Jarric

The weekend was good. 14 mile run on Saturday went well, the weather was lovely again and I was really grateful to be out. Felt pretty strong throughout it too. In the evening we drank beer, watched TV, and fell asleep pretty early. Sunday we got up late, made all the later by the fact that the clocks went forward. Got out for my run about lunch time; 4 miles with 6 x 110yd (~100m) sprints spread throughout. Again it felt good, though the weather was weird. In 40 minutes I got bright sunshine, hail, rain, snow, and drizzle. I've offered to run a D&D campaign for some of the European rangers, so a lot of time was also spent working out how Roll20 works and reading the adventure I'll be running. ===== And the challenge officially starts today. This morning my workout was: Wall facing handstand holds - 5 x 15sec Pullups - 3 x 1, 2, 3, 4 Hangboarding L-sit progressions Couch stretch It felt good, and reasonably challenging. The hangboarding and l-sits were my additions to my coach's programming. Plan for this evening is to finish setting up Roll20, and to write a challenge tracker for this challenge!

Following along! The staff/saber practice sounds like a fun way to work out.

Looking forward to seeing you smash this challenge Wolfman!

Hear hear! *raises glass*

Nice one, looking strong there Puck!

Today has been a good day so far. I promised a workout video, so here's the only thing I could record in my tiny house: Tonight I'm going to be trying to figure out how to use Roll20, and otherwise chilling out. 14 mile run in the morning, going to aim to get it done early so I have plenty of time with WW in the afternoon.

Glad I could be of help, hope it works well for you! For my ziggurat I thought about what was most important for me to do, and what was easiest for me to do. No point having something impossible at the bottom and losing points for everything because of it, but I like the threat of making the bottom thing a must-do.

I think this might just be the perfect time mate. The world is changing a lot right now, but if you can change with it I think there'll be opportunities to be had in a few months.

You know, I really like milk, but I'm not sure I'd give up a grandchild for some... You're not alone! In England the government has required all non-essential shops to close. Off-licences (liquor stores) have been designated 'essential'.

I have to disagree with you there, chocolate stout is a beautiful thing and I literally can't get enough of it. What I can't understand is why people keep putting grapefruit in beer. I forgot just how good you are at those accents! Also, thanks for the inspiration to start my Friday

Jarric walks into the guildhall, grinning at all of the happy hugging people in the room. Pint of the black stuff, barkeep he says and, without looking at the tankard placed in front of him, takes a big swig.

Thanks, I will give her a listen! So, are we going to get a video demonstration of your German accent? I remember that! Don't know where to find it, but it was really good. I might just take you up on that! Brummie would be a good accent to have in my arsenal. Yeah, good point! I will endeavour to share stuff. Really? I'm not a fan of Clockwork, but I'd rather that than something generic like Punk IPA. Then again, I do like a weird beer. They did a chilli chocolate stout - I think it was called Choco Libre - that was excellent. And no. They split the entrance to have an in and an out so I guess if it was busy they might have done, but there was no queue at all. Honestly it was 5.30pm and it was so quiet it could have been midnight. We went to Lidl afterwards to try and get some of the stuff Tesco didn't have, and that was even quieter.

Well this challenge starts on Monday for me, and I'm not tracking stuff on zero week. But things are going well. Working from home is interesting, but it hasn't really changed my routine. I get up at 6, I work out, I shower, put on a shirt and head to my desk. If anything the routine is easier because I'm not having such late nights. We went to the supermarket this evening. I was dreading it, but it was actually great because there was almost no-one there! No eggs, not much tinned food and no paperware, but otherwise we managed to get everything we needed. I think I would actually be prepared to always take these shortages if the shops could stay this quiet! When we got back I cooked a paneer and spinach curry, and now I'm watching High Rollers and drinking a very weird beer called Zombie Cake. It's a praline chocolate porter, and it's really rather good. Tomorrow I need to record some of my workout for my coach, so if it comes out alright I might post that here too.

Thank you! I always said I couldn't do accents, and a couple of years ago a mate of mine pointed out 2 things. 1. Everyone can do one accent. 2. You can learn anything on YouTube. Anyway, it's fun to play with different accents and it's cool to be able to pull them out playing different characters in D&D, so I've been working on learning some. There's loads of YouTube tutorials on what sounds make what accents, and then it's just a lot of practice. Thanks man, think I'm taking a leaf out of your book. I'm happy to be And yes, we do! This weekend?

Tracked you down! Sounds like an awesome workout - embrace the DOMS and they'll make you stronger!

“There is a curse. They say: May you live in interesting times.” ― Terry Pratchett, Interesting Times I've been thinking about that quote a lot lately, for no other reason than the fact that people keep telling me we're living in interesting times. Or strange times. Maybe they're neither interesting nor strange, maybe they're just different. Anyway, regardless of what's going on in the world, I've got a ziggurat to delve into and levelling up to do. Specifically, this ziggurat: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx x--Something Else--x xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx--Calories--xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx--Exercise--xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx--Tooth Care--xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx--Hip Physio--xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The concept is simple, I have 5 daily goals, but I only score points for a goal if I've completed all the goals below it on the ziggurat. This keeps me accountable to doing the stuff I might avoid, and focuses me on what is most important. Hip Physio - 15XP What? Do my physio exercises and stretches for my hip Why? Because whilst my hip has improved immeasurably over the last few months it's still not perfect, so I can't afford to lose steam on this. All of my physical goals rely on me being able to actually move, so this is important! How? I have 12 exercises/stretches, and I will do them all every day. Ideally I'll do some with my morning workout, so I'll have less to do in the evening. Tooth Care - 10XP What? Care for my teeth Why? Because I would very much like them to remain in my head for as long as possible. How? Brush twice per day, once with an electric brush, and clean between my teeth once per day. Exercise - 10XP What? Exercise every day Why? Because I want to be stronger, and better at things like climbing and obstacle course racing, and to be able to do cool stuff. Because it's good for my mental health. Because I enjoy it. How? The goal is at least half an hour's exercise every day, though in reality it will usually be much more. Right now I'm following a bespoke programme from my CrossFit coach, so I'm going to see how that goes. I'm not 100% on it, but it's week 1 so I want to give it a chance. I need to be honest with myself and when I'm thinking about doing other things decide if I actually need to be doing stuff, or if I'm bored, or if it's just Rangerbrain(TM). The CrossFit coach plan is MTTF, and WSS are my running days. Calories - 10XP What? Count calories. Why? Although I'm a reasonably average weight in terms of BMI, I'd like to see how I look with a lower body fat percentage. I set myself a goal of looking at hot as possible by London Comic Con. Comic Con's now been moved from May to July, so I've got even more time to look as fit as possible. How? Average daily calories for the week need to be 2,650 - this was about a 15% deficit when I worked it out at 7#/3.2kg heavier than I am now, so it should still be a decent drop. To hit this average I have been working on 5 low days at 2,410 and two high days at 3,250. Now that I can't go out drinking a lot I might not need such high high days, so another option is 3 low days and 4 medium days at 2,830. Or 4 lows, 2 mediums, and a high. You get the idea. Something Else - 10XP What? Do something with your evenings Why? Being isolated at home it would be very easy to watch a lot of TV I don't enjoy and not actually achieve anything. I don't want that. How? Every day I just need to do something for at least half an hour - it could be creative like drawing or preparing D&D stuff, it could be educational like working on my French or working on accents, it could be social like playing D&D over the internet with friends. I want to make the most of my extra free time, so it doesn't matter how I do that, just that I do. Coronavirus Rules So to get through the next couple of months I've got a few rules for myself. I would appreciate if you call me out if you see me breaking these rules anywhere on the forums. I would also appreciate if you could respect these rules in my thread: Don't worry about that which you cannot change. If I can do something to influence a situation, I should stop worrying and do it. If there's nothing I can do I shouldn't waste my energy worrying about it. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum - Baz Luhrmann Be less judgemental. It's easy to look at people dealing differently with quarantines and restrictions and judge them. And I, like a lot of geeks, can be very judgemental of people who make what seem like unintelligent decisions. But everyone is working from different information, from different stories in the news, the 'news', and on social media. That doesn't make people stupid, or irresponsible, and it doesn't make them bad people. They're just trying to do their best with the information presented to them, just like everyone else. Now, more than ever, we need more compassion and less judgement. Be positive. There are plenty of positive that can come out of any situation, and especially this one. Political parties are working together and providing for their citizens. Pollution has dropped dramatically. People are learning the value of social interaction, and pulling together to help each other. So I'm going to choose to focus on the good that can come out of this. Make the most of it. I'm still working, but without going out in the evenings and with less to do on weekends I still have a lot of extra free time. If I come out the other side of this and I've just thrown that time away it would be a real fucking waste of an opportunity. I can use this to make myself a better, stronger, happier person. And I damn well intend to.

Well done on breaking 400 points; great way to end the challenge! Look forward to the next one.

Week 4 wrap up Hip Rehab - 2/7 - Fell out of this with changing routines Tooth Care - 2/7 - Same as above Exercise - 2/7 - I exercised every day, but no points for those days I didn't do the above bits Calories - 2/7 - Hit my target on 6/7 days, but again no points because of the above. Average daily calories were 2,694 - not bad against my 2,650 target and somewhere in the region of a 13% defecit. Extra Credit - 1/3 - Weirdly this is better than other weeks ====== Challenge Wrap-Up Score: 24/35 = 10XP This started well, and I dropped a lot of points at the end of the challenge as my routine changed and I got stressed. Less stress and a new routine are in order for the next challenge - this goal stays! Score: 22/35 = 6XP This was generally OK, but I need to learn that just because I haven't done the hip rehab doesn't mean I can't do this! This goal stays. Score: 20/35 = 5XP I actually only missed 4 days in the whole challenge, it was the lower levels of the ziggurat that let me down. Next challenge will be a new workout routine, and aiming for a perfect score. Score: 15/35 = 4XP I've been really consistent with tracking, so even where I've been over on calories I know where I've been tracking wise. I started this challenge at 12 stone 1 (169# or 76.7kg) and as of this morning I'm 11 stone 8 (162# or 73.5kg). So I've lost 7#/3.2kg in 6 weeks - I'd say this is working. My calorie burn may change next challenge, so my calorie goal will have to too, but this goal stays regardless. Comic Con has also been pushed back two months, so even more time to get in shape! Score: 3/15 = technically 1XP, but I'm not taking it for such a poor show! This didn't really work, I didn't make time for it and I didn't define when I was going to do it. Next challenge my whole workout routine changes, so this will be dropped and I'll include some of the work in whatever I'm doing next. Overall I'm pretty happy with this challenge. I ran Winter Nuts and got 3 laps. I lost some weight. I was fairly consistent with exercise. And generally, right now, I feel positive.

Yesterday was a good day. I got up early and went delivery driving, taking flowers to people on Mother's day. The weather was beautiful, and I got to drive around the countryside delivering gifts all day, what more could you want? It was a bit weird having to leave things on doorsteps and then back away to deliver them from a respectful distance, but it didn't spoil the day. Getting paid for it will also be nice When I got home I went to see my parents, and did a very similar thing of dropping off mum's present and then conversing with them from across the garden. Dad's talking about what he wants to do for his birthday in a couple of weeks bless him - I don't think he quite understands how this social distancing thing works. I explained to both of them how to video call on WhatsApp though, so at least I can contact them like that from now on. After that we put dinner on and I went out for my run. It was only 4 miles on the cards, with 6 110yd sprints spread over the distance. It felt pretty good, on a day I was feeling pretty good, so that was… good. We ate roast pork with lots of lovely roast veg, drank beer, watched a bit of TV and went to bed. I still didn't stretch and I was over on calories, but at least I did my teeth!

Hah, I forgot we tried to scare those guys off. That went well!

Yesterday was a good day. WW ended up working really late, so when she got home I threw together a stir fry with diced beef, bell peppers, spring onion, carrot and rice. For flavour I cooked it all in sesame oil, and added some garlic paste, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. I should have added salt - I did that half way through eating it and it significantly improved it. It was pretty good, certainly good for a 15 minute throw together. Again I had a couple of beers, but I still finished within calories. Won't get any points for it though as I didn't do my hip stretches - I need to settle into a new routine of doing that. ====== Today is also a good day. This morning I spent a reasonable amount of time obsessing over workout plans (see my previous post). After that I drove up to the Downs to go for a run. The car park was packed - I've never seen it so busy - but I guess it was the nicest day of the year so far and as everything is closed the only thing people can do is go for a nice walk! The run itself was great, I really enjoyed it. Wasn't overly quick, but I got my planned 13 miles done and just enjoyed the weather and the scenery. It's hard not to be happy on such a nice day. When I got home I ate a lot of food, showered and did some washing up. Spent a couple of hours learning how to use Roll20 for the D&D games I play in, and figuring out the best video solution with the others in the group. It was nice to see them, having not spoken to anyone all day, and I'm excited to play D&D again on Tuesday. Again I have not stretched, but I should at least finish the day within my high calorie target. I'm up early tomorrow and working all day, so not sure when I'll get my run in. I'll do my best.

Yeah, that's a good point about putting the skills I want to practice first. I think I've heard of that book, might look it up, thanks!

Cross-post from my challenge:

I need some advice from you guys. My Crossfit gym is now closing for the foreseeable future, so I need to come up with a workout plan that I can do in a very small space with a pullup bar and not much other equipment. I think this is a great opportunity to try out some cool calisthenics stuff, but I don't know what to do. I've gone into full panic planning mode, and have a couple of thoughts: Option 1 - Darebee Hero's Journey This has the benefit of being a pre-made plan I can just follow, and it's varied enough that it should hopefully be interesting for the full 60 days. Trouble is, I don't know if it's any good! Have any of you tried it, and what did you think? Option 2 - Create My Own Plan This has the advantage that I can scale and adjust it to my level, and I can work on some of the cool things I've wanted to do for ages like hand balancing, handstands, l-sits and pistol squats. The disadvantage is I have no idea what I'm doing with programming this, and also that I might get bored of a more fixed routine. I've done a bit of research and hashed out a very rough plan, does this look like it makes sense, are there any obvious problems/shortcomings, any suggestions on how best to implement this? 3 Day Split - Push, Pull/Back Body, Legs/Abs (I actually workout 4 days per week, but I would still just cycle these three) Push: Plyo pushups - until form starts to suffer Hard pushup variation - accumulate 10 reps (each side if asymetric) Easier pushup variation - 3 x 12 Handstand variation - 3 x 12 Side plank variation holds Fingertip pushup variation Pull/Back Body: Plyo row - until form starts to suffer Hard pullup variation - accumulate 10 reps (each side if asymetric) Easier pullup variation - 3 x 12 Bridge variation - 3 x 12 Hand balancing (crow/elbow lever etc.) holds Grip training (handboard) Legs/Abs: Jumps - until form starts to suffer Hard Squat variation - accumulate 10 reps (each side if asymetric) Easier squat variation - 3 x 12 Leg raise variation - 3 x 12 L-Sit holds

That's an amazing image, I'm going to be stealing that phrase. Thanks!