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My last final is on May 16th, and then I don't start my 4th year rotations until July 5th. That gives me a whole month and a half to focus on training eating the right things, and getting my life in order before 42 weeks of craziness begins. The plan is to continue lifting heavy things, eating nutritious stuff, and taking care of chores I've been putting off for too long. 1. Some examples of those things include: - changing the oil in my car - buying new work clothes - dusting! - organizing my old notes for easy reference during rotations - go to the dentist and get my teeth cleaned 2. Continue my usual workout routine. Olympic weightlifting, bro-building, STRONGMAN. 3. Eat less fat (90g) and more protein (130g). 4. Bonus points: - doing my back pre-hab exercises - walking more than 5.5 miles in a day - accomplishing a task that makes my life more organized/manageable

I recently listened to a great Art of Manliness podcast, in which Chris Duffin described what I think is the best explanation of “core bracing” I’ve heard. I am very interested in learning more about his Kabuki Method. My goal this challenge is – every single time I pick up a weight, I am focusing on my breath, my diaphragm, expanding my obliques, and engaging my lats. Here is how my idea of “bracing” has evolved over time: In the beginning… What is bracing? A few months later… Oh, so you mean suck my belly in? For years after that… Oh, you mean just take a deep breath and push my belly out? Last year: Valsalva maneuver! Now: I need to improve mind-body connection for every single muscle between my shoulders and my butt. Continuing my usual workout routine: 1. Olympic weightlifting 3x per week (MWF) 2. Bro-building 2x per week (mix of powerlifts and accessory movements on TR) 3. Strongman event training 1x a week (SATURDAY!) The only kink will be the very first week I am competing in a weightlifting meet April 10th. After that I’ll be back to my normal routine. Continuing my usual eating routine: 1. No real restrictions 2. I track everything when I remember to (I average about 2500 calories a day) 3. A challenge or two ago my goal was 100g protein/day, so this time upping it to at least a 110g/day (averaged by week) Bonus points: 1. Doing all of my back pre-hab exercises each week (glute bridges, planks, and that thing where you twist side to side with one leg crossing over) 2. Any day my Fitbit tracks 5 miles walked or more (I currently average about 4mi a day) 3. Actually reading and learning about the Kabuki method

I just got back home from my second sanctioned contest. It was another great contest run by Hudson Valley Strength. I decided a few months ago that I'd be doing the contest at 165 since I haven't weighed in that light since sometime around when I started growing pubes and I was WAY too weak to be that damn fat. I cut from around 181 down to 172 over the last few months and then water cut into the contest. It was my first time I did any water manipulation and learned really fast what works for me and what doesn't... more on that later. On to the contest report. Friday night: My wife and I got into the hotel at around 3pm. Weigh-ins were from 5-7, about a half hour away. I walked into the room weighing in at 167.6. After one final leak and about a half hour in and out of a steaming hot bathtub I tipped the scale at 165.5. I was starting to feel really shitty and overheated so I called it there. We hopped in the car and drove to Lightning Express for weigh-ins. I was fourth on the scale and I made weight without an issue. We went to IHOP for a giant refeed meal of a chicken fajita omlette, three pancakes, and four glasses of orange juice. I polished off a bag of chips between weigh-ins and before bed along with twoish litres of water. Feeling bloated as shit I passed out, pretty happy about the whole ordeal being behind me. Saturday morning: We rolled up to the venue at 8am and I got checked in, got my t-shirt, and grabbed a picnic table. Just like last year the weather was amazing and the atmosphere was just as intense. They got stations for the first two events set up, rules briefing at 9, and the first event happened right on time at 9:30. The 165 class had 9 guys in it. Axle and Log press medley, max reps in 60s at 160 pounds I was 7th in the order so I got to watch most of the class go first. A couple guys made it pretty obvious that they'd never touched an axle or log and then a couple others were just complete fucking animals. I was hoping for 4 reps but realized really fast how humbling real implements are. The axle had tires for big plates so the pick was higher than I'm used to. I had a dick of a time getting any speed off the floor to clean so getting the axle up to the rack was just pathetic. I hit one rep on each implement and felt pretty light headed afterwards. I tried for a second rep on the axle but I couldn't clean it. Car deadlift, max reps in 60 seconds I got a few cues from one of the guys in the 181 class but they didn't matter. I zeroed on the deadlift along with 7 of the 9 in my class. 3 reps won the event and 1 rep took second. The promoter said if he realized it was going to be that heavy he would have dropped another mat under the rig but it was too late. I spend about 40 of my 60 seconds trying to pull it but I only just broke it off the floor once. Hussafel stone, 50' for time at 200 pounds The signature implement of the contest is a puzzle piece shaped Hussafel stone made by Big Dawgg just for Lift for Autism. It sucks. The scoops are in just the right spot for a low pick but high enough that the bottom of the stone whacks your thighs as you walk and the nub on top keeps you from being able to pull it any higher. I hate the Hussafel stone but this just takes it to a new level of fuckery. I made the run in 15 seconds. Farmer's walk, 100' with 180* turn at 150 pounds I should have been training moving events for a long time and this was what really told me that I'd been fucking off with my training. The weather has been shit for carry work but I needed to get some of it done regardless. It was pretty straightforward and not especially surprising. I was still slow as shit at 22 seconds. Atlas stone series over 51" bar Again, this was a pretty big demonstration of how I've been fucking up with my training. I have the stones but never got the heavies from my other house and it showed. The series was supposed to be 180-240 but ended up being 220-300ish. I tackied up and got my first stone loaded without any problem at all for a 20 pound Atlas stone PR. I tried breaking the 240 off the floor and it just wasn't budging. Since I didn't place we stuck around for the rest of my weight class and bailed. We crushed a pile of smoked awesomeness at a barbecue place somewhere north of Kingston and continued on home. I'm trashed. My hamstrings feel like hamburger and my upper back is a wreck. My abs are still cramping every now and then, too. Lessons learned on making weight I'm not allowed to get over 175 ever again. I like competing at 165 and having to do a big water cut to make weight sucked a big fat dick. I'm sure it impacted my performance, especially on my press first thing. Water loading 2-3 gallons a day didn't do a thing for me. I seemed to adapt too quickly and didn't get any payoff from the misery of it. Cutting carbs worked exceptionally well but doing a PSMF in the week going in was too much of a good thing. I'm glad I did it, though. I lost at least a couple pounds of fat along with the water and it'll make it easier to get myself down to a "real" 169-168 and stay there. Lessons learned about training I'm past the point where just getting stronger is the best thing I can do to perform better as a strongman. I need to spend more time with at least some bread-and-butter implements to get better at moving under load. My footspeed was terrible with both the Hussafel and the farmer's handles. My next contest has a tire flip and keg carry/load. I need to procure a big ass tire and get my sandbag filled up as a keg analog ASAP. I'll be doing farmer's walks too just to shore up having good footspeed and stability. What's next I have NY Strong-est in July. I'll have a max log, 450lb deadlift for reps, truck pull, tire flip, and keg carry/load. I need to spend a little time putting on some size and taking a break from cutting weight but at the same time not get too far away from making weight. Spending a week drying out isn't really possible in July so I won't be able to make up for being reckless over the next three months with my diet.

Well, my competition is done. That one thing that had been driving me since December is over. This is a weird feeling. I have a bunch of rest days now and a week long break from my nutrition plan. I thought that I would be living it up this week drinking beer and eating ice cream. Weirdly, all I want to do is get back to the gym and start meal prepping - I guess I formed a habit? Here is a quick contest recap for those of you following from last month. Overall I am pretty happy with my performance. It was only good for last place out of 8, but a pretty respectable last place (I wasn't last in every event, the one event that I zero-ed was also zero-ed by 2 others, so I feel like I was hanging in there). It was my first Open class contest and I was up against some very strong ladies. Event: Circus DB Press for reps, Clean and press every rep, 60 second time limit 70# (loadable handle) Pre- Contest: PR 60# for reps. I am feeling confident I can get 70. I would like to get 3-4 lifts in contest. Contest: ZERO-ED, but got several reps that were very close. Most frustrating event Event: Max Barbell Deadlift, ­30 second time limit Wessels rule; max 3 attempts,miss at anytime and you are out; 20lb jumps : minimum starting weight 200lbs Pre- Contest: Max deadlift 245 at a slight deficit. I am confident that I can make good progress here and would like to open at 240, hit 260 and attempt 280 in contest. Contest: Opened at 240, hit 260 easy. I only got one more chance so I went for 300 skipping 280. I would have hit the 280 for a 35# PR. I got 300 off the floor though. This wasnt great for points, but it made me pretty darn happy Event: Farmer's Hold max time 155# Pre- Contest: Have hit 155 and held for 20 seconds plus, I want to get as close to a minute as possible in contest. Contest: Got 53 seconds Event: Sandbag carry medley, Carry sandbag 50 feet straight drop, pick up heavier sandbag carry 50 feet back, 60 second time limit, no shouldering, must carry bear hug style 100# 120# Pre- Contest: I did some work at contest weight and was fast. I should do well in this event. Contest: 24 second run, I could have been a little faster with the pick, but overall happy with this Event: Stone over bar series,­ 44" bar for women­ 60 second time limit 150# Pre- Contest:150# with tacky is no problem and the bar is lower than what I have been working with. Looking to hit 6 reps. Contest: Got 6 reps hooray

I've been on NF for a long time. Since October 2010 - Prequel: I started at my most unhealthy of my life. An ex-college and high school athlete now with a desk job, comfortably with a great boyfriend, and surviving mostly on carbs and alcohol. Chapter 1: 2010- 2011-Cardio and calorie counting - a good start, I found NF where I became a Scount and then a Ranger, I ran a few half marathons and a bunch of 5ks, started doing BBWW circuit, lost a bunch of weight. Could not do a lunge.Chapter 2: 2011-2012 Went paleo and found crossfit got engaged and got down to my goal weight, but was a little insane. Ah, my Ranger days.Chapter 3: 2012-2014 Got married, started traveling for work, put a lot of weight back on while having spurts of healthy eating and/or working out. Got pretty good at yoga.Chapter 4: 2014-2016 Husband invited me to check out his gym where he had been doing "strongman" for about 6 months. I agreed to go the the gym, but wanted to train for olympic lifting instead. Realized I am waaay too ADD for oly - was lured by the ladies training strongman to switch. In May I made the switch and competed as a novice in late August, completing a lot of my workouts on the road while traveling for work. In October I broke a vertebrae while running with a 400# yoke. A setback to be sure, but it got me to start working with a personal trainer to come up with workouts I could do around the injury. In January I was cleared to go back to normal training, so I signed up for an April competition (novice again) and did most of my training at a gym in Toronto while I traveled for work. After the competition, I decided my next one would be open class. I started getting regular programming from my trainer, then a personalized and very strict nutrition plan. On April 2, I compete in my first Open Strongman Competition. I am in better shape than I have ever been (including when I was a division 1 NCAA athlete). I am eating better and training better than ever before. I am on the long, slow road to being mid-weight (under 181) but feel leaner now at 205 than I have been in the past at 180. It would be nice to win, but I am not super fond of that as a metric because it is dependent on who else shows up that day and not an indicator of my performance. I want to PR on every event. These last 4 weeks of training are going to be intense. Below is my contest info, updated from last month: Circus DB Press for reps ­ Clean and press every rep ­ 60 second time limit 70# (3†loadable handle) PR 60# . I really want to hit 70 before contest, doing a lot of bench press to get my shoulders more capable. I would like to get 4 lifts in contest. Max Barbell Deadlift ­30 second time limit Wessels rule; max 3 attempts ­ miss at anytime and you are out; 20lb jumps : minimum starting weight 200lbs Max deadlift 245 at a slight deficit. I am confident that I can make good progress here and would like to be able to hit 280-300 in contest. Farmer’s Hold – max time 155# Worked with 130 - can do long holds at that weight (around a minute), need more work picking 155. Sandbag carry medley ­ Carry sandbag 50 feet straight drop, pick up heavier sandbag carry 50 feet back ­ 60 second time limit ­ no shouldering, must carry bear hug style 100# 120# I did some work at contest weight and was fast. I should do well in this event. Stone over bar series ­ 44†bar for women­ 60 second time limit 150# 150# with tacky is no problem and the bar is lower than what I have been working with. Looking to hit 6 repsNutrition goals to come.

I found out about a Strongman competition in El PasoI in one week, on Saturday, March 5th. I'M DOING IT! I'm gonna rise up, I'm gonna kick a little ass, gonna kick some ass in El Paso. Gonna lift an atlas stone, gonna carry a yoke, gonna deadlift a car! Week 1 will be all about resting and prepping to go America all over everyone's asses. Week 2 will be about recovery from having gone America all over everyone's asses. Weeks 3 and 4 will be about increasing work capacity, and prepping for the next opportunity to bust out the denim, patriotic animal t-shirts, chalk, and the spider tacky. There are 6 women registered in my division (160+), so the top 3 SPOTS get invites to nationals! That means I need to bring my A game and be sure to drink my fight milk. This will be my 3rd NAS Strongman competition, and I AM EXCITED!!!!!!!!

Let the raids begin! During this 4 week challenge i will run my first viking run. The 7km mud edition! I am so stoked for this and it looks like all my training is starting to pay off. My stamina has greatly increased since i started training. I feel great about this progres. Now it is time to expand this and start looking to the future and finnish the final preprations for the coming raid. Run...RUN LIKE THE WIND So obviously a big part of the training and being a vikign is about being able to run and cover distances. That is why i keep going with my current schedule both in prepration for the coming raid and also for future ones. Average 3 times a week of running +3 stamina Average 2 times a week of running +1 stamina Average that is less than 2 times a week running no XP Strength of Thor Strength is crucial in a vikigns life. Everything is heavy, the life, the weapons, the lifestock... some of the women. So strength is crucial. One of the biggest examples of great strength is thor the thunder god. Average of 3 times a week strength routine +3 strength Average of 2 times a week strength routine +1 strength Less then 2 times a week strength routine equals no XP\ A well fed viking is a happy viking This is all about nutrition. If i feed myself on good products, fresh made meals, no sugary shit. I will be a happy viking and my weight will drop. Therefore this challenge consists of 2 parts. Planning is essential the idea here is to plan every meal ahead and therefore make sure i won't overindulge on any sweet stuff. The weekend will be les strict but it is mostly focussed around schooldays. So 5 days a week planned meals + 3 con 3 days on average planned meals +1 con Healthy shit This one is easy, no sugar = happier viking. So for the entire duration of this challenge, no sweets, tarts, liquid sugars etc. if completed +3 con

Hey all my warrior buddies! I am excited about this new 4 week business. In the long term, I am training for several strength sports now. I am excited about competing in a large Strongman competition in June at the Naturally Fit games. I am training to do an olympic weightlifting meet in April, and I am planning to do at least a few Highland Games for fun this year as well. Like any good earthbender worth her salt, I need to focus on building strength, lots of nutritious food, and maintaining a focused mind. Earthbenders are most powerful when they are literally well grounded. 1. MUSCLES! My current regimen is basic strength training 3x week, olympic lifting 2x week, and playing with strongman implements on Saturdays. Goal is to continue attendance and slowly improving (5RM, 3 RM, 1 RM, technique and form). 2. OM NOMS! I go back and forth with how much My Fitness Pal helps or hurts my nutrition goals... I think for the next 4 weeks I'm going to focus on recording what I eat daily, but only for the protein numbers. Goal is to eat ~100g a day, at least 700g total per week. 3. SANITY! I love training, but I am also a wife, a daughter, a friend, and a student. I don't want to spend so much time playing with weights that I neglect my other responsibilities. Goal is to continue getting my homework done and completing all my pharmacy school responsibilities. If this starts to slip I need to be willing to scale back gym time. Good luck everyone this February!

Cue the music...we're gonna need a montage 8 Weeks of training before a week of rest before contest time. I will Continue my nutrition programTake progress pics, log workouts, track PRs, log food if I switch to a macro planMaintain consistency of training (4x week plus active recovery)LUYL: Continue to try to get a meditation session a week. Add gratitude journal. Below is my contest info for Delaware's Strongest and my current state updated from last month. Circus DB Press for reps ­ Clean and press every rep ­ 60 second time limit 70# (3†loadable handle) PR 60# 6 weeks ago. I've been working a lot on bench and OHP; I an confident I could hit 70# now and should be retesting soon. I would like to get 4 lifts in contest. Max Barbell Deadlift ­30 second time limit Wessels rule; max 3 attempts ­ miss at anytime and you are out; 20lb jumps : minimum starting weight 200lbs Max deadlift 230 without belt. I did sets of pause deads at 225 last week though. I suspect my max is getting closer to 240. I am confident that I can make good progress here and would like to be able to hit 280-300. Farmer’s Hold – max time 155# I have not done a farmers hold in a long time, but my max was 150, so this needs some work. Once I can pick this weight, I should be good for the hold. Sandbag carry medley ­ Carry sandbag 50 feet straight drop, pick up heavier sandbag carry 50 feet back ­ 60 second time limit ­ no shouldering, must carry bear hug style 100# 120# Yesterday I did 8x100 with 80 lb sandbag. I need to work on my pick speed, but I should do well in this event. Stone over bar series ­ 44†bar for women­ 60 second time limit 150# 150# is my current PR for stones, but it was to a higher platform. I have lifted 75 but could not get it to the higher platform. It has been a while since I tried. Looking to hit 2-3 reps

It's been a while since I've been on the boards, but I have been keeping up with my lifting. Eating and stress went haywire in the last three months of 2015, so not all my gains are muscle and I am back up to a weight I said I would never see again - 212. Today is the first day of my new nutrition plan set up by my trainer. It is intense, it is long (8 weeks building into a lifetime of better habits), and it is boring. The main theme of this week is meat and greens to start to detox. On Saturday I get a yogurt which is pretty exciting. My plan is to just pretend I am prepping for a new superhero movie with Ryan Reynolds. I am also doing a lot for tracking, progress pictures, food tracking, mood and well-being tracking, etc. For lifting, I have a new contest on the far horizon - Delaware's Strongest 8 on April 2. It will be my first open show. There are 6 ladies in my class. Events and weights below. More on my current status against these and goals for contest later: Circus DB Press for reps ­ Clean and press every rep ­ 60 second time limit Women HW: 70# (3†loadable handle) Max Barbell Deadlift ­ Suits and straps ok ­ 30 second time limit ­ Wessels rule ­ have to make an attempt to get another attempt, max 3 attempts ­ miss at anytime and you are out 20lb jumps for women Women: minimum starting weight 200lbs Farmer’s Hold – max time Women HW: 155# Sandbag carry medley ­ Carry sandbag 50 feet straight drop, pick up heavier sandbag carry 50 feet back ­ 60 second time limit ­ no shouldering, must carry bear hug style Women Novice/LW/HW: 100# 120# Stone over bar series ­ 44†bar for women­ 60 second time limit Women LW/HW: 150# For other stuff I've got going on: Meditation: Trying to meditate with the app "Calm" at least 3 times a week Nesting: I just moved into a new house before the holidays, lots of projects to take on here, but mostly fun stuff, and nothing pressing. Death to facebook: I am trying to become someone who checks into facebook a few times a week, not a few times a day. I do not want to be that person.

2016 Year of the viking, Challenge 1 Preparing for the summer raids So now that i have your attention with that grand opening. For me 2016 willl be the year of the viking, what does this mean? Well it means i will run the strongman viking run on all 3 lengths, 7Kms, 13Km and 19Kms and earn my viking torque. http://strongviking.com/ To get this done i need to get in shape for the runs and thus the theme of this challenge will be preparing for the summer raids. Because the runs will be around summer. How does one prepare for the summer raids? There are 3 parts to preparing for the raids. Part 1 Strength. The strength part of this challenge will be fairly simple. It will be focussed at boddy weight training to increase my effective strength. I don't have to be superman strong but strong enough to lift myself over some obstacles. I set up a little training schedule for myself. it is based on 3 days a week boddyweight training and i have to stick to 2 times a week for half points and 3 times a week on average for full points. This is a steep Hill but i like to push myself Part 2 Endurance. The endurance part will be all about getting my ass ready to run the 7Km's. This challenge i will start with the zombies run c25K program to get myself ready to run 5kilometers at the end of 8 weeks, I figure that with a little extra training the 7km's should be a piece of cake. The gradation for this challenge is the same as the strength part. 2 out of 3 on avrage only means half of the points. Full points is 3 times a week average. Together with the strength part i have 6 days a week of training. Part 3 General well being. In order to keep myself happy there also is the general well being part. This holds up 2 goals wich are more personal and not really Strongmen related. 1 Lose weight. Starting this new year i will try something new regarding my diet. I will intermittent fast on a low carb diet. The fasting part will be the folowing, i can start eating as soon as lunch time has arrived. 12:00 and i can't eat after 20:00. This gives me an 8 hour eating window wich should help me regulate what i consume. Combine this with a low card diet except for friday (Because cheat day reasons) i should be able to lose some weight. Depending on the new rules i will ad scores. 2 Work on posture. Part of this is taken along in my training regime with Pilates excercises, the other part is very simple. Watch my back and force myself to sit straight and stand straight. Same goes here, as soon as the new system is released on the 4th i wll make scores for this.

Hey all my buddies! I am so dumb I posted this in the previous challenge thread by accident... My goal this challenge is to continue pushing forward with the good habits I've developed over the last 2 months. Balance strength training with conditioning, good nutrition, and sleep. Boring and simple - but there will be lots of Korra / Avatar pictures! 1. Strength Training Continue workouts, at least 3 hours per week. Can be Stronglifts, Oly lifts, or Strongman movement training. 2. Conditioning Continue workouts, at least 3 hours per week. Can be Crossfit, jogging, rowing, or other met con. 3. Nutrition Continue hitting dem macros - average within 10% over the course of the week. Calories 2392 Carbs 255g (43%) Fat 88g (33%) Protein 145g (24%) 4. SLEEP! Average at least 7.5 hours a night per week. I'm kickstarting this weekend by competing in a local highland games for the first time!

I am a villain. It took me a little while to realize this. I have been on this site since october, and everyone else is talking about their hero's journey, and such and it hit me. I am the antagonist, someone for the hero to fight against and become better. So, here is my battle log of my epic battle against Mattyboy7one8. **Backstory** TL;DR, I really want to be strong. Where I am now. 6'6" 212 1rm from 2v2l Squat: 335 Bench: 235 Dead: 350 (boo!) Realized that is 920. Where I am going. Shooting for 1000 before Mattyboy. Also, 5/2 is the Beast of Bloomsburg strongman competition in Bloombsurg PA, for which I am training. Events: Log clean and press for max: 12" log starting at 170 - current max 180, apparently, with an 8" log. Car Deadlift: I honestly have no clue how this is going to go. Farmer's walk: 205/hand for 80'. More than I currently deadlift. Need to get cracking on this one. Circus DB: 90lbs for Reps in 60s. - Have tried with 80. We shall train hard for this one. Truck pull: Pickup truck with harness and rope. Huh. That will be fun. More specific updates to follow soon, with my current programming and progress. The gauntlet is thrown, @mattyboy7one8

Hey all my buddies! My goal this challenge is to continue pushing forward with the good habits I've developed over the last 2 months. Balance strength training with conditioning, good nutrition, and sleep. Boring and simple - but there will be lots of Korra / Avatar pictures! 1. Strength Training Continue workouts, at least 3 hours per week. Can be Stronglifts, Oly lifts, or Strongman movement training. 2. Conditioning Continue workouts, at least 3 hours per week. Can be Crossfit, jogging, rowing, or other met con. 3. Nutrition Continue hitting dem macros - average within 10% over the course of the week. Calories 2392 Carbs 255g (43%) Fat 88g (33%) Protein 145g (24%) 4. SLEEP! Average at least 7.5 hours a night per week. I'm kickstarting this weekend by competing in a local highland games for the first time!

Second challenge, time to get some work done. As the title says, I'm back to strongman for real. I found a couple of guys in the area who want to compete and we are giving it a go. I'm also back in the classroom real soon. I teach 8th grade history and coach high school football. Summer was fun, but it's time to get back to work. Goal One- Log clean and press 215 lbs. Current max is 205 lbs. (3 STR) Goal Two- Work on my agility and conditioning twice a week (3 Dex, 2 STA) Goal Three- Learn all of my student's and football player's names by the end of the challenge. I'm really bad with names, so this will be a challenge because school starts August 18th. For the record, I have around 120 students and 35 freshman football players. (2 CHA) Goal Four- Follow my nutritionist's meal plan 100% for six weeks. As part of my return to strongman, I figured I would consult a professional with a background in sports nutrition. My insurance provides 24 visits with a nutritionists, so I took advantage. I did some research and found someone in town with the right background. She has worked with collegiate athletes at K-State and Wichita State and specializes in athletic performance. Had my first meeting yesterday and am looking forward to working with her (2 CON, 1 WIS) Goal Five- Organize and unpack my new place. My wife and I have been living with my parents for a few months since we came back to Wichita. We move out next week. One of the things we have never really done a good job of is unpacking and actually organizing our house after a move. We usually leave a bunch of stuff in boxes or stuff never really has a place. This time will be different. (2 WIS)

I've had several new achievements in the last month or so and I feel like celebrating a little. In the last few weeks, I've set three new recent P.R.s: Deadlift: January- 380 lbs, July- 445 lbs Squat: January- 350 lbs, July- 405 lbs Log Clean and Press- January- 140 lbs, July- 205 lbs The deadlift and squat aren't all time highs, but they are the best I've done in a year or so. The log press is my best ever. I'm also celebrating because I start moving into a new apartment tomorrow. My wife and I have been staying with my parents for several months after losing jobs in a different state and we are finally moving back out on our own. It's going to be nice to have my own place again.

Hey everyone, I'm George. I'm newish here. I joined up about two years ago but haven't posted in a long time due to some life upheavals. I'm not going to rehash the story, but a link to it is in my signature if anyone cares to read it. The short version is that I had a terrible 18 months but things are looking up and I'm trying to get back to my old self. A little background on me, I teach 8th grade US History and coach football in Wichita, KS. I was (and hope to be again) an amateur strongman. I competed in and won my first and only strongman contest about a year ago before everything completely fell apart. I had ambitions of becoming a regular competitor and seeing how far I could take it. I'd like to get those ambitions back. This log will document my attempts at becoming a strongman again. I have a long way to go. I've been back in the gym since January but today represents a re-spawn of sorts. I realized that the training I had been doing was more in-line with how I used to train. I need something simple, something for a less advanced trainee, which I am now. I'm going back to how I trained before strongman. I'm going with the Texas Method. It is simple, brutal and effective. Squat, bench, deadlift, press, clean and snatch. That is my world. I'm also trying to lean out. I gained a good deal of weight during my rough patch. It needs to come off. I'll be logging my workouts and daily meals. Any input is appreciated. Peak Stats circa August 2013 Squat- 540 lbs Deadlift- 515 lbs Bench- 365 lbs Press- 245 lbs Current Lifts Squat- 385 lbs Deadlift- 405 lbs Bench- 275 lbs Press- 185 lbs Week One Monday- Squat 5x5, Bench 5x5, Power Clean 5x3 Wednesday- Squat 3x5 (Light), Press 3x5 (Light), Power Snatch 4x2 (Light) Friday- Squat 5RM, Bench 5 RM, Deadlift 5 RM Week Two Monday- Squat 5x5, Press 5x5, Power Snatch 6x2 Wednesday- Squat 3x5 (Light), Bench 3x5 (Light), Power Clean 3x3 (Light) Friday- Squat 5 RM, Press 5 RM, Deadlift 5 RM

I turn 30 in a couple of months and I've been thinking a lot about the kind of man I want to be. I feel like I'm not anywhere close. I've written out some goals/attributes, and it is high time I start trying to achieve some of them. The last two years of my life have been nuts, but things are starting to stabilize. I'm not going to rehash, the story, but a link is in my signature should anyone care to read it. Goal One- The man I want to be does not skip workouts - Lift three days a week- 5 STR Goal Two- The man I want to be reads - Read one hour a day, five days a week- 2 WIS, 1 CHA Goal Three- The man I want to be eats right - No soda, eat right 80% of the time- 2 CON, 1 WIS Goal Four- The man I want to be leads an active life - Do one outdoor hobby/activity a week- 1 STA, 1 CHA Goal Five- The man I want to be is conditioned - 20x20 yard HIIT sprints two days a week- 1 STA, 1 DEX

Backstory: martial artist becomes mom, mom buys dumbbells and falls in love with weightlifting. Spends a magical summer perfecting push-ups, pull-ups and slaps plates on a new shiny barbell before shoulder injury (November) and frozen shoulder (January-April) put a spanner in the works. Now respawned and raring to go, Tanuki is no longer freestylin' at home with Youtube tutorials, but has joined a weights-focused gym and signed up with a experienced trainer. The Goals 1. Get stronger. Track workouts, watch numbers get bigger, 4x a week minimum. Work out a plan/program with trainer and see regularly. Modified Strongman class 1x a week for sleds, sandbags, logs and other fun stuff. Get faster. Pause less. Fix dumbbell flyes, because omg, why can't I do dumbbell flyes? Though I dislike setting arbitrary numbers, I see no reason why, in 6 weeks, I can not surpass my current stalls of Overhead Press 30kg / 66lbs and Squat of 42.5kg / 94lbs. Seeing my deadlift surpass 70kg / 154lbs might be nice too. 2. Cut. My head's been in a shitty place lately for cutting. Last summer was all unicorns and fairies, and sticking to an Instagram-worthy meal plan was pretty easy. 20lbs off in a matter of weeks. Now I'm battling emotional triggers like crazy, and whether it's an injury, repeatedly disturbed sleep, low self-esteem, illness or a tough workout, I can always find an excuse to eat too much and 'start again tomorrow'. This stops now; my slacking makes me feel ashamed of myself, my low confidence batters my lifts, and my spare tyre weighs down my pullups. I am 124lb. I have no excuse not to lose at least 5 of them during this 6 week challenge. (I'm 160cm tall. Nothing I can do about that, unfortunately.) 3. Pull and push I've flunked this a couple of times, as these are two things my shoulder dislikes the most. Last year I was cranking out 4-5 chin-ups quite happily, and was exploring push-up variations like diamond with decline and typewriter. Now I'm back to about 5-6 pushups in a set, and am barely squeezing out one chin-up. I need to attack this head on with small, daily sets. Do both, once a day. For 6 weeks. There's no reason I shouldn't have made some noticeable progress in that time. 4. Food challenge! This isn't quite the same as cutting, but it feeds into it a little I guess. I don't have the space to batch-cook and meal-prep - literally, if I filled my tiny fridge with tupperware no one else would have anything to eat! - but this generally means cooking and serving up the family meal (I love cooking nice things! But why always so many cals ;_ , then making myself something basic in about 2 minutes, like an omelette or quick salad. There isn't enough oven/hob space to cook two 'proper' meals, so I need to explore real family meals (feeding one adult male cardio-bunny, one fussy child who needs to gain weight and one not-at-all fussy child who eats like a warrior) that still fit my macros. I am happy to go carb-free at dinner, but a pasta dish without pasta or a pie without pastry is, well, not really a meal. I need to get more skilled at whipping up something light but balanced for myself, and something pretty calorie-heavy for the hungry family, and sit back down with them, eating something substantial. Find 6 recipes that fit my macros, are easy to portion out and log, but that also carb-up the family. They don't like sweet potatoes THE WEIRDOS, which makes this challenge 1000x harder. --- Stats. I like stats. Hells, weightlifting itself is like watching real-life stats go up. It's all numbers! 1. Getting stronger. So long as I am doing better stuff after 6 weeks than I am right now, I'm going for +4 STR, +1 DEX. 'Better' is subjective, but safe to say, if I'm still on 94lb squats, 66lb presses and 144lb deadlifts, I'm not awarding myself anything. 2. Cut. I wanted 5lb off, a goal of 119lb. +2 CHA, +3 STA A: Lose 5lb, reach 119lb / 54kg. B: Reach 120lb / 54.4kg C: Reach 121lb / 54.9kg D: Reach 122lb / 55.3kg E: Fail. 3. Log push/pullups and add more. Daily. +1 DEX, +1 STR A: Do. E: Do not. 4: 6 fitness-friendly recipes, photographed and shared. +1 WIS +2 CON A: Do. C: Do 3-5. E: Fail.

My husband and I just finished the Korra series this week. It was amazing and I am sad it is over. While watching the show I most identified with the earthbenders. I feel like they represent characteristics I strive to be. Earthbenders are tough, muscular, and direct. In their fighting style, they wait and listen for the right moment to strike, and then act decisively. Well, the time is right for me to focus on fat loss, and to attack this goal with everything I have. 1. Diet Tracking is key. I must patiently log everything every day. One technique I have used in the past that keeps me from overeating is logging the food first. Then I can look at the numbers and say, is that really the best choice for me? I have been eating approximately 2400 calories daily for the last month, so I will have to taper down as follows to 1700: Week 1 – 2300 Week 2 – 2150 Week 3 – 2000 Week 4 – 1850 Week 5 – 1700 (and maintain here) - macro goals are to emphasize protein and fats, and choose carbs thoughtfully 2. Measurements I will track my weight and inches on a weekly basis. I would like to ultimately lose 10lb of fat, but I understand that weight loss is a mighty untamable beast, so I am okay with extending this goal beyond 6 weeks. - I will post starting measurements on Monday. 3. Exercise Honestly this is the easy part. Just keep doing what I am doing - progressive weight training 4 days a week. Accept the fact that I will become temporarily weaker. Like a good earthbender, I must be patient. I will gain more in the long run dropping this fat first, and then attacking the weights again with a vengeance. I found this quote on tumblr from someone who used earthbending as an inspiration for their workouts, and I loved it! "The important part about being an earthbender is that you can’t quit, you must fight through your workouts. You can’t rationalize out of it. You place your weight forward and push through. I started moving my first pebble tonight." Now is the time for fat loss! “When the time comes to strike, it must be done without hesitation or uncertainty. If an earthbender lacks determination, the earth body will not respond to her will." This weight is going to fly off me like - also my Strongman Competition is in 33 hours! Gaaaaaaah I'm nervous

A few weeks ago my husband made me watch Legend of Korra with him, and it turns out it is pretty fantastic and I'm super getting into it. She really reminds me of the Buffy. Young and headstrong, fish out of water, one of the few of her kind, has to run around fighting big bads while also finding her own identity. So she is the inspiration for this challenge as I attempt to master the four elements. 1. Earth – Strength and Power Goal: Continue linear progression (5x3) weight training 2x a week, plus Strongman Saturdays 2. Air – Cardiovascular Endurance Goal: Jog/run a total of 6 miles a week, walk at least 26 miles a week 3. Water – Flexibility and Recovery Goal: Complete a 30+ minute Daily Burn mobility or yoga workout at least 3x a week 4. Fire - Nutrition Goal: Eat at least 100g protein 5 days a week, stay under 2000 calorie goal 5 days a week I am competing in a Tough Mudder on May 2nd, and a Strongman competition on June 6th. My measurement of achievement will be successfully completing the entire TM course and getting a score in every event at the SM comp.

**at some point I will come back and try to throw some memes and pictures in here** I find myself back in the challenge thread amongst all you degenerates, lunks, meatheads, brahs, and gym rats....my kind of people. I seem really only to come to these when I have a competition coming up. If I was here all the time I would likely have pretty lame "challenges" that consisted of me going to the gym 4 days a week, which I already do anyway. Also, it allows me to post pictures and results and all that fun stuff. Main Goal: Fulfill my Childhood Dream & Make It Onto ESPN 8: THE OCHO! aka Don't Zero Any Events at the Battle at the Scrapyard Strongman Competition on Saturday, March 14th. EVENTS: Circus Dumbbell clean and press Tire Axle Deadlift Frame/Farmers Hold Giant Tire Axle Squat Block & Sandbag Load EVENT RULES: (weights, events and rules subject to change) 1) Dumbbell Clean and Press for reps: 60 second time limit to complete the lift. Novice Open: 110 lbs 2) Tire Axle Deadlift for reps. Athlete will have 60 seconds to pull as many reps as possible. Novice Open: 400 lbs 3) Car Battery Crucifix for time: Athlete will hold two car batteries(one in each hand) shoulder height and arms fully extended out for time. Time stops when athlete lowers below shoulder level. Novice Open: 15 4) Giant Tire Axle Squat for reps. Athlete will be Back Squatting a 2" axle for reps to partial depth. Depth dependent on athlete height.(roughly just above parallel). Novice Open: 300 lbs 5) Block & Sandbag Load:Athlete will be loading 4 implements onto barrels. Loading order will go steel block, sandbag, steel block, sandbag. Novice Open: 100 lbs, 150 lbs, 205 lbs, 200 lbs I'm currently running a program that has me in the gym 4 days a week, likely to bump up to 5 shortly. Grading: 0 Zeros=A; 1 Zero=B; >1 Zero = FUCK ME! Secondary Goal: JakkedNPermanentlyTan aka Do a Baby Cut I find the whole pursuit of purely aesthetics to be so mind numbing, but I watched Pumping Iron and that kind of gave me a mind fuck so I figured why not mess around with losing...5lbs (yea 5lbs sounds good) by the end of the challenge. I have no real clue why I'm doing this or what I really need to do to do this, but I figure if I cut out beer (my sweet, sweet elixir), fast food, bowls of yummy cereal, and my occasional cookie binge, I should be able to cut nearly 3,000 calories per week without really thinking. I will reweigh myself at the start of the challenge and then again the first Monday after the Strongman and choose the lowest number as my start weight. Bodyweight (as of 2/16): 179.6lbs BF% (as of 2/16): 12-13.5% Grading: >5lbs=A; 3-5lbs=B; <3lbs=I love beer and cereal Side Goal: Dominant @Castiel, @wovercast, @Darwins_Demon, and @Rookiebeotch (maybe?) DESPITE having a lower Big Three total at the start of our PvP. DESPITE going on a baby cut. DESPITE already being the lightweight in the group. Oh victory will be mine gentlemen! In a non douchebaggery, competitive moment, this is a great motivator to not lose any strength gains during my baby cut. Worst case scenario all 3 lifts stall, but the realistic scenario is that my bench flat lines a bit, but I keep my other lifts moving. Note: This likely won't happen by April 5th, but I'm still putting it in here.

I know, there is like a week and a half left, right? Why not just wait until the next challenge starts? I have some specific goals and just wanted to get them officially out there in the universe. I will tweak what I have here and continue with it when the next challenge starts. I had successfully completed several challenges in the past, and then fell off the map. After a few months of reprioritizing my life and getting my mental health in order, I am back with a vengeance. I am doing my second Tough Mudder on May 2nd, and my second amateur Strongman Competition on June 6th. I am doing the Tough Mudder with my husband, and I’m really excited to share the experience with him again! In terms of training, I need to bring up my endurance. I don’t need to be able to run fast, just be able to run 1.5-2 miles… 5 or 6 times in a day. I am currently following the plan I did last year, which is continue with my normal strength training program with 2-3 mile run/walk intervals on recovery days, and a longer distance day once a weekend. The theme of this challenge is "Make your goal your goal." For a long time, I was spinning my wheels trying to lose weight and watch numbers on the scale go down while simultaneously training heavy for strength and hypertrophy. So from today until June 6th (competition day), I am no longer eating at a caloric deficit. I am going to eat at TDEE maintenance, scale be damned. My goal is to build muscle and push my strength, endurance, and overall athleticism to new personal bests. So I am going to train AND eat like it. My 3 Goals are Nutrition, Training, and Mindfulness 1. Nutrition I recently acquired a FitBit Charge HR, which is an amazing tool and has confirmed my suspicions that on more active days I burn about 2300-2600 calories. My goal each day is to burn at least 2400 calories a day. Input: Eat at least 2000 but no more than 2500 calories a day of nutritious food that will help make me stronger (at least 80% of the time) Macros: aim for close to 40% carbs (195 - 235g) 30% protein (146 – 176g) 30% fat (65 – 85g) I will record my calories eaten and burned daily, and post results at least weekly. 2. Training I have a detailed plan that is too long to post here, but the summary is 3 sets 5 reps of major lifts in linear progression (a la Starting Strength) and interval run/walks on non-lifting days to build endurance. I have already been following this for about a month (since my hiatus), and excited at how rebuilding my foundation with a focus on technique is making me more confident in each of my lifts. After the Tough Mudder on May 2nd, my training will switch by taking out the long distance run/walks and turning them into event training days. More on that as it gets closer! 3. Mindfulness One thing I have learned during my life "time-out" is that appreciating the little things goes a long way. So if at any point my goals start to interfere with my relationship with my husband, successful completion of my pharmacy program, or my own personal mental health, I need to step back and re-evaluate. My goal is to do one thing each day for my own personal well-being, whether that is 10 minutes of mediation, yoga, listening to my favorite music, talking to a friend, or playing piano to relax. I will also record my daily "mindfulness breaks," and post them at least weekly as well. I hope this will help in achieving a better balance in my life and ultimately move me closer to my goals.

Countdown to April 25. Contest Day. I've signed up for my second strongman contest: Event 1- Axle clean and press x max reps x 60 seconds -135 lbs Event 2- Farmers x 80’ straight (one drop allowed) - 170 lbs per hand Event 3- Seated arm over arm prowler pull x 60’ (2" rope. Seated in tire) -TBD Event 4- Stone Series over bar (44" for women, 48" for men) - 145,175,205,215 Event 1 and 4 are going to be super challenging for me and I am going to be working intensively for these events in the next few weeks with the added challenge of traveling for work about every other week. Goals: Take care of myself - I am going to be working hard so I need to make sure that I am supporting that by Getting enough sleep - no less than 7 hours on a work night, no less than 8 hours on a weekendGoing to yoga about once a weekHydrate - not a specific amount, just all of the timeEat right (still working on what this means for this time period, lots of protein, limited alcohol and sugar are givens though)2 massages plus plenty of self massage with lax ball and foam rollerWorkout Follow my trainer's program, thankfully for this one I don't have to think too hard, just work hardThe aim is to be able to hit all the weights listed above, but the final test will be after the challenge has endedWork I did some interesting career development stuff last month at work (leadership testing, meyers briggs kind of thing), and one thing I walked away with is watching my tone, and smiling more so I am working on being mindful of those things both at work and in my personal life.

I was urged to drop this into the generic forum to try and encourage a few more of us to compete in a comp whether it be strongman, powerlifting or weightlifting. Hope this helps anyone who is on the fence.