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THE ASSASSINS' GUILD To the Assassins, the world is one giant playground. Every building can be climbed, every gap can be jumped, and every obstacle can be conquered. Assassins spend most of their time training with functional bodyweight exercises as that’s usually the only thing they need to lift. Fearless, calculated, and efficient, Assassins have low body fat percentages because extra weight could mean the difference between life and death on a mission. They have solid endurance as well, allowing them to progress through an obstacle-filled environment without breaking a sweat. Primary Attributes: Agility, StaminaTraining: Parkour, Free Running, Rock Climbing, GymnasticsReal World Examples: Parkour Traceurs, Free Runners, Rock Climbers, Gymnasts, Athletes on Ninja WarriorDo I have to be super lean and in shape to be an Assassin? Heck no! While being in shape is obviously beneficial (in both your everyday life and in your training), it is not necessary to be Al Kavadlo to join the Assassins' Guild. We have Assassins of all shapes, sizes, and skill levels here, and all are welcome. So if I don't have to look a certain way, what do I need to be an Assassin? Nothing is really required to be an Assassin, though a love of bodyweight training is definitely recommended. While many of us use equipment in our training, calisthenics are definitely at the core of it all. Do I always have to wear black? Yes. THE ASSASSINS' GUILD LEADERS Nuala 35-years-old, France, Robot Mistress of Pain I'm in a never-ending quest of getting better, I've never really had weight problems but I struggled for a long time with depression, low self-esteem, and lack of confidence. Well, I still have the last two, but at least I'm doing better for the depression part! I'm also in a journey to be healthier. Since I discovered Nerd fitness, I learned how to do push-ups, pull-ups, started bouldering and Chinese pole and got rid of most of my back problems. I have embraced the assassins way of life and don't want to go back to my weak self! I'm also a video games/Programming nerd. I started playing video games 31 years ago, back when the dinosaurs were roaming the earth! I'm more a 80-90' video games fan and I have a huge backlog (GoG is threatening my wallet :x). My favorite games are the "Might and Magic" RPG series (MM6 & MM7 >*) and the fantastic "Planescape: Torment". I used to play MMORPG too, but most of them are lacking the RPG part that I enjoy so I stopped playing them. RandomWanderer 34-years-old, New Jersey USA, Proud Assassin I'm two years out of weight loss surgery and doing all kinds of crazy stuff to keep myself active including Gorucks, mud runs, parkour, runs at 6 am, and just recently climbing trees. This has lead my body to reject it's host and request a new owner recently LOL. I also do Kung Fu. I found NF about 8 months ago and between Steve's blogs and this community I found a focus and a drive that took me to new heights of fitness. I was at the beginning of my barefoot running saga when I found NF (in fact a Google search on barefoot running is how I found NF) and I had never done and never thought I'd BE doing hand stands and burpees and all kinds of crazy exercises. I love this community! I work child protective services, which keeps me out late many a night. I also have a photography business on the side and I'm a Theravada Buddhist who does some meditation teaching and Buddhist education stuff as well as talks. I'm looking at the possibility of becoming a monk in the near future. Life's been crazy lately and I've allowed that to control my exercise priorities. I pushed my body past it's limits and i'm still trying to work back from that and find a happy medium. I'm a bit "lost" these days... but I feel i'm making progress finding my way back out. Wolverine 31-years-old, California USA, Lover of Spreadsheets I was an athlete (soccer, water polo, swimming) until my sophomore year of college when I decided that being lazy and drinking beer was of a higher priority than training and competing. I hit 175 lb. at my heaviest, got down to 155 lb. on my own before finding Nerd Fitness, and am now at 143 lb. 136 lb. working my way to 135 lb. and my first set of chiseled six pack abs. I'm a smaller guy (5'7") and am PASSIONATE about bodyweight calisthenics and gymnastics-based workouts. This is the first time in my life where my size is actually to my benefit in an athletic endeavor. I'm currently messing around with volume-based calisthenics. I also climb a couple times a month and have been known to hurtle down mountains on a bike now and then. Nerdwise, I love comic book/graphic novels (and their movie equivalents), The Hobbit/LOTR, Star Trek (all forms), Star Wars, Firefly, Game of Thrones, and have recently started BSG. Basically, sci-fi and fantasy. My wife is a huge Disney fan, so some of that has worn off on me over the years as well. THE NF 6-WEEK CHALLENGE Dates: April 15 - May 27, 2013Rules and FAQsCreating your NF character and assigning attribute pointsDon't forget to sign-up AND make sure that your username is in the topic title of your challenge thread!Also, please subscribe to the Assassins' Announcement Thread to stay up-to-date throughout the challenge.