m getting too old for this shit. I don’t want to drink anymore. I went almost a year without it and didn’t really miss it. I don’t like it. I don’t like the empty calories. I don’t like having a hangover. I don’t like spending roughly a half day’s income on booze. I just don’t want to do it anymore. Work is not my life I repeat. I am not my job. Work is not my life. My job is a job and nothing more. I am more important than my work. I like going for a short run on my lunch break, but I’ve gotten into the habit of skipping it in order to do my daily paperwork during that time. I work through my only break in my 9 hour shift. Kind of bullshit when you think about it. I’m only full time at my job for one more week until I go back to school, but I need to stop letting work run my life. Be okay with screwing up I gained some weight since thanksgiving. About 10 pounds to be specific. And I’ve been pissed off at myself for it. But when I think about it... this year, I didn’t gain ten pounds. I’ve lost 30. That’s awesome. I can’t let 10 stupid pounds ruin the other 30. Hopefully this time next year, I’ll have lost another 30. I have a great network of people supporting me, but I get into the mindset of every time I screw up, that I’m disappointing the people who are supporting me. I feel like I’m letting myself and everyone down, and rather than face that I shut out my support system, be it NF, my friends, my parents, whoever. I’m human. I’m allowed to make mistakes. It’s always going to be a struggle. Nothing in this world that is worth having ever comes easy. I’ve just gotta keep reminding myself that. And that's that. Bring it on, 2015!

Here's a little back story: So, after a little over a year of paying attention (paleo diet, exercise, etc), I have gone from 198 lbs, to 133 lbs. However, I have had many recent changes in my life, and my personal goals have fallen to the wayside. I still stay active, do my "best" to make healthy choices, and log my food every day. I have also put my health to the back burner, and have been more lax with my diet. A recent bout of depression and the fact that I ended up losing my workout partner have simply compounded this. I had been eating bread (gasps), and have recently started breaking out into a rash/hives, and feeling generally crumby. I know that I have lost a decent amount of muscle tone, and I want to work on this, as well as being more loving to my body than I am lazy. I have figured out how to stay "thin" without trying to hard. It's time for that to stop. I do best when I challenge myself. I also know that the last time that I participated in one of these challenges, I simply set too many goals. Even though I championed most, I fell behind in a few others and beat myself up about it pretty horribly. All that in mind, I am going to set a few reasonable goals to get myself back on track. I have decided to go with a points based system, logging each day, and updating this at least once a week to keep on track. I will also measure once every two weeks to see my progress, and weigh at the beginning and end of the challenge. Food Nom-worthy Gluten free, and at very least an 80/20 ratio of healthy to nonsense - 10pts/wk Keep within 200 calories of food goal a day (I have a tendency to go too far under) - 10pts/wk Keep logging food like a champ - 10pts/wk _____________________ Exercise Goal 1 - Build muscle tone (100 push ups/day by end of challenge): Push up goals Week 1 - Do 25 , 2X/day @ least 5 days/wk - 25 points Week 2 - Do 30, 2X/day, @ least 5 days/wk - 30 points Week 3 - Do 35, 2X/day, @ least 5 days/wk- 35 points Point of no return (more than I have ever done before Week 4 - Do 40,2X/day, @ least 5 days/wk - 40 points Week 5 - Do 45,2X/day, @ least 5 days/wk - 45 points Week 5 - Do 50,2X/day, @ least 5 days/wk - 100 points_____________________ Goal 2 - Strengthen Core: Core Goals Week 1 - Plank 1X/day and post time - 15pts15 situps with 10 lb kettle bell - 15pts Week 2 - Plank 2X/day and post time - 15pts20 situps with 10 lb kettle bell - 15pts Week 3 - Plank 3X/day and time - post best time - 15pts25 situps with 10 lb kettle bell - 15pts Week 4 - Plank 4X/day - post best time - 15pts30 situps with 10 lb kettle bell - 15pts Week 5 - Plank 5X/day and time - post best time - 15pts35 situps with 10 lb kettle bell - 15pts Week 6 - Plank 6X/day and time - post best time - 15pts40 situps with 10 lb kettle bell - 15pts_____________________ Mind Goal 3 - Self Love:Flexibility Try a new yoga pose for meditation every week and post - 20 pts/wk _____________________ Rest Get at least 6 hours of sleep a night - + 5 bonus pts/day (this might be my biggest weakness, so I'm going to give myself more leniency, and chances for points... I get up crazy early, and am terrible about going to bed)_____________________ Scoring: 390 pts & Up- CELEBRATE YOUR BADASSEDNESS320-380 pts - CHAMPION250-310 pts - APPRENTICE>250 pts - QUITTER So after the first week, it would appear that I need to make some changes to my goals, as I am much more weak, and more out of shape than I would like to admit. I am modifying my goals to do this routine 5 days/wk instead of 6, as I need more time for my puny muscles to recover. I also need to modify the ammt of pushups I will be doing, as it appears I am farther behind on this than I would like to be. Make no mistake, I am still going to push towards 100/day by the end of this challenge, but initially, I am going to have to baby step this >_< Let's start off with my progress to date: ​​Week 1 YOGA POSE FOR THE WEEK: BRIDGE POSE DAY 1 (MON PM)2X 25 PU Tot PU= 502X 15 SU W KB39 SEC PLANK1X 15 LR, 1X 12LR1X 10 SQ, 1X 2 SQ W KBPOST HR = 98Pro: 104 cal under, 14% CarbsCon: Smoked 1 cig, 16 oz Coke Zero DAY 2 (TUES - PM)1X 14 PU, 1X 6 PU, 1X 5 PU1X 15 PU, 1X 6 PU, 1X 3 PU (To failure) Tot PU: 491X 16 SU, 1X 21 SU W KB30 SEC PLANK1X 15 LR, 1X 9 LR2X 15 SQ W KBPost HR: 98Pro: 116 cal under, 20% CarbsCon: 20 oz Diet Sunkist DAY 3 (WEDS)1X 15 PU, 3X 10 PU, 1X 5 PU(To failure) Tot PU: 502X 16 SU W KB53 SEC PLANK2X 10 LR2X 12 SQ W KBPost HR = 112(No pauses during circuits)Pro: 42 cal under, 14% CarbsCon: Smoked 2 cigs, 12 oz Coke ZeroBonus: Found allergen free low carb cookies for work munchies... Woot! DAY 4 (THURS)Day off to prevent injury (listen to your mother)Resting HR = 74Pro: 94 cal under, 17% carbsCon: 6ish oz Coke Zero, Fatigued​​ DAY 5 (FRI)Day off... SickResting HR = 85​​Pro: 16% carbsCon: Smoked 3 cigarettes, Sick (UTI) DAY 6 (SAT) - REST - FEVER33 SEC PLANK DAY 7 (SUN) - REST - FEVER30 SEC PLANK WEEK 2 DAY 8 (MON PM)2X 25 PU Tot PU= 502X 25 SU W KB39 SEC PLANK1X 20 LR, 1X 12LR2X 20 S W KBPOST HR = 128Pro: 96cal under, 20% CarbsCon: Smoked 2 cigs, 20 oz Monster Blue This week's score: (I am also giving myself 15 pts for pushups and sit-ups, as I did my very best and listened to my fitness obsessed mom and resting when I was really sick to avoid injury and allow myself to get better) Exercise = 30 pts Yoga = 20pts Sleep = 20 pts (Tues, Thurs, Sat, Sun) This week's score = 70points I have decided that my emphasis is going to be consitency, and not how much I can do. I know at this point that the hardest part for me is getting started. While I did need to take at least two days off this past week in order to get better from a UTI and to let my muscles heal, I didn't necessarily even mean to take 3 off. The simple truth is, that while it may have benefited me in the long run, I recognize that this means that my routine is far from a habit. What I am going to strive for is creating this habit. I have decided to add 10 extra bonus points for each day that I get up early and work out in the morning before work. This is something that I have been "meaning to do" for a long time. However, as this means getting up at 5 when it's cold outside, I have been dragging my feet. My new goal for this week is to get up and do this in the morning, as I tend to have better workouts, and to establish this as a new habit.Whatever I cannot complete of my workout in the morning, I will be doing in the evening. Hopefully this will help me improve more quickly, and I will be better able to meet my original goals.

I’ve got 9 weeks until the Super Spartan I signed up for. I am also moving to another country 3 days after that. So my main quest this challenge is going to be further preparing for the Super and I’ll have a little side quest of getting things done to prepare for my big move. It’s going to be crazy, I am going to be busy, time is going to fly by! Last challenge I had a rough go after the halfway point, it looked like this: Week 1: 87% Week 2: 87% Week 3: 80% Week 4: 40% Week 5: 53% Week 6: 67% So this challenge I am going to add an extra rule in order to hopefully motivate me to keep at it throughout weeks 4-6. I am going to have to a minimum of 80% each week in order to pass that week. If I don’t get 80% I fail and get nothing for that week. I think it will work because I love seeing my stat points increase. I also need to post notes everywhere to remind myself that if I don’t put in all the effort I won’t get the points. SO my goals this challenge…. 1. Workout 3x per week. (STR: 2 DEX:1) I am changing up my workouts a little this go round. I love Love LOVE lifting heavy things but I need more practice lifting and moving my own body around. Once I relocate I am 95% sure I won’t have access to (and won’t be able to afford) a gym and weights so I will have to get a bodyweight routine under way. Instead of only barbell training I am adding my pull ups back in as well as some serious burpee work! Oh and hand stand practice too!!! I will have to separate my workouts in to barbells and bodyweights because I don’t have time in the mornings for bodyweight stuff. AM – Squats & Deadlifts PM – Pull ups, Burpees, & Hand stands 2. Run 2x per week. (STA:2) I don’t overly enjoy lots of running but I still need to keep doing it in order to be able to run the Super. I’m dropping down to 2 runs per week and I am pretty sure all the burpees from goal 1 will add some extra conditioning too. I will be doing 1 hill sprint type run and 1 long trail run each week. 3. 6 cups VEGETABLES every day. (CON:2 CHA:2) I had a food goal last challenge and I sucked at it….mostly because it was too vague and I allowed myself to throw in too many ifs, ands, and buts. This time I am really simplifying it. I am not sure if 6 cups will be way too much so I may tweak this goal after a few weeks. The plan with this goal is to eat all the veggies first so that I will be satisfied enough not to want any other snacky crap later on. 4. Post in my NF Academy battle log 4x per week. (CHA:1 WIS:1) I love the NF Academy women and have been slacking on my interactions with that forum. I want to keep this a big part of my life because it is a huge motivation for me to keep conquering my goals. When I am actively participating in the forums I am very successful with my goals so this should be a win/win. And then to prepare for my big move…..(WIS:2) - Change all addresses so my mail doesn’t get lost - Sell my futon - Sell my truck...stupid truck sell!!! - Move my horse and my dog :’( - Get extra insurance - Pack/purge more crap This is all stuff that needs to get done and in order to motivate me to get it done sooner rather than later (when I will be panicking) I am going to give 1 point for every 3 things I get done. Mini Challenge: I am going to participate as much as possible as long as it isn’t interfering with my other goals. So here we go again! LETS DO THIS!!!! **Any suggestions, critiquing, and comments are appreciated**

Since I love getting a great start at the beginning of a challenge run, I'm going to do the best possible thing I can do to make the first week a week of a resounding success: go to a martial arts bootcamp at a beach site and relinquish control over my timetable to two crazy trainers who enjoy making us do push-ups in the water (in full gear of course) just a tad bit too much.[1] Oh, and what better place to write a PhD application to, well, anywhere-not-here than by putting us in straw huts with no electricity or paper whatsoever? Doesn't that sound great? … Okay, so now you know where my first week is going, let's talk about week four: the 50-year celebration of our martial arts branch in Germany and Europe, and we're hosting the event. Some 600+ people are expected to come. It's gonna get crazy. Not just that week, but also the weeks before, as everyone from our school slowly loses sanity and gives in to paranoia. Oh, and did I mention that the other Singapore application is due by end of June, right around the 50-year celebration above? … So yeah, by the looks of it, this challenge too is dominated by the "important and urgent"… and not the "important but not urgent", which is where I'm trying to get to. So, taking into account that I don't (realistically) have a lot of say in what I'll be doing, I'll be working on the small things which I can choose to do, in between everything else. In detail: Challenge Goals Burpees, burpees, burpees. To misquote a case study from Made To Stick: “Why are challenges successful? It's because of three things: Burpees, burpees, and burpees.â€[2] Therefore, I pledge to do (number of week) × 5 burpees per day, minimum. Convict Conditioning. I've been on and off CC for the whole of my NF career. If there is one major downside to this program,[3] I'd say that it is intimidating to restart if you've slacked on it for some time. (At least for me that's the case.) Therefore, I pledge to do round_up((number of week) ÷ 2) sets of at least one repetition of a CC exercise, one CC exercise per day. Both of these goals aren't exercise goals in the common sense, they're willpower goals. They're supposed to get me used to exercising regularly again. Therefore, while there is a steady increase in load (# of burpees/sets), right now I don't care about e.g. having at least 8 reps per set or so. Just that I show up and do the work, no matter how shitty it is. Side Quest Benjamin Franklin's 13 virtues. In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin outlines 13 virtues he practiced to achieve moral perfection. I pledge to practice the 13 virtues according to Franklin's system (with modifications to virtue #12, chastity, because it's based on religion and IMO thus outdated) over the next 13 weeks. Each week, I will focus on exhibiting that week's virtue, as well as all preceding weeks' virtues, taking note of where I have failed to do so. This means that for this challenge, I will be practicing the first six virtues: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality and industry. And yes, there is a steady increase in load here as well. Book 7/Conclusion Of Book 6 …will come sometime next week if I find internet access, and at the beginning of week two otherwise. 1I swear I'm not making this up and I'm not exaggerating. They really love making us do this sort of stuff. 2The actual case study is about a local newspaper with above-average readership. Original: “… asked why the [local newspaper] Daily Record has been successful, [founder] Adams replies, ‘It's because of three things: Names, names, and names.’†(Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Made To Stick. p. 42) 3I hear that not everyone is happy with CC's progression system, its steps and conditions for advancing. But I don't feel knowledgable enough in calisthenics to pass (useful) judgement here.

Kinda like... AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR! Or not. Here’s what’s up: I’m going to partake in the Gladiator Rock’n’Run on September 6th, 2014. I’ve gone back and forth on my commitment to this ever since I first discovered its existence a couple months ago, only to realize that I was going back and forth because I am scared. Scared that I will not do well, or that I’ll embarrass myself. Mostly scared that I’ll be competing alone though. (Anybody accessible to the Detroit area feel free to join ) Anyway, the time for scared is not today. My interest in an event like this has never wavered, only my commitment. Its time to straighten that out. Besides, what better way to get my friends and/or family to join me than by proving I am serious and just doing one?! So, I’m just gonna lay my plan out on the line, and begin rambling my explanations afterward. Goal 1: Feed the beast Calories = 1600/day [sTA 2]Protein = aim for 125g/day (I'm really aiming for 150g but 125g is acceptable) [sTA 1 CON 1]Carbs = try for less than 130g/dayGrading for each of these is going to be simply one point for each day/42 days total. Aim for lots of days. Goal 2: Sculpt the beast I have an aggressive workout plan. Here 'tis: Weekly Schedule:MONDAY – Strength workout followed by hill sprintsTUESDAY – Kickboxing sessionWEDNESDAY – Yoga with core and balance focus (like a rest day)THURSDAY – Strength workout followed by hill sprintsFRIDAY – Long runSATURDAY – Strength workout with core focusSUNDAY – Kickboxing sessionGrading is out of 42 days, point for each day I complete the scheduled workout. Aim for lots of days.Stretching and/or mobility work after each workout will get me... [DEX 1]Making gains of some sort during each strength workout will get me... [sTR 3]Progress with hill sprints will get me... [sTA 2] and increasing my long run each week will get me... [sTA 1] ... because endurance = winningEpic kickboxing sessions that include lots of technique and form practice will get me... [DEX 2]... because I hang out with the monks so I should be more monk-y Goal 3: Rest the beast Aim for 11pm bedtime – because sleep is nice. Most days 10:30pm works well for me, but too often lately I ignore the clock for no reason, which never results in a morning workout. Grading is out of 42 days, point for each day. Aim for lots of days. [CON 1] Goal 4 [Life Goal]: Entertain the beast Read all the things – this is meant to be a fun goal. I love to read. <<gross understatement. I will allow myself time to read anything and everything I want, as long as I complete my daily challenge requirements, including workout, meal prep, etc. I have fun reading to do, and also work reading to do, and I’m not going to specify how much of each to do. I’m hoping that by giving myself permission to read whatever I want whenever I want, I’ll not feel that feeling of being on a “diet†and only getting to read work stuff. There is no grading. It’s just for funsies. [WIS 1] Rambling Explanations: (because I said I would) Yes, my challenge is challenging. Here are some thoughts on that: ​I did a lot of reading (let's call it research) to prep for this challenge. I read blogs, books and articles to gather different perspectives on training, diet, motivation, etc. I always feel like I can't make up my mind on what I want to focus on for each challenge, which results in me hastily choosing a path, only to see a shiny new path appear before I've reached the end. As a result, I feel very confident with the path I've chosen this time, because I have a reason, a why, for doing each each thing.​One of the themes I've caught from some of my recent reading has been that people always want a quick fix, the best results with the least amount of effort. And while I realize that there is another end to that spectrum, of people going too hard too fast and burning out, I feel that personally, I ride to close to the "make it easy for me" line. I always have this goal and want to see that progress and want to accomplish these things, but I don't want it to be too hard. I seem to subconsciously subscribe to the view that there has got to be an easy way to do this, I just haven't figured it out yet. It's time to push myself outside of my comfort zone. It's squishy here, and I will remain squishy if I let myself remain inside my squishy comfort zone.​How will I find time for these workouts, and not burnout, if I do in fact manage to complete them all? Well, the subject of each workout is explained like so:​Strength workout follow by hill sprints = mainly the Beginner Bodyweight Workout, with slight modifications. But this will also include a specific focus on certain areas I feel will particularly help on the obstacle course. Hill sprints, because I've read numerous times that people wish they had done these before an obstacle course. So I shall. Kickboxing session = a nice long sweaty punchy/kicky fest, but also technique practice. I'll be viewing this more as a dojo visit, because I can't actually go to a dojo. I do apologize if I put off any of you Monks with formal training, but I simply cannot afford that right now, and I'd like to still do the best I can with what I've got, and improve my form and stuffs. Yoga with core and balance focus (like a rest day) = whatever I feel like my body needs, be it stretching/flexibility stuff. A take it easy kind of workout. Long run = self explanatory. Don't be mad when my long runs aren't very long. The race distance is 6k so that's what I'm working towards.Strength workout with core focus = insert core exercises in place of hill sprints. Not sure which will suck more the next day. I'll keep you posted. So stay tuned, but beware. There will be much complaining, so much soreness, very loud music, cold showers, and burpee hate. Maybe some food porn? Yes, I am a little bit crazy. To prove it, I will owe myself 20 burpees for each day I skip a workout. Shout out to the 13th letter.

IT'S BAAA-AAAAAAACK. Hey Monks! Harris here...now flying under the callsign PointyEnd. To remind me to keep things simple. First lesson: STICK 'EM WITH THE POINTY END. DUH. Sometimes the simplest lessons are the hardest to follow. It's been awhile, Monks. After making quite a bit of progress with help from y'all at NF last year, I've been largely a slug for a great while. Doing some swordfighting and fencing, sure, but not with any kind of sustained diet and exercise plan behind it. And it shows. So, back to basics. GOAL: Make the body engine run better. Here's the four-point battle plan. 1. STRENGTH Twice a week, do an exercise routine from the following: -Gym: 5x5 bench and squat, pull-ups, box jumps, military presses -Home: 3x5 pull-ups, 3x5min jumprope, 55 burpees (10+9+8+7+6+5+4+3+2+1) That's it. Simple. But it can and will kick my ass, as I have discovered in the last couple of weeks of getting back to lifting/conditioning. I may add deadlifts, if I can figure out how to do them properly. I don't have a trainer, and I'm nervous of doing them wrong. 2. BALANCE Twice a week, do one of the following things: -Sword class -Fencing practice -Yoga class -1/2 hour mobility work at home That's it. If I go to both fencing and swords every week, I'll meet this goal. *rolls eyes at delinquent self* 3. MOTION I moved from a rural outpost into the middle of town last fall, and immediately dropped my mile-a-day walking routine. Probably because every time I walk down my street, I have to talk to people. Hah! That's no excuse. I have discovered the secret of obtaining permission for antisocial behavior, O my brothers, and it is HEADPHONES. Also. It so happens that there's a little family piece of land right outside of town. Which I should be checking in on, because I am responsible for it and stuff. And the walk there is about a mile, round trip. So: Mile walk. To the land. Every day. With yon headphones on to fend off chatty neighbors. And every day I will snap a picture there and share it with y'all. It will be a very exciting picture for awhile, full of exciting sticks and mud and things not growing. Whee. 4. FUEL (A.K.A. THE EGG TAX PLAN) I need to eat more protein. I need to eat fewer starchy grainy things and less booze. I've run into some trouble doing the no-grain and/or no-booze diet thing. I tend to do it well for awhile then fall off the wagon spectacularly. So I'm trying something new: The Egg Tax. The Egg Tax is simple. I will boil a big pot of hard-boiled eggs once or twice a week. Every time I eat something on the grain-booze continuum, I have to eat an egg. Beer? Eat an egg. Piece of pizza? Eat an egg. Bottle of wine? Eat a bunch of damn eggs. I'm either going to quit my bad cornflakes habit in a hurry, or I'm going to eat a huge pile of eggs. Either way I win. NF seems to have dropped the stat points thing since I was around here last. But other folks seem to be using it. Maybe I'll award stat points if I pass this challenge. Gonna worry about passing before I worry about how much STR or CON or WIS or whatever is in all those eggs. EXCELSIOR. P.S. I am down for burpee side challenges if other Monks are. I love those goddamn things. Ask Kishi.

The Shadow Lion Laughs at Burpees... Recap of motivation and commitment from last challenge, as it also applies to all of 2014: This is my year of "Becoming the Shadow Lion" 1 ) The Shadow Lion is a sleek, strong, and supple ranger with lots of stamina. STR-1 STA-3 DEX-1 (Final Revision, Feb. 26, 2014) A) The Shadow Lion LAUGHS at Burpees! STR-1 STA-2 Mix and match my progressive home burpee sessions and CrossFit classes for a total of four workouts per week. By the end of this challenge, I will do 55 standard burpees with good form, divided into three sets or less, in under 30 minutes including rest breaks. This is in response to learning of, and in preparation for, a tradition at my box that everyone does n burpees on their birthday, n = said person's number of years on the planet. There is no time limit. Right now, I'm the oldest, slowest member of my box and my 56th birthday is in August. I started building up burpees on February 15, with a small circuit of 4 x 3 Burpees and 4 x 3 Knee Pushups done while doing household chores, 5-10 minutes active rest between each sets, 63 minutes total time. On February 19th, I did 5 x 4 Burpees with moderately good form, but still using knee-pushups, in approximately 21 minutes, with just under 4 minutes of rest between sets. Feb. 27 - 10/9/9 Burpees, 6:30 start intervals, 14:27 - Half of goal number and less than half the time for Phase 1; form fair, still doing knee-pushups How this fits with longer term goals: On August 22nd, I want to do 56 standard burpees with a few slick variations thrown in, at a better than 9 burpees per minute pace and with a smile on my face, to show the whippersnappers a thing or two. Did I mention that the Shadow Lion has a competitive streak? B ) Six 15 to 20 minute Mobility and Corrective Exercise Sessions per week. DEX-1 Areas of particular focus: Head and neck alignment, pelvic floor, hip flexors, feet and ankles, bone builders. I will emphasize listening to my body and respecting it's structural needs. Actively participate in "Upward Spiral" accountabilibuddy group and learn more about how to best counteract the amount of sitting I do. Find ways to apply the specific daily mobility work more generally throughout the day and increase my awareness of my body at rest and as it moves through space. Study my body as a tensegrity structure. Research alternate seating options at the computer, consider a walking workstation. Journal. Post. Measure, photos. If I attend an organized CrossFit class, this will count both towards A) above and as my mobility workout for that day. This is a concession to the reality of time constraints. C ) Slow ramp up on C25K. STA-1 Aim for 2 sessions per week, plus any necessary repeats, to be completed in a 16-18 week time frame. These are subordinate to A) above, and may be adjusted down to 1x per week if necessary for recovery purposes, but not for time constraints. 2 ) The Shadow Lion listens to and respects her body. She treats her body well and gives it what it needs. CON-3 WIS-2 (Final Revision, Feb. 27, 2014) I am finding that my exercise program is changing how I relate to food. I did better last challenge during those times I failed to log my food and simply paid more attention to what my body was truly hungry for. This requires discernment on my part and I need to stay alert for potential self-deception, but if I can pull it off, it promises a healthier, more intuitive, and satisfying experience of corporeality. I am also realizing that I sometimes use food as a substitute for hungers/needs in other areas of in my life. Those hungers/needs that are primarily physical and environmental will be addressed in this goal. Other types of hungers will be addressed in my side challenge. A ) The Grand Experiment in Intuitive Eating CON-1 WIS-1 The goal is to gradually improve my eating habits, in both quantity and quality of food eaten, by paying closer attention to my body's needs and signals. I will journal daily, at a minimum to foster my bodily awareness and quantify my progress. Awareness prompts: a daily morning "check-in" in which I determine how I feel based on the previous day's food and water intake, what intake would be appropriate for the new day's needs and activities, and what I can do to become a better caretaker of my body; periodic check-ins throughout the day, especially before eating anything, where I ask myself how I am feeling and if what I am about to eat is respectful and nurturing of my body, and if it furthers my long term goals; an evening review of how I did for the day. Journal entries may be writing focused, as in answering the above questions, or alternatives like body dialoguing, mind maps, or body maps/drawings/doodles. Key question before eating: "Would I feed a child of mine the way I am feeding myself?" Grading for this goal will be based on my consistency in making entries in my journal, by the amount of growth in my awareness, and by any increased ability to act on such awareness. Periodic use of a scale, photos, and measurements are permitted, but they are not primary. The primary focus is: "How do I feel in my own skin?" B ) Recovery, Rest and Relaxation CON-2 WIS-1 1) Keep to sleep schedule and get sufficient quantity of sleep - Bedtime is 12:30 a.m or earlier; get at least of 7 hours minimum sleep per night. If having insomnia related to hormonal issues, rest, meditate, or otherwise relax until able to get to sleep - Do Not Get On the Computer! CON-1 2) One day per week complete rest from exercise and one day of active recovery - But if need more rest, take it! WIS-1 3) Spend at least fifteen minutes per day outside - This is challenging during allergy season, but I need the sunshine and air! CON-1 The above will be documented on a daily basis in my body awareness journal and be graded in the same manner as 2A. Use of my heart rate monitor is fine, as are other forms of biofeedback. These will help me become more aware, too. It doesn't all have to be gooey intuitive. Gotta have some hard data... Ha! Fitness Side Quest The Shadow Lion is a Ranger and thrives in a natural environment. She lives in an orderly space. CON-2 (Final Revision, Feb. 27, 2014) 1) Get out of Dodge CON-1 Take at least two day trips this challenge that will get me out of the city and into nature. I sacrifice this too often in the name of getting ahead in my work, with the aim that it will get me out of the Valley permanently someday. Somedays don't always happen. Do it now. More time away = better, farther away = better. But any step in that direction is good. If time does not allow a complete escape, going to a nature preserve, botanical garden, park, etc. within the city limits for several hours will count as half a trip. 2) Order CON-1 15 minutes minimum per day of clearing out the cruft, every day. My clutter creates stress and gets in the way of productivity and enjoying life. Level Up Life Quest The Shadow Lion clarifies her goals and keeps her creative side alive. WIS-1 CHA-2 This is where I really get caught up in "Do All the Things!" Must find a way to focus and prioritize! That, or win the lottery, ha! 1) Take the Warrior Stance WIS-1 Read "The Combat Position: Achieving Firefighter Readiness" and make necessary preparations to work through the accompanying workbook "Fire Service Warrior Foundations" for next challenge Done 03/08 2) Make the Tough Call CHA-1 Do I go back and finish up the Fire Science Cert (was only 2 classes away from done, with a 4.0) or declare it deceased and move on? Have a definitive answer by April 6 and, if I choose to do it, have a next step determined and in place. Done 03/09 3) The Creative Grab Bag CHA-1 Complete any three items from below and share with accountabilibuddies. Art - One life drawing class, including homework, Done 03/10; make swatches and revise colored pencil palettes; make watercolor palette charts; one finished drawing Craft - Finish the damned shrug already! Finish WIP socks. Spin at least 3 oz. fiber into useable yarn. Indigo dye a shirt or some yarn.. Creative Renewal - Plan a getaway/vacation to San Diego to see the Joaquin Bastida Sorolla exhibit, plus have some general R & R while there. Fiddle - Find my misplaced edited copy of Theme from Schindler's List (or redo it). Relearn and memorize it. Guitar - Edit "Recuerdos de la Alhambra" and relearn and memorize it. Musicianship - Attend a concert, Done 02/27 (and another, 04/03); any mix of one dozen sightreading/ear training/sightsinging/dictation exercises Writing - Three installments/posts of "Shadow Lion" themed challenge. Writers' workshop and assigned homework, Done 03/26 . The specific, measurable steps that correspond to the above goals and objectives (as detailed in my Battle Log) will be graded with the standard A, B, C, D, or F system using the usual percentages.

Druids! The time has come to start a new mini-challenge. As always, you participate only to the extent that you wish, this is just to inspire and spice things up a bit during the ordinary challenge. Last time we did it differently, the consciousnesschallenge was very reflecting and introspective and it was amazing to share your thoughts there. This time we're inspired by all the friendships that exist here, we're all so different and yet we gather here and share highs and lows. Just like in the TV series Friends: For those of you that don't remember ( surely most of you do ?! ) ; here's a short description: Ross would be the nerdy nerd, interested in dinosaurs, shy and awkward but at the same time lovable and loving enough to get married all the time Monica would be the OCD nerd who has so many hangups regarding cleaning, organizing and how things SHOULD be in general.A´she somehow combines that with being a sun that the others are revolving around Phoebe would be the Druid, whimsical and just weird in general, interested in massage and a firm believer in parapsychological phenomena such as her mother reincarnating as a cat. As a contrast to that she used to live on the streets and knows how to defend herself very well. Joey would be the cool and happy nerd, with a massive passion for food (and women). There are so many things he doesn't know, and that's quite alright. He also has experience from being a tv-star. Rachel would be the passionate nerd, with an overflowing heart and a massive interest in fashion. Somehow she always manages to get herself into, and out of, embarrassing situations. Last but not least there's Chandler, who would be the computer nerd, constantly fighting for a healthier lifestyle - but seldom winning that battle. The master of jokes, and weird faces. And by the way, what is it that Chandler actually does for a living….? Find anyone to identify with? Our Friends all have special qualities, and weaknesses, that will inspire us during the next weeks...

This has been a rather infamous challenge in the martial arts and Crossfit community for years. Has anyone done it?

Quest for the Spartan Trifecta and Beyond! For the last year, becoming a member of the 2013 Spartan Trifecta Tribe has been the goal. Having completed two Sprints, and the Super, I am 2/3 of the way there. And, the Beast looms on the horizon. On Saturday, September 21, I will be attacking the 13 mile Beast at the Spartan World Championships in Killington, VT. And, upon crossing the finish line - that quest will conclude, and I will begin a new quest. That new quest will to be Spartan Up and get harder and stronger. So, I'm going to have to lift heavy things with endurance. I figure a good way to gauge that is by completing the 300 Workout. But, not just completing it. I want to complete it in under 30 minutes. More than likely, this quest will take longer than this 6 week challenge to complete. As of now, 50 pullups will take quite a bit of time for me to complete. And floor wipers kind of scare me since I have never completed one of them. In this post, Steve says that his fastest time for the workout was 46 minutes. I'm not sure if he's blown that out of the water since then, but because of that, I think 30 minutes is an aggressive goal. We shall see. The Goals for the Quest(s) will go hand in hand, however, and are similar to the structure of my last challenge. Main Quest Goals 1. Run at least 4 times per week. (+2 STA, +2 CON) 2. Lift/workoutTrain at least 4 times per week. (+2 STR, +2 CON) 3. Complete the World Championship Spartan Beast on 9/21 (+3 DEX) 4. Complete the 300 Workout to get a baseline time. (+1 STR, +1 CHA) Life Side Quest(s) 1. Apply what I learned in "Four Hour Work Week" into at least one project. (+2 WIS) <<---I'll post more details about this later. I've created another Goal Tracking Spreadsheet. And, here's The Motivation. Let's do this!

Dear People, My first adventure is over, here is the new one! It's a sick Natarella, that is talking to you here! Part of my adventures involved cycling to work (7kms = 4.34 miles one way) no matter the weather and I live in a cold, rainy country. Winter is coming… I am glad to be in Assassins' guild! I chose to be here because : - active and fun - guild leaders are actually really present to support people (thing that was totally lacking in the Newcomers "guild"… maybe an improvement can be made on this?) - because this challenge will be focused on fitness and specific bodyweight exercises I want to improve in (burpee, push-ups and pull-ups even if the 2 latest won't be evaluated in this challenge) A bit of background : I am fed up with having "lose weight" as an objective for the year. I want to have "learn Italian" "Get a certification in German language" "run a tough man race" " Do a burlesque show" I am pissed at having lost so much time… So I am going to do anything that it takes to drop the 2 size that are left with the hope to fulfil my main quest by the end of the 3rd challenge. I don't like it so I change it! Main quest : Fit in a French size 40 (US 10, UK 12) and drop weight to 72 kg (158 lbs) The thing is I don't want to go on a scale anymore because I'm always really upset when I do so. Action: find a way to measure my body fat the update my measurements by the end of this week. Challenge #2 main Goal: Fit in a French size 42 pants (US 12, UK 14) pair of jeans. I'll post a picture here at the end. My motivations (randomly) Health: Diabetes and heart blood pressure in my family…Sense of accomplishmentBe inspiring: I want to be a better ME, healthier, persistent and fitter. I want to be inspiring to my family and my friendsSelf-appreciation: I take care of myself because I deserve it Goal 1 : Uncrushing from processed sugar aka 1 serving max (100g) per week The war is not over even if several battles have been won. Eating paleo and avoiding processed carbs. Baby step policy is good and there'll be weeks where I'll have none. *******Ratings****** A. 1 serving processed carbs/sugar /week B. 3 C. 4. D. 5 E. 6 F. 6++++ To be sure that I will actually be eating healthy and not sabotaging by stupidly snacking, I will give 200 euros (265 dollars) to a political party I really strongly hate, if I don't fit in those pants. The idea that I might be supporting financially a political party that is against everything I'm fighting is simply sickening Every day without snacking, I mark the day in a calendar! Goal 2 : Strength training 3 times a week and Cardio training 2 times Same as in the past challenge, I want to be consistent in my fitness path - 2 Crossfit sessions a week - 1 ST alone - 2 Zumba / Spinning class I keep the ability to have 2 weeks of only cardio trainings to rest my muscles… as long as I train 5 times a week this is ok. ******Rating ****** A. 4 to 5 per week B. 3 C. 2 D. 1 E. 0 F.0 Goal 3 : 50 burpees in a row Crazy one. But requires a bit less preparation than training for pull-ups (that I wanted to originally set as a goal for the challenge but this requires at the moment too much preparation for me, as I have a side quest that is really time consuming so I'll occasionally train to it and will set it as an objective for next challenge) This is in addition with my trainings. I start today, day 1 with 8 burpees and day 42 I will be doing 50 burpees in a row. ******Rating ****** A. 1 missed-day B. 2 C. 3 D.4 E.5 F. 6+ EDIT : 21/09/2013 0h11 Life Goal: ♪ Relax take it easy ♪ aka do 1 relaxing activity (minimum 2 hours) I know, I was supposed to deal with job search but I don't want it to be rated here finally. After this horrible first week, I realised how I was not applying to myself what I actually preach : FUCKIN' RELAX SIS' ! I can't get over the end of my sweet holidays, full of paleo cookin', Crossfit and deadlifting ... but HELLO!! It's been 2 weeks now, so it's time to get back into reality and deal with it! So I decided that I would instead have as a goal : do a relaxing activity every week! Challenging because I don't take the time to rest, relax, nor chill. My weekends are busy until late in the night and start quite early... It is necessary - as I have to deal with a really weird period of transition (at work) and I am really unhappy of it - as my body is starting to resist to the life changes - as sugar cravings linked to frustration are back (they are 90% due to my situation of being in a job I don't like and not having signed yet the contract for the one I like and want ) Activities can be : Tai-chi, hammam, a walk / bike road in the woods, spa or massage, knitting (winter is coming) etc... ******Rating ****** A. 6 activities over the 6 weeks B. 5 C. 4 D.3 E.2 F. 1 Measurements on 16th September I'll take them at the end of the challenge Can somebody tell me how to upload pictures from my computer and my phone? Thanks!

Round 2: Snow vs. Krav Maga Belt Test Having successfully defeated her first battle (Snow vs. Graduate School), Snow has moved on to her next foe: the upcoming belt test. Now also dropping third person pronouns... Hey gang! As I described in my previous challenge, my gym is on the hardcore spectrum of Krav Gyms. During the last challenge I watched a level 1 belt test to see what I was signing myself up for and the result? I'm terrified. Between the 400+ burpees, countless squats, mud, the Disturbers, and being tased, it looked brutal. Motivation: This challenge is all about preparation. My belt test is on November 16th and I want to survive it with pride and sanity intact. Goal 1: Hit the Krav Gym 3x a week. As with my last challenge, you will be treated to amusing stories of my antics in the gym but with a BONUS: I'll be going not 2x but 3x a week! That's one extra story of hilarity and krav a week! 1 pt per class, total of 18 pts A: 18+ pts B: 13-17 pts C: 9-12 pts D: 4-8 pts F: <3 pts +3 DEX (as I will be working on reaction time and form, DEX seems appropriate) +2 STR (as I will my own body weight, some STR is warranted) Goal 2: Weekly burpee run. Part of what made the test so brutal was the constant muscle confusion that the test-takers were put through. For 3 hours they switched between strikes, burpees, sprints, more burpees, etc. and you could visibly see the constant switching breaking them down. To prepare, I will start organizing a weekly burpee run wherein you sprint/jog/run for about .2 mi then drop and do 10-20 burpees. Repeat this pattern for 2 miles. 1 pt per run, total of 6 pts A: 6+ pts B: 5+ pts C: 3+ pts D: 2+ pts F: <1 pt +2 STA (running 2 miles + ~150 burpees = stamina) +2 CHA (as I will take the lead in organizing this weekly adventure, I get to test out my leadership skillz) Goal 3: Burpees!!! 2500 total by the end of the challenge. This works out to roughly 59 per day but this won't be a daily challenge; I just have to finish 2500 by the end via whatever means necessary. A: 2500+ B: 1875-2499 C: 1250-1874 D: 625-1249 F: <624 +2 STR (shit, that's a lot of burpees!) +1 STA (so many burpees...) Life Goal: Read 4 papers a week/be at work before 8:30 4x a week. Last challenge I worked on my sleep habits and work schedule and definitely succeeded in improving my sleep habits permanently. It's now a habit to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. However, getting into work by 8:30 was still a challenge and I'd like to get to the point where it is automatic. I also need to read more papers (science journal papers) for work (PhD student). 1 pt per paper/work day before 8:30, 48 pts total A: 48+ pts B: 36-47 pts C: 24-35 pts D: 12-23 pts F: <11 pts +3 WIS ('cause I'm gaining smarts by reading papers and such) To keep me accountable, here's the excel spreadsheet where I'm tracking it all.

The Quest for the Spartan Trifecta The post with the goals lined out is a bit down the thread. Starting Stats The Motivation __________________________________________________________________ Alright. I think I like the changes to the challenges. I'm working on what my Main Quest should be. I'll alter the title to reflect the appropriate description when it is time. My thinking is this - my Main Quest has been to become a member of the 2013 Spartan Trifecta Tribe. By 9/8, I will be 2/3 of the way there - having completed in my second Sprint of the year, and my first ever Super. The Beast will be completed two weeks later. What is my next quest going to be? I'm not entirely sure yet. So, should I think up my next Main Quest (which I'm sure will have some sort of harmony with my current quest - in terms of what I need to do training-wise), or do I stay with my current Trifecta quest. And, publish a new Main Quest at the completion of that? I'm thinking I need to create a new one... but, what. shall. it. be?

I'm new to this site but I have joined this 6 week challenge along with my boyfriend so we can kick bum together haha. My Goals: Fitness Goals Bench press 40kg at 3 sets of 5 reps Currently I am able to bench press at 37.5kg, but it took me 2 months to get there from 35kg. I want to try to push through my plateau a lot quicker this time. 40kg would be a huge "bench" mark for me Do 8-rung monkey bars without falling off I have never been able to do monkey bars. Ever. It may seem small to a lot of people but if I can finally get across a set of these in a kids playground it'll guarantee my success in my upcoming Mud Masters event haha! Run 10km doing 7 burpees after every 1km in under one hour This challenge I am doing alongside my boyfriend. I'm good at running longer distances but need to improve my endurance under Mud Masters/Tough Mudder kind of conditions - that is, running these longer distances at a faster pace and with the strength and stamina to conquer each obstacle without slowing down in between. Life Goal Teach a Zumba class using 5 of my own choreographies So this weekend I completed the Basic Level 1 Zumba instructor training and am now a certified Zumba instructor! The easy part is over and now the hard work really begins. I want to be able to teach my very first class using 5 of my own choreographies within the next 6 weeks. The sooner the better because that means I can work on becoming a better and more confident instructor. So how do I plan to achieve all of this? It helps that I do a lot of training with my boyfriend, and as he is doing his own challenge for this we can help motivate and support each other. I have a training schedule which involved working out 6 days a week with 1 rest day. I also plan to practice my Zumba basic steps and choreography at for at least 20 minutes five times a week. To keep track of my workouts here is my Fitocracy link

My goals are based on two upcoming events: a 12km mudrun in August, and a four week backpacking trip through the Balkans. Therefore, my goals are as follows: Fitness Goals Hold a plank for five minutes (I can get to 90s with a struggle) Touch my toes while standing (at the moment I can only get to 22cm above the floor). Run 10km, and complete 10 burpees every kilometre, in under one hour (I have never run more than 8km before, so no clue about about this one. But 8km was tough). Life Goal: Learn enough Serbo-Croatian to be able to: introduce myself and my girlfriend (name, age, nationality, profession)describe directions to my house from the train stationwrite my weekly shopping list in Serbo-Croatian (using the latin alphabet)pronounce the Serbian Cyrillic alphabetAt the moment I know no Serbo-Croatian, and can pronounce about ten Russian Cyrillic letters. Tracking I will track all my workouts on my fitocracy profile, and post exercise updates here and mention how I am going with learning the language. I have had this week off exercise, so first thing Monday morning I will be back on track with a nice little warm-up run. Let's do this thing!