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Hello Everyone, I, like many others, have undergone a name change. I am no longer Wolflean...b/c I feel I have achieved "wolf-lean" status and now just maintaining the pelt, lol. I AM THE WOLF! (Too much?) Lol. A lot has happened in the last couple weeks thats gonna make the start of 2013 hard to deal with.... but thank God for my rebel friends and the drive to get better EVERY SINGLE DAY. This next 6-weeks challenge will be my toughest one yet. It's gonna involve a lot of bouldering and getting back into the swing of parkour. Coming up March 8th-10th, down in San Antonio, there's a place called Alpha Warrior. They are a badass onstacle course gym very similar to ANW (American Ninja Warrior) My goal is to travel down there and make a name for myself. They even have elite runs where the winner can cash out some major $$$$! Bouldering for those who don't know what it is, is this: Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad (called a bouldering mat) so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas. However, it may also be practiced at the base of larger rock faces, or even on buildings or public architecture (see buildering). One of the major appeals of bouldering is its relatively scant equipment requirements. Nothing is actually required - beyond suitable comfortable and flexible clothing - and it is not uncommon to see people bouldering with just climbing shoes, a chalk bag, and a crash mat. Bouldering also has a grading system, and here's a quick breakdown: As in other types of climbing, bouldering has developed its own grading systems for comparing the difficulty of problems, mainly because bouldering problems can be much harder than traditional rock climbing routes. The most commonly used grading systems are the Fontainebleau system which ranges from 1 to 8c+, and the John Sherman V-grade system, beginning at V0 and increasing by integers to a current top grade of proposed V16 (Terranova by Adam Ondra and Gioa by Christian Core). Both scales are open-ended at the top, and thus the upper grade of these systems is always increasing as boulderers ascend more difficult problems. Swanky. And there we have our brief history/info on bouldering That way everyone knows what I'm talking about when I refer to sending a V3, lol I figured with the sick 1-2 combination of parkour and bouldering, Aplha Warrior may have met it's match! Bouldering is gonna train my upper body and grip strength to a maximum. Bouldering will also help shed off unwanted BF and give me a nice strength to weight ratio. On the other hand, parkour will do the same. Training parkour, or PK, will increase my overall conditioning and agility. Strength for this will come in various BW exercises and training for parkour in general. My body is gonna go threw some adaption because my training workload will be the most I've had since playing basketball back in Highscool. Which was at least 2x a day, for a total of 4-6 hours of training a DAY. I was younger then, but now, at 25, heading into my prime, I figured NOW would be the time! The Apha Warrior comp asks you to "Prove It". And I shall! Goal #1: Boulder 2x(+) a week averaging 2hrs a session +2 STR and +2 STA and +1 DEX So, the goal here, is to maintain this boulder training for the next 6-weeks. It's very similar to last 6-weeks goal, but with more emphasis on hitting the goal 100% this time. I can always exceed the goal but with the other types of training I'll be doing... I don't know if I'll have the extra energy for a 4th day, lol. Goal #2: Yoga 2x a week +2 CON This goal can be on the same day or seperate days as the bouldering days. Yoga will be SUPER beneficial to climbing and parkour. All the top athletes do it. 'Nuff said. Goal #3: Find time to train parkour at least 2x a week (+) BW routines +1 STR and +2 DEX Bouldering will take up some of my training time, but I gotta stay true to the urban ninja way. Between work and training other people, it's gonna be hard to fit this in with everything else, But I will make sure the weekend days hold true to me hitting this goal... at least while it's still getting dark at 5:30 Goal #4: Fix the Family/Spend as MUCH time with Race as you can +2 WIS and +2 CHA As anyone who followed my last challenge knows, things kinda fell apart for me with my family. So my goal is to do as much work as possible to make things better. If anything, spend as much time as I can with my son, Race. The CHA is added b/c I'm a different person when he's in my life. Especially on days where he stays with me. His little smile makes everything better for me! I left one point out for a reason, haha. It's going to be a bonus goal linked to Goal #1: Bonus Goal: Project at least a V2 consistently +1 STR I'm sending all but 1-2 V0's and around 5-7 V1's consistenly right now. My goal is to push my body into sending a V2 consistenly. If I can project V2's by the end of the 6-week, then I gain the +1 to STR. If not, then I lose my 15th point. Guess I better make it count!!! Finally, got all my goals and stuff ready to go! I know that the next 6-weeks doesn't start until Monday, but I'm getting a jump start I'm super excited about the challenge and can't wait to see where my progression takes me! Thanks for taking the time to read my thread, and good luck to all the other Assassins out there! Wolf

I'm not sure how many Rebels there are in Iowa, or how many practice Parkour, but I was wondering if anybody WAS in the central Iowa area. I'm from Ames and I was looking for people who I could learn from/with.

Last challenge had one great success. I got my tushy out of my apartment and did things that were FUN! No excuse of "I don't have anyone to go with." or "I really should do X instead." Nope. I went to a whiskey tasting. I learned to make sausage. And I went to an adventure park. I LOVED the adventure park. I didn't conquer all of it with anything even resembling grace. There were a few challenges that kicked my tuckus. I came home covered in bruises. And I LOVED ever second of it. I loved the mix of brains and balance. I loved figuring out how to get my somewhat short and plump self under, over, around and through what ever evil elevated puzzle made up the next section of arboreal path. I loved the team work - even between strangers - out on the path. Two things became very apparent - I want to do this more. And I want better upper body strength. In the first challenge I took the adventure's path, thinking I should be *more* of a whole host of things before I could attempt an assassin's path. This time I'm following what makes my heart sing. Goal #1: Play Regularly. This is a "show up" goal. I am a horrible spectator. If I get myself out, I will participate. The challenge is to get out on a regular basis. How: Parkour at Urban Evolution twice a week. Get outside for at least 15 min EVERY day. Dance at Glen Echo 3x during challenge. These are logged on my calendar. Stats/Pts - +2 Dex, +1Stam (pretty self explainatory), +1 Wis (situational awareness), +1 Char (ppl are more attractive when they are having fun). Goal #2: Do a full Unassisted Pull-up. Once upon a time, I could rock the flexed arm hang part of the USMC physical fitness test. I'd like to be able to do a proper pull up. I'd also like to do 50 push ups in 2 minutes again. However, I'm keeping the goal simple, challenging, and easy to measure. How: By listening to Steve (of course.) http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/04/25/do-a-pull-up/ Success is being able to do a full pull up. This is Pass/Fail. Either I can do one on Feb 18th or I can't (yet) and it rolls over to the next challenge. Stats/Pts - +4 Str (Pulling up my own body weight? Yup. That would be strength.) +1 Sta (Not dying on the journey? Stamina.) Goal #3: 80/20 Paleo. I had moderate success with this last time. Better mood control, lost a few pounds, no chronic tummy ache, made a passable Ossobucco. I was probably only doing 60/40 though. Going to crank this up to the next level. I've got some good resources now, time to put them to use. How: Cook at home and make my own "frozen dinners". Clear out non-paleo foods by Jan 16. Eat a good snack and drink a full glass of water before any grocery shopping. Use frozen veggies and fruit (because I was throwing too much fuzzy produce out.) Drink a full 48oz of water daily. Diet gets logged in calendar too. Stats/Pts - +2 Con (Eat well. Be well.) Goal #4: ICU Bridge application ready to drop. I want to be an ICU Burn nurse. Feb 20 is the earliest I can apply for the ICU Bridge Program (where one learns to be an ICU nurse.) Goal #4 is to get that application ready to submit on Feb 20. Resume updated. Portfolio updated. Recommendations lined up. Application completed. ACLS class completed. ABLS (Advanced Burn Life Support) didactic portion completed. Professional memberships updated. Stats/Pts - +2 Wis (Career planning.), +1 Char (Ppl are more attractive when they are happy.) What is not on this list: Cleaning my apartment. This has been a big buggaboo. It gets in the way of everything else. So I'm giving myself a pass - I have to keep up on dishes and laundry. But other than that, I am choosing to NOT fret about the rest of it for the duration of this challenge. I'll pick up the clutter battle again next challenge.

Hello all! New member to the website, nice to meet ya! I suppose introductions are in order, my name's Michael. I'm 20 years old and have been "working out" for a good portion of my life. Playing sports, occasionally going to the gym or on a run. My diet never was never really...that healthy. I tried to eat healthier but it never really stuck with me, something that I'm hoping to change through being a part of a community like the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. I work (in a bowling alley), so I'm surrounded by junk food/sodas all the time, and it makes it hard to resist the sugary/fatty temptations. (especially because sodas are free..) I weigh around 200 pounds, and I wouldn't really have a problem with that due to my height (6'2''), but a good majority of my weight is fat. Last time I measured in at about 18% body fat, a shocking revelation when the last time I checked I was closer to 10%. My goals: I'm looking to go further and beyond, and get down to ~7% body fat. I want to feel and look good at the same time, as well as be as strong as can be. I want to begin hardcore strength training, as well as try and go full paleo throughout the course of the year.(The latter will be difficult, I'm unfortunately a pretty picky eater :/) I also want to add parkour training to my workouts, added with strength training. I just read an article on the main page about transitioning from machines to free weights, and it mentioned starting off with Bodyweight exercises BEFORE moving on to the free weights, and then finally mixing the two together. It seems like a great idea, and I would love to put the body weigh exercises into my routine(they almost mirror the parkour training that is also found on the website) So all in all my goals for this are: Get to 7% body fatGo paleo!Like what I see in the mirrorBE STRONGAnd to get started with parkourThanks a lot for the read and I'm glad to be here.

So I'm looking to start strength training, with some added parkour on the side(I'm a newbie). I was going to jump right into the free weights section and start lifting, but I saw a recent article on NF that mentioned starting off by doing body weight exercises first and that intrigued me. Just wondering what everyone here would suggest doing. The article gives a workout over the course of three days using all body weight exercises as follows: Monday: Squats, Push Ups, Body RowsWednesday: Lunges, Handstands, Pull UpsFriday: Box Jumps, Dips, Body RowsI like it, and I think it would be a good start to my road to the ninja ways, but I also wanted to know how long I should go about doing only body weigh(IF I should) before going into weights, and then if to mix them together or not? Any input would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Okay here is today's workout. It was a bit impromptu. A body weight circuit done only twice. Warmup 25 jumping jacks 10 push-ups 10 squats 35 jumping jacks Workout 10 pushups 10 dive bomber pushups 10 open grip push-ups 5 1-handed push-ups each (assisted) 10 squats 10 walking lunges 5 pistol squats each 10 squats :30 sec bodybar/front plank I would appreciate any feedback. Please keep in mind this is impromptu and i know i didn't include any pulling exersises. I am just getting ready for the upcoming 6 -week challenge were most of my goals are upper body. So excited.

Hello my new friends. HungusAmongUs here. A little late but I've decided that this challenge will be to finally get into the mode of sticking to my "back-to-human" goals. This challenge will be all about eliminating anything that isn't supposed to be there, and building the things that are. That may sound cryptic, but to give you a clearer idea, I'm talking about parasites. I've been doing quite a bit of research on the topic of helminthes (worm parasites) and candida (fungal parasites), and the stuff is pretty terrifying. Now the reason that I've picked up an interest in this, is because I lose weight quickly, and I eat a MASSIVE amount regularly (probably the same as two people my size). For someone on a tight budget as myself, and being somewhat health conscious, you're probably thinking, that situation sounds unhealthy and expensive. (I'd be happy to delve into the bit of research that I've done in the future). So a conscious effort on sticking to a regimen and diet is going to take precedence. I'm also wanting to get back to basics when it comes to things like posture and musculature. Having had a few back and rib injuries, I'm looking to correct these problems and years of poor posture from sitting in cars, sitting in western style furniture, and walking with shoes (barefoot running anyone?). I'm no hunchback of Notre Dame, but I tend to slouch and that affects the confidence (gotta up those charisma points eh?) So entire the 6 week Challenge, and the beginning of my quest to REAL ULTIMATE POWER! Starting Stats: Level 1 | STR 2 | DEX 3 | STA 2 | CON 1 | WIS 3 | CHA 4 Goal 1 (DIET): PALEO/ ANTI-PARASITE. Turns out the two go pretty hand in hand, Paleo keeps the blood sugars down (a good offensive tactic against candida). I will be supplementing with daily intake of food grade Diatomaceous Earth/Psyllium Husk shakes, and taking Black Walnut Oil and Worm Wood extract (It's like a cloud of samurai with razor sharp katana's followed by an asteroid shower, and throw in some chemical warfare). This goal is essentially a daily regimen (some slacking on the weekends when i hang out with family ). (7x Regimen weekly will yield:: +2CON, +2WIS) Goal 2 (FITNESS): CORE. Daily Chi Gong, Yoga, and Core work out. Repairing the back and ribs, the goal is perfect posture - 1 hour a day. (Points available:: +2STR, +2STA) Goal 3 (FITNESS): BATTLE WEIGHT. Gain 10 Pounds of Muscle. Goal (according to Adonis Index) 175 lbs. (Compound Exercises 3 Days on 1 day off:: +1STR, +2DEX) Goal 4 (LIFE): MOVE OUT. Fix up my pops condo, sell all my junk, handover the amex, and leave town. (All or nothing:: +1WIS, +2CHA, +1CON). Time to start living, time for adventure! Wish me luck.

Thought some of you guys might like this video i found. Simple way to put exercise into your normal 9-5

So, I'm training (on my own) to be able to pass this test. The part that concerns me the most is the wall jumping/climbing. The wall is (apparently) 1.2m tall, which for me is about boob-height or so (ie. I'm shorter than the guy in the video). I think that I am currently capable of getting over a solid wall of that height, but only from a standing start and with considerable time to 'set' myself to do it, and I doubt I can do it easily/cleanly/quickly. At the moment I'm working on bodyweight training (a modified version of Steve's Advanced Bodyweight Workout, doing the 'advanced' lower body and 'beginner' or 'easier' upper body stuff) and weightloss. I am also working at building endurance and flexibility. I'm firmly in the beginner category, I think, but I'm wondering if there is anything that I should/could be doing to help specifically with the wall jumping. I'd like to be able to do it with minimal loss in forward momentum, since it's a timed test and I'd like to avoid being slowed down whenever possible. I've read through this pdf about training for parkour movements, and feel that working towards a direct vault (passment) or possibly a wall run/pop vault (passe muraille) would be useful for this particular challenge. I don't feel that I'm prepared to start jumping over walls, mainly because it's snowy and I think that adding ice and snow into a beginner training program is probably a recipe for disaster, but is there anything I could be doing at the gym (with bodyweight or with freeweights) that will help build up the muscles necessary for this? Or any methods to practice some/all of the movements/techniques needed for the wall jump without actually having access to a wall to jump over? Related question: is there a rule of thumb for deciding when to use a passment and when to use a passe muraille to get over an object, or is it just a case of personal preference/ability/experience? For reference, this is my current bodyweight workout: 10 split squats 20 body weight squats 10 incline push ups (on knees) 20 walking lunges 10 triceps dips (off bench, knees bent) 15 hip raises 10 inverted rows (underhand grip) 20 jump step-ups 10 inverted rows (overhand grip) 35 second plank 15 box jumps (6 blocks) x 3 sets