KI4WLG - Psycho Adventures, Part Deux

[KiltedCowboy]

 

 

He's baaaaaaaaaack!

 

Yes, the Psycho Madness will continue for another challenge!!! Muahahaha    (And yes I started working on this on Halloween night  )

 

So, The awesome Lupus came up with a great idea for his challenge (Shameless Plug - Follow his adventures here: <Link>) using a custom hex gaming map.  So I made my own for Krieg to follow on a new adventure.  Which begins with this....

 

 

When we last left our.... "hero," he had made it to Sanctuary and of course, Moxxi's.  Several rough mornings later Krieg began to realize that staying in this city was not a viable option for long.  It would provide rest and resupply for sure, but he wasn't like the others around.  Not only did everyone give him funny looks, he just wasn't happy being cooped up in a flying city...  Looking down off the edge one day he decided to get his few belongings and go back out to explore.  There were parts of Pandora he had never made it to, and wanted to see.  Not to mention there were talks going around town that there were other vaults on other planets.   Maybe he would make it to one of them one day.  No, he was determined to make it to one, he would become a Vault Hunter like the other eight.... the ones that everyone talked about.  But first he had to learn exploration.  Well the best way to do that would be picking a starting place and going wherever his adventure took him.

 

 

So the next morning Krieg packed up and went to the Fast-Travel depot.  He closed his eyes and pressed a random destination on the list.  The lights flashed and in a blink he was standing on the edge of sand dunes, looking at... Wait.  that can't be right.  Badlands don't exist on Pandora...  At least none that look like this.  Turning around Krieg saw two run down looking vending machines and a broken Fast-Travel.  "This is gonna be interesting."

 

 

Okay.  So I'm not sorry at all for the long intro, I think this time I'm going to make an effort to write the story of Krieg's adventure.  So taking Lupus' idea of the map, here is my map so you can follow along with Kreig!

 

 

 

(Check out Lupus' thread!  http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/38973-lupus-challenge-mkiii-the-spice-of-life/#entry758930)

 

 

And now for the goals:

 

Main Goal:  Get back on the fitness wagon after my hiatus.

 

My last challenge was a break from the stats, a break from working out with structure, and a chance to settle in to my new town and life.

 

 

   Goal 1:  "Ready Already?!" - EMOM workouts 2x a week

 

(EMOM = Every Minute On the Minute)  I'm going to start with 10 minute workouts my first week, then bump up to 15 mins, and then 20 mins by the third week.  I plan on staying at the 20 minute mark, unless I get the crazy idea in week 4 to go on to 25 minutes.  But that will be played by ear.

 

Exercises to be use will include situps, V-ups, tricep pushups, wide stance pushups, diamond pushups, leg-high pushups, air squats, and more!

 

Successful completion will be 2 EMOM's a week every week.  I'm keeping it low key for now because I need to get back into working out and my schedule at work is constantly up in the air.  I know that I can do 2 a week for now.  I may bump the requirement up to 3 later in the challenge.  We'll see

 

 

 

   Goal 2:  "Revive" - Actually do the Physical Therapy workouts to make my knees less pained...

 

In addition to working out, I really need to do my physical therapy workouts to help with my knee pain.  It came back with a vengeance this past weekend at work.  Like bad enough that I had to grab some scrap pipe laying around the construction site and roll out my muscles for it to be tolerable.  So I'm changing up what I was going to do for this goal in favor of PT and getting rid of my knee pain

 

Success for this will be doing my PT workout 3x a week, including icing my knees after the workout.

 

 

 

   Goal 3:  "Like the Wind" - Start doing Tai Chi again

 

I took Tai Chi in college and loved it.  Felt better every day that I practiced.  So I think I'm going to pick it up again.  I am going to have to learn it again though...  So I found youtube videos of the form set I learned.  It's the Beijing Short Form:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGge5fUihjI

 

Successful completion of this goal will be re-learning the form and practicing 3x a week until I have it down pat, then I want to continue doing it at least 3x a week.  Shouldn't be too difficult as the whole form takes only about 10 minutes and is WORTH it.

 

 

 

   Life Goal: "Prize Fighter" - Stop spending nonessential money

 

After moving, and still trying to settle into my new lifestyle, money is kinda tight.  I'm having to break old spending habits to accommodate new bills, etc.  And after reading http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/38965-the-great-wholetexalypse-of-2014/'>LorenWade's WholeTexalypse goals, I decided to borrow one of them, and set up a check method with several of my friends.

 

Essential spending obviously needs no checking.  This includes food, gas, bills, hygiene stuff.

 

Non essential spending must be approved by two friends, and I have to justify my purchase.

 

Now I'll throw a catch on to this.  Sometimes I can entirely afford something and want it but then I'll get to the store and realize that I shouldn't spend the money on said item and then I don't buy it.  If I end up doing this I'm going to see about shuffling the money I would have spent into my savings account.  I'm saving up to buy a Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll Trainer sometime soon

 

Success on this goal is hard to define, moreover I'm hoping to change my spending habits and save up in the bank!

 

 

 

Unable to turn back, Krieg hiked up his pack, pulled out his buzz axe and set off trudging down the dunes towards the badlands.  "Wish I had a bicycle..."

[EmCee]

Good luck, Kilowog!

[KiltedCowboy]

Good luck, Kilowog!

Thanks Emcee!

[alienjenn]

boy

 

 

 

you cray cray!!!

 

 

 

and I might have to swing your way and visit some day!

[KiltedCowboy]

boy

 

 

 

you cray cray!!!

 

 

 

and I might have to swing your way and visit some day!

Lol, what makes me crazy?  And yes, we need to do a mountain meet up.

[alienjenn]

Among other things... four styles of push ups... burpees... umm... I don't think I need to go on

(sent by the phone. .. all mistakes are the phones fault)

[KiltedCowboy]

Among other things... four styles of push ups... burpees... umm... I don't think I need to go on

(sent by the phone. .. all mistakes are the phones fault)

 

Hahaha you're funny.  Ain't no burpees in this thread  I got my fair share of them in the academy...  Plus I don't have a thick enough cushioning mat to attempt them. (I don't do the pushup style, I do the "hit the deck" style)

[Mikroftt]

Love the story.

[alienjenn]

well... I guess I saw 50 kinds of push ups and assumed burpee??

[raptron]

Yay! New challenge! Sweet map, Kilowoggy!

[KiltedCowboy]

Love to story.

Thanks!

 

well... I guess I saw 50 kinds of push ups and assumed burpee??

Understandable, but still, no.  Just no.

 

Yay! New challenge! Sweet map, Kilowoggy!

Thanks raptron!  Looking forward to your thread

[Loren Wade]

I don't know what's going on... but I like it.

[KiltedCowboy]

I don't know what's going on... but I like it.

Haha and you think I do?  Stick around, it should be fun

[CombatBoot]

Borderlands 2! I really like that map, that's a really fun idea!

[KiltedCowboy]

Borderlands 2! I really like that map, that's a really fun idea!

 

Thanks!

[Red1263]

Good luck Ki4wlg! I love the story telling!

[Loren Wade]

You ready to start psycho man?

[KiltedCowboy]

You ready to start psycho man?

To quote my alter ego here... "YESYESYESYESYES!!! Muahahahahahaha!!!"

[AKLulu]

[KiltedCowboy]

Finally... the deep sands of the desert were behind him and the open expanse of badlands ran on for miles.  Our "hero" looked about and tried to decide what direction to head.  Off in the distance a lone mountain peak stood tall.  To either side of the mountain were Hyperion built transmission towers.  And of course there was nothing but desert behind him.  Not wanting to tangle with any loaders or Hyperion soldiers, Krieg made his way for the mountain.  Perhaps once there he could climb up and get his bearings in this new place.  The digimap on his handheld showed nothing except the thin path he had already trod on.  Shrugging slightly he kept on walking, exploration was part of life for a Psycho.  Especially one who wanted to make a name for himself as a Vault Hunter...

 

 

 

Alright well there's your story and map update, and it somewhat reflects where I've been the past few days.  It has not been a hugely successful start for me so far. Life got in the way, as did marathoning Doctor Who....  But I have made some positive progress!

 

 

I've got three people on my "jury" for the financial challenge, my girlfriend Rachel, my best friend Jess, AKLulu, and I'm working on getting my buddy Eric to be a juror too.  I got approval to make two purchases today:  

1) Parts necessary to finish the coffee table I started working on before the challenge (yes there wil be pictures forthcoming of the awesomeness).

2) Thermal curtains/curtain rod to hang in my living room to help hold the heat inside.  It'sa gettin' cold up here in the mountains!

 

 

With Tai Chi I have started back but I really need to nail down the forms again.  It's really difficult trying to do it piece by piece watching a youtube video in the morning when I can't give it but 10 minutes.  So that is my goal for tomorrow, to go through and relearn the whole thing.  I also plan on cleaning up my living room..... it's a bit of a mess.

 

 

I haven't done any PT sessions yet, mostly cause I hate them, with a passion.  I hate that I've got so much leg strength and yet I'm being brought to near tears by simple exercises that are working a muscle group in my legs I have never really worked before.  I feel weak, I feel silly, I feel.... defeated.  And honestly it kinda hurts me in a psychological sense.   But I know I need to do this if I'm gonna stop having knee pain.  I have seen that it can work, but I let the defeated feeling and whatnot drag me back to where I stopped doing my PT regimen.

 

PT is on the to-do list for tomorrow.

 

 

As for my workouts, I did my first EMOM tonight.  15 minutes of 5 pushups (wide stance), 5 V-ups (they will be the death of me), and 5 handstand shoulder taps (thanks for the torture Raptron!)  Survived 15 successful-ish rounds.  I say "-ish" because my handstand shoulder taps turned into plank shoulder taps.  I can only stay inverted for so long before I get serious headrush and an accompanying headache.  Mom and I have theorized on this before and attribute it to the correctional surgery I had as a kid for Chiari I Malformation.  IN that surgery they widened the hole in the base of my skull.  So mom and I think perhaps that allows more blood to rush in faster?  I've gotten blood spots under my eyes from doing 30 second inversions on an inversion table before...  But also my shoulders were killing me with the handstand bit, so I had to drop off the wall after 8 rounds.  But overall it was a successful workout while watching some Doctor Who.

 

 

Next week is going to be a rough one.  I'm potentially working 7 straight days from this Saturday through next Friday.  12 hr shifts on Sat/Sun and 9hr shifts Mon-Fri.  But we'll see how that actually plays out.  

 

Stay tuned for more updates!

[Red1263]

Excellent progress, and having a group to keep you in check financially, will greatly help with trying to save the monies.

[Pallas Athena]

Sounds like it might be worth checking with a doctor about the inversions, don't you think? You don't want to accidentally give yourself a stroke.

[alienjenn]

Sounds like it might be worth checking with a doctor about the inversions, don't you think? You don't want to accidentally give yourself a stroke.

 

 

this

[KiltedCowboy]

Sounds like it might be worth checking with a doctor about the inversions, don't you think? You don't want to accidentally give yourself a stroke.

 

It is something I have dealt with all my life, and I have found that with practice and slowly increasing time on inversions I build up tolerance, though I don't feel like tolerance is the right word.... Basically if I start easy and slowly increase my time inverted, it isn't an issue.  I just haven't done inversions in a long while and went a little too gung-ho with it last night.

[raptron]

As for my workouts, I did my first EMOM tonight.  15 minutes of 5 pushups (wide stance), 5 V-ups (they will be the death of me), and 5 handstand shoulder taps (thanks for the torture Raptron!)  Survived 15 successful-ish rounds.  

Stay tuned for more updates!

 

 

I believe I may have also suggested the V-ups. Why do you even put up with me?

 

As for inversions, as long as you're cleared for no medical issues, it's actually really common for people to get dizzy, headrush, uncomfortable headaches when inverting for too long too quickly. It's just one of those things your body needs to get used to again before you can do it comfortably. Also, a lot of people tend to hold their breath when they are upside down (especially doing things like shoulder taps), which compounds the problem.

 

I'd work on some static handstands and other inversions until you feel comfortable before following my crazy shoulder tap EMOM suggestion again.