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Hey everyone. I just spent a ton of time reviewing some research concerning fat loss. I've also written a pretty in depth article that covers how to lose weight as painlessly as possible for crossfitters. It took a lot of effort and there is even an infographic in there. I hope it helps. If the admins don't like it please delete the thread, thanks. http://www.tierthreetactical.com/fat-loss-for-athletes/

Hey guys I've been doing some research on physiological predictors of crossfit success. I've reviewed a couple studies and they had some very interesting conclusions. I've been doing crossfit for about 8 years and coaching for 2 and I would have bet money anaerobic endurance would be king but it definitely wasn't. Check the article out and let me know what you think. http://They're not what you think. http://www.tierthreetactical.com/physiological-factors-affecting-crossfit/

Hey Crossfitters/Rangers/athletic multipotentialites - So the lifting forums have leaderboards for major lifts. Can we start a leaderboard for a "benchmark" WOD, like Fran? Instead of body weight, we could put the "weight performed," from Scaled to Rx'd+. I threw Fran up there just 'cause I know that several of you throw down with her semi-regularly, but any other suggestions would be welcome.

Hi All, Since not everyone is on the Leaderboard and some folks are scaling based on their own desires, I thought it would be cool to make our own leaderboard for this year's Open. At the end of each week, I'll post our results to this thread. Here's the link to the spreadsheet. Please add your results! [Reserved for 16.1 Results] [Reserved for 16.2 Results] ...

2016 has been consistently kicking my ass since day 1. If you need any more proof, look no further than this thread. My uncanny ability to keep up with everything on these boards (known in Crossfit lingo as "ThreadCon™") is gone and I haven't posted my challenge thread already a day into the challenge. Things aren't looking pretty up ahead, so let's get to the point. Upcoming Events: 11km Trail Race on Feb. 7th Crossfit Open, kicking off on Feb. 25th for the following 5 weeks Masters' Exams on March. 8th and 15th.Simply put, I need to get back in line both physically and mentally Goals: 1. Nutrition: After checking with the SRLF™ I'm allowing myself the following Sugar: 1 day meal per week, to be used wisely while having a good time out and not stupidly stuffing things in my mouth at homeCheese: Allowed 2 days meals per weekComplex Carbs: Allowed only on workout days, from breakfast to 1 hour after the workout2. Workouts: 3 per week, preferrably straightforward Crossfit WODs instead of Oly Lifting, Gymnastics or other specialised classes 3. Study: I need to be ready for my exams. So far I've managed to lose interest in the lessons and not study any of the book or notes. This needs to change, drastically. 4. Animal Companion: A few days back, I picked up a stray cat. This goal is twofold. One, take care of it, take it to the vet, buy the necessary equipment and make the adjustments required to this new situation. Two is defend my decision against the family who is bound to go bananas once they hear of it. I am not giving way. The cat stays. 5. Peace of Mind: Special thanks to zenLara for inspiring this one. As mentioned, my ThreadCon™ has become terrible and instead of trying to fight it, I must come to terms with it. I can't keep up with everything and it's no use trying to do it or feeling bad for not being able to. 6. Daily Quests: This worked wonders during my previous challenge so I'm keeping it up for this one as well.

All righty, guys - I've officially decided to jump in on the February challenge. Given the events in January, I wasn't sure if I was going to participate, but fuck it. I need this community, and the battle log just isn't the same. So, building off of last month, here are the goals: Quest 1: Continue attending Crossfit 3x/wk. The last week of this challenge is also the first week of the Open, in which I am participating. Yay. | STR +2 | DEX +1 | STA +1 | Quest 2: It's probably a good idea to get some kind of exercise in everyday in addition to CF. Therefore I'm going to start small with a mini workout that I can do as soon as I'm out of bed or home from work. (in no particular order) :30 Plank 20 Goblet Squats 15 KB high pulls 10 Turkish get ups (5 per side) | STR +2 | DEX +1 | Quest 3: It's time to up the protein with a daily morning shake. Thanks to my CF buddy, I have a good recipe to start me off and a brand spanking new tub of protein powder. This will be super easy to set up the night before, so all I will have to do is dump it all in the blender, mix, and pour. | STA +1 | CHA +1 | Man, this is so true...totally thought mine came without a scoop and started using my scale... Quest 4: The main focus of this challenge - working on getting my nutrition sorted via meal prep. I used to do this every week, and then I fell off it. I'm going to start with just preparing breakfast and lunches every Sunday, with dinners planned but not cooked until needed. It's probably going to be close to the same thing every week, but it's something. | CON +2 | Quest 5: Journaling at least 5 days per week. In order to stay sane and keep myself afloat, this is going to need to become a habit. Get my thoughts and events from the day down on paper and out of my head. Length of time spent writing and length of entry do not matter. | WIS +2 | CON +1 | Quest 6: Finally, keep up the Domestic RangeringTM. I'm going to keep with 15min/day, but I also want to incorporate two 1hr blocks of time to scrub down the bathroom and kitchen. | WIS +1 | It's the month for ALL the cleans: Crossfit cleans, cleaning up my nutrition, and doing actual around-the-house cleaning.

Wow this new format doesn't leave much time to do a new challenge. Anyway here we go... "What a piece of junk!" - Like the Millenium Falcon and Optimus, I plan to be more than meets the eye by the end of this challenge Goals: - Alcohol max 1 day a week - 1 hour a day of 'exercise' - 4 weeks of Paleo Bonus: - Each day I don't play video games is an extra drinking day. This one is about body transformation, would like to drop another 3kg this challenge. I was going to count calories but I know already that it will just piss me off so I will go full Paleo for 4 weeks. Other important things happening this challenge: - I will sit my Advanced Scuba Diver certificate - I'm getting back to squash - Planning to finally book my dive on the Yongala.

Ack! New Challenge already! Okay, I'm in. But I'm doing this on my tablet so I have no pictures. I challenge all of you to supply me with appropriate gifs. My Challenge will be a weird one because for most of it I will be on my epic Journey to the Florida Keys, where I will kayak (with a group) 63 miles in 5 days from Marathon Key (mile 47 on the Overseas Highway) to Key West, mile marker 0 and the Southernmost point, hopefully not being eaten by a giant marine predator or frying to a crisp in the proccess. The morning after I finish the kayak portion, I will mount my aluminum steed and ride north for three days, covering 80 map miles and 107 physical miles to reach mile marker 80, and will have traversed virtually the entire Florida keys under human power. I bought a special shirt to wear at the victory. THEN, because I am actually, certifiably insane, I will drive home and exactly one week later will do a combination kayak/trail run adventure race in South Carolina on March 26th, which will close out my three-part "Predator Series" as well as my three month work sabbatical in a blaze of glory. And Sunburn. And possibly a pulled hamstring. So my goals on this challenge are: 1: Don't die. This will be graded on a pass/fail basis. 2: See goal one for not dying. 3: if you must die, die biting the throat. I do have some other goals: A: keep leveling up my career via my podcast and webseries and writing and etc B: Don't eat like an idiot C: transition back to work as smoothly as possible I will update these as I can, but the trip will be the main thing. Bear with me. I promise to go back to micromanaging my carb count as soon as it's over. BTW Flamethrowers have nothing to do with my challenge. I was just trying to keep things interesting. Speaking of updates, I just thought I would mention that I wore my jeans out to dinner last night. Imhaven't been able to wear my jeans (I only have the one pair for some reason) in TWO YEARS. Let alone wear them into an eating establishment AND not have to undo the button mid-meal (though I confess my crossfit warrior thighs gave them a moment's pause). My physique may be changing at a glacial pace, but it's getting somewheres.... Adventure race deets below if you're interested:

The MAIN QUEST: I've established the foundation for a life nearly worthy of being called a [barbarian Ranger], but the road is a long and winding one, with many adventures yet to partake of. Queue the added dramatic flair and inspiration of the Warrior Skald. In Dungeons & Dragons, the Skald is what happens when you marry the Barbarian to the Bard while blasting heavy metal music over the mountaintops. Reciting epic verses, chanting magnificent lines, and howling the battle cries of legendary warriors, the Skald is what the Barbarian would be if he carried a banner, electric guitar, and a battle axe as well. He is a Lord of War, and his game is the inspiring of himself and others, such as mine is. Starting weight baseline: 185 lbs. Maximum pull-ups: 12 strict. Next goal: 15. Double-unders Combo: 22 consecutive. * * * TRAIN IN THE GLADIATOR’S SANCTUM (+2 DEX, +2 STA) “I never saw a man fight as Conan fought. He put his back to the courtyard wall, and before they overpowered him the dead men were strewn in heaps thigh-deep about him. But at last they dragged him down, a hundred against one.” – A Witch Shall Be Born, 1934. Goal: Mess with the best, die like the rest. Attend one martial arts class per week; Krav Maga, MMA or other.Bonus Adventure: Hone those Barbarian combat skills through a Darebee martial arts/weaponry workout. UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF THE SPIRIT LODGE (+2 DEX, +2 STR) “In so narrow a cleft, his foes could come at him only one or two at a time – provided they did not scale the cliff to attack him from above, or to get behind him, and provided they had no bows and arrows. Conan was wearing no armor, and he knew that not even his panther-like agility would enable him to dodge arrows loosed at close range.” – Conan and the Spider God, 1980. Goal: Train that panther-like agility and loosen up my overworked bulk by completing one Yoga session per week, plus additional Barbarian Ranger accessory work (double-unders, ring dips, muscle-ups, pull-ups)Bonus Adventure: Despite the winter chill, get some fresh air while enjoying a session of Ranger Yoga in the wilds. VISIT ‘THE FILTHY ANIMAL’ (+1 CON, +1 WIS, +1 CHA) “He was concerned only with the naked fundamentals of life. The warm intimacies of small, kindly things, the sentiments and delicious trivialities that make up so much of civilized men's lives were meaningless to him. A wolf was no less a wolf because a whim of chance caused him to run with the watch-dogs. Bloodshed and violence and savagery were the natural elements of the life Conan knew; he could not, and would never, understand the little things that are so dear to civilized men and women.” – Beyond The Black River, 1935. Goal: It's time to eat like a Barbarian. I will track and report Eat To Perform macros and calories for accountability. Attempt one new exotic recipe per week.Bonus Adventure: Warm-up that Wilderness Lore trait to conduct a wilderness survival scenario. AT DAY’S END :: THE DAILY QUESTS (+2 WIS, + 2 CHA) “Let me live deep while I live; let me know the rich juices of red meat and stinging wine on my palate, the hot embrace of white arms, the mad exultation of battle when the blue blades flame and crimson, and I am content. Let teachers and priests and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content." - Queen of the Black Coast, 1934. Goal: After a long day of harrowing adventure, I share the exploits of my daily activities, including any Domestic Rangering, and track my Daily Quests / To Do List. * * * CHALLENGE INSPIRATION: This long-ranging Barbarian now stalks the wilds of Azeroth. Pairing the woodsy, earthen scents of cedar wood, birch bark, and smoldering tobacco from the highlands of World of Warcraft aside an exotic mélange of heady urban musk, notes of amber, bourbon vanilla, and roughly cured leather from Conan the Barbarian, you’ll have a unrestrained, fierce palate prepared for any quest. With just a hint of Spartacus upon the finish, this challenge will leave you with a profound feeling of satisfaction and a driving thirst for adventure! In keeping with the Golden Age of the Barbarian, my overarching theme for 2016, we’ll be keeping the momentum rolling with another savage challenge. I will overcome the bleak midwinter doldrums with BLOOD & THUNDER! Inspiration is everything, and I aim to become a BAMF the likes of which the world has never seen before. Let's do this.

I have fantastic memory, but it can be as short as Doris' from Where's Nemo, so every WOOT I get I will store here, in my treasurechest. My precioussessss.. I will revisit it everytime I feel down or not motivated enough to remind myself: "YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!" Lets begin! Starting point, June 2014: - Can not do a single push-up, - Can't run a kilometer without regretting not having written testament, - Can't do a pull up, - Handstand? No way! - Muffintop - oh yes. (I've never been fat/obese, but I have always been quite doughy). Today, January 2015: Treasure 1: 4 push-ups!! And growing Treasure 2: Can run a kilometer!! Once I ran about 3 and didn't feel like dying

Haven't been here in the w00t room in ages, but today's WOD definitely merits a post... strung together 4 muscle ups on the rings in the first round of today's workout! Woohoo! https://goo.gl/photos/2BwiWtwdNow28EMs7

Last time on as the Vikings Burn....I mean last challenge which had to drop to the wayside as I acclimated to a new schedule and fun Kara moaned as she burrowed deeper into her sleeping furs, trying to hide the light creeping through the window from her eyes, struggling to find a comfortable place to rest. It seemed her sore muscles had sore muscles after the week that had just gone by. Even now, laying in bed and sleeping (or trying to), there was no way to get comfortable with how aching and battered her body was. Closing her eyes to try and snatch a few more hours she let her thoughts drift to the week. While she had managed to get up every morning before the Old Goat wandered in with another bucket of water to freeze her with missing that first morning had set the tone for the week. Punishment. Clear and simple. The whole body was beaten and wracked and destroyed to build it back stronger. She knew at this rate she was going to spend the next few weeks aching and exhausted. But she felt hopeful. Better. Mayhaps even....excited about what was coming. The training the Goat had pushed her through had been maneuvers and actions her body was not used to. She had lifted, ran, contorted, twisted and put her body through exercises she had never even heard of before. When she was done working her body he had pushed her weapons on her. The hammer normally wielded to devastate enemies everywhere had been used to make her arms to turn to jello. Twisting. Lifting. Turning. The hammer had been swung, held, cradled, twisted and even flipped at some points. Then the weapon had been turned to a pile of leather off casts, beating them as if they were Sutr himself standing before her again and again. All of that she could handle. But the running. Allfather watch over her the running was almost too much. Full armor. Weapons and shield on her back as she ran through the woods. Through the halls of Valhalla. Through the plains where the souls of fallen warriors practiced for Ragnarok. It didn't matter where it was Kara had run through it, often being pointed at and laughed at by those who saw her training with the Goat as he was called by all. She gritted her teeth and endured, ignoring the laughter and comments about a Valkyrie trained by a Goat. She noticed none of them said a word when he was with her. They knew better than to try and ridicule him. He would trounce them and leave them begging to be done. There had been plans to begin training her on how to train without weapons but the tutor he had promised had not been able to make it on the day planned. She had been hopeful perhaps that ridiculous idea could be overlooked but it was not to be. In the weeks ahead she would be taught by this tutor she had never met multiple days a week instead of just once. The young Valkyrie wasn't even sure how she was going to survive the running and the lifting and all the cross training the Goat made her endure. Throw in taking a beating multiple days a week was no doubt going to put her over the edge. She winced and burrowed her face into her furs at the mere thought. Blessed sleep was disturbed only a short time later as her whole body was shaken. The Valkyrie merely cracked an eye open, not even bothering to leap out of bed. If this was an enemy she would provide little fight. But, as expected, she found the Goat standing there smirking at her. "Wake up Curly One, time to get out of bed." "Go. Away. You promised me a day to sleep today." "Yes, I did and I will keep my word. But the All Father summons you." Kara shot to her feet immediately at that statement and she moved to put her armor and gear on. "You should have said so at the start, fool!" "I thought that's what I just did." "You did not such thing." She hissed at him, a whirlwind of movement as she donned her attire and then raced from her room still lacing up boots and strapping on weapons. She slid along, moving through the halls as fastly as she could move, soon entering the great hall and bowing before the Allfather, face and forehead planted on the floor. "Rise, Valkyrie." Odin's voice boomed through the hall, echoing off the tall ceilings and stone walls. Kara lifted to herself to her feet, face set stoically to hide the pain she felt as she moved her body about at his bidding. Her eyes turned upwards and she regarded the King of the Gods and Asgard it's self. There was no denying that Odin was an imposing figure to behold. Two dark shapes sat silently on his shoulder, beady eyes fixated upon her and watching her intently with a shining intelligence no normal Raven should hold. She knew Huggin and Muggin had probably been the ones to report her actions to Odin and her lips thinned as she regarded them. Without actively doing so her eyes shifted from the ravens gracing his shoulder to the ruined mass of one eye, the price for the knowledge granted by those creatures alighted upon him. Scars radiated out from the center, marring his face and disappearing down into his hair and beard. The puckered flesh was laid bare for all to see, no attempt made to hide it. Odin was proud of his bargain, for his knowledge, and for the price paid. He wanted all to see it. Only years of exposure to such let her observe it without a reaction, she had grown accustomed to the sight over the years. Beard and hair were white, the color of winter and ice. Kara often considered that they reminded her of water poured over a statue then frozen in place. Harsh and unforgiving as the craggy face they covered, Odin spoke of age and time and battle. The white on white on white of his face and beard and the stark blackness of the Ravens on his shoulder said something about the God himself. It was a statement of many things, even if he was not aware of it. Blacks and whites. rights and wrongs. His words and those who opposed him. With a shake of her head Kara cleared her thoughts, not wanting them to be ehard or seen by any looking her way. "Thank you, majesty." "So, I hear you have begun training with the Goat this last week." She fidgeted at his words, wondering how he would take this. "Yes, Allfather. I have sought out his wisdom to learn to be a better Valkyrie for you." "And why seek him out and not myself or another of our vaunted warriors such as Thor?" He eyed her darkly with his one good eye, the scorn for her actions clear upon his face. The Valkyrie must tread carefully here, the Allfather was...well...the Allfather. Anger him and she could find herself like Loki. "I did not wish to disturb you or your son with my simple request, Allfather. I sought not to waste your time or his with someone such as myself. I can get training from the Goat and not burden you in anyway. I only sought the basics of such learning, not to master such skills yet as you do." A little flattery never hurt, perhaps. Odin peered intently at her and she kept her eyes downcast,r efusing to meet his gaze and let him see the falseness of her words. She had her own reasons for what she was doing and neither Odin nor Goat were going to stop her from what she was about. She stood motionless, letting him weigh her words. Time ticked by, the throne room of people shuffling and moving as they waited for a response. "I see. How....intriguing." She nodded, as if agreeing with him about his observation. She said nothing still and let the silence continue before even the Allfather himself finally stood and strode from the throne to stand before her. "And why pick Goat for such training, Valkyr?" "I have long heard of his prowess on the battle field, Allfather. His skill with the hammer and shield. His ability to best many of our warriors. I felt he could provide me with much to learn if he was half as good as the stories say of him." "And is he? Half as good?" "Yes, my lord. He is." "And you think he has knowledge to pass on that would aid you in your duties to me." "Yes, Allfather." A large hand reached out and took hold of her chin, forcing her head back and her eyes up to his face to meet his gaze. "I think you're lying Valkyrie. I think you're hiding something from me." Kara stilled all thoughts. All observations, working to keep her face devoid of anything but her devotion to Odin and Asgard. This was no lie. She was devoted to the people, the realm, and it's survival. "My lord....I am not. I simply sought to learn more, fight better, and be able to do my duties." This much was truth. Best to wrap the truth around her actions as a shield against observation and examination. It would keep things from being discovered. "We shall see, Valkyr. I will be watching you." At this statement both the birds on his shoulder shifted, ruffling their feathers and fixing beady eyes on her. They reminded her of Loki or the world serpent, all slick and dark and full of secrets. She refused to look at them too long, instead bowing before Odin once more. "Of course my Lord, I live to serve." "So you say, Valkyrie. Leave my sight." At the dismissal Kara left the throne room, moving as quickly as she could without it being obvious she was running. Once she crossed the threshold and was back outside Goat fell into step beside her, turning his head to regard her with the same probing gaze Odin had. She scoffed some and looked sidelong at him. "What?" "You're hiding something, Curly One." "You hide everything Old Goat." "This is true. But you...you're hiding something from me and Odin and others." "Mmm. Perhaps." His hand snaked out grabbing hers and yanking her to a stop. She winced and moved to yank her arm free but found his grip like iron upon her limb. He forced her to look at him much as Odin had done in the throne room, trying to divine intentions in her gaze. "Tell me or we will ceasae this training." "No. My secrets are my own! I will find another to teach me then." She shook her arm again to try and leave but he held tighter, fingers digging in deep enough to mark her pale flesh. "What game are you up to, Valkyrie?" "None, I merely wish to survive, Goat. Nothing more." She let the partial truth of her words be seen, knowing that while he may realize she still kept secrets that much was truth. She kept her face still as his fingers dug in deeper and deeper, his anger at not knowing what she was trying to do expressed through that grip. Finally he shook her violently and pushed her away, letting go. "Bah. You lie and keep secrets like those damnable birds. But I will keep you close until I am sure you are no threat." "I am not a threat, Goat. I am a Valkyrie. I serve Asgard and Valhalla. Nothing more." This was utterly true, even if he chose not to believe her. "Hmph. I will pry your secrets from you Valkyr, even if I have to flay it from your skin in training. Be ready, tomorrow you will learn what it is to lie and defy me." "I do not fear you, Goat. No more than I fear the, Allfather." "We will see, Curly One, we will see." With that he stalked off, leaving Kara to return to her room to try and regain some of the sleep she had been pulled from. Sleep was not forthcoming for Kara however and the young Valkyrie soon dressed for the day and headed out to the practice grounds with her shield and hammer upon her back and her armor upon her body. She ignored the sidelong looks sent her way, knowing that many were whispering and discussing her after the debacle in the throne room. No doubt many would be eagerly spying for the Allfather, in addition to those two blasted nosy birds. Not only that but some would be angry at her for what they perceived to be a betrayal in the making. How little they knew or realized was truly happening. However for the moment Kara ignored them all and set to work focusing on her practice. She worked the same moves that the Goat had been teaching her, pounding into leathers with her hammer. Swinging it and letting her body growing acclimated to using it. Then a run through the woods with full armor and weapons upon her back. Escaping the whispers and stares was exactly what was needed after the abysmal start to the day. The icy grounds and snow covered trees however did not help to make her run any easier. More than once she struggled to move through small snow drifts and across icy slicked ground that was already uneven from rocks and dirt and leaves hidden beneath the snow. Still, Kara struggled forward to race through the woods and complete her training, opting to work out her anger with events instead of resting. Though resting would probably have been the better choice with the way the day was going. Her body already ached from a weeks worth of activities. Now she was pushing it further than she should. Still, they didn't call it braving the elements for nothing. Though more like stupidly crazy is what the Valkyr mumbled to herself as she moved along the woods. She continued on bravely stubbornly and soon circled back to the outer fields of Valhalla. Making her way through the stone edifice and into the small room called hers the Valkyrie collapsed, aching and soaked to the skin. She barely managed to strip herself of her attire and find her warm furs before sleep claimed her. Tomorrow she would have to start again, after failing the Goat in his eyes, and she knew it would be murder. Perhaps literally. So last challenge blew up. I rocked out my first two hardcore, did total win and then...real life. Bam to the face. School started. New job working 6pm - 3am. Working out 7am. All of it combined to keep me offline except for intermittent pit stops here and there. I managed to maintain my workout schedule but flopped on eating Paleo with a snow storm, err two inches of snow are a storm here in the South I suppose, and not having supplies in the house. What I learned? Make a schedule and stick to it to make time for what you enjoy. I enjoy this site and you guys so I've scheduled NF into my week every week. (This morning before Crossfit) Two, always have emergency rations in case a light storm...I mean snowmageddon....hits. And finally we don't always ace everything we do. The true test is if we pull ourselves up, move forward having learned and continue to go forward. Ranger up! Fortunately I had planned my last challenge to continue into this one. I wanted my challenges to span two months, with small adjustments, to build lasting changes and affects. So my goals are much the same. Goal 1:Strength- Being born with the strength of the Gods is all well and good but when the Gods and other beings of the 9 realms are your enemy and are stronger than you that must change. You need to build that strength up to stand toe to toe with Giants. For this challenge I will do 3 strength exercises a week, a combo of Maces and Crossfit. Goal 2: Endurance- Being strong and facing down Frost Giants or a handsy drunken Thor is only one aspect. Valkyries live on battlefields and collecting souls sometimes means taking part. Being strong doesn't help if battles are long and drawn out (or if you're running around tables to elude Thor until Sif can knock him cold and drag him off.) To be the best Valkyrie you need the endurance to withstand enemies in battle. I will do four endurance/cardio based workouts a week, any mix of Rucking or C25K sessions. Goal 3: Defense- Knowing how to swing a hammer and block a shield is one step in being able to fight. Learning more than one way of fighting and moving is useful along with improving agility and flexibility. One can never say when they may be stripped of their weapons in battle. To this end I will do one Krav Maga session minimum a week. Preparing for battle of any kind is the task of a true Valkyr! Goal 4: Buck Furpees! - Preparation is a key to battle. Going into a fight means taking care of yourself, your armor, your supplies. It means knowing what you may face and being ready for whatever is thrown at you. Being prepared for me means facing the dreaded Burpee head on. I will be doing the Spartan in June and Burpees will inevitably be a part of that. I must prepare, even as I curse them. Every week I will do Burpees before bed and when I wake up. Each additional week I will add on 5 Burpees until I can easily do those I need to in preparation to become a Spartan Valkyrie! I am on 25 burpees....kill me now. Goal 5: Nutrition- Swilling wine and mead and beer is all good for any Cup Bearing Valkyrie. But feasting and drinking until one is swimming in it is not. The body must be ready for battle along with the mind and reflexes. Stuffing my face is not part of that. The holidays are over. Time to Ranger Up! I will eat 2 primal meals a day every day of the week, allowing myself one day to eat Primal only once. The day is my choosing but it does not mean I will gorge. Only that I can relax and let myself embrace my inner Valkyrie with a little good food and good drink. Life Goal: Live- Winning a battle is all well and good but one must learn life is not always about the next battle, the next fight. One must enjoy and live. Fear must not hold back your life. So every challenge I will pick one new thing to do, one thing I am uncertain of or afraid of. I will do it and will conquer it. I don't know what it will be each time. It may be something small and simple. It may be life changing. But it will be done and I will post in my wrap up what I did each challenge. Last month it was starting Krav, even being nervous about going and my fitness level. I enjoyed it all and still doing it. This month.....we shall see. The next morning Kara was pulled from bed by the Goat, his hand yanking her by the hair and throwing her to the floor. It was hours before she was normally up. But it seemed he was eager to punish her for her "lies" as he perceived them. "Up traitor, time to earn your beating and punishment from me. Let us see how much you are willing to betray Asgard this morning." He threw her aside as he snarled and stomped out, making Kara wonder why he even bothered. If he was truly this angry why even continue teaching her anything. Why give her more skills to betray Asgard and it's people if he thought that is what she was up to. With a sigh and groan she stood and began to dress, adding the mystery of his actions to the growing pile of worries and questions plaguing her on the path she had begun.

Hello, ranger folk. Since this is my first challenge ever in the big league (out of the Rebels Guild, I mean), I will bother you guys with a brief introduction. My name is Miss Kitty Fantastico and I will be joining you guys for the next few challenges (yey!). I am a 25 year old woman from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who works a desk job as a ecommerce and marketing manager of a retailer of women's clothing. "I enjoy moonlit nights, taking long walks on the beach, unicorns, and knitting. In fact, I once took a seaside stroll on a moonlit night, and discovered a unicorn...which I proceeded to stab in the throat with a crochet needle. I am a woman of refined, yet simple tastes." *ahem* Seriously, though. I am a big nerd when it comes to games (if the Skyrim quote above wasn't indication), RPG, books and cats. Say "hi" to Banguela (portuguese for Toothless) and Lady Winterfell of House Gioielli (I will let you guys guess which is which ). I am also a big fan of electronic dance music and raves and festivals and THE VIBE.. and that is totally related to my MAIN QUEST for the next three of months, as you will see. A few weeks ago, my BFF and I decided to go to Tomorrowland Brasil 2016, one of the biggest electronic music festivals in the world (it is held in many different countries). It will be taking place on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th of april. After finally purchasing our tickets, we obvs got super excited and started watching ALL THINGS TOMORROWLAND on YouTube. We came across the aftermovie of last year's festival here in Brazil and, while watching it, we both looked at one another and basicly said the same thing: I wanna appear in the 2016's aftermovie and I wanna look good while doing it. Here is the vid in case anyone reading is curious: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eRMT29fKxtA"frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> So bam. My MAIN QUEST for the next couple of months is to prepare my body to look good for the festival. HAHA. Since "look good" is very subjective (and not a SMART goal), my MAIN GOAL for this challenge is to lose a bit more weight, so I can focus on "leaning out" during march and april. Anyway, I weight 53,2kgs (as of 25/01) , so for this challenge I will try to get down to 50kg to see if I can get rid of the stubborn belly fat. I will also will be paying close attention to my other body measurements and my BF% in case I need to adjust my tactics. And progress pics! Weekly progress pics! Now on to the goals! (Finally.) Height: 158cm/5'2''.Starting Weight (01/04):Goal Weight: 50kg/110lbs. Diet Goals - Keep eating at a deficit (1500 cals/day for weight loss, according to IIFYM calculator). Overeating isn't an option when you are living in the damn Castle Black as a recruit. I want to lose weight, so that means eating at a deficit. 1500 cals/day is what the IIFYM recommends for my height/weight/level of activity, so I will be using said amount as a starting point. I will grade this goal weekly though, which means less than 10500cals/week. - Eat more fiber during weekdays. My diet has been pretty solid and I am hitting my daily protein goal (100g) without any major issues, as well as keeping my carb intake to less than 100g for weigthloss. I figured I would make a fiber goal because somehow I am terrible at eating enough of it (25g/day), even though I eat veggies pretty much every day. So, for the next 4 weeks I will make a concious effort to up my fiber intake. I am making this a weekday thing, because I am known to fast during the weekends and/or give myself a little more leeway with what I eat (always keeping the 1500 cal/day or 10500 cal/week in mind, though). Week 1: 10g/dayWeek 2: 15g/dayWeek 3: 20g/dayWeek 4: 25g/day Fitness Goals - Crossfit at least 3x/week. Recruits must work on their strength and conditioning if they want to become grown up Rangers. You just need this sort of stuff to survive north of the Wall. Last challenge I was doing Crossfit 4x/week and I didn't miss a day (I even attended more sessions during the last week). I am pretty much in love with it, but ever since starting muay thai again I've decided to cut back a bit on my Crossfit sessions just so I don't end up burning out or something worse. Of course, if I am feeling good and rested enough and actually WANT to attend more sessions, I am free to do so. Hahaha. - Muay thai at least 2x/week. Recruits must have martial training so they can defend the Realms of Men against the Wildlings and the White Walkers. - NF Yoga 2x/week. At this point, I will be using the NF yoga sessions mostly for the stretching, since Crossfit + muay thai = a sore MKF. Life Goal - Fix the damn car. Recruits must care for the horses-- Blah. Hahaha. I just need to have my car's bodywork fixed in order to renew its documents in five months from now. Brazilian stuff. I have been putting it off since last year and finally have enough money saved to take it to a shop and leave it there for a few days. So.............

Hi all, my brother challenged me to a "Murph" competition at the end of February. For those who don't know, Murph is... 1mile run 100 pullups 200 pushups 300 squats 1mile run in a 20lb weight vest or body armor I've never even attempted Murph before and I am wondering how some of you might go about training for it. Up to this point I have been doing some running and crossfit workouts, but have been mostly focusing on my weightlifting and powerlifting. I know those will not help me as much for this so I am thinking about putting most of my lifting on hold for the rest of February and only lifting enough to maintain my lifts. Does anyone have any decent programs to aid in pullup and pushup fatigue. Currently I can do ~15 unbroken strict pullups and ~60 unbroken pushups. I am not very worried about the squats, I've done over 300 before broken up into sets of 20. I did run today 1mi in a 30lb vest and did 10x10 pushups, finishing the run in 10min and the pushups in another ~12min. Any help at all would be great.

Are you a Nerd? Would you like to head to the Scottish Highlands for a weekend with lots of other Nerds? Do you like cake? Or whisky? Or beer? Or bacon? Can you get yourself to Edinburgh (or direct to Fort William) on 3 October? Guzzi and I are planning an epic weekend of fun, frolics and heavy lifting and would love it if you came along. There will be a (very informal) powerlifting competition for those who want to take part. There will be eating and drinking. There will almost certainly be a variety of outdoor pursuits (well, Fort William is famed for it). More details to follow but please post your notes of interest here!

“Ugh” For some reason, the first thing I could feel was the inside of my mouth. My tongue felt like it was made of sawdust and tar. My throat was equally dry and coarse, then a stinging pain across my spine made every nerve explode, flooding me with a sudden rush of adrenaline as the rest of my senses returned to me. The pain retreated, much like a quick stab, letting the sensory information fall into place slowly. Everything about my back told me I was lying on cold hard rock. “Cursed Pandemonium, I was washed down the tunnels again, wasn’t I?” I said to no one in particular. “This isn’t Pandemonium. And you are no longer who you thought you were” no one in particular answered back. A female voice, soft with the sound of age-old wisdom. “Externally, at least”. I tried to jump up and face whoever was talking to me, but my body felt way heavier than I remembered. Probably from the shock, I thought. It’s ok, I’ll make it less spectacular. Rolling over and hopping up was so instinctive, it happened faster than my brain could process what was going on. At first I wondered if my shoulders were wider than I thought, then I caught sight of my two hands planted on the ground. Meaty and dark skinned, they propelled me to a standing position albeit not as gracefully as I had hoped. I could literally feel time expand on my upward flight as I was stunned in amazement. Taking a moment to inspect my form before facing the origin of that voice, I found myself wide and muscular. “Not that I’m complaining for the upgrade, but what exactly is going on here?” “There is no way to easy way to explain this” the voice began. I looked around. I was in some sort of cave, lit by some otherworldly source that balanced perfectly between eerie and indifferent. A woman in a long white dress stood nearby, her silver hair held in two long pigtails hanging behind her head. She would have looked girlish, if not for the elongated canines on her lower jaw. Plus, she was partly transparent. “No, you’re not dead” she answered the obvious question that was beginning to form on the back of my mind. “What do you remember about yourself?” I scratched the back of my head, remarking how both my finger and skull felt thicker. “I am a Planeswalker, a githzerai. My name feels old and unpronounceable now, but I remember it meant something about a wanderer or a raider. Uhm, I used to wield a flaming bastard sword. And the last place I visited was the Howling Madness of Pandemonium. It’s all black from there”. The ghostly figure listened with genuine care and perhaps a hint of surprise. “That is… way more than most usually remember. You are a strong soul indeed. I do not know those things you speak of, but I know that somehow you have passed into our world, reborn. Reincarnation, us shamans call it, although yours is a unique case. Plus, you came out as a mag’har, the Uncorrupted of our race. This is how we originally were. I cannot say the same for this place. Alas, once beautiful Draenor is now the shattered dimension of the Outlands.” “Draenor?” I exclaimed. “I’ve read about this place. Well, us Planeswalkers are about going to places and learning from experience, but it never hurts to go somewhere prepared. Right. Draenor. Uhm, used to be full of Orcs and Draenei, until the former slew the latter and invaded human lands through some portal, right?” The woman gave me a sad smile. “That’s part of it, yes. We used to exist together until sometime after my death under the hooves of a clefthoof. I was a shaman and leader of the Frostwolf clan, then my apprentice Drek’Thar took over. He was tricked by some demon impersonating me into joining the Draenei purge, but when the demon and its lackeys asked him to abandon shamanism for the ways of the demon-worshipping warlock, he wisely refused. Our clan was exiled while the others drank the blood of demons and became their enraged slaves, invading the human lands twice as their vanguard. By the time of the Third War, Warchief Thrall sought our clan once more as he tried to bring our race back to its shamanistic roots. Thanks to that and the heroic sacrifice of Grom Hellscream, the orcs were freed from their demonic chains and fought back the demonic invasion alongside their former enemies. Most settled in their new home of Durotan, but our clan retreated elsewhere.” “I see…” were my only words as I tried to take in all the information and sort it out. “Well, of all the places I could exist as an Orc, looks like I landed in the best” I said sarcastically, receiving a raised eyebrow from the spectral woman. Clearly she had no idea that in most worlds I knew existed, Orcs are savage brutes at best. “So what now?” “Patience, young one” the woman said and held out a hand. “There is still much to learn. I will tell you most of it in time and some of it you’ll find out yourself. What’s important right now is strengthening that soul of yours first. It made it through its journey with remarkable resilience. You should cherish and protect it, lest you forget who you really are. Once that is done, you need to get around and learn about your new home. From experience, just the way you like it". The tone of her voice told the story of how she enjoyed the jest, playfully devoid of any irony. "That, and a wolf. No orc can call himself a Raider until he’s got a dire wolf to ride. We call the local variety Frostwolf Howlers.” “What a charming name” I snapped with pure irony instead. “We should also work on your attitude” the woman struck back without batting an eyelid. “The proper ork response would be ‘Lok'tar Ogar!’ That’s ‘For Victory or Death” in our language. That’s our battlecry.” Apparently, the comments about eating and snoring like an Orc were turned into inspiration for my new RPG NF alter ego since I thought "why not also train, fight and face challenges like an Orc?". Warcraft was an easy pick with it's epic take on the noble savagery of Orcs, plus there's plenty of inspiring lore I intend to integrate into the story along with a few surprises. This is not a respawn but rather a reincarnation, hence the link to my githzerai character from my first few NF challenges. Now, onto the TL;DR version good stuff! Soul Power: A Link to the Past Never forget what you've been through, because it made you who you are. In less fancy wording, stick with what's worked so far. Don't eat like a dickhead and do at least 3 crossfit workouts every week. Anything beyond that is a bonus. Frostwolf Howler No Orc can call itself a Raider until it has a Dire Wolf upon which to ride. I used to be in the junior leagues with a 125cc motorcycle license and a scooter to go with it. 2+ years later, the scooter is sold and the license ready to be upgraded. My quest is to acquire information on the necessary process, do what has to be done, upgrade said license and buy a motorcycle of at least 400cc. Also, get a full-face helmet. For the Horde! Keeping goals simple, this is a catch-all quest in which to keep track of guild mini progress, PvPs and any other weird stuff you folks get me dragged into...

So I've been shamming the past year, hiding behind the concept of Easy Strength for a bit too long. I've convinced myself that I train smart, but I realize that I've forgotten how to train hard. No more. Time to increase the ability to move large loads long distances quickly across broad time and modal domains through constantly-varied functional movement executed at a high intensity. So I went ahead and put some mad money down to commit to a year at a local CrossFit box and signed up for a competition on the 30th, outsourcing all my training programming to someone else so I am forced to work on stuff I suck at (i.e. Wall Balls). Because if as a coach you don't believe in being coached yourself, that kind of makes you a hypocrite. All the increased lactic work is going to require some new dietary adjustments, and because little guy Chris Spealler outweighs me by 10 pounds, I may need to get some gainz going. The mission is simple: Accountability in Rangering-up 1. Box Attendance: 5 WODs a week. Turn up, log-on, and grind-out. Simple, yet somehow hard to do. 2. Protein: Consume 140g of protein a day. You can't be a meathead without meat. 3. Supplementation: Simple--Fish Oil and Creatine. Exercise virtuosity, in both the gym and the kitchen. Let's see how this goes. Glad to be back, Rangers.

I awoke colder than I had felt in ages. It seems that the frost has seeped through the bear pelt I had harvested, through my skin, and was starting to pulse through my veins. My thoughts started to dwell on the past, when I was a young ranger. How much simpler things seemed then. How everything seemed to work out. I stood up and looked out of the cave I had sheltered in for the recent past. Snow was covering the ground and starting to drift closer to my low fire, challenging for dominance. The snow drift would soon win out. How did things end up like this? How did I get so far away from who I was at the start? It was time. Time to go back to the academy. I need the support to come back from the wild. I packed up my meager belongings and started to head down the mountain and through the forest. Two weeks later I stepped out of the forest and into the Sylvan Academy, my old home growing up. Not much had changed. I heard rumors of new, energetic leaders as I walked past the training grounds. So many new faces. It is so great seeing all of the new faces. I walk to the mess hall to warm up and get some sustenance. As I sat at a table in front of the fire, I start creating goals for myself and for the road ahead. Provisions – A clean, pure fuel is required. Also, sufficient amounts of fuel will be needed for the journeys ahead. I will eat a minimum of 3,000 calories per day. This will be attenuated over the first week, and my goal may be updated based on how my energy is feeling during workouts. Also, the goal protein intake is 220-250 grams per day. Movement – My time away has made my joints ache and movement harder. I must spend more time mobilizing after my workouts to ensure that I can move at the highest level. I will spend a minimum of 10 minutes stretching and foam rolling after each workout. Endurance – I have become stronger in the wilds, but it has come at a cost to my endurance. So, I will ensure that I perform a MetCon 5 days a week to get back up to speed for future challenges. Organization – In the wilds, I have become like some more base animals. With that comes a certain… clutter in my life. I will spend a minimum of 20 minutes a day cleaning or organizing my bunk. After finishing my soup, I sit back and contemplate the upcoming weeks. It will be good to get back into the fold with the other Rangers. My reverie is interrupted by a large crash and cheers outside the hall. I step out, expecting the worst, only to find that a group of bawdy warriors has taken up residence in the strength training area, pushing the ranger trainees out. My eyebrow goes up as a thought crosses my mind: ‘maybe it’s time to see how much stronger I’ve gotten in the wilds…’ Side Challenge - Weightlifting meet: January 16th is my second weightlifting meet. Let’s see if I can show those warriors that a ranger can keep up with them. My goal is to beat my total from my last meet of 184 kg/405.7 lbs. Ideally, I’d like to get a PR either on my snatch, clean and jerk, or total. But, I would just be happy with a new meet total. Time to Ranger Up!

Yay, it’s 2016! Where did the time go…. I can’t believe we are starting this new challenge already; it feels like just yesterday we were setting up goals for break. A lot has happened in these brief few weeks, all leading up to what is sure to be a very exciting year. Originally, I had a super kickass theme for this challenge, but have decided to hold off until I have the new system down pat. I’m also still working on a way of tying all my challenges together, as opposed to last year’s almost-randomness. This is going to be used more as a way of getting myself into specific habits, and for that reason some of these may continue on into future threads. (As a forewarning, this is not 100% complete - I’ve been waiting to post it until the new character creation has gone live, but that hasn’t happened yet - as far as I’ve seen - and I’m tired of waiting. Once that is up, I will have a better idea of the scoring system and can update this post with that information.) _______________________________________________________ Goal 1: Raising the Bar During winter break I joined a crossfit gym, completed my foundation classes, and started going as a legitimate member. Currently, I have the ‘base’ membership, but I think in a few months time I will upgrade to the unlimited (for goal reasons). Until then, I need to make sure I am in the habit of going there on a consistent basis. The plan was for this to happen before the challenge started, but the holiday hours didn’t mesh with my schedule very well. As my membership allows me to be there no more than 3 times per week, that is my goal. Possible days will be Mon/Wed/Fri or Mon/Thurs/Sat depending on what is planned for the week. _______________________________________________________ Goal 2: Balance and Stretch As a way to both relax and help rehab/stretch out sore crossfit muscles, I’m going to include NF yoga on non-CF days. I’ve used it on and off since I bought it, but would like to turn it into an actual thing I do instead of something I do when I happen to remember and feel like doing it. As with CF, the goal is 3x/wk (minimum). _______________________________________________________ Goal 3: A Drop of Water Yup, that’s right, I need more water. I drink a fair amount, but usually only on workout days. That’s not good enough for me. It will help regulate my appetite and should hopefully curb any cravings. Minimum intake is 60oz, which is a little more than my main water bottle (38oz). I’m sure I’ve had this as a goal before (my memory is not working right now), but I clearly wasn’t focusing on making it a permanent thing. _______________________________________________________ Goal 4: Domestic RangeringTM I’ve had a really hard time pinning down what to use as my life goal for this challenge due to the number of activities I have going on this month and year. Ultimately, I’ve decided to focus on Domestic RangeringTM as that is the area where I need the most work. Specifically, I want to spend 15min every day doing some kind of decluttering and/or cleaning. If I do more, great, but it’s not going to count as extra points or whatever the scoring ends up being. Obviously if I am not home for a day, I will allow myself a pass. The only thing that will not be included as part of the 15min is washing the dishes, because I do that anyway. As a secondary element to this goal, I want to try to make it kind of fun by throwing some music on and/or making a game out of it (how much can I clean/put away within the time frame, or during this song, etc). I think that this will help solidify it as a daily task and make it less of a chore (even though it kind of is). _______________________________________________________ Outside of this challenge, I have a bunch of other goals/projects going on, including: •Make it Forward Project: during each month of 2016 I will create one handmade gift for someone. I’m currently looking for recipients (I have 11 months open as of 1/4), so if you’re interested and would like to learn more check out the post I made about it in my Battle Log. •I’m aiming to read 12 books by Dec 31, 2016. List is pending. •Soon to be revealed podcast projects that I’m working on with some friends. There’s more ‘info’ about this in the same post as the Make it Forward Project. Once I’m able to give more info away, I will absolutely be posting about it. I’m super excited for this one All of these, and more, will be posted in my Battle Log. I’d like to keep my challenge thread as challenge oriented as possible, but I will probably post about some of these things (or at least give links) as they happen. Finally, I’m sure I will be updating and revising this as the week goes on and the character creation info goes up. I’ll be sure to make a note if there are any drastic changes.

"Hither came Rurik Harrgath, wild-bearded and sullen-eyed, hammer in hand, a ranger, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the wild places of the earth under his booted feet… Passion tempered by Intellect, given life through Instinct." The MAIN QUEST: Build a life worthy of being called a Barbarian Ranger and everything that entails. In Dungeons & Dragons, the Barbarian class is capable of entering a Raging state that allows the character to endure more punishment and inflict more damage for a short period of time. Similar to those bouts of untapped strength and power unleashed by a Barbarian, I will unleash the fury within to crush my challenge goals and hasten my awakening as a paragon of savage glory, ever seeking to ignite reality full of passion, adventure, and excitement to bring myself closer to the life of a video game character, the likes of which you might find going about his business in World of Warcraft or upon the screen of a sword-and-sorcery action-adventure film. Thus, the Barbarian Ranger is born. Starting weight baseline: 188 lbs. Maximum pullups: 10 strict. Next goal: 12. Double-unders Combo: 22 consecutive. * * * CHAPTER I: Of the Far, Grim North (+2 CON, +1 DEX) Quest Description: "None may stand where titans have tread! Exertions that would otherwise kill another are but trifle inconveniences to you. Howl your war cry over the savage wastes and conquer the landscape as you would any foe! Fear not the rage within; let it control you while you reap through the blood of your enemies! You are beyond the mortal confines of mortal men..." Goal: To stave off weaknesses and enhance my natural toughness, complete a 5km ruck carrying my sledgehammer as an accessory. Additionally, achieve a rucking total of 40 kilometers over the course of this challenge, practicing Yoga balancing and flexibility alongside. Bonus Achievement: [Warrior of the North] (Complete a survival expedition - find shelter, start a fire, and cook a meal - while rucking in the wilderness.) CHAPTER II: Of the Muster at Greywatch (+2 DEX, +1 STA) Quest Description: “A paragon of primal fury, harness your wild rage to become a howling badass of death and destruction. You radiate bloodlust and fury and strike like lightning upon the Anvil of the Gods! You are more powerful than any foe! Your mere presence alone fills opponents with dread and causes them to shake with fear, hesitating before you in battle.” Goal: Like the savage berserker, I must relentlessly train to enhance my agility through dedication and perseverance, mastering my body with weekly drills to build a competency baseline in many skills requiring the body’s natural weight. Quest includes: Double-unders. Muscle-ups. Pull-ups. Ring Dips. Climbing. Bonus Achievement: [Heart of the Wolverine] (Ranger Yoga. Complete no less than 3 yoga poses in the wilderness.) CHAPTER III: Of the Warband’s Coming to Gabilzaramul (+1 DEX, +1 CON, +1 WIS) Quest Description: “Strike fast and violently, unleashing your terrible might upon your foes and deliver unto them a reckoning of blood! None shall stand before you! Move swift and sure like a wild beast through the Far, Grim North. Keen senses, swift motion, and flawless strikes; to the barbarian, weapons mastery is the key to survival.” Goal: No Barbarian Ranger is fit for battle without a foundation of weapons skills. Complete a weekly session of weaponry practice. Bonus Achievement: [The Fury Caller] (Complete four (4) sledgehammer, spear practice, or swordplay sessions after rucking.) CHAPTER IV: Of Ruin, Redemption, and Revenge (+2 WIS, + 4 CHA) Quest Description: "Yours is the Fury of the Mountain and its aid shall come to those who have earned it. Channel within you its terrible majesty, and call upon your great ancestors, for you are mightier with their ancient blessings within you! So does the savage wanderer returns hence from dungeons deep and caverns old to recuperate from his adventures, nurse his wounds, and enjoy the spoils of conquest!” Goal: Keep a running commentary on my daily activity, ranging from reading through gaming, additionally including any Domestic Rangering™ and nutrition compliance. Bonus Achievement: [A Dream of Victory] (Maintain more than 24/28 days within calorie compliance.) IN ADDITION to the main Chapter Quests, a running total of Experience Points is kept. Experience (+XP) is awarded for any effort that brings my real life character more in line with that of a Barbarian Ranger, specifically fitness activities and flavor achievements. Each activity awards +20% XP up to a weekly total of 100/100 Experience. See below for the full list. [Legacy of the Savage Wanderer] Achievement: Right-Click to open the Ancient Ironbound Chest… contained therein is a treasure much sought-after by mortal men and dragon alike, [Rurik’s War-Kilt of Primal Majesty]. It increases our hero’s stat points and attributes, experience gain, and awards him a legendary countenance so that all may look upon him in awe! Challenge Inspiration: Vikings, Barbarians, and other over-the-top manly tropes that carried me through childhood and continue to inspire me on my journey toward legendary greatness as an adult. We’re dialing the BAMF Factor™ to 11 here, folks! Over the following 4 weeks I will introduce a weekly barbarian mystic or warrior king who has inspired me at one point or another. Each of these has made me the man I am today and their indomitable spirits and iron wills shall aid me as I endure this arduous quest through the dark and frigid depths of winter!

NF7: the Predator Pounces, Part 1 And so it begins... Going to stick with a fairly simple challenge this time out, as I'm just coming off a heavy work streak and am feeling the need to streamline. Since the Challenges are shorter now, I’m going to break a larger challenge into 3-4 smaller sections, as I have smaller goals that will build up to a larger event in April. I'm planning to have extra time to devote to healthiness and such, though, as I'm finally taking a sabbatical from work for a few months. Since I am a freelancer, that just means I either don't answer the phone or I answer the phone and then lie about being booked. It's not like I had to make a tear-stained appeal to Human Resources or anything. I did have to tell one contract client that I wasn't available to take any more work with them, which I'm not sure they actually believed. Anyway! On to the challenge. I have three (yes, only three!) areas to work on, and I'm using one reference as a guide for each. I have a bunch of other things rattling around in my skull, but since I didn't want to do the whole "it's January and I must CHANGE MY LIFE COMPLETELY" nonsense, I'm going to restrain myself to these three. Then I can layer on more on the next time. Clean it up: using the excellent "Eat Like A Predator" essay by J Stanton as a guideline, I want to do a serious Paleo reboot. My eating went to hell in a handbasket after Thanksgiving and I need to feed the machine properly. Very limited grains, no sugar, no proccessed carbs except on bike days. (Then I'm allowed a powerbar and some gatorade.) Goal: there's 21 possible meals in a week, although I tend to only eat twice a day, so I'm aiming for no more than 2 non-paleo meals per week. I’m still pondering if I want to count carbs this time around. Work it out: I'm taking a quote by Kelly Starrett, Crossfit coach extrordinaire, as my inspiration: "What it [crossfit] does is expand the consciousness of what's possible. By the way, you CAN run this mountain 7k AND still be brutally strong - in fact, why aren't you?" I have a new, circuit-training style gym workout which I want to do 3 days a week, and add my cycling in around that. Mobility work at least 4 days a week (my mobility work is a simple yoga routine that takes about 15 minutes). Essentially I'm trying to be more of an all-round athlete; quick, strong, flexible, and agile. Not as strong as a powerlifter, not as fast as a sprinter, but more versatile than both. In other words: Ranger Badass. Goal: minimum of 2x gym, 2x bike. Easy Peasy. Maximize my outdoor time with walking, hiking, etc. Level it up: part of the reason I am taking a sabbatical is to work on some personal projects and turn my career in a more creative, self-controlled direction. I played around with a few ideas and I've finally come up with a web series/podcast combo that I'm going to start making called The Haunted Seas - all about ghost stories, folk tales, and haunted places having to do with the ocean, and where you can go to see and experience them. Think of it as Rick Steves meets Ghost Hunters, with a little bit of Point Break thrown in. (The original, not that piece-of-shit remake.) Also, I need to finish the nature film I made last year and promote it. Goal: one webisode and two podcasts a month. I have no idea how to do a podcast, btw, so the learning curve should be…interesting. But I really want to stretch myself creatively and explore some new ideas. Inspiration/reference: Captain Jack Sparrow. So... Here we go...

Getting ready for Memorial Day 2016 Hello! New to Rangers but not a newbie. I've been with the Assassins for several challenges. I thought I'd switch things up for the new year and try the Rangers in order to prepare myself for the Memorial Day MURPH. Last year I did the MURPH for the first time modified. I did ring rows instead of pull ups, box push ups (24"), and "wogged" the mile runs (my squats were RXd!!). It's been a year, I'm getting stronger all the time, so while I'm not ready for the body armor I am ready for banded pull ups, a lower box for push ups and to run the run. I have sort of a phased out plan in my mind that I'll roll out over the next 5 months but here's my base plan to get started: Prep for MURPH Challenge Fitness Quests 1. add 1x weekly run to my exercise routine (5 pts per run/20 total) This run is outside of whatever running I do at xfit. Plan to use c25k program to build endurance. 2. add 1x weekly CINDY to exercise routine (5 pts per CINDY/20 total) CINDY will happen outdoors at whatever park works into my schedule. Plan to be doing pull ups with a super stretchy band which is in the back of my car at all times and using park bench for the push ups. Diet Quest 3. return the 7 pounds I got for Christmas (3 pts per pounds lost/21 total) Joining the husband unit in his Dry January challenge should help as well as logging my meals on MFP to keep track of my carbs (@70g daily). Level Up Life Quests 4. practicar mi español! (1 pt per practice/20 total) I'm taking a beginner spanish class 2x weekly starting January 4th. Practicing spanish on the class days won't be a problem, it's on the other days of the week where I'll need to step it up. The goal here is to practice 15-30 minutes on those non-class days (5 days each week) para aumentar mi confianza de hablar español. 5. get to know the Rangers (5 points per mini-challenge completed/20 total) Jump in and join in on the Ranger mini-challenges. I really enjoyed the Assassin mini-challenges not just because they often complimented my challenge goals but because I got to meet so many cool people. Looking forward to a similar experience with the Rangers! So there it is! Hope my goals are Rangerly enough for a former Assassin For those of you meeting me for the first time I'm a 47yo SAHM living in beautiful Washington State with the husband unit of 21 years and our three boy children (16 yo twins + 12 yo singleton). For old friends, thanks for finding me and cheering me on!

Hello! I am new to this whole site in general. I started Paleo's 30 day detox/reset on January 1 and was searching the web for an online community to be a part of to keep myself motivated and found you guys! I am deciding to join the challenge to meet new people with similar goals and keep myself motivated to better myself for 2016. A little about me, I am a third grade teacher in Orlando, FL. I am currently finishing up my Master's degree at UCF. I have been in a committed relationship for over a year now and he too is a teacher but for second grade and also finishing up his Master's in the same field. We both aspire to be principals some day. I own a service dog, she's a doberman pinscher who is 3 years old and my all time best four-legged friend. My boyfriend and I love to travel and are looking into moving into together in August so we are currently saving up money to make this possible. Between work, grad school, a boyfriend, and a dog life got really busy really fast and I fell off the health wagon. I was consuming candy bars as snacks and frozen pizzas for dinner. Not an ideal life style. I kept blaming it on the stress but in reality I only have myself to blame. I used to be a professional dancer (ballet, jazz, contemporary) and would travel with a production company before I became a teacher. I was very active with that company and doing crossfit. I weighed 118. I now weigh 145 and I'm only 5 feet tall. Not how I like seeing myself. I've decided to stop blaming extenuating factors and get myself active again, get back into crossfit, get on Paleo, and cleanse my life. After reading Antagonist's post I liked that she had financial quests in there too so I'm following her template. As for my diet and fitness quests, instead of doing two diet quests since Paleo eliminates all sugars and carbs, I'm going to do two fitness quests. Diet Quest Strictly stick to Paelo's 30 day detox and then beyond that. Fitness Quest Crossfit at least two times per week Ballet once a week (at home yoga if cannot make a ballet class for whatever reason) Life Quest Go to bed 10 minutes earlier Spend 5 minutes a day cleaning my room Financial Quest Brew coffee at home Make meals at home instead of going out to eat Bring lunch to work and snacks to grad classes Work on internship resume and documentation for at least one hour a week Mental Quest Meditate every morning upon waking up or before letting the kids into the classroom Keep journaling the entire 30 days

So I have been training for a few years now, I am 20 years old and weigh 94kg. I'm not too strong, last time I tested my strength I was able to do following: 1. Squat: 120kg x3 2. Bench: 100kg x2 3. Deadlift: 120 x2 . I used to train mainly bodybuilding style with a 5 day split. Lately (last 4 months) I tried to incorporate a bit more strength work, powerlifting style, and really got to like it quite much, But I do miss the bodybuilding style. I don't want to train purely for one "type". I want to be strong, athletic and look good at the same time (duh... like almost everyone...). So I researched a bit and stumbled upon this webpage: http://swolefit.com/swolefit-v2-cycle/ He mixes it up a bit, Day 1 & Day 4 is Strength and Conditioning (Metcon style), Day 2 & 5 is Power/Speed & Hypertrophy. What do you guys think?

Hello, I am Miss Kitty Fantastico, a 25yo woman from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I have been a member of NF for a while now (since 2013, I think), though mostly as a lurker. This is the first challenge I participate in and I have decided to use the Level 1 Template because I want to keep things simple for once. I am a somewhat active person that had a terriblly rough 2015. Hahaha. College (I graduated last month!) and work had me pretty stressed and by the end of october I was weighting 63kg (138lbs). I have lost most of the weight I gained (7kgs/15lbs) since then (thanks to a bad breakup, mostly). For some reason, eating very poorly (somedays A LOT and some other days very little), drinking a lot during the weekends and just doing Crossfit 3 times a week did the trick. Wonders never cease. This was seriously the easiest weight loss I have EVER had all my life. 63kgs wasn't my heaviest and 56kgs isn't my lowest, but I remember struggling a lot during the years to lose weight. When I am over the breakup I should probably send my ex girlfriend a "THANK YOU" note and a gift. Hahaha. Last month I started doing Crossfit 3x/week (not for the first time!) and got my eating mostly under control. Honestly, my main goal at this point is just to lose a bit more weight and keep being active. The breakup left me in a bad place so I need to start feeling confident again (which I already am, pretty slowly!). For the next challenge I am sure I will have put more thought into this, but as I said, for now, I just want to keep things simple. Main Objective - Lose 3kgs by the end of the Challenge. Diet Quests - Track what I eat on MyFitnessPal. - Stay under 1500 calories a day. I know the literature when it comes to losing weight and I am pretty sure the quests above are pretty straightforward as well to you guys, so.. No need to explain the whys. Fitness Quest - Attend 4 Crossfit classes/week. Pretty self explanatory as well. I want to "level up" from 3x/w to 4x/w. Level Up - Save R$250,00 weekly (R$1k in january).