Search the Community

Sigh... I have been away from the forums for quite awhile now... and tried to return several times already. I had my son in February and I have really struggled so far to do much of anything other than caring for a baby, the occasional walks or hikes, and some dog training. Kiddo is 6 months now, and I'm really trying hard to get diet back in order and I'm going to start using the gym daycare to start lifting again. Lifted today for the first time in probably closing in on a year. Pregnancy was really exhausting for me and I didn't manage to keep up lifting as I had always intended. It was humbling to say the least, and frankly a bit depressing. I gained 60 lbs and while I lost 30 effortlessly in the first couple weeks postpartum I have lost nothing since. But its time to start working back towards my goals. Goal #1 Eat Better Paleo was once really really good for me. When I first started to really overhaul my diet, I was pretty strictly paleo and it really worked for me. I felt good, and I was getting stronger at the same time. Though my nutritional needs are different now while I'm breast feeding, I do need to be focused on eating somewhat higher protein and fat, and less sugar. I'm not really restricting carbs, but they need to be from fruit and not ice cream. It's a process and I'm also not going to beat myself up if something happens and the plan has a hiccup. Goal #2 Starting Lifting Again I'm basically back at square one, which sucks. BUT, I suppose I am actually better than square one as this time I know where to start and what it is I have as long term goals. I need to be lifting (though right now, some things are actually just body weight) at least twice a week in order to start building strength again. Goal #3 Get Some Me Time Me time is SUPER hard to come by these days. Granted, I knew this going into motherhood, but dang... it's harder to deal with than I realized. Thankfully, my hubby is supportive, but I still need to take the initiative to do something for me once in awhile. Once a week, I need to do something specific for my own mental health... be that getting a massage, going shopping alone, etc. TL;DR Eat Paleoish, Lift 2x weekly, 1 "me" thing weekly

Hit a big milestone last night: 405 lb deadlift. Been chasing that one for a while. For the record, that's 245% of my bodyweight. =)

"Sometimes a Viking is born who carries the Spark of Gods... Raiders we call them. It is a name that can summon armies. Ruthless, fearless, made for battle... the moment of a Viking's death is chosen by Fate, so what use have they of armor... or of fear?" Starting weight baseline: 217 lbs. How the fuck did that happen? CrossFit Skill Metrics: CrossFit Metrics :: DINE IN ODIN’S HALL :: Nutrition accountability measured through Health Points meter. Eat To Perform (Workout Day: 2937 cals: 190P / 100F / 319C, Rest Day: 2560 cals: 190P / 100F / 225C). :: TRAIN FOR THE VANGUARD :: Supplementary Back Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift programs. Kipping Pull-up Practice once per week. Retest two or more CrossFit Metrics over the course of the challenge. :: RETURN TO THE MEADHALL :: Weekly To-Do list. :: CHALLENGE INSPIRATION :: Fresh on my return from Camp Nerd Fitness 2016, I’m energized and ready to start my challenge routine anew. After discussions with some Warrior-minded folks at Camp, I have embraced my Warrior side and intend to shift my CrossFit focus to increasing my weightlifting volume by supplementing my WOD routine through either strenuous negotiation with my coach or picking up a 24-hour gym pass on the side. Riding the high of Camp and my performance at the powerlifting meet there, along with conversations and a heavy dose of Warrior inspiration from the likes of Gainsdalf the Whey, Miss Marissa, and Sam Ashen, this Ranger is pillaging infiltrating your illustrious Warrior ranks for a challenge or two. With that in mind, I turn to the most indomitable and majestic of my personalities to summon the Viking once again.

Bro's and SwoleMaidens, We Warriors have a little bit of a reputation of being a little isolated from the rest of Nerd fitness guilds. We know what we like to do, put our earbuds in, listen to loud music, make ugly faces and loud grunts as be bang our heavy ass weights around. Talking to others is verboten. But are you getting the most out of your workouts? Are there things the other guilds do that maybe help you recover? fix deficiencies? change the monotony of your workout? Maybe increase your conditioning? This Challenge period, I challenge you to try something new. I want you to look at all the other guild's mini-challenges are participate. Make new friends, learn new skills, maybe... just maybe you'll do some cardio. Adventures have Mario Cart Games Assassin's are playing Sonic the Hedgehog Or do "Conditioning" with the rangers Then come back here and tell us how much fun you had, or (unlikely,) how much you hated it. Now, go forth and show these other guilds how awesome Warriors are. You will keep all the loot you achieve in these quests plus 1 point for wisdom when you complete a challenge.

Bros and SwoleMaidens, I conquered a kingdom and partook in too my festivals in my honor... and now I'm fat(ter). Its time to get back to work and make Br0din great again with this easy to list 4 step method: 1: Stop eating like an asshole. No more if it fits into my mouth. It must fit my macros, it must be counted. 2: Start lifting again. I have (what I think is) server tendinitis in my right elbow and forearm. Drugs and REST didn't help, so PT it is, starting tomorrow. So, lots of legs until I'm cleared to lift upper body. *(may have to reevaluate this after PT session.) 3: restart my abs exercises. I'm become lazy with my back PT because of time. Stop it. start doing abs. 4: Be awesome and spread my awesome to others. Same rules as past challenges, no need to restate them.

That's it. I"m getting my shit together. I've lost my way and not been disciplined like I want to be. So, I got some simple things to get me to my goals. 1. Track everything. cyclying between 1a: 3 weeks eating at 1800-1900 cals 1b: 1 week of 2500 cals (and don't eat all the extra cals for dinner.) 1c: put down the beer and wine. 2. Get to 205lbs. 3. Post daily on my thread. don't worry about putting cool gifs in my posts, just post. 4. Create a challenge for the Warriors this cycle. Here is an update since the last time I've challenged Good: I've been doing great to sticking to 5-3-1. I found a new app that does the plate math and tracks sets preformed vs failed. I've been getting stronger and just missed a 5lbs pr for my bench in the last VPL comp and almost getting a set PR every week. Bad: I've sucked at tracking foods, I would track breakfast, lunch and snacks... but fail to track dinner. I've been in recomp/slight bulk for too long. And got fat(ter) I keep drinking the beer and wine... then get hung over and can't lift the next day... or I have to heavily medicate to be functional. But enough about me, lets talk about you too! Since I'm obviously struggling at taking care of my own thread, I'm really not making time for others. So feel free to bring your PR's, success, failures and dramas in here.

I snatched 70K for the first time in 2 years on Friday!! After the miscarriages, it felt like I would never hit 70 again. AND because of me losing weight, its the first time I got to snatch above bodyweight since then too (am currently 66.5)! What a happy 4th of July PR! On the road to 78 (old PR) and 80 (new goal!!)

This is a big first for me. I finally put my own bodyweight over my head: 165 lbs. The lift was a behind-the-neck jerk. =)

Don't want to get caught in that Pokeman thing. he rules are convoluted enough with that added to this. Food plan, exercise. Life changes - back to what I used to do. Don't know the computer app for this site I already put my goals and food plan twice already. MagDoll

Bit late to the challenge party, but here we go. I'm competing on May 28, so I am full on meet preparation mode. I honestly only have a few things I need to focus on: Recover (stretch, sleep, eat) - Meet preparation is a lot of heavy weight at low volume, so it's crucial I recover enough. I also need to not eat TOO much or else I risk coming in over weight. I'm over a kilo under at this point, and I'm hoping to keep it that way. Get my form consistent - My snatch form especially has been all over the place, and I need to rein that in before I lift. I'm hoping to push my openers a bit heavier this time, so technique is crucial. That's really it. Head down, focus on the task at hand.

We all know that a true Warrior never lets a fellow Warrior skip leg day. But lets be honest beach body season is closing in and we worked on da wheelz last time with the 50/50 Squat challenge. So as your Guild Leaders we are encouraging you to embrace your inner bro and remember every day is upper body day. The challenge will target two of the biggest muscle groups that'll help you fill out that summer time tank or deep v tee. You're going to need two barbells, as you'll be super setting different movements with different weights, and a watch or your phone because its going to be timed. With a strict 25 minute cap, you'll complete 5 rounds of: Max Rep Bench Press @ 75% of your body-weight Max Rep Barbell(EZ Curl bar) Curl @ 25% of your body-weight This challenge should be approached with a bit of a strategy. You want to go to your (Max Reps - 1) on each of these sets, because you know there's going to be another round coming shortly thereafter. With a 25 minute cap, you have 5 minutes per round, which should allow you your necessary 3-5 minutes of rest time for muscle/energy recovery between sets. That said, this can very well burn a bit as you should always be keeping an eye on the clock. Options for our more veteran and our newly recruited Warriors. Advanced : 100% body-weight bench and 35% body-weight curls or chin ups Scaled : (if your 1RM is less than your body-weight) 70% of your 1RM for bench and 10% body-weight in dumbbells(curl both at the same time) Scores will be all rounds added together. A score of 120 will net you 1.5/1.5 to STR/STA, 90 will net you 1/1, and a score of 60 will get you .75/.75. We'll run this challenge until 6/4 to give you guys ample time to get your bench on. Get after it! stolen written by @brahway

Bro's and Swolemaidens, Its been too long. And I need to awaken from my Br0din sleep. When you last saw your lifting god in action, I was adjusting to a new boss, new work internet restrictions and figuring out tapatalk (why do I keep getting unsubscribed from treads!!!!) In the last 6 weeks: 1. supported the wife in her whole 30 quest. Cooking was fun, food tasty, but I stalled my weight loss cause I didn't count cals, because I didn't want to stress her out. Turns out she didn't whole 30 almost perfectly. 2. A coworker past away. Being the good guy I am, I volunteered to come in to work 2 hours earlier (that's 4AM now) to help cover his shift until new people can be hired and trained. 3. A manager asked me if I was interested in a position that he was trying to hire for the last 3 months. I think I'm a shoe in for it, but patience is a virtue. 4. 5-3-1 has been very successful for my bench strength. I don't mean to brag, but I got new PR's of 5@290lbs and 3@315. So, now to the future. 1. Count all the cals so I can get down to 205. (today, I'm at 217.4, but was at 212 10 days ago) 2. Continue 5-3-1 for bench. Be awesome. 3. Get Tan. stop looking like this: and start looking like this: So, shirt off tanning oil on, and play my stupid phone game out in the sun. 4. troll @Flex Luthor as every opportunity presents itself. 5. get sleep, don't be afraid to take a day off from the gym Yeah, your right. Sleep when your dead. Gym now.

Story time!! I took a break last challenge because LIFE. I went on vacation to Texas, lounged a lot, and generally just de-stressed and it was awesome. I started training again when I came back home but it was very sporadic and my heart wasn't into it. And suddenly, something changed. I signed up for a random meet that someone I know was hosting to try and get his top female lifter to qualify for nationals. You need a minimum of 6 lifters per session to have an officially sanctioned USAW meet, so I signed up mostly to help them out. The meet happened this past Saturday the 26th, and ho boy. It was the best goddamn meet I've ever done. I normally compete as a 58kg lifter, but decided to not cut for this meet and weighed in a solid 59.6, putting me in the next weight class up (63). Snatches were 3/3 at 51/54/57. I NEVER SNATCHED 57 IN A COMPETITION EVER. Even before my shoulder surgery. I completely blew away my expectations for the snatch and came out feeling amazing. Clean and jerks I went 2/3 with 65/68/70x. I almost had the 70 - the clean was easy but the jerk I left out in front. I ended up with a 125 total, better than any meet I've ever done. I came home from that meet with a renewed sense of confidence and drive. Which leads me to my challenge. I've started training again this week, right back into it. I'm testing out a program for some folks, and they require a lot of feedback, so my challenge really only has two goals: 1) DO. NOT. SKIP. TRAINING. Go train. Do my lifts. Take notes. Be as thorough as possible when dissecting this program, because it will likely end up benefiting a lot of people in the future. 2) EAT. YOUR. FOOD. If I don't eat enough, I will not recover from this program. I will need every calorie and every gram of carbohydrates I am allowed to make it through 4 more weeks of this program. That's it. Eat, train, take notes. Do it all. Get strong. I'm doing another meet at the end of May, and I am DETERMINED to finally snatch over bodyweight, and total 130 or more. I CAN DO IT.

Fitness Goals for 2016: --- Body Weight --- ☐ 1 Pistol w/each Leg ☐ 30 Pushups in a Row ☐ 10 Pull-Ups in a Row ☐ 30s Freestanding Handstand ☐ 5 BW Dips --- OLY --- ☐ Get an 80K Snatch ☐ Get an 91K C&J --- Powerlifting --- ☐ Get a 120k Squat ☐ Get a 145k Deadlift Post 2nd Miscarriage PRs (in kgs): Snatch: 67 || Clean & Jerk: 82 || Squat: 105 || Deadlift: ?? Lifetime PRs (in kgs): Snatch: 78 || Clean & Jerk: 89 || Squat: 115 || Deadlift: 137 -- Health -- ☐ Lose 12 pounds (7 to go!) Learning Goals for 2016: ☐ Learn to use my Camera (well) ☐ Find and start a pre/post partum fitness certification Life Goals for 2016: ☐ GET PREGNANT! ☐ Go on am out of state vacation!

Placeholder for Princess Heather's Challenge, involving getting into a routine after hubby returns to work and I become full time mom. In the meantime, enjoy this muppets gif depicting how I am coping with motherhood so far : Goal #1 Rehab and Build Strength Due to the swelling (which I now know was preeclampsia) I was carrying a lot of water weight in the last months of pregnancy, which bothered my knees and made staying active beyond walking difficult. I want to get back to weightlifting but I need to take things SLOW. I'm only 3 weeks post partum, so I'm focusing on increasing my walking (while carrying little man in a carrier for added weight bearing). Goal is 15 minutes of dedicated stretching amd 30 minutes of walking. Goal #2 Eating Well I have chosen to exclusively breastfeed, which means that my nutrient stores will continue to be focused on nourishing the little dude. So I will be focusing on simply remembering to eat three meals a day of real food (which can be hard when focused on keeping baby happy). Not worrying too much about calories as long as I'm eating enough. Goal #3 Develop My Routine With me being at home, I need to do what I can to help keep our budget in check. So I need to develop routines that let me cook dinner most nights, and that'll be helped by me keeping our kitchen clean. We're also cloth diapering, so that's loads of laundry that definitely HAVE to get done every few days. When I was working full time, hubby and I would leave house work until the last minute even though that makes me crazy. So I'm following the flylady morning and evening routines to form new habits and tackle cleaning and such.

Bro's and SwoleMaidens, "Let not the gains of your heart diminish the gains from your mind for the path of iron is long and full of hardship" Book of Liftviticus ch23, v13 Our cardio workouts aren't done. This time you won't be able to stand there and rest, so get your spotter. We are benching and benching a lot. Rules are continuous touch and go benches. You can only rest in the up position and not rerack the bar. Spotter help = end of your lift. You have to the end of this current challenge period to complete this challenge. Easy/normal mode The standard challenge will be 40 reps at 40% of your Body weight. To make this easier, you can do 20 reps at 25% of your body weight. Easy mode: +.5 strength, +.5 constitution Normal mode: +1 Strength, +1 constitution Hard Mode 40 reps at 80% of your bodyweight. +1.5 strength, +1.5 constituion Nightmare mode 40 reps at 100% BW. +2 strength, +2 constitution or you can play "Am I stronger than an NFL prospect?" AMRAP 225lbs 0-5 reps = I hope your kicking game is good 6-10 reps = are you fast and have good hands as a WR 11-15 reps = Stop throwing those interceptions! 16-20 reps = You dance game be strong after you take the interception to the house 21-25 reps = See you on Sportscenter, big hitter. 26-30 reps = taking the rock to the house 31-40 reps = you are big, fat and ugly, but you push everyone around on the field 40+ reps = lets check to see where you are in the record books

Hey guys! Not sure if I should post this in the warrior forum or here, but I felt this is the proper place. So, I have just started barbell training (stronglifts 5x5 + bodyweight exercises) 3x a week. Really having fun, and a change of pace from pure bodyweight strength training. However, I feel like I can do more during my rest days. Usually I go to MA classes (kali) during my rest days, but because of my current schedule, I can't. It's sad, I know. Now I'm wondering what conditioning workout I can do during my rest days that won't affect my strength training too much? I really feel like I could do more. My overall goal is to be a well rounded athlete, in terms of strength and endurance. Thank you very much, would appreciate the help.

So my first ever power lifting competition will be in May of this year. I really want to get down under 180 before then to get in a lower weight class, and that goal is very doable (im at around 190-195 but currently terrified of the scale)... Initial Prep: Month One Goals Keep Working Out: I am now a master of getting to my weight training sessions each week, I honestly don't remember the last time I missed one. This go around I will be adding in my Max Trainer though (a new toy I bought for myself). 30-1 hour every day I don't have weights, and 30 min on weight days if I am not dead when I get home. Go Gluten Free: This one is going to be a pain, because bread and pasta are so dear to me but I need to work on weight management and this should be a good starting point. This in no way means low carb, but more to aim me in the direction of more vegetables/fruits (which I enjoy already) and will hopefully help with bloat and gas issues (because farting in front of burly dudes is never something a lady wants to do, even if she does PR a squat or deadlift). Take my BCAAs Daily: No Gifs could be found for this so here is a random Anchorman gif for your viewing pleasure: I was doing well with this for a while, but I need to get back on track with them. They help me drink more water and reduce cravings for stupid bad things.

Brothern and Swolemadien, When I started 4 weeks ago, this was my mental spot But last Challenge I get back to fighting shape, but not close enough to where I want to be. So, lets keep the momentum going Fitness/nutrition Q1: Gym all the time, but don’t be afraid to take rest days, don’t be afraid to take some days off if the lower back feels strained. Snowboarding counts as a gym day Q2: Do Physical Therapy every day, even on days not going to the gym. Q3: Track all the foods and eat at a deficit. Superbowl Sunday will be the reward day for this awesomeness. Q4: Post before and after progress pics to show awesomeness achieved. LUYL: When there is fuck around time at work, take the free classes that they give me and stop surfing the internet. and of course Gotta have fun.

The time has come again Warriors, it's time to test our strength on the platform. All the workouts we put our bodies through, sometimes fun, sometimes painful, and sometimes monotonous, have all led up to this, showing what you've got and how you've progressed in those maximal displays of strength and power. Go dust off your armor, sharpen your blades, and prepare to grip it and rip it. Every 4 months, the Warriors come out to play and hold our virtual lifting competitions, which the whole forum is welcome to come participate in. When we start the actual Virtual Competition, a link will be posted here. This mini-challenge is about getting ready to lift those heaviest of heavy loads. Preparing your armor. Before you go into battle, you need to know what it is you're up against. What you'll need to defend against and what type of armor to wear. If you plan on competing in any federation sanctioned powerlifting competition, you'll need to be a bit stricter about what you wear. During the virtual competition, you will not be forced to wear a singlet but in real competitions, these are a requirement. Here is a list of the equipment that you can use in order to still be considered eligible for a "raw" lift. You also want to know exactly what it means to successfully complete one of your lifts. These also become a bit stricter than your usual day at the gym, and it's also one of the biggest reasons we harp on you hitting at least parallel in your squats. Each of the three big lifts are described here and success requirements for each lift are laid out on pages 9 & 10. Your Challenge: Familiarize yourself with the rules of powerlifting meets, especially when it comes to what ranges of motion you need to hit and where you need to pause in the lifts in order for them to count. +1 Wisdom for those who do. Preparing your weapons. Now that you know what you're up against, it's time we gave ourselves some weapons. The virtual lifting meet and sanctioned meets follow the same format: you get 3 attempts to lift as much as possible in Squat, then Bench, then Deadlift. 3 attempts, that's it. So, we need to know exactly what we want to try to hit on each of those attempts. The first step is knowing what your theoretical 1 Rep Max (1RM) is for each of the three lifts. The easiest way to do this is to find a rep max for a lighter weight (say for 4 reps, but no way you'd get 5), and use a calculator like one of these: EXRX.net or T Nation(slightly nsfw). You can now use this number to plan out your three attempts. First Lift / Your Opener: Let's get one thing straight, you're not going to put up great numbers if you don't hit your opener. This lift should be heavy enough to inspire confidence in you but light enough that you could roll out of bed with a hangover and hit it. What could you hit for a double or triple? Think somewhere around the 90-92% range. Second Lift: This is not where you go big. This is where you hit a lift that you are 100% convinced that you can make that will raise your total score. This should be a hard lift, but not so hard that you risk losing it. Think somewhere in the range of 94-98% of your 1RM. Third Lift: Here's where we go big. Time to try for a new personal best. How did the last lift feel? Good? Go for your 1RM + 5lbs. Great? Go for your 1RM + 10-15lbs. Cake? Throw a gorram plate on there. Here's the thing, you still want to hit this lift. You don't want to try and fail, so if the day is feeling crappy, it's also completely acceptable and smart to take a bit off your final planned attempt if you're just not in the groove. Make the last attempt, be happy you increased your score, and move on to the next lift. Examples My current 1RM for squats is around 475; I plan on looking for 485 at the end of the day. My attempts will look something like this: 1st: (475) @ 92% = 435 2nd: (475) @ 97% = 460 3rd: (475) @ 102% = 485 Reading material: Maryland Powerlifting writeupAndy Bolton, simple tipYour Challenge: Plan out your three attempts for each lift. +1 Wisdom to those who do. Prepare Your Body Part of participating in a competition is making sure you are going in fresh so that you are at 100%. Lifting heavy weights takes a toll on the body and it needs to be prepared for that stress. The further along you are in your lifting journey, the larger the toll. As you become more adapt at lifting consistently, your body will become accustomed to certain levels of stress. That said, prepping for a competition is nothing like your regular "heavy" days. For you novices, the workout before the competition should be a light day. Reduce your working loads by 20-30% and just get the reps in, keep the movement patterns ingrained and get the blood flowing. Avoid anything that requires work set level effort. This will give your body more time to recover before the competition and make sure it is ready to exert 100% effort rather than maybe 90-95%. For you intermediates, in addition to the light workout before the competition, the two before that should also be light or medium. If you are on a weekly periodization program like the Texas Method, this is especially true. You have learned to put such effort into the lifts and take your body to such a level of exertion that it takes more than just 1 light workout for your body to fully recover. While a light day is 30% lighter than working sets, a medium day may only be 15% lighter. This allows you to still get work in and maintain strength, but does not put as high of a recovery toll on the body. Personally, I like to do a light workout at 3 sets of 5 reps for each lift at around 50% 1RM 3-5 days before the competition, then take the rest off, focusing on getting really good sleep and food intake and making sure I'm at 100% for those lifts. Your challenge: Take it easy, rest up, and prepare yourself as best you can to put in an all out effort on the day you put in your entry. +1 Constitution to those who do. This mini is copied word for word from Gainsdalf who borrowed it from the two Seth did back in early 2013. Since, I was called out for not citing my sources last time, so make sure you read it in Gainsdalf's voice. This Challenge will end on 26 FEB

Ladies and gentle folk, it costs $50/year to have the premium version of myfitnesspal. What it offers that I'm interested in: Ability set macros in grams vs percentages. It annoys me that my target for protein can be either 102 or 122 g and nothing in between, based on my calories and percentages. It is trivial but it annoys me. Different Goals by Different Day. It would be nice to be able to set higher carbs on my lifting days. I just let myself go over my max carbs on those days. Ability to not have it give me more calories if I exercise. The point of exercising is to be in shape. I don't want to eat back the calories I ate. And it would be easier to not have it give me extra calories than to have to look at my count and my goal and do the math. It also says you get a nutrient dashboard but doesn't even explain what that is. Is it worth the money to save me the time and energy of doing the above mentally rather than electronically? Do you like the paid version?

Workout Finishers Welcome Brothern and Swolemaidens, it’s that time again, time for your weekly side quest. Contrary to popular belief being a warrior isn't always about size and strength; it’s also about having the gas tank to back it up. What’s the use of a battle axe if you can only swing it once or twice before passing out? What’s the use of heavy armor if it wears you down? If this sounds familiar it’s time to step up your conditioning game. Now I know what you’re thinking. But Br0din, what about mah gainz? Don’t worry there will be no cardio bunnies here, cuz bunnies are only good for one thing, PWO meals. Instead of treadmills, ellipticals, or stair climbers (aka the hamster wheels of the masses), we’ll be using the Iron and good old fashion body weight. So how do we balance strength training and metabolic conditioning? Enter the workout finisher. Finishers are intense but short conditioning sessions done at the end of a strength workout. They can vary in the implements used and the duration of each movement, but the goal is always the same; go hard, go fast, and get it done. Of course we don’t want to interfere with your training so we’ll be introducing one new finisher a week. Your challenge is to find a way to fit it into your schedule at least once during that time. In addition we recognize that a few of us may not have access to some of the forth coming implements, as such we’ll also provide a weekly body weight alternative. Use this thread to ask questions and record your weekly workout in the following format. Date Completed: Workout Details: Exercise Feedback: Your reward for completing each weekly side quest will be one point per week added to your Stamina (STA) attribute. Quests will be posted at random times on Monday, so make sure you check in. Week 1 - Bear Complex Week 2 - Tabata Kettle Ball Swings Week 3 - Sledge Hammer Timed Rounds Week 4 - ...burpees

Brothern and Swole Maidens, I have been asleep for too long And allowed Broki to run amuck. Time to wake up and get back into fitness and stop eating everything and getting my drinky drinky on But now is a new year, and new start and time to stop this and pay for our sins But, the goals are still the same: Fitness/nutrition Q1: Gym all the time, but don’t be afraid to take rest days, don’t be afraid to take some days off if the lower back feels strained. Snowboarding counts as a gym day Q2: Do Physical Therapy every day, even on days not going to the gym. Q3: Track all the foods and eat at a deficit. Superbowl Sunday will be the reward day for this awesomeness. Q4: Post before and after progress pics to show awesomeness achieved. LUYL: When there is fuck around time at work, take the free classes that they give me and stop surfing the internet.

Hey nerds, it's my first challenge in the last few months. I kind of took a break from challenges last year and just hung out in chat with my new BFFs. However it has a distressing lack of animated gifs. On the bright side I maintained my current level of fitness in 2015. On the other side, I maintained my current level of fitness in 2015! It's time to get serious about making progress. I'm committing to doing more challenges this year AND to stepping up my gif game. My goals are from my trainer. He says to stop being lazy and work out 5x a week. 3 lifting and 2 (trigger warning) cardio. Simple enough. Time for me to not be lazy. The workouts are simple and mostly focused around gaining strength in the most efficient way. Goal 1: lift 3x a week Day 1: Push day Day 2: Pull day Day 3: Leg day. 'nuff said I realize this is controversial, but I like a little cardio. Goal 2: Cardio 2x per week Also, apparently my lack of core strength is holding up my lifts. Core strength is important, for things like competitive grocery carrying: Which leads me to: Goal 3: Plank 3x 30s each day. Planking. Not for the faint of heart. Now we've reached the life goal part of the challenge. I'm obsessed with the idea of retiring early. That requires making sure I accumulate large files of money. I've got a great job, but would love to have some passive income. I can codez, so my 4 week goal is to make a really shitty app and put it in the app store, just to see if I can get anyone to download it. We'll see how that goes.

The new year is traditionally about reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the next, and that's exactly what this first mini-challenge is going to be about. As lifters of heavy things, our training is arduous and our gains slow over time. It's not uncommon for it to take months to increase a lift by just a single increment, especially after you've been lifting for a while. On the other end of the spectrum, when first beginning, the lifts may increase quickly at first, but then you stall out, have to reset and decrease the weight, and take weeks to work back up to where you were before. Same deal with finding you have a form fault where the weight has to drop so you can drill it while you work back up. Strength training is a long bumpy road with lots of ups and downs, and takes much dedication, perseverance, reflection, and planning to be successful at. Over the next 2 weeks, I'd like everyone to discuss in this thread their experiences from the last year (or less if you're newer) when it comes to strength training, what they learned, and how you each plan to improve over this next coming year. You can also look at what you wrote last year. Take this information, both that gained from self-reflection and from the trials of others, and come up with a goal for the year and a plan on how you're going to achieve it. What did you do wrong last year? What can you do to improve upon it? What habits can you work on developing that will help you? That brings us to the Letter of Intent. All of the above should culminate with you posting a Letter of Intent in this thread. It doesn't have to be for a competition like in the link (though I agree completely with all the points in that post and competing will be part of my own letter), but it should include some hard date to do SOMETHING related to strength training by (but can include other things as well), preferably in front of a bunch of people, even if it's just virtually here in one of our virtual lifting competitions. This is about accountability, and about building a long term strength training and overall fitness plan and goals, that you can then use to set up incremental training goals and plans (sounds like a way to plan your 4 week challenges better, huh?).