New nerd here, what you want me kil- Er... Ready to work out!

[MogiShade]

I’ve read many NF articles over the last several months and after spending quite some time on the proverbial fence I’ve finally decided to register and try out this challenge business for myself.   I was, am, on Fito but despite the nice people on there I don’t really find it contributes to my motivation.  So I wanted to give NF a go.

 

Nerd...

 

 

I’m a recovering WoW addict (they got me young with the original game when I was a kid). I also played lots of tabletop RPGs ever since I was a kid. Our standard game was Dungeons and Dragons. Originally it was D&D but quickly switched to 2nd Ed. We loved 3.0 and loved 3.5 more. We never really got into 4th ed, and then shortly the last of my D&D troupe moved away for their careers. Now my dice sit in a box collecting dust. We also played a lot of Adv. Fighting Fantasy, Starwars (D6), Rifts, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Vampire the Masquerade, Werewolf the Apocalypse, Aeon (Trinity), and even some Alternaty and Cyberpunk. I also was addicted to the Fighting Fantasy game novels as a kid.

These days I just board game with some friends. My favourites include Touch of Evil, Escape Atlantis, King of Tokyo, Last Night on Earth, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Smallworld, Castle Panic, Evil Baby Orphanage, Cards Against Humanity (depending on the group), and Bohnanza.

Other miscellaneous stuff I enjoy (or remember fondly) include – in a completely random order: He-Man, Lovecraft, Ghost Busters, Star Wars, Star Trek (not as much as Star Wars), JRR Tolkien, Guillermo del Toro movies, MC Chris, the Muppets, Indiana Jones, the GI Joe of my youth, DC Comics (nostalgia more than anything), Final Fantasy (but I stay away from video games these days), the Legend of Zelda, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

 

TL;DR – Used to play WoW and play tabletop RPGs, now I board game when I can and I like Star Wars and Hell Boy.

 

...Fitness

 

I never did anything that might be considered “exercise†since high school.  Fast forward about 10 years and I realised I was not in good shape.  In fact, walking down stairs made my knee hurt.  Yikes!  So, one summer day, I just wandered out and began to run.  It really, really, REALLY sucked at first.  It was hot, I wore cargo shorts and a heavy cotton t-shirt, and lasted about 25 seconds.  By mid autumn I was able to run 30 minutes straight and cover almost 5km.

 

Over the next year all I did was run, with some hiking thrown in.  I got smarter, I got better, I got faster, and I got a lot lighter.  I went down from 313 to 250-ish.  Year two I started lifting using a beginner program I found on the internet.  Had me in the gym three times a week (heavy, medium, and light days) doing a full body routine based on squatting, benching, pressing, and compound assistance work like rowing and Romanian deadlifts.  I got down to 236, my lightest.  I also started doing most of my running on trails and bought a kayak.

 

Year three was less productive.  My position at work changed from working in the field position to the dreaded cubical.  I switched from my program that used rep progression (in a range of 8-12) to a 5x5 program that had three heavy days a week.  My running mileage decreased, my kayak got less and less use, and I ate my way to PRs.  I got caught up in being a gym rat.  It was al about the heavy lifting.  I began gaining weight.  I slowly slip slided into a perpetual dirty bulk phase.  So I went to 3x3 and counted calories.  I hated every second of it.

 

Now, after a bit of a lazy winter (too few runs, minimal snowshoe outings) I am back logging miles under my runners, pushing my comfort zone, and have been on 5/3/1 for several months (which I love).  I’m not as light as I was a year ago (currently 253) but I am a lot stronger.  I’ve also taken up rock climbing and I try to go about three times a month.  Currently I can handle 5.4s easy, but have yet to complete a 5.6.  (The closest rock climbing gym lacks 5.5 routes.)  I am also working more with kettlebells and I want to do more GPP and focus more on relative strength to my bodyweight instead of absolute strength.   I’m still working on setting my first challenge for NF outlined.

 

TL;DR – I like to trail run, kayak, rock climb, and pick things up and put them back down again.

 

 

Personal Stuff...

 

I live in Canada.  I work in a cubical in Toronto, but I don’t live there, so I spend half my week in one city and the other half in another city.  My job description is very industry specific and hard to explain to those outside my field but basically I am part mechanic, part electrician, part telecommunications... technician?  I’m in my early 30s, enjoy sunsets on the beach, sashimi, tacos, and beer.  I studied photography on college and recently I have purchased a DSLR and I am trying to rekindle my affair with the lens.  I also have two cats, whom I refer to as The Princesses.

 

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

Welcome!  You are going to fit right in with the rest of us nerds!!

 

Have you found the Level 1 Rebels guild yet?  You're just in time to join the next challenge!!

[thegingerdances]

Welcome to NerdFitness!  We're glad you are here.  

 

Chris-Tien is right--the next challenge begins April 14th, and we'd love to have you!  In the Level 1 Rebels guild, you'll find people with lots of similar goals to push you forward.  You'll also be able to interact with veterans of different guilds (like Chris-Tien) and see what you like best!  

[MogiShade]

Just posted my challenge in the level 1 guild forum!  The link is in my signature.