Nightcrawler_Bamff in the Danger Room

[Nightcrawler_Bamff]

Nightcrawler_Bamff in the Danger Room

 

Story:

 

 

After touring the upper grounds of the mansion, Kurt and Professor Xavier descend to a hidden compound deep under the school itself using a hidden elevator.  The first room they enter is small and empty other than an ornate, curved desk.  Xavier pulled out a small, cordless machine that he had been carrying .

 

"This is Cerebro. It enhances my telepathic abilities and allows me to locate any person on the planet and differentiate between human and mutant.  I first learned of your brother's deeds and was on my to see if I could help in any way.  I am truly sorry I was unable to get there in time to help.  I then found you and felt your pain along with the fear of the villagers nearby and knew what was coming next."

 

After placing Cerebro in the center of the desk, Xavier leads Kurt down the hall to another empty room.  This room, in contrast, is massive.  A football field could easily have fit.  The walls, floors, and even the ceiling, all metal, are covered in scorch marks and deep gouges.

 

"This is called the Danger Room.  It is here my students learn to control their mutant abilities and how to use them to benefit all of mankind, mutant and human alike.  Together they form the X-Men, which I am extending the offer to join to you.  First, however, I think you may like to experience the Danger Room first hand."

 

With the push of a button, all manor of obstacles and bars spring from hidden compartments within all surfaces of the room.  Nightcrawler's eyes light up as he sees this massive jungle gym.  To an acrobat this room is like a candy store is to a child.  Forgetting his fatigue from merely hours before, he is eager to stretch his now sore muscles.

 

"I have set the danger level to 0.  After you warm up a bit, I can increase it to show you a little more of it's capabilities."

 

 

Challenge Eight:

It's been a year since I joined Nerd Fitness!!  Happy anniversary to me!!

This will be a two part challenge.  Wizard World Comic Con will be here January 23rd and I still have a ton to get done by then.  Due to these time constraints, the first half of the challenge will put more emphasis on weight loss via diet and the second half will focus a little more on activity.  

 

Main Goal:

Gymnastics!  Always!  No specific goals for this challenge, but I am currently working on aerials and will soon start working on moving my round off-back handspring-back tuck on to the floor from the tumble track!

 

Specific Tasks:

1.  Weight loss!  It's easier to throw your body around in gymnastics if there is less body to throw!  Time to lose some of that "holiday spirit" I gained through Christmas time...several pounds of it...For this I will be tracking my Weight Watchers points daily throughout the entire challenge, with additional constraints applied to the first half of the challenge.

• Part 1:  Definitely not the most healthy way to do this...but I am going to crash diet to get ready for the convention.  Gotta look good in costume for the pictures!!  I am normally allowed 29 points daily with an additional, optional allowance of 49 points to spread throughout the week if I choose.  For the first half of the challenge, I will be dropping this allowance to no more than 6 points per meal and no points available for snacks.  This means a maximum of 18 points per day.  Fruit and vegetables are zero points, so I will be eating a lot of them.
• Part 2:  The heavy constraints will be lifted and I will go back to being allowed 29 points daily and 49 extra weekly points if I so choose to use them.  

2.  Exercise!  Cant do gymnastics if I get all lazy!!  Some sort of exercise is to be performed every day off from work during the challenge.

• Part 1:  Gymnastics counts as required exercise.
• Part 2:  Gymnastics does not count toward required exercise and I will have do do some sort of exercise during the day in addition.

3.  Splits!  Because flexibility!  My normal routine is:

 

• Part 1:  I will work splits every day
• Part 2:  I will work splits every day, twice on days off work.

 

Life Challenge:

Costuming again!  Working on completely upgrading my Gambit costume I made a few years ago:

 

 

With less than three weeks until the convention, I know I wont have enough time to get everything done.  I knew that when I first made the plans.  Whatever I am not able to finish can be reused from the previous costume.  

 

Reference picture:

 

[raptron]

Happy one year nerdiversary!

[Nightcrawler_Bamff]

So I actually started the challenge on Monday, but finally got it typed up yesterday. So far...

Starting weight: 178.4

Current weight: 174.4

Pretty sure my starting weight wasn't all that accurate, but it makes me feel good about losses haha!

Gymnastics: first class in almost 3 weeks!!! I was thinking it would kill me when I got back! However!! Several passes of RO-BHS-BHS-BT on the tumble track, no problems, several aerials on the tumble track, AND! During the workout we did straddle press backs (straddle legs, hands on floor, try to lift yourself into handstand, ideally without jumping) across the floor and I could almost pull myself into a handstand!

Food: strict diet 3/4 days (including today). Went to a movie with a friend on Tuesday that we had been trying to do before the challenge started but plans kept falling through....so popcorn was still indulged. Still tracked the weight watchers points and only ate two oranges other than the majority of the bucket of popcorn.

Exercise: been walking the mall after getting food (subway salads). So far 3/3!

Splits: aargh!!! I keep forgetting to do this until I'm already in bed! Reminder on my phone hasn't been popping up either! Stretched a little at gymnastics yesterday though. 1/4 so far, but plan to do a long session later today to make up for it.

Gambit: making good progress! Front and side pieces attached, pockets with flaps made, back pieces attached together, and shoulder seams attached! After my walk, I'm devoting today to the trench coat.

[SymphonicDan]

Welcome back Nightcrawler_bamff! (as opposed to your Canadian equivalent, Nightcrawler_banff). If you keep forgetting the splits stretching then you might need to choose a time every day that you'll do it... for example after showering, or while dinner is cooking, or whatever works with your usual daily routine. I'm following along

[NicTheRugger]

Hello there! Following for fellow splits-practice! And I love the costume happy nerdiversary!

[Nightcrawler_Bamff]

Welcome back Nightcrawler_bamff! (as opposed to your Canadian equivalent, Nightcrawler_banff). If you keep forgetting the splits stretching then you might need to choose a time every day that you'll do it... for example after showering, or while dinner is cooking, or whatever works with your usual daily routine. I'm following along

Shouldn't be too hard to remember once I start getting back into it. The problem with a certain time is my days are never the same...some days I work 12 hour days, some days I go to gymnastics after work, some days showering is in the morning, etc...nothing is consistent enough for me to use as a time reference.

Hello there! Following for fellow splits-practice! And I love the costume happy nerdiversary!

Awesome! I'll have to check out your page!! Thanks! I was quite happy with my costume! Now I'm trying to make it better!!

[Nightcrawler_Bamff]

Week One Review:

Gymnastics: Did great on Wednesday! Had to skip Friday for a birthday party (which was really difficult for me to do because it was floor week and the first week after not having class for two weeks!).

Splits: forgot several days, made up for it on another day, forgot again Friday and Saturday (birthday party Friday then got caught up working on the trench coat until past when I should have gone to bed Saturday), making up for it tonight.

7/7

Food: tracked 7/7 days, strict diet 5/7 days (one planned day with movie popcorn, the other unplanned...someone brought homemade gooey cookies to work...all bets were off!)

Exercise: 3/3...all mall walking/errand running.

Life: trench coat is coming together! Will finish the second on three pages of instructions tonight. Did some research for the mask, tonight I'm going to order a neoprene face mask to cut the right shapes out of.

[raptron]

Nice recovery on the splits! Too bad you had to miss the floor day though -- hopefully you'll get back on it soon.

[Nightcrawler_Bamff]

Wow!! Weighed in at weight watchers today at 171.6!!

Starting weight: 178.4

Current weight: 171.6

Loss for week 1: 6.8!!!!!!

[Nightcrawler_Bamff]

Week 2 Review:

Aaaahhhh! Getting so close!! Comic con is this coming weekend! Spend ALL THE TIME SEWING!!

Gymnastics: several RO-BHS on the floor, a few with another back handspring at the end, but not super consistent, but getting my confidence back with doing these on the floor! Little aerial work, coach said they're looking better!

Exercise: 3/3. All mall walking and/or running errands because of NO TIME!

Splits: 4/7. I've been working on the trench coat until much past time for bed, so did not end up keeping up with this goal very well this week.

Food: Tracked points values 7/7, constrained to crash diet 7/7!!!! Couple meals over the 6 point limit (by 1-3 points), but I'm still allowing it cuz the main goals were achieved of choosing the lowest calorie options and staying out of the candy drawer at work. Definitely texted the willpower...there was a TON of candy at work AND! EVEN HARDER!! The subway by work does a hush-hush free cookie Friday...my coworker and I thought we could just take our cookie back for someone at work....he ended up giving us TWO OF EACH KIND OF COOKIE!!! Then they sat at work taunting is because there were more cookies than staff members and they were all full from candy in the morning and have that elusive trait known as constraint...which I have none of...if I had eaten even one cookie, all bets would have been off and I would have eaten the rest of them AND the rest of the candy drawer haha!

Weighed in at weight watcher this morning:

Starting weight: 178.4

Last week weight: 171.6

Current weight: 167.2

Loss: 4.4!!!!

Total loss: 11.2!!!!!!!!!

Gambit: ALMOST DONE!! With the trench coat...definitely reusing most of the old costume. Will see the last bits of attaching the lining TODAY!!!! Without the lining:

I am SO impressed with myself!!!!!

Got a neoprene face mask that I'm gonna cut to the right shape, will probably do that tomorrow. New wig today!

The back isn't great, but with the mask on and maybe a little styling, I think it will be perfect!

[raptron]

Awesomeeee! Home stretch!

[Nightcrawler_Bamff]

It's done!!

Got the mask made too! May still do a little tweaking later

[raptron]

Looks awesomeeee! Ahhh! Nice job! I think the wig definitely works! 

[NicTheRugger]

Great job with the sewing! Holy cow, that's impressive. I'm super impressed with your mad sewing skillz.

[Nightcrawler_Bamff]

Alright! Convention weekend is officially over! So much fun! We had a fairly large group of x-men, but we never did get a chance to get pictures with all of us together.

Are bad food in the evenings, drank copious amounts of alcohol; good times were had by all!

And finally!!! A little simple gymnastics as Gambit!!!

https://vimeo.com/117857208

[Nightcrawler_Bamff]

And for those who don't know, the other one in the trench coat with the long, blonde hair is Boom Boom...she makes little balls that explode...we were 'splody buddies! Really wanted to get a pic of us walking away from a big explosion like badasses haha

[SymphonicDan]

Nice pictures! You make the one-handed cartwheel look so easy despite not exactly wearing the most appropriate clothes for gymnastics haha... had you practised it beforehand, or just threw it there and hope for the best? Maybe next time wear something in which you can get away with RO-BHS-BHS-backflip

[Nightcrawler_Bamff]

At this point the one handed cartwheel is easy for me. That is used a lot for aerial progression. Although I had not tried it before with anything more on than workout clothes/bare feet...

Still not to the point that I'm willing to attempt even one back handspring on a not bouncy floor. Hopefully eventually!!

[raptron]

Yaaaay! The cartwheel looks extra cool with the staff whirling, I must say.

[Nightcrawler_Bamff]

OH MY GOD!!! I landed an aerial on the rod floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only happened once, so didn't get it on video...but it was soooooo exciting!!!!!!

[Elastigirl]

OH MY GOD!!! I landed an aerial on the rod floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only happened once, so didn't get it on video...but it was soooooo exciting!!!!!!

Sweet! Soon you'll be able to crank them out like nothing and we can get a video.

[raptron]

YES!!!

[Nightcrawler_Bamff]

Ok so I didn't do an update for week 3:

Gymnastics: one handed cartwheel while dressed as Gambit! Very exciting!

Food: stuck to the crash diet until Thursday night, the start of comic con weekend!

Splits: 3/3 (did not require myself to find time to do this during the con weekend)

Exercise: 2/2

[Nightcrawler_Bamff]

Week 4 review:

Officially entered the second part of the challenge! Less strict on food, but potentially more exercise. Now I am allowed to eat whatever I want as long as I stay within my weight watchers points and must do some sort of exercise on all three days of NOT including gymnastics (meaning if I'm off on a gymnastics day, I still have to do another set of exercise during the day in addition to gymnastics)

Gymnastics: I LANDED AN AERIAL!! It was non repeatable and half of the important people didn't see it...but several did and it was SO EXCITING!!!

Food: tracked 7/7 days and stayed within my earned exercise points for the week. Definite difficulties at work, namely because I brought all the leftover chocolate I had bought for the hotel to work. Tracked all that I ate and I think overestimated the amount I ate too, so the number on the scale this morning was not bad at all!

Splits: 8/10. Some good days, some very stiff ones...

Exercise: more mall walking. People watching entertains me and I'm able to catch up on online stuff (such as NerdFitness...which I'm doing right now haha!) while I'm walking. 3/3 + gymnastics Wednesday and Friday

Life: with comic con over, short break on costuming, but have been doing some research on what and how to upgrade other parts of Gambit's costume. I think I have plans for all of it, need to get started working on it soon. The next convention is in Seattle in March.

Also set up a Cosplay page on facebook because I was getting all sorts of friend requests from people I didn't know, but may have seen once or twice at the convention. Also so I can post progress pictures without feeling like I'm overloading my personal page with costume stuff haha!

[NicTheRugger]

Super impressive one-handed cartwheel! And awesome progress so far!