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Good morning Druids. This is more-or-less a continuation of the same challenge I did last time (Journey to Wudang Shan). The routine worked so very well, that I want to continue on with it. There is still plenty to challenge me within the same routine. So let's get to it. Primary Section - Tai Chi and Qigong 1. Continue Tai Chi and Qigong as a daily habit. The plan is to take some time each day to practice Tai Chi and/ or Qigong, in some capacity. 20 - 30 minutes of practice would be ideal, but I will make compromises with my other priorities in life as needed. Break it up throughout the day, as needed, whatever it takes. Make the opportunity. 2. Continue to refine my Tai Chi/ Qigong skills. This means taking in information wherever possible, from classes, seminars, videos, books, etc. I have signed up for a Tai Chi class with Community Education, but this does not begin until February. In the meantime, I will continue to self-train, read books, watch videos, and take in whatever information and training is available. My focus at the moment is on the Tai Chi 24 Form, and Spring Forest Qigong. Secondary Section - Meditation and Body Weight Training 1. Daily meditation. I've been doing this for nearly a year now. It is an indispensable source of relaxation and self-care. 2. Body weight exercises and yoga. I will do this three times per week. Body weight training focuses mainly on pull-ups and dips, using the "grease the groove" approach, where I do several sets of low reps spread out over a day. I generally do the yoga in the evening, or whenever I finish my last set of pull-ups and dips. This has been great training for upper-body and core strength. Tertiary Section - Bullet Journal I will keep utilizing my bullet journal to keep track of my daily tasks and priorities.

Good morning Druids, This will be my first challenge in the Druid Camp for quite some time. A desire to get into tai chi and qigong is the main driver behind this change. I've taken the odd tai chi and qigong class here and there over the years. Finally, after 12 years or so of awesome but somewhat damaging training in Shotokan karate and other "hard" martial arts, as well as a little parkour thrown in for fun, I'm ready to start down a softer and more regenerative path. Hence my so-called journey to Wǔdāng Shān, or Wudang Mountain (according to legend, the birthplace of internal martial arts such as tai chi). The challenge has two basic parts: Primary Section - New Habits 1. Make Tai Chi and Qigong a daily habit. Being new at this as a routine, I'm not entirely sure how feasible this really is, so this is part commitment, part experiment. The plan is to take some time each day to practice Tai Chi and/ or Qigong, in some capacity. 20 - 30 minutes of practice would be ideal, but I will make compromises with my other priorities in life as needed. 2. Continue to refine my Tai Chi/ Qigong skills. This means taking in information wherever possible, from classes, seminars, videos, books, etc. As I have not picked a dedicated class or instructor to follow a this time, I'm taking a bit of eclectic and all-inclusive approach. Secondary Section - Continue Old Habits 1. Daily meditation. I've been doing this for nearly a year now. 2. Body weight exercises and yoga. I will do this three times per week. Body weight training focuses mainly on pull-ups and dips, using the "grease the groove" approach, where I do several sets of low reps spread out over a day. I generally do the yoga in the evening, or whenever I finish my last set of pull-ups and dips. Tertiary Section - Bullet Journal During the last challenge I joined in an a Bullet Journal (BuJo) accountability group. I was brand new to the BuJo idea. The idea has stuck. I feel I gain a lot from it. Therefore, I plan to keep doing it. If there is another accountability group for this challenge, I will join in.

The Target: Muscle-Up Teh Skillz: Redevelop explosive high pullup Redevelop controlled dip Redevelop controlled tiger pushup & russian dip for transition Develop kip

Hello guys, i have created a Muscle Up Tutorial for all those who want to learn it but struggle. I am showing how you can learn your muscle up step by step and what exercises you need to do in order to learn it and achieve it. Have a look and enjoy!

"But Kishi, aren't you doing themed challenges?" Well, I'm still working through the WOT, but like I said, theming it was getting pretty thin. And since I'm still working my way through book 6, well, I didn't think it made a lot of sense to worry too much. I suspect that going forward, I'm going to have to let that sink into the background of things. Anyway. I'll have to post some Righteous Santa Justice or something once I'm at a computer that lets me do that. So. I went to give blood on Monday. Giving blood is a good thing to do - it burns calories, regulates iron, and oh yeah it saves lives maybe. It's also useful as a pseudophysical, which when I didn't have insurance was pretty great. And for the most part, the numbers came back awesome - pulse was a touch higher, but that's to be expected given that I have a sedentary job now. But that perfect blood pressure, tho. But then it got interesting when it came time to take my temperature. I clocked in low 97. Why is that interesting? Because a lowered temperature is a sign of a depressed metabolism. It wasn't something I'd ever really noticed before, but after seeing some of the discussions here on the board, I've begun watching that in myself. I was suspicious before: the fact that I couldn't stop being cold up in Boston wasn't just my delicate Southern constitution, and I've noticed that my internal temperature shifts depending on how much I've eaten. Even having taken to eating more, I've noticed that I'm hungry in the mornings, and three hours after I've woken up my hands are back to being cold again. How do you fix that? Well, barring some kind of medical intervention, your best bet or so I've heard is to eat more. A lot more. But I'm still not lean enough for it to make sense to pursue the fabled Dirty Bulk. No, no. We're not doing that. Instead, we're going to keep it clean and Low Carb, except for training days. The training, for its part, is going to have to be adjusted somewhat as well. I'm going to put this energy to work. Don't worry, though, I'm not talking about hopping on a treadmill or something like that. Everything is deliberate. And since I insist on being a socially normal person, I suppose Da Cheatz will come as they do. Goal 1: EAT ALL THE THINGS I'm not really exaggerating on this. The recommendation I got is to take maintenance and add 300 calories to it. Combined with my tendency to modulate my eating based on what I've done that day... oooooh. I'll be over 3000 calories on training days, man. Bring on the almond butter. And extra guac, and beef. No real carbs, though, not beyond some fruit periworkout and some beans at dinner. This will be tough. Low carb high calorie is expensive. In order to do that, I'm going to have to win the time to batch cook in the kitchen, when nobody else is using it. Spoilers: between my brother who is on bulk and my parents who cook at home, there is always someone using it. Haha, dammit. Okay. They don't call these Challenges for nothing. Goal 2: TRAIN HARD Well, if I'm going to take in all this energy, I might as well put it to work. I'm going to up the rep ranges some - from 5 to 8. No RPT work this time. I just want to lift heavy. Rucking will continue. Finishers, provided that the rest of the session has gone according to plan, will be reintroduced. I just got my first taste of a Versaclimber on Sunday, and... it's terrible. It's like a Stairclimber on steroids. Can't wait for next time. Beyond that, though, I think I want to build Finishers around crawls and carries as well, and I think I know how to do it. Goal 3: WRITE ON I need to find a way to keep my writing habit going. NaNoWriMo is always good for starting it, but I don't seem to stick out long past that. I end up getting distracted by side projects and such like that. But this year is different, on account of the fact that 1) I like the project I'm working on, and 2) I'm not desperate to submit things, since I have a good job now. There's no need for me to be distracted now, beyond the pull of the day to day. Goal 4: DO WORK SON I may be up for a raise at the end of the month. That's going to depend on my evaluation. That's going to depend on my work. Best get to it.

This challenge I'll be starting a new job! Which means I'm putting adulting and life stuff on the backburner to focus on settling in at work. It also means I can focus my entire challenge on fitness! As a celebration of new jobs and a (very welcome) return to a fitness focus, I thought it was time to have a theme again. What better than to pick up where my first ever challenge in this awesome guild left off, and do an Assassin's Creed themed challenge! To truly earn my place in the Brotherhood I'll need to work on the key aspects on Assassin-ing. Quest 1: Climbing A Thing. I will improve my climbing strength by reaching Level 4 on the NF Rings muscle up progression. I aim to get to this point by the midpoint of the challenge to be honest. UPDATE: I will improve my climbing strength by holding all four sets (of 5 seconds) of Rings Support Holds with perfect form. Perfect form = Palms facing outwards. I'm pretty strong with my hands in a neutral position, but when I turn out my palms the move gets much harder. Quest 2: Fighting Bad Guys. I will increase my fighting strength by practicing one element of the NF Rings mobility tutorial every day. There are 4 videos to choose from so I'll probably cycle through them day to day. Quest 3: Running Away From Bad Guys. Improve my cardio/sprinting capabilities by cutting 30 seconds off my 2km row time. Thats going from 9:31 down to 9:01. My eventual goal is 6 minutes, but that's some Master Assassin level stuff.. Quest 4/Bonus Quest: Assist The Brotherhood. Help strengthen the order by contributing to the Mini Challenge every week.

The lions sing and the hills take flight. The moon by day, and the sun by night. Blind woman, deaf man, jackdaw fool. Let the Lord of Chaos rule. Aiyaa. I must hate myself. There's 47 different POV characters in this book, and the prologue is 30K words. But, lots of cool things happen here. Can't deny that. Anyway, the month's work is cut out for me. NaNoWriMo is up in about a week, and I got a GoRuck to perform. We're coming down to the wire in terms of how prepared we're going to be for that (and by we, I mean me. I'm sure @RisenPhoenix has this in hand). So, let's set the pieces on the board. One more dance along the razor's edge finished. Almost dead yesterday, maybe dead tomorrow, but alive, gloriously alive, today. Rand is an appropriate training stand-in again. He winds up wanting to build a school for men who can Channel, which is a thing not seen for thousands of years since the men who can do magic in this setting wind up going wildly, destructively mad. Still, his rationale makes sense - if the world's going to end soon, nobody's gonna live long enough for that to happen, and he might as well face it with as many allies as he can make. Fortunately, my circumstances are far less severe. But training is training, so training I shall do. We are going to tickle some Aes Sedai under the chin, rescue a mule, and put a snip-nosed girl on the Lion Throne. Oh, yes. That’s Aviendha. Don’t look at her crosswise, or she’ll try to cut your throat and probably slit her own by mistake. Two quotes for this guy? I didn't mean to, but the picture's too good and the cropped version of it is through the Wiki just doesn't play nicely with the code here. But it's appropriate anyway. Mat is the Writing Goal for this challenge. Yes. This is because he is going to tell a big story that's going to be very important toward the end of everything. And he can't stop talking. I cannot tell you the weather will be what it should tomorrow. I can tell you that Perrin and I will do what needs to be done, whatever can be done. And I don’t need to tell you that you will take what each day brings, whatever it is, and be ready to face the next. That is the kind of people the Two Rivers breeds. That is who you are. So, I've been dillydallying about with my money, which I shouldn't have been on account of the fact that this money has purpose and reason. I need to fix that. I have the tools I need to set it all up so that everything comes out automatically, without me having to even think of it. I have my savings account set, and my car payment set. But I still need to arrange my student loans, which means I have a few different difficult phone calls to make, as well as getting my credit card set up to be paid for. It feels like a difficult thing to do because it feels like what I'm doing is signing away a lot of money... but it's not that bad. And that's the point of it anyway. Student loans and credit card. Three lines I need to set up. One per week. That should do it. And while I'm at it, let's see if I can get some of the extra things coming out to not come out anymore. What is too absurd to believe is believed because it is too absurd to be a lie. Egwene Al'Vere is a young woman who once thought she would marry Rand. That didn't turn out to be true. There were much bigger things for her than that. Anyway, she's the reading goal. Which feels small - she's a real badass, actually - but then I remember what I'm reading, and suddenly I can live with it. 0 Week to warm up and we'll go from there.

"The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time." So, here's the thing. I've read Lord of the Rings and some Game of Thrones and I know that there's lots of good stuff out there. But believe it or not, neither of those were really my first epic fantasy. Oh, I mean, sure, I read LOTR as a kid, but like I didn't get it, you know? A lot of it just went in one eyeball and out the other. I think I learned more about it reading the commentaries than actually reading the book itself the first time. What I'm trying to get at is that, for me, the first fantasy series that I really grokked on any level was the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. What is the Wheel of Time about? Basically... it's a free for all. A battle of the sexes caught up in the battle against annihilation. Man versus woman versus Evil. It's epic and awesome, and it's the kind of series where I go back and reread and always find something new to take from it. And with the news coming down that the legal hurdles have been cleared and that a TV series is somewhere in the future, well... the days I have to actually finish reading this thing are numbered. So, let's dig into this. The books have three protagonists at their center, each of whom represents something admirable. Although I don't know if I'll continue with the series as a theme for my challenges, I think I can make do with this lot to start. Rand Al'Thor. "I am tired of running. Tired of you threatening my friends. I will run no more." Rand is a stubborn fellow. He and his friends come from a place where stubbornness is a way of life. Dig deep and hold your ground. My body is adapting to the work at the store. Now I must make my mind follow suit. Set the day's training agenda, and stick to it, no matter what. I always regret something rushed, but I never regret something done late in the day or in the night. Matrim Cauthon. "Blood and bloody ashes!" Mat's a bit of a contrast with the others. He hears the call to adventure and, after the first one, spends a good amount of time trying to run from the call. The call, sadly, knows where he lives, and very often beats him to the place he is trying to go. This one's all about locomotion. I heard there was a GoRuck happening up in Boston in November, and while I don't know if the money's going to come together to make it happen, training as if it could or would is probably going to benefit me. So, there are two things I need to grow comfy with. Moving with a pack, and swimming. So: Find and acquire 6 bricks for the pack Acquire and begin applying Total Immersion Perrin Aybara. "We don't talk about being men, we just are." ("That's why you make such a bad job of it.") Despite his size, Perrin's actually a very gentle young man in the beginning. He is known for being deliberate and careful with his thoughts, and given how the journey changes him, this is a Very Good Thing. Continue mental training with an emphasis on awareness and correction of emotionally useless states. Moiraine Damodred. "The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills." Oh, Moiraine. The first real badass. More Gandalf than Gandalf to me. There's no hiding that she has a story to tell, but when we first meet her, she's trying to learn stories and to understand and read the Pattern of the world around her. So, a reading challenge. Finish The Eye of the World by the end of the challenge. Don't laugh. It's a big book and I read slow. Though maybe I should pick up something about speed reading if I can. Maybe that would help. ... Time to throw the dice...

Hey guys, I was surprised at the amount of people in my life that didn't know why I was looking for a walker to work out with. I found a fold-able one for 10 bucks at the thrift store and it can be used for dips, knee stucks, inverted rows, push ups, squats (throw it on your shoulders), side hurdles, you name it. Here's some youtube links I've found that demonstrate some things. The best part of course being that it's fold-able so it can go under the bed or in the closet. I plan to incorporate it in my normal workouts in addition to push ups for an extra pushing exercise to work that upper body. Cheaper than a dip station and more versatile, go to your local goodwill or arc thrift store and find one for yourself! http://instagram.com/p/ay3zS8mpvK/ - my walker, standard walker, supports up to 300lb - standard dips - inverted rows with swiss ball assist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK1RhWLP-Y8 - the walker workout circuit - hilarious "crip dip" video which does show you standard dip and knee tuck exercises

My biggest problem isn't that I don't know what I'm doing. It's that I know too much, and in so knowing, forget how little I know. I have a bunch of different programs that all want to work together. But I haven't really done the work of putting them all together properly, and it's been to my detriment in the past. And it's trying to be now. Still, as it's been pointed out to me, I'm wise enough to know when something is working and when it isn't, and there's no shame in making adjustments on the fly. Putting a bunch of pieces together and adjusting quickly as I need to with the aim of building something better? Sounds like Tetris to me. Okay, so. Goal 1: Nighttime Meditations I originally tried to do a program with the idea of switching between various forms of meditation. Parts of it were interchangeable, but, ah. I didn't know which parts. Since I have some time for meditating set aside in the morning, I'm going to use it for shorter exercises. The longer part, the thing I let slip because it didn't belong, was the longer time of stillness which I find that I need. Goal 2: Writing Making writing a goal last time was a good idea. But it's incomplete. I didn't write every day like I wanted to, and I want to break the curse of the five missing days. To spice this up a bit, we're going to move my standards a bit, so that I'm doing more for minimal, nominal, and maximal standards of performance. Goal 3: NO MORE CHEAT DAYS You can't build what you want by just doing what you want. No. You have to make the blocks fit together, earn the spaces and such. This will not be easy, with my folks being prone to celebration at the drop of a hat, but that means all the more reason for me to do my diligence. Goal 4: Condense Training Whether I like it or not, I'm not really going to be in charge of my schedule much longer. So, I have to work with my training to make it fit everything. There's lots of reasons to do this - for starters, the present modifications I've done make for a very lopsided training split; A day is short and B day is long. That bothers me, because I feel like I'm trading efficacy for peace of mind, and that's not what I need. Additionally, I'm finding that the handstand work I tried to cram in doesn't really fit together with the pike presses. It flirts with failure too much, and that bothers me. And in addition to that, I have a very physical job coming up, and I've got to balance what I'm doing out here with the demands of the work there so that I can be effective. On the other hand, though, playing around with fatigue is proving to be just loads of fun. You'll see as we go. Anyway, the name of the game here is to not let any one training session exceed an hour in length. Ideally, bring it down somewhere between 45 and 60 minutes. I will be timing these sessions to double-check myself and make sure that I'm not being too crazy. ... Yeah. Yeah. Okay. This'll work.

Intro: Hazard is presently a 38 years old 5'9" and 194 lbs male. (For the metric folk, 174 cm and 88 kg). He's a former track athlete turned weightlifter turned wanna-be ninja, who this month apparently aspires to merge with the Lifestream and become a god? Epic Quests: Currently, my long term goals are to master... * muscleups * laches * hanging traverses Previously in 2016... April Quests: My main goals for April 2016 are improvement on... Chinups Dips Hanging L-Sit 1-Arm, Pole-assisted, Palm-Grip Hang <-- One "Wing" training? I knew the challenge theme had relevance somewhere. Testing: My starting AMRAP/AMSAP numbers are... Chinups: 7 reps Dips: 2 reps Hanging L-Sit: 3 seconds 1A Asst. Palm Hang: (L/R) 6/8 seconds Context: I train Mon/Wed/Fri. Along with Assassin quests, I also weight-lift, and I'm currently on a long-term "Cut" diet. (Added, April 4th) -- I'll go ahead and make an official extra quest this challenge out of my 'Cut' goal. April 'Cut' Quest: Be under 189.0 lbs by my morning weigh-in on April 30th. The Strategy: I use alternating training days. Like so - "A" Day HB Squat Bench SL Deadlift Chinups Dips "B" Day HB Squat Press SL Deadlift Hanging L-Sit 1A Asst. Palm Hang

Alright! New term, new challenge, new home! Well, I've still seven weeks before we even get the place, but it's a pretty big deal. I'm going to keep this challenge pretty short this time though. Exercise: Grease the Groove: Pull ups and dips have been added to my routine, but they are not proceeding as quickly as I would like. And, on my pull ups, I'm not quite getting to the bar. I feel like I'm getting the full range of motion in my elbow (i.e. I can't flex my arm any more). Maybe I need to widen my grip a bit to allow my back to move more. (Maybe I need to film it?) Plan? Grease the groove. Pull ups and dips before and after every sword class (which means I need to go twice a week), as well as at the gym (now that I have time for three days a week there too). Rest Days: 2 (separated) sets of Weeks 1, 2: 3 Week 3: 4 Week 4: 5 Gym days: 2 sets of 5 (or exhaustion) 1 set to exhaustion If I start the challenge this Saturday, that gives me five days a week, for four weeks, so twenty days. Standard school grading on this then. I need to be getting my chest to the bar each time by the end of the challenge! Diet: Frutta ed Vedura: I did alright last time. But this time, more! I need to get a couple servings of fruit and at least one of vegetables every day. Also strict school grading here! Maybe I should make some carbonated fruit like in this gif. Life: Rasettare: We're moving and I need to get rid of stuff. So, this is a checklist of things to pitch (or give away): Clothes: I've a fair amount I don't wear anymore. Maybe I can get some dough for them too. Comics: Get rid of those extra books that I have lying around. Find some I don't care about and sell them/get store credit. Something! Papers: Clean up desk, get rid of papers that are lying around. Notebooks and Sketchbooks: Pitch old school notebooks. Find something to do with that multitude of sketchbooks I have. Games, CD's and DVD's: get rid of cases of the ones to keep, and get rid of ones that I don't want. Get storage materials for the GameBoy and DS cartridges (recommendations welcome) Toys: Try to see if I can part with any of the toys we have. (Probably, but also probably not much) Additionally: add to Delicious Library all the media that I am keeping. Bonus points: Creatività: I was really wanting to create after C2E2! So, I need to draw or write or practice ʻukulele more. Ideas to kick this off would be appreciated,

Hi there! Wondering if you can comment/critique on my Dip form. I'm trying to go for chest dips, but I think I'm going too far down, and locking elbows all the way up. (Not sure if that's correct or not). If it helps, 5'7", 145lb.

Yea no theme this time. SO BE IT. For those who may be new, I'm a graduate who works in the animation field (production side so far) and my former studio is in break mode, so I'm essentially unemployed atm though I'm looking at it as an extended overdue vacation or time to be spent organizing paperwork and stuff :/ Blargh. I've been poling since May 2014 and I currently do anywhere from 1-7 hours of classes a week depending on stuff (right now it's 2 nights a week, Mondays 3 classes and Thursdays are Jam (open gym I guess) and 3 hours of class). Goals right now is to get my splits and build up strength for more pole moves (that's a big block in my path right now). 10-A-Day 10-a-day of squats, pushups, dips, leg lifts/reverse crunch EACH They're working! So we're going to do ALL four of them EACH DAY. Building on this from last challenge Splits Focus on Splits, 3x week please! 1 session with the roller/yoga ball per week So there's been improvement since the beginning of last challenge! But I do feel that adding some time with the massage roller once a week should help (it's getting really tight). Art 5 hours on portfolio/art stuff per day 5 days a week (or 25 hours combined minimum) I'm off from work, now is the chance to update my portfolio and get into the art side of things. Or even work on my personal projects (which I think in my timelines I severely underestimated lol). Need to start building discipline on this so here it is! Routine Wash my face nightly with my homemade cleanser (esp if I put makeup on!) Brush teeth (I can't believe I have to do this...) It's been working well so I want to solidify this habit. Also since I've been off work I've been a wee bit lax on the tooth brushing.... MOTIVATION To feel better, more energetic and stronger. To reach that image of future me that I CAN SEE AND PRACTICALLY TASTE. To be ME. The best me EVER.

I'm sure the answers are varied, but how do most folks handle accessory work? Do you play it completely by ear? calculate and program it in detail? So doing SL5x5, I had really no choice in anything. Now I have some flexibility with 5/3/1 on my accessory lifts. The program just calls for abs and lats. I do abs on a separate day and do extra chest work since SL lacked enough upper body work. So I am just about finished the first cycle and calculated my next month. I had originally just written in lats and some times I did low cable rows, pulldowns, dumbell or barbell rows... just based on what was free or how I felt. Do I need to be programming it to make sure I am progressing? Do I need to pick a single lat exercise? What I have tenetaively done is written on as generic Lat (Probably low cable rows with occasional DB or BB work) and one as generic Chest (typically DB presses with occaional DB chest fly). The other I have a sets of pull ups (5x4... 4 in a row is all I can do unweighted atm) and one dips (5x5... though I can do 7 in a row low and slow.). These are both movements I would like to improve upon. So would this be a reasonable set up??? Sorry for all the programming questions lately. after SL it's odd making decisions.

I'm just re-starting with bodyweight exercises after a gap, but have never really done tricep dips before. I do tricep dips using a table that comes up to my hip. I am finding tricep dips really painful to do. Not the usual burn but really painful more like a pulled muscle. I found it weird since I have decently good tricep strenth. Have mostly done tricep extensions in the past with no problem at all (can currently do them with a 20pound/ 10kg dumbbell), and swimming with hand- paddles. Any alternatives or suggestions?

It's been 3 years since I first discovered Nerd Fitness. I've done 18 six week challenges. Surely, I've learned something in that span. One of the first lessons I learned from Steve was the importance of tracking. I've tracked measurements, calories, and workouts, and taken plenty of pictures. However, I've consistently neglected the equally important step of analyzing my results. As I look back on 3 years of work, I don't "feel" like I've made much progress. I don't even really look like I've made much progress. But there are more ways to measure progress than just the scale or the mirror. Since I have so much data strewn about various platforms, I figured it's time to buckle down and analyze, so I'm making that the theme of this challenge. Goal 1: Analyze my data, comparing weight highs/lows, visual progress, measurements, diet, and exercise routine.Having 18 challenges to review, I will aim for analyzing 3 per week, but I may end up switching to a month-by-month or quarter-by-quarter system.Things I already know: I want to build muscle. Progressive overload can help.I want a bigger chest and bigger arms, but I'm limited by not having a barbell. Dips can help.Goal 2: Weighted Dips - go from 3x5x5# to 3x5x30#I am not genetically inclined to build muscle. Creatine can help.Goal 3: Daily weight gain shake and creatine. 6 cups (48 oz) of water a day.My core strength needs work. Hollow body holds can help.Goal 4: Hollow body hold practice 3 days/weekConsistency is key to making progress.I am more consistent with my workouts when I stick to 3 a week.I have workout ADD when I don't see immediate results.I will workout 3 days a week - 1 for High Intensity Training, 1 focused on core work, and 1 focused on Dips progressI was going to post an inspiring picture of the old "those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" quote, but apparently the internet can't decide who gets credit for it. So if you know of a good one, send it along.

I know that I'm coming in late to the party so please forgive my tardiness. Here is Challenge #6 Main Quest: Quest 1: Muscle Up Hunt It's tough and takes a lot of strength to master. I am on the hunt catch the elusive muscle up. It seems like forever that I have been working on getting this move. It is my goal to achieve 1 clean muscle up without excessive kipping. The plan below allows me to get use to the movements I'm doing it 2x a week. 10 Chest High Pull Ups 12 Straight Bar Dips 10 Clapping Push Ups 10 Head bangers 10 typewriter pull ups 12 jump muscle ups 8 Plyo Australian pull ups 3 cycles 2 min rest between cycles Quest 2: Stretch I have this bad habit of not stretching after all of my workouts, mainly because of time or my wife being ready to go somewhere. I will be working on the "Functional Triad" that includes the anterior chain, posterior chain, and the lateral chain. The exercises for this are the bridge hold, L-sit hold and full twist. Quest 3: Meditation With everything that is going on in my life. I have to meditate so that I will remain sane. My goal is to meditate 5-7x a week (mostly Yoga Nidra). Life Goals: WORK & School I recently lost my job during the holidays. (Just won my appeal for UI ) My goal is to find employment so that I can continue to provide for my family and not rely on my veterans disability and excessive student loans for survival. I'm not really sure I know how to find a job with this economy so guess I may need to find a coach. The second part of the goal consists of passing this class that I am in. I'm using the rest of my G.I. bill to get my MBA. After my current class there is one more class and I graduate at the end of April.

I just started doing dips, it's an absolutely new movement for me. I checked a couple of vids and El Diablo's post on it, but as I got some pain in my right shoulder second-to-last time I did them, I thought I should better ask for help on form. I'm going for bent knees while I get used to the movement. Pain was sharp, right inside the joint, on the front part of it, right shoulder, while I was doing the exercise and resolved once the exercise was over. Last time I did the exercise, I decided to do isometric holds instead of proper dips to give the shoulder time to recover, that's what the pics are. This is the third time I do this exercise.

Assassination Contract: Dracula Complicated castle? Filled with spikey traps? And horrifying underlings? Yeah. No. Assassin's don't use the front door. I'm going straight up to the throne room. Then Drac's going down. There's just one teenie tiny problem. I'm not strong enough to climb walls!!! Quest Scale the walls of Dracula's castle to assassinate him by Halloween Objective #1: (Keep Energy Bar Up) - track weight & calories daily Objective #2: (Gain Climbing Strength) - train strength 3x per week; pullups & dips 2x per week Objective #3: (Prepare for Return Trip) - train safety drops & rolls 1x per week, because what climbs up must come down Successful Assassination = can climb a 6' (1.8m) vertical wall, & safely jump back down

So: when doing dips, my ROM (range of motion) has always sucked. It’s been this way all throughout my training in dips: I’ve done them both on P-bars and on rings, and I’ve always had this problem. When I test my shoulder hyperextension (arms behind my back), it’s not great. I stretch after my workouts, but not daily. I know that in order to get more ROM out of my dips, any extra flexibility needs to be a useful ROM for my muscles – that is, I need to be able to apply force in that ROM. I think that means I need both stretching and some light exercises. However, I don’t know what exercises to do. Does anyone have a method that helped them with a similar shoulder problem?

Goal 1 Continue bodyweight workout 3x weekly. Last challenge I put the L-sit as a goal, which I still want. Most of the workouts I did last challenge involved push-ups, pull/chin-ups and dips. I gained reps on all of them, and was very pleased with the way things turned out, especially with the dips. I want to continue my success by doing BW workout three times a week, with a goal of an L-sit someday. Goal 2 Learn Jitterbug Stroll I went swing dancing several weeks ago, as I am wont to do. I saw a group dance I don't know. I know Tranky Doo and two types of Shim Shams. This was the Jitterbug Stroll, and now I gotta learn it. I learned the Tranky Doo on a previous challenge, so this seems appropriate to continue the swing-dance-learning process! This goal will be a success if I accomplish the Jitterbug Stroll by the end of the challenge. Video will be posted. This is Jitterbug Stroll.... Goal 3 Paleo (!) Woah. I've been toying with Paleo for many challenges now. Couldn't seem to give up the dairy. But my aunt has been Paleo for many years due to digestive issues, and she recommended it for me since I have psoriatic arthritis - both inflammation and skin issues. My aunt swears by it, and she's talked me into it. The goal will be to go Paleo for 30 days. I began full Paleo, with no dairy, no grains, etc. about 10 days ago. I've already lost some weight. I don't really want to lose too much, though. Maintaining where I am would be great. So If I can keep with the Paleo foodstuffs for another 20 days, we'll be good. I'm looking forward to making cauliflower "potatoes" and "rice" and other goodies. Goal 4 (Life Goal) Routine, continued Last challenge I wanted to keep a routine. Particularly, I wanted to get up early, and do prayer time in the evenings at 9 pm. It went pretty well, and I want to keep it going. I've had an alarm set for a while at 5:30 am and 9:00 pm to get these done. I won't follow this routine on weekends, but work days, yes. This goal will be a success if I follow the routine on my week days. Let's punch it.

To fuly understand this post, it takes a brief history explanation. I used to a big time weightlifter, gym rat, muscle head thru my 20's & early 30's. Very strong, fairly fit. Enter a 6+ year hiatus from the gym. Around the time I stopped the weights, I started running shortly after. Then about a year ago I wanted to start strength training again. Enter the body weight workouts. Then about 6 months ago I really started focusing and learning and working harder in my efforts. So last week I went back to a gym to see how things paid off. 255 lbs bench (1.5x BW) 165 lbs military press 21 pull ups 29 dips (I would have broken 30 if I'd not done these last) And then last night I got an ugly, ugly muscle up. It was ugly, but I got up, over the bar & up. And yes, I do work legs a lot, and I squatted some, but I didn't feel comfortable maxing out & risking injury or pulling something. I want people to know you can build real strength just doing body weight moves. Those numbers are far from my PR's (except the pull ups), but I was a lot younger when those PR's were achieved.