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Respawning, Rowing, and Rangering The last challenge (and frankly the two before that as well) have pittered out rather pathetically for me. Some family drama I've been dealing with somehow morphed into my spiraling into a super-down-on-myself-really-dark-time, the likes of which I haven't had to deal with since high school. I've been treating myself so poorly, eating awful foods, not sleeping, not cleaning, not meditating, etc etc. Though somehow I've managed to continue lifting through this (I guess that habits locked in haha) which is a positive. I physically and mentally feel awful. Over the weekend I caught myself. I knew I was not doing well but I hadn't realized how much time had gone by since I started letting myself have "a break" from my routines. Then I ate 3 White Chocolate Linder Truffles (I HATE WHITE CHOCOLATE I THINK IT'S VOMIT WORTHY DISGUSTING WTF) just because they were there and I kind of saw what I was doing to myself and had a reality check moment. I realized how much I missed my nerds and how much I missed my routines and how I was totally making up my anxiety that you guys would judge me for falling off the wagon. So, I did an overhaul of my routine and my goals and instead of trying to distract myself from my problems (which is what I've been doing for the past couple of challenges causing me to ghost out) I'm going to use this challenge to gently ease back into things with super simple and straight forward goals, the number one goal being accountability and brainspace check-ins daily. So be warned, there might be a lot headspace stuffs going on here over the next five weeks! And then onto the fun goal! I have been trying to get through Zombies, Run! 5k for over 2 years. I just can't freakin' do it. I HATE running. I've gone through this a few times where I think once I'm fitter I'll try again, and maybe I won't hate it so much, and hit some in-better-shape bench mark and try again, and I just can't. I dread it. It makes me hate going to the gym or going outside depending on where I'm running. But over the last week I've discovered rowing! I know a bunch of rangers do it and I can't believe I haven't tried it before now but I LOVE IT! The main reason for me trying to get into running is because of how much I love the Zombies, Run! plot. Solution? RANGER THAT SH*T AND TURN IT INTO ZOMBIES ROW! I'm basically envisioning that the entire plot of Zombies Run is happening in a swamp, where I have to row away from zombies treading through the water, instead of running away from them. Kinda like this: but more rowing less poking with sticks. I'm going to start out with a 3 minute split time for "walking" and a 2:40 split time for "running" on a 4.5 resistance and see where it takes me. Maybe by the end of the program I'll have a halfway decent 5k race time! Right now I am slowwwwwwwwwwwww so I know even those speeds will be a challenge. I also want to make it a point to go outside with intention every day. It can be anywhere from 30 seconds and up, but I have to be outside with the intent of being outside, not darting between meetings, or running out to the grocery store. I will acknowledge that I am outside for a reason, because that is where humans are really meant to be, I will breathe the air, and I will take the time to enjoy it. I can expand this into a walk, a hike, reading a book outside, choosing to walk to a meeting instead of driving, whatever. Just something that isn't otherwise necessary and will bring me the happiness that being outdoors brings. TL;DR - GOALZ 1) Accountability: Post on this thread every damn day. EVERY DAMN DAY! Address what I've done (or haven't done) that day and my current headspace. This can be a quick "things are good" on tapatalk or a verbose essay about how I feel about my dinner (this probably won't happen). Maybe even a screen shot of my Google Fit profile from the day. I don't care, just something, every day. 2) Zombies, Row: Use the Zombies, Run app with the erg! 2x/week at minimum. 3) Find Joy Outside: Go outside with intent every day. Any amount of time will do, it's the intent that matters. I'll be continuing with my strong lifts, but I don't think I need to track that specifically. I'll probably mention it in my daily updates but beyond that I'm pretty locked in on that habit... considering it was the ONLY one I managed to maintain during the last few months of spiraling off the wagon. Also, as I am pretty excited about this and I'm SO READY to get the momentum going, I'll be starting this challenge during zero week and continuing on through to the end of the next challenge. Tally ho! Swamp zombies, here I come!

Greeting, friends. This challenge sees me returning to an older ethic of diet and exercise while continuing to cultivate musical skills. In many ways, it represents a return to the things that surrounded me in childhood -- music, imagination, natural exercise and my grandmother's garden. Like one or two others, I've chosen to also renew an interest in the elements to frame the work: Earth: Body. Focus on Nutrition Following the best advice I've ever seen via 'In Defense of Food' - eat (real) food, not too much, mostly plants - my goals are: 1. Plant-based food in every meal, eaten first. 2. Smaller portions, eaten slowly. Slowly. Not like a starving warthog. 3. More water, less caffeine and alcohol. One large Nalgene per day of water; smaller cups for caffeine and alcohol. Air: Mind. Focus on Imagination For MANY years, a friend and I have threatened to unleash a fantasy novel upon the hordes of nerdy readers we love so dearly. This year, we agreed to a structure: 1. One page or 15 minutes per day. Make-ups are allowed, since not every day is conducive to writing, but the norm should be one 15-minute writing block (using pomodoro method). Fire: Action. Focus on Fitness This April, 11 of my friends and I will tackle Ragnar SoCal. I'm leg 4 (5k, 10k, 10k), which is well within my comfort zone. Still, we need to prepare and I need to do some two-a-days eventually. Also, I've discovered a love of the ergometer (aka rowing machine). Also also, I accepted a 1000 mile challenge for the year and a 'streaking' paradigm of 20-mile weeks. So... 1. Run 20 miles per week in any configuration, at least 4 runs per week. No make-ups. 2. Row at least twice a week for 30 minutes. Water: Heart. Focus on Music I've been learning bass guitar for several challenges now, and will just continue: 1. Two lessons per week on Scott's Bass Academy, 2. 15 minutes of practice every day. Again, make-ups are permitted. So there's my outline. I have accountability for every goal except music, but that one is the easiest to want to do. With the new format, I'm hoping to step up/tweak/continue on the next couple of challenges as well. Points: no. Pass/fail per week. Reward: um....not sure. I'll think on this one.

This challenge I want to take a step back from focusing on working out to see what kind of progress I have made. Some of the things I have measured before but others this will be the first time recording stats. I believe this will help me in the long run to A) address some weaknesses and know where I started. So to do this I will be focusing on 4 key areas: 1) Yielding Yoga (+4 DEX +1 STR) I have access to the NerdFitness Yoga program so I will be doing yoga at least 2x per week. I also will complete the flexibility benchmark both at the beginning and end of the challenge. I feel like some areas I am pretty flexible but others I am not so this will help to figure out where I need more work. 2) Running 'n Row (+2 STA) With the work gym being open, I have taken up rowing before workouts to help build up some stamina. I love just jamming the tunes and rowing for 20-30 minutes. My measurable here will be number of meters in 30 minutes. Right now my best is 6800-ish. I was going for 7000m the other day and it took 30:27 so I didn't look closely at what the exact number was at 30 minutes. Part 2 of this is that I have my Tough Mudder race at the end of week 2! Surviving that will automatically earn me 1 of 2 stamina points. 3) Body Bio-metrics (+2 CON) Right now I am hovering around the 180 mark. I have seen some progress recently from hovering around 185 so I want to keep the momentum going and get down to 175. I feel like the addition of rowing in the morning is going to aid greatly in this goal but we will see. I also want to do an update on my body weight calcs so I have a better idea of where I am at with that. 4) Power Posing for People (+4 CHA +2 WIS) The WIS component of this will be finishing How to Win Friends and Influence People. I started it last challenge but didn't finish. The other half will be working on posture, specifically around others to project more confidence and feel like others want to be around me more. I listened to a SpartanUp Podcast today on this subject and it encouraged me to pursue this more.

Hi all, I would like to start a rowing program 3X a week. Currently, I am on an intermediate powerlifting program 3X/week and would like to get some conditioning into the mix. I have access to a very nice university gym with rowing/erg machines. I haven't rowed much before but I can hit 1000m in slightly less than 5 minutes. I did not find any resources related to rowing here on the forums so just thought I would throw it out there in case folks are interested. Thanks.

Greetings, friends. Since the last challenge in which I participated, I have moved even further south in SoCal, switched offices (thus the move), and inherited a whole new daily routine. For this challenge, I'm re-establishing my regular workouts, tweaking diet, and restoring meditation/yoga to its rightful place. Here's the latest iteration: Body: I recently took the plunge and bought a no-kidding Concept 2 rower. I love the thing, so now it has joined the TRX and emergency treadmill in my home gym. There is a half-olympic pool in the building behind my office, so that lends itself to regular swimming. The schedule is as follows, with each workout scheduled for 30 minutes: SUN: AM Yoga; Rest MON: AM Row; PM Swim TUE: AM Yoga; PM Run WED: AM Row; PM Swim THU: AM Yoga; PM Run FRI: AM Row; PM Swim SAT: AM Yoga; Rest There is also a nutritional element here. I need to make breakfast a regular thing, and I need to take a more substantive "main" lunch. I've been ranging on small snacks, but the net result has been coming home super hungry. I think the protein-bar breakfast is the culprit, so I'll experiment with heftier breakfasts. Mind: All the yoga above (which is not going to be ballistic yoga, by the way -- restful and focused on flexibility) will bring meditation, so one of the big goals here is to sit well for 5 minutes per day. The AM row is low-impact enough to conclude with meditation, as well. Spirit: Music is my primary religion. I recently did a new setup on my bass, and am continuing to learn and practice. For this challenge, I'd like to master the Circle of Fifths and apply it to my own playing. I'll also read at least one book of a spiritual nature (probably one on spirituality and the elements, since that's a theme for me.) That's the structured part. I haven't been good at points, so no evaluation other than I want to make at least 80% of the goal. Regular check-ins will ensue. Get some.

Hello! I'm a 56 yr old female who is just returning to physical activity after five months of physical therapy. Soft tissue injury was caused by SI joint dysfunction and rotated pelvis. Just started pilates and yoga to prevent future injuries, and we returned to the water for rowing, last week (indoor winter training ended). I have been an athlete for three years, since I took up competitive crew rowing in the master's division (that's an age group, not a skill level). However; telling myself that all this exercise entitles me to sugary treats has been my insanity. I'm ready to give up sugar, but I swear it is addictive. Quest: Lose 40 pounds, get healthier, enjoy long life with athletic husband I married 34 yrs ago. Mini quest 1: Cut my sugar intake down to 10 grams per day. mini quest 2: Practice Yoga at least three times per week Mini quest 3: Watch MELT DVDs, learn techniques and practice them at least four times per week. Tracy Indiana

Hi all, I'm currently in the process of trying to expand on my training plan that is a little bit basic and I'm turning to you all for suggestions. At the moment, my general workout is some variant of the following: - 1km warm up run, 2km fast row, 10km cycle - 1km warm up run, 5km fast row (as much as is possible), 5km cycle - 1km run, 8km interval training row (3min slow, 1 min fast), 5km cycle. I try to do this 4/5 times a week and all are on indoor machines with the run outdoors on the way to the gym. So I guess what I'm looking to do is add a bit of variety to my training. To be honest I actually don't mind doing moment as I enjoy the rowing and I am getting some really good results. It feels like a good mix of cardio which I love and strength training which I suck at. I also enjoy running but that is off the menu for anything longer then 1km due to injury. I guess I am just looking to step it up a little and avoid getting bored in the future. I know the first suggestions from everyone is to be to get on the free weights. Whilst I don't mine doing that, I am still new to them and am looking to add just a few small exercises to complement what I am doing for now. I can add more later. My other question is: is there any particular muscle groups I should be working on to complement my rowing? From what I understand and from what I have seen, it is a pretty even process but it can't hurt to ask. Anyway, thanks in advance for your help

Hello everyone! This post is my official reset. I have been on the forums for a year now but I fell off the wagon long ago. Its time to hit the reset button and come out swinging. I'm 20 years old at 6'0" and ~285lbs with an unknown body fat percentage. Once my body fat caliper comes in I'll measure it. I want to drop those down to 200lbs and 18% respectively. My plan is to begin powerlifting 3 days per week and erging/running on my off days from lifting. I'll be following the paleo diet aside from protein shakes which I've always found to be useful. I'm not new to fitness but it has been a long time. I want to feel comfortable in my own skin again. I will be joining the current 6 week challenge as soon as life permits. Its good to be back.

I'm looking to get back into shape and the way I originally did that was erging and rowing. I would also like to do some heavy lifting to get stronger. Would it work to alternate heavy lifting days and erging days? Each day will be intense in a different way.

The sun burned orange through her eyelids. Devyn groaned and rolled over, burying her face in the warm sand. Sand? She pushed herself up, though she was blistered and sore. The bright light shone upon the white sand, blinding her for a moment. All she could see through her tears was an ocean of white contrasting with an ocean of blue. Ocean? She rubbed her eyes and tried to slowly get used to her blinding world. The sun was hot and she felt as if she had been the subject of its fury for a while. A bird screeched through the jungle. Jungle? A sudden and worrisome thought stabbed at her brain, more painful than the light in her eyes. She forced her lids open and saw that she was on a beach. Behind her was jungle. All around her was sand, ocean and trees. There was no sign of civilization anywhere. She walked around for a bit, difficult because the sand was so deep and she was so small. She trudged toward the trees and shouted. “Hullo?†A loud bird answered. She walked around some more, calling out her name, introducing herself to anyone who might be around. But it was only the animals and the sound of the waves that greeted her in return. An island. She was deserted on an island. That Blerch. That sunnabitch! That’s right. I’ve got to survive on a deserted island! How do I do this? By adopting a primal lifestyle of course! It’s the only way. Until I find a way off, it’s the only way. How do I do this? 1. Primal diet - I’ve got no choice. They don’t have a supermarket on the island. I have to eat off the land. Hunting, fishing and gathering. There’s no other way. I must follow a strict primal lifestyle. 2. Distance - There of course will be a lot of walking. Not only do I have to hunt, gather and fish, but I’ve got to find a way off this island! I’m also a kender, so staying put is not an option for me. The total circumference of this island is 150 miles. I must reach this distance through running, walking, swimming, rowing (or biking, shhhhh). This means I have to do one of these every single day. 3. Jumping - Because. Surely there’s got to be a lot of jumping involved. I’m not sure why yet, but I’m sure it will come up during my stay here. My jumping, because of all my problems in previous battles, has become a bit rusty. I can jump 12†but I need to level up. I will work on squats, box jumps, broad jumps and other lower body exercises to level up to an 18†jump. 4. Pull ups - Climbing trees, climbing rocks, running from large predators and accidentally running too far and falling off a cliff but saving myself by grabbing onto a lucky random branch hanging out off the side of the cliff. All of those things take upper body strength. And I have to do it to survive on this island. Or else large predator will eat me or I will not be able to hold onto the branch. I need to strengthen my upper body. To do this, I will do pushups, dips, weight lifting and assisted pull ups. My goal is to go from 75lbs to 35lbs on the assisted pull up machine. If I don’t do these things, I will not survive. But wait! There’s more! Luckily, I was stranded with my backpack. These are the only things that will keep my entertained. In it are books, pens and papers. I can read and write (OOC: because I’m a student of literature and creative writing) to keep myself entertained. I will be keeping a journal (either here or in the battle logs section) because that’s what stranded people do. On top of that, I have to build and maintain a shelter. This means daily work is involved. I need to keep my environment optimal for survival. And I must remember to play. Play to keep sane. So what’s the typical day in the life of a kender stranded on an island? From sun up to sun down, I will do my best to live the primal lifestyle. I have been doing it in bits and pieces in the past, but this is where I bring some of the most important elements together. I’ll wake up with the sun (my natural sunlight alarm clock) and hunt for some breakfast. I may or may not find any. Then I’ll probably do some reading or writing. Then I’ll have to take down my shelter. When I finish, I’ll walk around, trying to discover a way off the island. this might involve some adventuring which will lead to using my jumping and pull up skills. During this time, I’ll try to find some food. At the end of the day, I’ll rebuild my shelter, cook some dinner and then read or write until the sun goes down. Then I get a good night’s sleep until I do it again. Sure, that might sound dull, but I think it sounds kinda peaceful. And when a kender is involved, who knows what the next day might bring. tl;dr Got stuck on a desert island, now I have to eat good food and exercise to survive.

Hi Druids! A Ninja (in training) is joining your ranks for this challenge. Short recap: In my previous challenge, we followed Swen, my alter ego, who is attending a camp in the Shadow Mountains. His mentor, BrusLi, has now explained that Swen for the remainder of the summer must leave and explore the world outside camp. Swen has reached the physical requirements for joining the fellowship of the Shadow Ninjas, but now he has to for the next 6 weeks be prepared mentally as well. In this challenge, I won’t be as thorough as I was in my previous one. For instance, I will meditate daily, but it´s not the end of the world if I miss a session. Looking at the bigger picture is key, and my grading will be based thereafter. Mindfulness and awareness (WIS+4): I will be more mindful, more present, more aware of my feelings and thoughts. In plain English, this means: I will meditate daily (Qigong and/or other meditation forms)I will eat mindfully and slowly (no computer, and preferably no reading either) I will be more mindful during my day (no constant checking the iPhone, not turn on the computer at once when I feel bored etc)I will be aware of how blessed I am by writing a gratitude journal dailyI will focus on how I feel, instead of how I look. This means no weighing myself or looking in the mirror (body composition). This will be tough….I will take a day of mindfulness every week and some nights. This means, no phone, no computer (unless for writing) and no TV. Taking part of in the world (CHA+4): I have few friends, and I feel that I´m slipping away from the ones I have (different interest, so it´s not a bad thing). Therefor, I will expand my circle and trying to meet new people (IRL…..). I will meet new people who share my hobbies and values.I will every day make the world a better place. It doesn´t have to be big things, it can be anything from picking up litter, writing a kind compliment in the woot room to doing a random act of kindness in the supermarket. The important thing is that I do something and that I do it daily to get the habit going. Food and fitness (STR+2, STA+2): This is mainly not a fitness challenge, but I still want to stay in shape, so…… I will track and plan my food intake so as to be sure that I eat enough but don´t binge (>1500 kcal in one meal)I will work out / climb 7 times a weekI hate the rowing machine (ok, maybe don´t hate it, but it just so fricking exhausting J), but since my knee injury won´t let me run, and this is supposed to be a challenge…..I will row once a week (assuming my knees are holding up), starting with 2 K, then gradually going up (goal will be somewhere around 5-7 K). The longest I´ve ever rowed so far is 1 K so I have no idea how my body will react.Life goal (WIS+3): I will write my personal manifesto. The hope is that this declaration will help me focus on what I deem most important in my life, and provide me with guidelines when making decisions. Motivation: “Someone once told me the definition of Hell: The last day you have on earth, the person you became will meet the person you could have become.†This pretty much says it all. I want to live my life to the fullest, and I do this by staying fit, by eating food that gives me energy, by being a “good†human, by not wasting my life in the couch watching crappy B-movies on Netflix. Psyched to be here, and hope to meet some new friend in this guild! Ohh, PS, If you don´t like people who ponder and submit their random thoughts, you probably should´t follow this thread…..

MAIN QUEST: 25% BODY FAT BY 28.12.2014 Ok, time to get specific. I want to be at 25% body fat by my 25th birthday, exactly 5 months away. I've been a member of NF for a year and a half now. The same time period since I started on my fitness journey (cringe, cheesy!) I've learnt a lot in that time, and seen some great results and some frustrating plateaus. I'm on my annual month long break from work now, and I want to take advantage of the time off, and nail this challenge. My plan is threefold: FOOD SLEEP EXERCISE Record it. Log it. Do it. #1. Put it in the book. I now have a dedicated Ems book, where I can log all my foods and sleeps and exercisey shenanigans. All I'm going to ask of myself is that it makes it into the book, every damn day, and is as accurate as possible. If it makes it to MFP, then great, but not essential. 42 (days) - 37: A 36 - 31: B 30 - 25: C 20 or less: F #2. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Time off work means more time to prepare food. Preparation means planning, buying, cooking/assembling. I want to improve my batcave by having yummy Ems-friendly foodstuffs on hand all the time. I'll post on here as I go, and measure it by week: Eg. Week 1: What did I plan to eat/buy/cook etc. #3. Be a grown up. I've been thinking a lot lately about the future, and I have a good idea about things I'd like to do. I want to become qualified as a gym instructor, and maybe eventually a PT or a strength & conditioning coach. There's a course near me I would LOVE to do, but it will take some delicate work schedule negotiation. I also want to go on a proper holiday next year, snowboarding in Canada. I don't know why exactly, it just really appeals to me . So, time to get specific. Things to do (these will be ticked off when completed): Email my bosses and request a meeting. Done 20.08.2014 Have said meeting, and deal with the outcome. Done 30.08.2014 Make a new account/direct debit to save money for Canada. Side quest: Work through NF Academy. I'm going to pretty this up with gifs and all that malarkey over the next few days but that's the basic plan Can someone please tell me how to put a progress bar in please? I know where the progress bar button is, but have no idea how to make it say what I want (I want it to track my bodyfat). Thank you sexy nerds!

We rowed 500 meters for time today on the Concept2 rowers. I got 1:30.5 which not only is a PR but was the best in the box!

Hey sexy nerd peeps! This is my ninth challenge (where does the time go!) and after chilling with the Adventurers and roaming around with the Rangers its time for me to hang out with the mighty assassins. I feel like I've hit a bit of a plateau lately and I need to shake things up, refocus and shift my perspective (maybe to upside down in a free standing handstand one day, that would be awesome). I've danced my entire life and absolutely love it (a lot of ballet, a bucket load of contemporary/modern, and the odd bit of tap, breakdancing and hiphop thrown in for good measure) and now teach it professionally. I've been very focused on fitness over the past months which I can feel has benefited my dancing, and now I want to explore this more deeply and get back to the grooviness. That's where you guys come in MAIN QUEST: DROP FAT*. KEEP MUSCLE. * OBVIOUSLY NOT ALL OF IT, SINCE SOME IS REQUIRED TO, YOU KNOW, STAY ALIVE The fitness side of my life is really good. Exercise is built into my days, partly through my job, and partly through my personal trainer, my own dance training, and my fondness for rowing (ergo right now, back on water in the future). I love exercise, I genuinely enjoy it and it has become a rewarding habit that needs little willpower. This is not the case with nutrition. I know this is what needs to change in order to drop the fat. Right now I am at 32% body fat, but rather than giving myself a specific number to aim for as I've done in the past, I'm going to take a leaf out of The Beard's book, and just focus on the process of bringing it down. #1. Hey girl, eat to support, not to destroy. More than half the challenge days are days. My diet is much better than it used to be, not fully Paleo as I still eat dairy, but lots of veggies, protein and no carbs other than the odd cracker. I've also got into the habit of tracking my food, and a good day gets a smiley face This goal is simple - more smiley faces than not. All food will be tracked in my battle log, goal is 22 or more :)s. #2. Hey girl, no sugar on more than half the days this challenge. 22 days or more. This is a goal I share with Endor over in the Rangers. We are both getting in our own way with sugary nonsense, so are teaming up to kick some ass! Side quest. Hey girl, get your assassin on! I am really excited by the 6 week skills challenge, I think its a genius idea. I can do a pistol squat on both legs, only mastered it very recently and it felt amazing! I'd love to be able to get my reps up, and just have a play around with other things, work on my splits and handstands, yoga poses etc. The phonebook is a fantastic resource, so excited to level up and learn from you wonderful people. One more thing. Some of you may have noticed the hey girl tag or the pictures of Ryan Gosling littered throughout this thread. I am a big Gosling fan, partly because I think he is a truly talented actor, and partly because he's very easy on the eye He has been my challenge theme for a few now, and never ceases to be motivating. Please feel free to post any Ryan gems you may come across during this challenge. Here's to an assassiny 6 weeks!

This thread is to log my indoor rowing training. I'm following the continuous Pete Plan, but over a 6 week period rather than 3 to fit in better with my current gym training schedule. I'm aiming for 3 per week (Monday/Saturday/Sunday). It's not the greatest scheduling, but those are the days I should have time to fit a session in, and not a day where I have a PT session. My long term plan is to improve my 2k time to under 8 minutes, (currently 8:04), but also happy with just the extra conditioning Details of the plan can be found here. WEEK 1 04.05.2014 (Speed) 4x500m/3:30 rest 2.00.0 1.59.0 1.59.9 1.57.9 10.05.2014 (Distance) 15km row @ 25 spm 1:30:21:00 3:02.7/500m average 11.05.2014 (Endurance) 4x1500m/5 min rest (was supposed to be 5, but I ran out of time before work). Aiming for a 2:20/500m average. spm/500m average/1500m time 32/2:16.0/6:48.1 31/2:19.1/6:57.4 32/2:19.7/6:59.3 33/2:15.6/6:47.9 WEEK 2 12.05.2014 (Distance) 8km @ 25spm 48:43.9 3:02.7/500m average

Main Quest Be able to complete the Marines Physical Fitness Test with maximal scoring. 100 sit ups in 2 minutes, 8 pull-ups and 4.82 km in 21 minutes (4:20 minute kilometer). Challenge Goals Goal #1: Row, row, row my boat DEX: 4 STA:1 I'm great at starting challenges late this month! At our local box they're having a virtual contest to see how many meters they can row compared to others online. I decided to follow it along in my own way and participate as a silent member. The challenge is to row 100,000 meters by the start of February. Since I started late I need to row 4,347 meters per day to meet the quota. Goal #2: Tighten my belt time CON: 2 WIS: 3 I want to bring a lunch to school everyday and try cut down on the amount of food I buy at the cafeteria. I didn't get as much OSAP as I thought I would so I need to keep my groceries under $25 per week and my entertainment funds under $25. I can do this, it's not giving into being lazy and packing a lunch. Goal #3: Pull myself off this plateau. STR: 3 STA: 1 Still working on pull ups, trying to get one unassisted before the end of the challenge. The arm routine I'm doing now has seen some great results so paired with the rowing and continuous work on them I'm hoping to make it there. Side Quest: Complete Marine PFT again WIS: 1

EMS 6.0. COMMITMENT. Time to be like the pig...in a sense MAIN QUEST: 20% BODY FAT 100% AWESOME Hey sexy fit nerds! It's new challenge time - yey! My last challenge was pretty good, but what held it back was my lack of commitment. Some weeks were amazing, some complete pants, and what was frustrating was that I could see that what I was doing in the amazing weeks was working, but still failed to keep it up! I know that a low carb Paleo-ish diet really works for me, my body fat levels drop, my muscle increases and my athletic performance is outstanding (I have the 500m row and deadlift PRs to prove it). So this time, the challenge is: commitment com-mit-ment [kuh-mit-muh nt] noun 1. staying loyal to what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left #1. I don't eat bread or sugar. These are my two biggest nutritional vices. It is time to tackle the big stuff. I've kicked the sugar monster before, not for as long, but I'm confident I can beat this. NB: I am allowing honey (yes I know its sugar!) but only with my Greek yoghurt and in my post training smoothies. I am also still eating fruit. Bread, as read on Nerd Fitness Academy, is calorically dense and nutritionally empty. Bye bye bread. My diet will be a combination of my PTs plan, and recipes from this site and the Academy. I might allow myself the odd cracker, but other than that it is no carbs (aside from veggies), lots of protein and dairy (I don't seem to have a problem with this, but might drop it next challenge and see what affect it has). This is a simple cold turkey approach, as I've found from past experiences that this works best for me; I can't do moderation. Moderation to me means, 'you've started now, quick, eat it all before someone steals it!' #2. Work, play, rest. In that order. I have become a lazy idiot lately and have got my priorities a bit muddled. Daily work to do lists. Food cooked and planned. Clothes/bag packed the night before. Then , and only then, can collapse on the sofa, in the smug haze of productiveness and efficiency #3. Sleep. Makes everything easier. Bed by 11pm on work nights (11:30pm on Tuesdays) A simple goal carried over from last challenge. It really works, but I need the accountability - its not yet a habit. SIDE QUEST: ATTENTION. RACE! Get on the erg. I have decided to enter my first indoor rowing race in Cardiff. It's just under a month away, 07.12.2013. I am rather scared. But, with Steve's motivational words ringing in my ears about spontaneity and the like, I've decided to go for it. It is a mainly a race against yourself, against the machine. Worst case scenario - I row worse than my current PR. Not really so terrible. I do need to do some serious training though, a minimum of twice a week. Ok, there we go. Time to make a decision. Reset my mind and body. Make a commitment, and stick to it. Here's to the journey NB: Grading to come.

This is my first challenge, sort of. I started one before, but faltered. I would love to be more engaged in the community. I have some lofty goals (17 lbs by New Years) and some realistic ones, too. Lift 3x or more per week. Make no excuses during travel. Row 2x or more per week. 70% or more Paleo. Do the best I can. Forgive myself when I think more was possible. Be supportive of the journeys of others. Hug daily.

EMS 5.0. MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE. MAIN QUEST: DROP MORE FAT. KEEP MUSCLE. Hey sexy fit nerd peeps! If you caught any of my last challenge, you may already notice some similarities in this thread. That's because last challenge was awesome for me; despite being away on various holidays for half the time, my body fat dropped by 3.1% while keeping and building more muscle (+1.7%). This was due to a combination of maintaining my current fitness programme and following the Paleo inspired meal plan my PT put together for me. NF and my PT, as well as the changes in my own body, have really shown me the power of body composition over body weight. I'm currently at 26.6% body fat and would like to get down to 20%, but only as long as my athletic performance doesn't suffer as a result. I don't know how my body will be at 20%, so rather than have that as a goal number, I just want to keep dropping it bit by bit and track how my body feels and performs. I don't seem to have any difficulty putting on and maintaining muscle (sorry boys!) but I'm going to track this as well as my weight to make sure the right stuff is being lost. Get your butt on that ergo. Now. You have half an hour before bed time. Go. You guys remember Ryan right? Well he is back for another challenge, to be a (sometimes stern) motivator and thread theme #1. Hey girl, keep following the food plan. This is a simple goal - follow the plan my PT designed. It's worked for me so far, and I'm interested to see how a longer period of clean eating will affect my body. I have sadly been banned from stir frying at home due to cooking smells so am going to have to have oven cooked proteins and steamed veggies instead, but I can deal with that (plus, I have no choice). I will do what I did last challenge and log all my food on here so there's no where to hide. I'm also going to do another star chart as that was a great visual aid last time. 42 days in the challenge... A = 42-38, B = 37 - 33, C = 32-28, D = 27-24, F = 20 or fewer. 5 CON #2. Hey girl, put the hours in... in the bedroom. (Bed by 11pm.) Sleep! I have now started working full time as a dance teacher, which is awesome, but it doesn't half kick my butt. In order to be able to do my best at work, get to the gym, follow the food plan, keep up with my own dance class schedule and work on my rowing I need some serious shut eye. I've joined an accountability group for this, and my goal is to be physically in my bed by 11pm every work night (Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs). I always read before bed, so even if I'm in bed by 11:30pm, I won't be going to actual sleep until at least 12am. This will not do! So I have to be actually in my bed, ready to read by 11pm, so I'm on my way to unconsciousness by 11:30pm. REM cycles FTW! 30 work nights in the challenge, so A = 30-26, B = 25-21, C = 20-16, F = 12 or fewer. 4 WIS 1 CHA I'm teaching 20 classes a week, plus I have a regular schedule of dance classes for my own development as well as PT sessions and the Learn to Row course (which I love!) at the moment. All these are things I love and require little to no motivation at all to do, so the fitness side of my main quest is solid. This brings me to my side quest... Thanks Ry, but they could be better... SIDE QUEST: CUT DOWN THE 2K Hey girl, 8:13? We can do better than that. As some of you may know, over the last few months I have fallen in love with rowing. It all started on the ergo (the rowing machine) and now has progressed onto actual boats on the water. I've been doing a Learn to Row course over the past few weeks and I absolutely adore it. As well as on water rowing the venue also do a lot of indoor rowing, and run a competition every year in December. Now I've never done a competition before, and to be honest I still haven't made up my mind whether I want to do this or not, but competition or no competition, it has got me thinking about my 2k time. I talked to my coach, and he said a good goal for me would be to try to get sub 8:00 for a 2k. Now this is no mean feat, 14 seconds off is no joke. Rather than go insane and try for this, all I want is to shave a few seconds off, baby steps, through a structured programme of varying distances and intervals, based on this plan. My schedule and physical activity is already very high, so I'm just going to start with completing 6 rowing sessions during the challenge. No weekly target. A = 6, B = 5, C = 4, D = 3, F = 2 or fewer. 3 STA 2 DEX MOTIVATION Simple. To maintain and improve. To go forwards, not back. I've been thinking about my future a lot lately, and I know that I want health and fitness to be a part of that, not just in my personal life but also in my career. To give myself the best shot, and the largest number of options, I need to be in damn good shape. I'm thinking of myself as an athlete and acting accordingly. Eat, sleep, train, repeat. There it is folks, here's to a cracking six weeks with you wonderful people! Emily x

The rowing season begins on Wednesday. It is six weeks. Coincidence? Well, yeah. But hell if I'm letting this opportunity slip to make myself stronger! My quest this challenge, as a new Assassin, is to work on sharpening the blade that is my body. The three goals I have are in the theme of Beowulf, because he's one of my favorite BAMFs/superheroes. Goal One: Intake (CON +2 WIS +2) I'm going to go mostly paleo, Beowulf didn't eat crap like Twix or pasta and neither shall I. What this means for me is mainly cutting out gluten, most grains, and all processed foods. For the first week I'm going to see if the dining hall allows me to eat paleo, the second week I am going to meal plan and make most of my meals. I drink water like a camel. Namely, I don't. Beowulf would have had no concentration fighting off the writhing hordes living in Grendel's mothers pond if he didn't drink water. Oh, and while he was down there for three days, I'm sure he drank some too. I am going to drink at least 9 cups a day. And make a conscious effort to carry a water bottle with me EVERYWHERE. Goal Two: Flexibility and Mobility (DEX +3) Lets talk about the time Beowulf held onto Grendel's arm whrouth all his wriggling and destroying Heorot. He held on so hard, Grendels arm came off and ultimately killed him. There is no way Beowulf could have done that if not for his incredible dexterity (or the strength of thirty-men). I am going to work on warming up before and stretching after every workout. In addition, I am going to work on dexterity leg training (you know, the one with the ladder and all that jazz) and continue to improve upon my pull-ups. Goal Three: X-training 3 days a week (STR +3 STA +2) Beowulf though he was a bad-ass, but ultimately took on more than he could chew. And died. I intend to make sure that doesn't happen to me. So, I'm going to work on my endurance and strength in non-crew ways. Whether running, swimming, strength training, or jump-roping, as long as it's not on an erg (ergometer; rowing machine) or a boat, it counts. Also, it has to be outside of practice. Life Quest: Practice Guitar (CHA +2) Going into this challenge my fitness is pretty good. I'm up to 152 lbs, 5'4", and rarin' to get in a boat. One of these days I'll post a picture....

Previously I've been focused on Strength, Skill and Endurance but after 5 challenges like that, it's time for a change! So back to this challenge... I love CrossFit. I live and breathe it on a daily basis and it's the highlight of my day. I noticed recently that I am struggling with body weight movements and running because I am so heavy. I guess that's what happens when you're a 6 foot tall Wookiee Ranger! So I've decided to get rid of the extra fat that I'm carting around so that I can increase my efficiency during workouts and in life. My goal is to get to 17-20% bodyfat. I have about 8-11% to go. I don't need words to motivate me at home, so I won't be writing out anything. My motivation is knowing that I'm essentially carrying around a 10kg medicine ball on every single run and workout that I do. My Quest To become a (lighter) CrossFit BEAST! aka a strong, supremely fit CrossFitter who excels in lifting, bodyweight movements and endurance. Starting Stats Age: 30 Height: 183cm (6'0) Weight: TBA (currently 84.4kg) BF: 28% (DEXA) Current Skills: Push-ups: 15 strict Pull-up: 1 kipping pull-up; 2 strict (lightest band) Pistol squat: purple band T2B: 1 Double unders: 42 unbroken 1000m row: 3:47 500m row: 1:41 Wall Handstand: 2:00 Deadlift: 102.5kg (226lbs) Back squat: 77kg (170lbs) Front squat: 65kg (143lbs) Overhead squat: 37kg (81.5lbs) Power clean: 58.5kg (129lbs) Clean: 61kg (134lbs) Power snatch: 40kg (88lbs) Snatch: 42kg (93lbs) Strict press: 40kg (88lbs) Push press: 50kg (110lbs) Push jerk: 52kg (115lbs) Jerk: 60kg (132lbs) Thruster: 45kg (99lbs) Bench press: 45kg (99lbs) KB swing: 24kg (53lbs) KB snatch: 20kg (44lbs) Main Goals 1. Develop Strength Under the Bar (STR 3 | STA 0.5) a) Hatch squat program (back squats & front squats 2 sessions/week) b ) Oly lifting sessions (minimum 2 sessions/week) End of challenge goals: i) Snatch >= 45kg (+3kg) ii) C&J >= 65kg (+5kg) iii) Bench press >= 50kg (+5kg) 2. Improve bodyweight movements (STR 2 | STA 1 | DEX 0.5) a) Extra skills/strength sessions weekly focusing on the below movements (minimum 4 extra sessions per week) End of challenge goals: i) Handstand push-up (Goal: 5kg plate + ab mat) ii) Strict pull-up (Goal: unassisted) iii) Pistol squat (Goal: orange band assisted) iv) Flexed arm hang (Goal: >30 seconds) v) Double unders (Goal: >50) 3. Get rid of the dead weight! (CON 2 | CHA 1) a) Reduced calorie intake (aiming 1500 cal/day) b ) Log all food daily c) Paleo + occasional dairy (once per day max) d) Alcohol once maximum during challenge e) Fish minimum once per week f) Repeat DEXA scan once at 78kg (not necessarily in this challenge) End of challenge goal: i) Weight <80kg Side Quest (STR 1 | STA 1) Compete in first CrossFit competition Life Quests 1. Back to the books! (WIS 1 | CHA 1) I don't find time to read as much as I would like, so I am going to set myself a little challenge of reading every day. It doesn't have to be much, even just one chapter! a) Read one chapter of Game of Thrones book 1 per day b ) Read one chapter of my Sports Medicine text book per week. Make notes. Revise relevant anatomy as appropriate. End of challenge goals: i) 36 chapters read of GOT ii) 6 chapters read of Sports Medicine textbook 2. Level Up the Dogs! (WIS 0.5 | CHA 0.5) It has been almost 6 months since I competed with my dogs and I miss it a lot (and so do they!) So this is an 'extra' life goal for the puppies. a) Attend a minimum of 4 Obedience/Rally-O trials and compete with all 3 dogs. End of challenge goals: i) Jedi's Goal: Rally Excellent title ii) Ahsoka's Goal: Rally Advanced title iii) Revan's Goal: Rally Advanced title + another Novice Obedience pass

Thursday August 1; week off to distracting start, moved dad into retirement home, many challenges there Today can concentrate on diet and exercise: using Concept 2 daily email of WOD for home rower cardio variety today: Short 5 x 4 min / 1 min easy: 5 @ 4 min "level 7-8", 1 min "level 3-4"

I made some massive gains with my lifting last challenge after increasing my Oly lifting sessions with my coach, including adding 20kg to my squats after returning to leg training post-knee injury! Hopefully this challenge my leg strength will continue to improve! Most importantly though, I have a big ticket item that I really want to cross off my list - my first strict pull-up! I'm not sure how that's going to go, but I would love to get one before my 30th birthday, which is a few days after this challenge finishes. The clock's ticking! I'm still pretty far off getting one, but I'm a big believer in setting challenging goals! If all else fails, I could always lose 10kg... That'd make it easier on my arms!!! Starting Stats Age: 29 Sex: Female Weight: 82.5kg (181.8lbs) Height: 183cm (6') Body fat: 28% (DEXA) Starting Attributes STR 20 DEX 12.5 STA 13.25 CON 9 WIS 12.5 CHA 5.25 Current Skills: Push-ups: 15 strict Pull-up: 1 kipping pull-up; 5 strict (2nd lightest band) Pistol squat: 1 riser + medicine ball Air squats: 40 unbroken with full depth T2B: 1 Double unders: 27 unbroken 1000m row: 3:47 500m row: 1:41 Wall Handstand: 2:00 Deadlift: 100kg (220.5lbs) Back squat: 70kg (154lbs) Front squat: 65kg (143lbs) Overhead squat: 37kg (81.5lbs) Power clean: 55kg (121lbs) Clean: 55kg (121lbs) Power snatch: 39kg (86lbs) Snatch: 35kg (71lbs) Strict press: 40kg (88lbs) Push press: 50kg (110lbs) Push jerk: 50kg (110lbs) Jerk: 55kg (121lbs) Thruster: 45kg (99lbs) Bench press: 45kg (99lbs) KB swing: 24kg (53lbs) KB snatch: 20kg (44lbs) Goal 1: Lift All The Things! (STR 4.0 | STA 0.5 | CHA 0.5) - Deadlift >= 110kg (242.5lbs) (+10kg) - Snatch >= 40kg (88lbs) (+5kg) - Clean & jerk >=60kg (132lbs) (+5kg) - Squat >=75kg (165lbs) (+5kg) - 1 strict pull-up - Heavy squat sessions twice per week Goal 2: Need Mad Skillz! (DEX 3.5 | WIS 0.5) - Attend PT twice per week - Practice gymnastic skills 3 sessions per week - Continue 50 days of double unders - 35 unbroken double unders Goal 3: Work hard, breathe later (STA 2.5 | STR 0.5) - Continue 50 days of pull-ups/push-ups - 1000m row =<3:45 (-2 seconds) - 500m row <1:40 (-2 seconds) - 2.4km run <14 minutes (-1 minute) Goal 4: Downsize My Life! (WIS 2 | CON 1) - Clean out each room of the house including the garage (one room per week) - Sell or throw out excess items * Bedroom * Spare Bedroom * Study * Kitchen/Dining * Loungeroom * Garage Other Goals - Whole30 for the entire challenge (currently Paleo, but I've let a few processed Paleo foods in that I'd like to get rid of) - Log all food - Unplug! <4 hours per day in front of a screen while at home - Get more sleep! Minimum 7 hours per night

Hey foxy fit Scouty Nerds! Over in the Ranger Guild this week we have a brilliant mini challenge asking us to scout (see what I did there ) a new buddy in another guild who can help us make progress in one of our goals. This led me to you wonderful endurancey/stamina-rich people, as the goal I would like some assistance in is indoor rowing. I've been rowing for a few months now (heading out on the water for the first time in September! ) and have completely fallen in love with it. My goal is simple - at least one rowing training session per week. I'm working on getting my 2k time down, currently 8:16, and would like to go sub 8 minutes (and then beyond, but baby steps Ems!). If anyone has any advice, tips, training programmes, suggestions to help with this I would be very grateful. Virtual high fives will be on offer in abundance, and maybe even an internet hug If interested please drop me a line (challenge link on sig, or PM me). Thank you, and I look forward to learning from your long distance awesomeness! Ems

Hey everybody! Ok so here we are, round 2! This challenge is all about resetting, restarting, not from square one but from where I have managed to get to so far My first challenge was very...challenging! It was far from perfect, and because of that was, in hindsight, exactly what I needed. I am a perfectionist by nature, and have a frustrating tendency to overreact to mistakes. This was something that negatively affected my last challenge, so something that will be tackled this time around. Last challenge I gave myself no wiggle room at all, so it was very demoralising when I failed once in a goal, as it instantly dropped my grade. This time around I'm going to be more realistic, take smaller steps and be more practical about melding the challenge with my life. So, let's get down to it. Goals are as follows: #1 Reduce body fat percentage from 29.4% to 27% Since joining NF and starting with a personal trainer I have dropped my bf from 32% to 29.4%. It has made such a difference to how my body looks already that I am bringing this goal forward from the previous challenge. It may seem like a random goal number, but if I get to 27% that will be a 5% drop since late January 2013 A - 27%-27.5% B - 27.6%-28.5% C - 28.6%- 29.4% F- 29.5% or higher 1 DEX - 2 CON - 2 CHA (less fat = greater mobility, better health, looking good) #2 Complete either a 5k or 10k row once a week - ALTERED TO AT LEAST ONE ROWING TRAINING SESSION PER WEEK I've become increasingly passionate about rowing since my trainer incorporated it into my sessions. I have a rowing machine at home, so there's no excuse about not completing additional training on my own. I have a very active job (dance teacher) so teach 17 classes a week, plus participating in 2-3 classes a week for my own training, and 2 personal trainer sessions, hence why its only a once a week row! A - 6 rows, B - 5, C- 4, D - 3, F - 2-0 1 DEX - 2 STA (work on speed, but also boost endurance) #3 Choose to get back on the wagon and track the journey Last challenge I set myself a very difficult diet goal, and have found that the more I tell myself I can't have something, the more I want it - classic. So this challenge I am cutting out cake, sweets, crisps and soft drinks completely, as I have done this before and don't eat these things very often anyway, but I am not tying these to a grade. Other than that, I can choose what I eat, and I'm hoping that this freedom will encourage positive choices as it has in the past. The second part of this goal is accountability - food will be logged daily on my Daily Battle Log. It doesn't have to be logged on the day itself, but each day must be recorded, and obviously, the sooner it is done, the more accurate it will be. My grade will drop when I miss 2 days a week food recording. A - 7/7 logged, B - 5/7, C - 3/7, F- 2-0 3 CON - 1 CHA - 1 WIS (better diet = better health, looking good and greater self awareness from recording foods) #4 The to-do list This 6 week challenge will cover an extremely busy work period, probably the busiest so far in my entire career (eep!). To help my head not explode, the goal is to complete a to-do list of what MUST be done tomorrow before leaving the office. This will be a short (hopefully) and very specific list of things that are the most important for that next day. I will also post these on my Daily Battle Log. Mon-Tues, Tues-Wed, Wed-Thurs, Thurs-Fri, Fri-Mon A - 5/5, B - 4/5, C - 3/5, D - 2/5, F - 1-0 2 WIS - 1 CHA (better organised, more efficient and not turning into a raving stress head!) Ok so there they are, thought about them a lot, but they may well be tweaked over the next six weeks. Looking forward to this new challenge, and to reading all about yours as well. Here we go! Emily