Mikroftt Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 This challenge I want to take a step back from focusing on working out to see what kind of progress I have made. Some of the things I have measured before but others this will be the first time recording stats. I believe this will help me in the long run to A) address some weaknesses and know where I started. So to do this I will be focusing on 4 key areas: 1) Yielding Yoga (+4 DEX +1 STR)I have access to the NerdFitness Yoga program so I will be doing yoga at least 2x per week. I also will complete the flexibility benchmark both at the beginning and end of the challenge. I feel like some areas I am pretty flexible but others I am not so this will help to figure out where I need more work. 2) Running 'n Row (+2 STA)With the work gym being open, I have taken up rowing before workouts to help build up some stamina. I love just jamming the tunes and rowing for 20-30 minutes. My measurable here will be number of meters in 30 minutes. Right now my best is 6800-ish. I was going for 7000m the other day and it took 30:27 so I didn't look closely at what the exact number was at 30 minutes. Part 2 of this is that I have my Tough Mudder race at the end of week 2! Surviving that will automatically earn me 1 of 2 stamina points. 3) Body Bio-metrics (+2 CON)Right now I am hovering around the 180 mark. I have seen some progress recently from hovering around 185 so I want to keep the momentum going and get down to 175. I feel like the addition of rowing in the morning is going to aid greatly in this goal but we will see. I also want to do an update on my body weight calcs so I have a better idea of where I am at with that. 4) Power Posing for People (+4 CHA +2 WIS)The WIS component of this will be finishing How to Win Friends and Influence People. I started it last challenge but didn't finish. The other half will be working on posture, specifically around others to project more confidence and feel like others want to be around me more. I listened to a SpartanUp Podcast today on this subject and it encouraged me to pursue this more. 1 Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
NicTheRugger Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 Hey there! You have a great variety for the challenge. I really look forward to seeing how you like the yoga program and the rowing! You're motivating me to get back to the gym so I can get on the row machine again 1 Quote Level 4, Amazon Ranger Current Challenge: NicBot-5000 enters Recovery Mode Previous Challenges: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, PRE REBOOT CHALLENGES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Various links and sundry: Battle log, Respawn post, Link to post
tenaciousglee Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 Loving the goals and overall purpose of this challenge. It can be really encouraging & motivating to step back and see how far you've come and re-evaluate where you want to go from here. I also approve of your new avatar. Big time word nerd. 1 Quote Level 32 Minifig Jedi Assassin Current Challenge | Battle Log | "Epic" Quest Previous Challenges: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 11.5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 "A man who wants to do something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse." -Stephan Dolley, Jr. "You don't get stronger by skipping workouts." - me, to myself, about 3 times a week Link to post
Mikroftt Posted September 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2015 Week 0 Wrap-Up: I did my flexibility and body weight measurements so I have the numbers for the start of this challenge. The good news is, I keep going down on body fat. Down to 10.2%! As for the flexibility measurements, I am not quite sure what I am supposed to compare them too. I feel like they are decent for a person at my level of fitness but I don't know that for a fact. The one that I had the most trouble with was the shoulder rotation. I just realized I missed 2 of the exercises... so I will have to do those tonight. Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
tenaciousglee Posted September 14, 2015 Report Share Posted September 14, 2015 Congrats on the BF loss! I hope to join you down there before too long. Did you already update your calcs? 1 Quote Level 32 Minifig Jedi Assassin Current Challenge | Battle Log | "Epic" Quest Previous Challenges: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 11.5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 "A man who wants to do something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse." -Stephan Dolley, Jr. "You don't get stronger by skipping workouts." - me, to myself, about 3 times a week Link to post
Mikroftt Posted September 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2015 Which calcs are you referring to? Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
tenaciousglee Posted September 14, 2015 Report Share Posted September 14, 2015 3) Body Bio-metrics (+2 CON)Right now I am hovering around the 180 mark. I have seen some progress recently from hovering around 185 so I want to keep the momentum going and get down to 175. I feel like the addition of rowing in the morning is going to aid greatly in this goal but we will see. I also want to do an update on my body weight calcs so I have a better idea of where I am at with that. Did you just mean you wanted to get a more recent benchmark, or revise how you calculate body fat percentage? Quote Level 32 Minifig Jedi Assassin Current Challenge | Battle Log | "Epic" Quest Previous Challenges: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 11.5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 "A man who wants to do something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse." -Stephan Dolley, Jr. "You don't get stronger by skipping workouts." - me, to myself, about 3 times a week Link to post
Mikroftt Posted September 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2015 Just get a more up to date measurement. I had figured with the weight loss I was down a bit on body fat but I was curious how much. Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
Mikroftt Posted September 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2015 It would figure that after I get rid of my desktop computer they would come out with this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_XwzBMTJaM Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
Mikroftt Posted September 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2015 Back in the gym this morning. Rowing followed with Tabata Abs, followed by walking on the treadmill. I got off the treadmill and had the sensation I was still walking forward... is that normal? Tonight a non-workout workout will be a bit of gardening and then helping my grandparents paint their vaulted ceiling. Last night Ninja Warrior finale was epic! I don't want to spoil it for those who still need to watch it but it was awesome! Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
tenaciousglee Posted September 15, 2015 Report Share Posted September 15, 2015 Back in the gym this morning. Rowing followed with Tabata Abs, followed by walking on the treadmill. I got off the treadmill and had the sensation I was still walking forward... is that normal? I think that's normal. I get that sensation when I step off the moving walkway at the airport, too. Last night Ninja Warrior finale was epic! I don't want to spoil it for those who still need to watch it but it was awesome! So good! Spoilery stuff here: I feel bad for Britten, but he does get to claim to be the first American to finish Stage 4, right? And I love Caldiero, but isn't it a little weird that he fell in the city Finals, but still gets to be the champ?Also where do they go from here? Will next season be anti-climactic?And I hate to say it, but I'm kind of glad we won't have to hear/see Brent & Kacy for a while... I got a little tired of having them shoved down our throats. 1 Quote Level 32 Minifig Jedi Assassin Current Challenge | Battle Log | "Epic" Quest Previous Challenges: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 11.5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 "A man who wants to do something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse." -Stephan Dolley, Jr. "You don't get stronger by skipping workouts." - me, to myself, about 3 times a week Link to post
Mikroftt Posted September 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2015 Speaking of the Brent and Kacy thing... please allow me to go on a rant for a minute. Please know I have nothing against these 2 personally. Anytime they are on the course I will root for them to do well. With that being said, I believe that they are on the course too much when they don't deserve it. Yes Kacy made history last year being the first female to finish a city finals, but when you don't even make the city finals this year, you should not get a wild card spot. There were plenty of more deserving people to get that spot this year and to see her go out in stage 1 on the second obstacle was both heartbreaking and the best thing that could have happened. I feel bad for her personally to have that much hype and pressure on her and to go out on such a simple obstacle for her, but at the same time, I loved seeing her fall and NBC's hopes and dreams being crushed as she did so. As many veterans have shown this year, it is not about what you have done in the past, it is about your performance this year that counts. So next year, if she makes it fine. That will be a great comeback story. If she doesn't then I seriously hope they don't give her the spot she hasn't earned again. *End of soapbox rant* 1 Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
Mikroftt Posted September 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 Stretching this morning since there was a lot of ow from yesterday's workout. I tried to do some rowing as a warm-up but couldn't even get in a decent rhythm for that. So I did a half mile walk and then stretched. Hopefully there will be some running around tonight with the youth to make up for my inactivity this morning. Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
Mikroftt Posted September 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2015 So total steps yesterday was in the 23,000+ range. I did also do a push Tabata workout that nearly killed me. I did 8 sets (20 sec each) of close grip push-ups, regular push-ups and seated dips. Lets just say for about an hour after lifting my arms was a problem. Played some ultimate Frisbee with the youth so that definitely helped get the steps up. Today is softball so I didn't come in to workout this morning. I might do a workout after softball depending on how I am feeling. Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
tenaciousglee Posted September 17, 2015 Report Share Posted September 17, 2015 Man, I miss Ultimate Frisbee. And for that matter, I miss being a youth. Sometimes. I do not miss Tabata push workouts. 1 Quote Level 32 Minifig Jedi Assassin Current Challenge | Battle Log | "Epic" Quest Previous Challenges: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 11.5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 "A man who wants to do something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse." -Stephan Dolley, Jr. "You don't get stronger by skipping workouts." - me, to myself, about 3 times a week Link to post
Mikroftt Posted September 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 Yesterday was softball. We won both games. Batting was not perfect for me but I did have a home run for the first time in a while so I was happy for that. One more set of games for us, then tournament. I will miss softball when we are done but it looks like volleyball or basketball will start for the fall/winter. No workout this morning. I will do legs when I get home. 11.5 more miles yesterday! Humans are walking away with this one 1 Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
NicTheRugger Posted September 18, 2015 Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 Sounds like you're having a solid first week! Keep at it! 1 Quote Level 4, Amazon Ranger Current Challenge: NicBot-5000 enters Recovery Mode Previous Challenges: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, PRE REBOOT CHALLENGES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Various links and sundry: Battle log, Respawn post, Link to post
Mikroftt Posted September 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 Week 1 Wrap-Up 1) Yielding Yoga (+4 DEX +1 STR)Benchmark done. Yoga completed at least 2 maybe 3 times. I also have been doing cactus stretch from the shoulder mobility video from time to time while watching TV to help open up the shoulders. 2) Running 'n Row (+2 STA)Not much rowing last week. I did some Tabata workouts that killed my arms. Did do a lot of walking though. Tough Mudder is only a few days away now! I am getting excited for it but it is going to be a busy week getting there... 3) Body Bio-metrics (+2 CON)Calcs done for the start of the challenge. I would like another set at the end but don't have to get them. 4) Power Posing for People (+4 CHA +2 WIS)No reading done yet. I did working on "power posing" this week. I mostly focused on it while walking either at lunch or taking the dog around the neighborhood. I will say just striking a power stance does make you feel different. I also was noticing that power poses also are pretty good for working on my posture because it helps me to keep my shoulders back and head in the correct place. Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
Mikroftt Posted September 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2015 I am totally digging the new mini. Granted I might burn myself out on day 1 but we will see. I am deciding that steps are not everything when it comes to fitness or calorie count. Other than running, doing steps take a lot more time than I have right now. I have been putting a huge emphasis on steps but have not had a lot of time to relax. Not sure what will replace it but we will see. Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
Mikroftt Posted September 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2015 Very good video to watch if you have 30 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQDyFmIYD3Q Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
NicTheRugger Posted September 23, 2015 Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 Be careful not to burn yourself out! If you need some down time, I'm sure that no one will begrudge you taking a couple of days to just focus on getting the bare essentials done. You got this! Quote Level 4, Amazon Ranger Current Challenge: NicBot-5000 enters Recovery Mode Previous Challenges: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, PRE REBOOT CHALLENGES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Various links and sundry: Battle log, Respawn post, Link to post
Mikroftt Posted September 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 Be careful not to burn yourself out! If you need some down time, I'm sure that no one will begrudge you taking a couple of days to just focus on getting the bare essentials done. You got this! I see what is going on here... sneaky hobbit trying to get the human to no do the mini so that they can beat us! I will not fall for your tircks sir! In all seriousness, I will make sure not to overdo it. The goal is not to injure myself before the race on Saturday. 1 Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
tenaciousglee Posted September 23, 2015 Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 I meant to ask you: After a whole summer of watching ANW, were you brainwashed into watching Blindspot on Monday night? Quote Level 32 Minifig Jedi Assassin Current Challenge | Battle Log | "Epic" Quest Previous Challenges: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 11.5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 "A man who wants to do something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse." -Stephan Dolley, Jr. "You don't get stronger by skipping workouts." - me, to myself, about 3 times a week Link to post
Mikroftt Posted September 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 I must have some kind of superpower that has blocked that advertising out, because I am not watching it. They did advertise it a ton though. Plus it is on at 10PM I believe and that is usually when I go to bed. You watching it? Quote Spartan Assassin: Level 15 STR31 DEX26 STA27 CON25 WIS28 CHA23 Link to post
tenaciousglee Posted September 23, 2015 Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 I watched the first episode. I concluded that it's not worth staying up till 11. I also got the impression that I could guess how the story will play out. It's a neat concept, yet somehow still formulaic. Quote Level 32 Minifig Jedi Assassin Current Challenge | Battle Log | "Epic" Quest Previous Challenges: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 11.5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 "A man who wants to do something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse." -Stephan Dolley, Jr. "You don't get stronger by skipping workouts." - me, to myself, about 3 times a week Link to post
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