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Hi everyone! It's been a while since I've been on the forums. Actually, it's been a while since I've read many articles. I'm on the mailing list but since November I've been saving the articles in my inbox and not actually reading them. Well, the article this morning caught my eye. I have failed and I am starting over. Here is a status update I posted to Facebook on April 30th, after weighing myself for the first time in about 6 months: "Had a bit of a weight wake-up call this evening. I've been avoiding the scale because of what the mirror has been telling me. I lost 38 pounds a couple of years ago, so I know it's possible. I know how. I have experience and I know how damn good it feels to see and feel the changes. I remember the pride and the energy. I remember feeling strong and healthy. I WILL get back there. I WILL lose the weight again. Be ready for some healthy food photos, weight loss updates, "then and nows", and some amazing hiking adventure stories!" And here is the FB update I posted just over two weeks later: "Ok, so it's been just over two weeks since my "weight wake-up call" and I've weighed in a couple of times. I have been eating better (though still misbehaving more than I should). I have been working out, and making plans to learn Deadlifting and Squats, since I don't believe in that cardio hamster wheel crap. I'm going to lift heavy things, put them down, and repeat. My cardio will consist of hiking on the weekends, walking to work, playing basketball down the street, badminton in the back yard, and swimming. My progress so far: I am down about 3-4 pounds in the last two weeks. I am very pleased." When I first joined Nerd Fitness and started my journey, I had incredible results. I started off at 195lbs (I'm 5'3") and got down to 157lbs. My goal was 145lbs, followed by a self-evaluation and new goal setting. Well, I never met that goal. Shortly after hitting 157, I started to gain slowly but surely. I well off the wagon. I briefly started up again, and failed, even though I knew I could do it, because I had done it before. But because I failed, I lost focus and lost my determination. I started slipping more and more, and getting those bad habits back. Yes, good habits can be easy to build, but bad habits can be easier to go back to. It's so important not to let yourself get back into bad habits. When I had my weight wake-up call a few weeks ago, I weighed in at 200lbs. More than I have ever weighed in my life. More than I weighed the LAST time I had a wake-up call and did something about it. I have trouble bending over to get my shoes on, none of my clothes fit, and those that do fit, don't fit nicely. I'm having trouble finding clothes at most of the popular stores (a lot of them don't carry extra large!). It's time to get my life back. My Plan of Action: I recently started a new job (YAY), and the new place had a gym (yay again!), so I have contacted some fitness-guru friends who are going to help me learn to deadlift and squat properly. I've always wanted to try deadlifting since joining NF, but never had access to the equipment. So, DEADLIFTING 101, SQUATS 101. Get back to hiking weekly. At my best, I was hiking at least twice weekly, plus walking a 5km beach path to go swimming once a week. Over this past fall/winter, I've barely gotten out. I'm getting back to hiking 1-2 times per week, every week. Swimming! I loooooove the water. I could swim every single day. The problem is access. I moved further from the beach in December, so now it's a 45 minute drive instead of 10. There are nearby pools, though, one of which I visited already. I will make the effort to swim at least every 3 weeks, preferably every 2 weeks. I still have not obtained my goal of swimming across Buntzen Lake. Outdoor swimming weather is limited here, so I may not make it again this year, but I will try! Most of all, I will get my eating under control. On top of eating less sugar, I will also endeavor to eat more organic, sustainable, farm-fresh, local meats, dairy and produce. I will also make more from scratch. I recently learned to do homemade pulled pork, roast beef, and ribs. I also have a great recipe for homemade BBQ sauce. The only issue I have with that is that it calls for ketchup, and that's store-bought. So my next project is homemade ketchup. My recent life wins: I got a new job that I LOVE! No more dreading going to work! Yipee! I have read 32 books since October (I'd like to increase that number) I moved in with my bf in December and everything is going great.Since moving in together, I am saving $400/month, which will go to improving my quality of life, and chipping away at my debt. I became a beekeeper! It's a dream I've had for YEARS, but didn't think it would happen until I was a property owner. Well my friend and I went halfsies and found a farm. I started becoming more crafty. I pin crafts and actually DO them! Working with my hands and making things is so rewarding! Me being a beekeeper! My lovely bees, working away: Me on a 4-hour hike this past weekend: Me about 2 years ago, when I was around 160lbs:

Hey everyone, as you know i started lifting at the beginning of this year with a budget kit and I think i might be close to outgrowing the budget barbell, at least on deadlifts. So I started lookign around for a decent barbell to get in a month or two. Any recommendations? Currently I have been looking at a ATX Powerbar Black Mamba maybe.

Ok, here's me on my last set of squats 80 lbs: I know, my form isn't the greatest there. You can see the butt tuck as I struggled to push up. I actually nearly caved when I finished my second set; I got up on the last rep, I nearly stumbled to get to the rack. I just started doing Starting Strength after following Stage 1 of the New Rules of Lifting for Women (great book to get started on, but I wanted to actually lift heavier so I shifted to doing this). I had questions as to when to start lowering my reps and increasing weight. My squat reps were 2 sets of 75lbs x 15 before I started switching over to Starting Strength. So here's the thing, I can do 75lbs x 15, but I think I need to check the form of that before I can put more weight. I think I'm suffering with the same symptoms as I do for the 80 for my last 1-2 reps with 75. I've also been told that my knees tend to curve slightly inward then drive out when I get ready to push up, but the travelling path doesn't change. The angle here doesn't show it. I think another video is in order for a fresh 75lb x 5 rep so I'll come back with that. My biggest question is then: should I continue with this weight or drop to 75? It feels too easy when I stay at 75 x 5 per set, but my form starts to suffer on my last rep if I do 15 consecutively. There's still the knee drive problem, which I want to address as well. Thanks for any insight you guys have!

Hey guys, So yesterday was the first day I went to the gym and I wrote down some questions that I want to ask you guys about stuff I didn't know how to do or didn't understand. 1. Can you use the Squat Bar for Deadlifts? 2. What is the correct form for the bent over row? 3. My wrists roll on the bench press? Is that okay? 4. I can do 15 lbs dumbells with my dominant hand (left) on incline curls, but with my non dominant (right) hand I need to swing my whole body to get the weight up and it is noticeably weaker? Is this an issue? How do I solve this? Any information would be amazing. Thanks for reading this post! -swolecaesar

Hey guys !! FIrst thing first : Exams are a success ! I'll be a doctor !! (ok maybe in 10years+ but i'll be a doctor ^^) With that said let's dive into penguin mode : But, why penguin ? Well for those who followed me during my last challenge it's no secret that my wrists are not really usable right now (tendinosis LVL99 on both). So i'll try to keep moving without using them too much. Wich mean no (or barely) upper body work and lots of mobility. 1) Penguin slide his way to recovery : Each day i shall meditate twice : 2 sessions of 10min. One without any "gadget". The other with "headspace" that i'm currently testing. I shall also use contrasted bath on my wrists so that they can heal quickly. Add to that a minimum of 15min outside to get a minimum of vitD. Joker : I won't be everyday at home so when i'm not there i'll just have to do 1 meditation session and spend 15min outside. 2) The famous 6-pack penguin You tought that sliding everywhere and walking with a permanent posterior pevic tilt was easy ? Think again bro you need to train a lot for those !! So every Monday, Wednesday and Friday i'll do a core routine. I've got several goals : # 60s hollow body hold-> 60s superman hold-> 60r hollow body rock -> 60r superman rock *3 without rest # I've also been inspired by this man :http://www.medicaldaily.com/pulse/former-marine-george-hood-breaks-world-record-after-holding-plank-more-5-hours-335898 so i'll train up to a 20min plank. (sorry for not going for the record right now) NOTE : These won't make my abs more visible i know this, we're talking here about a challenge and a mental training, during such training the mind wants to stop every secs and you have to push it. 3) How about leg day ? On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, my legs shall be on fire. My main focus will be on the pistol squat wich is my goal by the end of the challenge, along with the shrimp squat. So here is the program for each session : - Scales - Pistol work - Shrimp squat progressions - Body rows (depends of the feeling, sometimes i feel that my quadriceps is the only part working so i add those) - HIIT (or not, depends of the feeling of the day, because conditionning is not my focus for now) 4) Story of a stiff ankle and tight hips Having goals is cool, reaching them is better. The fact is : you can have the strenght if you don't have the mobility you're just going to get stuck. So my mobility work will be focused on the lower body : Every day : limbering with Kit Laughlin stuff : https://vimeo.com/ondemand/mts On Monday, Thursday : Focused Flexibility from GMB On Tuesday, Friday : Contract relax from the same serie as above. 5) How about that 7 hours spent sitting ? After every half-hour spent sitting i shall do the following sequence : - 5 wall angels - 5 glute contraction - 5 squats - 5 shoulders rotations - 5 shoulders dislocations And because Steve give us some great insights that we should use : I'll squat, stand or do my wrists's contrasted baths each time i'll watch a video or a film.

I am slowly closing in on 1,000 lbs! I noticed some other folks chasing that as well so I thought I would start a thread for those who are trying to reach that milestone! If you have already reached it, congrats! Feel free to cheer us on I know @Castiel, and @Mattyboy7one8 are getting close. Who else? I tested my 1RMs on 21Jan2015 and lifted.... 265 lbs bench press 315 lbs squat 365 lbs deadlift 945 lbs total! I am keeping my progression pretty slow and using a 5-3-1 program currently. I have another informal competition in July and hope to be well past 1,000 lbs by then. I will test myself sometime in April/May time frame...

So Im hoping I havent been screwing myself over the last month or so with my squat form.....basically, I was doing low bar (Ill call it low bar position A) for the longest time and I was getting to the point where the bar would just scoot down/roll down my back. According to Rippetoe thats how you know the bar is too low because its not sitting firmly on the "spine of the scapula" (god how he loves that term.) So I decided to do an experiment. I will line up the bar with the middle of my chest, bring the shoulders back (aka form the shelf that the bar should rest on), duck under the bar, and kind of rub the bar up and down my back till it feels like its sitting in a notch on my back/spine. Now I want to be clear that Im NOT resting it on the back of my neck- I know what that feels like and Im not stupid enough to jack up my spine doing that. It FEELS like its resting on my traps/rear delts, but Im not 100% sure. I know a form video is probably best, but what Im really looking for is, what does a proper low back position/high bar position FEEL like. Also Id like to note that in low bar position A the weight feels/would feel insanely heavy starting at 180lbs. In position B ( sitting in that "notch") the weight feels much lighter/more stable at least, if that means anything.

"It can only be called fate... That here, I would again gather the three with the crests... That I should lay my hand on that which grants the wishes of the beholder. That when power, wisdom, and courage come together, the gods would have no choice but to come down... The power of the gods... The Triforce! He who touches it will have whatever he desires granted!" — Ganondorf Hello again, lazy monks. I, The Shogun, am your new fitness overlord for this week. I have but one simple goal. To transform your flabby wimey body into a more efficient machine of doom. You will now thank me for selflessly taking on this impossible task. I'll make this simple. The following three exercises are considered the “triforce” of bodyweight exercises: the squat of wisdom, the pushup of power and the burpee of courage. These three exercises are used everywhere from Hyrule to Labrynna. The Triforce has the power to grant the wishes of whomever master these three exercises, and will mold that person's body to reflect his or her heart. However, if a person without an equal balance of power, wisdom, and courage makes a wish, the Triforce will split into its three separate parts and reassembly is then required for such a person's wish to be granted. How to do it Perform as many reps as you can for the squat in just 3 minutes. Rest for 90 seconds, and then move on to the next exercise. Perform every exercise for 3 minutes, and record the total number of correct reps you can complete. As a Monk, ensure you are focusing on form and technique as well as volume. What to aim for You can use this challenge to assess your progress. Try repeating this once per challenge and try to join the Heroes of Time! Here are some targets for each exercise. Level 1: Deku Scrub Squat 50 Pushup 25 Burpee 20 Level 2: Hylian Warrior Squat 90 Pushup 50 Burpee 40 Level 3: Hero of Time Squat 120+ Pushup 90+ Burpee 50+ That's it. An excuse-proof 10 minutes-ish workout you can do anywhere. Remember: this is something to aim for. don't feel discouraged if you don't reach a certain level. And of course, don't forget to properly warm up and stretch afterwards. My personal advice? start with the exercise that you find most difficu— the burpee, start with the burpee. IT'S DANGEROUS TO GO OUT THERE, TAKE THESE. If you need a reminder on how to do any of these exercises with proper form, you can watch any of these three videos.

As promised form check videos for three of my excercises. Any feedback would be great. The set up for the squat for me is usually the hardest part especially with getting it on the right place on my back. And my depth needs to be improved I think. OP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGHeoKqEiGQ SQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDzv8NjQlUI Row https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDzv8NjQlUI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZKmCGa90zs

This started initially as a goal in one of my challenges. Since then I've just been using it to keep track of my form changes and improvements.

I'm sure there have been countless topics on this in the past, but I couldn't see any recent ones, so apologies if I'm being repetitive. I'm getting beaten by butt wink. When I first started squatting I was a bit of a natural. I could get good depth without my lower back rounding and the first time I tested my 1RM, only a couple of months into lifting, it was more than my bodyweight (with good form). So I got complacent, took my eye off the ball and stopped recording my squats (I work out alone). Several months later I decided to record myself, and found that I had developed a case of butt wink. Now I can't seem to get rid of it. I know a lot of people say that butt wink is due to tight hamstrings, but my hamstrings were much tighter when I first started lifting and I do a lot more mobility work now than I used to. In fact, I er... never used to do any mobility work. The only possible cause that springs to mind is seeing an osteopath several months ago, who realigned my hips. I'm pretty sure he didn't screw me up, because he also managed to fix a dippy shoulder that had been plaguing me for years - in one session. Could this be the cause? If it is, what can I do to adjust to my newly aligned hips? Any other tips? I'm desperate to add weight onto my squat but I don't want to end up with a slipped disc.

Welcome to my 8th challenge thread I've now been on these forums for one year (anniversary on January 3rd) so I'll start with a motivational list of some of the things I've accomplished in that time:recovered from a shoulder injuryimproved Spanish listening and speakinglearned to walk across a slacklinetracked macronutrients for a weeklearned not to set overly-ambitious challengesheld a 10-second handbalancecreated a YouTube video of my handstand progressjoined a second gymnastics gymbought climbing shoes so I can go bouldering properlyentered a Spartan Raceincreased strength in the bench press by 30%15 pistol squats on each leglearned Olympic liftingbought gymnastics rings and started training regularly with them It hasn't been easy, and there are plenty of things that I wanted to accomplished and completely failed with... but the last challenge has been good. So while I have some momentum, I'd like to make as much more progress as possible... Challenge #1: BODYWEIGHT SKILLS: +2 DEX, +4 CHA These are 6 skills that I'm currently working on and I think may be possible by the end of the challenge: ring muscle-up: I maybe got close to achieving this last week, but I'm taking a break until January 5th to let my right forearm tendon recover from the stress I've been putting on it while practising this. bar muscle-up: some say it's harder than the ring muscle-up, but I find the wrist position slightly easier. I'm also taking a break on this until Jan 5th. upstart / glide kip: this move requires good technique and lots of core strength. I've done some work on the first part of the motion, but don't feel close to "getting" the move. It's one of those things that 6-year-old girls seem to find much easier than 1m85 men like me... archer ring pull-up: I can do the very top part of these, but not yet strong enough to do the bottom part... so it's clear what I have to work on +0.50 CHA: each hand, with ring starting above head height+0.50 DEX: either hand, full movement+0.50 CHA: each hand, full movementfrontflip: I've done these nicely on the bouncy tumble track onto a crashmat (and once without) but need more consistency and to tuck harder. +0.50 CHA: high safe consistent frontflips on tumble track without crashmat+0.50 DEX: high safe consistent frontflips on floor with crashmat+0.50 CHA: high safe consistent frontflips on floor without crashmatbackwards walkover: I can do this with my feet on a 60cm platform and would like to not need the platform at all. Need to improve back flexibility, core strength, and technique. +0.25 CHA: 40cm platform+0.25 DEX: 20cm platform+0.25 CHA: without platform Each move carries +0.25 DEX and +0.50 CHA. The last three skills can award partial points as described. Archer pull-ups and frontflips carry double points for double awesomeness. Challenge #2: SQUATS & DEADLIFTS: +3 STR I've found a couple of gyms where I can safely practise heavy squats, and I've recently improved my deadlift form. My legs are strong and can handle high volume, but I'd like them to be more powerful like in my old high jump days. Therefore it seems that now is a good time to work on increasing the weight I can squat and deadlift. From experience with the bench press and overhead press, I expect to be able to add 20% to each lift during these 6 weeks. SQUAT: currently max 80kg (176lb) - grade A: 100kg (220lb) - grade B: 95kg (209lb) - grade C: 90kg (198lb) - grade D: 85kg (187lb) DEADLIFT: currently 110kg before fixing form (242lb) - grade A: 130kg (with good form) (286lb) - grade B: 125kg (with good form) (275lb) - grade C: 120kg (with good form) (265lb) - grade D: 100kg (with good form) (220lb) Challenge #3: MENTAL CALCULATION TRAINING: +2 WIS, +1 STA At the end of last challenge I mentioned that I was working on a secret project - and this is it. In 2012 I was actually a competitor in the Mental Calculation World Cup, flying out to Germany to perform multiplications and cube roots etc. with the best in the world, and ranked in the top 20. The training itself isn't super exciting, so in 2014 I didn't enter the competition, and instead travelled around Asia haha. However, entries are opening soon for Memoriad 2016 - a huge mental sports competition that will be held in Las Vegas. If - and that's a big "if" - I can improve my arithmetic skills enough to qualify for the free accommodation etc. then I'll enter. One of the events is calendar calculations, for example calculating that 2015-Jan-01 is a Thursday. In the competition, you have 60 seconds to find the day of the week of as many random days as possible. My record was 24 dates in 1 minute with no mistakes. I've now improved my algorithm, but this means that I have to remember a code for every day of the year (e.g. Jan 1st => 5) and for every year in the century (e.g. 15 (in 2015) => 6) - quite a significant mental load. I'm going to be using the spaced repetition software Mnemosyne, along with a metronome to ensure that I can recall each correct code in less than 1 second. +1 STA for keeping up with the memorization procedure for the full 6 weeks (after which I should be finished, yay) The whole point of this is that I should be able to beat my best score (calculations in a minute), so I'll award myself +2 WIS for this: grade A: 35 (beating the current British record)grade B: 30grade C: 25 (beating my old record)grade D: 20 Challenge #4: AUXILIARY EXERCISES: +3 CON The other goals this challenge will make me do lots of pulling, core and legs strength training, so I want to do some moderate-volume work on pushing motions (bench, press and push-ups) to ensure I don't get any muscle imbalances. I would like to work on handstands when the (British) weather gets warmer again, so I should do some preparatory strength training for that. I'll also need to do some auxiliary exercises to increase my chances of success in Challenge #1 - bridges, high pull-ups, low dips, toes-to-bar, jumping drills etc. I'll award myself up to +3 CON (subjectively) for how conscientious I am with this. To get grade B I'd need to be doing some specific workouts 2x per week, as well as focusing on relevant exercises during gymnastics, weightlifting, etc. It's January 1st today, and I'm officially starting the challenge now Progress summary:frontflips consistent on tumble track: +0.50 CHAring muscle-up achieved multiple times: +0.50 CHA & +0.25 DEXsquat at 100kg (220lb): +1.50 STRdeadlift at 125kg (275lb): +1.00 STRcalendar dates @35/minute: +2.00 WIScalendar memorization: +0.75 STAauxiliary exercises: +1.50 CON

"Hey fatass! Hey, hey fa- yea, you! Why dont you go to the gym you disgusting piece of lard?"<---------very rude individual trying to be mean "Yes my buns are fat.....from squatting over 200lbs you tool. Now go fuck off"<----------Me, now squatting 210

Hello! I just hit a goal squat of 150 lbs today, and I'm so stoked that I finally got off my ass and joined the forums here... Been reading NF for several years, but never got involved in the community before. I started doing the powerlifts several years ago, but never nailed down the forms, and didn't stick it out past 1 month. Now I've been going to the gym 3 x week for 7 weeks without skipping, following Starting Strength and dialing in form, and I'm starting to see real gains (starting working weight to current working weight): (Bodyweight: 140) Squat: 85 --> 150 Deadlift: 135 --> 185 Bench: 70 --> 97.5 Press: 50 --> 67.5 Power clean: 45 --> 70 I also worked at a new deadlift PR of 185 today, which is only less cool than 150 because it's not as pleasingly round a number. When I get to 200 DL, I'll do a touchdown dance. Off to rest, eat more, and decide on my next squat goal... Thanks, all!

So I've been gone from here for a while now. So long that I had to read the rules again. The bright side: I've been working out regularly for the past month and a half, and semi-regularly since October. My diet, however, is pretty much the worst it's been since...ever. So I figured it's time for a good old-fashioned "Hollywood reboot." Now, none of my goals from my first challenge are really things I want to work on right now, so I'm not just going to redo that challenge. And come on, when's the last time a series reboot stayed anywhere near to the original anyway? I was debating basing this on another book (Game of Thrones?) like my first few were based on The Hobbit, but I don't think I'm going to. MAIN GOAL: PREPARE FOR THE TOUGH MUDDER That's right, I signed up for a Tough Mudder! It's in May! However, the coworker who was going to do it with me moved 8 hours away and now can't do it. And two of my friends that were going to do it have a wedding that weekend. Also, with my life goal challenge, I may end up having to transfer to a different one. But regardless of all that, I want to be ready. That means running and strength training. Goal 1: Swift as a coursing river I hate running on treadmills. I get bored and it's too easy to quit. But I also got stranded the last time I ran outside (I went way too far and then the temperature dropped like 10 degrees and I wasn't ready for it), so I don't particularly like doing that, either. So I'm going to stick with the treadmill for now, though my distances won't be impressive. I'm planning on building up a tolerance for treadmills in the same way you build a tolerance for pain. Run twice per week Weeks 1 & 2: Min. 2 miles per run Weeks 3 & 4: Min. 2.5 miles per run Weeks 5 & 6: Min. 3 miles per run 3 DEX, 2 STA Goal 2: With all the force of a great typhoon I've been doing strength training at least twice a week since the beginning of December. The first 3 were 3x, but with the holidays and going out of town and my gym being closed, I only worked out twice the last two. I'm currently using Starting Strength. Strength train 3x per week 5 STR Goal 3: Once you find your center you are sure to win (Okay, now I'm stretching, but the first two worked and I felt like sticking with the random theme) My squats suck. I have zero hip mobility. I also have very poor mobility elsewhere, but the hips are what's really killing me right now. The plan is to use GMB's Focused Flexibility combined with just sitting in the bottom of a squat every day. This shouldn't take all six weeks, so when I get to the point that I can sit in a legit bottom squat for five minutes I'll move on. Focused flexibility as prescribed + Week 1: 10 min. in bottom squat throughout day Week 2: 15 min. in bottom squat throughout day Week 3: 20 min. in bottom squat throughout day, etc. until I finish 5 CON Life Goal So I've been speaking with my cousin's husband, who works for a company that I would love to work for. This job would involve moving across the country, away from everyone I know (although they're pretty much all 4-6 hours away right now), and starting new. That's semi-scary, but what's really scary is a) the amount of hours I'd be working (60+ per week), and the amount of responsibility I'd be taking on. My current job is rather easy, and has very little to do with my field (electrical engineering) except when I go out of my way to work on something that I, technically speaking, shouldn't be working on. So I'm mostly worried that I would fail miserably at the new job. A friend of mine told me that the fear of not knowing what you think you should know is actually called something, but I can't remember what it is (and I probably should. Oh no! There it is again!). Step 1. Write resume Step 2. Get resume reviewed Step 3. Apply Step 4. ??? Step 5. Profit TL;DR: Run twice a week, strength train thrice a week, work on mobility, and get a new job. I feel like I need more random photos/gifs in here, so here's one of the most adorable ones I've ever seen.

The title of this quest has a dual meaning: I want to take advantage of the last few weeks of the September-October challenge as a warm-up for the following one, but at the same time I want to learn to appreciate the early part of the day. I have a schedule that's preposterously full of stuff (full-time job, music lessons, dance lessons, band rehearsals and concerts) and once I'm finally home it's hard to summon the energy -- or even find the time -- to work out. Years ago, however, I had very good experiences working out on my way to work. I want to try that again, at least one or two days a week. I also have at least one weekend morning open, sometimes both. Main Quest: Start getting up earlier so that I can exercise when body and mind are rested and fresh. Subquest #1: Increase barbell squats to 125 pounds (currently 95) for one set of 5 reps. Subquest #2: Increase bench press to 100 pounds (currently 75) for one set of 5 reps. (I've lifted my goal weights before, but it's been a while -- Nearly 20 years. I'm older, but am I wiser? Only time, and the weights, will tell.) Subquest #3: Recalibrate my eating habits to make sure I'm getting at least some protein at least 4 times a day. Side quest: Make this hectic life of mine more peaceful whenever and however possible. That could mean uncluttering and simplifying my personal space, clearing up old projects before starting new ones, trying to figure out how meditation works, and/or not causing trouble on the Internet at 3:00 in the morning. Scoring: A for reaching the weight targets; B, C, D for each 5 pounds below the targets. +1 or more STR points. A for achieving 3 morning workouts a week, B for 2, C for 1, D for working out only later in the day. + to CON and STA as appropriate. A for getting quality protein 4+ times a day; B, C, D for 3, 2 or 1 servings. +1 or more CON points. Making any meaningful progress on the side quest: +1 or more WIS points plus CHR or DEX points if applicable, based on what activities (or inactivities) I opt for. This quest will continue into the next challenge period, with levelling up at that time.

How do I internet? So a Battle Log...hmmm, does it matter that this is kind of 8 months late? Or that I took about a 2 month break? No? Well, good! I do the Stronglifts 5x5 program: Been doing it since February, kinda got sidetracked during June and finally got my act together back in late August. Due to a bulging disk Ive been loathe to do deadlifts, and I wasnt really pain free enough for pendlay rows so those numbers dont/wont reflect where I actually should be. A little more info: started pure bar with squats, pure bar with press and ~60-75lbs with bench. Tues 10/28: Squat 100lb 5x5 Bench 130lb 5x5 30 min elliptical cardio Thurs 10/30:Squat 105 lb 5x5 Press 100 lb 2x5, 1x3 (yea, I couldnt do more than that; my shoulders were freaking killing me and will probably be even sore-er tomorrow) Deadlift 95 lbs 1x5 (yay Im back to doing deadlifts! Figured if I could deadlift my 230 lb grandpa up off the floor I should be able to do it in the gym!)

Ok, finally managed to take a couple form check videos where enough of me might be visible enough to critique. Squat: http://vid1368.photobucket.com/albums/ag163/eewallace/2014-10-9-squat_zps8977d57d.mp4 Pushup: http://vid1368.photobucket.com/albums/ag163/eewallace/2014-10-9-pushup_zpsedf9ce33.mp4 Standing lunge: http://vid1368.photobucket.com/albums/ag163/eewallace/2014-10-9-lunge_zps4be516ff.mp4 Squats have felt pretty good. That front view one looks a little wide, but I think my knees are at least tracking ok; it's a little hard to tell without a better view of my feet, though. I didn't realize until I made the pushup video how much I was bending my neck over to look down toward my feet. Does the first one at least look ok? Lunges have felt a bit off as long as I've been doing them, though better since I've focused more on staying upright. Looks from the video like I'm stepping a bit across my body instead of straight forward, which probably isn't ideal. Anything else wrong there? I completely forgot to get a side view of the lunge to check upper body position, but can do a new one tomorrow if it's needed to give proper advice.

My first ever Warrior challenge!! I am SO PUMPED to crank out this challenge and really blow my numbers out the water! Challenge 1: Raise my Squat to 185 lbs, Deadlift to 195 lbs and my OHP to 130 lbs -Do my Strong Lifts 5x5 workout Tues, Thursday, and Saturday (or 3x week with 1-2 days off for recovery) -Grading will be as follows: A: Reach or exceed all stated goals B: Reach 90% of stated goals C: Reach 70% of stated goals D: Reach 50% of stated goals F: Either no gains or actual strength losses Challenge 2: Decrease my body weight by 12 lbs, with at least 80% fat loss -Continue to eat a high protein, medium fat diet (with as few carbs as possible, and those mostly vegetable in nature) 2A: Corollary-In order to meet or exceed said Challenge, attempt to eat no more than 2856 calories while consuming 260-332 grams of protein daily. Weigh in first thing Friday (ie as soon as I get up Friday) sans clothing for most accurate reading -Grading will be as follows A: Meet or exceed stated challenge goal B: Lose 9 lbs with no muscle loss C: Lose 6 lbs with no muscle loss D: Lose 3 lbs with no-slightly no muscle loss F: Maintain or gain weight Challenge 3: Increase my Bench to 160lbs with as near perfect form as possible -As with Challenge 1, continue Stronglifts 5x5 Tu/Th/Sat or 3x weekly with 1-2 days in between for recovery -Grading will be as follows: A: Meet or exceed stated goal B: Bench 160 lbs with minor flaws (too quick a descent, using too much back, not tight enough) C: Bench 155 lbs with as near perfect form as possible D: Bench 150 lbs with as near perfect form as possible F: Bench 150 lbs or less with continued form errors (descent too quick, not tight enough, using too much back) Side Quest: Squat 400+ lbs While different than my first Challenge, I really want to Squat more than my bodyweight.....then Ill know Im one strong dude! Grade: A: Achieve a B or better in Challenge 1 B: Achieve a C or better in Challenge 1 C: Achieve a D or better in Challenge 1 D: Achieve a D- in Challenge 1 (a D minus would be 10-30% of my stated 185 lb goal) F: Completely fail Challenge 1 Edit: Forgot to include my starting stats: Male 332 lbs (as of 11/07/14) 5'7'' (ft/inches) B/F %: Average of the DoD, YMCA, MYMCA, and Covert-Baily formulas:31.95% (as of 11/12/14-will re-measure on 11/14/14)

Im pretty sure IM hitting parallel on all my squats, but Im worried IM not keeping my chest up enough. Also, Ive watched a lot of videos on proper bench form with guys arching themselves in half to bench (I cant do that, my back/body just isnt that flexible.) So there's that. Having back issues in the past I want to make sure IM not screwing up my back again/ hurting my shoulders. Thanks in advance folks!! *WARNING!!!!!!* Ginormous buns and thighs Squat warmup<-----------empty bar Still warming up<----------95 lbs Workset<--------------------120lbs 5x5 (in total) Bench warmup<-----------empty bar Workset<--------------------140lbs 5x5(in total) Pendlay row<---------------70lbs 5x5 (in total)

I'm making a second attempt at Stronglifts, and I'd like to start checking my form early on to catch any mistakes I'm making. All my starting videos will be at 45 lb, except for the deadlift, which will be at 95 lb. I'm gonna post the barbell row later, because after looking over the Stronglifts stuff again, I realized that I've been doing the barbell rows wrong (my back was at a 40 degree angle). Next time I do those, I'll fix my form and film it again. Squat Bench Press (side) (front) Overhead Press (side) (front) Deadlift Barbell Row, 55lb Once I hit 95 lb on my squat (or sooner, if I get impatient), I'll post update videos on my forms.

Hey all So I went to do my usual workout tonight (Squat, Press, Deadlift-go Stronglifts!) and I really wanted to focus on getting my form right. I watched a video by Mark Rippetoe about correct hand position on the bar, so I went to the gym and tried to replicate what I saw. Narrow grip was a no-go; apparently Im not flexible enough for that yet (note: Mark was emphasizing not getting your wrist under the bar, as that deflects some of the weight and can lead to elbow pain/problems). Anyway I thought "No problem, just widen the grip", so I did and oh my god the pain! My front shoulders hurt so much, and it was so distracting! I just cant seem to visualize how Im supposed to grip the bar; the way Mark demonstrates, you basically "drape" your hand over the bar and push the bar into your delts with the heel of your hand. Also, when I finally got around to adding weight, I noticed it was much harder than my "normal" squats, even though the weight change wasnt really that much (from 100 to 105 lbs.) So should I just squat like Ive been squatting, and not worry until the weight gets super heavy? Or should I just keep working on my form, and if so whats the best way to do it since Im utterly lost on how to grip the bar without getting my wrists underneath it? TL; DR: Squat with "poor" form, no shoulder pain but elbow pain. Try and squat with proper form, no elbow pain but tons of shoulder pain. Also, weight seems heavier with proper form.

So I was not planning on doing a challenge this time round because....well my excuses are pretty lame hence why I am now writing this. Since I started my full time job (4 weeks ago) I have not exercised once. The only exercise I get is walking to and from work to the train station. I'm feeling miserable. Not only is there lack of exercise in my life but my diet is slowly becoming more unhealthy. I can feel myself becoming...depressed is probably the wrong word but I don't know how else to describe it. The worst part about the slump I am currently in is that my knee pain that had disappeared about 6 months ago is back. I had convinced myself I didn't have time to do the challenge this time but over the week as I've become more miserable about myself and my body I realized that I need to take part. Need to force myself into exercising and cleaning up my diet and challenge's have worked well for me in the past. So this is my challenge: Getting back on track. Fitness Work out at least once a week.No excuses. I may struggle to work out doing the week as my hours at work can be a little unpredictable but my weekends are not. I will work out once either Saturday or Sunday. Squat ChallengeSquats really helped my knee pain I the past as weak knees is the cause of the pain. So there's a squat challenge I will be following. I can easily do this when I wake up before I start my day. Diet One sweet a dayI've been eating way to much chocolate/sweets/cake. So for this challenge I am only allowed one sweet thing a day. (My sister has just had her 18th and there are currently 4 different cakes in the house!) This will be quite challenging as there is always food in the office I work in. I didn't want to give myself to much to focus on this challenge. I need to ease myself back into it. I do have a question for anyone reading this...and that is how do you record your challenges on a day to day basis? I have a spreadsheet but have found it doesn't motivate me to keep going. I think I need something more visual so I see it when I wake up or something like that. Anyway, I'm week late but ready to get back on track.

Hey guys. After reading some post i decided to try this filming thing and do some form checks. I recently decided to try stronglifts so still using lighter weights so any advice would be welcomed. Sorry if the place is kinda dark the place was well overcast. http://youtu.be/DOcx-GjxPsk Squat set 1 95lbs http://youtu.be/IojEkl0Fv3Q Squat set 5 95lbs http://youtu.be/4HyXyjhTrck over head press set 5 45lbs http://youtu.be/eyh4R9Z243M deadlift 90lbs Thanks in advance

This is my first quest here, as the current quest is nearly finished, this 6-week challenge shall be the one that starts on November 10th. I shall provide an update on how close I am on the first day. MAIN QUEST: Increase my strength so that I am able to lift more than my own bodyweight. Goal 1: Squat with a barbell 110% my own bodyweight (5 sets of 10). Goal 2: Bench press 110% my own bodyweight (5 sets of 10). Goal 3: Bent over row a barbell 110% my own bodyweight (5 sets of 10). Life side quest: As this quest ends on the same day as my semester, my life side quest is to achieve at least 50% on all of my essays due this semester. The bodyweight referred to in each of the goals is that of me at the end of the challenge, not me at the start. Thanks for reading, -SB