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Continuing with my respawn ... I'm back with my second challenge of 2016. It's something of a two-edged sword; continuing my progress from the last challenge and also catching up on stuff I missed. My points will all be recorded in my NF character profile So without further ado, my challenge goes like this: 1. Treadlift v 2.0 Treadlift "build" workouts are a 12 week compilation, which perfectly splits into 3 lots of 4 weeks. The workouts are the same in terms of arrangement (with 4 workouts per week) but progressing to level 2 and leaving level 1 behind with the last challenge. Still 30-mins per workout but switching it up and keeping it fresh! 32 points on offer here (2 per workout) 2. Foam rolling! I foam roll my muscles for at least 10 minutes every day. 28 points available (1 per day) 3. Steppage! Not sure that's a word, but it's what I call it anyway. I strap on a pedometer and I record how many steps I go each day. I can't improve on something I don't measure so the first step to improvement is measurement. 20 points on offer for this quest (5 for each week I complete a log of steps) 4. 365 catch up! I photograph Edna every day, but for a while now I have missed days. Over the course of this challenge, I will see how many days I am behind and I will catch up to where I am supposed to be. 20 points awarded if I complete this, pro rata points if I partially complete

Ok... I seem to do my best challenges when I just focus on one thing. My last challenge I tried several different goals and didn't do too great on any of them. I also strained some muscles while doing a BW OHP testing my 1RM. The good news is I got the press with full ROM and minimal 'bounce', the bad news is the strain stuffed up some of my basic movements like muscle ups (esp transition phase) and the top range of motion of chin/pull ups. So this challenge... I have one goal only. But I've broken it into 3 parts Main Challenge Goal: Repeat a good form BW(75kg) OHP but this time without straining my back. Part 1: Train less dumb Change Grease the Groove training to higher rep work (60kgx5) with occasional tests for max reps (currently 60kgx8) Only occasionally do days where i build up to a high weight single rep, with the eventual aim to repeat 75kg(1xBW) without injury. My other training will be squatting and pull/chin ups - but the aim is to maintain them. Any improvement is just icing. Part 2: Get more sleep In bed by 10:30pm >50% of the time. My 18 month old daughter means that I wake up at 6am whether its a workday, weekend or holiday. I only just realised last challenge that I chronically haven't been getting enough sleep for a while. I prefer to go to sleep late and get up late, but my daughter simply won't change her wake up time, so I will have to change my sleeping time instead. Part 3: Massage/Recovery I have this expensive but awesome massage chair, which is so damn good for getting those knots out of the upper and middle (only average at lower) back. Yet since I moved house a while ago, the chair has been sitting at my aunt's house doing nothing. This challenge I will get off my ass and actually move the chair back to my house. It weighs 94kg and is bulky... so it is a bit of a hassle... but I need to move it if I actually want to gain any benefit from the chair.

I've been going to aerial classes (quite infrequently) and at the end of the class we massage our forearms and hands with these tiny little hard rubber balls. Like a lacrosse ball except probably only 1" diameter (like a bouncy ball, or super ball). I've now found that the lacrosse ball just doesn't do it on the forearms anymore after having the tiny ball. So I've been diligently searching the internet and having a horrible time finding these in quantities less than like 100. Does anybody have these and know where I can get them? In a quantity that is reasonable for 1 person instead of a daycare center?

So this challenge conveniently ends the day of a competition I just got a spot for. Go me! Now that I have my license, I’m feeling out how much work is going to impact the habit building I’ve been working on this last month. [Routine]Training: Weightlifting at least 4x week. Conditioning: Walk 2x/week.Eating: Follow the PR Pixie Diet Plan. Cleaning: Complete Habitica dailies every day. Complete 3 to-dos per week.Working: One paying session for solo massage business. [Tasks]Remove unused clothing.Go to a yoga class.Remove 1 box of items.File sole proprietorship paperwork.Open business checking account.Take a dancing class. [Events]9/9 - Nerd Nite10/2-4 - ACL Fest10/7 - Nerd Nite10/14 - Garbage concert10/17 - Aziz Ansari (that I am totally unaware of <.<)10/24-25 - Lifting competition in San Antonio [stats]

Much like Jaymul, I have a coach who does all my programming for me, so I'm not actually going to have strength goals this time. That might seem odd given the title of this challenge, but that's just about keeping on trucking. I've got Scottish Seniors on 22 August and British Classic (Nationals) on 19 September so everything is focused around keeping positive, keeping moving and keeping healthy. I don't know what my actual goals are for each competition, but I'd really like to hit 140kg squat, 80kg bench and 145kg deadlift to give me my 365kg total and (bodyweight depending) 400 Wilks. Programme is as usual: Monday - YogaTuesday - LiftingWednesday - Pole or restThursday - LiftingFriday - YogaSaturday - Lifting (plus optional yoga)Sunday - PoleThere may be some shifting around of days around competitions i.e. moving to lifting Monday and Wednesday to get more rest for Saturday. (Actually, I may do that next week too, because I have a do on Thursday. I'll see!) Don't drop out: Okay, I'm terrible for dropping out of challenges of late, so first goal is just to make it through the challenge without getting so miserable about my challenge that I drop out. To counteract this, I'm going to post a kitten gif every day (and feel free to join me). Work that rock-hard ass Okay, so I have a rock hard ass... and not in a good way. Basically, my glutes are so knotted up that they're practically solid and it's actually causing me a lot of pain. The goal is to lax ball my glutes for at least 5 minutes a day (excluding days when I have massages). Also need to keep stretching out my adductors and rolling them, because they go ping a little too often at the moment when I used to be able to pancake. Also arranged with a qualified friend to get regular sports massages on Saturdays. This is going to be painful. SLEEP! I don't sleep enough, so I'm going to try to get 7h30m sleep a night. I'm not going to penalise myself as long as the time between lights out and the alarm is more than 7h30m but the aim is to get that much sleep based on my FitBit readings. Overall gradings: Given I usually just make up my gradings anyway, I'll assign points at the end of the challenge based on how I feel. I think I actually did alright in the last challenge but was so disillusioned that I gave myself no points. Usual +5STR and +5CHA for every Scottish record I can break and +10STR and +10CHA if I either take Best Lifter or break a British Record. (P.S. Tanky, if you're reading, you totally need to start self-awarding for international medals, British Records and Best Lifter trophies.) Current lift PBs: Squat - 125kgBench - 70kg (although have done that for three triples in three sessions in a week)Deadlift - 125kg (did an easy triple at 122.5kg a couple of weeks ago, so again more there)

At the beginning of this challenge, I will be finishing up classes and internship, and sending out the paperwork to get my massage therapist license. Thus, I will transition from an academic-based schedule to a “holy shit I’m actually doing this for real” schedule. Let’s do some things! Lift the things! Massage the people! Get a paycheck! [Routine]Training: Weightlifting at least 4x week. (Beginning after classes end, 7/30.)Conditioning: Walk 2x/week.Eating: Cook most meals. Avoid starchy-carbs (potatoes, rice) outside of workout/massage recovery periods.Cleaning: 15 minutes per day - anything counts.Working: One paying session for solo massage business. (Beginning after license number is received, because this is illegal otherwise.) [Tasks]Organize and remove unused clothing.Go to a yoga class.Remove 1 box of items.Get a job. (Interview 7/30)File licensing paperwork. (Pending - transcripts)Upgrade liability insurance from Student to ProfessionalFile sole proprietorship paperwork.Open business checking account.Take a dancing class.Swim at an outdoor thing.Take @Wufkar out for dinner.Visit family, @StarGazer in Houston.Replace front passenger-side tire. [Events]7/30 - Last day of class, internship. Job interview 6pm.7/31 - Jon’s Birthday.8/2 - 311 concert.8/17 - Incubus concert8/21 - Job orientation 8/22 - Bat Fest 9/5 - First day of work, Purity Ring 9/6 - Wedding

The main goal here is to survive various life stressors, keep (what is left of) my sanity until I get through the parts-that-suck, and make the most of the parts-that-rock. Of course, it wouldn’t be fun if all my life stressors didn’t encompass both suck/rockitude. These are:SchoolGymRelationship(s) I’m still a fan of the event/task/routine setup I started, so I’ll stick with that again this challenge. [Routine]Training: Weightlifting at least 3x week.Conditioning: Walk 1x/week. Non-class/Non-internship massage 1x/week.Eating: Cook most meals. Avoid starchy-carbs (potatoes, rice) outside of workout/massage recovery periods.Cleaning: 15 minutes per day - anything counts.Internship: 5-7 sessions per week minimum. Shoot for 10. [Tasks]Organize and remove unused clothing.Go to a yoga class.Read a book.Get another set of sheets/blanket.Complete all makeup classes/hours.Remove 1 box of items. [Events]5/29 - 3pm Internship.6/5 - Evening Makeup Class.6/6 - Morning Makeup Class.6/10 - Nerd Nite.6/12 - Morning Makeup Class.6/13 - 10am Yoga, Whole Foods downtown.6/19 - Morning Makeup Class.6/22-25 - Nephew visit? [starting Stats]Nope. Lost the tape measure and I don’t care right now!

The past month has left me quite anxious for what occured yesterday, January 31st. I took my boards for massage therapy and passed with 105 points to spare. After nearly crying and a dizzy spell I accepted that I wasn't dreaming and spent the rest of the day on cloud 9!

We talk a lot about this as a way to help reduce tight sore muscles. I thought it would be nice to have a more comprehensive thread with some information about it. My dance peoples have this listed through their site- and I think it's GREAT. So I figured I'd share it here- and if anyone else had some good sites/videos to share we could put it in here and point people to this. From my memory Ashely Borden is actually not a shabby trainer- so I'm happy to see this her using this stuff. http://www.suhailainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/AshleyBorden-RollingOut-12-12.pdf happy rolling my friends!!!