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Welp, I disappeared again during the May/June challenge after succumbing to a combination of fatigue / job searching and career stress / disruptive travel. Things have finally calmed down the past month or so, so I'm returning my focus to progressing my health and fitness. This challenge I'm just focusing on writing things down because I tend to make better progress when I track. Goals: Writing down food: Track my food on MFP at least 5 days/week (I started today and I am not definitely not getting enough protein 😬) Writing down workouts: Record my strength/skill training workouts. In theory I've written up a programme focused on unilateral squats and rebuilding my chin-ups, but sticking to regular workout sessions is the priority. Writing on NF: Update my NF thread at least 2x/week. Writing code: Work on a personal coding project at least 1x/week (after frantically upskilling all summer, I got burned out and haven't done much the last several weeks). I may try to make this challenge Shadowhunter (TV series) themed since Shadowhunter runes are all about written things giving strength and special powers, but for now I just wanted to start my challenge asap!

So by the end of the last challenge I was feeling a little like: NaNoWriMo is wrapping up. I already ordered my winner's T-shirt. Overconfident? Why yes, that's how I roll. And now it is time to focus my attention back on the business of gettingstrongerness. What I want out of this challenge: A bodyweight chin-up (strict) Consistent squat form near my max (correct my tendency to collapse forward and come up hips-first/"good-morning") Increased fluency in French (for funsies) Stronger immune system (everyone I know has a cold, the flu, or bronchitis right now!) To prepare for the battle of Agincourt Add chin-up progressions at least 3x/wk (leg drive, band assisted, or lat pulldowns) Add front squats to programming 1x/wk to improve low-bar back squat form Add creatine back into the mix, 5mg/day To prepare for peace with France: 4. Duolingo French practice target - 20 pts/day (current streak 118 days) 5. Continue daily Headspace meditation (current streak 82 days) To resist dying of common transmissible illnesses: 5. consume 1 c. homemade chicken broth/day 6. consume Airborne 2x/day

Well I grabbed my pull up bar in an under hand grip and to my surprise I pulled myself all the way up one step closer

I'll once again be training like a Jedi. Blast Shields and Wookiees are optional. Quest 1. Hand Balancing. +2 DEX Continuing from the last challenge, I'll be working on hand balancing skills with the eventual goal of doing a handstand. Last time I did a pretty good job with Crow Pose, so this challenge I'll be carrying that momentum through. For Quest 1 I will practice hand balancing (Crow Pose, Scale Pose, and Wall Planks) every day. Quest 2. Force Push(up). +3 STA, +1 STR That's right, more Pushups! As with my previous challenges, I'll be working towards my goal of 100 pushups in five sets. Last challenge I got to 82, which is making the end goal feel tantalisingly close. This time I'm stepping it up and going for a total 91 reps in five sets. I incorporate a Pushup test into my workouts once a week. Quest 3. Force Pull. +3 STR No, Kylo. You may not have that saber. My force push is moving along, but my force pulling abilities could do with some work. Last challenge I increased my Chin-up Flex Hold time to 27 seconds, now I'll be working on increasing my reps. My current AMRAP is 6 good Chinups, this challenge I aim to complete 10 Chin-ups with good form. Quest 4. Creating a Holocron. +1 WIS A Holocron is a mystical object that Force users create in order to store their knowledge and wisdom. I'm no Jedi Master, but I think it's a good idea to start recording and taking notes on my workouts. As I did last time, I will use this challenge thread to keep track of my workouts, including notes on progression (or lack thereof). Oh, and I'll be needing a theme song.. Grading A (100%), B (75%), C (50%), D (25%), F (0%)

The fact that I've been a member of this forum for 6 months and haven't done a Star Wars themed challenge is ridiculous.. Main Quest. My main quest is to develop my confidence and physical health/fitness to the point where my low self esteem no longer holds me back from living life the way I'd like to. This challenge I'll be taking inspiration from one of the greatest franchises ever and training like a Jedi. The ever-present pushup goal is still here, and I'll be working on overcoming a fear of inversions, getting better at chinups/pullups, and being more organised with my workouts. Quest 1. Hand Balancing. +2 DEX The Jedi strive for balance, both in the Force and in their mentality. Also, they spend a lot of time doing handstands and levitating stuff. I want to do that. In order to overcome my fear of being upside down I'll be practising hand balancing and general "upside down-ness" 3 times a week every day. This article will be my go-to source. Quest 2. Force Push(up). +3 STA The force push is the essential force technique when in combat. It also looks pretty damn cool. I'll improve my pushing capabilities by increasing the amount of pushups I can do in five sets to 82 total reps. As my current total is 76, this means an increase of 6 reps in 4 weeks. I incorporate a pushup test into my workouts once a week. Quest 3. Hangin' with Obi-Wan. +3 STR Floors in a Galaxy Far, Far Away are pretty unreliable. Obi-Wan in particular spent most of the Clone War era hanging off the edge of stuff during important duels. Lesson learned: Jedi need to be able to hang on to stuff. This challenge I aim to increase my Chin-up Flex Hold time to 25 seconds. As my current time is around 10-13 seconds this should prove quite the challenge. I will test this at the end of the challenge, allowing 3 attempts at reaching my goal time. There will be a mid-challenge chin-up flex hold test. Final goal figure may be increased (but not decreased) depending on results. Quest 4. Creating a Holocron. +2WIS A Holocron is a mystical object that Force users create in order to store their knowledge and wisdom. I'm no Jedi Master, but I think it's a good idea to start recording and taking notes on my workouts. I will use this challenge thread to keep track of my workouts, including notes on progression (or lack thereof). Grading A (100%), B (75%), C (50%), D (25%), F (0%) A B C D F Quest 1 26 days completed 23 days completed 20 days completed 17 days completed 14 or less days completed Quest 2 82 or more reps 81 reps 80 reps 79 reps 78 or less reps Quest 3 25 seconds or more 22 seconds 20 seconds 18 seconds 16 seconds or less Quest 4 Pass/Fail basis. If even on day is missed, grade= F

This is kind of a turning point for me. I’ve decided to really commit to trying for something that I might not be able to do. I’m following a training plan for a sub-4 hour marathon (will try in early May). This challenge will be weeks 3-6. I haven’t run below 4 hours since 2010. The best I did last year was 4:09. The first goal is the meat of my challenge. (edited because I was starting to hate the picture I originally posted. This one is much cuter) Run the Plan. There are 4 key things each week: (a) an interval workout, usually Tuesdays, but I can substitute my Wed. track workout for whatever is listed, ( a tempo/packing workout, usually Thursdays but I can adapt my Friday group run to this if I want, © a long run, usually Sundays. One of these will be substituted with a Saturday race. One is a travel day, so if needed, the run can get pushed to Monday (with some concession for weekly mileage totals). (d) fill in, usually with easy running to get within 2 miles of the prescribed total.4 things each week. 4 weeks. 16 possible points. Goal to get at least 14. Unleash the beast – I’ve been working pushups for a while and started working toward chin-ups last challenge. This builds on last time. During the whole challenge: 60 pushups 200 negatives 8 gym workouts that include chin-up work. At least 2 additional strength workouts (could be at-home); a full yoga class would count here. Stretch the hamstrings at least 3x/week. You may know, I have one weirdly, ridiculously tight hamstring. The past 7 weeks I’ve been doing regular, intense stretching. Over the past couple weeks, I’ve benchmarked my flexibility. I’m going to give it another 4 weeks and see if I get any improvement. As a reward for finishing the stretches last challenge, I’m going to get a sports massage, so that might help too. Water water everywhere: Drink 1 liter of water every day. I still have to make a conscious decision to do this. This is hard for me, so I’m going to allow myself 3 strikes here. Have soup at lunch most days…make a pot each week and bring that until it’s gone. If I’m traveling and short on time, store-bought soup is ok.

In the spirit of balance I'm back for another challenge but will be *trying* to watch my time and keep it simple. The last two challenges I've worked hard focusing on rediscovering myself and my strength, flexibility, endurance, etc now I'm ready to bring my focus out towards our home and family life. Having regained my health I want to fully savor and enjoy my renewed energy and joy. I want to work hard but play harder, we will enjoy our slow summer schedule with little obligations and say to the outside world and yes to my family, friends and kids. On vacation I realized that despite my attempts we have still been just too busy, some things are not feasible to drop but I know that can and need to drop some obligations. This summer I am being purposeful in what we do and the list will be short. I told dh somehow we ended up in the rat race and I want off of it. I had a big list of goals and to-do lists but I have pared it down, I don't want fun to be a goal on my to-do list, I just want to spend time with my family and enjoy our home life, these years are precious and few. Work is good for the body, playing is good for the soul Yoga- I *am* going forward with Yoga Teacher training, as part of my preparation and advancing my own practice I aim for 4-6 yoga sessions a week. Fun in the Sun- Playing and Working- Enjoying the weather and our time off we will aim for 10 hrs outside a we ek. Less exercise, more work and play this challenge. Walking and Hiking- As the mood strikes- aiming for 5-7x a week. *push-ups* AMRAP goal - 20 --- I can do a solid 10 now and eek out 15(tested yesterday) I want 20 to be as nice and easy as 10 is now. chin-ups---- I can now do some of these with a bit of a jump, I'm aiming to be able to complete *1* from a dead hang by the end Adult Gymnastics classes have started and I'm planning on at least trying it out once, despite my huge fear of the unknown! Feeding the body and heart~~~~~~~~ I love cooking but with our lives being so busy I've had way too little time to do much beyond the basics. This is good family bonding time as well and the kids are learning valuable skills as they all love to help in the kitchen. Try (at least) one new recipe a week Bake once a week (dd 8yo loves baking and the kids love eating cookies and cakes so she will doing a good chunk of this) The details of life....... 1) Finalize my homeschool plans and schedule by June 30 to prepare to start back in July (when the weather becomes blistering hot!). 2) Get back and keep on the budget, we need to build our savings back up from our epic trip *The other details I follow a paleo diet, mostly inline with the autoimmune protocol, although not with all the initial restrictions as I've been able to add in some foods without recourse. Ultimately I'd love to lose about 6-8 lbs but I'm not making a particular goal for this challenge. I love the body I have now, it is strong and healthy. I'll celebrate if I lose inches on my waist and hips or a few pounds but if I happen to stay this size that is ok as well, I will continue to gain strength and health. *Current Stats- 6/1/15* Weight- 129.2 Belly- Under Ribs- 27.5 Belly Button- 28 in, Lower Belly- 29.5 Hips- 37.5 Thighs- R. Thigh- 22.25- L. Thigh- 22 Biceps- 11.5

challenge 02 : Achaedia masters the elements book one: air The sun feels warm against the dark leathers Achaedia now wears. It has been a week since she became a full member of the Assassin's Guild, since she left the rebel camp and started out on her own to continue her journey; still, the new clothes feel stiff and strange. She has reached the edge of the forest, and the trees are rapidly thinning overhead. At times, she longs to dart back into the cool comfort of the forest, but she knows she must continue on if she is to have any hope of someday defeating an elder dragon. She has struck out alone toward the mountains, which house one of the artifacts that will allow her to overpower and defeat the dragon. She knows not what it looks like: only that it is called the Air Attunement, and that it resides in a temple, unguarded by anything living. To reach it, she will require the strength and dexterity to climb the mountain and take what is needed. She will need to study what has been written of the temple in the old texts. She will also need full command over herself to undertake this arduous journey. She hopes she will not need anyone else. She misses the pack, but she is a lone wolf. Leaving was the right thing, even if it meant giving up everything she'd known before. Still, every now and then, she hears a rustling in the brush behind her. When she turns, she sees what might only be shadows, but what might also be the blur of quick grey fur or a glimpse of a wet black nose. If it was indeed what she thought, couldn't she smell it? Though, perhaps she's been living with humans too long. 01: Achaedia Practices Mindfulness [+3 CON, +1 WIS] This is a food goal. I will pay attention to everything I eat over the next 6 weeks, and will try not to go over on calories (according to MyFitnessPal). This challenge will be graded as follows: A [+3 CON, +1 WIS]: Recorded 100% of food eaten and remained within calorie goal 80% of the time or more. B [+3 CON]: Recorded 80%-99% of food eaten and remained within calorie goal 80% of the time or more. C [+2 CON]: Recorded 80%-99% of food eaten and remained within calorie goal 50%-79% of the time. D [+1 CON]: Recorded 50-79% of food eaten and remained within calorie goal 50% of the time. F: Recorded food less than 50% of the time, or remained within calorie goal less than 50% of the time. 02: Achaedia Runs with the Pack [+3 STA, +1 DEX] Because I am signed up for 4, 5, and 6 mile runs in the next few weeks, I need to sort of practice in order not to die. Therefore, I resolve to run at least once a week. The other 6 days, Valentine and I will go outside and enjoy the fresh air for a minimum of 5 minutes, at least once per day. Due to weather, the dog-walking portion of this challenge has been cancelled. Now it's only me running! Probably on the treadmill! A [+3 STA, +1 DEX]: I ran, on average, 1 day a week or more, and walked with Valentine 6 days a week or more. B [+2 STA, +1 DEX]: I ran, on average, 0.75 days a week or more, and walked with Valentine 5 days a week or more. C [+1 STA, +1 DEX]: I ran, on average, .5 days a week or more, and walked with Valentine 4 days a week or more. D [+1 STA]: I did not run other than on race days, but I walked Valentine 4 days a week or more. F: Did not run other than on race days, and walked with Valentine less than 4 days a week. 03: Achaedia Pulls Her Own Weight [+4 STR] This goal is pretty simple. Over the next 6 weeks, I will gain the ability to do a chin-up. I plan to roughly use this progression (starting at level 3A) on days other than those when I do Gymnastics Fundamentals or Shoulder Prehab. This one will be graded Pass/Fail. Pass [+4 STR]: chin-up achieved! I am able to lift my chin above the bar using only my own strength! Fail: Chin-up not achieved 04: Achaedia Studies the Ancient Tomes [+3 WIS] This is a continuation of my life quest from the previous challenge, because I still feel like the grad school is a struggle (and does it ever not feel this way?) Anyway, once again, I could not comfortably allow myself to change my focus to anything else, as this is still my most important extracurricular activity. For this challenge, I will no longer be holding myself to an unfair standard. I get accommodations for a reason, and I won't penalize myself for completing work within the accommodations I get. So I really only want to get my first discussion posts in by Friday, my two other discussion posts by Sunday, and my critical thinking assignments by the following Sunday. I am making this one Pass/Fail because I think I can do this, but I reserve the right to change my grading for this challenge part way through. Pass [+3 WIS]: All assignments complete and turned in by the deadline Fail: 1 or more assignments missing Continuing Habits: While I no longer consider these "goals", and will neither track them nor reward them as such, they are still expected to be accomplished every week: Work out at least 5 times a weekStretch after (or during) workouts Rewards: 1x Air Attunement 1x Souvenir Clothing 5x Health Potions Money: 3s4c Before Photos & Measurements Shoulders | 41" Chest | 38.5" Bicep | 11" Waist | 34.5" Hip | 44.5" Thigh | 23" Calf | 13" Weight | 164.8 Pant Size | 14

One of my goals for this upcoming 6-week challenge will have something to do with the "pulling-body-weight-up-while-hanging-from-a-bar" style of exercise. I could do these as PULL-UPS (with my hands facing away from me), CHIN-UPS (with my palms facing me), or NEUTRAL GRIP (with my palms facing each other, gripping sideways bars). Is there one that should be preferred over the others? Am I making things too easy or too hard by choosing a particular style? Or is it all just personal preference? I'll test myself when I get to the gym this evening, but I think as of today I could probably do 5 or 6 of any of those styles. Thanks for any pointers.

My first challenge with the Rangers, here we go! So my inspiration for this challenge is this: My main quest remains the same, get fit and strong enough to complete Tough Mudder. Quest 1 A mischievous Loki pushes you off a cliff and you're hanging onto the ledge. You're gonna have to pull yourself back up. -Do at least 1 unassisted chin up I'm so very very close to doing this. If I manage to do this earlier than expected, I might change this to at least 2 chin-ups. Quest 2 A building has collapsed and civilians are trapped under the debris. You need to lift up the heavy iron girders to get them out. -Strength training at least 3 times a week. -Squat at least 45kg I'm currently squatting 32.5kg and have been increasing about 2.5kg a week so this should be achievable. Quest 3 Hydra have put a bomb in Stark tower. You need to get there and disable it before it goes off. Better start running! -Complete a 10k run I've signed up for a local 10k run on Oct 12th. My longest run at the moment is 4 miles so I've got a bit of work to do! My aim is to run 3 times a week in the lead up to the run. After that, I might knock it down to 2 times a week just for maintenance. Life Quest - Practice playing the ukulele at least once a week. I started learning to play the ukulele about 6 months ago and then, true to form, I put it in the corner and forgot about it. So I need to set aside at least an hour and a half each week to start learning again. Alrighty then, lets do this! Avengers, Assemble!

Elastigirl ‘s training with the Dark Knight had gone well, so well that The Dark Knight had asked for her assistance on a mission. After helping him save Metropolis, Elastigirl was now taking a well deserved rest. Sitting in her deck chair, sipping some ice tea and enjoying the summer’s sunshine. Suddenly, she felt something whiz by her head. Looking up she noticed a green arrow had been thrown into the nearby deck post. Curious, she walked closer to examine it. Attached to the arrow was a note; It read: The sun is bright, Shall we take a flight? To have you on my journey would be a delight. Meet me at the quarter moon and half past midnight. Puzzled, she thought for a moment. Well obviously with the green arrow, this note must be from The Arrow. Did he really want her help on a mission? It must be. And a quarter moon, why that would be in a few weeks time. If she was going to help Arrow then she needed to get in shape. She knew that Arrow’s workout program was vigorous, he was well known for his salmon ladder training. And that that training was necessary for all the wall climbing he had to do. Putting her book aside, she went inside. Time to get serious about her training Elastiigirl needed to prepare herself to scale walls, hang from ledges,and climb the roof rafters. Main Quest: Improve My chin up reps Training Regime: Mission #1 Chin up practice 4 days a week *Mission guidebook-Armstrong pull up for women * will modify to 4 days a week instead of 5 * chin-ups instead of pull ups * if my body is tired I can modify it to 3 days a week without penalty As part of the program continue with my before breakfast walk+ pushup routine *if time is short or weather is not cooperating I can skip walk and just do pushups http://armstrongpullupprogram.com/armstrong-pullup-program-for-women/ "EDIT- Decided this program was too intense and not really what I needed. I will instead be following the GMB pullup training regime Week 1- daily- 3 pulling prep,3 negatives, 1 chin,hangs Week 2- 3 days a weeks- pulling prep exercises, and 2 chins,hangs Week 3- 2 days, as many chins as possible, then pulling prep exercises It is only a 3 week program, though there is a program to do after you are up to 5 pulls. So after I finish these weeks, I will decide how to continue. Points 5 STR Mission #2 Shoulder care- Spend extra time foam rolling and stretching shoulders and elbows 4 days a week * Not putting a time limit, just want to make sure in the evening or morning I spend some bonus time taking care of anything that might be stiff Points 4 DEX Mission #3 Resistant Starch- Have one serving of resistant starch at least 4 days a week I want to experiment with this and see if it helps me with my goals. I struggle with the right amount of carbs, too little and I don’t have the energy I need, too much and I gain weight. This might help me eat a bit more carbs and not gain weight. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-resistant-starch/#axzz38d6cqrKu Points 3 DEX Life goal: At my church, we do dance lessons once a month. One of the dances is the postie jig, and it is super confusing. I pretty much suck at it So next dance is August 17, between then and now I will watch videos of it, and read about the moves.By the time the dance is I will at least know the dance moves in my head ( can't really practice as it is an 8 person dance) Points 3 CHA Side Quest_ Transform from Elastigirl to Girl of Steel Still working on my kick into handstand. After watching video, I still am struggling with the bendy leg problem. Too elasticy . This challenge I am going to concentrate on having legs and arms of steel that do not bend.

Wooo! It was more like 7 seconds going up instead of 1 second, but I don't care, it still counts lol. Now, to double my chin-up count for next week... XD EDIT, April 22 THREAD NECROMANCY! So I did my second un-assisted chin-up. Last week. April 17 I think it was? That's right. After that first one almost two months before, my body flat-out refused to go up past halfway until last week. I don't even know. I did another one this morning, so I'm assuming that I'll be able to do them more regularly from now on. It's just...WTF. How does one explain this lack of upper-body cooperation? (I only have access to a pull-up bar at the gym--the doorframes at my place are too low and flimsy to accomodate a pull-up bar, sadly.)

I am continuing on my way to a healthier and stronger me, and the basic building blocks for this will remain the same (that's the "old" part): bodyweight trainingyogaworking towards my first real chin-uptracking my food intakeSince I have become a bit bored with the former routine and have also had little to no progress for the past couple of weeks, I have decided to change things a little. So here's what's "new" (or at least different than before): a slightly different BW routine (including leg raises and dips), 3x / weeksquats will remain kneehab squats for the time being - I'm still in physical therapy, and will probably stay there for a while, and I will need to do some homeworkchin-up practice only 2x/ week, focusing on slower negatives, not on volumenot only tracking my food, but aiming for a specific kcal rangeGoal 1: Chin-up practice 2x / week (STR +3, STA +1) Starting with (hopefully) 2 sets of 2 reps, 15 sec each, aiming for 2 x 2 x 20 secs at the end of this challenge (raise duration 1 sec every week). A: 2x chin-up practice per week, 12x total B: at least 10x total C: at least 8x total D: at least 6x total F: anything less Goal 2: Kneehab exercises 5x / week (STR +2, CON +2) Can be either a PT session with the Drill Master, or kneehab exercises done at home (as part of the BW routine or solo) A: 5x kneehab exercises per week, 30x total B: at least 25x total C: at least 20x total D: at least 15x total F: anything less Goal 3: Food tracking 7x / week, averaging 1400 - 1600 kcal / day per week (CON +2, WIS +2) I'll continue tracking on myfitnesspal, even if I'm not happy with the quality of their food database. A: track food 7x per week, 42x total AND weekly average 1400 - 1600 kcals / day B: at least 5x per week, 35x total OR average between 1600 - 1650 / day C: at least 3x per week, 18x total OR average between 1650 - 1700 / day D: at least 1x per week, 6x total OR average between 1700 - 1750 / day F: no tracking OR average over 1750 / day Life goal: Try at least three new recipes in the next six weeks (WIS +2, CHA +1) The biggest problem here will be the FC, since he's not that adventurous where his food is concerned. So I can either convince him to try something new, or it's going to be something I make for myself. And no, cookies or brownies don't count. A: 3 or more new recipes B: 2 new recipes C: 1 new recipe F: nothing at all... Have a great challenge, y'all! Here's a little Happy Dance to start things off properly... :triumphant: :triumphant: Status: Goal 1: xx | xx | xx | xx | xx | xx Goal 2: xxxxx | xxxxx | xxxxx | xxxxx | xxxxx | xxxxx Goal 3: xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx | xxxxxxx Goal 4: xxx Mini Quest 1: xxxxxxx (60 oz plain water / day) + 1 CON Mini Quest 2: xxxx (goal: 1 x rest day, 3 x go to bed at a reasonable time) + 1 CON Mini Quest 3: x (goal: trust my wussies (wrists) with a (wall) handstand as a first step towards a press handstand) + 1 STR

Let's just jump in, shall we? Main Life Quest: Take the G1 Test. study the book at least 15 minutes per daytake a practice test every night (until 100% correct in all categories consistently)find nearest location to take the test, make appointment if necessary and take the real test! Side Quest: purchase a pull-up bar, practice chin-ups I know this is sort of backwards; but right now my fitness goals aren't hampered nearly as much as my ability to make life happen. Step one is getting my driver's license... but between cooking all my meals, exercising, trying to get enough sleep, bussing to work and back, plus working 41+ hours a week, I'm usually too desperate for some rest on my days off to bother getting out and doing something (other than groceries). That's why I'm making the G1 test my main quest... I need the extra motivator. If I fail... I've been putting off getting my license for FAR TOO LONG.NO MORE EXCUSES.This needs to happen. What is my motivation? Well, I guess happiness. I've been unhappy for a very long time. I hate my job, I hate where I live, I hate that my boyfriend and I are in a long-distance relationship (and have been for over 10 years). But, as classic rock has taught me, if I don't like what I've got, why don't I change it? So, step by step, I have been. I've already lost lots of weight (some 43lbs) by switching to a paleo diet and starting to exercise. I've been doing these two things for a full year now. Now that I have energy and am no longer a lethargic zombie, I want to get my driver's license while simultaneously saving money for a rental (and furniture, and kitchen appliances/cookware). My boyfriend and I are going to live together. We're both sick of this distance thing. My boyfriend's dad is willing to hire me on as an apprentice carpenter/contractor. I would eventually like to get my journeyman's (not sure which trade yet) but I'm very excited for this change. I'm currently an assistant manager at a shoe store (as a barefoot enthusiast, oh the irony) and I want to strangle myself when I'm working... so that's an unhealthy environment I want to leave asap. My life at home is also kind of stressful with roommates not being very understanding of my desire to sleep when I'm home (which is almost never because I'm usually at work or en-route, mostly only come home to sleep). I also have a job, and they're barely self-employed and just play FFXIV all night... it's a big drama llama involving lack of courtesy. My future challenges will be far more fitness oriented with the life quests I mentioned above taking the sidelines, as suggested by the rules. But this first hurdle... taking the G1 test... I really need this to be my focus this time around. I'll keep a log here of my practice test results. I need to feel confident I can take on the real test before I spend money on it. Honestly I don't think it will take me a whole 6 weeks to achieve this goal. Probably 3 at most. So I'll allot any extra time I have on my side quest, and perhaps update this post to make my goals in that area more obvious/achievable. Ahhck, I hope I'm not bending the rules too much! If you guys have any suggestions, I'll be happy to take them!

Hello guys, I read steve's article on the guide to pull-ups, it just seems that I can't beat the first level. Anyway, my question here is about the exercises I can do to improve my ability to pull-ups (I set this as an objective for my next challenge... yeah, crazy I know). I used a machine at the gym providing me assistance and I can do this. But I'm far from being able to do a real one. Do you think I have to spend some time at every strength training I do, training on it? Or everyday at home? Do you think it's actually possible in 6 weeks? (I weigh around 181 lbs) I need a pull-up master! Thanks in advance for your advice!