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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.

This is a continuation of my last challenge... pregnancy is weird and therefore goals are uber basic and all about maintaining what strength and health I can while EVERYTHING is changing. Goal#1 Be Prepared Lift Once a Week. I need to be doing this. I've already majorly checked my ego at the door, and I've discontinued crossfit because the gym didn't have enough options for scaling way down on the weights (its a brand new place this year, still getting equipment), but I can go to my little community gym and get it light squats and deadlifts and continue to train pullups with assistance. At least until much further along in my pregnancy. I know things will need to scale more one relaxin sets in and I need to start protecting my joints. But if I do the work now, I'll be much better prepared for labor and what will probably be a life without the gym for at least several weeks postpartum. Goal #2 Slimy Yet Satisfying Just eat real food, as much as possible. Aversions to eggs, the smell of cooking meat, and other things has thankfully passed now. But my eating habits took a serious hit and I'm having a rough time getting back to reality. I need to eat at least one serving of veggies and one of fruit a day to even remotely feel okay about my diet. For the purposes of this, potatoes don't count. Neither do peppers if they are on a pizza haha. Goal#3 The Lion Sleeps Tonight In bed by 11pm, no excuses! I'm a night owl, and new schedule at work means one day where I won't be home for the night until about 9, so anything earlier than 11 is probably never going to be realistic. But I NEEDS the sleep. Bonus points for naps. I'll still be doing some yoga, the occasional hike, and definitely playing/training with Meg, but I need to keep my expectations in check and know that I'm just not going to have the energy to do all the things, and that's ok.

So I fell off the face of the planet last challenge, and I think I'll let my Meg tell you why: WARNING: Frank discussion of hormones and lady business ahead, skip to goals below if you only care about lifting etc. For anyone who has read any of my challenge threads in the past year and a half or so, know that I have been trying to figure out what on earth is wrong with my hormones, cycles, and fertility, and was like 1 test away from an official diagnosis of PCOS, after YEARS of telling my doctors that I was certain I had it. So finding out that I was pregnant literally while waiting for a referral for yet another PCOS diagnostic scan was such an amazing surprise. Though, to be fair, I had a pretty good idea that for the first time in at least a year, I actually ovulated (long unpredictable cycles generally don't allow for the right hormonal conditions for releasing eggs). In fact, my ovulation predictor kit (pee sticks into a machine most mornings each month) had never once gone above "low" readings, and went to "high" for a couple days and then actually gave me a "peak" reading! That's what should happen every month for "normal" people. Two weeks later, I had cramps that I assumed were a period finally coming on (I think by then it was about day 40 of my cycle). But this persisted for about 4 days without a period, and that's not typical for me. Plus, I had the added bonus of being at about 10% of my normal energy levels, needing naps after work and being completely drained just from doing a load of dishes. So I bought an early pregnancy test, and was thrilled to see that it was positive! Mr. Princess was asleep after working a night shift, so I spent the day just enjoying the news privately, and getting an official blood test done to confirm. I told him when he woke up that evening. Since then we've told our family and friends and announced on facebook last week. I had my first appointment last week and heard a few heartbeats, and now its very very real to me. Between nausea and fatigue, my house is a disaster, I've been eating practically an all starch diet, Meg is bored, and time is just flying. But now that I'm nearing the end of the 1st trimester (already) a lot of this yucky feeling should pass and get better. So these are my goals, with the overarching theme of reclaiming my groove for the rest of this pregnancy (within reason) and to enjoy this new roller coaster I'm on. Goal #1: Bring It On Exercise 3 days a week. Work on just getting in some exercise each week. With the fatigue, I have a rough time even getting out enough with Meg for her exercise. But I can usually make it through the first 20 minutes of something and get over the hump and feel good, so if I can force myself to do that a few times a week I'll be happy. Still hiking and lifting, and occasional zumba or yoga. Goal #2: I've never liked your spinach puffs. Eat as well as I can stomach. Before being pregnant, I assumed I'd be able to just force myself to eat healthy despite any morning sickness etc. Boy was I wrong. Fried eggs for breakfast? NOPE. Cooking meat and veggies for dinner? GAG. Even feeding Meg her kibble is enough to turn my stomach. So, I'm going to make the best choices I can for how I feel each day. I'm trying to at least limit straight up sugar, and when I feel like eating something good, jump on that opportunity for healthy eating. I've been eating a lot of mexican food, which all things considered is better than eating fast food. Goal #3: Lady with a baby coming through. Just enjoy the process. I want to be able to enjoy this time, despite the obvious setbacks to my healthy lifestyle and the puking and such. I am so happy that this is happening, and I want to record these changes and milestones. So I will be doing one journal entry a week, just to get a general idea of how things have progressed. I'm not a journal-er, so this is probably all I can commit to accomplishing, but it'll be cool to be able to look back on someday.

I was going to skip this challenge because I was beginning a new job, and didn't know how hectic my schedule would be, etc. In other words, Whaaaaa. While I was reading the posts of the other warriors I realized a couple of things. You people are even busier than I am for the most part, if you have time to work on yourselves then so do I. If I have time to read your posts, then I have time to do the work myselfSo no more excuses FOOD – Quit eating like an asshole. This seems to be a theme this challenge and I am no exception. I use My Fitness Pal regularly. I realize what a reasonable portion of most foods look like, and even on days that I splurge my caloric intake tends to be just a little above my TDEE, buuuuut I get fast food on weekends, and I get ice cream because my husband has some and I’m jealous, or I get into my daughter’s candy because I am PMSing. There is a whole list of excuses and those excuses are why I still have a pudgy belly. So my food goal for this challenge is: Mindful eating – stop and think before I eat, have some tea or ice water with lime before indulging in sweets. Wait at least 20 minutes before getting a second helping. EXERCISE – Step up the strength training My strength training is starting to scare me, simply because I have never squatted this heavy before. I am at a 125 lb squat, which for a 150 lb female is not heavy, but it is the heaviest I have ever done. I have a pattern of working up to 120-125, skipping a week or so, deloading and then working back up to 125. I commit to lifting consistently during this challenge. I’m currently lifting once a week; my goal is to lift three times a week. I want to get stronger and I am ok with the weight increasing slowly, but in order to get the gains I need to do the work. LIFE – Book/Blog I love Child Development, I have given parenting classes and will talk for hours about all things related to children, learning and teaching. I have ideas bouncing around in my brain that want to be a book, but I haven’t been brave enough to put them to paper yet. I came across a quote that says, “You can’t edit a blank page.†and that is going to be my motto for this challenge. I am going to write a section of my book or a blog post once a week. I may not publish them right away, but I’m going to get them down on paper. LIFE – House Like a lot of other rebels, my living environment could be better. My husband and I are good about cleaning the kitchen daily (he calls them his Wife Faction dailies) but deeper cleaning and organization has slacked off. I have a Wunderlist set up for tasks around the house and I’m going to commit to doing one item off that list daily. Most of them are little things like vacuuming the living room or folding the t-shirts that have been living in a laundry basket for a month, so they are quick and easy to do.

Hey Warriors, You read that title right, dsavage is switching teams (from rangers). After close to a year on nerdfitness, I've come full circle. Here's my story: Last August I started nerdfitness. I've always had a pretty unimpressive physique. For years I've been around 150-160lb with a bit of a belly. I come from a family of runners, but I've had a hard time staying focused on fitness since college. For one brief, glorious year after high school I worked out every week, working my way up to 180 lbs by being a gym rat. (In addition to tutoring calculus, the college gym offered me a job because I spent so much time there). "Working" at a gym at a community college during summer is pretty much the gym-goer's dream job. Unfortunately I moved out of my hometown to start my 2nd year of college and dropped it all so fast it would make your head spin. For 10 years I would work out a little, and lose it, run a little, and lose it. It's nice that I never really "let myself go", but I got so tired of working at being in shape and never actually being in good shape. Fast forward 10 years and I had hit a new highwater mark weight wise and started needing to buy bigger pants (34" instead of 32"). I was also dangerously close to 30. I had the realization that I really wanted to be in good shape by the time I hit 30. I also felt like if I didn't get in shape now, it would be twice as hard later. After doing nerd fitness since August of last year, I've made some pretty great gains. I can knock out lots of pushups, and an easy half-dozen pull ups. I managed to hit a 6 minute mile (I figure if I run hard enough, it's not cardio). I've focused on mobility issues so now I can squat and deadlift with good form, although the weights are way too low. Due to doing squatting and deadlifts correctly I have way better core strength (it really does help with posture and back pain). Not to leave out diet: After a brief love affair with paleo, I've found a new food obsession: clean eating. I read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and now I'm hooked on clean eating and avoiding unproceesed foods. tbh I'm hooked on my own cooking, it's become my new hobby. Since I work from home I do most of the cooking around my house. We eat a shitload of meat. So I think I'm ready to really get serious with my squats, deadlifts, dips, bench press, and ohp. I think I'm going to need some warrior encouragement to do it. I also just finished up 6 weeks of bulking. It's actually weird, I'm within 5lbs of the weight I was at when I started nerdfitness, but I feel (and look) much better. I'm going to start doing 5x5 workouts and linearly progressing the weight until failure. I think this is stronglifts. I'm also going to do a cut. I know that will hinder my gains, but that's ok. So here are my goals: Goal 1: 30 inch waist I like to place my cutting goals in terms of measurements. That way if the gains fairy gives me an extra 10 lbs of muscle, I still achieve my goal. I'm going to achieve this goal mostly through diet, and I'll be doing some extra cardio. Goal 2: Complete 6 weeks religiously following the stronglift 5x5 program Because my legs are too damn small, and so are all my other muscles. This sort program seems like the best thing to do to maintain muscle mass during my cut anyways. Goal 3: Begin tracking food in MFP I've never done any calorie counting or macro counting, and I think it's holding me back. I need to get serious about my diet so I can change the things I need to change to get stronger.

What's up fellow warriors? I meant to get this post up earlier, but the week took an unexpected turn Monday afternoon when I received a phone call telling me to start my new job the next morning as opposed to this coming Monday. I had my basic goals drafted up, but sticking to them was a challenge because I was completely unprepared for the unexpected work week: dirty clothes, empty pantry, etc. etc. I did what I could and I'll summarize the week tomorrow. For now, I am going to simply post my mission and quests as I am leaving to see Jurassic World soon. Check my battle log in my signature if you want to see how I developed these. Main Quest: Weigh Below 200lbs (Challenge with myself - see how low I can go by my birthday on August 5th - see progress bar below) Quest 1: Do not exceed my daily calorie limit. Current maximum = 1800 kcal. This will be reevaluated each Sunday based on changes in my weight or other variables. I will be tracking my macros and aiming to meet those goals as well (particularly protein), but for the purposes of my second challenge, I will only be grading myself based on calories. I am currently living with family and do not have complete control of what is in the pantry or when we eat out. I'll have a lot more freedom when the paychecks start coming in. Potential Stat Growth: 3 CON 2 WIS Quest 2: Follow StrongLifts 5x5 with HIIT Program. I'm continuing my programming from last challenge. I am starting at a 10% deload from my working weights at the end of the last challenge. My form needs some work, as it suffered in favor of increasing weight due to ego and becoming overeager. I am going to incorporate stationary bike HIIT at the conclusion of each workout. My new job will necessitate two early morning (waking up at 4:00 AM) workouts and one on the weekend at my convenience. Potential Stat Growth: 3 STR 2 STA Quest 3: Get on a regular routine - waking up, gym, work, meals, hygiene, sleep. I felt this one out during the first week, getting in a general habit of consistency (aimed for a 10:00 PM bedtime) and then I'm going to adjust during the second week. I intend to maintain the same bedtime on workout days, but sleep in through my workout time on rest days to capitalize on extra recovery time. The other things mentioned like meals and hygiene will be figured out as I go. By the end of the second week, I intend to have a firm schedule in place, having experienced a full work week with programming. Potential Stat Growth: 2 WIS Life Quest: Look sharp, be sharp, stay sharp - This is a continuation of my life quest from last time, but a little more extreme. I'm going to make big things happen at this company and I need to look the part. Additionally, I have skin treatment products that need to be used with each shower and medication that I need to use daily. I also tend to let my fast growing facial hair get out of hand out of laziness. That can't happen anymore. Dental hygiene.... not the king of that either, so I'm making a checklist: 1. Shower after every workout 2. Shower before work 3. Shower if dirty, sweaty, or used the pool 4. Apply all necessary skin care products when showering 5. Brush teeth 2x/day minimum 6. Floss 1x/day minimum 7. Be clean shaven/hair cut professionally short at all times 8. Take all medications at their appropriate times daily 9. Each Sunday make sure that there are at least 5 clean work outfits ready for the next week. This is all or nothing. I need to hit all points. I know that's a lot of showering, but I have oily skin/hair and tend to look like a vagrant if I don't bathe. Potential Stat Growth: 3 CHA That's it for now - more tomorrow. Glory to the warriors! And here's to not getting crushed under the weight of it all!

*For those who know me, this is really similar to my last challenge, but since I skipped a challenge I’m trying to go back to the basics a bit* Also, I just bought an Xbox One, primarily so I could play the new Witcher game. I love it, but NO SPOILERS PLEASE! So that may or may not be taking over my life. Just so you know. (Some of my challenge may or may not be witcher themed….). Introduction: Hi, I’m elvenengineer and this is my third challenge. I really want to get stronger so that I could theoretically swing a giant sword to fight monsters and save people. I started the StrongLifts 5x5 program in my first or second challenge, but had some issues with injuries throughout my fitness journey. It mostly bothers me that my injuries are never from working out, but they affect my workouts. My right wrist is just not happy. Ever. I really need to develop healing through meditation or eating. If I healed when I ate, I would never have any issues. Why can’t we use game mechanics in real life? Main Quest: Get stronger in my upper body! 3 sets of 5 pull-ups or chin-ups is the overall goal, along with 3x20 pushups (where I was several years ago – but I had horrible form) Quest 1: Workout 4 days a week Do SOMETHING everyday- StrongLifts for 3 workouts preferably, but if I get sick or injured, running/walking* for all is acceptable. I started Zombies, Run, and I’m loving it! I’d like to do one longish run a week. I also really like StrongLifts, but I’ve fallen off the wagon a bit due to a wrist injury. That’s why I took up running again. However, for a gym incentive, I’ll give myself one bonus point for strength if I can deadlift my body weight by the end of the challenge! I need to be able to pick up the enormous piles of money I make from playing gwent. Also, my favorite witcher fighting tactic is the ability to dodge and/or run away in between sword swings. So there’s that. Measurement: A = 4 days/week, B = 2 days/week, C = 1 day/week, D = None Reward: A = +1 STR, +1 STA B = +1 STR, C = +1 STA *Note: for a run/walk to count, it must be ≥ 20 minutes Quest 2: Eat better! Okay, I know that’s really vague, so this is how it’s going to go (quantifiably – I am an official engineer now!). Each day I can either: eat a fruit or veggie with every meal OR eat one meal completely paleoOkay, I know this is a little wimpy but I’m giving myself a lot of slack as points go. If I do get 7 days per week consistently for the challenge, I will add a point to each of my rewards. But I want to focus on achievable goals this time, and 5 days/week is achievable to me J [can’t figure out how to tie into the witcher… feel free to give suggestions anyone] Measurement: A = 5 days/week, B = 4 days/week, C = 3 days/week, D = ≤ 2 days/week Reward: A = +2 CON, B = +1 CON, C = +0.5 CON, D=0 Quest 3: Get 8+ hours of sleep per night. I keep leaving this in my challenges because I feel like it really makes a difference in my life, but for some reason if I don’t make it a goal it falls by the wayside. i.e “Oh, I can play the Witcher another hour….†Must be like Geralt and recover from the day. Well I guess he just meditates. Details. Measurement: A = 7 days/week, B = 5 days/week, C = 3 days/week, D = 1 day/week, F = None Reward: A = +1 CHA, B = +0.5 CHA Life Quest: Consistently put 20% of income in savings, and transition from paying a car note to putting money in my investment accounts. Finally paid off my car, but since I’m used to paying it, might as well continue and benefit from it! I wish you could earn interest in video games. Maybe per hour of playing time? That would be awesome, I would have so much gold because I just run around doing side quests and talking to people more than half the time when I play anything. Completed: +1 WIS Motivation: Working/studying in a male dominated field means that physical strength often equals respect. People are surprisingly impressed and automatically assume me more capable when I can help them lift and move things. Also, I just love the idea of being able to lift my bodyweight someday and being able to move things heavier than I am (like giant swords)!

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.

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

Last Challenge: Currently: If you've never read my challenge threads, and don't like discussions of lady hormones and issues, please skip down to goal #1. Just had my follow up with my gynecologist this morning. Was not terribly helpful. I am most likely the absolute tiniest amount insulin resistant a person can be, and they would like to start me on metformin (diabetes med). I would prefer to try to deal with it through diet and some supplements (will be addressed below). I probably have PCOS (its never a 100% diagnosis), as I have a few of the markers, but not all of them. I also had a positive change in my hormones this month (possibly due to taking 10 days of progesterone at the start of the cycle) and may have actually ovulated this cycle, which is certainly a step in the right direction for me. If I'm really superbly lucky and fortunate, I got pregnant last week. So all goals are basically in support of addressing insulin resistance through food, and keep hormones on keel through stress reduction, movement, and sleep. Goal #1 No more beignets! While last challenge didn't go as planned food wise, it was an improvement, and maybe contributed to my improving hormone situation. So I'm basically going to keep on trucking. 1800/2000 cals of paleo/primal fare depending on activity level. Going to track throughout, but probably not everyday. 25/45/30 on Carbs/Fat/Protein. Most carbs will be fruit and veg, and maybe the occasional ice cream. Supplements... I already take a variety of things (though of course diet is a better foundation for sure), but for the insulin senstivity thing, I will be taking inositol and chromium. And as part of preconception stuff, making sure to take my cod liver oil, beef liver, magnesium, and red raspberry leaf tea. I better make a checklist. Goal #2 Lights out! Another holdover from last challenge, where I improved, but not enough. Once again, goal is a set wake up and bedtime (which is getting harder and harder as we near midnight sun in Alaska). I'll make exceptions for days off, but will keep it within reason. Even on a day off, there's no excuse for not getting to bed. I need to start winding down at 9pm, be in bed by 10. Alarm is set for 6:15. Goal #3 Move! This is simple. I need to be doing something physical 5 days a week. Some will be lifting, some crossfit, maybe toss in yoga here and there, and definitely hiking. Just move! (Most of this goal will probably be about getting Meg out on the trails, which is fine by me!) Goal #4 Don't stress! I know that in addition to sleep, I tend to stress over things not getting done (even when they're not important). I will be aiming for 2 meditation sessions and 3 recreational reading sessions... which have to take priority over cleaning the garage, or painting the guest room, or other things I think need done RIGHT NOW. Starting StatsWeight 142 (down 2 from last challenge, but likely water weight and/or natural fluctuation)Height 5'3BMI 25.2Natural Waist 31Waist @ Belly Button 35.5Hips 40Calves 14Biceps 10.5Bust 30.5/38Thighs 23

Hey everyone, this is my first challenge with the Warriors and I am both really excited and nervous. I tend to get a "little" geeky with my challenge designs FYI, but tends to be the only way I can have fun with them. Please share your thoughts and comments! I wish everyone a great challenge! Also, I am super stoked for ESO on PS4 Becoming the Dragonborn In this challenge all main quests reward XP and all side quests reward Rep the goal of this challenge is to get enough XP to level up: XP to level up: 717/1,000 XP 71.7%71.7% Stats for Leveling Up: STR-4 DEX-2 STA-4 CON-2 WIS-2 CHA-1 Healing Quest: Expansion Pack: Defeating Miraak PLP Challenge Starting weight: 173.6 Starting Pic: Ending Weight 161 Ending Pic: Quest Log Blood's Honor Glory of the Dead The College of Winterhold Traversing Skyrim The Dawnguard The Blades Also, to be accountable I have been a tool with money. Through the last challenge I ran up my Credit Card, by lying and justifying to myself. So as a bonus- at the end of the challenge: for every $100 paid of my CC I will give myself 20 bonus XP Bonus #2: If I reach Rivendell during the challenge=50XP I finally settled on a reward! I will be buying a steel mace for ancient Hindu warrior/wrestling training next challenge This thing is awesome! Check out the article on it on the blog: The Art of Manliness The Mace I will be buying

So I've been thinking about swapping power cleans in for barbell rows, but I'm a little hesitant to try them without coaching. because the movement is so complex. The instructions in Starting Strength seem to go against everything I know about lifting weights, but Rippetoe obviously has more experience with them then I will ever have, but I've also seen in a couple of places people saying that Rip's version of the Power Clean is wrong. It's the "jump" part that seems weird to me. Am I just overthinking it?

Hey! I like lifting heavy (for me) and eating food and occasionally sucking down some beer, and crushing skulls. Okay, not really crushing skulls. I like to think that I would do that, but I wouldn't. I'm a big softie. But a strong one!

So my dumb basement flooded last June and derailed my challenge about a week in and then I just didn't seriously get back on the wagon until January, and I've been lifting consistently since. The progress has been pretty good. I have also found that beers the night before lifting doesn't always help with my lifting. Surprise. I'm hitting plateau-ville on a lot of my lifts that are listed below. I'm following a Starting Strength(ish) program. Ima keep doing that.

Bro's, it's that time of the year. Summer time and like any good Bro, its time to show off all the hard work of the year. Put down the useless stuff like chalk, weight belts, and sleeves and get out the spray tanners, hair gel and Axe. 1st Goal: Track all foodz and get lean. A Bro knows that starving now = lots of attention later. A Bro lifting status should be known from miles away. The question "do you even lift bro?" should be to so obvious that if asked, the only response is a blank stare. 2. A Bro knows that he has to be ready to bro at anytime. You can't bro if you are at home with an ice pack on your shoulder. A Bro must do the things to ensure the Bro is at his best all the time. 3. A Bro lifts not to be strong, but to be big is all the right places. A Bro doesn't waste time on unless exercises that don't make your arms bigger. A Bro does curls every day. A Bro doesn't care what equipment a bro uses as long as he can see his gainz in the mirror. But at the end of the day, this is all I really want:

I have a strained rotator cuff and it sucks. All this pent up energy and no outlet. So... 1. still count dem calories. last Challenge 3 bad weekends sabotaged all my gains. this time, get it down to 1. 2. I still need to do my lower back PT. I haven't done it in 12 days but most of it was because I was sick. I can still do it all even if I'm resting my shoulder. 3. Figure out my PT (and dont take 6 weeks to get an appointment.) Do what they say, and dont rush back too quickly. 4. Be more social in other peoples challenge threads. Lots of great stuff going on, but I"m not being apart of it. workout in here.

Hello to the Warrior Guild! This is my first challenge and since I'm starting late I'll jump right into it. Main Quest 1) Workout four days per week following the Get Swole program from Bodybuilding.com 2) Follow the clean meal plan laid out in the Get Swole program, allowing one cheat meal per week 3) Gain at least 5 lbs of lean body mass Life Quest Complete the Java Tutorial for Complete Beginners course on Udemy.com I entered the 200K Transform Challenge hosted by Bodybuilding.com which has given me an even greater motivation to succeed. The program I chose to follow is sixteen weeks long and so it will occupy the next 6-week challenge or two. I'll be posting my progress here as well as tracking my workouts on BodySpace. I currently work as a Database Administrator even though my degree is in software development. Most of my experience comes from web development, but I would like to branch out into desktop and mobile development using Java.

I recently finished my undergraduate degree and now have a couple of months to wait until I can start my internship. I was in a similar situation last year in terms f time frame and that's when I started my journey in fitness and also when I met the Nerdfitnes community and fell in lub. I have learned so much and really eager to learn more.For the last challenge on the last day I injured my self on some squats (No power racks at my gym), so now I have an anxiety when squatting so I'll be working on that during the challenge and possibly finding a new gym. Always wanted to join the warriors guild and finally can; welcome 2015 and welcome Ultra HDlevs. Main Quest I want to get bigger and stronger by September 2015 and I really want to focus on using proper form throughout my lifts. Side Quest 1 Lift at least 3x every week. (Tracked using either stronglifts app or bodyspace app) Side quest 2 Get adequate rest and log atleast 7.5 hours sleep everyday. (Tracked using Sleepbot app) Side quest 3 To eat atleast 2700 calories each day. (Tracked using Myfitness pal) Life Quest I want to read some pharmacy related information for at least 15 mins each day.

Oh 2014.... I am quite happy you are over. It was a long year for me, marked by a finished grad degree, a new job, best friend's wedding, summer and winter house guests, and getting settled into Alaskan life. And Meg, can't forget her! But because I was so busy, lifting got put on the back burner and has completely stalled ever since. At the same time, I really fell off the paleo wagon, and while I still pay attention to quality, I let myself slide on a lot of things that experience tells me don't work for my body. I'm sure long time readers of my threads are sick of hearing about lady cycles, but I'm having a excessively long cycle and I am not pregnant, which is frustrating because I'd like to be. SO. No more excuses. I am getting my diet, exercise, sleep/stress in line. Goal #1 GOT BREAKFAST FOR YOU ! I am starting a Whole30 on January 9th. I have already mostly cut everything down to Whole30, except for wanting to use up some heavy cream and cheese I had in my fridge. My brother flies back home Thursday, so Friday is a much nicer clear start date for me. So this will mean NO GLUTEN, GRAINS, DAIRY, LEGUMES, SOY, ADDED SWEETeNER. I am hopeful that this will be enough to kick start my cycles again and regulate hormones. I've been taking a specific set of supplements for helping with that, but I haven't been supporting that process nutritionally so that's no bueno. Bonus goal: Cook 1 meal with beef heart... its been in my freezer and I need to quit being scared! Goal #2 LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS I am thinking of doing Starting Strength, since I really feel like I am back to square one at this point. Regardless of program, I am doing weights twice a week. This is going to take priority over any other type of training, but I will likely do some yoga and hiking as well on warmer days. Goal #3: GO TO YOUR TENT ! In other words, go the hell to sleep already. Another goal better served after my brother leaves, but the goal will be to wind down at 9 by turning off the tv etc and drink my magnesium and read a book and lights out at 10. This would help me get up at 6am so I can walk Meg and/or hit the weights with enough time for some breakfast and a shower before work. Goal #4 WHO'S THE SMARTEST DOGGY IN THE WORLD? Same goal as last time, some dedicated training time each day. Thankfully, Meg is a breed that is smart, and she seems to enjoy the challenge of training. I have 4 more weeks of puppy class and then another class I'm planning to add, so I'll have plenty of homework to work on with her. She's doing really well already, but of course training will never really end if we want her to be a good dog. And this is better for exercise inside, since it is now minus 2 degrees in my part of Alaska. TL;DR #1 Complete a Whole30 #2 Lift Twice Weekly #3 Implement Sleep Schedule #4 Continue Meg's Training That's it. I will try not to bring dishonor by not sticking to them! Starting Stats Weight 143 lbs Natural Waist 33 inches Waist at belly button 33 Hips 41 Neck 15 Bust 37 Calves 15 Biceps 13

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. 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 6 week challenges better, huh?).

My first real challenge thread! Movin' on up, guys. So let's get right to it. I have an overarching main quest that each challenge will only serve to promote. You can easily track my progress in my sig but recorded here for posterity: Deadlift - 200 lbs Squat - 200 lbs BP - 125 lbs OHP - 125 90 lbs (On further reflection this may have been an impossible goal, adjusted for reality) The Deadline is August 30th 2015. Starting Stats Body weight: 102.8 lbs Height: 5'1'' Hips: 32" Waist: 23" Neck: 11.5" +_+_+_+_+_++_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+ Strength Up (STR+ 4 @ 75%) Deadlift - 95 > 120 lbs Squat - 90 > 105 lbs BP - 50 > 75 lbs OHP - 40 > 50 lbs Details of my workouts will be recorded in the battle log to keep that all in one place Vitality Up (CON+ 2, WIS+1 @ 75%) 1. Keep track of my daily intake of food and water for informational purposes. I'm of a maintenance mindset when it comes to nutrition. No calorie limitations. HOWEVER: i. NO soda, per the Soda PVP challenge. Zip, zero, nada. ii. No french fries, minimal fried foods (basically, fast food is almost entirely banned) iii. Minimum 8 cups of dihydrogen monoxide per day. NOTE: I have been doing this already, but I need to improve. This is a Work In Progress. 2. I am a candy/chocolate monster. Limit my junk food habit to 5 pieces of fun size candy per day. Larger sizes of junk food such as a candy bar count as 2. Believe it or not this will be a reduction for me. When this becomes easier, I will tighten the loop. 3. Track the time I get in bed each night. FYI my alarm goes off at 5:30 AM on weekdays, I get up around 10-11 on weekends--yeah, I'm a lazy shapeshifter. Ideally, I would like to get in bed by 9:45 PM on weekdays, that seems best to keep the 2:30 slump at bay. Life Up (WIS+ 1, CHA+ 2 @ 90%) 1. Pay $1200 on debt - KILL IT WITH FIRE 2. Scoop the cat box daily, change the cat box weekly. No excuses. This is a big deal with 4 cats. 3. For the love of all that is good, brush teeth! Embarrassingly, I have gotten sloppy about this at night. Considering my junk food intake, that's a bad combination. Fix. I will post here and/or the battle log daily. Every week I will grade myself and the average of those grades determines point allotment at the end of the challenge.

So, I failed the last challenge. On week four my girlfriend got very sick , then on week five I got sick, then on week six, while still ill, uni assignments starting to come due. Yay. The goal was to put on three kgs of lean mass. I went from 65kg to 65.8kg--apparently I STILL wasn't eating enough--and back down to 63.5kg at the height of my illness. Since then I've struggled back up to 65.5kg so I'm starting this challenge 0.5kg ahead of last time. The goal this time is still to put on three kgs of lean mass. My subgoals are: Exercise six times a week -- 29/36 = +1 str (80%) Eat four meals a day, averaging 3,000ish calories a day, up 500kal from last challenge -- 38/42 = +1 con (90%) Stretch for 10 minutes, six times a week -- 29/36 = +1 dex (80%) Apparently, getting through three weeks of the first challenge does qualify me for level one! Yay . The challenge now is to get through the last three weeks and graduate from the starting zone. So my current stats are as follows: Str: 1 Dex: 0 Stam: 0 Con: 3 Wis: 4 <--- MASSIVE bookworm Cha: 2 My life sub goal will be to read a minimum four papers a day for uni, six days a week -- 29/36 = +1/2 wis (80%) .... ...until the end of week three. Then I have exams and fly in lectures. I'll think of a new goal for the other 1/2 wis point at the start of week four. Obviously I don't get the point if I don't complete both wis goals. Heres to the next six weeks!

Time to officially start my battle long on here. I've kept notes in my phone, but I'm hoping this helps me as well. I've been seriously lifting for about 6-7 months now. Sure, I lifted a little in my past, but not on any kind of program or any kind of schedule. I have seen huge increases in strength, which is AWESOME, but now I need to get the diet part figured out. I need to lose weight, plain and simple. It will help my overall health, and it will be easier to see the muscle I'm building. Ok, time to put up this last week's stats. Note:deadlifts aren't usually a separate day, it just happened that way this week because of time constraints. Nov 8- Back Bench Pulls- 4x5 120lbs, 1x5 125lbs Dumbbell Rows- 35lbs x8, 40lbs x8, 45lbs x8, 50lbs x8 "Batman" or High Rows- 90x10, 140x10, 180x8 drop to 90x10 Superset: Lat Pulldown- 90x15, 100x15, 110x10 drop to 80x5 Straight Arm Pullovers- 50x15, 60x15, 70x15 drop to 40x10 Face Pulls- 50x20, 60x20, 70x20 Nov 10- Chest Bench- 2x5 145lbs, 1x5 150lbs Bench Press w/Dumbbells- 80x8, 90x8, 100x8 Floor Press (with chains, not sure how many lbs they added)-2x5 135lbs. Incline Hammer- 45x10, 55x10, 45x10 Nov 11- Leg Day (Quad Focus) Leg Extensions- 115x15, 130x15, 145x15, 160x15 Hack Squats- 90x10, 140x10, 180x10, 200x5, 230x5, 250x3 drop 140x8 Leg Press-180x20, 270x20, 360x10 drop 180x20 Nov 12- Shoulders and Arms Overhead Press (OHP)- 3x5 90lbs, 1x5 95lbs Bicep Curl (Barbell)- 2x5 75lbs, 1x5 80 Close Grip Bench- 3x5 140lbs. Bicep Curls (Dumbbell)- 35x8, 40x8, 35x8 Shoulder Press (Dumbbell)- 40x8, 35x8 Lateral Raise- 15x8 Skullcrushers (I'm not sure how much the bar weighs, so it's just plate weight)- 2x8 30lbs, 1x5 50lbs Face Pulls- 50x25, 40x25, 30x25, 20x25 Tricep Rope- 50x25, 40x25, 30x25, 20x25 Nov 15- Deadlifts 285x1 5x5 225lbs. Nov 16- Back Bench Pulls- 3x5 125lbs, 1x5 130lbs. Dumbbell Rows- 45x8, 50x8, 55x8 Batman- 90x10, 140x10, 180x10 drop 90x10 Hammer Strength Neutral Row- 45x12, 90x12, 115x12, 135x10 Giant Set: Lat Pulldown (reverse grip)- 90x10, 100x9 Straight Arm Pullovers- 60x15, 70x15 Face Pulls- 40x20, 30x20

This is Megara, he friends call her Meg (at least they would if she had any friends). (Bonus points to all who get that reference!) My life has been overtaken with puppy rearing, as we welcomed home an 8 week old puppy last week. She is adorable, but also a handful, with needing let out for potty breaks and teething and needing exercise. But that's okay, because the lack of time is just going to make me need to focus more on planning ahead and priorities and not letting the cold weather keep me indoors for the next 6 months. Goal #1: Paleo Meal Planning Each Monday, having a meal plan covering Tuesday to the following Monday. I never managed to do this on weekends, but I have a little time on Mondays at work, so I can make this happen. Focus on real foods, complex carbs, and keeping energy levels stable. Not going to be counting cals or macros unless I feel like something is not in a good range. I lost a couple pounds last challenge which was nice, but I'm really not that focused on that now, or have the time/energy to expend on a cut. Goal #2: Sleep Schedule Obviously, with the puppy waking us a few times a night (though, rapidly getting better!) perfect sleep is not possible. BUT, goal is to be in bed no later than 11pm, and to wake up at 6 am, no matter when I go to bed. And to get back into better night time rituals of little to no screen time an hour before bed, drinking my Natural Calm, and maybe some herbal tea. And during the day when I'm home, napping when the puppy naps, if needed. Goal #3: Work out, Despite the Cold I've been skipping the gym some mornings the past couple weeks because at 6am in Alaska, its cold and bleak and awful out. And there's not even snow yet! So, same goal as always, workout 2x week minimum, focused on working through NRoLfW Stage 1 (halfway done now). Goal #4: Keep Puppy Happy Puppies, and German Shepherd puppies in particular, need lots of physical and mental exercise. So hubby and I will be tag teaming with walks in the park, and sprints in our backyard. We've already done a good bit of research on training various things, so the goal here is to spend at least 30 minutes a day in dedicated training mode (sit, stay, leash, crate, etc), as well as an hour or more of active play with me. This will also help with getting me outdoors and enjoying Alaska, no matter the temperature.

For this challenge, I have decided to continue my persuasion of lower body fat while trying to increase the weight and/or reps of my lifts. The reason I've decided this for my main quest is that I've seen that I have a lot of strength potential and I'm interested in what might and will come after couple of months (or years if something doesn't stop me from lifting). MAIN QUEST In the last challenge (which was also my first challenge here), I got back to regular lifting and acquired a habit of lifting and it feels great. That's why I decided to increase some lifts (weight and/or reps), especially deadlift and bench press. Now, my other part of the main quest is to lower my body fat. I believe that this part will be especially hard, since my eating habits aren't quite as good as my lifting habits. Some people suggested paleo diet, which I found interesting, but not quite appropriate for my lifestyle so I'll stick to "eat less shit, eat more veggies" type of diet. SPECIFIC GOALS 1. 4 workouts per week I've made a plan, similar to one Gainsdalf suggested to me few weeks ago. It will be divided in A and B days, one heavy A/B and one light A/B. A: Squats Overhead press Stiff legged DL Lateral raise Kroc row Reverse curls B: Deadlift Bench press Good mornings Incline dumbell bench press/push ups Pendlay row Skullcrush I'll perform them in this order: A1 - heavy (Monday) B1 - light (Tuesday) A2- light (Thursday) B2 - heavy (Friday) Before every workout, I'll do around 5-10 minutes of rope skipping, and at the end of every workout I'll do core exercises (sit-ups, leg raises, "scisors", supermans, plank). 2. EAT LESS SHIT I believe this one is pretty self explanatory. I've noticed that I'm spending too much money on food that I don't need to eat or that I'm eating out of boredom, because I'm stressed or out of habit. Lately, I've been able to reduce the amount of food I eat around or after midnight and I want to completely stop doing that since it makes me feel bad in the morning for doing that. I don't even enjoy eating at that time, I just want to eat ANYTHING. That's why I'll add more veggies and fruits to my diet and try to eat fruits if I feel hungry at night while I'm studying. 3. FIND A GYM Now, this one is optional. Since I have classes every day and I have to study for my exams (I'm in a med school), I'll see if I can find a gym that's not too far away from my apartment and not expensive. I'm not really interested in any martial art at this moment, but if a gym is affordable, and I get to learn some judo, bjj or grappling (or something else) while being regular at studying, I'll gladly join that gym. LIFE TIME GOAL Ok, here's where it get a bit tricky. As I mentioned, I'm in a med school and I have a ton to study. My goal for this year is to pass all my exams as soon as possible while also getting as high grades as possible in the given time. I think there are going to be at least two more challenges before my summer holidays start and I want my summer to be free of studying for the first time in 6 years. P.S. I'll add grading system later or you could suggest one along with attributes. P.P.S. I'm open to suggestions about my workout plan.