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So lets take a second here. I seriously have to go back and find whoever suggested Darebee for the combat portion for this weeks challenge!!!! So I'm scrolling through and I see the word challenges and because... you know... I can't help myself, I go into that tab and low and behold there it is. The Pandora Fitness Quest. So now I'm reading through and looking at it all and I'm thinking, "Oh sweet Jebus... I'm going on a freaking adventure!!!!" So there it is folks. I'm now on an adventure pending whether or not my gallbladder is really trying to attack me or not, it hurts guys.

Forgive me, Dread-Father, forgive me Night Mother, and forgive me, my Brothers and Sisters - I have turned my back on the Path for far too long.Give me a chance to regain my strength so that I may fulfill Contracts once more. Life has a way of grabbing a hold of you and not letting go - and over the last couple years mine has done just so. This challenge will be my attempt to grab at least part of my life by the horns and lead it in the right direction. GOAL: Lift Heavy Things [Starting Strength, 3x a week] I will be going back to the beginning of my Starting Strength program, since it's been a while since I've done any heavy lifting. I will be doing simple lifts from home three times a week - 3 lifts each day. I am pretty much going from just the bar for most of the lifts, so I have a ton of space to improve here. GOAL: Sneaky Assassin Fitness [Bodyweight, flexibility, gymnastic, HIIT and combat training, 3x a week] In addition to lifting weights, I'd like to be able to touch my toes and throw some punches again. Hence, this goal is exactly that. I want to improve my flexibility, strengthen additional muscles, improve my speed and add back some basic combat training to my weekly routine. This will be quite simple this first challenge, just to get the ball rolling. GOAL: Watch What I Eat [Primal/Paleo for the duration of the challenge] My diet has fallen by the wayside this last year. Therefore, this goal has been designed to get started with a small step in the right direction. I'm not logging calories, checking ratios, or limiting my food intake - I'm keeping it simple. This challenge my only goal is to eat all primal and paleo foods. Going from spoonfuls of sugar to healthy, more balanced meals will make a huge difference and is a great starting point (my weakness? Sugar. This is not going to be easy for me). GOAL: Excellence in Music [2 hours of daily guitar practice] My life quest for this challenge is pretty simple - two hours of focused guitar practice, every day. This time will not include warm ups or breaks - with those included, I'm looking at two sets a day of 90 minutes each. Putting in the time is my only goal this challenge - though I have some specific things I'll be working toward and that I will be elaborating on as the challenge progresses. That's it for the goals. Some quick linkage: My Epic Quest Log - From Apprentice to Master... My Character (and goals) Monkey Tamers United (YAY ACCOUNTABILIBUDDIES!)

I floundered a bit last challenge, since I was burned out and didn't have much direction. Now that I'm studying to be a full instructor at the parkour gym and may be helping with some stunt fighting classes, I have renewed my focus and motivation! So, on that note, it's time to become Immortal and enter The Game. Each goal has a target of 100 points over the course of the challenge. Goal 1: Fight! - Immortals need to be experts in combat to survive. Points toward the combat goal are earned by doing any of the following: -2 points for every 10 minutes of weapon training -2 points for every 10 minutes of shadowboxing -2 points for every 10 minutes of remembering and reviewing hapkido self defense techniques -5 points for every strength session that includes some sort of muscle up progression, some sort of hanging core work, HSPU progression, handstand holds, and grip training). Goal 2: Run away! - Sometimes, the best way to survive is to run away. Points for running away are earned by: -5 points for parkour open gym skills practice. Fast wall top outs, vaults, and other things = easier time fleeing. -4 points for actually working on swimming when I take the kids to to the pool -4 points for any jog of any length -4 points for any nature ruck Goal 3: Immortal Healing- I'm still having some knee issues, and I need to stay on top of my prehab. So, 4 points are earned every day that I do foam rolling and prehab. Goal 4: Seek Holy Ground- Immortals are safe* (more or less) on holy ground, so they can relax a bit. For me, this goal is about reducing stress. I earn 4 points every day that I take 30 minutes to just do something for myself, like yoga, reading, playing a video game, or whatever else might help alleviate stress. Goal 5: Become worldly - Immortals who live long enough travel the entire world. I will work toward worldliness and earn points by: -50 points: plan and take vacation up the Atlantic coast. -5 points for every chapter of Harry Potter that I manage to read in Spanish. Bonus: study the instructor guide and schedule my test. Hopefully, all of this focus helps me get my mojo back!

Live for the Kill He catched up with them at midnight at a small farmstead near the mountains. It was too late for farmers to be awake but yet the light of the fireplace and a few oil-lamps shone clearly through the cloth –covered windows.†It’s gotta be themâ€. As he closed in, the wind carried the sound of drunken singing voices along with the smell of roasted pork. He grabbed his axe and shield and took a deep breath to calm his thoughts. “I will not turn this time. I shall strike with vengeance- man to man- and make them look into my eyes as they die†he told himself. Indeed, despite of being able to control his beasty side, he felt the need to deliver justice in a more refined way. Tonight it would be steel what torn his enemies apart, not claws. It’s only four of them. Four drunken bastards will not prove a challenge to the wolf-warrior. He walked through the door as if there weren’t four werewolf-hunters inside. -“I’ve been after your trail for a couple hours. For a group of hunters you are not very good at covering your tracks†he told the men- -“Who in the hell are you? Start talking before I slit ye’ throat!†one of them said -“It does not matter who I am. What matters is what I’m after: I seek the scum that ambushed my brothers on the fort south of here!†-“He’s a wolf! End him!†shouted the nearest hunter as he took a swing at the Ulfhedinn with his sword. The warrior dodged the blow and struck the man’s face with his shield, shattering the bones and sending him dead to the ground. He threw his axe at the next man’s chest, where it sunk deep. The third man was dispatched with haste as he clinched to the shield of the Ulfhedinn who then pushed the hunter along with the shield into the wall, cracking the hunter’s skull against the naked stone. The wolf warrior turned around to face the last foe. Surprisingly enough, both were unarmed. It all came down to fisticuffs: As they punched and kicked each other they eventually fell to the ground and wrestled until the wolf-warrior managed to climb on top of the hunter and pounded him with his fists. Each fist was a sledgehammer of anger, hatred and grief landing on the murderer’s face. He kept on striking after his hands began to bleed and well after his foe’s heart stopped beating. There, covered in the blood of his enemies, the werewolf understood that even if he killed the murderers who slaughtered his companions and brothers; justice was far from served. More and more of this werewolf-hunter bands were forming across the kingdom to chase and kill brotherhoods of wolf-warriors. He saw it clear then; stripped of everything he had, his family, his brothers. His life’s mission would be only one: cleansing the land of such murderers. From now on… he lives for the kill. Technical aspects In order to defeat 4 enemies without turning into a bloodthirsty beast, the Ulfhedinn has to be proficient in the art of combat both armed and unarmed. this challenge will be oriented towards martial prowess. S.M.A.R.T goals Not miss a single weapons-training within my reenactment group. Practice once a week with the punching bag and establish a “punching bag day†habit. Of course this should be accomplished along with my usual strength training 2 times a week and swimming 3 times a week At the present time, I'm really working towards getting in combat shape(or in overall shape for that matter)so I can prove myself on the arena and bring honor to my group. Besides the actual combat training, my mentor-in-combat-affairs Mario is helping me develop a "warrior psyche"; a state of constant defiance and fearlessness towards the adversary and towards life in general. This should prove usefull not only on the arena but in my journey to find my better self. I'll be going on a vacation next week but I've worked out in a hotel room before. The swimming part is not a problem: I may not have a pool at my disposal but I'll have an ocean to suit my needs. I'll be returning right on time for some punching bag sparring and some waepons training the day after. You could say I've got it all sorted out... providing I dont slack, give in to beer and pizza and ruin it all. So, wish me luck fellas, let's get this started!

I was going to do a theme, but then I didn't. Might add one as this week progresses, might just work on one for next challenge. Anyways, the next couple months are going to be in a state of uncertainty. My gf is in the process of buying a house back where I grew up and as things are heading into deeper waters I am looking for a job back there with the intent of moving. With that I'm going to step out of the gym and use the challenge I created for the doodlies as an impetus to start training at home with the limited equipment I have. Back to the stone age. Unfortunately it is winter here in the Midwest so most of my training will be indoors forcing me to improvise. Goal 1: Strength train 3x/wk. Most of this will obviously be bodyweight training but will also do NF yoga to work on limbering myself back up as I let my flexibility fall way too far from back in my Martial Arts days. I'm also planing on starting with my combative training. Goal 2: Cardio 3x/wk. HIIT will be my mainstay here. I'm going to see if I can jump rope in my bedroom in the basement, if so that will also become a staple of my training. . Goal 3: Eat Primally 6x/wk. Chicken, fish, eggs, bacon, veggies, etc. I'm going to stay away from any processed food or drinks. Except black coffee and unsweetened tea. The two biggest speed bumps will be cheese (I'm not going to completely cut this out just cut way back) and bread. I'm usually good with bread but sometimes I will eat a loaf in 3-4 days with copious amounts of peanut butter.

Hey everyone, I'm not exactly new to fitness, but I am in need of some help. I've been doing the same workout program for a year now and I feel like I need something new and perhaps a little more challenging. Turbo Fire has been my jam and I absolutely love it. I've also incorporated the PiYo workouts in there on and off. Now, I feel like I'm not really losing anything else, just maintaining what I've accomplished so far. Right now, I'm mostly looking to tone up/lean out a bit. Maybe lose around 10-15 more pounds. According to the BMI, for my height (5'2"), I should weigh around 127. Unfortunately, haha, I'm around 140. Anyway, back on point --- I was looking into Les Mills Combat and was wondering if anyone has tried both programs and can give me sort of a comparison of both? I really enjoy workouts that have a lot of kickboxing and/or martial arts mixed in. I haven't found anything like that yet, but saw a few videos on youtube of Combat and thought it seemed as though it offers both of those things. I'm not picky, although, I tried T25 and absolutely hated it. Not sure why, I just... Hated it. If anyone had any other workout program suggestions, I'd be more than happy to hear them. Thanks in advance.

It's inevitable. Zombies are coming. Between running with zombie moans and podcasts about rabies and conspiracy theories on my headphones I'm 100% sure of this now. So I better get down to it and start preparing. And to fully prepare, I'm enlisting in the AZAM - the Anti Zombie Army of Madness aka my very own bootcamp. I'm getting help from my friends and other sources and it's going to be epic. My next challenge will have a lot of things happening in my life that may help or hinder me and I'll have to find a way to work with and around that. For one, stud muffin is leaving May 2nd. He has a tremendous impact on my life in terms of motivation, adventure and accountability and I'm going to miss him like crazy. Remember how I first told you guys about him like... 2 or 3 challenges ago? Who would have thought it would ever come to this, huh? As I am writing this, I've got almost a full month left with him before he leaves for 9-10 weeks. He'll be back for a short while after that but it'll be rough. As of this moment, we've done an awesome 5k mud run together, have signed up for the Spartan Race in Munich that's on April 18th (so just after the start of the challenge!) and he's forced and helped me through many, many workout related but also emotional things. I'm incredibly grateful that he's part of my life and will be even after he's gone. There's also school & work. I'll have some exams coming up and while I'm currently at the start of a 2 week vacation, that's gonna be over when the challenge starts. I definitely do have to do some studying while I'm at it. Social life of course also mixes into it, but I've found many great people that I can spend time with WHILE working out so I don't foresee that many obstacles there So let's get down to it! MAIN GOAL: Survive basic training/get ready for the zombie apocalypse When you train to survive, there's a few things factoring in. Goal 1: Zombies, Run! Running is obviously one of the most important skills you need for the apocalypse. If you can't run away from them, they're going to eat your brains and I do very much enjoy my brains. So the running continues. Be it with the 5k trainer or the normal Zombies, Run app or with the help of the awesome races I'll be running doesn't matter. So long as I can be out there with the wind on my face and my heart beating fast and sweat running down my skin, I'm happy, and the zombies will be sad. This is all that counts. As for races, here's the current schedule: April 18th: Spartan Race Munich (5k mud run) May 17th: Urbanian Run Frankfurt (5k city obstacle run) May 24th: Viking Heroes Challenge (5k mud run) I'm concentrating on 5ks this year and I hope to add a few more over the course of the year but I think for this challenge I'm good. As a bonus I'm going to try and make a reward wall in my room. To hang my medals, race bibs and other paraphernalia to always remind me of how awesome I am and what I've managed to survive - also to scare off the zombies. They're not even gonna want to chase me when they lay eyes on that wall! Ha! Goal 2: Zombies, Work it! Sometimes running fails. And even if it doesn't, living in a post-apocalyptic world is going to be rough both mentally and physically. The mental things I don't need to worry about right this moment, but the physical things could definitely use some training. So this is where I'll build my workout. It's a work in progress as of right now and hopefully I'll have rewritten this part by the start of the challenge. I'm planning to find short workouts as well as longer workouts that I can just do without having to make up my mind before working out and thus losing precious time just bumming around on Youtube. So stay tuned for adventures in zombie strength training! Zombie sit-ups FTW! Goal 3: Zombies, Die! This one I'm super freaking excited about. I was talking to my friend Shred (the guy who ran the beer obstacle run with me) the other day about survival training and combatives and he actually sat down with me and made a plan for a bootcamp of sorts. I'll be learning lots of awesome stuff from him, he's gonna chase me across fields, up and down hills and through my house and it shall be epic and exhausting and so much fun. Quick overview: Kill zombies inside my house: - identifying and avoiding danger areas - clearing a room - clearing a corner Kill zombies in the wilderness: - proper use of cover and concealment - movement under direct fire Avoid being killed by zombies with mortars: - move under indirect fire Avoid being killed by zombies in hand to hand combat: - foot trap - attacking the eyes - pushing the core - throat stomp Keep yourself and your friends alive (medical): - stop the bleeding - transport a casualty - breathing - hypothermia prevention It will be both knowledge and actual physical stuff and I'm super super excited for it. I'm going to run around forests and fields making a fool of myself and getting workout, what could be better?! Diet/Life Goals: There will be none for this challenge. As pointed out above, there's going to be some difficulties in my life over the course of the challenge. Apart from that I really love my life the way it is right now. I'm doing alright with the diet and I don't want to overburden myself. There will also be no tracking. I'll wing it and get in as much as my life allows and be happy with that!

Hey Rebels! Let's do this My main Nerd Fitness quest, while still being developed, was inspired by the Tomb Raider video game reboot last year. I loved "new Lara's" relatability as she struggled to become a tough, strong survivor, and I'd like to do the same! Young me read books about adventures instead of going on them, and I hated sports. It's only been in the last 2 years or so that I've really found my way to fitness, beginning with this site and garage crossfit workouts. I'm still having a hard time seeing myself as fit/athletic, but I'm working on it! In January this year I quit my desk job in Wisconsin and hit the road to live in a tent in the desert and work for the Arizona Renaissance Festival. (It's AWESOME so far.) When the Faire ends in March (also when this challenge draws to a close), I will pack up and move to Portland, Oregon -- and hopefully begin working as a personal trainer! I passed my NASM CPT exam in late November last year and also have my CFL1, but my own workout history began only recently and has been pretty inconsistent, and I do NOT feel ready to start training others. Therefore, my overall goal for this challenge -- especially since I essentially only work Saturday and Sunday and have the whole week off to work out and pursue things that are important to me -- is to build a consistent and active lifestyle, and prepare for the intimidating challenge of leaving Receptionist Me behind and showing up in Oregon ready (well, readier?) to start looking for coaching jobs. So: Goal 1: Activity. My tribe and I go on 3 mile "perimeter walks" of the Faire 4 days per week. Three days per week we do bodyweight crossfit workouts (15min or less of dips, squats, push ups, and sit ups, primarily) and another day or two we'll work with kettlebells (no barbell access out here, sadly!). I'm also doing self defense lessons 3-4 times per week, and the odd yoga class or hike thrown in there. I'm still working on more defined parameters to stick to, but if I keep to the overall active daily schedule I've created in the past week, I'm giving myself +1 STR and +1 DEX at the end of the challenge. I'm working on handstands, safe falls in combat, and being able to do more than one strict pull up - maybe I'll work those into the grading process. Goal 2: Mindful fuel. It's tough to eat paleo out here -- we have a propane camp stove, but an unreliable cooler. Does anyone have advice on how to get enough green things in my diet?? I don't want to live off of beef jerky and clif bars for the next month. Anyway, I'm going to do my best to eat paleoish, and I haven't been hydrating enough, so I'm going to shoot for getting through 3 water bottles per day. +1 CON if I am successful! Goal 3: Study/practice. I have my NASM textbook with me and tons of training/coaching resources online to go through. I also have a tribe member who wants me to help her lift when we go to the gym (which we really only use for showers... shhhh). I led some "squat therapy" and gave some technique pointers on squats before one of our crossfit sessions and will keep learning and practicing while I'm out here so I'm more prepared for the next chapter! +1 CHA. Goal 4: Saving. Moving across the country is expensive, and I'm going to do my best to be at Camp Nerd Fitness this year (YAY!), so I need to be setting money aside. I'm obviously not making much out here right now, but I'm going to set aside at least $50/week if not more. +1 WIS. I'm nervous about all of my larger goals, but optimistic. Let's do this!

Hello, Monks. This long time Ranger is reassessing and taking on more of a martial arts goal set, so I come to you as a first timer. Pretty nifty, right? I think so. Main Goal: Complete Les Mills COMBAT and take the steps toward joining my husband at his MMA gym. MOTIVATION: Tell me more good stuff about me! Realizing that one bad day isn’t going to suddenly destroy all my progress, or that one unmotivated workout is still better than not working out at all will be key. I need to take that negative ‘you can’t do this’ mentality and kick it out of my life. Fitness and health is very much a mental game as well as a physical. I am human. I have only one life. I need to make the most of it while I am here to enjoy it. He'll join us after he wins the duel. Goal Three: Les Mills COMBAT 5 days a week. The primary reason I’ve switched to a monk class this challenge is because of COMBAT. I am loving the stress relief, the discipline in the mind and body… I am suddenly not nearly as afraid of going to Warrior’s Cove with my husband. I want to. I want to work the bags and get in there. My confidence will only grow if I keep up with the in home workouts so I don’t feel so lost in class. Plus… this program is makin’ my body look like and shiny. Who doesn’t love great legs, killer shoulders, and the start of abs? (1 point for each workout, 30 points possible) …And there's some kind of hot cheese over there. Goal One: Stay within caloric goals for 6 out of 7 days a week. This has been tough for me lately. We’ve been a bit indulgent, but the 3-Day Refresh helped me figure out meal spacing and sizing in a way I think I can maintain without feeling deprived. This challenge will test that. (1 point for each successful day, 36 points possible) Yes, sir, Cap'n Tight-Pants. Goal Two: PiYo Once a Week. Let’s unwind so those pants ain’t so tight. PiYo is a yoga, Pilates, strength, stretching hybrid type program. I love yoga and need it quite a bit to keep my muscles from being to wonky after all that punching and kicking. If I can’t get I a PiYo, I’ll accept attending my friend’s yoga class! (1 point for each workout, 6 points possible) Don't ride in anything with a Capissen 38 engine. They fall right out of the sky. Life Quest: Finish the "Craft Room" The craft room has been the bane of my existence, like I am certain the Capissen 38 is for any ship mechanic. It's just a junk room. My life quest will be to work on cleaning this room to convert it to a craft room/workout room as I had originally planned to do... when we moved in two years ago Personal Assessment Scoring Weekly Grading: 11-12 A 10 B 9 C 8 D 0-7 F Week One: 11 points (A) Week Two: 11 points (A) Overall Challenge Grade: 62-69 A 55-61 B 48-60 C 41-47 D 0-40 F

Handbook for Applied Superheroics Chapter 3: Fight or Flight So, now you know how to get big and you know how to get strong. I bet you're ready to go out and fight some crime, right? Think again, kid. Your training has only just begun. Size and strength count for a lot, but they don't mean a thing unless you know how to use them. This lesson will focus on how to catch the bad guys, and what to do with them once you do. Your goals here are as follows: 1. Power: Maintain a 3 day/week schedule in the gym, with emphasis on creating both strength and muscular endurance. You'll be cycling high rep/low weight sessions and low rep/high weight sessions, training with odd objects (to simulate real-world challenges), and using cable machines to build punching and kicking power. You'll be training our grip/forearms and abs EVERY DAY. 2. Pursuit: Enhance cardiovascular endurance and pursuit skill. You'll be performing one endurance run (minimum 1 mile), one sprinting session, and at least one parkour training session per week. 3. Combat: Attend a minimum of 1 Jeet Kune Do class per week (3 classes available per week). Practice punches and kicks on the heavy bag or pads 6 days per week 4. Public Relations (side quest): Your side mission is to improve public relations with the community. While on patrol, stop into one new business a night and meet the management and staff. Try to memorize names. This goes for the new police officers in the neighborhood. Build a good relationship with EVERYONE you see. If finances allow, pay dues and attend the neighborhood association meeting. PROGRESS Gym Sessions (7 out of 18) 35%35% Mile Run (1 out of 6) 16%16% Sprint Training (1 out of 6) 16%16% Parkour Training (3 out of 6) 48%48% JKD Class attendance (1 out of 6) 16%16% Daily Training (Punches, Kicks, Forearm/Grip, and Ab work) (12 out of 42) 24%24% Public Relations on Patrol (3 out of 12) 24%24%