Erick the Red: Becoming a Berserker

[Erick the Red]

From the all-knowing Wikipedia:

Berserkers (or berserks) were Norse warriors who are primarily reported in the Old Norse literature to have fought in a nearly uncontrollable, trance-like fury, a characteristic which later gave rise to the English word berserk…The Úlfhéðnar (singular Úlfheðinn), another term associated with berserkers…were said to wear the pelt of a wolf when they entered battle.

 

Though I prefer the term Úlfheðinn (ulf-r = 'wolf', heðinn = 'jacket of fur or skin'), I went with "berserker" in the title because it is an accepted English word and doesn’t have funny letters.  The letter eth, à (capital) or ð (lower case), is pronounced with a voiced “thâ€, as in “this†and “thoseâ€, and is often transliterated as a “d†or “dhâ€.  (And thus ends our language nerd lesson.) 

 

For more historical berserker details, please visit the Viking Answer Lady.

Currently my favorite literary berserker is Soren, in Tessa Gratton's "United States of Asgard" books.

 

Goal 1: Calorie Tracking

 

From Egil’s Saga:

Altogether there were twelve of them in the party, all the hardest of men, with a touch of the uncanny about them…they [were] built and shaped more like trolls than human beings.

 

To start my transformation into one of “the hardest of menâ€, I am tracking my calories with myfitnesspal.  Target is 1.5 pounds of fat loss per week.

 

Goal 2: Daily Training

I have set aside a half-hour each day in the early morning for training.  In general, I expect to alternate between strength-based and running-based days.  I am trying to work in some weapon-training as well.  On Sunday, I plan to walk for one hour instead, as an active rest day.

 

Goal 3: Weekly Saving

I have recently been trying to rein in my impulsive spending, especially on food and treats.  At the end of each successful week, I will put $10 in my saving jar next to my bed.

 

Mission:

Wear a silver arm ring at Castle Wars, November 2015, earned through valiant effort in losing 30 pounds of body fat, and purchased with Danegeld from the subjugation of my bad spending habits.

[Thalianost]

Your challenges are always very interesting to read.  I hope you save enough to get that awesome arm ring! 

[Erick the Red]

Your challenges are always very interesting to read.  I hope you save enough to get that awesome arm ring! 

 

Thanks.  All I have to do is not waste my money on hookers and blow pizza and ice cream.  And if I do, I probably won't be in shape to get the arm ring anyway.  So "win, win" right?

[rowan]

Aaah, so much viking joy!  And the cash jar is a great idea - I have a little box on my dresser I use for the very same purpose!

 

WOLF MODE GO!

[RoxyFreefall]

Following along. Goals look great.

[Jakkals]

Stalking.

 

In the dark.

 

The knife will get you.

[Erick the Red]

Aaah, so much viking joy!  And the cash jar is a great idea - I have a little box on my dresser I use for the very same purpose!

 

WOLF MODE GO!

 

 

Following along. Goals look great.

 

Thanks for following.  I admit I am a diva -- I love an audience!

[Erick the Red]

Stalking.

 

In the dark.

 

The knife will get you.

 

 

I have my own team of assassins on the way.

[elinox]

Being an English major nerd myself, it makes me happy you are aware of the proper pronunciation of the 'ð'.

 

What's your max caloric goal you're shooting for per day?

[CourtnieMarie]

ooooooo love your challenge!

 

Being an English major nerd myself, it makes me happy you are aware of the proper pronunciation of the 'ð'.

 

What's your max caloric goal you're shooting for per day?

I was going to ask the same question. My experience has been that myfitnesspal provide terribly low calorie goals and you're better off inputting goals manually into their system. if you're on the computer website, go to My Home > Goals > Change Goals > Click 'Custom' > this is where you can put in a more effective total number and probably up the protein percentage a bit

[RoxyFreefall]

 

I love an audience!

Really who doesn't? I will admit I do too, LOL.

[Thalianost]

ooooooo love your challenge!

 

I was going to ask the same question. My experience has been that myfitnesspal provide terribly low calorie goals and you're better off inputting goals manually into their system. if you're on the computer website, go to My Home > Goals > Change Goals > Click 'Custom' > this is where you can put in a more effective total number and probably up the protein percentage a bit

^^  What she said.  MFP doesn't seem to mesh well with any strength training mentality.  It helps to jack up the protein goal. 

[Erick the Red]

What's your max caloric goal you're shooting for per day?

 

Right now I am aiming for the suggested 1500. I don't have a specific goal for the macros (I ignore the MPF suggestions), but in the past I had aimed for 100g per day.

 

ooooooo love your challenge!

 

I was going to ask the same question. My experience has been that myfitnesspal provide terribly low calorie goals and you're better off inputting goals manually into their system. if you're on the computer website, go to My Home > Goals > Change Goals > Click 'Custom' > this is where you can put in a more effective total number and probably up the protein percentage a bit

 

I haven't ever used MFP from a computer, just my phone.  I agree that I will need more protein than MFP suggests. 

 

Really who doesn't? I will admit I do too, LOL.

 

Humans are social animals.  It is easier to do almost anything within a community.

 

^^  What she said.  MFP doesn't seem to mesh well with any strength training mentality.  It helps to jack up the protein goal. 

 

Agreed.

[Xena]

I bet the mornings will be great once you get into the swing of it! Are you using the "zero week" to try it out?

[Buff Brogan]

subbed for awesome. and vikings.

[Erick the Red]

I bet the mornings will be great once you get into the swing of it! Are you using the "zero week" to try it out?

 

Yes, I have been doing it since Sunday.  Quads DOMS from my long (for me) Saturday run held on a little longer than expected, perhaps due to long walks on Sunday, BW squats on Monday, and more running on Tuesday.  Today (Wednesday) we are good there.  BW Squats, diamond pushups, and narrow-grip chinups were hard but good.

 

subbed for awesome. and vikings.

 

But you repeat yourself.

 

Gulf Wars returns to Lumberton

[Jakkals]

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf0YC9c_Tr0

[Buff Brogan]

 

Yes, I have been doing it since Sunday.  Quads DOMS from my long (for me) Saturday run held on a little longer than expected, perhaps due to long walks on Sunday, BW squats on Monday, and more running on Tuesday.  Today (Wednesday) we are good there.  BW Squats, diamond pushups, and narrow-grip chinups were hard but good.

 

 

But you repeat yourself.

 

Gulf Wars returns to Lumberton

 

sometimes things need repeating

[fengor]

subbed. let's see the warriors of the norse return

[Tinessael]

Ooooh, what kind of weapons?

[Erick the Red]

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf0YC9c_Tr0

 

That may be the cutest holmgang I have ever seen.

[Erick the Red]

sometimes things need repeating

 

True.

 

subbed. let's see the warriors of the norse return

 

Thanks.  Let's see if we can show them any honor.

 

Ooooh, what kind of weapons?

 

Sword, spear, hammer.

 

I play

in the SCA, currently fighting with sword and shield.  In the next couple weeks I will have my pell finished, so that I can practice hitting something.

 

I have a guy making me some hardened leather gauntlets so that I can play with a spear.  I am planning to make a padded boar spear over the next couple months.  My son is a black belt in Midori Yama Karate and is teaching me a couple staff katas (choreographed routines or forms) that I plan to use to get ready for moving my spear around.

 

I have also been training with a sledge hammer off-and-on for a long time, and have some HIIT-style workouts that I have developed myself or found that I use on occasion.  You can find more at the links below:

www.shovelglove.com/

http://www.urbanprimalist.com/id3.html

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sledgehammer-workout/

http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/sledge.html

[Thalianost]

True.

 

 

Thanks.  Let's see if we can show them any honor.

 

 

Sword, spear, hammer.

 

I play

in the SCA, currently fighting with sword and shield.  In the next couple weeks I will have my pell finished, so that I can practice hitting something.

 

I have a guy making me some hardened leather gauntlets so that I can play with a spear.  I am planning to make a padded boar spear over the next couple months.  My son is a black belt in Midori Yama Karate and is teaching me a couple staff katas (choreographed forms) that I plan to use to get ready for moving my spear around.

 

I have also been training with a sledge hammer for a long time, and have some HIIT-style workouts that I have developed myself or found that I use on occasion.  You can find more at the links below:

www.shovelglove.com/

http://www.urbanprimalist.com/id3.html

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sledgehammer-workout/

http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/sledge.html

 

Yay armored combat.  Is the shovel glove intended to help with hammer movements or spear movements or both? 

[vinoex]

I think it would do both,  Infact, I'm thinking about stealing the idea.

[Erick the Red]

Yay armored combat.  Is the shovel glove intended to help with hammer movements or spear movements or both? 

 

The guy who came up with "shovel glove" just wanted to do something active with something heavy.  The movements can re-create swinging a pick or shovel or spear or sword.  I remember some of the movements in the Urban Primalist link are explicitly re-creating lunging spear thrusts.

 

I think it would do both,  In fact, I'm thinking about stealing the idea.

 

It is always good to have a heavy weight on a stick laying around.  I have used it for both non-impact and tire- or tree-stump-impact workouts.  It also might come in handy if you need a big hammer to smash something.  And it is a relatively cheap substitute for kettle bells or maybe even dumbbells.