Mandrill's Assassin Training

[StoneMonkey]

Hey guys, Mandrill here. I joined today morning and only just found out about these challenges.. so here I am!

 

So, I'm going to start off with some basic stuff to allow me to get used to the challenge format. A body-weight workout daily (apart from Thursday and Sunday), a few life goals and eating habits especially. 

 

Mission 1: Strength!

 

I have a workout plan that I follow anyway on my off-days from gymnastics (and climbing, but I'm taking a small break). Every day is either focused on my core or my upper body apart from Saturday, which is dedicated to legs (my legs get enough training from cycling).

 

However, my workout times are all over the place! I don't have a set time. That changes.. now.

 

Goal: Begin body-weight workout at 6PM. Keep consistency

 

Grading: 

Miss at most two workouts in the entire challenge: Grade A - 3 Str

Miss between two to four workouts in the entire challenge: Grade B - 2 Str

Miss between four to seven workouts in the entire challenge: Grade C - 1 Str

Miss more than seven workouts (pretty much miss an entire week): FAIL - No reward.

 

Mission 2: Wake up earlier!

 

So, my sleeping habits are awful. Bloody awful!

I sometimes go to bed in the wee hours of the morning only to wake up at 7AM for college.. and I drag myself through the day like a zombie.

That also changes.. now.

 

In regards to a mini-challenge I just did, I will also stay away from my phone before going to bed.

 

Goal: Go to bed by 11PM and wake up at 6:30AM

 

Grading:

Wake up early for a whole week with consistency: PASS - Con +3.

Wake up late everyday for a whole week: FAIL - No reward.

 

Mission 3: Diet

 

I eat waaay too much candy. This will change, but I need to work hard for this one.

Especially since I'm typing this with a sweet in my mouth! =O

 

Goal: No Candy. None. Not a single gram. Nothing.

 

Grading:

Complete success: Grade A - Sta +3

Miss one to five days: Grade B - Sta +2

Miss more than five days: Fail - No reward

 

Mission 4: Stretching

 

As an amateur gymnast and rock climber, I need to be as flexible as I can get!

This mission ties straight into Mission 2. I'll be stretching in the mornings.. let's see how things go. 

 

Goal: Complete stretching routine everyday after waking up.

 

Grading:

Stretch every day after waking up for a whole week: PASS - Dex +3

Miss a whole week of stretching: FAIL - No reward

 

Life Quest: Study!

 

I've got exams coming up and I need to keep up with my timetable.. which is a bit of a challenge for me. Challenge, however, is what this thread is all about!

 

Goal: Study allocated topics every day.

Wis:+3

 

Grading:

Miss at most three days of revision: PASS - Wis +3

Miss more than three days of study: FAIL - No reward.

 

Motivation: I want to master movement. That is all.

 

From here on, I'm going to implement a ranking scheme for all the challenges I'll take on as a member of this forum. It's based on the Assassin's Creed ranking system; I expect to make the higher ranked challenges more difficult/interesting. I'll also outline the conditions for promotion and demotion for each challenge, which will get more specific and difficult as I advance in rank. I'm already terrified of the hell I'm going to put myself through to reach the Mentor rank.

..Wow! I'm really getting into this!

 

Here goes nothing! 

 

 

Challenge Ranking

 

Recruit  -  Trainee  -  Apprentice  -  Disciple  -  Assassin  -  Veteran  -  Elite  -  Master  -  Mentor

 

Basis for promotion:

1. Complete full challenge.
2. Log in progress at least once a week.

Basis for demotion: Cannot be demoted at this rank.

[StoneMonkey]

I woke up on time!

 

I wasn't expecting to wake up early at all, so I was ready to give myself some slack for today. But no, I was up at 6:30AM on the dot.

..now I have to keep it up. =D

 

My stretching routine needs a bit of work. For today I just did my normal pre-gymnastics stretches but I think I can get to work on a more organized routine; I'm going to be looking at yoga techniques soon enough.

 

Now, the real battle of the day begins soon... and that's no candy. Here's to getting through the day without sugar!

[StoneMonkey]

So, I went to the corner-store to pick up milk just now. I usually get a bar of chocolate (or five) as I do, but.. this time I didn't even look at the chocolate section.

This was difficult, as the chocolate section was right below the counter.

 

As I was buying my milk the guy who owns the shop asked me why I wasn't buying chocolate! I told him that I was trying to watch what I ate. He said that I wasn't fat and surely one bar couldn't hurt..

This was where the voice of my temptations began to speak to me. I had a hand on a chocolate bar before I realized that I couldn't possibly fail my challenge the day after it started!!!! How lame would that look?

I declined the chocolate and I feel proud of myself indeed. However, I now realized exactly what I'm in for. This is going to be hard. 

[seth.e.shaw]

I can totally relate to the sweets issue! For a long while I would grab something at the check-out line because it was on sale or cheaper than where I usually shop as lame justifications. I finally told myself that, nope, wasn't going to do it. If I really had a sweet hankering I could walk back to the produce section and get an apple. Not the same thing as chocolate, of course, but a useful tool for fighting those urges.

[StoneMonkey]

Tuesday upper-body training: 

 

Pull-ups: Five sets of ten pull-ups (50 total)

 

Push-ups: Forty reps of wide push-ups, narrow push-ups and standard push-ups. (120 total)

 

Handstand work: Five free handstands, ranging from 5 to 15 seconds.

 

Yeah.. not so good this time around. I was hoping to do a few sets of dips and a few handstand push-ups but I feel pretty tired already!

Next session is on Friday and I'll try as hard as I can to get my work out done properly.

 

 

I can totally relate to the sweets issue! For a long while I would grab something at the check-out line because it was on sale or cheaper than where I usually shop as lame justifications. I finally told myself that, nope, wasn't going to do it. If I really had a sweet hankering I could walk back to the produce section and get an apple. Not the same thing as chocolate, of course, but a useful tool for fighting those urges.

 

That's an excellent idea! I guess apples are more nutritious than chocolate anyhow. There's no shortage of apples in my house either.

That challenge no longer seems as daunting. If I get through this part, it'll be down to your good advice. Thanks a lot! =)

[starsapart]

As they say, Assassins are never late.  Or is that wizards................

 

In any case, welcome to the Rebellion!  Between the fact that we've spotted you in the Level 1 Assassin Initiates Q&A/Chat already and with the bodyweight work you're doing, you've attracted the attention of the Assassins' Guild.... but don't worry, I'm here in a supportive capacity!  Even if you ultimately don't join us, we'd love to help you along on your journey, and there are a lot of people working on goals similar to yours within our black-clad ranks...

 

If you'd like to explore the guild a bit past the level 1 group, I hope you'll come by the Assassins' Den chat and say hello!  We're very welcoming killers-in-black, really.         You can also check out the Assassin Guild Info & Announcements for more info about what's going on with the guild.  We also have our Assassin Phonebook, which will allow you to find people who are working on similar skills to yours.  And though we may be the bodyweight guild, we're also a guild of extreme variety - we do a bit of everything!

 

If you ever need anything, feel free to PM me or catch my attention by quoting one of my posts.  Otherwise, I or one of my colleagues will be stopping by to check in on you and celebrate your successes as the challenge goes on.  Now get out there and crush those goals!

[StoneMonkey]

1. Woke up early today and did my stretching. Again, I really need to look for a flexibility program as a type of guide. However, I woke up at 6:10AM and I'm pretty happy with that!

 

2. No candy today, but I did have a banana instead! You know.. I wouldn't mind dropping candy for fruit. This part of the challenge no longer seems impossible. Thank you, seth.e.shaw!

 

3. Bodyweight workout for core commences in one and a half hours. I'll be playing with front+back levers, hollow/arch body holds and my L-sit. Should be fun in a painful way!

 

As they say, Assassins are never late.  Or is that wizards................

 

 

I guess it'd suck for as assassin to be late! Their victims probably wouldn't mind, though.

 

Thanks for the information! I'll be checking those pages out. I had my eyes on the Assassin's Guild before I even wrote my challenge, but the part about "extreme variety" sounds awesome! I'm looking forward to training alongside you all.

[StoneMonkey]

Wednesday core training

 

Front lever: 1) Straddle to tuck 2) Straddle to tuck, 3) Tuck. Each around 15-20 seconds.

 

Back lever: Advanced tuck for all three attempts, held for 15-20 seconds. I hate the back lever!

 

L-sit: Standard L-sit, hips pushed forward, 1) 15 seconds, 2) 15 seconds, 3) 10 seconds.

 

Hollow-body hold: 1) 45 seconds, 2) 30 seconds, 3) 20 seconds, 4)10 seconds.

 

Arch-body hold: 1) 45 seconds, 2) 35 seconds, 3) 35 seconds, 4) 25 seconds.

 

Full-range leg raises: 3 sets of 10, 15 second rests in-between.

 

My core feels dead. I guess that's the sign of a good workout.

[StoneMonkey]

Well, for the first time in this challenge, I've not woken up at the time I set myself. Instead of 6:30AM, I woke up at 7:40AM.

 

I guess it's to be expected that I mess-up once or twice in the process of changing my sleeping pattern. Just gotta keep at it!

[StoneMonkey]

Candy is getting harder and harder to ignore. It's only the third day and I'm getting urges to eat something sweet. Even apples can't help me here! Even worse, I have "Chocolate Jesus - Tom Waits" stuck in my head and it's fueling my sugary urges even more!

But no. No sugar for me. I'll have a bar after the challenge. =D

 

I have gymnastics in an hour and a half, so no body-weight workout today. Will be working on the floor mostly, fine-tuning my front tuck and handspring. I can't wait. =D

[StoneMonkey]

Thursday gymnastics:

 

Somersaults for the whole day. Thanks to the help of an awesome coach, I got it on the floor and ended the day on a good note!

 

Usually I'd settle down with some candy, but this time? I had a cup of green tea. I'd much rather have the candy.

[StoneMonkey]

Woke up late again today. Two days in a row.. this isn't good at all! I woke up at 8:00AM, a full two hours away from my target time. College starts at 9:00AM on Fridays.. so I had no time to do a flexibility routine either.

 

Well. Today isn't going so well for me. =/

[StoneMonkey]

Friday upperbody workout

 

Pull-ups: Three sets of ten

 

Chin-ups: Three sets of ten

 

Dips: Three sets of ten

 

Decline push-ups: Three sets of twenty

 

Handstand: 1) 15 seconds 2) 14 seconds 3) 6 seconds 4) 9 seconds

[Lilith]

Hey don't worry about not being perfect, I think you are doing great! And the most important thing is that you keep checking in here. I know from my own experience that once I stop checking in here things go downhill fast! 

 

I think you did great on your workout today btw! Do you do full pushups or on the knees? Probably real ones seeing the awesome moves you are able to do with gymnastics! Makes me feel weak haha!

 

But keep going!

[StoneMonkey]

Good call; I guess going from a terrible sleeping pattern to a more structured one is going to be difficult regardless. I better stop getting put off by a few hurdles.

And yeah, as long as I've signed myself up for a 6 Week Challenge I might as well do it properly!

 

Yeah, I do the full push-ups. However, one thing to note is that I'm short and light! At 5'6 and 60kg, I don't really have as much weight to pull and push around. Being short does make some climbing routes and boulder problems much harder than they have to be, but hey, if a hobbit can climb Mount Doom then I can handle a few dynos.

[Lilith]

Oh pfff I can talk all about climbing and being short. It feels unfair, no scratch that I still think it is unfair But it is not an excuse, and I just have to be so much better at technique! And yes, lets think of Frodo, an example to us all!  

[StoneMonkey]

So, I woke up at 10AM today, a full four hours away from my target time. That's just awful. 

I think I may have to go to bed earlier than 11PM.

 

However, as it's a Saturday I spent some quality time stretching! I've got a full-body stretching routine now so all I need now is dedication and consistency.

 

Leg workout commences at 6PM and I'll be focusing on vertical jumps, pistol squats and kicks. Should be fun! =D

 

 

Oh pfff I can talk all about climbing and being short. It feels unfair, no scratch that I still think it is unfair   But it is not an excuse, and I just have to be so much better at technique! And yes, lets think of Frodo, an example to us all!  

 

 

Absolutely! Technique is where it really matters, after all. I think climbing is awesome because it's one of the few sport where anybody can progress, regardless of body-type or genetic potential or whatever. There's a guy at my gym who climbs with a prosthetic leg! 

[StoneMonkey]

Okay, bad news. I decided to jump onto my pull-up bar and attempt a back lever out of the blue.. and as I hadn't warmed up or anything I kinda put out my back.

Oops.

It's not serious or anything and it feels ten times better already with some basic stretches and muscle relaxation techniques, but I miight just take my leg workout later a little easier than I otherwise would.

 

Also, I updated my challenge with a new ranking system that I hope to employ for all of my challenges on this site. I guess it makes things more interesting! =D

[Luciana Valerosa Culming]

Best wishes and get well soon.

Your goals also reminded me, that I have to start studying more the next few weeks.

[StoneMonkey]

Thank you! ^^

 

In turn, I looked at your goals also reminded me to look around my town for anything to do with swords! I'd like to pick up swordsmanship or something in one of my later challenges. 

If I may ask, how did you start with swordsmanship?

[StoneMonkey]

I think it's a good idea for me to put off today's leg workout. My back isn't hurting as much as it was before, but I'm not foolish enough to put it under strain at the moment. That's okay, because I typically cover 6 kilometers on a weekday by bike (not including biking to gymnastics and my climbing gym) so my legs aren't at all neglected.

 

Wow, Saturday has not been a good day for me. :/

[Elastigirl]

Impressive workout and good job on the challenge. On the candy and avoiding it, one trigger for me can be when I am just not eating enough other food. You are really active. Have you tracked calories at all to make sure you are eating enough.

[Luciana Valerosa Culming]

Thank you! ^^

 

In turn, I looked at your goals also reminded me to look around my town for anything to do with swords! I'd like to pick up swordsmanship or something in one of my later challenges. 

If I may ask, how did you start with swordsmanship?

I wrote a long post for you in my introduction, because I didn't want to spam your thread. If you want to grab a sword any time, just contact me. Perhaps my smith ships them. ^^

 

And *props* for your achievements. It's good, that you don't let yourself get down from this set back in your first week. Leg days can be really hard. And 6km on a daily basis is cool. I just discovered cycling again for myself and still have to force myself to get my bike out more often. *cheers*

[StoneMonkey]

I woke up at 8:10AM today, which is a marked improvement! Again, it's Sunday, so I wasn't in too much of a fix to get my stretching done. I have gymnastics today too, and even though my back is better off than it was yesterday I think I'll be being a little more careful.
 

 

Impressive workout and good job on the challenge. On the candy and avoiding it, one trigger for me can be when I am just not eating enough other food. You are really active. Have you tracked calories at all to make sure you are eating enough.

 

I think you've hit the nail on the head. I don't eat much at all in the day. I haven't tracked my food but without all the candy, my standard meal plan is pretty much just one large meal (typically a bit of rice/bread, a few vegetables and some form of meat) a day with one or two small meals in between. 

 

I need to reassess my meal plan. I wouldn't have thought about the nutrition aspect otherwise, so thanks a lot!

 

 

I wrote a long post for you in my introduction, because I didn't want to spam your thread. If you want to grab a sword any time, just contact me. Perhaps my smith ships them. ^^

 

And *props* for your achievements. It's good, that you don't let yourself get down from this set back in your first week. Leg days can be really hard. And 6km on a daily basis is cool. I just discovered cycling again for myself and still have to force myself to get my bike out more often. *cheers*

 

Thanks for writing that! It was a very interesting read. I have no idea how you even considered taking up fire-spinning, I'd be utterly terrified! Also, it turns out that I'm near a few medieval societies and even a HEMA club. However, they're all around 10-15 miles away, so I'm probably going to visit them after my exams.

Even closer to me is an Eskrima group, which, whilst it isn't medieval, still looks really fun! I might have a look at them too.

 

As for biking, I only bike everywhere because I can't yet drive! When I first started biking out of necessity it was awful. I'd be completely puffed out in just 2km! I guess that, after a while, I just stopped thinking about it.

[StoneMonkey]

Gymnastics training

 

Somersaults - I think I've finally overcome my mental block! I was landing most of the ones I attempted whilst landing just one or two on my arse.

 

Front handspring - need to work on this. I landed most on my feet but with bent knees.

 

Handstand - I'm stuck at around 15 - 20 seconds. I need to go back to the wall!

 

Rope-climb - I love rope climbs! Three attempts all completed.

 

My back was telling me not to go to gymnastics today. However, I started off easy with rolls and stuff, and now? My back is 100% back to normal. Sometimes, movement is the best medicine. =D