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Heya friends! A bit late getting going this time 'round, but I closed one year and started another with a bout of the ol' COVIDs, multiple houseguests (post-plague, natch), and travel, so I'm really just now getting my feet under me again and ready to get moving. I've been reflecting on my "character sheet" and how, frankly, I don't think I improved a damn stat all last year. I may have even backslid! So, priority one for the next few months is gettin' a couple stat bumps. Specifically, I'm going to work on DEX and CON, because those are the two that suffered the most over the last few years. I'm dealing with a nasty case of plantar fasciitis, so I haven't been able to ruck or run or anything, and even short walks get pretty nasty. It's frustrating to no end, so I'm going to stop wishing it away and give it a good honest try to actually ADDRESS it, with stretching, mobility, and targeted exercises. It's something that's effecting real life constitution and dexterity improvement efforts, so I need to get after it and yet "it feels a little better" isn't really something that I can exactly quantify, but will be a recurring point I address here. Otherwise, again, we're working to bring up those character sheet stats, via the bench marks I lay out in the following post. Trying to be a more complete person overall, I'll work on all of them, but I'm deliberately putting aside my traditional STR focus for a bit. Not that I won't train it, and I'll still probably train it the most just by default, but I'm going to let it happen organically and not chance any specific goals or numbers right now. I'll always train strength pretty much out of habit now, but I really need to make an effort to get myself healthier and more resilient, and moving better. For goals specific to this Challenge, here's what I've got: 1) Lose 5 or more pounds. This is one small part of CON. I started the year at 254, so if I finish the Challenge anywhere in the 240s, it's a success. 2) Row 20 miles. Probably in one mile increments, but I can go shorter or longer per session as needed. This is something that doesn't bother my foot, gets my heart going, translates to CF WODs, and I figure can only help with goal 1. 3) complete 8 or more sessions of GMB Elements. Basically breaking down the whole DEX increase into smaller chunks here. 4) Finish cleaning up and organizing my office, as the start of a more thorough KdubCave overhaul. OK, that'll just about do it, I think, Longer term goals in the form of my "stats" will be on the next post, so my updates will be a blend of stuff from here and there. Happy New Year, all! Hope you guys all smash your goals!

Hey all, I've been lurking around NF, but haven't spent a lot of time with the forums. I'm looking to kick up my daily quests with some accountability. For this challenge, I will be setting a series of dailies that I will need to complete, well, daily. I track my life in my blog, and my habits in HabitBull. I think this will add another layer of accountability because I know you're all watching! Tracking my food daily, without exception - If I bite it, I write it (tracked in blog) Stepping up my physical presence by committing to activity 6x per week (tracked in HabitBull): 3x Strength Training (30-60 minutes) - Tracked in Leiah Sky's Epic Spreadsheet of Fitness (to measure +STR) 3x Yoga Session (30 minutes) - Tracked in Leiah Sky's Epic Spreadsheet of Fitness (to measure +DEX) Rise and Conquer - I will be waking up 5 minutes earlier, every day, for the next 12 days, and then will continue to wake up at 5:00 AM every morning so that I can conquer my quests early, while I still have the energy, because I am so not the type of gal with energy after 6:00 PM (tracked in HabitBull). I will check in at minimum on a weekly basis to talk about my challenge, what I have accomplished, and what barriers I discover. Happy questing! AGD2 (Aka Leiah Sky)

Here we are at the beginning of a new year. It's a time that I spend like Janus - looking both back and forwards. Thinking about what I've accomplished and using that reflection to plan out the new year. Unlike most of the population, I do pretty well at keeping "New Year's Resolutions" because I have a plan. And I have this group to help encourage me to follow through. (Thank you!) Prior Years2013 - The Return of the JediI stopped GAINING weight and starting working up to running and doing strength training again. Really, I’d let all workouts and sports slide since about 2005 (when the Temple of the Jedi online group that I had run imploded and I lost my confidence and focus). I didn’t run any of obstacle course races that I planned that year, despite Cline's excellent coaching. In fact, I didn’t run any races at all that year since I kept spraining my formerly-broken ankle. But I kept recovering and training. I didn't give up - and that was a major accomplishment. I had gotten heavily into emotional eating and lots of wine while working on my doctorate - so this was a watershed year for improvements in my diet. I wasn’t perfect (I still struggle with eating and drinking when stressed), but I woke up and started making better choices most of the time. I probably improved my BF %, but I wasn't measuring it yet. 2014 - The Quest for the Mal RavenneThis was a good year. I lost 14 pounds and dropped from 37.33% to 33.5% body fat during the year. I can now run a 5K straight. And I am able to do pull-ups with only 1/2 of my weight in assistance on the pull-up machine. I deadlifted 85 pounds for the first time. I have been much better at eating healthy foods, drinking water, and cutting WAY back on both coffee and wine. I think I am finally turning my life around and setting a good base for getting BACK to being the person I want to be. Weight at start of 2015: 167.1 lbs and body fat % ~ 33.5%. I’d been down to 165, but it bounced back up over the holidays. I will have to be really very good the rest of this week in order to win my t-shirt at the gym!!! Overarching goal for 2015: weight <= 149 lbs and body fat % <= 31%, although I certainly hope to do better than that. I’m setting monthly milestones instead of challenge milestones right now. I can figure out the goal weight for each challenge from that. How will I do it??Running: increase my long run from 3 to 5 miles each week and continue 5K race training as in 2014. I've been pretty steady in the running/cardio category, but I also now have a full-time job again and will need to adjust. I am thinking that I may actually become morning runner again. Strength training: prep for OCRs based on Fitocracy’s Tough Mudder training guide and a gradual progression of some basic strength training exercises. Strength training is one of the things that I really don't tend to enjoy, but I like the results. It will be a lot of upper body work and basics like deadlifts and squats. But also things like planks and Jacob's Ladder and climbing at the local climbing wall. Oh yea, I also hate heights. Better get good at burpees. Eat like I give a f*uck: IIFYM + Loseit.com Premium + Thug Kitchen cookbook. Seriously, my daughter gave me this cookbook for Christmas, and it is a fun read. But it also has great recipes for making basics (like ketchup) from scratch so that you have healthy alternatives for most things. The cookbook is vegan - I don't intend to go completely vegan, although I never had a weight problem when I was a vegetarian. I honestly don't think GRAINS are the problem with the US industrial diet. Refined foods - especially corn syrup are. Yes, throw things at me for blasphemy, but I'm going to focus on cooking up a good omnivore diet that focuses much more on vegetables and whole grains than meat ..... and in true Rebel fashion, we'll see what happens. Supporting GoalsHave an adventure every weekDo one each of these:Charity 5Ks (TBD)Mother's Day Walk (2 miles)Bubble Run http://www.bubblerun.com/events/minneapolis/Color Run http://thecolorrun.com/twin-cities/Light Run http://www.torchlight5k.com/page/show/502315-event-infoZombies Run TBDWarrior Dash https://www.warriordash.com/location/2015-warrior-dash-minnesota/Spartan Sprint TBDTough Mudder https://toughmudder.com/events/2015-twin-citiesArcheology/Ancient History trip .... MAYBE. This is a stretch goal because of the new job. I need to do the cruise and possibly a wedding this year; so I'm not sure where another vacation will fit into 2015.Cruise to AlaskaHiking the local trails, especially the Superior Hiking TrailIngress!!!Geocaching100 geocachesHide cachesTravel bugs Overcome my two left feetI am generally clumsy and have been since I matured quickly and young. Karate classes helped me improve greatly - and I want to get back to feeling like I move easily and gracefully through my environment again. Wear contacts - peripheral vision really helps me, but I have trouble getting contacts that I can use day in and day out. We never can quite get the fit and the prescription right. Yoga - I had been dreaming that I was doing the crow pose. Why?? No clue. But I'm interested in doing hand balancing, in large part because high school gym class was a nightmare that I'd like to overcomeDance classesMartial arts classesParkourClimbingHandstands!!!(Re)build a baseAfter moving, it takes a while to figure out where everything goes. A lot of my basement gym stuff got tossed in a corner - it's time to find places for all of it and start using it. Also ... other tools need to be purchased. I really like LoseIt's minimal frills interface and vetted nutrition information, and since I'm tackling the difficult task of losing weight while building muscle, I need to pay attention to intake and macros.Pullup bar installed (Thanks to hubby, this one is done before the challenge starts!)LoseIt! premium membershipClean out and organize the kitchen - then use it!Make my own sandbag(s)750words.com?Basement workout areaGarage gymAgility training locationObstacle training locationParkour trainingGet my mojo back This goal has "underpants gnome" written all over it. I know it. But a BIG part of being fit - for me - means winning the HEAD game as much as fixing my kitchen or creating a workable exercise plan. I KNOW how to be fit. I have been very fit at different times in my life, and then something happens, and it all falls apart. So, my first challenge goal will be to put myself on the couch through writing 750 words PER DAY, exploring what factors support and which factors derail my healthy lifestyle. 750 words per day (http://750words.com/???) “on the couch†and see what comes up in terms of goals and barriersOther challenges .... TBD

Not very assassin-y but after the last two hectic weeks, I feel like Memphis tonight: MEMPHIS: "You'll have to forgive me. The music's gone clean out of me." MUMBLE: No, it hasn't. It's just like singing with your body. MUMBLE: It's just one big old foot after the other. That's it. MEMPHIS [singing]: You don't have to be beautiful... MAIN GOAL: Get that body composition in place - loose some weight! Loose 10kg by end of June 2015. I lost a couple of cm during the last/first challenge, and in this week that I took off, inbetween challenges, I lost just over 1kg! HOW: Q1 - Exercise 3x/week: (for 6 weeks: A -> 3STR + 2STA + 2DEX) one Butt Blast (legs and glutes),one AAA (Abs & Arms Annihilation),one Jump & Jive session (Dexterity and Energy) with the boys (afternoons)Q2 - Right of Weigh: (5-7 days per week for 6 weeks: A -> 2CON) Eat Paleo and drink 1.5Lt water (2x bottles) per day. Max. 2 small treats allowed per week.Q3 - Sleep: 6-7 hours every night. (5-7 days per week for 6 weeks: A -> 1CON) LIFE SUPPORT: LG1 - Bible study on God's promises. (Keep up to date for 6 weeks: A -> 2WIS) LG2 - Spend more personal time with my boys. (Keep up to date for 6 weeks: A -> 2CHA) LG3 - Finances and Studies (keep up to date). (Keep up to date for 6 weeks: A -> 1WIS) Starting off as a Level 2. Adjusted point-allocation to 15 at end of challenge.

I had a pretty good year in 2014 and am starting 2015 with the aim of building on last year's successes and surpassing them. Heck, I'd like to sink the battleship with how well I'm going to blow my goals out of the water in 2015!! This first challenge of 2015 is aimed at locking in on what worked so that I can do more of it .... and gathering up tools that will support my progress toward attaining at "normal" weight of 149 lbs by the end of the year. And about 30% body fat .... which should be a very nice, feasible goal that I hope to sweep past long before we're thinking about egg nog again. 1) Major goals for this first challenge to lose weight & body fat to get down to 164 lbs and 33.4% BF by:keeping to my macros (from IIFYM.com) and calorie goals as reported on loseit.com (link in signature)Maintaining my running plan - doing some cardio at least 6 times each week, but usually working on components from 5K training plans - I'm an experienced runner; so 6 days a week is feasible, and I know when to let the body have a break.Strength training 3 times per week … doing a mix of bw, free weights, and oddball things in preparation for obstacle course races. Check out my plans at Fitocracy.com (see link in my signature)At stake: 1 WIS, 1 CON, 1 STA, 1 STR, 1 DEXScoring: a percentage based on how close I come to meeting the weight and bf% goals. No score for effort - gotta achieve the endpoint!! Other goals in support of the major goal 2) Do something fun & adventurous each week. I need to get out of the house, challenge myself to meet people, and do things to get out of my cocoon. Keep in mind that my life is pretty tame. If I got out to geocache or do some wall climbing, that's an adventure.At stake: 2 CHAScoring: percentage of how many times I get out for an adventure out of the goal of 6. 3) Wear my contacts!!!! I'm going to try daily wear contacts since I really don't want to do obstacle courses (or karate class) wearing glasses. I need to pick up the new prescription, but I can slip in my old monthly pairs until I get to the eye doctor's clinic.At stake: 2 DEXScoring: percentage of the number of days I at least wear them at least some of the day. 4) Expand the garrison!! Get/make stuff I need in order to do the rest. I've already started!!!Pullup bar installedLoseIt! premium membership750words.comClean out and organize the kitchen - then use it!Basement workout areaMake a sandbagAt stake: 2 WIS, 1 CHAScoring: percentage completion 5) Write 750 words per day. One big theme is how to get my mojo back, but I may wander anywhere I like with those 750 words. I might even start to write on my research again!!At stake: 3 WIS

I don't like spreadsheets, so I would rather keep conversation in this thread for all to benefit. I am a skilled juggler, contact juggler. I can spin poi, baton relatively well. I like to dabble. Such is the nature of circus arts... you want to collect them all! I would like to know if there are others like me or if you want to learn. I would love to point you in the right direction.

Introduction Hello, I'm ElfiKay! This will be my second challenge, and I'm very excited about it! [You can see my first challenge here: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/51982-elfikay-embarks-on-her-first-quest/ ] I've lost 10 pounds since jumping in here, and have gotten up to full 30 minute runs! Now it's time to start developing the attributes every good Ninja needs: dexterity, strength, and stamina. Main Quest Increase my Ninja attributes [dexterity, strength, and stamina] Goals 1. Stamina/Dexterity: Run 3 days a week, and follow the stride workout for speed listed below. Strides - at the end of a regular run, accelerate for 15-20 seconds, then slow down to a jog. Rest by jogging or walking for 1 minute, then repeat for a total of 4-6 times. Week 1: 4 strides once Week 2: 4 strides twice Week 3: 5 strides once Week 4: 5 strides twice Week 5: 6 strides once Week 6: 6 strides twice 2. Strength: Workout 3 days a week - pilates class twice a week, and Convict Conditioning for the third workout. This will mean slow progress through CC, but slow progress is better than no progress and pilates will ensure that my body is still progressing. 3. Dexterity: Stretch before every run and workout, and spend a minimum of 30 minutes on my rest day doing more intensive stretching. Life Quest So last challenge I said I was going to finish my Ivysaur cross-stitch and start on Venusaur... which didn't happen. It turned out to be a bit of a struggle to just get a small amount of work done on Ivysaur. So, this time, I'm going to focus on just regularly progressing my cross-stitch. So, Life Quest: noticeable progress on current cross-stitch project every week. Hopefully this will help me turn cross-stitching back into a habit, rather than a single project I'm desperately trying to finish. Here is what Ivysaur looks like right now: Measurements Height: 5'9" [not expecting that one to change, but it's a measurement, so there it is] Weight: 165 Waist: 28.5 Hips: 41.5 Grading Each goal will be graded weekly & be worth 1/3 of that week's total grade. My final grade will be the average of all six weeks + 5 points extra credit if I complete my Life Goal. I need to make at least a C (70%) to pass the challenge. Running - percentage of completed runs and strides. Strength - percentage of completed workouts. Stretching - 1 point for stretching before each workout, 4 points for my big stretch on Sunday. EXCEPTIONS FOR GRADING: Any workouts and their accompanying stretch scheduled for days that I am sick or injured are excused. HANGOVERS DON'T COUNT. If I have an interview, or a career fair during a pilates class, it may be replaced by either CC or the abdominal 5 that evening. The same applies to fall break. I will post my weekly grade every Sunday evening before bed, along with a progress picture of my cross-stitch. Motivation I've decided that I want to be competitive for the Highland Games track events! I get really shy in front of people (don't ask how I managed to perform on stage for dance, I really don't know past a theory about not actually being able to see the audience thanks to all the bright lights) so I don't know if I'd have the nerve to actually enter, or if I'd even qualify to enter since I'm just a casual runner, not a super-serious athlete. But it's the dream I've got right now, and I'd at least like to BE ABLE to match times with the runners, even if I'm too chicken to go do it in front of spectators. However, this means I really need to get speedy - this year's winner in the women's 1-mile race had a time of 6:05!! So, if I want to be competitive, I have got some serious work ahead of me. Of course, this work will have to take place over a long, long road to successfully train up without injury (I only started running regularly again two months ago), but I think it would be worth it! I actually imagine myself on the track with the sounds of bagpipes playing when I feel like giving up on my runs. It's weird, but it works. (I'm Scottish, of course my blood heats up when I hear bagpipes! Maybe I should have a bagpipe running playlist, haha.) Also, as mentioned in the last challenge, I want to look good again! Those 10 pounds I've dropped have made a huge difference in my appearance already, but I want to be a lean, mean, toned and sexy machine, hahaha. (I've been there before when I was dancing for hours and hours every week, and I'd like to get back) Furthermore, [again, as mentioned in the last challenge] there's my family of tall, slender women to contend with. I may never be as tiny as my sister, who was called the elfen child by my aunts when we were little because she has such a delicate frame (and perfect porcelain skin, and a pretty, petite nose >.<), but dangit I can be toned and in-shape and all hourglass-y and stuff! So my super silly (as if the others haven't been silly enough already) motivation for strength is the mental image of using the big tree in the farmhouse's yard for one-arm pull-ups, being generally muscled and toned and in-shape and impressing my family. It's completely idiotic, but whatever, it works. As for super-concrete motivation - I have rewards! Passing the challenge will earn me another workout shirt from Activate Apparel. They're my favorite, and I want all their shirts, haha. At least I have challenge rewards for the foreseeable future! If I lose 5-10 pounds I can go hunt down a copy of the first Assassin's Creed game. Attribute points will be assigned as follows, for a total of 15 possible points. (That's the max for each challenge, right?) DEX(max 5) - 1 point for doing at least 1 stride workout each week, another for making it to 6 strides by the end of the challenge. 1 point for completing at least 70% of my stretches, another point for completing 90-100%. Final point achievable by being able to sit cold splits by the end of the challenge. I can still do splits warm; but I need quite a bit of warming up to it, and I don't sit them very well. STR(max 3) - 1 point for completing at least 70% of my workouts, another point for completing 90-100%. Final point achievable by getting to Step Two on any of the Big 6 in Convict Conditioning. STA(max 2) - 1 point for completing at least 70% of my runs, another point for completing 90-100%. CHA(max 2) - 1 point for every 5 pounds dropped (this will carry on from challenge to challenge. eg - if I lose 7 pounds this challenge, and then 3 next challenge, I will earn 1 CHA this challenge, and then another 1 CHA the next challenge for hitting the next 5 pounds.) I cannot gain more than 2 points each challenge, as that would mean I'm losing more than 2 pounds a week, which is not healthy. CON(max 3) - 1 point for maintaining my diet. 1 point for averaging at least 6 hours of sleep a night (use SleepCycle app to track). 1 point for not getting drunk more than once or twice a week. Alright, I believe that's everything! Thoughts?

GENERAL THREAD WARNING: I am queer, genderqueer, polyamorous, and kinky. This is my thread, I don't censor myself much, and I will put NSFW warnings on anything that might get you in trouble for clicking on at work. Ask if you'd like links to the sites where I post the really NSFW stuff. Ok folks! It's time for challenge number four! What the heck does that mean? Well, I think it means I'm loosing steam. I've hit my weight goal (WOOHOO) and have been making some steady improvements in my overall fitness, so a huge part of me wants to scale way back on my efforts. It's the complacency monster, oh noes! I'M JUST GETTING STARTED! What's the point of just doing this for six months and then quitting, RIGHT? Can I get a hell yeah?? So! I acknowledge that working out isn't all that fun for me, even though I really enjoy how I feel afterwards!I confess that I hate logging all of my food, even though it's super helpful for actually loosing the body fat I still want to be rid of!I admit that I could hold steady where I am indefinitely ... BUT I WON'T. I'm here because I want: To gain strength and flexibility to be a better rope bottom and self-rigger.To gain strength and dexterity to be able to wrestle guys and legitimately win.To be able to do pull-ups and handstands because that would be amazingly cool. January vs July photo (underwear warning!) Six months, holy crap! I'm going to look amazing in a year! My goals for this challenge: Do a workout OR stretch/yoga OR swim EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. of the challenge (one point per day = 42 points total)If I work out, I will also do yoga because I need to stretch, but that doesn't get counted twice. I figure that even if I'm sick I should be able to do some kind of stretching. Things that count for this: ABWW and any kind of bodyweight workout routine, inversions and hollow body holds, hooping, rope bottoming, biking, lap swimming, wrestling, my usual stretch/yoga routine, walking more than 12 km. i.e. if I get sweaty and/or tire myself out, I'm covered. But workout, stretch/yoga, and swimming will be my main methods for this one. Participation in the Assassin's mini-challenge may count - I'll check when it's posted! Log my food (one point per day = 42 points total)As in actually put it into MFP. Don't just write it down. I need to know how many calories all that stuff is, not just make a list of what it was (though that's helpful, too). This fat isn't going away by itself. People won't be able to see my glorious abs unless I get rid of some more of this stuff! I can't stop until I've reached a body fat % I'm happy with, and I'm not there yet. I'm getting closer, but there's still a ways to go. Do something creative (two points per week = 12 points total)This is for ukulele, writing, photography, rope topping, modelling, making arts and/or crafts, and hair maintenance for myself or others. I may up the points goal for this depending on performance! I don't want to completely abandon my creative pursuits while focusing on my body, but I can't justify filling up my challenge with non-body oriented points, so this is the compromise I have thought up. Life goal: Get a new freakin' job (one-hundred and fifty points lol)This one is done, finito, kaput. It's time to leave. Onward!

Here's a little background on myself: approximately 1 year from now, my husband and I are planning to quit our jobs and move onto a sailboat, cruising the world. We've been planning and saving for about 2 years now and are super excited to be as close as we are. That being said, I want to make sure that I am ready for life aboard physically as well as mentally to assist with boat jobs and add safety to our journey. (For more info, visit my first challenge thread.) For this particular challenge, I'll be working on maintaining consistent workout habits, as well as breaking the bad habit that I have of eating any snacks that are available to me. Especially this time of year when there are so many temptations, wining the battle over my willpower is always a struggle. In addition, my life goal is also going along with the willpower theme. I need to be better about consistently updating my blog to maintain readership and grow it before we leave. Main Quest: To increase strength, dexterity, and overall health before casting off the lines. Fitness Goals: Get Strong! Going with this again since I want to just continue to increase my baseline strength. This time around, I will be following a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule to hopefully increase my motivation retention and eliminate confusion on when I should be working out. I am the Pretzel: Improve overall flexibility by doing yoga twice a week. The schedule will fit into the Tuesday/Thursday slots in my week, with the potential to use the weekends as catch up for special circumstances. Also, I've found in the past that yoga is a great way for me to relax. Defeat the Cookie Monster: Limit junk food intake to twice per week maximum. This includes (but not limited to): baked goods, candy, and other garbage made available at work and family gatherings during the holidays. Lifestyle Goal: Willpower Renaissance: Post a new article on my blog a minimum of once a week. Grading: Get Strong: 3pts of Strength possible. 3 = miss <4 days during challenge 2 = miss 4-6 days during challenge 1 = miss 7-9 days during challenge I am the Pretzel: 2pts of Dexterity; 2pts Stamina 2 Dex/2 Sta = 10+ yoga sessions 1 Dex/1 Sta = 8-9 yoga sessions Defeat the Cookie Monster: 2pts Constitution; 2pts Wisdom 2 Con/2 Wis = <13 samples of junk 1 Con/1 Wis = 13-15 samples of junk Willpower Renaissance: 4pts of Wisdom possible 4 = Publish 6+ posts on my blog 3 = Publish 5 posts 2 = Publish 4 posts 1 = Publish 3 posts Motivation: To be ready when my family needs me.

Air bending= Cardio/endurance Water bending= flexibility/agility Earth bending= weightlifting/strength Fire bending= nutrition/fat burning The Avatar's Progress (Spreadsheet) Book 0: Air Goal: Swim 1k < 25:00 (2:30/100m pace) [+3 STA] "But Drew," you may ask, "Shouldn't swimming be a waterbending goal?" Nope! Swimming is a tough cardio endurance activity. And if you're in the pool and don't have air, you tend to drown. Doctors have informed me that's bad. Starting ability: My last 1k swim time was 26:52. That was a month ago. How will I achieve greatness? Get to the pool; it's freaking summer! Swim Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. This was originally a run goal, but my knees need a break; my run goal will reappear in the sequel. Grading: A: <25:00 B: 25:15-25:30 C: 25:30-26:00 D: 26:00-26:30 F: >26:30 Book 1: Water Goal: Stretch (static stretches, yoga, etc.) at least 4 hours a week [+3 DEX] Starting ability: I do yoga maybe 20 minutes to half an hour in the evenings maybe 2 or 3 times a week. I haven’t really been very committed yet. How will I achieve greatness? Attend a yoga class on weeks 1, 3, and 5 to get guidance from someone that knows better than I do; other than that, ½ hour at wake up, ½ hour in the evening 4 days a week. Grading: Each hour of stretching is 4 points. Max points in a week is 20. Points accumulate over the 6 weeks. A: >90pts B: 80-89 pts C: 70-79 pts D: 60-69 pts F: <60 pts Book 2: Earth Goal: Do a muscle up [+3 STR, +1 CON] Starting ability: I'm at 9 on both my deadhang pullups and dips. This was originally a clean & jerk goal, but my knees need a break. The clean & jerk goal will reappear in the sequel. How will I achieve greatness? Pullups and dips in the morning Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. Grading: A: Muscle up achieved! B: PUs & Dips > 15 C: 14-13 PUs & Dips D: 12-11 PUs & Dips F: PUs & Dips < 11 Book 3: Fire Goal: Reduce body fat to <10% [+2 CON, +1 CHA] Starting ability: Various calculators online gave me a median BF% of 13.3% based on measurements. How will I achieve greatness? Diet & exercise, friends. Drink only water & lots of it, stick to low glycemic carbs, and I need to up the protein so I burn fat and not muscle. Grading: A: BF<10% B: 10%<BF<11% C: 11%<BF<12% D: 12<BF<13% F: BF>13% Avatar state (Life Goal) Goal: Study for the GMAT at least 4 hours per week [+2 WIS] Starting ability: Math's great, reading comprehension's good. Vocab & writing are the neediest areas. How will I achieve greatness? Study an hour per night two nights during the week, and an hour a day on the weekends. Grading: 4 points per hour of study. Max points per week is 20. A: >90pts B: 80-89 pts C: 70-79 pts D: 60-69 pts F: <60 pts Currently training for: Brigade Combatives Tournament (late August)Warrior Dash (early November)I look forward to doing this 6-week challenge. I'll be in Disney World during week 6. That should make things fun & interesting. Don't expect too many barbells there. -Drew

Can anyone recommend drills or exercises to help overcome clumsiness? I don't have issues running, but I often trip over myself just walking around and I have terrible hand-eye coordination and balance. I also tend to have a very heavy footfall, just stomping around without meaning to. Preliminary research turned up recommendations such as standing on one leg while shaving or brushign one's teeth, one-legged stork squats, running on my tiptoes, or tossing a small object to oneself using employing only peripheral vision. Does anyone have suggestions, commentary, or recommendations?