Pssssssh, who waits for the new year to make resolutions?
Not the Nerd Fitness Rebel Army.
Today is the official launch of the brand-new, updated Nerd Fitness Message Boards. A big THANK YOU goes out to my friend Topher for pretty much bailing me out and getting the new software installed.
So what are you waiting for? Join 540+ rebels in training as they help each other level up their lives. It still amazes me, but I have yet to have a single issue with fighting, flaming, or trolling on these boards – I think it’s a testament to the caliber of readers we have here at NF. Go check out the new software, let me know if you encounter any bugs, and don’t mind the look – it will soon be skinned to look like the rest of the site.
IMPORTANT: If you are already a member, you’ll need to RESET YOUR PASSWORD before you’re able to post again. You’ll also need to re-post your avatar and signature.
Registered?
Ready to post?
Good. Let’s talk about the next 28-day challenge.
For the past six months, we’ve been running some kick-ass 28-day challenges over on the boards. Every four weeks, members of the community pick two to three fitness challenges and one “level up life” challenge to accomplish in the next 28 days. They then spend the next 28 days working daily to hit those goals. At the end of the month everybody rates their performance and then we vote to determine who was the big winner for the month.
Today marks the start of the newest Nerd Fitness 28-Day Challenge! For this challenge, we’re going to do something a little bit different. Not only will you be picking fitness challenges that you hope to accomplish in the next 28 days, but you’ll be doing so within the context of a real-life role playing game.
Allow me to explain:
The Online Multiplayer Fitness Game (OMFG)
Seven months ago, I wrote an article called “Real Life Role-Playing: What is Your Profession?“ In it, I turned life and exercise into a giant role-playing game. Here’s how it worked: after deciding if you were a human (average build), elf (slender build) ogre (heavy build), or some other fun race you just made up, you could pick what kind of adventurer you wanted to be, each with real life skills and abilities.
Here are the six classes that were created:
- Warrior (strength, weight lifting)
- Ranger (endurance, versatility)
- Scout (long distance, endurance)
- Assassin (agility, speed)
- Druid (flexibility, grace)
- Monk (martial arts)
It was probably my favorite article I’ve ever written on Nerd Fitness and one of the most well received. Fast forward six months: over the past few weeks, I’ve been working with my friends/message board heroes Spezzy, Alethea, and Dantes to turn that article into an actual game with experience points, quests, and achievements. And when I say “been working with,” I really mean “watched as Spezzy, Alethea, and Dantes took my concept and ran with it.” We wanted a name that was both memorable and applicable, so we came up with…
Online Multiplayer Fitness Game, or OMFG for short.
If you’re interested in learning more, check out the OMFG section of the boards – it’s definitely a work in progress, all of the skills and achievements are being added over the next few days, and it will certainly be in the “beta” stage for probably a month or two as we figure this stuff out. It’s a concept that’s about to go big time, so help us lay the foundation! Hopefully we eventually we can turn it into an automated program that tracks your progress if there’s enough interest, but that’s probably quite a ways off.
In the meantime, here are the different class descriptions so you can decide what kind of adventurer you’d like to be when you grow up 🙂
Warrior
This tank is incredibly strong and powerful, pushing weight like it’s his job. Which is good, because it IS his job. Big, bulky, and strong as an ox, Warriors constantly try to push themselves to be bigger, better, stronger. Eating and lifting are the only two things Warriors worry about. You do NOT want to go punch for punch with a Warrior. You will get destroyed.
Primary attributes: Strength, power
Training: Pure strength-building weight training, Olympic lifting.
Real life example: Any World’s Strongest Man competitor.
Scout
Scouts can cover great distances in a short amount of time. Built for distance and efficiency rather than strength and power, these guys can outlast any animal on the planet. They eat a diet higher in carbohydrates to give them enough fuel to survive these grueling treks cross-country, and their muscles are designed to last for hours rather than minutes or seconds (like a Warrior). A growing contingent of scouts have moved to barefoot running, returning to their ancient ancestral roots.
Primary attributes: Stamina, endurance.
Training: Lots of distance training, long bike rides, high volume exercises when doing any sort of weight training.
Real life example: Marathon runners, Ironman athletes.
Ranger
Rangers are a hybrid of Warriors and Scouts, built for strength AND endurance. A jack-of-all-trades but master of none, Rangers are well-equipped for any situation. Their weight training revolves around varying the reps, sets, and downtime to continually force those body to adapt to new situations. Rangers usually follow a Paleo Diet, eating things that can only be found in nature. Thanks to this type of training and diet, Rangers have incredibly low body-fat percentages.
Primary attributes: Functional strength, muscular endurance, adaptability.
Training: Lots of weight training but with minimal downtime (think crossfit and 300 training).
Real Life example: Gerard Butler in 300.
Assassin
To assassins, the world is one giant playground. Every building can be climbed, every gap can be jumped, every obstacle can be conquered. Assassins spend most of their time training with functional body weight exercises as that’s usually the only thing they need to lift.
Fearless, calculated, and efficient, Assassins have low body fat percentages because extra weight could mean the difference between life and death on a mission. They have solid endurance as well, allowing them to progress through an obstacle-filled environment without breaking a sweat.
Primary Attributes: Agility, stamina
Training: Parkour, free running, rock climbing.
Real World example: Parkour traceurs, free runners, most athletes on Ninja Warrior.
Monk
This isn’t the monk you’re used to. These monks can kick your ass with their fists and feet, and they will do it before you even knew what happened. Incredibly agile, lightning fast, and loaded with power, Monks specialize in martial arts to stay in shape and destroy the opposition.
Training is mostly spent in dojos and in the ring, with some weight training thrown in to help produce stronger punches and kicks. Monks only carry enough weight and muscle to provide maximum efficiency with each attack. Muscles are compact and powerful, core strength is high, and speed is favored over size.
Primary Attributes: Agility, power
Training: MMA, Capoeria, Muay Thai boxing, Tai Kwon Do
Real life example: Georges St. Pierre (MMA fighter).
Druid
Druids are one with nature. Often vegan or vegetarian, they specialize in being one with themselves, finding balance in everything. These peaceful folk spend a majority of their time training in the arts of yoga, meditation, and tai chi. Strength training is only done if necessary, as most druids aren’t interested in massive muscles or explosive power. Druids also follow a minimalist diet, high in vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Some eat meat, but only enough to get sufficient protein. Processed foods are the enemy.
Primary attributes: agility, flexibility
Training: hiking/walks, meditation, yoga, tai chi
Real life example: Yoga instructors.
Last Month’s 28-Day Challenge Winner
Speaking of 28-day challenges, congratulations to AidanPryde for winning the November 28-day challenge! Here’s what he had to say:
“Looking at the month as a whole, if I had to give myself a grade, I would have to give it an A+. I know what you’re thinking, I had two B’s and an F. Well, the A+ that I did get trumps anything else I could have done this month short of cutting a limb off. There is nothing else I could have done in two weeks that has added more years onto my life than quitting those nasty cigarettes. I still worked out, both before and after the quit and the quit took all of the concentration I had. There was none to spare.
I feel so much better today than I did at the beginning of the month. My chest doesn’t hurt, I don’t get as many headaches. I can go for a jog in the cold without feeling like my lungs are going to shatter. I can see a difference in the mirror from the strength training. My arms are bigger, my chest is getting firm. I’m fitting into clothes that I couldn’t just a couple months ago. I went for a run yesterday with snow falling all around me. At the beginning of the month the only reason I would have stepped out into the snow would have been to huddle and shiver while I sucked death into my lungs. Now I was breathing life, my ears filled with the sound of feet on pavement. It was wonderful. I know that I will never again be a smoker and being able to say honestly means that I passed this month’s challenge with flying colors.”
Honorable mention went to my buddy Dawsy, who also had a great challenge.
The winning team? The Uruk-hai, who had the best participation and saw the best results as a team. Congrats everybody!
So what’s your profession?
What do you want to be when you grow up? Do you want to be incredibly strong? Lightning fast? A martial arts expert? Pick your class/profession, join this month’s 28-day challenge, and start working towards becoming the best Warrior/Ranger/Scout/Druid/Monk/Assassin you can be!
See you on Thursday.
-Steve
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