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Yeaaaah, I don't have a theme this time. I wanted to see what that's like. So! My last challenge was working well, but stuff was getting too complicated, so I'm keeping the stuff that works and changing the stuff that was stressing me out. What's working: - The lifts. You just can't keep me out of the gym. I hardly even need motivation. I love going. I'm not tweaking the program further at this time. It's still working great. I am experiencing the itch to try new things, but currently waiting it out and just eyeballing other programs for possible later experimentation. May tweak OHP training if it comes to a deload in this challenge, but I might not be there yet with it. - The protein. I'm managing to hit my targets and have back up plans for off kilter days where my macros get screwed up. No problems here. - The mobility. This has a real impact on the quality of my workouts, and I've gotten more flexible. No changes needed. What needs work: - Calorie goals. I keep pretty meticulous data and I know my TDEE is roughly 1600 right now. I regularly set this limit and overshoot it by 100+, except for rare weeks. I haven't been grading poorly for overshooting, but I've gained noticeable fat and probably need to rein this in before I get too unhappy about it, and especially before I need to wardrobe shop. If I'm going to buy new clothes for a new body, it's going to be for muscley muscles, not growing saddlebags. I think short mini-cuts might work well for me (as opposed to a longer term cut to lean out all at once), and I'm going to start incorporating them infrequently to help keep a Real Cut at bay. What's a mini-cut to me? 4 weeks of a 250 calorie deficit, done on a weekly average. Fail or succeed, 4 weeks is the limit. (Yes, I know I said I wasn't cutting, but I just ate an extra pound's worth in birthday food, and this I feel is a pretty decent compromise.) A successful mini-cut SHOULD result in a loss of 2 lbs total. Very gentle. - Adulting goals. The points system was good, but I was starting to fret about always logging whatever little chore I was doing for points. I was frequently forgetting to add or subtract. It worked well to get me off my butt and was kind of a fun way to balance play with being productive, but it needs some simplification for reals. - Being active. I'm too sedentary. Desk job, hobbies that all involve sitting down, I'd like to get my body moving more. Doesn't matter what it is. I've already been trying to raise my activity separate from my previous goals, but I'm going to add it in and make it official. (Yes, the TDEE estimation is taking this into account.) FUEL 1.0 Weekly calorie goal, weeks 1-3: 1350. Mini-cut is actually starting in week 0, so week 4 will have a goal of 1500-1650, with a little more emphasis on not going over since I do have trouble there. 1.1 Protein goal of 95g per day. (Keeping the one day of leeway indefinitely.) 1.2 4 days a week where sugary/salty snack treats do not exceed 200 calories. (no change here) Note: I've removed the diet soda goal because it's in the bag now, I don't need it anymore. I also removed the one super good day goal b/c I don't really think I care enough and feel the simple limit on daily indulgence is more than fine for my goals. DRIVE 2.0 Keep lifting, stick to the program, 4 days a week. 2.1 Attend Strongwoman class weekly 2.2 10k steps a day as an average over the week MOVING PARTS 3.0 Keep rolling/stretching/etc 6 days a week, 15 minutes. BURPEE MADNESS 4.0 Instead of points, burpees, with a set list of things that will make me owe burpees. The idea isn't to fully discourage the things below, only to get more balance between these things I do by default and things I'd like to do more of but need more motivation (clean things, study, eat a little better) 1 hour video games or solo TV watching = 15 burpees, or 8 push up burpees Failed to study = 20 burpees, or 12 push up burpees 1 alcoholic drink = 15 burpees, or 8 push up burpees >200 calorie treats (think big sugar bombs or savory salty snack bombs) = 20 burpees, or 12 push up burpees Total lack of productivity = 20 burpees, or 12 push up burpees Didn't eat a single vegetable all day = 10 burpees (no substitutions) (Look, @Koaladle, I'm including a sort of veggie goal!) More notes: 11/2 is my nerdiversary and I'm planning to do a big write-up with happy words and some analysis of the journey so far~ Scoring format: 1.0 0/1, 0/1, 0/1, 0/1 1.1 0/7, 0/7, 0/7, 0/7 1.2 0/4, 0/4, 0/4, 0/4 2.0 0/4, 0/4, 0/4, 0/4 2.1 0/1, 0/1, 0/1, 0/1 2.2 0/1, 0/1, 0/1, 0/1 3.0 0/7, 0/7, 0/7, 0/7 Burpees paid: Burpees debt:

"What once was, matters not. What is, is of up most importance." I'm late to the party for this Challenge, but I figure better late than never. For those of you who didn't see my introductory thread, it can be found here: But to give you the cliff notes version. At one point not to long ago I was in the best shape of my life. During this "Origin Story" I dropped my weight from 242lbs (5'9") all the way to 189lbs in approximately six months of eating healthy and working out. I then took a mysterious side road that lead me on a journey of eating whatever I wanted, and not working out. So I am back at 239lbs as of this morning. Time to "nut-up or shut-up" and get shit done again. See the original quote for inspiration! I am keeping these challenges simple to start, and considering there are only 2 weeks left in this challenge cycle, it will prove a good starting point leading into the next stage of warfare. Challenge #1 - Move heavy shit... quickly! Attend Crossfit Classes 3x Week Challenge #2 - Stop eating trash, you're not Oscar the Grouch! Keep anything classified as junk food to less than 3 instances a week. (Chips, cookies, fast food, etc etc) "My inner wolf shouts to be set free once again, and I will not disappoint."

Where to start. This is sort of a respawn for me, as I was pretty active here in 2013-2014 (making great gains I might add). Then we adopted our son from China, I was transferred to a new position where I basically had to learn a brand new job right before a series of inspections, and it was all I could do to fit work and family into my daily grind without collapsing from exhaustion. Personal PT goals were put on hold, and even when I did have time to train my heart and mind weren't in it. We are an active duty Navy family and just moved from Sicily, Italy to our new duty station in Florida. Steve's latest article on "no excuses" was the kick in the pants I needed just to dig up my password and log back into the site. They've made some updates since I was here last and all my old battle logs are gone. It's just as well, since I'd like to start fresh anyway. My goals are more holistic now than they were 2 years ago. My priorities have been a little out of whack and I'd like to get them realigned, so here goes: 2016 Goals: 1. Get more involved -- I will find a church family and spend more time in meditation, worship, and community service. When my mind is right, my body follows. 2. Spend time with my son -- I will spend purposeful time doing adventurous/creative/artistic/educational things with my son. I will not let work be an excuse. 3. Get stronger -- I will strength train at least 3 times/week focusing on the big three (squat, deadlift, bench). 4. Eat smarter -- I will pay closer attention to what goes in my body in order to fuel my training progress and be a better role model for my son. I'm going to go ahead and call myself out on all my old excuses in hope they will no longer hold power over me. Old Excuses: 1. I worked long hours today. 2. I'm too tired to get up an extra hour early and I need my rest. 3. It's not convenient. 4. I don't feel like cooking. Medical Conditions: 1. Chronic migraines. Sometimes it's a true reason for not working out. Sometimes it's an excuse. I have been getting migraines since I was 12. They have steadily increased over the years to the point of being chronic (14-15 headache days per month). Lifting weights during a migraine is brutal, as it makes the throbbing more intense. The medication I take for the migraines makes me feel tired and weak. You can see the issue here. Headache - don't work out. Post-headache - don't feel like working out. At an average of 1 headache every other day, that just about rules out every day of the week, and doesn't just affect working out, but also every other aspect of an active social life. At some point I even stopped making hard plans with friends, because I never knew if I would feel good enough to go out on any given day until that day arrived. Migraines are an insidious lifesuck. Last October I started yet another (I've been on just about everything under the sun to no avail) daily prophylactic medication in hopes of decreasing the frequency of the headaches. It appears to be working. The new meds have almost decreased the number of headache days in half (~8/month), which is a huge gain in quality of life. However the new meds also decrease my blood pressure which pretty much zaps all the extra energy and motivation I used to have. I am experimenting with the dosage in order to find balance, but as long as I am on this medication daily, I will have to work harder and dig deeper in order to find the drive to do what needs to be done. (And possibly drink more coffee.) Last but not least goal of 2016: I will not dwell on, or allow, the headaches to be an excuse for not living a joyful, active, and fruitful life.

Job One: Build Good Habits This one is related to my last challenge. I will continue to log my food. This has been helpful as my last challenge was pretty successful (and really, if I'm honest, I half assed it.) I've also got a calendar in my bathroom where I'm tracking some habits that I want to make sure I do every day. I'm not making myself feel bad if I don't do them, but I want to track them to see if I notice a difference in my back pain/mental attitude. Here they are: Exercise (this one I'm not putting a huge emphasis on this challenge, because I have Job Two...) CARs - Controlled Articular Rotations. I've been trying to build a habit to do these every day for over a year... i'm not so good at habits. Back Exercises - I have a few things that I want to do daily to make my back feel better (continually) Flossing - Because I suck at it! But the past month I think I only missed one day. I'm a GREAT brusher. Shitty flosser. Supplements/Meds - I have asthma because I was premature (born at 27 weeks) and I suffer from depression. Sometimes get ornery about taking my meds because I feel like I shouldn't have to deal with these things. However, I know in my heart that I need to be my best me and give myself the best chance at success. So, Every day I have to take my Symbicort and Zoloft. I also have crazy allergies, so I do a Zyrtec every day and that helps. Other supplements for shits and giggles: Vitamin D, Tumeric/Curcumin, Fish Oil, Ashwagandha, and ZMA. Most of these are for their anti-inflammatory benefits, and the others are mood/sleep support. Job Two: Keep This Thing Alive This is Sadie. She's my first dog. She's 3 years old and very smart. I brought her home on Sunday and I am still petrified that I will do things wrong and maybe she won't love me and I will have to bring her back. But she's been wonderful. My goal for this challenge is to get into a good routine with her. Seems like it's going to be something like this: 7a - go out side for a potty break and walk ~20-30min 7:30ish - in for her breakfast while I make coffee and start working 11-12pm ish - out for a quick 15 min walk 5-6pmish - out for our long walk. 20-45min depending on how we feel 6:30 - Dinner for Sadie 9pm - out for potty and then into crate for bed.

Main Quest To live a healthy and balanced life by exercising and trying to eat healthy. My motivation I've successfully dropped weight by counting calories so my diet will mostly be staying the same with 1200 calories per day M-F and then blow meals on the weekends. I've managed to put on some muscle in an effort to become stronger by weightlifting and I’ve discovered that I love lifting heavy things! I don’t particularly enjoy the 4 week style challenges, so this time I’m going to try a double challenge at 8 weeks. That should put me at August 21-October 22, with a week in the middle for a brief rest, I think. I enjoy doing themed workouts and for this challenge it will be snow leopards. For several reasons but mostly because 1. CATS and 2. they’re fantastic mountaineering jumpers who attack using stealth, perfect for an assassin-in-training! Smaller Quests 1. Spanish I’m going back to Cozumel soon so I want to get back in the habit of practicing my Spanish daily during the week for at least 20-30 minutes. Scoring: x/40 Reward: +4 to WIS 2. Eat more fruits and veggies I liked having fruit and veggies that I didn’t actually count calorie-wise so I’d like to incorporate that again for this challenge. I want to aim to eat a fruit or vegetable once per day during the week. Scoring: x/40 Reward: +2 CON & +2 CHA 3. Running I still don’t like running, but even I have to admit that it’s a good workout. And, it actually cuts my time I have to be at the gym down since I work up a sweat much faster. I want to run at least twice a week. Scoring: x/16 Reward: +2 STA & +2 to DEX 4. Weights More weightlifting this challenge! Since I’ve convinced my husband to come weightlifting with me again, I am bringing back the dreaded assisted pull-ups since the gym we visit after work has the machine. Scoring: x/4 (1 for each weight achieved) • Barbell Curls: 20lbs → 30lbs • Squat Sled: 90lbs → 125lbs • Assisted Pull-Ups: 30lbs assist → 20lbs assist Reward: +3 to STR (+1 for each completed)

This Challenge cycle came up rather quickly because Zero Week features CNF. The first thing I do is look over the next six weeks to determine what is going on. And here they are: Week 0: September 19 to September 25 - CAAAAMMMMPPPP!!!!!! Featuring many things, including the CNF PL Competition on Thursday, September 22. Week 1: September 26 to October 2 - Obtain new programming and start Week 1. Week 2: October 3 to October 9 - New programming Week 2. Week 3: October 10 to October 16 - New Programming Week 3. Week 4: October 17 to October 23 - Taper week. Minnesota Open October 23. Week 0: October 24 to October 30 - Post Battle Week. What are the chances I end up doing NOTHING this week? As mentioned at the end of the previous Challenge cycle, I was presented with good news and bad news. Good News: Miss Broki is rising in the ranks of Darkside Fitness and is moving to a new location in a galaxy far, far away. Bad News: She is still training me. Good News and Bad News are relative terms anyway. Unless, of course, we are referring to the Good News, which is often capitalized and presented with the word, "The." So starting in October, I will be going to a completely different location and exploring a completely new part of MinniBulgaria. So yup. Still Dark Side. Mission 1 - Embrace the Power of the Dark Side - at CAAAAMMMMPPPPP!!!!!!!!! Day 1, Wednesday: Spirit Night - Wear the colors of Dark Side Tyrus Day 2, Thursday: CNF PL Competition - Lift big and bring honor to another House with the same colors. Day 2, Thursday: Costume Night - The last time I checked a picture of my costume.... DAMN! I'm lookin' good! Day 3, Friday: Time Travel Night - The Dark Side is also cold! Day 4, Saturday: Glow Party - And the Dark Side is..... well, dark! Day 5, Sunday: Get back home. And take more pictures and tell more stories this time! We're going to have a good time! Mission 2 - Obtain new Programming! The PL competition out of the way calls for new programming for the month of October leading up to a WL meet on October 23. So we need a three-week program and a one-week taper. Based on the recent patterns, I see: Five days per week. (She might have decided that is what I can work with.) Bench Press disappears from the programming. Push Press returns. Deadlifts disappear for one month. She did pop a question, asking if I enjoyed PL or WL more. It seems like a pretty loaded question, but it is possible that she was going to use that information to decide on what to include in the next round of programming. I did say it would be nice to have a WL total equal to my DL. However, my shoulder is not too friendly towards BP and that kind of makes the choice for me. So not much of a goal - but I always discuss the programming at the beginning of the cycle and I really have no idea what the programming is going to look like. Mission 3 - Tracking Last cycle I was talking about cleaning up my diet with the mention of one outing per week and batch cooking and making the grocery list more closely match what I have been given. Not much of that really happened. So I will recycle this: My daily and weekly tracking systems are working very well. I also keep handwritten notes of my macros. So the simplest way to track this would be to circle the days with outings and square the days done by batch cooking. The goal leaves four days where I limp through with boxed meals. Regarding weight, there is no weight class for the CNF PL competition, but weight is taken for the purpose of scoring Wilks points. My goal is 300 Wilks and I will attempt to do this at 205 pounds or less and by making all of the second lifts. For the WL meet on October 23, I will be at the 94 kg class. So if I keep my weight under 207 pounds, I will be good. Otherwise, I am driving to Rochester, MN with the heat on full blast. Mission 4 - Do Battle and bring Honor and Glory to the Dark Side! PL Meet on Thursday, September 22: Squat: 335 / 355 / 365 pounds Bench Press: 185 / 205 / 215 pounds Deadlift: 475 / 495 / 505 pounds The second lifts total 1055 pounds, which will put me over 300 Wilks at 205 pounds body weight. WL Meet on Sunday, October 23: Snatch: 65?? / 70?? / 75?? kg Clean and Jerk: 90?? / 95?? / 100?? kg I honestly have no idea where these lifts are at. Mission 5 - Other Missions as they arrive And that's about it! Still Dark Side. But there is always hope! In the mean time....

Overview / Motivation: Continuing on the same path from the last challenge since I am still seeing strength gains in my program. I ended up finishing Life as Sport during the off-week - I read through it start to finish and took notes, but didn't dig into any of the exercises. I wanted to run through it again, but actually stop to work through each of the exercises and build out the Life is Sport strategy and mentality. I think it will be very valuable for me. Looking forward to getting after it! Main Quest (revised for 2016): Hit the following benchmarks in strength and stamina: Bench Press 250 lbs. Squat 250 lbs. Complete 20 Pull Ups Side Quests: Average 3 Weight Training Sessions / Week Points Potential: STR +3 Grading: A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% F= Average < 80% Run 4 miles per week Points Potential: STA +3 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% F= Average < 70% Average 5 Planks / Week - hold for 2:00 Average 2 NerdFitness Yoga Sessions / Week Points Potential: DEX +4 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% F= Average < 70% Life Quest: Read & Explore: Re-read Life as Sport by Jonathan Faver & execute on all the exercises Complete Chapter 1-7 Enjoyment Exercise Chapter 2 Exercise - Review current goals Chapter 2 Exercise - Create my mastery map Chapter 3 Exercise - Identify my Power Values Chapter 4 Exercise - Complete Composure Experiment & Practice Chapter 5 Exercise - Complete Visualization Exercise Chapter 6 Exercise - Create my personal mantra Chapter 7 Exercise - Create my pre, during & post game routine Points Potential: CHA+5 A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% F= Average < 70%

This Challenge has to deal with two types of Booty! Booty 1: So, I just got promoted at work It's a technical lead position (because I would make people cry if I was a straight up manager). It starts officially next week, and there should be a nice raise/possibly bonus as well starting in Oct. Booty 2: I want a nice rear end, and since my competition is now Dec 10 instead of Oct 22 I am going to focus a bit on form instead of function up until about the first week of Nov. I will still be doing event days, but I am going to go on a cut, and do more accessory work on the glutes. The Goals: Eat For The Booty: Follow post competition nutrition plan with at least 3 rest days (following until first week of Nov). Earn The Booty: Figure out new tasks/responsibilities and get settled into my new role. Keep a productive and positive attitude, a side of sass is acceptable. Work The Booty: Work in my Buti videos and extra glute work at least twice a week. 1 session can be skipped if I have a heavy squat/leg day. Life Goal: Love the Booty I Have - Work on some self acceptance and confidence, throw some pics up on instagram showing progress in weight loss/ increased awesomeness. .5 Zero Week To Do's - Focus on Organization - Use my Planner... seriously. (pictures will be posted for accountability) - Set reminders for Yoga workouts at home - Plan all meals for the first 2 weeks of the challenge - Clean up guest room and set it up for yoga Time to get to it!

Superhero Challenge is here at last! I've had this one in the back of my mind for a minute, so this should be fun. It's also influenced by some things I've seen @Tanktimus the Encourager, @Sloth the Enduring and @Atrytone do over the summer, and credit for the title goes to @deftona So I wanted to do a very serious superhero challenge, and I spent a lot of time pondering who the right superhero to model on. Superman? Wonderwoman? The Flash? So many choices... I needed someone who hit all the points and inspired me and suited my personality. And then I figured it out.... Yes, it's THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO!!!! Now, I know what you are thinking. Wasn't Ralph Hinkley, the Greatest American Hero, kind of a doofus? Wasn't he constantly screwing up and flailing? Didn't he lose his own instruction book? Did he have any idea what he was doing at any given time? All these things are true. But isn't that all of us? I have a constant, ongoing conversation with my training partner, the Mantis, about what I am training for. He helps design my programming, and when we are working on it he's always asking me "what do you want to do? Triathalon? Power Lift? Crossfit? You have to tell me why you're doing this so I can figure out what you need to do." And I'm always like, Fuck, I don't know. I want to do everything. I keep thinking, there has to be more to this. It can't just be about trying look good naked and be less fat and show off in the gym. I would have given up long ago if that was it. (Especially the be less fat bit. Sigh.) There has to be something pushing me other than utter vanity. And a few weeks ago, one of the trainers at my gym happened to be asking me, "so what are you training for? Why are you here?" - the eternal question - and just as we were chatting I happened to look up at the TV in the gym and the news was showing the flooding in Virginia (Louisiana would come a few weeks later) and the shot was of people taking their little shitty johnboats and canoes and whatever they could find, and going BACK into the flooded areas to rescue other people, sometimes people they didn't even know, from the flooding. And in that moment it crystalized for me and I pointed at the TV and said "because I want to be that guy." Look, it would be awesome to be an invincible beast that never got hurt, helped the helpless, did the right thing, showed up at the right time, saved the world, AND remembered to file their taxes quarterly. I would love that. But I'm not. Especially the taxes part. But I can be Ralph. I can be as fit as possible to be as useful as possible, as best as I can. And until I am called upon to save the world, I can be an everyday hero, and I can rescue cats and help the neighbor with her groceries and whatever. It's what Ralph would do. Okay, on to the actual challenge training and goals: Everyday Hero: Be Kind: give one random compliment or helpful thing per day. Be Useful: learn one thing useful in emergencies per week. CPR, emergency first aid, change a tire & jump a battery, evacuation techniques for injured people, etc. Make it better: make one donation or volunteer one hour per week to a good cause. Let yourself fly: Ralph, famously, could fly but never figured out how to land. I have some ideas for stuff that I want to do that I keep shrinking from because I'm scared to fail at them. I need to take those risks and let the landing sort itself out. Strong like Hero: I have three gym workouts per week. They are: PHT A: 10 mins rower then 4 circuits: 1 arm rows glute bridge bench press leg extension delt raise jump rope incline press KB swing tricep extension prowler push pull-up (still working on these) PHT B: 10 min rower 4 circuits: deadlift t-bar row step-up bench press hamstring curl military press jump rope push up kb swing sled pull walking lunge inverted row HIIT/Cardio: I do three rounds of this, with 5 min rest between rounds. I do the rower first, then 3x of the moves in italics, then finish with the sandbag run. Rest and Repeat. 250 meter row 10 kb swings 10 wall balls 30 sec battle ropes 200 meter sandbag run Non - Gym workouts: Bike 2-3x week, plus skate, jog, kayak, whatever, as it fits in the schedule. So that's it! Should be a fun challenge; these are cool workouts and I'm looking forward to them. Let's do this Edited to add: Have to shout out to @Phoenix Burning for introducing me to the book Natural Born Heroes and Georges Hebert and the concept of "be fit to be useful" several challenges back. I stand on the shoulders of giants. (or at least their reading reccomendations)

Going back to Snatching a few times a week this year. I might do it from the hang for a while to get my technique down. Any tips?

Here we are yet again. However this time focus on health, looking fantastic and shifting weight not just from my arse but shifting of the ground and lifting it on my shoulders. So far this year I have sucked at keeping even the basics going and we haven't even finished January! My birthday is on Monday, I will be 44 years of age and I have decided I will give it my all for the next twelve months because when I hit 45 I want to be a fucking machine! So the plan for 2015 is going to look like this: Paleo all the way! Juicing and having it on hand so temptation is quickly quelled. Keeping my vitamins and mineral intake up and taking that multi every-fucking-day. Drink all the water! Just being more aware of diet and fuck the calorie counting. Stronglifts because how I love thee. When/if I stall this year move onto an intermediate lifting plan like mad cow or something similar. Find a trainer and get some coaching at least once every couple months. Stop over analysing my lifts, I really did lose my shit when I started trying to break every lift down to micro movements and lost the love. New Rules of Lifting for Women is going to provide my accessory lifts and when/if I get bored or finish I will do Blaha's Ice Cream workouts. Walk the track every day! Don't lose focus! I have 12 months. However my first goal is to start lifting on my birthday and weigh and measure, I will weigh and measure again on the 2nd of April. I will work hard to drop my body fat percentage and lose at least 6 kilo. I will let my hair grow and get a proper cut and colour by the 2nd of March. 2015 is going to be my bitch!

Somehow I have managed to anger my right wrist. It started in yoga the week before camp. During camp it didn't bother me, but I came home, went to yoga again and it blew up at me. Initially it was the heel of my hand hurting (pinky side), but then the pain moved to my wrist, pinky side still. It didn't want to be bent in a push up like position and bear weight. It also got very offended at the idea of false grip on the rings. Then it started hurting while using my mouse at work. I've got it in a brace now, I've been icing it, and just took some ibuprofen. But tonight is a lifting night, and I want to lift, but without making things worse. So the strategy I have in mind is to avoid "push" type things, like push up, bench press, overhead press, and to do "pull" type things like deadlifts, pull ups, and rows. I'm debating squats, because there is no squat rack in my gym, so I have to clean anything first in order to do front squats, and I don't know how my wrist will tolerate a front racked position. You know what, pistol squats are probably the way to go here. Does anyone have experience with this type of thing? Does anyone's experience tell them that trying to lift things with my hands is a bad idea, even if I try to compensate by avoiding certain exercises? Or will it be potentially good for me? Suggestions for exercises I can do while avoiding aggravating my wrist?

I just joined NF and have found myself to be a warrior accepting the occasional quest as a ranger. The truth of the matter is my #1 goal for 2016 is to get pregnant and carry a healthy child full term. My goals will shift dramatically before, during, and after that process, I need a place where I can be transparent and accountable! So here it goes My Pre-Preggers Goals Lifting Nothing has helped me feel empowered as a woman like being strong. I am rebuilding my consistency, so here are my pre-preggers goals: Lift 4x a week! Get back to pre-miscarraige numbers (Current: 67k Snatch, 82k C&J, 105k Squat, 115k Dead ; Bests: 78k Snatch, 89k C&J, 115k Squat, 137k Dead) (Will track workouts and PRs here) Met-Con I need to establish a foundation of metabolic conditioning so when I am pregnant, I am able to maintain fitness. Row 2x a week CrossFit 1x a week (Will track workouts here) 5 Minutes a Day I have auxiliary goals that I am committed to spending 5 minutes a day improving. I will only commit to 4 of these kinds of goals at a time: Free standing handstand Push ups Drawing Gratitude (Will track time spent here) Weight With PCOS and Hypothyroid, weight is a huge concern. Between 2 miscarriages, I went from 63K to 71K. My doctors want me to at least get back to 65K before we can start trying to get pregnant again. I am committed to logging my food on MyFitnessPal and tracking my weight here: Supplements The number 1 goal for 2016 is still to get preggers and STAY preggers. This means I need to be good about all the things my medical team wants me to take. Prenatals B Complex Vitamin D Astaxanthinn (Will track consistency here) Mindfulness My issue? "Too many mind." I recently read the book "10% Happier" and suddenly meditation made sense for the first time in my entire life. 10 minutes of meditation a day (Will track consistency here)

Hi guys I am currently in my fourth year of uni and I am struggling to find the energy for both my workouts and my learning. My goal is to loose a bit of weight (currently 73/74kg, would like to get under 70kg) and tighten up a few areas. Atm I am going to uni in the mornings and hitting the gym in the afternoon/evening (3x a week) and I am loosely tracking my macros. The past couple of gym session though I have experienced feeling "flat" around half way through my workout or being so tired when I get home that I take around a long nap, neither of which are good considering the amount of time I would like to spend doing homework in the evenings. I do not experience the "flat" feeling if I go to the gym in the mornings, but I simply do not have time for a morning session monday-friday. I allways eat a lunch/breakfast before training and (although I do not consider myself paleo) I do eat very clean with my lunches often containing things such as chicken, rice, salmon, ryebread, cottage cheese aso. Does anybody have any experiences, ideas or even food suggestions?

This 4 Week Challenge’s theme will be… Things I've learned over the last three challenges: What I’m doing new this challenge: Goals Must be done within 24hrs for points = Running o 2x a week o Track and post all runs on Fitbit / Fitocracy o Report run on 4WC thread (mi/mm:ss) Weightlifting* See Spoiler o 2x a week o Track and post all workouts on Fitbit / Fitocracy o Report exercise on 4WC thread (CT/BB/LB) Hike/Bike - OPTIONAL o May be substituted for other exercise goals o Track and post all hikes/cycling on Fitbit / Fitocracy o Report hikes/cycling on 4WC thread (mi/mm:ss) Domestic Rangering o Prep all lunches throughout challenge (nightly OR weekly) o Track M-F meals daily on MFP throughout challenge - Report calorie total within 1 day of consumption on 4WC thread o Clean kitchen after dinner o Layout workout and work clothes every evening prior to bedtime o Go to bed at 20:00 every night Scoring Method 1 Pt for exercise tracked (Fitbit / Fitocracy / 4WC)* 1 Pt for calories tracked (MFP / 4WC)* 1 Pt for each lunch prepped 1 Pt for going to bed with a clean kitchen 1 Pt for laying out clothes before bed 1 Pt for going to bed on time * Potential for up to 2 Pts a day

We are into August and the battle continues! What the next five weeks look like: Week 0: August 15 to August 21 - Week 8 of current programming, featuring 5x5 + 3x8 Week 1: August 22 to August 28 - Week 9 of current programming, featuring 5x5 + 3x8 Week 2: August 29 to September 4 - Week 1 of new programming Week 3: September 5 to September 11 - Week 2 of new programming Week 4: September 12 to September 18 - Week 3 of new programming The next Week 0 is September 19 to September 25 and coincides with CNF 2016. So there will be a taper week and an informal PL meet. So the goals will be pretty much the same as before, but keeping CNF and the PL competition in mind. Goal 1 - Programming Current mission is nearing completion. Acquire new mission. We are finally done with the 10x10 cycle and got to 10x10x225 pound squats and 10x10x325 pound deadlifts. Now we are on three weeks of 5x5. The most recent round was (almost) 5x5x275 pound squats and 5x5x405 pound deadlifts. Two more weeks I am planning a quick little bit of linear progression to get to 5x5x295 pound squats and 5x5x425 pound deadlifts. Similar linear progression for the 3x8 that follows 5x5. Sometime during Week 1, I should get some programming to get us to the CNF PL Meet. I think it will be a six-day hybrid program, but time will tell. Goal 2 - Tracking We still have a good bit more of the Parental Visit Bulking Program going and then it is back to normal life. The general goals are: Maintain weight around 205 pounds / 93 kg. This leaves an option open for a PL competition sometime next year. Keep "outings" to one time per week. Batch cook one time per week - even if the batch cook only lasts two days. Compare shopping list to what I have been given. (Vague - but I will know exactly what this is when I read it at the end of the Challenge cycle.) Goal 3 - Battle Yup. There is another battle coming up right after this Challenge Cycle! That would be the CNF PL Meet! No idea just how much stronger I have become since the April 23 PL meet, but we will be finding out soon. We were discussing openers a couple of weeks ago - and who knows? Maybe the idea was to throw some numbers out there for us to laugh at when I actually try openers. Squats should see some big gains because there was a lot of squat work in all of that Olympic programming. Bench Press will look about the same. Deadlift is looking a lot stronger. Goal 4 - Other Goals as they come up No real Challenge theme this cycle because too much stuff going on around the house. So....

totally not my fault... Welcome to my FFXI challenge, which will be full of my ten year old screenshots! The challenge you never knew you wanted is here! I liked simple. Simple is good. Inventory Culling Cutting for real this time, yep. I am actually gaining weight kind of rapidly here. Oops. At least I have a really good feel for my current TDEE, which should help with a cut. Scoring: I have a calorie range and this is pass or fail via weekly average. Grinding Skill Points I've swapped to 5/3/1. (Boring But Big assistance template) Today was the first day. Adding Sunday to the rotation. Scoring: All 4 sessions in a week = A, 3 = B, 2 = C Meat Mithkabobs Protein intake. I'm still so dismal at this by default. Extra challenging due to cut. Aiming for 100g+ daily. Scoring: 6/7 days hitting target = A, 5 = B, 4 = C Mithra Stretchcat Mobility stuff. I still need some motivation here too. Stepping this up. 15+ minutes per day. Can be self-guided stretches and rolling, a yoga video, whatever. Scoring: 6/7 = A, 5 = B, 4 = C Random Sidequest Adulting point system. Good things earn points, with which I can buy variances. Positive points = good. Negative points = bad. Variances include stuff like buying small non-essential things, cookies, a cheat meal, extra time to play video games or read, etc, so long as it does not otherwise interfere with challenge goals. (I.e., eating an enormous cookie that puts the cut or protein target in jeopardy for the day = not really an option) Scoring: Keeping track in daily update. Starting measurements - +/- judged from a pretty bloaty 6/6/16. Red doesn't mean bad. For example, I was 'mirin' that bigger chest while doing dumbbell presses today because hoo boy I have been putting some muscle into my pecs! Some teensy recomp has happened in addition to the slow bulk. It's unusual for my thighs to track down when my waist at the navel tracks up. I'm chalking it up to putting some light muscle on my core and changing the dynamic a little bit around the middle. Now with Ending measurements, start on left, end on right, comments below because I has them 7/18/16 - 8/16/16 weight: 107 lbs | 107.8 lbs +.8 lbs waist: 26" | 25.5" -.5" waist at navel: 30" | 28.75" -1.25" hips: 35" | 34.5" -.5" bootay: 36" | 36" -0" r. thigh: 20.25" | 20" -.25" l. thigh: 20.25" | 20" -.25" r. calf: 12" | 12.25" +.25" l. calf: 12.5" | 12.3" -.2" r. bicep: 10.5" | 10.75" +.25" l. bicep: 10.25" | 10.25" +0 chest: 31" | 31.5" +.5" bust: 32.5" | 32.75" +.25" First, it's important to mention that the first weight was after a week of cutting down from a high weight of nearly 110 lbs. So that was my "fasted" weight and measurements. The second measurements were after a semi-successful cut and some beer and ice cream bloat, so definitely some excess water weight and food weight going on there. My typical scale weight near the beginning was actually more like 107-108, and I've been hitting the low 105's more consistently at the end of this challenge. Just for reference. I didn't actually gain a pound here, is what I'm saying. I think it's interesting that in spite of the similarities in weight, the actual measurement changes were positive all the way across the board. I gained measurements where I wanted, lost where I wanted. \o/ I feel like recomp is represented here. I also think maybe I should swap to DB curls cuz that right bicep is getting weirdly bigger. :S

Main Quest To live a healthy and balanced life by exercising and trying to eat healthy. My motivation I've successfully dropped weight by counting calories so my diet will mostly be staying the same with 1200 calories per day M-F and then blow meals on the weekends. I've managed to put on some muscle in an effort to become stronger by weightlifting and I’ve discovered that I love lifting heavy things! I enjoy doing themed workouts and for this challenge it will be valkyries; proper female warriors! Smaller Quests 1. Weights It’s time to get back to lifting all the heavy things! I’ve missed it, so it’s time to re-set and lift stuff again. I like it, it makes me feel better about myself and it’s got practical, real-world purposes. Scoring: x/4 (1 for each weight achieved) Bar Curls: 30lbs → 40lbs Bench Press: 70lbs → 80lbs Deadlift: 65lbs → 80lbs Rows: 30lbs → 40lbs Negative Pull-Ups: 5 → 8 Reward: +5 to STR (+1 for each completed) 2. Eat more fruits and veggies I should cut down on processed junk food again so I’m hoping to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my weekly diet instead, based on my 1200 calorie intake. Besides, eating veggies and fruit is (apparently!) good for me. I want to aim to eat a fruit or vegetable once per day during the week. (Most weeks I don’t have a single vegetable, which, I know, is bad.) Should the fruit or vegetable take the place of a sugary snack in the evenings too, all the better. Scoring: x/20 Reward: +2 CON & +2 CHA 3. Running While I do not enjoy running, it is a physical activity that warriors use: a lot. Walking is great, but running into battle in full armor is much more impressive. It’s also a hell of a lot harder. So, in order to properly train like a warrior, I want to run at least twice a week. I’m aiming for the following time breakdown: Week #1: 10 minutes Week #2: 15 minutes Week #3 & #4: 20 minutes Scoring: x/8 Reward: +3 STA & +3 to DEX “Wise thought her the valkyrie…” - Hrafnsmál poem

Hello Nerds! Novice weightlifter here. I have a question about what is failing me on my inclined dumbbell press. I think one of the most frustrating things about beginning weight lifting is the inadequacies of certain muscles get in the way of my stronger muscles. I know this takes time, but some knowledge will help too. That is why I'm here. Simply put, I cannot get the dumbbell's over my head into starting position prior to the first rep. I am using 50Lbs. dumbbells. Once over my head (with assistance) I can press the dumbbells for 6 reps. What muscles are failing here? Should I reduce the weight of the dumbbells to a weight that I can get over my head? Even though when I am pressing it feels light? Is there another lift that can help me improve the muscles that are failing? Thanks for your input everyone.

Hello everybody and welcome! The next six weeks kind of look like a break in the action. Here they are: W0 - Week ending June 11 - Last week of BEBOP. (Broki's Evil Bulgarian Olympic Program) W1 - Week ending June 18 - Olympic Meet. W2 - Week ending June 25 - An entire week off! W3 - Week ending July 2 - New Program starts! W4 - Week ending July 9 - New Program..... W0 - Week ending July 16 - VACATION! Most likely the new program will be a Hybrid Weightlifting / Powerlifting program, unless Miss Broki Trollsforeva somehow manages to talk me into skipping the CNF PL Competition. I do not know the details of this program, but any guesses what nationality inspires this programming? Needless to say, the XCOMmies did not die in the last Challenge Cycle. They just got caught up in some time warp, typically caused by some massive explosion. They will see action again one day. Before we know it, we will be back to the grind! Meanwhile in the gaming world, so many of today's games are do the quest, then go up a level. Then do the next quest and go up another level. In a lot of old-school games you had to grind your way to the next level. Find enemies you can defeat. Kill them. Go up a level. When they are too easy, you find tougher enemies you can defeat. Kill them too. Go up another level. Eventually discover clues to lead you where you are supposed to go next. These were the days before the Internet. No place to go for a walkthrough. Figure everything out on your own. The game manual was actually worth reading. After several months or so, a clue book would come out and that would pretty much tell you how to solve everything. Now of course, we have the Internet and can look up walkthroughs for these old games and read up on the best strategies to break the game. So that is what we will try to do. Who ever imagined the grind would be a break in the routine? This cycle, I chose an obscure title perhaps nobody has ever heard of. (I never heard of it until I saw it on GoG and decided it sounds fun and will give it a try.) EDIT: It looks like I have to get my own darned picture. You start with a party of six and you wander around aimlessly in a mostly abandoned castle. It is old-school dungeoning. There is no mapping function. You have to draw the map on graph paper. You wander around aimlessly until you get a random encounter. Then you beat up the beasties and move on to the next one. Of course, I will name these toons after XCOMmies! (caught in that time warp?) So how does this game work? Hmm. Let's see how I can recycle the goals from the last Challenge and make them look like new goals...... A. Wander around aimlessly until a clear direction appears. A good map always helps. Goal 1: Follow the final week of BEBOP, then Competition Week, then Rest Week, then obtain a New Program. It sure sounds like wandering around aimlessly until a clear direction appears, doesn't? B. I did say you have to draw a map. There are key spots you have to return to on a regular basis. Eventually it become familiar and you know it like the back of your hand. Yup. You guessed it! Goal 2: Keep Tracking Macros and Weight We have about five months worth of data. Still wandering around aimlessly. No weight goal. Pretty much maintenance. Calorie goal. Hmm. We can make this a little more interesting, since this is easy enough. So we will add a couple of things: a. Give the Weekly Range along with the weekly average. Say Average week. 3400 Calories. 2500 to 4000. The goal is to decide on what is reasonable. b. Veggies! Find ways to include more of them! Fresh or relatively fresh is ideal, but difficult to execute at the moment. Most likely starting with canned. Add to report. C. I also said monsters and bad guys appear at random and you have to fight them. So..... Goal 3: Fight! The next big battle is on June 18. This time I think I am shooting for: Snatch 60 / 65 / 70 kg (PB on video is just over 65 kg.) Clean and Jerk 85 / 90 / 95 kg (PB on video is about 92 kg.) The openers are subject to discussion. The final number is YOLO. One important thing to note is the units are kilograms and I can ask for any integer number. D. Don't get killed! Of course! Goes without saying! Goal 4: Stay Healthy! Overhead Press pounds x (0.96 + 0.03 x Reps + 0.01 x Sets) expressed as a percentage of 150 pounds = Shoulder Condition. Push Press pounds x (0.96 + 0.03 x Reps + 0.01 x Sets) expressed as a percentage of 200 pounds = Shoulder Condition. These numbers have been getting better! After the PL meet on April 23, any pressing motion was a hard pass and Dumbbell Push Press started with the Hot Pink Dumbbells. Mobility has also been improving. E. Granted, I have trouble actually playing through these games. I suppose I have more fun just playing around with them than actually finishing. Still, it is fun to play along. Goal 5: Adopt a Toon! True to XCOMmie tradition, there is no choice. At least this time, we can be Equal Opportunity. However most likely I am shamelessly playing favorites. It is probably going to take me the entire week just to roll these toons. (Shamelessly high stats.) They are still getting XCOMmie names. (...except they are subject to 8 character length or so because.... old school) It looks like the last time I dabbled in this game, I played: Males: Dwarf, Hobbit, Dog-like (Dog-like is most likely spoken for but subject to change.) Females: Human, Elf, Cat-like (Elf is pretty much spoken for because I owe somebody a favor.) I might play first come, first serve, otherwise. Or shamelessly play favorites. ---------------------------------------- TLDR: As for the Challenge - not much new here: Follow the program as it comes in. Track minimum and maximum macros for each week. Track vegetables and find ways to add them. -------------------------------------------- EDIT: Changed Title to "Wandering Aimlessly." 6/7/16

I do I do! Working on getting some basic stuff back on track this challenge, so this'll be pretty simple this time around. Things I'm good at: sticking to lifting schedule Things I'm okay at: finding protein when I try Things I'm bad at: cookies, any kind of adulty habit, life stuff all the time! Things I care about this challenge: Tracking lifts and doing the usual, learning as I go (but I'm on a short cut this challenge, so not expecting unicorns and rainbows) Why bother grading something you can't stop me from doing? lol Getting enough protein while on said short cut. The goal is bodyweight in grams, to ensure I'm more than hitting the appropriate target. Weekly average is fine. Basic mobility stuff. Rolling and stretching. Stretching will be 15 min of whatever. Rolling will be targeted at whatever I've hit that day. 3 of each per week. Glute work. 3 sets of stuff to get my booty activating. A squatter's best sidekick. Continuing to study for MS 70-461. Since I'm almost done with the read-through of my training kit, the challenge will focus on practice tests, internet research on the test, scheduling, and possibly taking the test depending on that last bit. This is just a P/F at the end, because I'm not really sure how to track it yet. Maybe once I gather underpants and see what's out there for practice on the web, something will come to me. But the truth is I'll just schedule that test when I'm just about ready to take it. Bare minimum adulting. A 2-3 item to-do list 5 days a week with some house chores so something happens at least. Apply to one job per week. Don't get complacent! Writing practice and brainstorming sessions. Anything goes. Just do something every day, even if it's a short brainstorm and wiki update. Get exactly one massage. Putting this in here so I do it, because believe it or not, this is difficult because it involves money. Things I don't care about this challenge: I said I'm on a cut. I'm not tracking this here, and it's not basic enough to go into the challenge, so if it needs to go to preserve the rest, it goes. This is just for context. When I'm not hitting PRs this challenge, this be why, probably. Diet soda habits, sugar habits, whole/good food habits. I care, but these are pretty secondary to everything above. Cardio. I'm doing it, because it makes cuts easier for me, but I'm not tracking it or caring if I miss a planned session. Anything else, really Phew, this was longer than you might expect for a simple challenge, isn't it?? I haven't decided if I want to use ending stats from last challenge as starting stats (they are IMPRESSIVELY bloated, so my cut would look really successful lol), or if I want to wait for the end of zero week and remeasure for the "real" start, because I'm not tracking anything for zero week, besides the lifts that I'll do anyway. Those will go here, though.

I really just wanted to do a Rick and Morty themed challenge. This one is more of the same - right now my life is revolving around the 2016 Hill Country Strongman Classic YEAH!!! It is going down Saturday, June 25th at the Austin Convention Center (as part of the Naturally Fit Games). I sprained my wrist about 2 weeks ago, which really sucked. It was a giant wrench in my carefully planned training and peaking program, which was quite frustrating. Thankfully now it is on the mend thanks to bone broth, RICE, e-stim, acupuncture, and all the fruits. ALL THE FRUITS. I wish there were more weight classes for women. At this NAS competition there are only three: 1. less than 140# 2. 140-160 3. 160+ This is lame because a 165# 5'5" woman would be competing head to head with a 220# 5'11" woman. I know they do it that way because not enough women compete at local events to break the classes down further, but it just doesn't seem right. However, as a woman who currently weighs 214#, at least I don't have to worry about cutting weight. So for the month of June I'll be doing this:

Introduction Post Goals Running 2x a week Track and post all runs on Fitbit & Fitocracy Report run on 4WC thread (mi/mm:ss) - must be same day Weight Lifting 2x a week Track and post all workouts on Fitbit & Fitocracy Report workout on 4WC thread - must be same day Hike/Bike 1x a week Track and post all hikes/biking on Fitbit & Fitocracy Report hike/bike on 4WC thread (mi/mm:ss) - must be same day Domestic Rangering Prep all lunches throughout challenge Track all meals daily on MFP throughout challenge Report daily calorie total on 4WC thread - must be same day Scoring Method 1 pt - Exercise activity accomplished 1 pt - Exercise activity tracked and posted 1 pt - Lunch prepped 1 pt - Daily meals tracked on MFP (7 days total) 1 pt - 4WC thread " - must be same day " goal met Available Trophies 5 pts = Excellence Award 4 pts = Gold Star Award 3 pts = Good Job Stamp 2 pts = Adequacy Ribbon 1 pts = Certificate of Participation Additional Points = 1 Up Challenge Point Rewards Based on the average of each week's total points. 20 pts 15 pts 10 pts

I dead lifted by body weight - 165# (plus bar) for the first time in months this morning. And it felt so good I'm upping it by at least 10 lb next week. I tweaked my back way on back in March or so and I have been building my DL back for the past month. I'm just about where I was so I'm headed into PR territory.

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