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The Final Battle You have prepared for this. You have trained yourself in the ways of the Force. Now it is time to decide once and for all which side will triumph. Are you ready to take up your lightsabers? Each Padawan or Acolyte who wishes to participate: Perform the same exercises you completed for your initiation to test your mettle against your rivals. HOW TO PLAY: Only those who have been previously assigned teams may participate. If you have not yet been assigned to a team, you must wait until April to join the mini challenge fun. Complete reps in the same exercises you scored for your initiation. You may do as many sets as you like - this is NOT an AMRAP test. If you completed modified exercises for your initiation, please just use those. If you have been injured between the time of your initiation and today, leading to an inability to do your original exercise, please contact the GLs for an alternative. Scoring is based on several criteria. There are bonuses in play for all lightsaber components that you have completed (vs. received off the shelf) as well as for any mini challenges won by your team in the last seven weeks. The team with the highest final score at 11:59pm on Friday, March 25th, will emerge triumphant! This mini-challenge lasts until Friday, March 25, 11:59pm EST! >>Final Battle<< Normal Mini-Challenge Rules: - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

The fact that I've been a member of this forum for 6 months and haven't done a Star Wars themed challenge is ridiculous.. Main Quest. My main quest is to develop my confidence and physical health/fitness to the point where my low self esteem no longer holds me back from living life the way I'd like to. This challenge I'll be taking inspiration from one of the greatest franchises ever and training like a Jedi. The ever-present pushup goal is still here, and I'll be working on overcoming a fear of inversions, getting better at chinups/pullups, and being more organised with my workouts. Quest 1. Hand Balancing. +2 DEX The Jedi strive for balance, both in the Force and in their mentality. Also, they spend a lot of time doing handstands and levitating stuff. I want to do that. In order to overcome my fear of being upside down I'll be practising hand balancing and general "upside down-ness" 3 times a week every day. This article will be my go-to source. Quest 2. Force Push(up). +3 STA The force push is the essential force technique when in combat. It also looks pretty damn cool. I'll improve my pushing capabilities by increasing the amount of pushups I can do in five sets to 82 total reps. As my current total is 76, this means an increase of 6 reps in 4 weeks. I incorporate a pushup test into my workouts once a week. Quest 3. Hangin' with Obi-Wan. +3 STR Floors in a Galaxy Far, Far Away are pretty unreliable. Obi-Wan in particular spent most of the Clone War era hanging off the edge of stuff during important duels. Lesson learned: Jedi need to be able to hang on to stuff. This challenge I aim to increase my Chin-up Flex Hold time to 25 seconds. As my current time is around 10-13 seconds this should prove quite the challenge. I will test this at the end of the challenge, allowing 3 attempts at reaching my goal time. There will be a mid-challenge chin-up flex hold test. Final goal figure may be increased (but not decreased) depending on results. Quest 4. Creating a Holocron. +2WIS A Holocron is a mystical object that Force users create in order to store their knowledge and wisdom. I'm no Jedi Master, but I think it's a good idea to start recording and taking notes on my workouts. I will use this challenge thread to keep track of my workouts, including notes on progression (or lack thereof). Grading A (100%), B (75%), C (50%), D (25%), F (0%) A B C D F Quest 1 26 days completed 23 days completed 20 days completed 17 days completed 14 or less days completed Quest 2 82 or more reps 81 reps 80 reps 79 reps 78 or less reps Quest 3 25 seconds or more 22 seconds 20 seconds 18 seconds 16 seconds or less Quest 4 Pass/Fail basis. If even on day is missed, grade= F

Assassin Force Academy An ominous shadow hangs over the galaxy, as Jedi Masters and Sith Lords both mysteriously disappear, leaving their orders in chaos. On a forgotten space station, an elite group gathers to answer the call of the Force, each sensing the approach of a great battle to decide the fate of the galaxy. All now seek training to prepare for the coming conflict, but only those willing to choose a side and fight for what they believe will have a chance to prevail... >>Choose Your Allegiance<< This mini challenge will last for 2 challenge cycles, completing on March 25th. There will be an option for new Assassins to join midway once they have completed their Rebel challenge.All Assassins, regardless of fitness level, are eligible and welcome to enroll.Members of other guilds who wish to play along may do so - however, please note that you must have completed AT LEAST ONE FULL CHALLENGE on NF (Recruit/Rebel challenge) to participate. If this is your first challenge with Nerd Fitness, please come join us in April.Please follow this main thread to ensure you are aware of updates and new challenges as they happen.Challenge cadence may not be weekly. However, there will always be something to work on, as certain assignments may be done concurrently and take more time to complete.No equipment is strictly required, however access to a pull-up bar or something comparable will be greatly beneficial at certain times.Modifications for injuries or other physical issues will be provided on a case by case basis whenever possible.This challenge is not meant to keep you from completing your own goals. Participation in these mini challenges should always take a back seat to working on your own challenge. IF YOU ARE NEW TO THE ASSISSINS ON FEBRUARY 29TH, PLEASE READ THIS: Welcome to the guild and the Force Academy mini! It has been going since the start of the February challenge, but as mentioned, you are welcome to join us midway. In order to catch up, please fill out the form linked above to be assigned a team. Then, follow the links in the post directly below this one to complete initiation and your 4 lightsaber components. Lightsaber mini challenges are available until March 11th. If you do not have enough time to complete a component, you will be given a basic lightsaber in time to participate in the final battle. May the Force be with you!

Sith thrive on competition, understanding that only those who constantly test themselves can ever become the best. They rely on personal capability and seek out those with superior abilities to further challenge themselves. THE DARK SIDE DOES NOT TOLERATE SLACKERS.

Jedi nurture teamwork and cooperation, knowing that a group is more than the sum of its parts. Through gentle encouragement, they surround themselves with like-minded, positive people. THE LIGHT SIDE WELCOMES ALL WHO DEDICATE THEMSELVES.

Challenge #11 MAIN GOAL: THE FORCE SHALL FREE ME (from Bodyfat) QUEST 1 - THROUGH VICTORY MY CHAINS ARE BROKEN [Nutrition: Intermittent Fasting] Second try to reintroduce 24h IF. QUEST 2 - THROUGH POWER I GAIN VICTORY [Nutrition: Snacking/Tea] Those two goals worked pretty good last challenge, therefore I'm combining them for this one to solidify the habbit. QUEST 3 - THROUGH STRENGTH I GAIN POWER [simple & Sinister III of XII] Continuing the daily Swinging and TGUing. QUEST 4 - THROUGH PASSION I GAIN STRENGTH I'm doing the Armstrong Pull-Up Programm again, this time on Rings (gymnastic ones, not like in the picture ). That means 5 consecutive days a week push-ups in the morning and a pull-up workout at night. QUEST 5 - PEACE IS A LIE THERE IS ONLY PASSION [strength Endurance] Pushing and Pulling is covered by quest 4, but I don't intend to forget my hinge, core and leg work. At least twice a week.

Lightsaber Construction Proper alignment and connection of the components within a lightsaber are critical to its function. Only those with a clear and focused mind can direct the Force subtly enough to establish the pathways necessary for the weapon to operate correctly. Each Padawan or Acolyte who wishes to construct their lightsaber may perform the task below: To perform final assembly of your lightsaber, you must perform 30 minutes of meditation. Any components not already completed will be provided to you for this task. Once construction has begun, you will be unable to continue work on the individual components. HOW TO PLAY: If you have not already Chosen Your Allegiance, please use the link to do so. A Guild Leader will assign you a faction at their earliest opportunity (allow at least 24 hours). Check the sheets (Jedi Padawan and Sith Acolytes) to see where you have been assigned. A datasheet for construction can be found here. Find your name (under your faction). Record the total number of minutes spent in meditation. Fractions of a minute may be recorded, at the individual’s discretion. This is cumulative, so take as many sessions as you need to reach your final goal. Once an individual has begun this portion of the mini-challenge, they may no longer submit results for any lightsaber components. If all components have not been completed at this time, they will receive a basic, standard version of each missing component with which to complete their lightsaber. Any non-component challenges (i.e. "Finding Allies") are unrelated to construction and can be completed concurrently. If you wish to finish your components before beginning construction, that is fine - you may work on components until 3/11 and begin construction after that date. Each Padawan or Acolyte will be awarded their completed lightsaber once they reach their individual goal, and earn their faction 1 point. An individual’s percent completion may go past 100%. This mini-challenge lasts until March 19th! >>Assemble Your Lightsaber<< Normal Mini-Challenge Rules: - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

Bonus Challenge 4: Relic Hunt Lost temples, hidden fortresses, and forgotten tombs all hide artifacts of great power that can aid you, if you can navigate the treacherous passages and make your way past the traps that still guard them. Each Padawan or Acolyte who wishes to participate: Find the list of yoga poses on the scoring sheet. Complete poses to avoid the defenses, but don’t get too far ahead of your teammates to avoid getting lost. HOW TO PLAY: If you have not already Chosen Your Allegiance, please use the link to do so. A Guild Leader will assign you a faction at their earliest opportunity (allow at least 24 hours). Check the sheets (Jedi Padawan and Sith Acolytes) to see where you have been assigned. Log the number of poses completed with GOOD FORM. If you are unable to perform a pose with good form, do not count it. The poses range from very simple to very difficult, so choose your poses based on what your body can safely do. Individual scores are limited to 2x their team’s average poses scored. (For example, there are 20 people on Anim’s team. If he logs 10 poses, the team average will be ½ and he will earn 1 point for his team. As his teammates log poses of their own, the team average will increase and his additional poses will automatically be scored.) You may count each pose only once. If you have an injury that means you cannot perform any poses safely please contact your Guild Leaders for an alternative challenge. You are encouraged to share photos or videos of your efforts, although these are not required for scoring purposes. This challenge will end on Friday, March 18th, at 11:59pm EST. The team with the most traps defeated will have also found the most relics, earning a bonus for the final battle. This mini-challenge lasts until March 18th, 11:59pm EST! >>Relic Hunt<< Normal Mini-Challenge Rules: - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

Lightsaber Components: Beam Emitter The beam emitter shapes the magnetic field, creating the lightsaber’s blade with the plasma stream from the focus crystal. By adjusting the beam emitter design, the final blade length may be determined. Each Padawan or Acolyte who wishes to construct their own beam emitter may perform the task below to select their blade length: A standard lightsaber blade is approximately 1-meter long. A longer blade provides reach on an opponent, while a shorter blade allows faster reactions. However, the usefulness of each depends on the individual application and combat style. To construct your beam emitter, you will complete reps in each of the four progression lists (Push, Pull, Legs, and Core). If you perform an exercise of a higher difficulty than your baseline (on the appropriate list), your blade will lengthen. If you perform an exercise of a lower difficulty than your baseline, your blade will shorten. Performing the same exercise as you did for your baseline will leave your blade unchanged. Your final lightsaber blade length will be determined by the balance of exercise difficulties you perform. HOW TO PLAY: If you have not already Chosen Your Allegiance, please use the link to do so. A Guild Leader will assign you a faction at their earliest opportunity (allow at least 24 hours). Check the sheets (Jedi Padawan and Sith Acolytes) to see where you have been assigned. If you have not completed your Initiation, please do so before starting this component. A datasheet for this component can be found here. Find your name (under your faction); a goal for this component will be displayed (the sum of your baseline score in each progression). Select one exercise from each of the four progression lists (Push, Pull, Legs, and Core) and enter its difficulty level in the proper column. Complete reps in the chosen exercises. You may only submit reps in a single variation for each progression list. Points will be earned based on the relative difficulty of the exercise and the number of reps performed. The individual goal equals the total of the individual’s baseline score in all progressions (from their Initiation). Reps may be divided as desired (any combination of sets, rest time, workouts, etc). AMRAP sets are not required. For single limb variants, use whichever limb you like, or alternate. Partial reps are NOT permitted. Only full reps with good form may be scored. Reps used for this component may not be counted towards progress in any other portion of this mini-challenge (such as the focus crystal component or bonus challenges). Each Padawan or Acolyte will be awarded their beam emitter once they reach their individual goal, and earn their faction 1 point. An individual’s percent completion may go past 100%, for purposes of earning the weekly bonus (see below). If you have an injury that means you cannot do any of these exercises safely please contact your Guild Leaders for an alternative challenge. BONUS: At a random time each week (5 times throughout the challenge), the individual with the highest PERCENT complete FOR THE WEEK (most progress) will be awarded a dual-phase emitter adjustable to a second blade length of their choice. This award may only be earned once, and will pass to the second highest, and so on, if necessary in later weeks. This mini-challenge lasts until March 11th! >>Build Your Emitter<< Normal Mini-Challenge Rules: - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

Lightsaber Components: Power Cell Power cells are common throughout the galaxy, finding use in everything from weapons to appliances and droids to starships. While power cells can be charged quickly with a wall charger, a more personal connection is achieved if the Padawan or Acolyte carries it on their person and allows it to charge from the latent power of the Force around them. Each Padawan or Acolyte who wishes to charge their own power cell may perform the task below: To properly charge your power cell, you must properly fuel your body. This requires forethought and planning prior to the meal and analysis and reflection following it. To fully charge your power cell, you must post four separate recipes and a review for each. HOW TO PLAY: If you have not already Chosen Your Allegiance, please use the link to do so. A Guild Leader will assign you a faction at their earliest opportunity (allow at least 24 hours). Check the sheets (Jedi Padawan and Sith Acolytes) to see where you have been assigned. If you have not completed your Initiation, please do so before starting this component. A datasheet for this component can be found here. Find your name (under your faction). Submissions should consist of a recipe and a review and be posted in this thread (or elsewhere and a link provided in this thread). Each recipe must contain at least one vegetable, of the submitter’s choice. The submitter is not required to be the taste tester for a submission, so long as the complete recipe is included, an honest assessment is provided, and the post is the submitter’s own work. Partial submissions are NOT permitted. However, if you run into time constraints, you may post the recipe and review in separate posts; do not score the submission until both parts have been posted. All submissions must be performed during this mini-challenge period (cooked and tasted). Submissions from previous posts may not be counted UNLESS the recipe is repeated and the review updated during this mini-challenge. Submissions used for this component may not be counted towards progress in any other portion of this mini-challenge (such as bonus challenges). Each Padawan or Acolyte will be awarded their power cell once they reach their individual goal, and earn their faction 1 point. An individual’s percent completion may go past 100%, for purposes of earning the weekly bonus (see below). BONUS: At a random time each week (5 times throughout the challenge), the individual with the highest PERCENT complete FOR THE WEEK (most progress) will be awarded an overcharged power cell. This award may only be earned once, and will pass to the second highest, and so on, if necessary in later weeks. This mini-challenge lasts until March 11th! >>Charge Your Power Cell<< Normal Mini-Challenge Rules: - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

Bonus Challenge 3: Finding Allies Staunch allies are one of the greatest advantages possible. The galaxy is populated by many peoples, from a wide variety of species and societies. Perhaps you can convince some of them to aid you in your cause. Each Padawan or Acolyte who wishes to participate: Look around the forums for fellow rebels you haven’t met and introduce yourself. If you find a connection and commit to following them for the remainder of the March challenge, you may count them as one of the following allies. Each participant may earn up to 3 points for recruiting allies. Mentor: A person on a path similar to your own, but further along it. They can offer advice and warn of possible pitfalls as you continue to progress. Examples: Yoda, Obi-wan Kenobi, Snoke. Your mentor should be on your team. Accomplice: A person with similar interests or goals to your own, who can offer support and encouragement. Examples: C-3PO and R2-D2, Han Solo and Chewbacca, Finn and Poe Dameron. Your accomplice should be on your team. Rival: A person of similar ability to your own, who will push you to better yourself. Examples: Han Solo and Boba Fett, Rey and Kylo Ren. Your rival should be on the opposite team from yours. Padawan/Acolyte: A person who asks you to be their mentor. **You may not seek out a padawan/acolyte; they must find you.** Examples: Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Rey. You may only take on a padawan/acolyte from your own team. HOW TO PLAY: If you have not already Chosen Your Allegiance, please use the link to do so. A Guild Leader will assign you a faction at their earliest opportunity (allow at least 24 hours). Check the sheets (Jedi Padawan and Sith Acolytes) to see where you have been assigned. Log allies recruited to your cause on the spreadsheet ONLY if you are committing to following them for the remainder of this challenge cycle (and hopefully beyond). This commitment entails at LEAST one comment on their thread every week (though please feel free to exceed that!). Only new allies may be logged for points, not allies from previous challenges. You should pick people who you would not have followed otherwise. Branch out! Meet someone new in the guild! Obviously, if someone approaches you, you can follow them back - you both win points. You may earn one point per category - that means you cannot claim 3 points for 3 accomplices or 3 mentors - no more than one of each for points. That said, you may claim as many new allies as you like if you would like to go above and beyond. Please enter the number of each type of ally into the spreadsheet to have your points counted (i.e. 1 mentor, 2 accomplices, 2 rivals, etc.). This challenge will end on Wednesday, March 9th at 12:00pm EST (~1 week from the time of this post). The team with the largest total number of new allies will get a bonus for the final battle. This mini-challenge lasts until 12:00pm EST on March 9th! >>Recruitment<< Normal Mini-Challenge Rules: - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

Lightsaber Components: Saber Hilt The saber hilt contains and protects all other lightsaber components, while acting as a handle for the lightsaber blade. Many styles exist, some standard and some customized to their wielder. Each Padawan or Acolyte who wishes to construct their own saber hilt may select one (and only one) of the styles below: Two-handed Hilt - The most basic style of lightsaber, a two-handed lightsaber provides the best grip and leverage, making it well suited to defensive fighting styles or those who wish to overpower their opponents. To construct a two-handed saber hilt, you must perform 50 basic burpees. One-handed Hilt - A slight adaption on the basic lightsaber, a one-handed hilt provides better balance and response when held in one hand. This hilt lends itself to both offensive and defensive styles that rely on finesse. To construct a one-handed saber hilt, you must perform 50 burpee pushups. Double-bladed Hilt - Double-bladed hilts, sometimes called saber staffs, are large enough to accommodate a blade on each side. Their wielders tend towards aggressive, acrobatic styles to make best use of this design. To construct a double-bladed hilt, you must perform 50 burpee box jumps. Twin Saber Hilts - The most difficult design to learn, twin saber hilt wielders carry a one-handed lightsaber in each hand. This style provides additional options, both offensively and defensively, but also carries additional risk in coordinating two beams of pure energy. To construct twin saber hilts, you must perform 50 burpee pullups. HOW TO PLAY: If you have not already Chosen Your Allegiance, please use the link to do so. A Guild Leader will assign you a faction at their earliest opportunity (allow at least 24 hours). Check the sheets (Jedi Padawan and Sith Acolytes) to see where you have been assigned. If you have not completed your Initiation, please do so before starting this component. A datasheet for this component can be found here. Find your name (under your faction) and select your desired style. Complete reps in the chosen burpee variant. Partial reps are NOT permitted. Only full reps with good form may be scored. Reps used for this component may not be counted towards progress in any other portion of this mini-challenge (such as bonus challenges). Each Padawan or Acolyte will be awarded their saber hilt once they reach their individual goal, and earn their faction 1 point. An individual’s percent completion may go past 100%, for purposes of earning the weekly bonus (see below). If you have an injury that means you cannot do any of these exercises safely please contact your Guild Leaders for an alternative challenge. BONUS: At a random time each week (5 times throughout the challenge), the individual with the highest PERCENT complete FOR THE WEEK (most progress) will be awarded the choice of a hilt customization. This award may only be earned once, and will pass to the second highest, and so on, if necessary in later weeks. This mini-challenge lasts until March 11th! >>Select Your Hilt<< Normal Mini-Challenge Rules: - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

Initiation With their allegiance determined, the newest Padawans and Acolytes begin testing their new abilities. No progress can be made without first having a starting point... As a new Force User, your abilities will fall into one of four categories. In order to ensure that each trainee is properly challenged, you will need to complete a baseline in each area before proceeding. This is only required once during the challenge and may be completed at any point. HOW TO PLAY: If you have not already Chosen Your Allegiance, please use the link to do so. A Guild Leader will assign you a faction at their earliest opportunity (allow at least 24 hours). Check the sheet to see where you have been assigned. A list of possible exercises, with associated difficulty, has been provided here. Each trainee should complete a single AMRAP set in one exercise from each list of their choice. Jedi Padawan and Sith Acolytes each have a sheet to record their results and track progress in future training.AMRAP (As Many Repetitions As Possible) is defined as a the maximum reps completed *with good form* in a single set with minimal restFor single limb variants, use whichever limb you like. Feel free to use Google sheets' "add note" feature to add notes to the spreadsheetPartial reps are NOT permitted.A score will be calculated for each exercise based on the exercise chosen and reps performed. This score will be used in later training activities. Please test ONLY ONCE PER CATEGORY.If you don't have access to a pull-up bar, you can do bodyweight rows or door pulls (if you have access to a place for either) OR dumbbell/other heavy object rows and count them as the level 1 exercise for pulls. Stick to the flat variants for core, which require no equipment.For the pull category, any grip on the bar is fine (pull/chin/neutral).If you have an injury that means you cannot do any of these exercises safely please contact your Guild Leaders for an alternative challenge. This mini-challenge lasts until March 11th! >>Begin Your Training<< Jedi Padawan Sith Acolytes Normal Mini-Challenge Rules: - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

Lightsaber Components: Focus Crystal The focus crystal takes energy from the power cell and converts it to a stream of plasma that will create the lightsaber’s blade. The type of crystal also determines the color of the blade. Each Padawan or Acolyte who wishes to obtain their own focus crystal may undertake one (and only one) of the quests below: Ilum - A barren, icy world, those who search Ilum for their crystal will brave fierce predators and fiercer snow storms, but those who exhibit LEG strength and dedication will be rewarded with a Blue Focus Crystal. Halm - A mining colony on a desert world, those who travel to Halm must PULL their crystal from the earth itself. Those who persevere will be rewarded with a Green Focus Crystal. Synthetic - Through a gruelling ritual, it is possible to shape a crystal from its base elements. Those who engage their CORE and willpower will be rewarded with a Red Focus Crystal. Dantooine - Dantooine’s crystal cave houses many gems and the Kinrath that protect them. Those who PUSH past the poisonous beasts will be rewarded with a Yellow Focus Crystal. HOW TO PLAY: If you have not already Chosen Your Allegiance, please use the link to do so. A Guild Leader will assign you a faction at their earliest opportunity (allow at least 24 hours). Check the sheets (Jedi Padawan and Sith Acolytes) to see where you have been assigned.If you have not completed your Initiation, please do so before starting this component.Complete reps in the chosen progression. Any level may be performed, though it is recommended that you limit yourself to one step above or below your baseline. You are limited to up to 3 levels for this quest, but you may choose any 3 from within your chosen progression (i.e. you can choose basic squats, intermediate shrimp squats, and pistol squats as your 3, but at that point you MAY NOT earn more points by adding advanced shrimp squats). You may also prefer to stick to only 1 exercise and earn all your points from that one alone. The choice is yours. Points will be earned based on the relative difficulty of the exercise and the number of reps performed. The individual goal equals 5x the individual’s baseline score in that progression (from their Initiation). Reps may be divided as desired (any combination of sets, rest time, workouts, etc).For single limb variants, use whichever limb you like, or alternate. Partial reps are NOT permitted. Only full reps with good form may be scored.Reps used for this component may not be counted towards progress in any other portion of this mini-challenge (such as other components or bonus challenges). i.e. if you choose the blue crystal, you will not be able to use your legs AMRAP for future challenges, if you choose the red, you will not be able to use your core AMRAP, etc.Each Padawan or Acolyte will be awarded their focus crystal once they reach their individual goal, and earn their faction 1 point. An individual’s percent completion may go past 100%, for purposes of earning the weekly bonus (see below).If you have an injury that means you cannot do any of these exercises safely please contact your Guild Leaders for an alternative challenge.BONUS: At a random time each week (5 times throughout the challenge), the individual with the highest PERCENT complete FOR THE WEEK (most progress) will be awarded the choice of a custom color crystal. This award may only be earned once, and will pass to the second highest, and so on, if necessary in later weeks. This mini-challenge lasts until March 11th! >>Claim Your Crystal<< Normal Mini-Challenge Rules: - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Episode II ESCAPE FROM JAKKU Learning basic survival skills was a good start, but Starstuff knows there's more to this galaxy than she can find scavenging on Jakku. With the help of her new friends, the mysterious ASSASSINS, Starstuff plans her escape... Main Quest: Build fundamental fitness habits My partner in crime and I have recently gotten serious about having kids, so I want to build healthy habits that will be beneficial to me when I get pregnant and that I can pass on to our kids. That means cleaning up my diet (working toward NFA Diet Level 6), establishing regular workout habits, and making sure I have fun doing it! Quest 1: Fend off your enemies Whether it's thugs trying to abduct your friend or more insidious villains like poor muscle tone, klutziness, and generally feeling unfit and crummy, it takes strength and agility to defeat your enemies. And, of course, competence with your weapons (or flow tools) of choice. To complete this goal, I must complete 2 Academy workouts and 1 Darebee staff workout every week. I'm only allowed to count workouts if I warm up before and cool down after. 11/12 92%92% Quest 2: Run like hell Sometimes you're outgunned, and when that happens, running is your best course of action. I'm usually pretty good about running regularly when I'm training for a race, but when I'm not actively prepping for a race, and even more so when I've just completed one (like, say, right now), I start to let other things get in the way of my running schedule. Not only does this slow my progress toward my running goals, but it makes everyday life much harder, since running is one of the most effective ways I've found to deal with my anxiety. Not this time. To complete this goal, I must run 5 days a week. I have a base-building schedule I plan to keep to, but I'm more concerned with just making sure I get my sessions in, since getting my butt out the door is always my biggest stumbling block. 16/18 89%89% Quest 3: Prime the fuel pump If you don't prime your ship's fuel pump, you're not going anywhere. Human bodies are thankfully a little more resilient than a jury-rigged Corellian freighter, but they still work best if you start out your day with a good fuel source, so to complete this goal, I need to eat a healthy breakfast every day. For the purposes of this challenge, I'm defining a healthy breakfast as one that contains a good source of protein and at least one serving of fruits or veggies. Six days a week, it also needs to be grain-free, but I want to be sure to include some complex carbs on long run day, which can (but do not have to) be grain-based. 25/26 96%96% Life Quest: Stretch those musical muscles Last challenge, I got back into practicing my flute regularly. Now that my fingers and chops have built up some endurance, it's time to get in a little more practice. To complete this goal, I must practice my flute for at least 45 minutes, 6 days a week. 16/22 73%73%

....always a Jedi? But although I've always been a Jedi, I have been called a grey one and actually had more than one lapse into the void of the dark side. As any great Jedi Master will tell you, the dark side is part of everyone. And emerging from it again into the light is what makes you a true master of the Force, if you emerge again, that is..... Challenge #10 QUEST 1 : Nutrition/Snacking This didn't work out last challenge so I need to change it. Since at the moment I can't really control what I eat, I'll concentrate on quantity instead. Also concentrating on little thing Mission: No snacking between meals QUEST 2 : SIMPLE & SINISTER [ II OF XII ] Continuing the year of Kettlebell. I'm trying to reduce the light days (swinging a16kg) to no more than once a week and start to introduce some one-handed swings on the hard ones this time. Also I usually did two days off per week last time, but I need to reduce that to one day. TGUs ar not going to change for this challenge. Mission: 100 Swings per day (either two or one-handed) 24 or 16 kg 5 Turkish Get-Ups per side per day with a 12kg QUEST 3 : Nutrition/Tea The other little thing to improve the intake side of the equation. Drink at least one litre of tea (additionally to what I usually drink). Mission: Drink one litre of tea per day QUEST 4 : STRENGTH (ENDURANCE) WORKOUT This quest is competely the same as last challenge. Mission: Minimum Strength Workout (one exercise out of two of Push/Pull/Hinge/Squat) 4x per week Strength Endurance Worktout (like EMOM or for time or AMRAP for example) 2x per week Maximum Strength Workout (2 exercises out of one of Push/Pull/Hinge/Squat) 2x per week

Bonus Challenge 2: Beast Taming Many wild beasts populate the galaxy, some more friendly than others. Their strength can aid you in the coming battle, but only if you can capture and tame them in time. Each Padawan or Acolyte who wishes to participate: Padawans and Acolytes should divide themselves into a search team and a strike team. Those on the Search Team will scour the galaxy for appropriate beasts by performing Mountain Climbers. Those on the Strike Team must subdue the beasts with Punches and Kicks before their training can begin. HOW TO PLAY: If you have not already Chosen Your Allegiance, please use the link to do so. A Guild Leader will assign you a faction at their earliest opportunity (allow at least 24 hours). Check the sheets (Jedi Padawan and Sith Acolytes) to see where you have been assigned. Select your team (either Search or Strike). You may change teams as many times as you wish, however your score must be reset to zero (0) each time, even if you are changing to a team for which you had a score previously. (Example: Anim starts on the Search team and scores 10 reps, then changes to the Strike team. His score is reset to 0 reps. He then changes back to the Search team. His score is again reset to 0 reps, even though he had previously performed 10 reps for Search.) 1 rep = both sides (i.e. punch with left and right hand in succession). You may do punches AND/OR kicks in any combination for the strike team. Log your cumulative reps for your chosen team WITH GOOD FORM. If and only if you are unable to perform any of these exercises safely, please contact your guild leaders for an alternative exercise. This challenge will end on Thursday, 2/25, at 11:00pm EST. Individual reps will be totalled to determine the total score for each team. The final faction score will be the lower of their two team scores, and the winner will receive a bonus during the final battle. This mini-challenge lasts until 11:00pm EST on Thursday, 2/25! >>Call of the Wild<< Normal Mini-Challenge Rules: - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

Bonus Challenge 1: Force Training The Force flows through all living things, but before you can shape it, you must first learn to feel its patterns. You must seek balance at all times and let the Force flow through you. Each Padawan or Acolyte who wishes to participate: Select a hand balance pose of appropriate difficulty from the list below, then practice as much as you can and log your time here. Level 1: Tripod Wall headstand Arm pressure pose Crow pose headstand Level 2: Tripod headstand (tripod base) Yoga headstand (forearm base) Crow pose Wall handstand (facing towards wall) Wall handstand (facing away from wall) Level 3: Firefly pose Side crow Free handstand One-hand wall handstand Level 4: Scorpion pose One-hand handstand (rock levitation optional) HOW TO PLAY: If you have not already Chosen Your Allegiance, please use the link to do so. A Guild Leader will assign you a faction at their earliest opportunity (allow at least 24 hours). Check the sheets (Jedi Padawan and Sith Acolytes) to see where you have been assigned. Only one pose may be selected for this challenge, of appropriate difficulty to the individual. Log your cumulative time (in seconds) the pose is held WITH GOOD FORM. This challenge will end at 11:00am EST on February 17th. Bonus points will be awarded for photographic evidence. Limit one photo per participant. Individual times will be totalled to determine the winning faction, which will receive a bonus during the final battle. If and only if you are unable to perform any of these balances safely, please substitute a one-legged balance: Level 1: Tree pose or similar based on mobility Level 2: Dancer pose Level 3: Bird of Paradise This mini-challenge lasts until February 17th, 11:00am EST! >>Begin Your Training<< Normal Mini-Challenge Rules: - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

Have you seen the new Star Wars movie? If not, then stop reading this and go see it, now! It is a fantastic revisit to the Original Trilogy style and storyline with old characters returning with new lessons to bestow on the new characters. I'll do my best to avoid spoilers or at least mark it in the stuff I write, but you've been warned! I've seen the movie, I'm excited about it and the new story, and I will write about it! So what is my story? Well, I’ve been here before. I kicked a lot of butt progressing through 22 challenges since 2012, until middle of last year. After struggling to maintain a presence here through the first half of 2015, I struck out on my own as I had conquered many obstacles here, learned many lessons, and felt I was ready to implement a new accountability strategy for I had developed a strong supporting cast in real life to keep me accountable. Alas, a back injury and a "layoff" crumbled all my plans. I am on the road to recovery for both. In October, I started a new job only three weeks after my old one ended. The growing pains are over and now I feel entrenched in my new world. In October and November, I took a lot of time off from fitness to allow my back to heal. In December, I started physical therapy to strengthen my back. I have occasional flare ups, but for the most part, I have my body functioning like its old self. It is like I am back at square one, or Level 1 for my character here. Instead of hitting the reset button, I'll jump to World 2 Level 1 complete with new challenges and obstacles. Old foes may come back, but they will require new techniques to defeat them. I am still a Jedi in training, learning from the old masters, studying the new practices, and constantly improving. Challenge Lesson: “There has been an awakening…†The quote of course comes from the new Star Wars movie, Episode VII: The Force Awakens. It is actually the first quote I have used from a dark side character as it is delivered by Supreme Leader Snoke, Kylo Ren’s dark side master and leader of the First Order. I believe he is referencing a disturbance in the Force which I am guessing feel more like an awakening which could be Rey realizing her Force potential, or something grander. An awakening can be a realization or inspiration which causes sudden growth. I feel that is the perfect summary for what the new movie has done for me. I am highly motivated at the moment to pursue training, defeat obstacles, and hit my highest achievements. Through the summer of 2015, my focused turned to jobs to complete with my 2 year project and contract coming to an end in August and September. I also finished my term as Toastmasters Area Governor and began my term as Division Director in June and July which prompted a very similar focus on completing tasks taking my eyes off training. In October, I started a new job in a similar field on a familiar program, but very new tasks. The new job required training and learning. By December, I was out of the training stage and entered the execution stage of my new job. Training and execution is cyclic. You need skills to execute effectively; therefore, you must train first to learn and master the skills. New tasks come along to execute, which requires new training. You must balance these. If you train too long, then the execution is delayed. If you execute a task too long, then the training will fade in other areas. Toastmasters is training only. I spent a lot of time training skills, but I was not applying them in my previous job often. In my new job which requires more application of communication and leadership skills, I found that training in some areas was rusty. Luckily, my interview skills we not one of those areas. Now, I have an outlet for execution of the skills learned through Toastmasters training. I am growing through practice and practical experience. My awakening has me motivated in several ways. I started a monthly Toastmasters Training and Mentoring session to give me an opportunity to teach, coach, and mentor people. I offered to conduct similar classes for my co-workers in my office (meeting on Wednesday to discuss opportunity further). I am considering where in my community and other community Toastmasters may be able to spread and form new clubs. I took on an opportunity to coach a struggling club. I am looking to take classes to improve my Program Management skills at work. I am increasing my visibility within the office with social and work related interactions. Typically, I am an introvert, but I am acting more extroverted than ever before. My Main Quest and Mission: My mission is to be the best Jedi I can be. My main quest is always to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me. As a Jedi, I need to be able to help people, whether that is a life threatening situation or just a charitable one. There is no boss level in Jedi training, there is only tomorrow. World 2 Level 1 Challenge: FITNESS: Work up a sweat! – 100 minutes of high intensity training per week DEX +2, STA +2 Stretch and strengthen – 100 minutes of my physical therapy exercises and stretches per week STR +2, DEX +1, STA +1DIET: Portion control – Eat less per meal, snack less throughout the day. It is time consuming to measure accurately, but I am pretty confident whether I can count a day as a successful one or a subpar one (or a complete failure). CON +2LIFE: Read – I have lots of reference material to read, but I find myself reading unimportant news. Return my reading focus to learning. Use reading in my social interactions. WIS +3, CHA +2

Heads up: In case the title wasn't a tip-off, this challenge is The Force Awakened themed. I'll put any major spoilers behind spoiler tags, but I'm not going to bother hiding non-spoilery stills from the film or minor world spoilers, so if you're avoiding even minor spoilers, best to avoid this thread until you've seen the movie. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Starstuff has been running for a long time. Running from rakghouls. Running toward the next adventure. But now she finds herself facing a new challenge. One she can't run away from. Stranded on the remote desert planet of JAKKU, Starstuff must develop the skills to survive in this harsh new environment... I've been away from Nerd Fitness for a while (if you want the long story, you can take a look at my respawn post), and it's time for me to get back into the game. Because this challenge is all about getting back to the basics, I'm spending it with the Rebels. I'll still be running (I'm actually running the Disney Star Wars Half Marathon halfway through this challenge), and I'm sure I'll be poking my head into the Scout forum from time to time, but that's not my main focus this time around. Main Quest: Build fundamental fitness habits My partner in crime and I have recently gotten serious about having kids, so I want to build healthy habits that will be beneficial to me when I get pregnant and that I can pass on to our kids. Specifically, I want to make the following things ingrained habits. Eat at NFA diet Level 6 90% of the time. This was pretty much where my eating habits were before everything went off the rails last year, and hopefully it will be easier getting there the second time around.Run ~25 miles a week. This was what my running base was for nearly a year before I started slacking, and I know it's a comfortable amount for me.Academy bodyweight workouts 3 times a week. In addition to just being all around good for me, it turns out that a consistent strength routine that focuses on functional and core strength can make labor easier.Yoga or other balance-focused fitness 3 times a week. I have both dyspraxia and loose ligaments, which means that my balance sucks and I'm at a higher risk of randomly spraining or dislocating joints out of nowhere. During pregnancy, the body releases a hormone that makes joints even softer (which is important for being able to give birth, but not so great if your joints are already over-soft), which means I'll be at an even higher risk of falling over at a time when falling over could be really dangerous. So, I want to get some serious balance and stabilizing muscle work in beforehand in the hopes of mitigating that risk. Quest 1: Balance practice You've got to have a good sense of balance if you're going to scavenge any of the good stuff! To complete this quest, I need to do three yoga sessions every week for the duration of the challenge (except for the second week, when I will only do two sessions due to traveling and running a half marathon). 10/10 100%100% Quest 2: Do the boring-but-necessary stuff Sometimes, you've got to do the boring stuff before you can get to the good stuff, like cleaning your haul before you can get paid for it. In the past, I've been a terrible slacker when it comes to warming up and cooling down, which probably contributed to not sticking with my strength training programs. So, before I jump back into strength training proper, I'm going to focus just on warming up and cooling down for a few weeks. To complete this quest, I need do my NFA warm up and cool down three times a week (except for the second week of the challenge, when I will do only two sessions due to traveling and running a half marathon). 11/11 100%100% Quest 3: Eat less Overeating isn't an option when you're working with less than one half portion a day. I've spent the last week tracking my food intake, and it's no wonder I've put on some weight recently. To complete this quest, I need to keep my caloric intake within the budget set by Fitbit an average of six days a week. 25/23 109%109% Life Quest: Spend some time rockin' it at the cantina I've really been wanting to get back into playing my flute, and it's time to work on making regular practice a habit. I even bought myself a book of Star Wars sheet music to encourage myself. To complete this quest, I need to practice my flute for at least 30 minutes, five times a week (except for the second week of the challenge, when I will only practice three times due to traveling and running a half marathon). 15/16 94%94%

Over the break I've realised that I lost my balance and focused too much on work the last few months of the year. It's been to the detriment of my health so the first quarter of this year will be a re-focus on the things that are important to me. I'll be re-establishing routines (a highly underrated tool) and putting myself first. Every January I stop drinking for a month and this year is no exception. It might seem a hardship but it's actually a relief to not have to make the decision, it's no thanks for the next 28 days. I have a massive 5 week holiday lined up in July/August, at the moment I'm looking at getting one of those weeks away on a luxury live-abord surf boat in Portugal. I want to be in unbelievable shape for that and will be using it as my motivation over the next 6 months. But 6 months will be done one day at a time starting with this 4 week challenge.... Goals: 1. No alcohol 2. No processed food 3. 1 hour a day of 'exercise' Bonus: Every minute of exercise buys 2 minutes of video game time. Finding an hour a day to do some sort of physical activity will be harder than it sounds but I'll be training twice a week with my coach over the next 4 weeks and have committed to walking the dog at least 4 days a week, that'll be a good start. I'm also hoping to get back to squash but we'll see, I still have a whiplash injury hanging around. Inspiration: What are you waiting for? Are you boring?

Soo.... um.... idk if you've noticed, but I'm a huge nerd. THE NEW STAR WARS MOVIE WAS AWESOME. No spoilers of course. [AWESOME - GO SEE IT.] So I will have three main goals this challenge, as per the new format. I am quite excited. Little backstory: I'm 22, female, an engineering student, I love lifting, and I hate when stuff gets in the way of said lifting. Recently, I had a bout with.... well, we still aren't quite sure. Health-wise, I'm still not 100%, had some fatigue issues, a fever of unknown origin, etc. Went to lots of doctors, and have another appointment soon. So after taking over 2 months off of lifting because of this, I'm slowly getting back in the game. Problem? Inflammation seems to be the cause of my issues, and lifting isn't the best thing for that. I'm doing yoga, but I need to be careful with the lifting, in addition to taking all my meds/supplements to get better ASAP. Onto the fun stuff! Quest 1: Lift twice a week. For now, I'm doing StrongLifts again, and just doing one Workout A and one Workout B per week. I know, I know, you're supposed to go three times a week, but that ended... badly. So twice a week it is! [NO MORE ELVIE]. Less is actually better than more for now. Quest 2: Yoga twice a week. This is one of those things that supposedly helps with inflammation, so somehow in my last challenge where I accidentally started doing it and was wondering why I felt better after yoga than after lifting... there you go. I have a unlimited pass for a yoga place near my apartment, and I also have a subscription for NF Yoga, so the excuses are basically non-existent. Do the yoga. Quest 3: Track the things.... this is a weak point. Just do it. 5/7 days for now. Life Quest: Get Thesis Proposal out by deadline, then work on actual thesis.

Welcome to the exciting Adventures of JediNickD! It seems like forever ago that I joined this site and started my first challenge. Judging by my level, you might say I'm right! But level and experience mean nothing unless lessons learned are applied in your life. This website has given me practical knowledge in goal setting and planning. Throughout my life, I have been applying that knowledge. In my career, in my job, in my home life, in my Toastmasters training, in the gym, in my Jedi training, and even in my video games! Throughout the next few challenges, I plan to focus my Jedi lessons around this passage from Return of the Jedi where Obi-Wan says that quote: This challenge, I'll focus on the quote in bold by Obi-Wan Kenobi. In this part of the conversation, Obi-Wan plainly states that Luke cannot escape his "destiny". That word destiny implies a predetermined path laid out for Luke. That predetermined path is the ultimate struggle of good versus evil (light versus dark sides of the Force) in the Star Wars galaxy by being the son of Anakin Skywalker and being powerful in the Force. Being a Jedi and weilder of the light side of the Force, Luke cannot avoid his confrontation with the dark side, because it will hunt him down to either recruit him or destroy him. Since Luke cannot kill his own father, he decides there must be another way. He confronts Vader and the Emperor on his own terms by surrendering, then we all remember what happens. The lesson to take away from this quote is to confront your problems on your own terms. Do not let your problems chase you down or haunt your dreams. The dark side will find you. For Jedi, confronting the dark side is their destiny. It can be defeated with intitative, accountability, and honesty by taking ownership and being confident that a solution will be found. Doing so will give you an advantage over the obstacle and sometimes force the solution to appear one its own. That is what confronting something on your own terms means. Now, on to the CHALLENGE! My mission is to be the best Jedi I can be. My main quest is always to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me. As a Jedi, I need to be able to help people, whether that is a life threatening situation or just a charitable one. There is no boss level in Jedi training, there is only tomorrow. I'm changing things up for this challenge by eliminating all the Side Quest Goals. I'll still use the Excel spreadsheet and Battle Log, but I will not set any specific weight or rep goals. I am adding a new training technique and incorporating what I learn from the MAX Workouts eBooks I bought recently. The new training technique is a Complex workout where you move through a series of excerises without putting the weight down. MAX Workouts stresses power and intensity while working the whole body in one workout to achieve maximum fat burn and build lean muscle. I'm taking both concepts and combining them to something I call Combo Complexes. An example is Deadlift into a Bent-Over Row then a Squat into a Overhead Press, 10 reps each with the same weight. My plan is to eliminate the time consuming and boring cardio from my workout routine. I loathe running more than a mile. I'll do it on occassion, but I don't want to rely on it to keep my weight in check. My main quest with attribute points is below: FITNESS: Build STA +2, STR +2 and DEX +1 by conducting powerful and intense Weight Training for 20 minutes or more, three times a week. Schedule is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday (optional). FITNESS: Build STA +1, STR +1 and DEX +2 by conducting muscle recovery Training for 20 minutes or more, two times a week. Schedule is Wednesday, Friday, Saturday (optional), Sunday (optional). DIET: Build CON +2 by eating healthy 35 times or more, eating unhealthy 16 times or less and count their calories, drinking 200 fl oz of Dr Pepper or less, taking care of my skin and lips by applying moisturizer 80 times or more (twice daily), brushing (twice daily) and flossing (once daily) 120 times or more. LIFE: Build WIS +2 and CHA +2 by completing two Toastmaster Speeches, completing Lesson 4 of my High Performance Leadership project, and completing 2 IJRS Personal 101 lessons.I'm three lessons in to my High Performance Leadership manual, but I'm in the bulk of the work now inlesson 4, which I won't complete until May. I finished my second Competent Leadership manual and have only one speech left in my third Competent Communicator manual. I have 1 speech left for my Advanced Communicator manuals. I plan to do a Speechcraft training session for the 1 hour training session I need to do for my Advanced Communicator Gold, so I can earn my DTM. My Club Coach and Area Governor roles are going very well. Jedi Training is progressing. I'm hoping to finish the course this spring.

Hello Warriors! I recently graduated from recruits and I am reporting for duty at Yoda’s Dagobah Training Camp: Some quick stats: I am 29 years old. Female. 5’11¾†(Can I round up?). Roughly 30-35% body fat. Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Harry Potter nerd (to name a few). Currently obsessed with fairy tale characters trying to navigate life and magic in a small town in Storybrooke, Maine on Once Upon A Time. And now for my challenge…... Main Quest: ‘You want the [what I thought was] impossible’ …..to do one full and proper tricep pushup. Not necessarily the most Warrior or Jedi like of goals but for me it has long been a symbol of one of my greatest physical weaknesses and it is something I need to….and can...overcome. I started off last challenge being able to lower myself to the ground with control and have worked my way up to lifting my chest about an inch off the ground. Can I give myself a pushup as a Christmas present? I am going to try…. sorry Yoda DO. I want to be able to lift the stone with my mind while upside down too….but right now I will settle for deadlifting it. Quest #1: ‘I am looking for a great warrior’ So wars do not make one great, but I am pretty sure strength training 3x a week does. I am new to lifting and worked my way through the Barbell Battalion Level 1 of the Academy and have since progressed onto Level 2. I hope to be solidly into Level 3 by the end of this challenge. Here is where I am at so far (for my 5x5): Squat: 90lbs Bench: 65lbs Deadlift:115lbs (at a deficit….no training plates) OHP: Yeah….let’s not talk about that one yet…..working on the push press at 30lbs So this was not exactly on Dagobah…..but I couldn’t find the appropriate gif for this one….and besides running like a madman to scare off stormtroopers might be more of a life skill then swinging from trees and running around with Yoda on your back…..up for debate? Quest #2: ‘Through [running].....things you will see….other places’ This quest literally ran away from me at one point during my first challenge but I think I have a better set up now. I do enjoy running and I have gotten back into it after some fairly debilitating shin splints last year. Slow and steady progress is the name of the game here. So far I have worked up from run/walking 0.6km to 1.5km. My aim is to run/walk 2-3x a week and do my physio while increasing my distance at manageable levels (eventually working up to 5km). If I can’t do that third workout it is because I am doing something else that gets my heart rate up for at least 30 minutes. I don't want this challenge to interfere with my lifting, so I will be flexible with it as time goes on. Quest #3: ‘Hey, that’s my dinner!’ …. ‘How you get so big eating food of this kind?’ Although I consider myself to be a fairly healthy eater (not Paleo...but Paleo inspired? I love food), I don’t know much about nutrition when it comes to strength training and I do not track at all. My quest for this challenge is to work my way through the Nutrition Levels at the Academy in terms of tracking for at least 5 days of the week starting at Level 1. Also I want to take the time to learn more about nutrition for lifting so that I get the most out of my workouts, but at the same time I don’t want to go overboard and eat so much that I increase my body fat and outrun my fork (and here I thought I was so slow I couldn’t outrun anything). Life Quest: ‘Clear your mind of questions.’ ….. ‘Control...control…you must learn control….’ My last quest had me try meditating in the morning for 10-15 minutes 5x a week which I did pretty well on. I’d like to continue this quest to make it a habit and bonus points if I can incorporate some yoga too. Also just because this fit so well…. Bonus Side Quest: ‘Mudhole? Slimy? My home this is!’ Clean the dishes. Wipe down the sinks. Sweep…..no dust bunnies allowed this challenge! Looking forward to meeting fellow Warriors. My challenge was inspired by my fellow Recruit (and now Ranger) Marauder. I am going to leave any points for the time being and report my progress via the very addicting progress bars.

I didn't really feel like I was ready to upgrade myself to Je'daii Ranger, but continuing the Journeyer theme gives me the perfect framework for this new challenge. Also: GUYS! Do you realize that this challenge will carry us through the premiere of Star Wars Episode 7? Like, by the time this challenge is over, we will have seen it, and know for certain whether or not J.J. Abrams' desecration of Star Trek was even a little bit worth it. ----- Master Alora Denn's holocron tells me of the ancient rites of the Je'daii--those who came before, the first Force users. They lived on Tython, the homeworld of the Jedi Order, in those forgotten days. A Je'daii, upon completing their initial training, became a Journeyer--and it fell to them to travel all of the nine temples of Tython, to learn and understand their place in the Force, before they could be granted the rank of Ranger. Most of those temples are lost to time, and I am no longer welcome on Tython. It falls to me to find my own way in the galaxy, to find my place within the living Force. The Temples of Tython Part One Kaleth: The Temple of Knowledge Kaleth was only recently rediscovered, and now it is best known to the Jedi as the final holdout of the dark master Rajivari during the Force Wars, but before that, it was a shining beacon of knowledge. It was home to a library more vast than any other in the known galaxy, and Je'daii of all kinds spent thousands of hours there, learning what they could from its archives. EDITED After some thought, my improvement of technique in both Lightsaber and Kung Fu falls firmly under Part Two's umbrella. Instead, my knowledge/learning for this challenge will be focused on my budgeting skills. It's something I really need to focus on, and I need to figure out a method that works better than keeping it all in my head, because that doesn't really work at all. For the first four weeks of this challenge, Part One will be about working with YNAB to see if it fits my needs and thinking style in this arena. We'll see what happens after the trial is up. --------- Part Two Stav Kesh: The Temple of Martial Arts Stav Kesh was where the Je'daii trained in the martial ways of their order--learning their weapons, building strength and agility, becoming the warriors that they aspired to be. In the days before the Force Hound Xesh appeared, bringing the first forcesaber (the precursor to the lightsaber) to Tython, the Forge Master created blades of metal that were the signature weapons of the Je'daii. It was with these metal weapons that they learned their arts and honed their craft. EDITED All of my Kung Fu/Lightsaber/Kettlebell stuff will fall under this part of the challenge. Anything I do which improves my knowledge of form, the finesse of technique, endurance, or strength will be considered to contribute toward the Martial Arts part of my challenge. This includes: 1. Attending Kung Fu class 2. Attending lightsaber class 3. Attending dueling day 4. Working on kettlebell form (either swing or TGU) 5. Specifically setting aside time to work on Kung Fu/Lightsaber outside of class 6. Running (just in case I decide to do so once in a while) -------- Part Three Akar Kesh: The Temple of Balance Akar Kesh was once the site of a great eight-pillared temple built around a circular pool of water, where the Je'daii reflected on the lessons of balance between Ashla and Bogan--the light and dark sides of the Force. Maintaining balance between light and dark, peace and passion, was central to the tenets of the ancient Je'daii--and the reason that I am drawn to Master Denn's teachings. The remaining 40% of my focus will be a continued emphasis on eating. For the past six weeks, I have practiced the discipline of the Light side of the Force when it comes to sugary snacks. Before that, I was definitely over-indulging the Dark Side. Now that I have seen both, the goal will be to integrate a balance of peace and passion, of discipline and indulgence, in order to make my life into what I really want it to be. I can't hardly claim to believe in this blended ideology and not actually practice it, so deprivation will not remain the ultimate goal. The focus of this goal will be calorie counting in order to resume my weight loss, but making sure to leave room for the foods and treats that I am really passionate about; and to make exceptions for those times when the passion takes precedence, and return to discipline after those moments have passed.