Greetings from Alice Springs, Australia!
It’s been an interesting few days here in the middle of the Australian continent; upon arrival I asked the front desk if there was a park in the area where I could go exercise. “Oh, I wouldn’t recommend going near any parks, especially after the sun has gone down.” Apparently, the locals here don’t take too kindly to folks like me.
ALLLLRIGHTY then!
Fortunately, the bus stop near my hostel has an overhang which is perfect for pull ups and a backstop that is perfect for handstand push ups. Although I was a serious skeptic of being able to build strength and muscle with just body weight exercises, I have been consistently proven wrong with each passing workout as I continue to hit new personal bests for strength – it’s incredibly exciting and very encouraging to see.
Today I have a boatload (which is five or more, if you’re wondering) of announcements regarding Nerd Fitness and the Rebellion.
The Greatest Contest in the History of the World
The Greatest Contest in the History of the World is officially rolling!
300+ rebels (holy moly) have picked up the Rebel Strength Guide and begin their “6 Week to Awesome” transformation today. The premise is simple: take a “before” picture, follow one of the plans in the guide, take an “after” picture 6 weeks from now, and win prizes like Vibram FiveFingers and video games! You don’t have to send me your before pictures today – just hold onto them and send me both pictures at the end of the contest.
THIS CONTEST IS ONLY OPEN TO PEOPLE WHO ARE FOLLOWING THE REBEL STRENGTH GUIDE! Sorry for the caps, but I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page and there’s no confusion! If you and your wife/husband/boyfriend/friend/dog are following the guide together – that’s okay!
I’ll be sending out more contest details later on this week to everybody that has purchased the RSG before midnight EST tonight, with more contest details coming over the next few weeks. If you’re a procrastinator but want to get in on the madness, you still have a few hours to toss your hat into the ring!
If you don’t own the guide, no worries! We have our regular workout challenge beginning today as well on the Nerd Fitness message boards. To make things simple, we’ve made this 6 weeks as well. Join a team, track your progress, and join the Hall of Heroes. I cannot stress how beneficial having a support group for getting in shape cane be.
Pump Up Japan
Last week, I was approached by Andy and Ryan, two friends of my buddy Baker, who own Gold Medal Bodies.
They both have tremendous ties with friends and family to the country of Japan and wanted to put together a fundraiser to help the country get back on its feet. When they asked if I’d be interested in donating the Rebel Fitness Guide (my first ebook released last August) to the cause, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. After all, I’m currently scheduled to visit Japan in late May, I was raised on Nintendo and Mr. Miyagi, and my favorite show of all time (Ninja Warrior) takes place somewhere near Tokyo.
I realize I just released a big product here on NF, and I’m always hesitant to ask you to spend your hard-earned money, but I encourage you to check out Pump Up Japan – for a cost of $45 (100% of which goes to Japan) you get awesome training manuals from twelve vastly different trainers that include some pretty cool stuff like:
- Martial arts warm-ups
- Hand balancing
- Stronger Running
- Iron bending
…and a whole lot more. I just bought my copy right now and this thing is jam-packed. Again, 100% of proceeds to go to helping out Japan. Even if you have no desire to download the fitness ebook package (and no worries if you don’t), I’d really appreciate it if you took the time to share the page on Twitter or Facebook with your friends.
Thanks in advance for spreading the word!
Parkour and Mario
Speaking of Ninja Warrior, I received emails from about a hundred people over the past week about the Tempest Freerunning Academy – I had been following the story of these guys for a while because the founding members are all guys and girls who met through competing on Ninja Warrior!
Throw in the Mario-themed walls and there was NO WAY IN HELL this video wasn’t going to make it onto NF. Now to figure out how to go interview these guys and spend a day at the Tempest Academy (anybody have connections to any of these people?)…
Tempest Freerunning Academy Badass Video
Looks like I’ll have to start brushing up on my Parkour!
Vic’s website launches!
Vic Magary, my collaborative partner on the Rebel Strength Guide, launched his own website today over at VicMagary.com. Whenever I have fitness questions, Vic is my go-to guy for answers, so I know you’re going to get some awesome info over there. His latest post on bankruptcy almost made me in tears by the end of it. Here’s a dude that pretty much had one bad thing after another happen to him, but rather than complaining or feeling bad for himself he took control, sucked it up, and turned his life around.
I honestly cannot speak highly enough of Vic – he’s been a pleasure to work with, a pleasure to learn from, and a great friend. If you enjoy reading Nerd Fitness, I know you’ll enjoy reading his stuff too.
Steve goes into the Outback
This week I have the opportunity to go out into the outback for three days, camp under the stars, and hang out around Ayer’s Rock, effectively crossing another thing off the list on my Epic Quest of Awesome. I haven’t disconnected completely from the Internet since I started traveling and I’ve been online almost 24-7 since the launch of the ebook, so this will be a good opportunity for me to really get away and spend a few days without relying on technology.
Beginning Wednesday morning (Tuesday night back in the States) I’ll be completely disconnected until Friday evening (Friday morning in the states). This is going to be a huge change for me and quite the challenge as I’m practically tethered to this laptop. Along with hiking and camping, I’m excited to spend these few days outlining the future of Nerd Fitness and the Rebellion. This community is the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of, and I have big plans for this site.
Now, thanks to this hostel booking nine people into our 8-person room last night, with that 9th person being a drunk, loud Irishman who came home at 2AM to find somebody in his bed, I didn’t get much sleep. Depending on how much work I can get done tomorrow, you’ll either be getting one or two more posts from me this week: my Epic Quest update from Scuba Diving the Great Barrier Reef (which was the coolest thing I’ve done thus far) and possibly one other article.
This upcoming weekend I’m off to Perth (April 16-20) and and then headed up to Singapore (April 20-26) before continuing my adventures in Southeast Asia (beginning on the 26th Let me know if you’re in either spot and want to meet up! Thanks for putting up with me as I run this site while living out of a backpack…it’s certainly challenging but a lot of fun too!
For the Rebellion,
-Steve
Today’s Rebel Hero: MoePower!
You might remember Moe from an article way back in the day on NF: the powerlifting gamer girl you didn’t know existed. I promised Moe when I wrote that article that I would send her a NF-tshirt. I took me a year, but she finally got it!
For you ladies out there that are worried about getting “too bulky” from lifting weights, Moe is living proof that weight lifting does a body good!
After Moe took this picture, she went outside and deadlifted the front end of a fire truck, stopped a bank robbery, and saved an orphaned kitten from a burning building.
Have you ordered your Nerd Fitness shirt yet? Pick one up (only $20 with free shipping anywhere in the world), and send me a photo – you could be the next Rebel Hero!
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