Search the Community

The Anvil of Crom Challenge. The unwatchable remake will not be referenced. I have no wheel of pain so I need to get into the gym at least 14 times during the challenge. Perhaps I can answer the riddle of steel. Conan was a barbarian. Lightly armored and capable of great feats of endurance as well as strength. Run at lest 15 miles. Before the bulk I was doing that many weeks. It's time to cut like the sword of the Atlantean. I need to lose at least 5# this challenge on my overall quest to cut back to about 145-150 from my currently jolly merchant like165. "success can test one's mettle as surely as the strongest adversary" My bulk was a success and now I need to track closely to get back in the groove. It's time to get back to some form of Intermittent Fasting. For now I am leaving breakfast and let's start with an easy target of stopping eating at 8 with a long term goal of getting back to my 11-7 eating window. Recovery: I need to do at least 10 sessions of stretching or rehab for my micro-tears in my tendons. This recovery also limits my cutting as 2#/week would slow recovery and perhaps invite injury. LUYL: TBD

Long time no post, but the short version is: I dropped from 67 kg to 59 over the summer, carefully bulked to 62, maintained over the holidays consistently at 62-63 kg. I was planning to cut to 57 from end of January to mid-March so I could bulk a bit before the summer, but I've had to say bye-bye to that plan because nothing is happening. If anything, my weight is increasing - this morning I weighed 64, and almost fainted and/or cried because I can't recall the last time I weighed that much. I don't understand. I've been told time and time again that CICO works, and it did work for me in the past, though slower than it should have. This time, nothing. According to both IIFYM calculator and my math, my TDEE is around 2000, with 2-3 times lifting and 2 cardio (taekwon-do) per week. I set my daily calories to 1500, made sure I get around/close to 1 gr protein per lbs of body weight, waited. Waited some more, knowing my body was slow to realize what's up. A month. Nothing. At some point I tweaked my macros to more fat and less carbs (except on lifting days), which didn't help, even though I was in ketosis (I knew by the 'oh my god I need caaaarbs' zombie state by day two). And I mean, I didn't even get the initial drop of water weight that usually happens at the start of any diet. Recently (about two weeks ago) I switched to a model where I eat sliiightly over maintenance (2100 cals) on lifting days but am at 1400 cals on other days, thinking maybe my metabolism got somehow stuck because of the constant deficit (which shouldn't happen anyway). I'm lost, I don't know what the hap is f*ckening. I've done this before, so I know the drill - no unlogged snacking or 'accidental' calories from drinks etc., no underestimating the amount of food I eat (I make most of my meals so I know what and how much is in it, and the occasional lunch I eat at uni still has the calories and macros listed and I've got pretty good at guesstimating the amount), nothing like that. There have been days when I've eaten whatever and haven't logged, but that's been about once per three weeks and I don't eat an entire cow even then. I just got a bunch of blood tests taken and the doctor said my thyroid etc. are fine; I'm not on any new medication (aka, that I wasn't on during my marathon cut on summer) that cause weight gain. I did start ADD meds this week*, and while many people with the med say it's made them lose weight, sometimes crazy amounts (like, one pound per day), that hasn't helped me either. (*for actual ADD, I don't take regulated stimulants for weight loss. I'm desperate but not stupid.) And, for added weirdness, I'm just returning from a two-week semi training break due to weird back issue, where I trained only once a week, so my weight should've increased, right? Nope, still same. Does anyone have any idea what is going on? My maintenance can't be 1400 cals/day, that's almost my BMR. I haven't lost inches either, I take measurements. But I really need to cut fat before I can build more muscle, my BF% is 25(my own estimation)-26.9(my scale), that's way too high and I hate all this fluff around my body. I eat about 75% clean (paleo + dairy), my "sins" consist mostly of rice porridge with milk, chocolate and Sodastream light soda.

Hi everyone! My name's Mike - first time poster, long time lurker. I started eating Paleo back in March of 2014, after stumbling upon Steve's "Beginner's Guide to the Paleo Diet" article. Since then I've lost about 88lbs! Here are my before and after photos: I still eat non-Paleo stuff on occassion, cheeseburgers, pizzas, soda, etc. I try to keep it 80-20. I definitely indulged myself a little too much over the course of December, with holiday gatherings and whatnot. Hoping this month I can be a little more disciplined. I want to further improve my physique; I'd like to cut down my body fat a little more, then start bulking. Here are my goals for this month's challenge: Diet Reduce cheat meals to once a weekEspecially no cheats during fasts (currently doing the LeanGains intermittent fasting program)Cut down to 9-10% body fat (I'm currently around 12.2%)Fitness Increase vertical leap 3-5 inches (can currently reach a 10ft basketball rim with the tip of my finger). I'd love to one day be able to dunk a basketball Life Increase meditation to 20 minutes a day. Currently on a 102-day streak in the Calm app (similar to Headspace), doing around 10-15 minutes a day.

Alright! We're back at it with another weightloss PvP. But the storm is coming. For many of us the Holiday season (Nov - Dec) is the worst time to try to start losing weight. It's too easy to give in to holiday feasts and we put it off for the New Year. But why put it off till the New Year? Get ahead of the game. Join this PvP! The rules are simple: 1) Sign up by putting your name and starting weight in the spreadsheet. Set your goal weight in the spreadsheet; originally we set a goal of 10 lbs. over 10 weeks. But you can set whatever you think is most reasonable for your body and your circumstances. 2) Introduce yourself to the team. Discuss your goals, strategy, and motivation. Also, please to post links to your current challenge and battle log. It's important for team members to support you. 3) Cheer other members on. We are unified as brothers and sisters with a common goal. Tell us your stories, post funny gifs... whatever you think will get people coming back to check in rather than eat a Christmas cookie. 4) Post weight regularly in the spreadsheet. Weigh-ins are scheduled for every Monday of this challenge. You are free to select a different weigh-in day if it works for you. But let's all shoot for a weekly weigh-in. 5) You can join in anytime. Just let us know and adjust your goals accordingly. Better to start now than wait, even if there's only two weeks left of the challenge. 6) Also, shoot for healthy weight loss of 1-2 lb. or 0.5-1 kg / week. And have good reasons and evidence for the goal you set. Good Luck!

Since during the last challenge I was channeling earthbender stubbornness and determination, I think this one calls for waterbending adaptability. Water is the element of change, and dog knows I need to make some changes before uni starts again. Goal #1: Light as Vapor I've managed to get from 67kg to 61.8kg in three months, but I still need to lose a few more so I can bulk a bit without going over the limit of my TKD weight class. The goal is to get to 59.0 kg. It should be doable, but I've been stuck at my current weight for over a week now, so I need to figure out how to get it moving again. Goal #2: Hard as Ice Aka, Conquer the Damn Bench Press. That lift has been such an issue for me, and on top of that, I pulled my pectoral and serratus anterior benching a couple of weeks ago, so last time I was at the gym, I had to use <10kg baby dumbbells. I'm planning to restart with the bar and work my way up to 3x5x25kg, which I know is not a huge increment but I just want to see some progress, even a little. Goal #3: Still Waters I'm a bad sleeper. I had unexplainable insomnia that lasted for months and still rears its ugly head occasionally. I'm also such a nightowl I can't fall asleep if I try it before midnight, and/or I can't stay asleep. And sometimes I just stay up playing games/writing/drawing/doing nothing productive on the internet. But all that needs to stop because I cannot function without adequate amount of sleep anymore (I could when I was younger, guess I've officially grown old...). So I aim to get at least 7.5 hours of sleep every night, which should also time my sleep cycles so that I'd wake up a bit less groggy. Life Goal #4: Save the Fish, Keep the Ocean Clean The ocean, in this case, being my room and the rest of the apartment. It's honestly such a mess I couldn't even have my friends over. Some of it is because of my lack of energy/time/executive dysfunction, and partially because I'm just not good at keeping my sh*t organized. (One of the reasons I suspect I have ADHD, actually.) So during this challenge, I will 1) clean my room (and the rest of my mess around the apartment) 2) keep it tidy enough that I could have friends over after a quick 5-minute cleanup. I have a feeling that last one is gonna kill me way before any of the actual goals

I bit off a little more than I could chew last challenge, so this time I'm going to try to simplify a couple areas so that I can do better overall instead of excelling in one area (lifting) while the other areas (diet, weight loss progress) stall or go backwards. To accomplish this, I'm going to alter my diet plan a bit so it takes less time/mental energy and hopefully I'll be less likely to backslide or crash. Hopefully this leads to fewer pizzas ordered/eating out/etc. Main Goal: Lose Bodyfat while maintaining or gaining strength. Missions: 1. Average 5/6 gym days per week Self-explanatory. There are 36 scheduled gym sessions in 6 weeks, basically go at least 30 times.2. Eat sensibly Instead of counting calories or using a specific diet I'm just going to have a few rules. I'll track scale progress weekly as well as paying attention to how clothes fit. Don't drink your caloriesDo drink 3L of water every day outside the gymEat protein with every meal- Focusing on less processed varietiesSupplement at least 50g in protein shakes dailyExercise self/portion controlEat green things a lotLimit indulgences/cheats (I'm looking at you, Pizza and donuts)2. Revised Diet Plan I've been doing a lot of reading about different diet strategies and plans I could try without getting into territory that sunk me last time with variation/complexity. I came across one article that clicked with me so I'm going to try to implement it starting next week. Part of the problem with my diet plan was that I was placing way too much time and energy into things that produce minor results (meal frequency, eating the "right" foods) and that was drawing attention away from the most important factors for success: overall calorie intake, and macro breakdown. Represented on the site in this handy-dandy pyramid: If you're interested in reading more here's the link to the whole article. So starting next week I'm going to attempt to average the following each day, without worrying about cycling fat/carbs, optimal eating times, or anything else above this: Target Calories Per Day: 2700 Macro Targets · Protein: 230g (920cal) · Fat: 100g (900cal) · Carbs: 220g (880cal) 3. Optional - Stretch More I do some flexibility and mobility drills for warm-up, PT, and cooldown, but I need to do more static stretching when my muscles are cold so increase general flexibility. Posterior chain and Shoulders are the primary targets here. Life Goal: 1. Don't be doing Nothing Allowing for lounging around, there are still things I can be doing while I'm watching TV or otherwise. There's always something to be picked up or cleaned somewhere. Hopefully this 'creates' more time in the day to get things done. Program Starting 1RM Squat 405lbDeadlift 415lbBench 270lbSticking with the same format as last time, with a few changes. Day 1 and 4 turned into days to address weak points in the main lifts which I like a lot. It gives me the flexibility to address what I need to and not be stuck doing a variant I don't like. Rep/Sets usually stay the same, although sometimes I'll drop it down to focus on using a heavier weight to get the strength and explosive benefit (Pin squats and cleans/power cleans specifically). Adding in more defined upper back work, since it's usually the first thing to get cut and needs the most work. (It was Bane-themed last time, so I'm sticking with it. Plus it makes the days easier to remember) Day 1: Hypertrophy and Assistance Work - Theatricality and Deception Squat variant, 5×8 @ 70% Bench variant, 5×8 @ 70% Deadlift variant, 5×8 @70% Chinups 12x1 (Will progress if possible) Curl VariantDay 2: Strength - The Fire Rises Squat, 3x Max Reps @ 85% --Low Bar Bench, 3x Max Reps @ 85% -- Regular Deadlift, 3x Max Reps @ 85% -- Conventional Overhead Press, 3x Max reps @ 85% Rear Delt Assistance (facepulls, rear delt flys)Day 3: Power - Your Punishment Must be More Severe Squat, 3×1 @ 90% Low Bar Bench, 3×1 @ 90% Conventional Romanian Deadlifts, 4×8 Additional Back/Bicep and Shoulder work (Optional)Day 4: Hypertrophy and Weakpoint Focus - Necessary Evil Squat Variant (Pins, Paused, High bar, Front, Zercher), 5×10 @ 60% Bench Variant (Close Grip, Wide Grip, Banded, Paused, etc), 5×10 @ 60% Deadlift Variant (Cleans, Hex Bar, High Pulls, deficits, block pulls, etc), 5×10 @ 60% Row Variant (1 arm, Pendlay, cable, etc) 4x8-10Day 5: Strength - Gotham’s Reckoning Squat, 3x Max Reps @ 80% -- Low Bar Bench, 3x Max Reps @ 80% --Regular Deadlift, 3x Max Reps @ 80% -- Conventional Chin ups 15 reps - Any set/rep schemeDay 6: Power - Your Spirit or Your Body Deadlift, 3×1 @ 90% Push Press, 4×8 @ 75% Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlifts, 3×10 Optional Accessory work

The next major step for me zeroing in on my goals has got to be figuring out my macros. The trouble is, all the websites seem to disagree with what my macros should be! All of these ratios are of Protein/Carbs/Fats (in that order). For all, I'm researching recommendations (if there is a difference) for an endomorph who is cutting, not an endomorph who is bulking, and not for an ectomorph or a mesomorph. Most of them come out super carb heavy: http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ - Entering my info comes out with 30/40/30 http://healthyeater.com/flexible-dieting-calculator - Same info comes out with 30/55/15 http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutrients_calculator.htm - Same info comes out with 35/45/20 http://sareyko.net/leancalc/ - Recommends 30/20/50 for rest days, and 20/60/20 for training days (I train five days a week) http://www.freedieting.com/tools/nutrient_calculator.htm - 25/50/25 http://macronutrientcalculator.com - 30/40/30 http://www.active.com/fitness/calculators/nutrition.htm - 25/50/25 But some of these come out quite differently: http://bfitness.ca/blog/calculating-your-calories-macros-for-bulking/ - 45/25/30 http://www.zonednutrition.com/blogs/zoned-fitness-health-bodybuilding-blog/14810665-how-to-eat-for-your-body-type-ectomorph-endomorph-mesomorph - 35/25/40 http://xbodyconcepts.com/best-macro-ratio-for-fat-loss/ - 35/25/40 And there are articles that seem to suggest a diet for a cutting endomorph be very low carb: One of the physiological mechanisms that cause endomorphs to gain fat easily is poor insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity refers to the cells response to insulin or insulin's efficiency on cells. A cell that is very insulin sensitive needs less insulin to uptake glucose (carbs) than a cell that is insulin insensitive. Insulin is anti-lipolytic (blunts fat oxidation) and increases fat storage. Therefore, when more insulin is secreted, fat oxidation will be blunted and fat storage will be increased to a greater degree than if their cells were more insulin sensitive. In order to maintain better health one must control insulin. The consumption of carbohydrates leads to a large output of insulin since insulin is necessary for the uptake of glucose into cells. Eating large amounts of carbohydrates throughout the day will lead to elevated insulin levels, thereby decreases fat oxidation. Dietary carbohydrates are necessary to gain muscle mass and normal body functioning, therefore they cannot be eliminated from the diet. Instead they should be consumed during specific meals when your body needs them. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bodytype_nutrition_guide.htm Endomorphs can put on a lot of muscle, but they also tend to carry more adipose tissue and thus have a greater propensity to store fat. Because excess carbohydrates in the endomorph's diet end up as fat, a high carbohydrate intake will make it difficult for them to get lean or lose weight. Diet Recommendations: Endomorphs should stick to the low end of the carbohydrate range, between 10-40 percent of total calories, depending on their goals. Here, I recommend no more than 30-40 percent carbohydrates for mass gains, the middle range for maintenance (20-30), and low-end for fat loss (10-20). As with the other body types, protein and fat provide the remainder of your calories, with 25-50 percent of total calories from protein and 15-40 percent from fat. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macro-math-3-keys-to-dialing-in-your-macro-ratios.html In order to lose body fat, you need to increase your fat intake, while decreasing carbs. Sounds EXTREMELY counter-intuitive, I know, but there’s a lot of science behind this fact. http://www.ftsnutrition.com/macro-ratios/#.VNEKLck4Jr0 With little or no exercise, anything totaling more that 80-100g of carbs per day will likely lead to fat storage, and will certainly not allow fat loss to occur. Please remember this, and be aware of your carbohydrate intake. Remember, carbs are your fuel. If you don’t use it but keep pumping it in, you will have a surplus of unused energy, and this will become fat in your body. http://www.zonednutrition.com/blogs/zoned-fitness-health-bodybuilding-blog/14810665-how-to-eat-for-your-body-type-ectomorph-endomorph-mesomorph CARBS ARE NOT YOUR FRIEND The only time you should eat starchy and/or sugary carbs is immediately after your workouts. Other than that, avoid starchy/sugary carbs all-together (still eat mounds and mounds of vegetables). Carbs are hard on your body because of your relationship with insulin. Insulin is a hormone that tells your body to absorb glucose (sugar) from the blood and use it as energy. Fat and protein both have very little effect on insulin. Carbohydrates, however, have a profound impact on insulin. The problem is, through a combination of genetics and environmental conditioning, your body isn’t efficient at using insulin to lower blood sugars. Make it easy on your body by not giving yourself sugary or starchy carbohydrates that send your blood sugars and insulin levels bonkers. http://www.bandanatraining.com/endomorphs/ From a metabolic perspective, the endomorph body type sometimes has varying degrees of carbohydrate sensitivity and insulin resistance. Pay close attention, because this is an important point. If someone is metabolically carbohydrate intolerant due to a genetic tendency, then high carbohydrate diets are not the preferred choice for fat loss goals as they will stimulate excess secretion of insulin and glucose will be partitioned into the fat cells more easily. A nutrition strategy for the carb intolerant endomorph then is to immediately clip the processed and refined carbs from the diet, particularly white sugar and white flour products. These concentrated carbs will be much more problematic for endomorphs, while the ecto and meso's seem to get away with it a little bit more. http://www.burnthefat.com/endomorph_body_type.html Endomorphs typically do best on a higher fat and protein intake with carbohydrate intake being controlled and properly timed (e.g., after exercise). So that’s what we recommend: more fat and protein, less carbohydrate. http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-body-type-eating Applying this... Does that mean I should be aiming for a high protein, high fat diet? Ignore all those early calculators and stick with the wisdom of the articles, supposing the articles are more specific to my body type and goals than the calculators? Maybe 45/15/40 is in the ballpark? Or 50/15/35? What has worked well for other cutting endomorphs?

Hey Warriors, You read that title right, dsavage is switching teams (from rangers). After close to a year on nerdfitness, I've come full circle. Here's my story: Last August I started nerdfitness. I've always had a pretty unimpressive physique. For years I've been around 150-160lb with a bit of a belly. I come from a family of runners, but I've had a hard time staying focused on fitness since college. For one brief, glorious year after high school I worked out every week, working my way up to 180 lbs by being a gym rat. (In addition to tutoring calculus, the college gym offered me a job because I spent so much time there). "Working" at a gym at a community college during summer is pretty much the gym-goer's dream job. Unfortunately I moved out of my hometown to start my 2nd year of college and dropped it all so fast it would make your head spin. For 10 years I would work out a little, and lose it, run a little, and lose it. It's nice that I never really "let myself go", but I got so tired of working at being in shape and never actually being in good shape. Fast forward 10 years and I had hit a new highwater mark weight wise and started needing to buy bigger pants (34" instead of 32"). I was also dangerously close to 30. I had the realization that I really wanted to be in good shape by the time I hit 30. I also felt like if I didn't get in shape now, it would be twice as hard later. After doing nerd fitness since August of last year, I've made some pretty great gains. I can knock out lots of pushups, and an easy half-dozen pull ups. I managed to hit a 6 minute mile (I figure if I run hard enough, it's not cardio). I've focused on mobility issues so now I can squat and deadlift with good form, although the weights are way too low. Due to doing squatting and deadlifts correctly I have way better core strength (it really does help with posture and back pain). Not to leave out diet: After a brief love affair with paleo, I've found a new food obsession: clean eating. I read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and now I'm hooked on clean eating and avoiding unproceesed foods. tbh I'm hooked on my own cooking, it's become my new hobby. Since I work from home I do most of the cooking around my house. We eat a shitload of meat. So I think I'm ready to really get serious with my squats, deadlifts, dips, bench press, and ohp. I think I'm going to need some warrior encouragement to do it. I also just finished up 6 weeks of bulking. It's actually weird, I'm within 5lbs of the weight I was at when I started nerdfitness, but I feel (and look) much better. I'm going to start doing 5x5 workouts and linearly progressing the weight until failure. I think this is stronglifts. I'm also going to do a cut. I know that will hinder my gains, but that's ok. So here are my goals: Goal 1: 30 inch waist I like to place my cutting goals in terms of measurements. That way if the gains fairy gives me an extra 10 lbs of muscle, I still achieve my goal. I'm going to achieve this goal mostly through diet, and I'll be doing some extra cardio. Goal 2: Complete 6 weeks religiously following the stronglift 5x5 program Because my legs are too damn small, and so are all my other muscles. This sort program seems like the best thing to do to maintain muscle mass during my cut anyways. Goal 3: Begin tracking food in MFP I've never done any calorie counting or macro counting, and I think it's holding me back. I need to get serious about my diet so I can change the things I need to change to get stronger.

A MAN, A PLAN, A CANAL, PANAMA! I'm Raptron. I do gymnastics and I lift stuff, so I talk about both in my threads. I'm going THEMELESS this time around. My apologies. Goal 1. Welcome to the Jungle (It's a Bouncy House) *Go for a run 8 times between NOW (May 27) and June 20 *After June 20, add jump work 2x per week into workout program My Spartan Super is June 20. I should probably run a few times between then and now. I know I shouldn't technically have goals that start before the challenge starts, but hey, challenges don't always line up with our lives. Once I've gotten the running out of the way, I still want to keep some kind of cardio and explosive/jumping work should have the most direct application to my life and interests so that's what I'm gonna do. Goal 2. Press Up and Up *Press handstand practice 3x per week You want it, go get it, you got it. Practice counts for practice and it is a "I know it when I see it" definition. Ideally, I'd be doing this at gymnastics when I go to practice and if I don't hit three practices (which is going to become more likely now that summer is just about here), I'll set aside time to work on this at home against a wall, doing straddle sits, straddle leg lifts, and sock-footed feet drags. Goal 3. Get Glute Gains *1 glute-focused accessory as part of every lifting workout That booty though. I think my glutes are a bit weak, so I'm gonna put some extra work into them. Goal 4. Soup's On *Create a meal plan for each day that will account for everything I will eat that day *Post meals here for accountability *3 off-plan allowances per week that must replace something on the plan, not be in addition to the plan This is my first time trying a really formalized meal plan system. I'll likely be aiming for about 1400 calories per day, weighted pretty evenly for protein and carbs and a bit lower in fat because I tend to be happier and more energetic when I keep my carbs up. I may experiment with different rest day macros, but I don't want to get ahead of myself. Making the plan and sticking to it is the goal here, first and foremost.

Main Goal: Continue the Cut Aiming for 230lbs, and then going to re-evaluate. That should put me somewhere between 17-20% bodyfat, but it's hard to tell exactly without a real scan. At that point I'll be able to better asses and aim for an end goal. Missions: 1. Average 2600-2700 calories a day. Tracked via Fat Secret App. Mostly paleo, but IIFYM when I don't prepare or get lazy. 2. Miss 10 or Fewer Workouts out of 36. Starting up a high frequency program, which spreads over 6 days each week. We're getting in to summer vacation season I'm already planning to be away from the gym at least 6 days on which I should be working out. The other 4 days are there because of the intensity of the program. I tend not to listen to my body when it comes to injuries, which leads me to...3. Do all prescribed Physical Therapy Pre-hab/Rehab I've got an appointment tonight with a PT whose going to take a look at my shoulder and knee. Old rugby injuries aggravated by me pushing too hard on certain exercises. I can perform everything in my program without any issues now, but I'm trying to Anti-Fragile myself for the future. Life Goal: Practice Archery 3 times or 200 total shots per week. I'm branching out my warrior skills to include some range and finesse in my repertoire. We can only bash and smash so much, and it's always good to be versatile. Added 6/3 Bonus Goal: Break the Bat *No Batmen will be harmed in the attempting of this challenge* I don't know how I didn't think of this earlier. I've wanted to do this (with a barbell) since seeing it the TDKR. I was trying to figure out what the movie version of Batman might have weighed, but it will be easier to just go with the published comic book weight of the Dark Knight: 220lbs. Goal: Get 220lbs off the ground and above my head. I don't do olympic lifts with any frequency, so this is probably foolhardy. I'll mostly be relying on strength gained from the rest of my program, and practicing the movement a few times per week. Program The idea behind high frequency training (as I understand it) is to spread out the work you would normally do in 3-4 sessions to 6. There's some research that shows the same amount of work spread over 6 days vs. 3 days makes better strength and muscle gains in experienced lifters. I don't think it's been submitted to a peer reviewed journal yet, but I'm willing to give it a shot! I don't know why, but after I made this program I decided to name every day after a Bane quote from the Dark Knight Rises. It's a little childish and stupid, but it felt right so I'm just gonna go with it. Plus he's a pretty good fitness inspiration (before pumping himself full of performance-enhancing Venom, of course). I'm currently in the acclimation stage, so I did 4/6 last week and will do 5/6 this week while eating at maintenance level calories. I'm also planning on adding some curls, rear delt flys, and face pulls on days when I can fit them to balance out all the pressing. Progression will likely be adding 2.5% the the main lift numbers each week, or slowing down to every two weeks if necessary. Day 1: Hypertrophy - Theatricality and Deception Squat variant, 5×8 @ 70% -- Highbar Bench variant, 5×8 @ 70% -- Incline BB Deadlift variant, 5×8 @70% -- Deficit Deadlifts Chinups 12x1 (Will progress if possible) Day 2: Strength - The Fire Rises Squat, 3x Max Reps @ 85% --Low Bar Bench, 3x Max Reps @ 85% -- Regular Deadlift, 3x Max Reps @ 85% -- Conventional Overhead Press 3x Max reps @ 65%Day 3: Power - Your Punishment Must be More Severe Squat, 3×1 @ 90% Low Bar Bench, 3×1 @ 90% Conventional Romanian Deadlifts, 4×8 Day 4: Hypertrophy - Necessary Evil Highbar Squats, 5×10 @ 60% Banded Bench, 5×10 @ 60% Clean Pulls, 5×10 @ 60% (alternate Power Cleans, depending on energy) Body weight rows 4x10 Day 5: Strength - Gotham’s Reckoning Squat, 3x Max Reps @ 80% -- Low Bar Bench, 3x Max Reps @ 80% --Regular Deadlift, 3x Max Reps @ 80% -- Conventional Day 6: Power - Your Spirit or Your Body Deadlift, 3×1 @ 90% Push Press, 4×8 @ 75% Romanian Deadlifts, 3×10

Challenge #2 - Dawn of the Dhampir I must shed this mortal skin, revealing the beast within! The dhampir is strong, but slim; powerful, yet graceful...like Beyonce. I grew significant muscle during my challenge #1, maintaining my weight. Now I'll go for slower strength gains with dieting. Goals: 1. Stretch daily (+2 CON, +1 DEX) No excuses - it improves circulation, hence speeding muscle recovery - science! 2. Lose 1 lb/week [starting@129] (+1 DEX/+1 STA, +2 CHA) First 2 don't count. 3. Work out as per below schedule (+2 STR, +2 STA, +1 DEX) Max 2 rest days/week to pass. Odd days... Australian pull-ups (x)25 lb [11 kg] squats (12x3)20/25 lb Arnold shoulder press (8x2/4x2) 15/18 lb [8 kg] hammer curls (8x2/4x2) 15/25 lb overhead pullovers (8x2/4x2)Sprints: 1 min. max speed, 2 min. jog, 1 min. rest (x5); 20 min. bike to/from track (warm up/cool down cardio)Even days... 8 lb [3.5 kg] reverse lateral raises (10x3)push-ups/decline (15/10)45-60 min. walking/hiking or biking 1 min. plank, sides & front45 sec bicycle crunches50 lb [23 kg] incline bench press (x4)Side Quest (+1 WIS, +2 CHA): Buy my first* car!! *Technically my second, but this will be the first where I actually do the business transaction aspect; I was 17 last time. In the twilight of my fitness journey, will I persevere to bask in house of the rising sun, or slip back into the dark?

Backstory: martial artist becomes mom, mom buys dumbbells and falls in love with weightlifting. Spends a magical summer perfecting push-ups, pull-ups and slaps plates on a new shiny barbell before shoulder injury (November) and frozen shoulder (January-April) put a spanner in the works. Now respawned and raring to go, Tanuki is no longer freestylin' at home with Youtube tutorials, but has joined a weights-focused gym and signed up with a experienced trainer. The Goals 1. Get stronger. Track workouts, watch numbers get bigger, 4x a week minimum. Work out a plan/program with trainer and see regularly. Modified Strongman class 1x a week for sleds, sandbags, logs and other fun stuff. Get faster. Pause less. Fix dumbbell flyes, because omg, why can't I do dumbbell flyes? Though I dislike setting arbitrary numbers, I see no reason why, in 6 weeks, I can not surpass my current stalls of Overhead Press 30kg / 66lbs and Squat of 42.5kg / 94lbs. Seeing my deadlift surpass 70kg / 154lbs might be nice too. 2. Cut. My head's been in a shitty place lately for cutting. Last summer was all unicorns and fairies, and sticking to an Instagram-worthy meal plan was pretty easy. 20lbs off in a matter of weeks. Now I'm battling emotional triggers like crazy, and whether it's an injury, repeatedly disturbed sleep, low self-esteem, illness or a tough workout, I can always find an excuse to eat too much and 'start again tomorrow'. This stops now; my slacking makes me feel ashamed of myself, my low confidence batters my lifts, and my spare tyre weighs down my pullups. I am 124lb. I have no excuse not to lose at least 5 of them during this 6 week challenge. (I'm 160cm tall. Nothing I can do about that, unfortunately.) 3. Pull and push I've flunked this a couple of times, as these are two things my shoulder dislikes the most. Last year I was cranking out 4-5 chin-ups quite happily, and was exploring push-up variations like diamond with decline and typewriter. Now I'm back to about 5-6 pushups in a set, and am barely squeezing out one chin-up. I need to attack this head on with small, daily sets. Do both, once a day. For 6 weeks. There's no reason I shouldn't have made some noticeable progress in that time. 4. Food challenge! This isn't quite the same as cutting, but it feeds into it a little I guess. I don't have the space to batch-cook and meal-prep - literally, if I filled my tiny fridge with tupperware no one else would have anything to eat! - but this generally means cooking and serving up the family meal (I love cooking nice things! But why always so many cals ;_ , then making myself something basic in about 2 minutes, like an omelette or quick salad. There isn't enough oven/hob space to cook two 'proper' meals, so I need to explore real family meals (feeding one adult male cardio-bunny, one fussy child who needs to gain weight and one not-at-all fussy child who eats like a warrior) that still fit my macros. I am happy to go carb-free at dinner, but a pasta dish without pasta or a pie without pastry is, well, not really a meal. I need to get more skilled at whipping up something light but balanced for myself, and something pretty calorie-heavy for the hungry family, and sit back down with them, eating something substantial. Find 6 recipes that fit my macros, are easy to portion out and log, but that also carb-up the family. They don't like sweet potatoes THE WEIRDOS, which makes this challenge 1000x harder. --- Stats. I like stats. Hells, weightlifting itself is like watching real-life stats go up. It's all numbers! 1. Getting stronger. So long as I am doing better stuff after 6 weeks than I am right now, I'm going for +4 STR, +1 DEX. 'Better' is subjective, but safe to say, if I'm still on 94lb squats, 66lb presses and 144lb deadlifts, I'm not awarding myself anything. 2. Cut. I wanted 5lb off, a goal of 119lb. +2 CHA, +3 STA A: Lose 5lb, reach 119lb / 54kg. B: Reach 120lb / 54.4kg C: Reach 121lb / 54.9kg D: Reach 122lb / 55.3kg E: Fail. 3. Log push/pullups and add more. Daily. +1 DEX, +1 STR A: Do. E: Do not. 4: 6 fitness-friendly recipes, photographed and shared. +1 WIS +2 CON A: Do. C: Do 3-5. E: Fail.

Hi everyone! So, I've been dieting for over 4 months now (slow cut). During that time the only things I've been drinking are black coffee, water, unsweetened green tea, skim milk (in my protein shakes), and occasionally low-calorie drink mix. I was wondering, what do you guys drink when you are dieting? Or, what do you drink in general? Does anyone have any low/no calorie beverage ideas? Thank you in advance, Mike

Challenge 17 There can be only one....goal. There's something I've been avoiding for a long time. Justifying to myself this way or that way, enough is enough, I need to give Paleo a proper go. Not a bit of a go with a lot of other stuff thrown in and sort of do it, a proper full Paleo go. Controlling food intake has been a long standing battle and I keep dancing around it so this challenge: Goal 1 Full Paleo for 6 weeks. Rules of engagement: - Full Paleo to me means no processed food, no processed sugar, no grains. That pretty much covers it. - Exceptions: I have no issues with Dairy, I'll allow milk in limited quantities for tea and limited amounts of cheese. - Prep in advance, Prep in advance and Prep in advance. - Stick to my meal plan as much as possible. I like this summary for my Paleo approach, I'll be adding sweet potato. Tools to support my success: - Meal plan - Prep ahead of time, every Sunday prep 5 days of food. - No Alcohol, that's when I eat crap. There is 1 exception when my oldest friend comes to visit me for 1 weekend. I only get to see him once or twice a year so I will allow an alcohol exception if he comes but still Paleo food. - Consider a pre & post DEXA, need to look into cost. - Support from my NF friends...please I need lots of accountability for this one, I really want to finally succeed in trying full Paleo, I usually crack around the 3 day mark so 42 days is going to be a massive PR. Bonus antique film trailer for the fogeys among us: Time for a transformation. Oh yeah, big goal means big reward. Reward: Achieve 36 days or more of full Paleo: Book a holiday to dive the Yongala I've wanted this for soooo long, it's appeared in a number of my challenges as a reward for big goals, usually related to weight/BF% that have thus far eluded me. I'm already planning to my Advanced diving cert locally in 6 weeks time so I will have the ticket to go down to 30 metres hopefully by the end of this challenge. I will also have the funds to be able to book this by the end of this challenge, just got to come through and deliver the goal....

I give no guarantees that I will be as epic as that dwarf. So, in my two and a half years here on NF, I have never done a challenge outside of the Monk’s Guild. I love the Monastery, but lately I’ve been having a goodly chunk of lifting questions and thoughts pop into my head, so I figured now is a good time to show up and learn from all your wonderful Warrior-type people. By and large, this is going to be a weird challenge for me. I go on vacation starting in….. 12 hours? Which means I’ll be doing Challenge-light stuff for the week or so I’m gone. And then starting in the middle of the last week, I’m going away to Japan. Guess how much Challenge-related stuff I’ll be doing then? So, new guild location means that I’ll give a short bio about myself for any onlookers who are curious but haven’t seen or followed me before. I’m a martial artist who studies aikido, a martial art focusing on using an attackers energy against them, using their own momentum and strength to either throw them away or immobilize them up in a joint lock. It’s an art that is centered not on using strength, but physics and anatomy. So strength training for me is an odd balancing act of getting stronger (and hopefully gaining more endurance), while practicing an art where that strength isn’t required. Because of that (and really just how often I’m at the dojo), I only strength train twice a week. Slower strength gains, but it fits my schedule. In addition to that, I run with the November Project Tribe here in Boston on Wednesday mornings doing Stadium sprints. It’s all good fun. So, for this challenge I have really two major physical goals, and a life goal I’ll focus on. 1) Record Lifts I ain’t talking this: I’m talking this: ~Make recordings of my form and post them for critiques I really should post some form check videos.I’m really bad about it.At the moment, I’m doing 5/3/1 twice a week, based on the Black Iron Beast (https://blackironbeast.com/5/3/1/calculator) calculator.I’ve done one cycle already, and rather enjoyed it, but really, really should get some extra sets of eyes to check on me.Goal is to take recordings of my lifts this week (I’m on vacation and I’m lifting, what of it?), post them when I get back, and hopefully address any issues you guys see. Honestly, I’d also like to try and branch out beyond squats, deadlifts, bench press, and OHP, but right now I don’t think I have the mental fortitude (or time) to work on that.But if I have a spare day or three, I may try to work on cleans as well (figure start with the hanging cleans with just the bar and eventually graduate up to power cleans).But that’s secondary, but will definitely require videos if/when I do it. 2) A Cut Above the Rest ~Keep a cut of 2300~2500 calories per day (16,000-17,500 calories per week) I’ve lost a good chunk of weight since starting here.But I still haven’t quite hit my goals, even though I’ve modified them a bit as of late.I would like to eventually be around 200 pounds.Last November I was ~205, and (incredibly fun) Nerd visits, holidays, and stress made me balloon up to ~225.I’ve spent since January trying to get my weight and body fat percentages down using my tried and true method of just counting the damned calories.I feel more comfortable and definitely make better choices. Ultimately, I want to be under 215 for my trip to Japan.Which, for the curve ball, I apparently have succeeded at.As of this morning I weigh 214.6 pounds.So I guess I should aim for more like 210 for Japan.But really, if I can keep under 215 I’ll be happy for my Japan trip. Largest issue I have is at work – snacks are plentiful and more often than not junky.But I also tend to chow down on a lot of fruit.I think to make this okay I’m going to try to limit myself to 1-2 pieces of fruit a day at work, and then only 2 cookies a week.I’m not Paleo, so no worries on that front.I’ve actually been doing this cut since the end of the last challenge and it seems to be working fairly well (down from 217 in 10 days, which is weird).I think I can sustain it.Just a matter of making sure I can sustain my performance levels as well.So I’ll probably have to factor in more effective pre and post workout meals.I’m honestly more worried about my aikido classes, as those are in the evening and last a while.Lifting I do early in the morning with a decent breakfast in me. 3) Traveling Monk I apparently use a lots of Avatar gifs. I decided to keep it going. Complete the List: -Buy JR rail Pass -Buy Personal hotspot -Find Hombu membership card -Buy some easier-to-travel-with clothing (lighter, easier to clean) -Quick drying towel? Not Needed -Get a basic schedule done -Get some more LaX balls for Travel -Buy small travel backpack -Organize list of must-travel gear -Something else I probably forgot and will continue to update this list with Like I said above, I’ll be going to Japan at the end of the challenge.I’ve been…. Rather lax about getting schedules for this.The first part of the trip I’m going to be with a chunk of people from my dojo and it’s been fairly solidly planned.At least in terms of “We need to be here on this day” for things.The minutiae aren’t planned, but I really want to keep myself loose for this in general.I don’t do vacations in a highly planned way – I’m kind of a hyper planner normally, so vacations I take it easy (beyond a general guideline) on that front. Anyway, going to be in Tokyo for a little less than a week, then I want to go to Kyoto and see Fuji.I may also travel to Osaka because coincidentally my brother and his partner are going to be in Japan at the same time as me.But really… I got no big plans.Anyone who’s been to Japan want to give suggested things to do? And that about covers it for this challenge. It kind of amounts to “Keep doing what you’re doing,” but it should be okay. I’m not sure if I’ll ramble on about aikido/monking in here, or spare all you warrior types the martial arts philosophizing and keep it in my Battle Log. Or maybe I’ll just go create a ramble space in the Monk’s guild to make sure I don’t get accused of abandoning my Monks. Onwards and upwards!

Bro's, it's that time of the year. Summer time and like any good Bro, its time to show off all the hard work of the year. Put down the useless stuff like chalk, weight belts, and sleeves and get out the spray tanners, hair gel and Axe. 1st Goal: Track all foodz and get lean. A Bro knows that starving now = lots of attention later. A Bro lifting status should be known from miles away. The question "do you even lift bro?" should be to so obvious that if asked, the only response is a blank stare. 2. A Bro knows that he has to be ready to bro at anytime. You can't bro if you are at home with an ice pack on your shoulder. A Bro must do the things to ensure the Bro is at his best all the time. 3. A Bro lifts not to be strong, but to be big is all the right places. A Bro doesn't waste time on unless exercises that don't make your arms bigger. A Bro does curls every day. A Bro doesn't care what equipment a bro uses as long as he can see his gainz in the mirror. But at the end of the day, this is all I really want:

First off, I'm new to the community and seeking the advice of fellow Fitness nerds! My base stats are... Age 18, 130 lbs, female, 5'1, generally a couch potato (computer, tv, video games, reading, studying.) My legs are all muscle except for a little chub on my inner thighs. I have been actively going to the gym a minimum of 4 days a week for at least an hour a day for over six months now (cardio and strength training). I have gained a bit of muscle and slimmed down some, but I hope to drop a bit more fat. Originally I tried to maintain a 1200 calorie a day goal, however that left me feeling ravished every day. I bumped it up to 1300 calories a day and still felt weak and tired all the time. I've come to the conclusion I am most likely not meeting my dietary goals and am under-eating as a result of faulty BMR and TDEE calculations regarding my height and weight because I have quite a bit of muscle that is not really accounted for. My question is whether I should even count my calories being so young or if a strict raw/clean diet will help me blast through these last 10 or so pounds? Any help is appreciated, fellow Rebels!

Clearly the machines are preparing to rise against us. They've invaded our civilization. They're in our homes. The are even forming parasitic attachments to our heads that cause us to behave in bizarre ways. Before we all get sucked into the matrix, we must take down the robots and live free of there wires and false realities. Main Goal: Learn to Survive in a post-Robocalyptic wasteland. Unfortunately, the battle has already begun as the robots are well poised to destroy us and the damages they will pose to civilization are already happening. Food is becoming scarce. But the fight against metal and circuitry must continue or we are doomed. I must learn to survive on little food, maintain or gain strength while doing so. Perhaps, even, I may be able to find and exploit weaknesses in their circuits to gain the upper hand. Edit: read: I'm starting on a long cut that is likely to last the rest of the year. Goal 1: Lift Heavy Metal: Robots are made of metal. So the more I can lift the more control I potentially have over the bots. Everyone knows that if you can flip a robot onto its back its at your mercy. Get a big three total of 1000 lbs. I've already moved 1000 lbs. in one day. I just need to get the technique strong and correct. I couldn't claim it right out because my technique was bad. This is partially due to some weaknesses I'll need to annihilate by lifting. I'll be using a compressed cube program until I hit 1k. Some strength priorites: Squat: bring up quad strength, squat with better form, do more front squats Bench: get stronger off the chest, do paused reps Deadlift: Just get stronger and pull more. Maintain a tight lower back arch. Edit: I'm currently running a compressed version of the cube. I may go back to 5/3/1 when I'm done with that. Goal 2: Relearn to lift with good technique: The robots have already corrupted my brain and motor reflexes with poor motor patterns causing faulty form that prevents me from utilizing my maximum strength. Especially on squats and bench press, at the moment. Meet "Bro-bot." Reset form errors by doing a total of 4000 low bar pvc squats, and 4000 pushups and/or bench presses over the course of the challenge. This goes hand in hand with Goal 1. I need to fix form by practicing more. They say 3000-5000 reps. I figure 100 reps/day should get me there. I practice my squat with a pvc pipe on my back. Pushups should sub for the bench. I mainly need to add more volume to work those chest and arm muscles. Goal 3: Survive on oil: The robots have already destroyed most of the world's human food supply. There are a few leftover human food stores, but mostly what's left is oil. Follow a ketogenic diet with IF, and occasional Carb meals. I'll be on a ketogenic diet and doing IF daily by skipping breakfast or at least eating no calories (tea and/or broth) until the afternoon. But, pre-1000 lbs., I'm going to allow a carb meal on workout days. Post 1000 lbs., I'll reboot my keto diet and switch to carb nite -- carb meals every 4-5 days. Life Goal 1: Learn to break the robot's circuits and software. Robots with defunct circuits and programs cannot annihilate the human race. So if I learn to interfere with their circuits and break the programs that control them I can take them down. Or just find a way to make them hornier so they stay distracted. Finish one book about embedded real-time systems. (I have about 200 pp. left) Start reading my main text about software QA testing. (at least 100 pp.) As I finish my masters I need to prepare for my future intended career in QA testing. A friend of mine likely has a job for me at his company doing testing for embedded wireless systems. I'm also looking into getting certified for QA and whatnot. So, I need to start boning up on the fields. Life Goal 2: Be mindful during times of peace. The robots may in fact destroy us or absorb us into a vegetative state while the supplant our natural reality with their own virtual reality while they exploit our brain circuitry for bio-quantum computing. So I must learn to take respite when I can and enjoy what's left of reality as I currently know it. Do one mindful activity everyday. Be it meditation, eating mindfully. Just make at least one deliberate attempt to spend a few moments in mindfulness. I've also installed a mindfulness bell on my phone. It makes a meditation bell like ringing sound randomly, about an hour between rings. When it goes off, I stop and take a few breaths and re-center myself and try to take in the moment.

good day to you guys My battle began 2.5 years ago, 28 years old now, started at 238 lb with no phisical activiy NONE. I went from 238 to my current 204 lb and 26% body fat to my current 21% with only diet, that happened very fast, I accomplished that 4 months and then get stuck, i started doing cardio, spinning, hiking, running and today I'm still stucked. It's been 2 years now, I've been able to maintain my weight and body fat (with a little back n forth), but I can't go below 20% body fat. right now I'm doing 40 min of weight lifting in the morning and 60 min of walking and running in the afternoon, no sugar, no bread, no fat in my diet and still stucked. any advice? thanks

Not uninspired to workout, that bit is fine. Uninspired to neatly and creatively knit my goals for this challenge into a unifying theme or something clever. But, I do know what I want to do, and that's the important part, yes? Having a plan is goooood. So, the plan: 6 workouts/week Continuing this from last challenge. Pretty self-explanatory: 6 workouts for 5 of 6 weeks. One week of this challenge is vacation and I hardly expect myself to keep to my workout schedule while in a sunny, beachy environment full of margaritas. Pass/Fail Middle Splits/Straddle To progress in my aerial silks endeavors, I need to do something about my hip/hamstring/whatever flexibility and strength. Especially compared to my counterparts with dance pasts, I am laughably inflexible. My straddle width is improving, but I'm nowhere near where I think I ought to be. Long, straight legs = long, pretty lines in the air. Strength and flexibility needed for this one: Strengthen hip flexors by doing straddle leg lifts. Part of warmup prior to every silks session and leg workout. This will help with a future goal of L-sits as well, I think. I may look up some L-sit progressions and toss those in.Stretch (duh). Standing straddle, wall straddle, frog. I feel like I need more structure on this. *Flexy people, any input on this?I'll give myself a point for each session of straddle leg lifts and each stretching session. Goals: 2 leg lift sessions per week x 5 weeks = 10 leg lift sessions. 3 stretching sessions per week (seems low, but I'm being realistic here) x 5 weeks = 15 stretching sessions For a total of 25 total points available. I'll call 18/25 (72%) passing on this one. I'm horrible at this kind of stuff so I'm setting the bar admittedly low on purpose. Fuel the Machine (but don't overfill the tank) Still attempting to get a bit leaner for vacay, without going crazy and causing system collapse like I did last challenge. Calories = 1500/day average for 5/6 weeks (again, this constraint at an all-inclusive resort would just be cruel). Getting back to it once we get home will help mitigate post-vacation plumping (which was ridiculous last year). Pass/Fail Cooking My kitchen skillz are lacking. Usually I don't have the patience to fiddle around in the kitchen for long periods of time. Often, food becomes something prepackaged and easy to grab because I'm hungry NOW. This usually means extra carbs and lower protein. So, this is a macro-related goal as well, sort of. 1 point for each hand-prepared meal. (Toast doesn't count, heh. Neither does re-heating leftovers.) Recipes don't have to be new, or even prepared on the same day they are to be eaten. Batch cooking on the weekend = win. I really have no concept of where to set the pass/fail bar on this so we're going to go with a little more than 1/week. 7 meals over the 5 weeks of the challenge we'll be at home = pass. Else = fail. That should do it. There will of course be much chatter about silks and aerial. Probably videos as well. I haven't scheduled it, yet, but I expect my next private lesson will hit somewhere toward the end of this challenge.

Been doing this fitness thing on and off for roughly 3 years now. Got myself down close to my goal weight of 200 (really hit 225). Fell apart on my goals. Went from a job where I was able to work out consistantly and eat great. Left that job to go back to an old job where I stress ate, worked WAY to many hours in the week, and couldn't make it to the gym ever. I recently (october) left the crazy job to go back to the OTHER job (I know it gets confusing) been there for about 3 months now and I have a bet going with my new (old yes it is the same boss that I worked for before) boss. We are both doing Paleo in a mission to drop weight. The first one to break paleo gives the other person $50 The main piece to this challenge is that within the next 6 months I plan on enlisting in the United States Air Force. I am currently at 250lbs and I need to be below 208. I need to atleast have the Liberator standards under my belt. I plan on getting to Warhawk before I enlist but Liberator is where I am starting. Males Run (2 miles) Run (1.5 mile) Push-ups Sit-ups Pull-ups Liberator (minimum graduation standard) 16:45 min. 11:57 min. 45 50 0 Thunderbolt (honor graduate standard) 14:15 min. 8:55 min. 62 70 4 Warhawk (extraordinary - highest standard) 13:30 min. 8:08 min. 75 80 10 Fitness Goals: 1. Run 5K in under 30 miutes 2. Complete 5 pullups in 1 set 3.25 Pushups in 1 set 4.60 situps in 1 set Life Goals: 1: Put 350 into personal savings (took a paycut to go to a lower stress job, need to rebuild the savings account,) 2: Read something printed at least 30 minutes every day, does not matter what it is as long as it is NOT on the internet.

6 workouts/week General lackadaisicalness and the holidays (Christmas cookies and Dragon Age are a dangerous combination) have wound up with slacker sylph. Time to get back to it. 6 workouts/week is the goal. 3 strength, 3 cardio. Silks practice counts as a strength day. I actually started this week. Yesterday was workout #6. Today is a rest day. We'll see how this fares now that I'm back at work post-holidays. 6 workouts/week for at least 5 of the 6 weeks = pass Less than that = fail Straight arm/straight leg straddle up I am soclose to getting this regularly. But I think I have microbends in my elbows and knees. I'll need to take a video to assess current state and work on some drills to correct those. Bonus if I can figure out some work to do at home, outside of the studio. Something to ask my coach at my private lessons which start Jan 19th! First open gym session of the new year is Jan 7th. I'm very excited to get back to it. To pass, do both of these things: Work on this at each open gym sessionTake at least 2 videos on separate training days to assess progressElse, fail Calorie budget: 1400 Slacker sylph = chubby sylph. It's not out of control, but clothes are fitting on the snugger side. Tracking and staying within 1400 cals is the goal. With 6/week workouts, this could be too low and may need to be adjusted upward, but for now 1400 it is. Weekly average calories at or under budget for at least 5 of 6 weeks = pass Over caloric budget for 2 or more weeks = fail No online shopping Sigh. I am in a constant state of trying to slim down my wardrobe and at the same time panicking because I have nothing to wear. Thus, when WHBM, Old Navy or Ann Taylor send me a little email with some crazy-sounding sale, I have difficulty resisting. Surely I can live with my current clothing for the next weeks. The only exception is if I find some amazing, black knee high boots as my current pair is literally falling apart and I've been hunting for 6+ months to no avail. No online purchases = pass Else, fail I've gone straight pass/fail on these, which may seem a bit harsh, but it'll keep me honest. I'm the Queen of Justification when it comes to partial points and subjective grading so these criteria leave minimal/no room for interpretation.

So I have been doing SL5X5 for a few months. I started doing them while eating about 1800 calories, and in November was struggling so I have been doing 2300ish calories, sort of a mini bulk. I have however gotten a bit rounder, as I was still a little on the high fat% side when I started. So I am preparing starting February to wind back down to about 1800 and cut. My maintenance is calculated to be 2200ish I have not had to deload yet from 3x failure on the same wight. I had a couple voluntary mini-deloads from injury or to correct form issues. But I am still making progress at 5x5. I won't have time to do much if any cardio at 5x5 for a cut. Some suggest that less volume is or less intensity while cutting. If I am still making strength gains at 5x5, is there a reason to pause adding weight or switch to 3x5 and 1x3 on DL? Not that it should matter but current lifts (in pounds) and stats: 34 y.o. male, 5'7", 150 in November, up to 160 Squat 195 Bench 140 row 120 Dead 220 press 85 all weights are completed 5x5 except DL of course. Thanks for any feedback.

With my last couple of challenges I've attempted cuts and failed miserably, completely my own fault. Loss of focus, laziness, etc. My previous challenge, which I did complete, consisted of two main goals: cutting a serious amount of weight and deadlifting 405. I met the latter of the two goals. The former I dropped the ball on completely. Lately I've had a lot of things pulling me in multiple directions. But now I have a lot of support for my weightloss at home both with family and friends. I really need to focus in on this. My main quest for this challenge, my first challenge to try to become a warrior, is to be consistent with my cut for six weeks. Period. If I am consistent I will lose fat. That's it. Recently I've started some medication that has as a side effect some serious weight gain. That coupled with my haphazard eating habits of late has led to me balloooning up. At the start of my previous challenge I weighed 205 pounds. I lost some weight down to 194. In the last few weeks I've blown up to a whopping 228 pounds. To be fair, a lot of this is water retention (I have to believe, as my waist size hasn't changed hardly at all). But a lot of it is also fat that I put on all by myself. The plan going forward is to log everything I eat both in LoseIt, and on here. I'm sticking to whole foods and cutting out all unnecessary carbs like bread and pasta and sweets (which I don't really eat much anyways). My doctor has recommended that I avoid most carbs anyways as it seems to exacerbate some issues that I have. As far as calories go I'm starting out at roughly 2500 daily, and will be slowly reducing this over the course of the six weeks. I am going to attempt one 24 hour fast per week, but that's not necessary for me to achieve my goals. Mostly I think that the weekly fast will help a lot with the water retention. I'm back to drinking protein shakes because it's a lot more convenient with my dietary restrictions to get my numbers up. At the end of this six weeks if I can get back down to 200 or less I will be very happy, but the main actual goal is to be consistent. I've been way too comfortable lately eating ad libidum. As of the start of this challenge I've had one protein shake (cheap brand) for 300 calories, 60 grams of protein. Aiming for 150-200 grams of protein today. I want desparately to complete this challenge, get my weight back on track, and become a warrior. Let's do this.

I've been busy the last couple of months and missed a few challenges, so I figured it's about time I get back into it and really push myself again! My main quest this challenge is to lose fat and gain some more visible muscle mass Cutting whilst trying to keep my lifts up is going to be a bitch, but it wouldn't be a challenge if it were easy! Goals are: Eat clean and at least 4 times a day I haven't been eating enough through the day and been eating more poorly at night, so it's time to do some meal planning and start eating smaller and more often. Cut caffeine back to once a day, pre workout I've been working in a cafe recently and as a result I've been drinking waaayyy too much coffee as well as eating bad food, so now I've got to cut back and stop relying on it so heavily. Run at least 2 times a week I've been neglecting running for a little bit the last few weeks due to lack of time, but now I'm making the time to. I want to try to do 2 HIIT sessions a week on my off days to get back into it. SIDE QUESTS Get to a 60 kg OHP, 100KG Bench, 140kg squat and 180kg Deadlift. I want to get to a decent weight for all my lifts and I know it will take me a while with bench and OHP for me, I want to at least hit these for at least a 1 rep max one day.Unfortunately I had a fall on my bike the other day (plus forgot to wear kevlar jeans, really stupid in retrospect) so my knees a bit 'bung' but, it's healing up nicely and hopefully shouldn't affect my lifts too much. Let's get and stay strong.