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Keeping it simple this challenge. I started the Darebee IronBorn workout program last week, so I am 7 days into that. I am also using the Power Up program as a warmup and have been regularly completing the Darebee Daily Dare, as well as the Easy Arms Challenge. So my goals this challenge are simple: complete IronBorn complete Power Up complete Easy Arms Challenge I am aware that IronBorn is a Game of Thrones reference, even though I haven't watched Game of Thrones, nor have I read the books, so my reason has nothing to do with GoT. I started IronBorn for two reasons: 1) my upper body needs a lot of work and 2) my teaching position was cut, so after May I will not have access to the campus gym and wanted to start a program that uses dumbbells. Yeah... that's news I perhaps haven't announced yet. They are cutting the teaching positions at our program. We will be on transfer, which means we aren't losing our jobs as teachers, just our current teaching positions. There are four of us who have to either find a teaching position at another school or we will be placed at a school with an available position. This may feel like an ending, but... Honestly, I guess this is the "nudge out of the door" I needed to start looking for school administrator positions. It sucks that our solid team of teachers has been broken by bureaucratic bullshit (our supervisor actually said, "It's not personal. It's about money and budget."). So... I really need to keep things simple this challenge. The main go is to stay consistent and not skip a day. This weekend I did not have access to the gym, so I modified the program. For day 6 I was able to use cinderblocks instead of dumbbells, and for Day 7 I borrowed Day 8, which is an ab day that doesn't require dumbbells. Basically, every four days you get an ab workout. Well, I'm going to save some of those for weekends. If I can do the same movements with a cinderblock then substitution won't be necessary. I also started watching Reacher on Amazon Prime, and while I have no plans to bulk up as much as Alan Ritchson, it did motivate me to get serious about building some upper body lean muscle. Ritchson was always fit (not something I can say), but he has put in the work and clearly it paid off. In an Instagram post from 2020, Ritchson said, "There is no substitute for hard work; no powders, no goos, no fancy shoes will get you where you want to go without it. If you want to lose weight or lean out - put out more than you take in and make your heart beat harder than it did yesterday. It’s that simple. Doesn’t matter how you get there. If you’re trying to bulk or add strength, put more strain on your muscles than you did yesterday. It doesn’t matter how you get there. It’s my suspicion that most people ask for 'the secret' because 'not having it' gives them an excuse to wait. But what you need, you all already have. It’s not sold in stores. The only way to get it is to start doing it. Work." In January of this year, Ritchson posted: "... Move something that fatigues your body and heart most days of the week. But here’s a fun fact - hypertrophy and strength training are two different things. Usually they compliment each other. High weight low reps (think - 4-6) will increase strength. Some growth in size (hypertrophy) will occur. But not as fast as if you did lower weight and higher reps (think - you can’t do more reps than 15-25 each set for 4 sets). Body weight exercise like push-ups, pull-ups and dips can add plenty of size if you don’t have access to a gym. All you really need is you and the discipline to push... Just be patient and do the things today the you ten years from now needed you to do. Don’t expect the you two months from now to be the you you want to be in ten years." Solid advice. I would like to say that my efforts paid off, that I am doing the work, the work that me from ten years from now needs me to do. But first I need simplicity and consistency.