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When we procrastinate on our goals, we are basically putting off our lives. I read this sentence the other day, and it felt like a slap in the face. It has inspired me to come back, full energy, full focus. I know I can do it, I just need to center myself in the one task at hand at every moment, instead of thinking "I will do it tomorrow/next week/when nice weather is back/when the end of the world comes". Goals. 1. I AM The Wolverine. 2. Use of weapon of mass destruction. 3. 1 zenhabit.

Main Wolverine’s goal: being The Wolverine. Fight. Train. Expose yourself to cold. Eat like a horse. Breath. New stuff Handstands!

This is it. Cold baths are here. It's been nice to know you all, I'll see you in the afterlife. Kidding. I'll post a challenge. Or something. I guess.

WOLVERINE TAKES IT ALL OFF INTRODUCTION I have three big events coming up in the next couple of months: a camping trip, a vacation in Las Vegas, and Pretty Panty Party IV*. All of these events will result in my being in various states of undress in front of largish groups of people and when I strip down I would like to look like Ryan Reynolds in Blade Trinity (handcuffs optional), which is impossible. I'll settle for Ryan Reynolds' younger, shorter, more average looking, but infinitely more awesome brother. *Pretty Panty Party IV is an annual event (the fourth!) in which my friends strip down to their elaborately decorated skivvies, drink too much, and perform ridiculous "choreographed" dances for cheap prizes from the local dollar store. It's ridiculously awesome. MAIN QUEST Reduce bodyfat and increase muscle mass while maintaining a weight of 136 lb. (+/- 3 lb.). GOALS Fully embrace chaos. No set training routines, no strict eating plans, no boundaries. As long as the goals are met and the mission is achieved, no #$&% shall be given. +1 WIS +1 CHA Train 5+ days per week. Pretty simple. I hope to workout every day, but @!$# happens. No set routine. No set workout time. No rules. +1 STR, +2 DEX, +2 STA Set calories for initial weight loss, then adjust to balance body composition and performance desires. Initial target = 1800 calories per day on average. Focus on protein and fiber (veggies!). Adjust target when necessary. IIFYM. +3 CON, +1CHA Read technical book for work. 342 pages of dry but worthwhile content. Read it in a day or spread it out over the six weeks. Don't matter. +3 WISSIDE QUEST Complete 5 hours (combined total) of planks, hollow body, and Superman holds by the end of the challenge. +1 STA STARTING STATS Height: 5 ft. 7 in. Weight: 142.6 lb. (142.77 lb. 7-day average) Chest: 37.5 in. Waist: 29.75 in. Bodyfat: 12.05%

This challenge is all about consistency, moderation, and stress reduction - three areas in which I have no talent whatsoever. Luckily for me, I am a member of the best guild ever in the history of the known universe (not that I'm biased or anything) and many of my fellow Assassins have set wonderful examples for me to follow. TARGET 1: TRAIN with consistency, moderation, and stress reduction in mind. TACTIC I will be following the TACFIT program for the duration of this challenge. It involves training every day on a four-day cycle but with built-in periodization. Day one is mobility, day two is compensation, day three is moderate intensity training, and day four is high-intensity training. This repeats endlessly. There is no "off" day but the mobility and compensation days are considered to be active rest days. On both mobility and compensation days, I will be adding a short Prasara Yoga session. TALE This goal is pretty much all Lex Phoenix's fault. Her last six-week challenge was really interesting to follow and I learned a lot about my challenge themes (consistency, moderation, and stress reduction) from her experience. Her challenge also introduced me to Prasara Yoga. My research into Prasara lead me to Scott Sonnon (the creator of Prasara) and TACFIT (of which Sonnon is also the creator). (Interesting side note: The GMB guys are all big fans of/certified in Sonnon's CST model, practice/teach Prasara, and based a lot of their own programs on the same concepts of flow, injury-free training, and periodization.) I was interested in doing something completely outside of my comfort zone for this challenge, and TACFIT and Prasara fit the bill! TALLY +2 STR, +2 DEX, +1 STATARGET 2: TASTE with consistency, moderation, and stress reduction in mind. TACTIC I will be IIFYMing for the duration of the six-week challenge. I will continue to eat with cutting in mind and aim to land within 100 calories of my 1800 calories per day target (a range of 1700-1900). I may change this range by 100 calories in either direction if (and only if) my fat loss plateaus for seven days or more. I will get at least 130 grams of protein per day and 20 g of fiber per day. More is better on this front. I will not starve myself in order to binge at a later date. TALE A few weeks into my last challenge I came to the realization that my eating had become very unhealthy. Basically, I would starve myself all week so that I could BINGE on the weekends. While I was losing weight, my training suffered and I was neglecting to face my horrible relationship with food. There was much guilt and negative self talk, neither of which is optimal for the mind let alone training recovery. This goal is my attempt to teach myself some moderation and get in a good mental space with regard to food. TALLY +2 CON, +2 WISTARGET 3: TRACK with consistency, moderation, and stress reduction in mind. TACTIC As per my usual, I will be some daily and weekly tracking. Daily tracking will consist of my weight, training routine, training effort, training technique, and what I eat. Weekly tracking will be limited to my waist and chest measurements and a progress photo. TALE I have DRASTICALLY reduced my normal tracking list. This is about 1/3 of what I normally measure/chart/graph/tabulate. I am really hoping that by slimming down my data I'll save some time, energy, and needless worry. I have chosen the items above (and only the items above) because they are necessary in making sure that my body recomposition is going to plan. They answer the only two questions I really care about right now - how is my training going and what is my body composition? This goal is also heavily influenced by Lex. Slimming down metrics = lowering stress = better success. TALLY +1 CON, +1 WIS, +1 CHATARGET 4: TICK OFF to-dos with consistency, moderation, and stress reduction in mind. TACTIC I will be plugging away at some house projects again this challenge. Specifically, I would like to accomplish the following: 1) finish painting the patio, 2) spend at least 3 hours de-cluttering the garage, and 3) finally hook up my Apple TV. TALE 1) Many of you may remember my "Stay Married" goal from two challenges ago. While I am still married, I had to take some time off of the patio work due to my surgery. Now that I've been cleared by my surgeon it's time to get back to work. I have two more walls to paint before I can call this one done. 2) The garage is out of control, and now that my wife is working out again (WOOT!) we need more training space. Time to go through our crap and CL/donate what we don't need. I won't have time to finish the garage during this challenge (I'll be spending most of my free time on the patio), but if I can get some decent time in, I'll be happy. 3) I received an Apple TV for my 30th birthday. I'm now almost 32. We use music to wake our son every morning and this dusty little device would make that process a lot easier. It's past time to get it up and running. TALLY +3 CHA

WOLVERINE: THE MUSICAL A WORDY INTRODUCTION TO MY 7TH FREAKING CHALLENGE I will be having abdominal surgery on April 17th. I know I've been talking about my damn surgery for FOREVER AND A HALF, but this time it's actually happening. The surgery is routine (for my doctor... not so much for me) and outpatient if it all goes well, but serious. I'm getting a lot of mixed messages about recovery time. My doctor says NO LIFTING FOR THE REST OF TIME (I'm paraphrasing here), but we didn't really get into what "lifting" means and I may have been a little (a lot) overeager in my "But when can I work out again???" line of questioning. It's totally within the realm of possibility that she is being conservative in her recovery estimate so that I don't push myself too fast and too far like a jackass (which is something I would totally do). I have talked to others who have had the same type of surgery and recovery seems to vary wildly based on the sex, age, and health of the person speaking (shocking, I know). The guy who I talked to who is older and not as active as I am (but healthy) said that he was walking around the next day (not like walking but around the house type stuff) and was tired but functional after about a week. He couldn't give me a really good estimate on the training because he didn't (doesn't) do much, but was of the opinion that my doc was out of her gourd with her NO LIFTING FOR THE REST OF TIME (paraphrase) estimate. Needless to say, not really knowing what's coming has played havoc with my goal setting for this challenge. LAME. I'm being forced out of my comfort zone a bit on this one as I can't be as specific and planned as I like to be. DOUBLE LAME. I suppose working on some flexibility/play-it-by-ear-ness will build character or something... Blah, blah, blah. Onto the goals! WOLVERINE'S GOALS OF WONDER AND DELIGHT (WORKING TITLE) I have found myself inspired by my fellow Rebels over and over again. I have learned so much since joining the Rebellion, and I feel like centering this challenge on those that have inspired me would be a cool way to honor all of your places in my journey. GOAL 1: ADAPT MY TRAINING AND STAY CONSISTENT Week 1 (post surgery) workouts will consist of two daily walks. Walks will increase in length and time as I recover. I will re-evaluate this goal each week, and adapt my training (CROMAN RED) to what I am capable of at each stage of recovery. I will not sit on the couch and do nothing. Each week and with each stage of recovery, I will be consistent (ELASTIGIRL and AROCK10) with my training and follow-through. Possible Attribute Points: +1STR +2 CON +2 WIS GOAL 2: PLAN, TRACK, EVALUATE, AND REPEAT I will continue my cut for now, but will keep it slow and steady. I will obsessively regularly track my measurements and diet and continue to take progress photos, so that I have the information that I need to make informed decisions (WALDO) with regard to my diet and training (should I be able to recover enough for a "real" workout). I will also re-evaluate this goal each week, making sure that the current plan is helping and not hindering my recovery, which takes priority over weight loss. Possible Attribute Points: +1 CON +1 WIS +1 CHA GOAL 3: PRACTICE OPTIMISM It is okay to be grumpy when life throws you a curveball; it is not okay to wallow. I will stay positive in tough circumstances (THE WOLF) and I will not talk negatively about myself or complain about my circumstances (DEVYN). I am allowed to feel badly about being sidelined for awhile, but I need to allow myself to feel that emotion, catalog it, and then let it go. My wife is going to have a full plate as it is, she does not need a heaping pile of depressed me as an appetizer (or would that be dessert?). I need to practice happiness, joyfulness, and optimism. Maybe some will stick. Now that I think about it... maybe that's how Wolf got that bangin' midsection? Possible Attribute Points: +1 CON +2 WIS +1 CHA GOAL 4: TRAIN THE MIND I had a revelation recently that the mind can be trained just like the body can be trained (VECTOR). At every opportunity we are faced with choices. Red pill or blue pill? Train or sleep in? Take the freeway or side streets? Some choices are moral, some don't really seem to matter in the grand scheme of things. Take all the emotion and desire out of a situation and it always comes back to a rational, logical choice. I will be flossing daily, taking out my contacts and cleaning them every night, drinking my 64 fl. oz. of water, side/back sleeping (no stomach!), and not drinking alcohol alone for this challenge. Why? Because those are all healthy habits that I tend to slack on and I'd like to rectify that. I will also drink tea every morning instead of coffee brush my teeth with my left hand every day, and prioritize my left hand in other areas of life throughout the day. Why? Because I can. I don't "want to". I don't "not want to". I am making a conscious decision to change a habit that is neither good or bad for the purpose of training my mind to think about habits in rational terms ( a or b ) rather than moral/emotional terms (good or bad). Possible Attribute Points: +1 STR +1 CON +1 WIS

GOAL 1: STAY FOCUSED I spent a lot of time this past week thinking about my long term training goals. At first I was thinking in general terms (get stronger) and then a little more specifically (keep up the regular routine) and then a lot more specifically (I want to perform X skill for X time/reps). This challenge will focus on working toward my long term goals and not wandering from that path. Long term goals: Muscle-up Planche V-sit Press to Handstand One-Arm Handstand Front Lever Back Lever Human Flag Dragon Flag Plyometric Pistol Squat For this challenge I will complete a bodyweight routine three times per week. This bodyweight routine will consist of floor, rings, and parallettes-based exercises that work directly toward accomplishing one of my ten long term goals. I'm not going to set my routine in stone (though I like what I have spec'd out so far), but if I change it I must demonstrate how it relates to accomplishing one of the big ten and why it would be better than what I already have planned. In addition to my bodyweight routine, I will complete a cardio routine two times per week (usually an Insanity routine) and participate in all Assassin Mini-Challenge missions. POSSIBLE POINTS: +2 STR, +2 DEX, +1 STA GOAL 2: STAY ON TARGET I am INCHES or rather POUNDS away from my ultimate weight loss goal and my freakin' six-pack abs. I am currently rocking a four-pack with a little growler underneath. Damnit... as much as I like beer, I'd love to see that growler hit the road. Last challenge I spent a lot of time tracking EVERYTHING. Weight, measurements, calories in, calories out, etc. I went all Waldo on my challenge and I learned a lot about myself and my body. I'm going to keep that up (NEED MORE DATA) and hopefully apply what I learn. The goal is to hit my weight target and maintain it for the remainder of the challenge. Then and only then may I even consider my first bulk. I will track my sleep, weight, calories in and calories out daily. I will track measurements weekly, along with average calories in/out. I will take a progress photo weekly. I will take all this data and make handy charts and bust out my first six-pack. Target weight is 135 lb. but that's not set in stone. Really it's appearance that will be the deciding factor on this one. POSSIBLE POINTS: +1 CON, +1 WIS, +1 CHA GOAL 3: STAY COOL, BRO Last challenge I tackled good habits. Specifically, flossing, shaving, and drinking water. This challenge I'm keeping the same goals but leveling them up a bit. I will be flossing once per day, shaving at least once per week, manscaping at least once per week (a lot of "more shaving" with some plucking thrown in for good measure, I won't go into the horrible details), cutting my nails at least once per week, and drinking my 64 fl. oz. of water per day. PLUS, and this is the big one, I will be revisiting the "no drinking alone" rule that I failed in epic fashion a couple of challenges ago. Seriously, no drinking alone. *BEGINS TALKING TO HIMSELF* You may not have a wine or beer with dinner even if it fits your macros unless someone else at the table is also drinking. And seriously, bro, no trying to get others to drink so that you can drink. Lame, Wolvie, lame. POSSIBLE POINTS: +1 CON, +1 CHA GOAL 4: STAY MARRIED For Mother's Day (my wife's first!) and our wedding anniversary last year, I "gave" my wife a back patio. Now, we already had a back patio... it was just kind of boring. So I was like, "Dude! I will plant plants and build buildy-type things and paint stuff and get furniture and it will be awesome, because I love you!" I made a card and everything. It was epic. Fast forward to today, almost a year later, and the patio is still not done. It really needs to be done before her next Mother's Day and our next anniversary... ESPECIALLY before our next anniversary because I would like there to BE a next anniversary. Here is the patio before we moved into the house and about a week ago after I finished the new trellis: We have a patio table and a lounge, and the trellis is complete. There's a lot left to do, but for this challenge I will paint the walls of the house (the patio is surrounded by three walls in the shape of a "u") and remove the planter in front of the fireplace. Bonus points for also painting the lounge (it is white and needs to be black or dark brown). POSSIBLE POINTS: +1 CON, +2 CHA, +2 WIS