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Hi, guys! Hope the weekend is treating you all well! I have a question: How do you know how much you're supposed to weight? I'm 5'7". In high school I weighed about 185 lbs, and I was fairly fit. Not built, just fit. Right now I'm 26, same height, and last time I weighed myself I was 207 (down from 215 woohoo!). How do I know how much I'm supposed to weigh? I'm also interested in building my upper body muscle (or I guess everywhere on my body), and I know muscle weighs more than fat. Tips? Also, I'm doing the beginner's body weight workout. Is this a good step in the right direction if I want to build a bit more muscle? I'm not trying to be Leonidas. More like LeeSin or Ezio or Jackie Chan.

I don't have everything properly planned out yet, but should finalise this weekend. I had an "image make-over" or otherwise known as "I got tired of my look so I cut my hair and treated myself to some colour", now my youngest calls me "Jen the Super Wasp" after his favourite girl superhero in Avengers. Well, 2nd favourite after The Black Widow. I can't stand those shoes full yet.

Over the last couple years my goals and challenges and whatnot have bounced around like crazy, focusing on speed and strength and flexibility and weight and diet and balance and all sorts of things (generally whatever’s pissing me off that week). I set lofty goals that I stick with for, like... a week? Sometimes two or three weeks. Four, tops. I might stick with one or two of the easier challenges for the entire six weeks, but I somehow declare that a victory while leaving the other ones behind. I think that, at the moment, a lot of those issues are now considered ‘good enough’. I hit fast. I hit hard. I’m pretty flexible. I like where my weight is going. I am mostly happy with my food intake. My balance isn’t perfect (it only really falls apart with the huge lunging straight rights and the switch-foot head kicks), but for the moment it’s good enough. In fact, all of that is ‘good enough’ right now. This isn’t a concession to failure... this is me acknowledging that, for the first time in at least a decade I’m not actively hating how I look, how I feel or how I move. I am reinforcing all of the successes that have gotten me here. I am taking a quick moment to pat myself on the back and tell myself that I did good. Not great... but good enough. There are a couple things that ARE NOT good enough, however, and that’s going to be the focus right now: core power, upper body strength, and endurance. Whenever anything happens at MMA involving pure core power (situps, full-guard stands, thai knee drills), I gas out before almost everyone. A great example: I pretty much quit jiu-jitsu entirely because I lacked enough core muscle to actually do ANYTHING. Whenever anything happens at MMA involving pure upper body strength (resistance calisthenics, clinch drills, cage flips), I not only gas out first, I’m sometimes not even capable of performing the activities. A great example: I can’t to a pull-up. No, not one. And not just MMA but many things in general that involve endurance (jogging anywhere faster than a brisk shuffle, bagwork elimination drills, 17 flights of steel stairs to the top of the Canfor digester building), I feel like I’m dying by the end of it, if I even make it to the end. A great example: Doing laps at the gym, I can do 1min 30sec laps easily, but 1min 20sec laps nearly make me barf. Just that slight increase in speed causes me to gas out after three laps, top (I can do between twelve and twenty of the slower ones). So rather than challenges that focus on specific ACTIVITIES, these challenges will focus on specific PROBLEMS... those parts of me that aren’t good enough. Yet. Challenge #1 - Rotten To The Core Abs and obliques. I need to do some abdominal exercises every single day. Situps, jackknives, crunches... and not just 'banging out ten' when I remember. I need escalating resistance, 'train to fail' style. For whatever reason, I show the best gains and improvements when I do that. Planks are also a good one... and I hate planks, so that's probably what I should use the most. Challenge #2 - Push, Pull, Drag Upper body time. For the Mudd Sweat and Tears I've changed up my whole workout regimen to upper body stuff, specifically escalating pull-downs. This works biceps, triceps, shoulders and back (and boy howdy hell, am I feeling it). Throwing into this mix will be wall stands, which was the FOCUS of my last challenge and I only did it two or three times. Now that it's warm we (me and the family) go to the park a lot more, and I want to be able to do a pullup on those various structures by the end of the summer. Once I can do one, just ONE real one, I know I'm going to want to do them as often as possible. And get up to two. And three. And four... Challenge #3 - You Can’t, You Won’t, and You Don’t Stop Endurance. Let's face it... I'm a big guy. 6'4", big shoulders, big hips, 250 pounds ± 10 at any given time. Tons of research into this, and discussions with many professionals I know (boxers, MMA fighters and coached) all tell me the same thing, which is the thing I really, really don't want to hear: the best way to build endurance is intermittent exertion. HIIT. Tabata. Tempo runs. Sprint chains. Power bursts, short rests. I hate that stuff... but there's not really any way around it. I'm doing sprint chains at the gym (well, slightly faster jogging chains right now... I still can't sprint a WHOLE lap), but I need to do more of that outside of the gym now that it's hot outside, so there will be some running in the evenings (non-MMA nights). Also, I can combine this with my other two challenges with tabata, and combining bear crawls, plank-to-push-up and broncos. I will start doing these in the mornings on NON-workout days, 15 to 20 minutes. Important Timing Reminder: Mudd, Sweat and Tears is Saturday, June 13th. For the first week of this challenge, I will actually be somewhat taking it EASY on these challenges, so I don't blow myself out before, well, I completely blow myself out. AFTER June 13th, I really want to go hard on these, and would really appreciate some help sticking to things. This is a no-frills challenge. I didn't go overboard on animated gifs, because I can't think of any way they'd really help this one out. Rather than get all excited with a carefully-crafted, entertaining and hilarious original post, I'm just putting up a bunch of words and some straightforward language.

A lot of people rib me when I tell them that I am trying to gain weight, but I have spent most of my life quite scrawny. I have never reached 190 pounds. I usually weigh between 182 and 188 at 6'3" tall. I had a goal of reaching 190 pounds and I hit that goal today! That's 190 pounds of lean muscle, too! Unfortunately, my weight fluctuates about 6-8 pounds throughout a day so I won't know where on the spectrum that weight hits for a day or two but it just may be time to raise my goal to 200 pounds.

Today, feels like I battle. I feel like all of my different crazy makers are converging on me, including the one inside my head. So I'm doing this for myself. I signed up for the Wipeout Run in chicago a while ago, with a friend who is excited to have a fitness partner accept I am not fit. I had enough time to slowly ease into running, but then life kind of flipped out and I also had spring allergies or a cold. Booger face does not fun running make. So this is also part of my re-starting "the game". It was way easier to go run tuesday because I knew what was going to happen. I just have to make the choice to keep re-applying myself to things that I actually want to do. I want to be fit enough to go do fun things with my friends. I like kyacking and camping/hiking. I don't hate running, I use to like riding my bike. I want to be able to just do things again without being concerned that I'll be slow or tired or feel gross. The Plan is Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: Get up, get the to gym, run, shower, go to work. Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Yoga/bodyweight workout from home, go to work. Foods Currently tracking my food with my fitness pal. Been tracking daily since February. These are the current food goals... - Need to find a time each week that I can always make food. Some is better than none. - Figure out how to get more greens into my diet. - You don't eat sugar. If you're freaking out have an orange, if you don't want a supid orange then don't have one. Geez. Get sleep. working is not sleep. ...chocolate is also not sleep. Current weight 255lbs - goal is 240 F 5'2", for interests sake. Original intro blather --- Started this 5/26. Tuesday - ran, showered without panicking and made it to work in enough time. Thursday - nothing. Work meeting, gym doesn't open early enough for me to get done in time. Which is fine because it seems I'm rolling my ankle inward as I run and it hurts to walk now. Friday - got new running shoes that should help with the hurting. All running shoes seem ugly and expensive. Was disappointed in other shoppers for being generally rude, to each other and staff. --- Didn't buy tickets for the Emo-Coaster, instead I'm drinking a lot of water and taking a nap.

Ok, here goes. 1. Avoid catestrophizing and live in the moment. I think this one will take some meditation. So to be specific (like a good little goal-setter), I will meditate every day for at least 5 minutes. 2. Stretch deez hips. My lower back has been really killing my workout buzz. I think proper posture and hip-stretching will help. I pledge to do yoga hip stretches every night before bed while my DH is watching TV. 3. Gain weight! I've lost weight since I had my gall bladder out last year. But... I've always had a hard time putting on weight. I'd like to gain 5 lbs in the next two months. 4. Be stronger! Specifically: - 4 pull-ups in a row (I can do 3 now. yay!) - Curl 30 lbs in 3 sets of 8. (I'm at 20 now, hope thats not too over zealous) Notice how I don't have any leg goals... I'm nervous to push it on legs because of my lower back. Any and all advice is accepted and greatly appreciated! I'd like to, as they say, Squat a bear. Although, Sasquats has a nice ring to it 5. Finish the 3 career-related books I have sitting around my house. 6. Start a new creative project. I draw, paint, craft and write. I need to start something new in the next 6 weeks. Thank you in advance for all your support and suggestions! I feel great already just typing this list! Btw, I hope I did this whole thing right. Please forgive my ignorance if I didn't!

Hey everyone, My first post here after I stumbled on this website while looking for advice on a few things. I'm recently getting into lifting more weights, I've never massively been into weighs but I am OK cardio-wise. Playing football (soccer) regularly for years kept me in shape, but since I gave it up 6 years ago (due to my job and shift patterns) my shape has become a little more like a pear shape. I'm 30 in a few weeks or so, I'm 5'11 - 6'0" and I probably weigh anything between 80kg - 90kg (don't have scales at home). I devised a workout plan based on a few exercises I like, and a few I don't like but which kick my butt. Most of these are from P90x as a guide but a few aren't. The idea is do the whole lot as a circuit in one go and I was hoping someone with more knowledge than me in these things could cast an eye over it and offer advice / opinion: Strength: Front raise Bicep curls (with EZ bar) Tricep dips Chest press Lunges Lateral raise Pullups or pushups Tricep kickbacks Bench press Back squats Throw the bombs Concentration curl Jawbreakers Bent over row Congdon curls Y-Presses Side tri-rise Wall sit for 1minute Static arm curls Scarecrows Upright row Pullovers Skater's lunge Deep swimmers press Lawnmowers Lying Tri extension Alternating shoulder press Crouching Cohen curls Pike presses Flip grip tricep kickbacks 2-Angle shoulder fly Twenty-Ones Cardio: Burpees Jumping Jacks Shadow boxing (1min) Jump up knee tucks Foot crosses (not sure of its proper name, you hop on one leg while making the figure of a cross, front back and side to side) Squat jumps Skier jumps Double air Heismanns Circle runs (run around a static object on the floor for 1min each way) Monster truck tyres I'm currently working on one for my core and where to incorporate it into the schedule. I'm also hoping to get Spartan Makers into my schedule once I've got the appropriate weights, and Jack/Push/Climbs. I've also got a treadmill at home which I may use as well as, or instead of, the cardio plan. I do these on almost alternating days, at least 6 days out of every 10 (again due to shift patterns etc) which looks like this: Day 1 - rest Day 2 - rest Day 3 - strength Day 4 - cardio Day 5 - strength Day 6 - rest Day 7 - rest Day 8 - strength Day 9 - cardio Day 10 - strength I tend not to eat rubbish really but now need to lose a bit of weight and add a bit of muscle, I tend to eat a lot of chicken and fish in my diet, as well as fruit (only bananas / apples / grapes). Space is a little limited in my house for certain things but I have enought equipment at home I believe, such as plenty of weights, weight bars of all kinds, treadmill, mats, etc, I also have a bench and exercise bike but due to limited space these currently live in my attic. A gym membership is out of the question for me for a number of reasons, mainly my working hours, childcare commitments and the membership fee. Thank you for your time, it is appreciated Greg

One of the best days I've had in a long time. Short background story. I've had a dress in my closet that I haven't been able to fit in for a while. I kept it hanging there as an incentive. After months of running on the treadmill for hours and hours, trying to burn off fat, I found NF a few weeks ago, and it sounded so fun, and smart, and different, and.... I joined the Academy. I've been working through step by step. I've been reading the archives, and grazing the forums, eating up the resources. I'm still vey much in the beginner stages, feeling somewhat guilty for having so much fun instead of torturing myself on the treadmill. Back to the point, I've been weighing in about once a week: absolutely no change. In fact I gained a pound, and added half a percentage point of body fat. BUT this morning on a whim, I tried on the dress. It fit like a dream. It wasn't tight in my hips or thighs. It didn't catch on my tummy. It felt great. Within five minutes of getting to work I got 4 compliments and they kept coming all day long! I've been trying to figure out what's so different, I'm not quite sure if it s the exercise, the attention to diet, just having fun, or what (I'm assuming a combo of everything). Seriously, it's only been three weeks! Steve is right, the scales lie! Thank you Steve for this! You've proven to me that three weeks of doing the smart way works! I don't care anymore what the scales say. It's all about how I feel, and how much today can be better than yesterday.

Hello Team, I am Justin, new to the forum(read about the same today) . Was trying different ways to lose weight. But since reading about the six weeks challenge found it quite enthrilling which will enable to meet new folks like you and start the journey on a positive note, and thus achieve my goal. My first goal is about reducing weight. I will like to keep it very simple. I am currently having the weight reading: 191.14 Lbs / 86.7 kg. My goal targets are as below: Main Quest - Lose 20 LBS by end of this year. 6 Week Quest - Lose 10 LBS in 6 weeks. Goals 1) Maintain a calorie deficit by including good nutrient sources from vegetables, salads, nuts.2) Do exercise 3 days a week(20 minutes each session), understand the different aspects of exercise as I progress.3) Avoid junk foods atleast 5 days a week - including chips, ice-creams, chocolates and limit intake of junk foods on other 2 days. Side Quest:Listen/Read about Technology atleast 3 times a week for 25 minutes each. Hoping to start from tomorrow(Sunday - 18 April). Wish me good luck guys! Will keep you posted about my progress. Regards,Justin.

I have been receiving Nerdfitness newsletters for a while now - I like what they do here - encouraging health and fitness without the "gym rat" persona. So I decided to join in finally. It has been my mission to get myself into a better place with my health for over a year now - I want to be in better health and fitness at 45 then I was at 35! Having my last baby (of five) at 39 really kicked my butt and I haven't been able to recover physically yet (and she is now 3). To my credit- I have made a lot of changes so far - I have changed the way our family eats over the last year - retraining myself to buy and cook healthier - mostly paleo. I have had allergy testing and have done the elimination diet to find foods that were making me feel sick and eliminating them from my diet. I am also trying to sleep!! Battling insomnia on some nights - but this is getting better. I am taking the vitamins my Dr has prescribed and they help a ton! But...I feel there is room for improvement - I fall short in the exercise department for sure! So having a place to talk about my health, and feel accountable may be the motivation I need to push it to the next level. I just want to have more energy and strength to not just get through the day - but thrive! I will never be a skinny-minnie, nor do I want to be one, but I would like to feel a little more fit and toned and slim down some. I want to feel younger...I don't want everyone to think I am the grandma to my baby girls So! My goals: 1-Diet goal: Continue with the Paleo way of eating - be great during the week - don't feel bad for going 80/20 on the weekends. Take time to get good breakfast, take vitamins, and drink so much water!!!! 2-Fitness: Do 30 minutes 4 times a week (start there). Walk, do resistance training, yoga, use that dusty elliptical in the basement - whatever - just get moving for at least 30 minutes! Find the best time of day to do it and do it at the same time. 3-Try something new: Go to that yoga class I have been too scared to go to at least once!! Maybe find a buddy to go with me?? 4-Other "Life" goal: Keep doing one photo shoot a week - stay on top of editing and don't get behind. There. I just did that. Now let's see how I do.

Hello everyone! I know people a lot of times have trouble counting calories, (which I know is my biggest problem) as well as what they are in taking. (again, I big problem for me) we are all here for each other, which is why I wanted to ask people to join me on my fitnesspal as well as on here Please feel free to add me on both here and myfitnesspa I know we all need to support each other Good luck to every one and I'm looking forward to the next Challenge as well! myfitnesspal: LittleFireyPheo

Who is the most bad-assed, strong, fearless, "normal" superhero out there? That's right. It's Daredevil. Does he have super-powers? Sure, but they're not physical. He's got his strength, his iron will, and his enhanced senses. Despite the fact that he is blind, he senses are honed to the point where he perceives his environment better than sighted people do. He's the ultimate acrobat, aerialist, and an expert marksman. In short, despite the fact that he is a hero and doesn't generally kill, he is the ultimate assassin. THE MAIN QUEST: To be come a bad-assed aerial assassin like Daredevil. I want to grow my abilities on aerial apparatus (hoop, trap, static trap, and maybe rope) and with any luck, perform at the aerial dance festival this coming summer. 1. CARVE THE BODY During the last two challenges, I focused on making sure I did so many bodyweight workouts, so many cardio workouts, only ate so many non-paleo meals, etc. This left me with six goals I needed to fulfill every week, and feeling like I was constantly checking off boxes. Well, no more. I know how to work out now, and I have built the habit of doing so. Instead, I'm just going to say that: I'm going to sweat at least six days per week, for at least an hour each day. I will engage in as much HIIT as I can stand while working out at the gym or out on the roads or trails. I will continue to do weights, and I will do them BEFORE doing cardio. I will also stretch after every workout. I got myself a fat-measuring scale, and while I don't believe it's totally accurate, it does give me a number for body fat percentage, and today that number is 14%13.6%. I want it to go down. Every quarter of a percent change in body fat percentage over the next six weeks equals a letter grade. I will measure and report progress weekly. +2 STR, +2 STA (note on the edit: checked tonight, and after just one day of not eating junk food and drinking plenty of water I'm down .4%, so I'm setting that as my new starting position). 2. CLEAN UP HELL'S KITCHEN Over the holidays I wreaked havoc on my diet, but Daredevil can't easily swing from fire escapes and perform all kinds of crazy body-weight acrobatics when he's carrying extra weight. I will eat paleo all week, except the weekends (6 NPT/week) I won't look at screens while I'm eating breakfast or dinner Eating paleolithically works really well for me, and I like it too. I really let myself go over the holidays and it shows. So I'll eat paleo all week, with no snacking, and eat non-paleo on the weekends and avoid snacking wherever possible. If some special occasion requires it, I can swap a weekend meal for an NPT (Non-Paleo Token). I will track calories on MFP on non-paleo days. I will need to up the amount of lean protein that I eat because I'm hoping to train even harder and build some more muscle this challenge. As always, game nights will be hard and I will need to bring veggies, fruit, jerky, and nuts because I KNOW I will be nibbly. I will also engage in mindful eating for every breakfast and dinner, and lunches on the weekends. During the week, because I work out over lunch, I have to eat at my desk and do work. Score for paleo for the session will be based off the number 36 (six weeks, two non-paleo days per week, three meals per day, +3 CON), and mindful eating will simply be a tally of the times I fail to avoid screens during meals, +2 CHA. 3. HONE THE SENSES Daredevil's amazing powers stem from the fact that he is acutely aware of his surroundings: He can hear the sound of a heart beat; he can feel the ink printed on a page; he can smell the difference between identical twins at twenty feet. I want to hone my senses, and to do so I'm going to further my practice of archery and meditation. To this end, for the next six weeks: I will practice archery any free Monday and Friday evenings I will meditate five to ten minutes a day. Practicing archery will help still my mind--it's so very zen. Not looking at the phone or laptop while I'm eating is going to be hard, and impossible at work, since I'm expected to work while I'm eating (my lunch hour is at the gym). So, archery practice will be based off of the number four, like last time, +1 DEX, and meditation will be based off of seven, +1 WIS. 4. BECOME THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR I'm signed up for a six-week static trapeze class. I'm also going to audition for the aerial class taught here at the university: eighteen slots, and I'm a continuing ed grad student, so I don't know if I'll get in. Either way, I will focus on working on my drops, ankle hangs, ankle beats, and working up in the ropes or high on the fabric. I will go to every class and try every piece of vocabulary Even when the move looks scary, I will do it at least once. I will remember that I am strong and can take it. Daredevil really isn't the man "without" fear--he's the man who constantly faces down his fear. And that's what I'm after. +4 DEX So, now that I'm at the end of this post, I realize that I'm going to be tracking six things again, every week. But it's only four goals, so I feel alright about that. I'll update this at some point with points and letter grades, and also write another post for rewards. Here are the "before" pictures. Honestly, they don't look a lot different from the previous "before" pics which is a little bit disheartening...

So here we go, a new log ( taking a leaf out of a very wise, younger NF'er ), for a new program and new start. I must say New Rules of Lifting for Women was great and I have every intention of taking workouts from there when and if I must. I do realise on SL 5x5 we are not necessarily needing to accessory lift at all, but a change is good every now and then. I also begin work on the 18th of August and will have access to a swimming pool.......JOY! Swimming is a passion of mine forever! Spending a better part of my childhood and adolescence in the water and smelling of chlorine with the accursed green tinged hair. Which means I can swim 4 days a week! There is also nutrition, which whilst still very good, not very clean, it began with a morning bowl of porridge and ending in porridge, bread ( even if it is whole meal ), and potatoes, the dairy also crept back in, with a need to try smoothies. So we are heading to a primal more than Paleo type diet, cut grains and potato etc, keep a little bit of dairy, ensuring it is plain, no flavoured milk, yoghurt or other types of naughty sugar laden yummies. Weight: 91.06 kilo BF%: approx 21% give or take. So here we go Stronglifts, Primal Diet and Swimming!

I began the quest to transform my life 16 weeks ago. I have lost ~22lbs in that time while gaining muscle and strength and climbing ability. My body is completely transformed. It is still transforming. I injured my ankle 5 weeks ago while climbing and went again for the first time since then today. I expected to be unable to climb. I almost matched my previous climbing achievements within 2 hours. This feels awesome. This is awesome. I am reborn. Hear me roar, or something! Like, really, ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR! Err, I mean.... WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! I sincerely hope this is contagious.

Hi am 25 years old.............My weight is 60 and height is 154....... Can anyone say my bmi........and i am under which category????? underweight, normal or overweight................????????

Any good recommendations for a belt suitable for adding barbell plates to for weighted pull ups at home? Looking to purchase one because i do most of my pull up exercises at home on my iron gym and would like to start adding weight. For example, the belt that this man is wearing: http://officercandidatesschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/20-pullups-pull-ups-pft-usmc.jpg

I was just wondering if anyone knew anything about the effects of alcohol on weight and muscle building? Will it cause weight gain (fat) or affect my muscle building if I drink? To what degree? Say, how about a glass of wine 4x a week?

I am looking at starting to change my diet to something healthier and the paleo diet is something that interests me. However you see so much about how the paleo diet is supposed to help you lose weight. As I am already underweight by quite a bit, I am looking to pack on weight to help with muscle growth, and to just make me healthier. But I have read that with the paleo diet it is hard to over eat, and over eating is what you are supposed to do to pack on weight right? So what would I have to change in order to put on some weight while using the paleo diet? Or is the paleo diet even a viable option since I am underweight? Is there any suggestions you could give in order to help me add weight to help with my muscle growth? Any and all input is greatly appreciated, thanks again.

Hey Guys, I just started a bit of weightlifting and working on pull-ups/chin ups. Even though I''m not lifting too heavy yet, I'm already seeing callouses form. My friend who is "training" me suggested that I get gloves, but I'm not sure what kind I should buy and I don't want to spend a ton of money on something that won't work for me. I'm a female with very small hands and I'm afraid some of the gloves that have a lot of padding would interfere with my grip. I also don't want to go too expensive, preferably under $20. However, if the gloves are literally the best thing since sliced bread, I'll go over the $20. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks!

Hi, I'm a young prof mechanical engineer fairly new to the forums. In college I was an athlete (sport tae kwon do), but since starting work ~3 years ago my lifestyle has become more sedentary and I've got the pounds to show it. After going from great (though not optimized) shape to unhealthy, I'm starting to work out more again...would love to feel like an athlete again instead of being uncomfortably heavy. As a side note, over the past year or two major digestive issues have driven me to a more paleo-based diet, but I need to clean it up to start losing weight. I've been reading the blog for ages, which makes me guilty of underpants collecting...but no more! Main quest: Fit into my old jeans (I think size 6, currently I'm at size 10/12, so this is a more-than-six-weeks goal) Because I refuse to replace all of my clothing to fit my heavier body, right now a lot of my clothes are too tight. I'm ready to reclaim my wardrobe! Edit: at the end of the challenge, I would like to fit a size 8. Subquest #1: Complete training 6 days/week I've been training on and off for road races and sprint distance triathlons for the past two years, but am terrible at sticking to a training plan. If I stick to the plan, I will be training 6 days a week (rather than two or three as I have been). Mostly run/bike/swim, but after a few weeks of consistent base I'll add in Crossfit for strength and injury prevention. It sounds like a lot, but I can take the tri workouts easy or replace with yoga/walking if necessary. This goal is more about executing on plans than going all-out all the time. A: 6 days/week B: 4-5 days/week C: 2-3 days/week F: 0-1 days/week Subquest #2: Go to bed by 11pm every night At first this was "Sleep 8 hours every night", but establishing a schedule is as important as sleep volume for this little nerd. Being in bed by 11pm allows me 7-8 hours of sleep, and getting up early on weekends makes those free days feel much longer. Time to exchange late night TV for morning weekend workouts, errand runs, etc. A: 7 nights/week B: 5-6 nights/week C: 3-4 nights/week F: <3 nights/week Subquest #3: Eat paleo Though "paleo" can vary in definition, I generally use the Whole30 guidelines as clean paleo. Every time I get off-track, I have been letting myself off the hook for days. If I make a less-healthy decision, my next choice will be a healthy one. I'll allow exceptions for occasions when someone else is controlling the menu, because the point is to get into the habit of cooking healthy food rather than be super strict. Lifestyle, not diet A: 90% B: 80% C: 70% D: <70% Lifequest: Clean house As a new homeowner, I'm trying to take better care of my house. So over the course of the challenge, I will (x2): VacuumSwifferClean toiletClean countersTidy the living room, bedroom, kitchenAs part of this lifequest, I also want to eliminate what I don't need. So I will clean out my closet and dresser, donating or selling what I don't use. A: 100% B: Everything cleaned x1 + clear-out C: Everything cleaned x1 D: Less than that Motivation: Feel like an athlete again! This seems vague, but really I want to feel like I can take on any (reasonable) physical challenge at the drop of a hat. Climb the stairs at work without getting winded, sign up for a 5k and try to PR, go on an inter-city bike trip. That regular endorphin infusion regulates my mood and makes me feel like the awesomest version of myself.

I just hired a personal trainer to help me figure out how to develop a good workout plan and to correct my form. We've met 4 times and I've been to the gym 4 times on my own. So far, it is working out great because I feel comfortable for the first time doing something other than cardio. I used to hate the gym with a fiery passion because I would only do the elliptical and found it boring and never really noticed any progress. I was doing something I found unpleasant with no payoff....I much prefer running, but an old running injury makes that difficult. So far, my trainer has me doing bodyweight squats, plank, pushups (using a bench for now), a series of biceps curls and other free weight tricep lifts with 10-15lb weights, and some bodyweight/weighted/band abdominal exercises that are killing me. Does this sound like a good way to start out? We're trying to strengthen my core, triceps, and the inside of my legs since that's what seems weakest. I assume this is "working" gradually because I feel pretty tired to the point of shaky muscles after a session. (of course, I don't expect to see any visible results for at least a month if not more) We do 3-4 sets of about 15 reps for each exercise. By the end, I find it really difficult to keep going and maintain the form. At what point should I think about trying to incorporate heavy bar weights? What kinds? Should I keep going with the core and leg strengthening until I have a solid foundation? I should note that I have a tendency to throw myself into things - I hate to take it slow. However, I'd really like to work up a gym practice of 2-3 times a week that I can sustain over time. While I have time over the summer, however, I am planning on doing either weight training or HIIT on the rowing machine 5x per week. I made a commitment to myself to invest in my health and try to form some habits that can carry me for many years. I gained about 40 lbs over about 4 years - 15 in the past year - probably from a combination of depression fueled drinking/bad eating/ not really exercising. I was at a totally healthy weight for all of my life before then and after some difficult transitions, just gave up control. I like I was in a deep denial - unwilling to even look at myself in the mirror. Now I'm in a pretty strong place emotionally and ready for a change. I've started tracking calories on FitnessPal and am aiming for about 1200-1300. I eat low carb (mostly veggies, meat, fish, olive oil, a few ounces of cheese). Any thoughts on what I am doing so far? Hit the weights hard, or build up some foundational core strength first?

I've started working out with a mate who's got a bench a barbell and a couple of dumbells. I'm doing 3 days a week at the moment with 2 other days for running and a light bodyweight circuit. So far we've been doing this routine I wrote (A) for about a week or so, but I was thinking of mixing it up with a second and going ABA-BAB. I'm about 178 cm (5'8") and about 90kg (200 lbs) and lifting just for general fitness and weight loss at the moment whilst eating a mostly paleo diet. STRENGTH TRAINING A Quads - Squats 8/4 Hams + glutes - Deadlift 8/4 Push - Bench Press 8/4 Pull - Dumbell rows 8/4 Core - sit up 25/3 + Plank 1min /3 STRENGTH TRAINING B Quads - DB lunges 8/4 Hams - Good mornings 8/4 Push - Military press 8/4 Pull - BB rows 8/4 Core - Mountain climb 30/4 + Plank My current bench is about 50kg, squat is the same (might go up though) and rows are 15kg. Any suggestions on what I should take out, put in, work on etc?

Ahaa! Well, hello! I go by the name of Haniya (Hun-nee-yah; Atilla the Hun "hun") but for short you can call me Hans (yes but don't kill me) I am a not-so-quite-new newbie. Joined this site last year but due to life commitments I wasn't able to give time to this site (even though it is friggin awesome and so are the people) Basically, I am 19; standing at 57 kgs and 5'1? (I need to update this soon) with a flabtastic body I've lived long enough with this and now have—against the odds—decided to change things so here I am! Determined yet clueless as ever! I LOVE RUNNING SO MUCH. WIND AGAINST MY CHEEKS, BURNING LEGS, EXHAUSTED MIND~ everything about running is like awesomastic! M. A. J. O. R G. O. A. L: 1. Lose weight (5-10 kgs at best) 2. Add points to my stamina, endurance and strength tally. M. I. N. O. R. G. O. A. L. S 1. Cardio three times a week (Monday to Wednesday) for half an hour at most. 2. Gym three times a week WITH A PURPOSE THOU SHANT GO UNTO THE GYM CLUELESS. 3. Clean eating! (VOT IS CLEAN AND EATING?) 4. Water!!!!!!! 5. No junk food or soda. MINOR. MINOR. GOAL: 1. Learn to sing (Ellie goulding is like my idol) 2. Learn an instrument (Guitar or violin *~*) 3. FOOTBALL!! (soccer because I am crazy about it) 4. BOOKS! LOADS OF BOOKS 5. Learn to draw?? M. Y. M. O. T. I. V. A. T. I. O. N: Well~ that's a hard one because I've got many but the people who top my list are three: 1. Ellie Goulding: singer and my Idol; herself and her music basically inspire me to achieve best possible. She is my health and fitness goddess and like her, I want running to basically fuel my life. I cannot express my love and respect for her and she's the reason I am where I am—a runner. 2. Lara Croft: My childhood idol; I've followed her since childhood. I've always admired her abilities and strengths Jumping here and there, fighting off creatures and swinging from vines—basically I want to be her! 3. Merida: Tremendous bravery, grace and mean archery skills—who wouldn't be her? 4. Black widow: PSSH! DOES IT NEED ANY EXPLANATION?'! Anyway, I think I am done? So, let me know if I've missed anything? WISH ME LUCK! (I NOW RIDE ON TOWARDS MY NEW LIFE! WOOOOOOOOP)

So, some of you might have noticed it from the previous challenge’s Courtyard thread, right at the very end, and some of you might have not. It’s understandable. Heck, even if you DID see my posts, and the accompanying video, there’s an excellent chance that you still had no idea what was going on. It’s a little bit insane, but it’s my kind of insane... not necessarily anyone else’s. I have an amateur boxing bout this August... in Vegas... in front of 5000 people. The Ellis Show, for those of you who don’t know, is a Monday to Friday, 12pm to 4pm show on Sirius channel Faction 41. A former world-record-breaking skateboarder, he ended up on his buddy Tony Hawk’s radio show a few times, and was popular enough that he got to host his own block of music where everyone discovered that due to decades of devastating drug abuse and absolutely no internal filter, he was INCREDIBLY entertaining when given a microphone. Over the last seven years people have listened to him go from nearly-dead ex-extreme athlete with countless broken bones and worn out joints, to an undefeated MMA fighter, chart-topping metal songwriter and vocalist, loving father and husband and incredibly NSFW entertainer. I credit him as the biggest influence in me dropping close to 80 pounds of weight (my kids were the reason I did it, but it was Ellis that kicked my ass to actually try). Once or twice a year now, he hosts a “comedy fighting extravaganzaâ€, called Ellismania. There’s absolutely ridiculous fights (six-man musical chair fights, Taco vs Pizza, blindfolded shock collar fights, Master Blaster fights where four people are DUCT TAPED TOGETHER and made to fight another four-man robot, and so on) and really incredible real fights (Brian Deegan vs Dave Mirra, Jason Ellis vs ex-UFC star Gabe Bruediger (who lost... twice), Kit Cope vs Mayhem Miller, etc). ... I could go on for pages and pages about this. It’s pretty ridiculous. And it’s a dream come true. ... So, to get back to THIS challenge: this is a Biggest Loser fight that I’m in, so I am in a competition with a dozen other guys to see who can lose the most weight before Ellismania. A lot of the guys are bigger than me, and they’re pro-wrestlers, or rig pigs, or bouncers... they’re stronger than me, and probably tougher than me. I’ve got a long way to go. There’s not many Ellis gifs I could use to accompany my challenge, and I’ve been stockpiling some specific kinds of gifs for weeks, so the gears are going to downshift slightly from X-rated fist-punching insanity to... Adventure Time! Thrillho’s Whistling Choir Death Match Championship Challenge #1 - Use Your Karate Biz! (combat) Now I really, really do have a good reason to keep up with my fisticuffs training... I’ve got some upcoming fisticuffs! The exact details of this will still need to be worked out, since the boxing gym at the Sports Centre is still almost always busy during the rare times I get to go in there, so I will be using the (less awesome) punching bag in my basement. Right now, it’s: three 30-minute boxing sessions, per week. Challenge #2 - The Baby-Eating Fox, And The Babies! And since this is a Biggest Loser fight, I need to lose weight. I’ve probably gotta lose about 30 lbs to be in a good running for the Final Four. 16 weeks, 2 lbs per week, I can probably pull that off, but it’s really going to be a bit of a hardcore experience for me. And you know what? I need that. I need this. I really need something in the back of my head, yelling at me to stop sneaking chocolate chips, stop sneaking ‘real’ pop, stop eating Power Bars when I could get the same protein from a little bit of cottage cheese or peanut butter. Stop BREADING everything. You don’t need fries. This is your chance at ridiculous televised glory. There’s no set ‘achievements’ for this, but every single day I have my little checkmarks on my Shepell Fitness Coach website for ‘portion control’ and ‘vegetable intake’, and my calorie tracker, so it’s just... stick to this. HARD. Challenge #3 - Running Is Evil! For the weight loss itself, it’s not just diet, it’s exercise. Boxing is all well and good, but I need more than that. I need WHOLE BODY workouts, especially jogging. The snow is almost gone, the gravel and sand is getting cleaned up, and the sun comes up at 6:45 am now, so it’s easily light enough to jog in the mornings on days I don’t go to the gym, and I can jog at night now. That’s been my habit lately: “Damn, we’re out of eggs. I’m jogging to the store!†My fitbit records my steps, and my goals are “5000 on non-gym days, 10,000 on gym daysâ€. I want to up that to 6000 and 12000 for this challenge. There’s going to be a lot more jogging going on here. Challenge #4 - I Can Dance Like A Man! My fitness coach said that, considering my size and everything I’m trying to do, I really need to stretch a lot more. 15 minutes per day, EVERY day, even on rest days. I hate stretching, because I suck at it, but I used to be able to drop into full Van Damme splits back when I was sempei. I miss that... and I want to do that in front of 5000 people this August. I need to do 15 minutes of stretching, every morning, gym AND non-gym days. Bonus Challenge - The Glasses Of Nerdicon! Over the next six weeks, read my “Music Theory†e-book, and one of my Adobe CC “Classroom In A Book†e-books (the exact one to be determined... either Flash or Photoshop).

Hello fellow nerds! I'm new here, obviosly.... *sigh* Okay, let's try again ^^ I'm Katzchen from Germany, 26 years of age, college student and I like to sew and love play WoW. Before college and meeting my boyfriend, I've been about 15 kg lighter then now and I want to look as fabulous as I looked back then. But as weight isn't most important I want to messure my progress in centimeters lost all around my body. Main quest: Lose 10 cm in all messurements/ 2 cloth sizesStart yoga for fitness and mind There are other things I want to accomplish too. I eat pretty clean, most of the time cook myself, for I'm vegetarian I eat a fairly good amount of veggies, drink lots of water but I fail at sodas (especially at the weekends with whiskey or other alkohol) and Ben and jerrys icecream. Sometimes I'm too lazy to cook and we order things. Things, not food! Side quest: Skip soda and store brought icecreamPlan and precook my meals so I don't order when I'm lazyMake half of my plate being veggiesLearn to do correct push ups and plankStop procastinating!I'm kind of easy to tease and often I get angry very fast. Then I'm not a nice person to be with. I want to change that! Also I want to stop procastinating!