This is the end . . . beautiful friend, the end . . .

NorCal Füsters (SEPs, wait your turn):

One last update before we close the books on Winterfüste 2019 tomorrow . . .

  1. A quick ask . . . if you completed all the Fastentag days and have earned the +5p bonus, please text GG immediately with confirmation. It will save GG having to scroll through pages and pages of data to track each Fastentag day. Remember, if you received the bonus for Hungreiger Geist, you are not eligible to receive the Fastentag bonus!

  2. A reminder, the Finalefüste event will be held at the Veteran’s Memorial Building in Santa Rosa. Address is 1351 Maple Ave. We will be in the “North Room”. Do not confuse us with the large crab feed going on in the main hall. Even starts at 6pm . . . this is not one of those things where you want to be fashionably late! Please show up on time as we have a lot to do to finish out Winterfüste 2019!

  3. In addition to a beer or wine of choice (carried circumspectly in a brown bag), please bring a towel with which to cushion your planking position (hint, hint).

  4. Don’t forget to weigh in first thing tomorrow morning and send a pic to GG so he can recored your final weight. Remember, every pound lost is 0.5p to your Gruppen so even if you’re not coming to the FF, you can still contribute towards their success.

  5. Yes, tomorrow is an active Füsting day. You can earn punkte by exercising, not eating sugar or processed foods and not drinking alcohol before the final bell sounds at ~6pm . . . so don’t slouch off on the last day! You will report off for the day’s activity when you arrive at the FF event. If you’re unfortunately not attending, please send GG one final text at 5pm (yes, 5pm) to record your final days work (and so he can add your points to the final Bestenliste).

  6. The final update to the website, with the point tallies for both the Individual and Gruppen games, will post sometime Saturday, March 2nd.

  7. Don’t forget, Kühl in blue tomorrow night, Gletscher in green.

That’s it, Füsters! For those attending, we’ll see you tomorrow night. For this who aren’t, GG will touch base with you one last time after your final report . . . It’s been a pleasure being your Geschäftsführer again for another Füste. You guys are all incredible people and you should be proud of everything you personally accomplished during the first two months of this year (yes, it’s already March!). Everything you did, every day, was 100% you. You made that happen. All the miles walked or run, the swimming or the rowing or the biking, the 23 Drachens slayed (a new WF record) . . . all the kräp you didn’t eat, the alcohol you didn’t drink, everything you did or didn’t do was a pure, unfiltered act of will power. And just because Winterfüste is coming to an end does not mean you have to stop . . . Take the things you’ve done, the new habits you’ve formed and play them forward into your daily non-Füsting life. You don’t have to be obsessive about it, just take a little bit with you as you leave. That’s all that GG asks . . .

Good luck in the rest of 2019 and may the Füste be with you!

GG

And now for the last . .

Good morning, Füsters and willkommen to Week 8, the final week of Winterfüste 2019. As of today, there are 50 players left in the Northern game and 27 players left in the Southern game. We dropped a collective 18 players. That 20% drop rate is the lowest in recent memory and is a testament to how hard you guys have been playing the game. GG has been very impressed with what he’s seen during WF19 and can honestly say this is the best group of Füsters in the last century. Herr Doktor Mediziner Schneebärtchen would be proud!

Now for some final week updates:

  • On Finale Friday (or Saturday for the SEPs), don’t forget to weigh in first thing in the morning and then text a pic to GG (or JJ), same as you did on Day 1 and the half way point. We will not be doing a weigh in at the Finalefüste event so if you want your pounds of lost flank meat to count as points for your Gruppen, make sure to send the weigh in pic.

  • There is no homework assignment for this final week (not like most of you were doing it anyway, based on some of the struggles GG has witnessed during the recent audits). So relax and spend the week preparing for the coming brutality of the Finale Konfrontation!

  • GG will put out location information for the Finalefüste in NorCal within the next 24 hours. He is happy to report that he has secured two venue options and just needs to make a final decision. Both venues are in central Santa Rosa so they will be easy to Lyft to . . . remember, GG has a strict no drinking and driving policy so if you plan to imbibe, plan to pay for a ride.

  • And to that, some details on the Finalefüste event:

    • Please wear athletic-ish attire. The Finale Konfrontation is physical and requires strenuous activity from the players. GG respects the fact that you want to show off your newly earned skinny jeans but you’ll look just as good in something that breaths and allows a full range of motion.

    • For the NorCal event, food, beer and wine will be provided. Unfortunately, hard alcohol will not be allowed at the venue. If you have a special drink that you’d like break your drunkenfast with, please bring enough to share.

    • SEPs, you’ll be receiving info on your event directly from JJ.

  • There’s a final plankenfüste bonus posted for Week 8. Check the Bonuspunkte page for details.

  • Audits will continue this week so don’t be surprised when you get tapped to complete one. There is a +2p bonus associated with the successful completion of an audit request.

That’s it for now . . . there will most likely be one final communication out to this group before Friday. In the meantime, don’t let up! Your flank meat is on the ropes, beaten down and confused as to what the hell just happened to it. Keep the pressure on through Friday! Stay away from the sugar and the alcohol and get those Trippelts in for the most punkte possible. If you have open bonuses, get those done too! The game will be over as of Friday and there won’t be another opportunity to Füste until 2020, so this last five days is it! Get as much final punkte as you can and hit your flank meat hard! Now is not the time to start slacking off!

Good luck in the final week and as always, may the Füste be with you!

GG

Week 7 Penultimate Update

Evening Füsters!

Believe it or not, we’ve chewed through six and a half weeks of game play and are now on long final for landing at the Finalefüste event on March 1st. And to that, just to reconfirm, March 1st will be the date but the Finalefüste will be an evening event (not late afternoon) and not at Howarth Park (but still somewhere in the greater Santa Rosa area). More to come on all this very soon . . .

Now to some updates:

  • Just a reminder, you can only do three Trippelt workouts in a row before stepping back down to a single. This is specifically designed to prevent you from injuring yourself if you happen to be hyper-0competitive or mentally ill.

  • You are now entering the most difficult phase of the Füste. With only 12 days left of game play, you will be tempted to lift your foot off the gas. Don’t do it! You don't have to be angling for the win like Marten or The Wolf to keep the pressure on to the end! Don’t cheat yourself by having a little nip of wine here or a cookie (looking at you Black Swan) there. Stick to your guns and let’s see just how much damage you can do to your flank meat before the Finalefüste!

  • It’s time for you to declare your Drachenfüste intentions to GG or JJ. You have until 17:00 hours on Friday to communicate what your plan is. You then have from Friday at midnight until 18:00 hours on March 1st to complete it. Remember, your Drachen must be at least equal to four single workout parameters and must truly challenge you (so if you’re a long distance marathon runner, don’t tell GG your Drachen is a marathon . . . ). Your Drachen, if slayed, is worth +10p (which is ‘UGE) so make sure you’re earning this giant reward. Declare, complete, and then bask in the glory of having set a goal that you may have thought was impossible back on Jan. 2nd but proved to be just another day in the Füsting saddle.

  • Prepare to be audited. To date, you should have been audited at least once. In the next two weeks, you will receive the final audit request and cards on the table, it will be more difficult than last time.

  • Week 7’s Hausaufgaben Assignment:

    Complete five rounds of the following:

    • 10 burpees (#23)

    • 25 sit ups to twist (52)

    • 20 plank ups (going from forearms to straight arms counts as 1) (#23)

    • 60 second wall hold

    • 90 second plank on forearms

Remember, the number in parentheses corresponds with the explanation of said maneuver found on this reference page: CLICK HERE.

  • No new bonuses this week as there are still plenty of Füsters who have plenty of bonus points to earn. If GG see a considerable increase in bonus play, he’ll release an extra bonus or two for the final week.

  • Having said that, prepare yourself for a Schnitzeljagd next weekend. What’s a Schnitzeljagd? Some may remember back to the first Sprûngenfüste event a couple of years ago. For the rest, it will be a surprise. But suffice it to say, the Schnitzeljagd is one of the all time most popular Füste activities!

That’s it for tonight, Füsters. Hope you had a good weekend and GG wishes you a pleasant Week 7.

Defeat the meat!

GG

Weekend Update: Trippelts and Finalefüste confusion . . .

Guten Tag, Füsters . . .

Very quick update for you:

  • Trippelts begin today . . . this means you can triple a single daily Schmerzenfüste parameter OR complete any combination of one, two, or three different single parameters (as long as they add up to a triple workout) to earn +2.5p.

  • GG knows this isn’t going to make everyone happy and he apologizes in advance. I have been completely unsuccessful in finding a venue for the Finalefüste event on March 2nd. At this point, GG has only been able to find a venue on Friday the 1st (at Howarth Park in Santa Rosa) and that’s the best I’ve been able to do. I realize that because of this some of you will not able to attend the final event and this sucks. And GG also knows it’s late in the game to be changing the date and can only ask that you understand the situation. I have been working on this for over a month and for one reason or another the availability for anything on Saturday has just not been there (or fallen apart after I made the reservation). So, like it or not, the official and final date of the Finalefüste event will have to be Friday, March 1st. Please text GG today to let him know if you will be attending (+1p bonus for those who confirm yes or no by the end of the day). Again, I can only apologize for how this went down . . . GG isn’t happy about it.

That’s all GG’s got for today . . . Enjoy your weekend.

GG

Week 6 Update: A Heart Shaped Box of Nothing . . .

Evening Füsters . . .

We have crested the peak of WF19 and are now heading down the backside of the Speilbrett towards the Finalefüste event. A couple of updates for you:

  • First, an apology . . . GG has been on the road for the last two (now going on three) weeks and that has had the expected effect of directly impacting his ability to update the Bestenliste on a nightly basis. GG would like to say that this will self-correct but at this point that’s not a sure thing. Please continue to report daily, event if you haven’t heard back from GG.

  • This coming Thursday is a special day . . . for corporate America. It’s the first day since the Christmas holidays that they can manipulate you into buying krap that no one needs so their CEOs can make their first quarter bonuses. Ah, yes, Valentine’s Day. Here at The Füste, we have a different take on this “Hallmark” holiday. If you love someone, you won’t give them chocolates or candy hearts . . . you’ll give them the gift of health! In order to earn your three punkte on Thursday, here’s what you have to do: get your partner, significant other, BF, GF, husband, wife, or just a really, really good friend to Füste with you on Wednesday (yes, Wednesday). This person must complete all three of the daily Füsting parameters with you: they cannot partake of the sugar or processed foods, cannot imbibe of the alcohol, and must complete the same exercise regimen as you do (so, if you’re running a 5K for your +1p on Wednesday, this person must do it with you and you must send picture proof of this co-work-out). Whatever your partner/lover/friend scores on Wednesday is what you earn on Thursday. So if you want a +3p for Valentine’s Day, you’ll need your partner to step up on V-Day Eve. For those whose partner is already a Füster, both you and your partner will need to complete an extra half of a work-out to earn your Schmerzenfüste punkte for Thursday . . . e.g. I am Polar Shark, married to Arctic Hamster. We want to earn our V-Day punkte together so on Wednesday we both eat right, don’t drink, and walk 6 miles (1.5 of the walking/hiking Schmerzenfüste parameter) to earn +3p total. If your Wednesday partner is not currently Füsting, you do not have to add the extra half of a workout on . . . But what if a great physical distance separates me from my intended on Wednesday? Let GG (or JJ) know and we’ll work this detail out . . . Please announce who your partner will be on your Tuesday report off to GG/JJ (as well as texting “Sei Mein” to earn a +1p bonus).

  • Speaking of the Finalefüste . . . GG has been greatly challenged in finding a venue for the Finalefüste event. He continues to work on this problem but one thing that is clear is that the event will have to take place on March 2nd, Saturday. GG knows that he has communicated in the past that it could be either March 1st or 2nd but it’s going to have to be the 2nd. Good news for you, it means you have one more day to earn punkte (the game is live until the final bell is rung at the Finalefüste). This is going to be an evening event (GG knows that a number of the top players have to work Saturday till 5:30pm) and will most likely be indoors. GG will continue to work this problem and let you know as soon as he’s secured a venue (at this point, suggestions are welcome). He apologizes for any inconvenience this causes any of the Totemfi (JJ down south is not having these issues and has already secured her venue and date also as March 2nd).

Week 6’s Hausaufgaben Assignment:

Complete three rounds of the following:

  • 10 push-ups (#26)

  • 14 forward lunges (7 each leg) (#2)

  • 15 squats (#13) or 45 second wall hold

  • 45 second plank (on forearms), then right into . . .

  • 12 plank ups (going from forearms to straight arms counts as 1) (#23)

  • 40 bicycle crunches (tap left elbow to right knees count as 1, tap right elbow to left knee count as 2, etc) (#35)

  • 20 hip bridges (#28)

  • 7 burpees (#23)

Remember, the number in parentheses corresponds with the explanation of said maneuver found on this reference page: CLICK HERE.

That’s it for now. Only three weeks to go. Hopefully you’ve put a big hurt on your flank meat and it’s crying out for mercy! Don’t give it any. Keep Füsting hard all the way to the end to defeat that meat!

GG

Week 5 Update: Not Even Close to a Downhill Run to the Finish

Guten Tag, Füsters . . . and willkommen to Week 5 of WF19.

You have officially passed the halfway point of the game and while GG would like to say it’s all downhill from here, we both know that’s not remotely true. In fact, the game just gets harder each week until we reach the end. This weekend’s Groundhog Day Challenge is off to an insane start with at least two Füsters dropping unbelievable mileage gains on the game (the only one that GG can confirm at this point is Eisen Wolverine, the original Bestenfüste from WF17, who ran (and GG is not joking here) over THRITY MILES yesterday in repeat 5K laps!). Don’t forget that today and tomorrow are both eligible days for completion of the challenge so get our there in the rain and earn your bonuspunkte. What other sinister challenges does GG have in store for you in the back half of the game? You’ll just have to wait and see!

Now for the news . . .

  • Today is the second weigh-in of the game. Get on a scale, take a pic of your weight with your gross coyote paws in clear view, earn a +2p bonus. There will be one more weigh-in on Finalefüste . . .

  • Speaking of Finalefüste, hopefully you’ve marked your calendar for the afternoon/evening of Friday, March 1st to attend the Finale Konfrontation in Santa Rosa. If you absolutely know that you cannot attend, please let GG know as soon as possible. (for the SEPs, it’s up to JJ as to the date, time and location of your final event so check in with her). Location is still TBD but it will be in the greater Santa Rosa area.

  • Make sure you’re checking the Bonuspunkte page at the start of each week for new bonuses and for details on the ever changing Plankenfüste. GG has noticed that some are making assumptions about what that week’s plank parameters entail and are actually not completing a punkte eligible activity. To that, GG has also noticed that some players are starting to bend the edges of the daily parameter requirements. To be clear, if you don’t meet the requirements, you will not earn your punkte. Please do not make GG (or JJ) be the bad guy and tell you your hard work was for nought because you decided to cut your event short by five minutes. Which brings GG back to another point: the rules is the rules. Please follow the rules. GG cannot make exceptions for you if you do not follow the stated rules. Everyone else is so “exceptions” equal special treatment and that doesn’t happen in the Fùste. We are all punished (including GG) equally.

  • Oh you thought you’d be cute and just scan down to the bottom to get your “I read this update” bonus? You really think GG is this simple? Text the German word for “cheater” with tomorrow’s weekend report off to earn your +1p bonus for reading through all this . . .

  • Today’s Cheat Day is brought to you in part by you feeling absolutely TERRIBLE tomorrow. For the Neu-Füstes among us, if you’ve been Füsting appropriately, what you do to yourself today will have a logarithmic impact on you tomorrow morning. Go easy. You’re going to want to eat the world, pack yourself full of everything you’ve been denying yourself for over a month. But just know that your body has been clean of sugar etc. and the sudden (and possibly voluminous) reintroduction is going to have a major effect on you. Couple this with alcohol and the standard quote that GG hears the next morning is, “it wasn’t worth it”. So learn from the mistakes of your for-Füsters and #GoEasy.

  • Week 5’s Hausaufgaben Assignment:

    Complete five rounds of the following:

    • 8 push-ups (#26)

    • 10 forward lunges (5 each leg) (#2)

    • 10 squats (#13) or 30 second wall hold

    • 30 second plank (on forearms), then right into . . .

    • 10 plank ups (going from forearms to straight arms counts as 1) (#23)

    • 30 bicycle crunches (tap left elbow to right knees count as 1, tap right elbow to left knee count as 2, etc) (#35)

    • 15 hip bridges (#28)

    • 5 burpees (#23)

Remember, the number in parentheses corresponds with the explanation of said maneuver found on this reference page: CLICK HERE.

That’s it for now, Füsters! Enjoy your day off and have a good time. If you do choose to destroy yourself today, try to keep the complaining to a minimum tomorrow morning as you only have yourself to blame! Week 5 begins tomorrow, Doppelts continue, more special activities coming soon. The Füste marches ever on. Who will be crowned the victorious Bestenfüste in a little under four weeks? It’s anybody’s game at this point. Keep it up, fight fiercely and defeat that meat!

GG out.

Week 4 Update to the Update: Homework

Yesterday’s weekly update inadvertently did not include this week’s Hausaufgaben assignment so, without further ado, here you go:

Complete three rounds of the following:

  • 10 Burpees (#26)

  • 14 forward lunges (7 each leg) (#2)

  • 10 froggers (#13)

  • 60 second plank (on forearms), then right into next . . .

  • 12 plank ups (going from forearms to straight arms counts as 1) (#23)

  • 30 bicycle crunches (tap left elbow to right knees count as 1, tap right elbow to left knee count as 2, etc) (#35)

  • 20 hip bridges (#28)

  • 20 single leg glute bridges (10 each leg) (#9)

Remember, the number in parentheses corresponds with the explanation of said maneuver found on this reference page: CLICK HERE.

Week 4 Update: The Toughest Week . . . so far

Willkommen to Week 4, Füsters! To date, we’ve had the fewest drop-outs of any Füste event in recent history! Sadly we retired Walrus, a Founding Füster of immense power who actually won Bestenfüste in 2016 (granted the category was a little different back then) but has failed to perform in any meaningful way since then. #SAD. We also retired the dynamic Hedgehog, a returning Füster who will be missed for her creativity and fun attitude. They will be missed.

Alright, some updates . . . .

  • We are now into the three week period of game play known as “The Deepest Cut”. This week will be particularly challenging as it sees Doppelt Schmnerzenfüste begin in earnest, coupled with the wicked but strangely satisfying 72 hour Hungriger Geist Survival Challenge. Yes, you can now double your daily workout parameter or complete two separate workouts to earn +2.0p each day (you may still do the single workouts for the normal +1p). Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are HG Days #4, 5, and 6 respectfully and stacked they create a level of caloric restriction that you will rarely experience in this industrialized first world simulation we call life in America. Currently there are only ten brave souls with the iron enough to wage this level of open warfare on their flank meat and to those ten players GG can only say: RESPECT. 

  • Believe it or not, this Thursday, Jan. 31st, marks the half-way point of Winterfüste 2019 (GG can’t quite believe it either). This is a good day to take stalk of where you’re at in the game. First, go strip down and step on a scale in full view of a mirror. Do you like what you see?? If not, you’ll have a little over four weeks to do something about . . . uh, that. Do not let the flank meat bully you into softness or complacency! Do everything you can on the back half of the game to defeat that meat! As for as points, you should be rapidly closing in on 100 punkte. If that’s not you, go to the bonus page and get to work! There are so many points being left on the Spielbrett each week that it makes GG #melancholy. For instance, what excuse do you have for not completing three planks a week to not only earn for your Gruppen but also get that sweet, sweet +1p bonus for yourself (what? You didn’t know about that bonus? Huh, perhaps keeping up on the game would do you some good, eh?).

  • With the halfway point of the game comes Mediziner Schneebartchen’s singular gift to you this Winterfüste, your cheat day. Traditionally, this day falls on or about the half way point and almost always NOT on Super Bowl Sunday. Will this cruel and pointless act of sadism continue this year? We’ll all find out together later this week (but here’s a hint: GG was born and raised in Los Angeles as a Rams fan . . .  you do the math).

  • This Saturday is a special day and will offer every Füster the opportunity to earn some much needed bonuspunkte. Here’s how the Groundhog Day Challenge works:

    • In 24 hours, you may do a single workout parameter as many times as you are physically able, without causing yourself permanent injury, disability and/or death. But there’s a catch: you must repeat the single workout parameter exactly the same way each time you do it. For instance, let’s say you fancy yourself a runner. You decide to complete the 5K single workout parameter for the Groundhog Challenge. Each time you do it, you must follow the exact same path. So basically each time you do it, it would be considered a “lap” on a set course and you would earn +1p. Every time you repeat this lap, you will earn another +1p. And so on and so forth, again and again and again. Time is a flat circle (but GG digresses). You may take as long of a break as you like between laps but each time you run your 5K it must be EXACTLY THE SAME experience. This exercise in perceived madness is available to you on Saturday, midnight to midnight (for those who work on Saturday, you may do it Sunday or even Monday). Only distance based parameters that can be tracked on STRAVA are eligible for this challenge (this means no gym workouts, HIITS, cross-fit or the like, bro; swimming, elliptical, dreadmill and drainer are also all outlawed). You may walk, hike, run, ride, x-country ski or snow shoe to complete this challenge. Activity practiced during this challenge will count towards your daily Schmerzenfüste as well . . .

  • And speaking of excessive Schmerzenfüsten, it’s now time to start contemplation of your Drachenfüste proposal. Please remember that the Drachen is meant to truly challenge you like nothing else has during Winterfüste. The very basic requirement is to complete a single continuous workout that equals at least four singles . . . so yes, this means a 12K run, 16 mile walk, four hours on a bike, two hours and 20 min in the pool. etc. You may do any combo of parameters you want as long as what you propose is a true and epic challenge. GG (or JJ for the SEPs)  will not green light your challenge if your Drachen is not truly worth slaying. Remember, completion of this challenge is worth +10p so think in those terms when coming up with what you want to do. Drachens may be slain between the dates of Feb. 23rd and Mar. 1st. 

  • New bonuses will be available shortly on the bonus page so check back in the morning . . .

As noted on Twitter a couple times last week, GG is entering a particularly painful period of business travel that will limit his time to both respond immediately to your texted reports and to update the Bestenliste nightly. He will do his best to do both, but do not be surprised if you don’t hear back or if the Bestenliste doesn’t get updated for a day. No one promised you immediacy here . . . in fact, if you go back to your willkommen email, you’ll find the GG specifically said the Bestenliste would be updated nightly, “except when it’s not”. So patience please. There’s 63 of you and only one GG. He will get to all of you in time (and yes, GG knows that having to go to Hawaii for work cannot be considered a “hard ship” but it’s all, all of it, relative, Bub).

That’s if for now. Enjoy the pain storm that is Week 4 of Winterfüste 2019. Looking forward to see what you all can do on this canvas of discomfort and self-sacrifice! 

#GORAMS

GG

Did you read this whole thing? Text GG who you think he is in the game (hint: he’s not in the top 10 nor is he in the basement either). One guess. Get it right, earn a +1p bonus.

Willkommen to Week 3: Super Blood Wolf Moon Ed.

Hallo Füsters . . .

It’s official: you’ve survived 25% of WF19! Hopefully you’ve seen some changes by now. Maybe a noticeable reduction in that holiday induced mushroom top? An increase in your run pace or at the very least a quieting of that incessant, industrial-designed need to consume more and more sugar. Whatever it is that you’ve noticed, it only gets better from here.

Some game updates/notes for you on a rainy mid-Winter Sunday:

  • As a whole, you remain the best reporting group of Füsters that GG has seen to date. Reporting has always been a challenge for the Totemfi but so far you are doing great (well, most of you . . . Nighthawk, OG Walrus, White Moose, Honey Badger, Raven, Hoary Marmot, Musk Oxen, ask yourselves, are you living your best life?). Please keep it up and try to report by noon each day.

  • Remember that some bonuses are in fact bonuses for EXTRA activity. The activities used for Wangerungfüste and Mitternachtsonne must be done IN ADDITION to your daily Schmerzenfüste activity. Anderefüste and Seigerfüste do not have this requirement, which means that your daily Schmerzenfüste counts as the activity for these bonuses. Hopefully this makes sense.

  • Another note on bonuses: Anderefüste requires you to complete a STRAVA based monthly challenge. “Virtual” events are not eligible for this bonus. In order to earn the +3p, you must either complete the 10K run challenge or the cycling 100K challenge. If so inclined, you may also earn this bonus by completing the total monthly distance or climbing challenges 9but those are pretty brutal). As this was not clear, those who have or plan to complete a “virtual” event in January may do so and earn their bonus. But just be aware that this will not be available to your for February or March’s Anderefüste IBA.

  • A new addition to the the Plankenfüste GBA . . . starting this week, when you complete all three planks for your Gruppen, you will earn a +1p completion bonus for yourself. Please note that you can only do one plank in a given 24 hour period and you cannot “stack” planks (i.e. you cannot do one 3 minute plank and have it count as your three planks). Please make sure that you notify GG (or JJ) when you send proof of the third plank so your bonus point doesn’t get missed . . . and yes, the game managers are keeping track but they’re not infallible so help yourself be successful and over communicate.

  • There are new bonuses added to the bonus page so go check them out and use them to crush the souls of your opponents!

  • Hausaufgaben (“homework”) audits begin this week. Several Totemfi will be randomly selected each day to send GG (or JJ) proof that you have in fact been doing your homework. This will require you to video yourself completing an audit challenge. When selected, you will need to send your proof of completion to your appropriate game manger (GG or JJ) no later than 19:00 hours on the day it’s assigned. Failure to do so will result in a penalty to your Gruppen.

  • Speaking of Hausaufgaben, here’s this weeks assignment:

    Complete three rounds of the following:

    • 10 push ups (#20)

    • 10 reverse lunges (5 each leg) (#2)

    • 7 froggers (#13)

    • 45 second plank (on forearms), then right into next . . .

    • 10 plank ups (going from forearms to straight arms counts as 1) (#23)

    • 20 bicycle crunches (tap left elbow to right knees count as 1, tap right elbow to left knee count as 2, etc) (#35)

    • 20 dead bugs (drop left arm and right leg count as 1, drop right arm and left leg count as 2, etc) (#51)

    • 20 single leg glute bridges (10 each leg) (#9)

    Remember, the number in parentheses corresponds with the explanation of said maneuver found on this reference page: CLICK HERE.

  • An early head’s up that Doppelt Schmerzenfüste begins next weekend on Saturday, Jan. 26th. This means you can double any single Schmerzenfüste parameter (e.g. run a 10k instead of a 5K . . . ) or complete two Schmerzenfüste parameters in a single day and you will earn an extra 0.5p (and unlike most bonuses, this extra half punkte does transfer forward to your Gruppen total). Doppelt Schmerzenfüste will be available for three weeks . . .

  • And finally, tonight affords you a rare chance to complete the Vargvolf Challenge for a +1.5p individual bonus. From 8:41pm to 9:41pm tonight, California will be treated to a rare lunar spectacle, the “Super Blood Wolf Moon” eclipse. Yes, tonight there is a total lunar eclipse starting at 8:41pm local time. Get outside for 15 min between 8:41pm and 9:41pm, post a walk under the moon to STRAVA, earn +1.5p. Due to cloud cover, you may or may not be able to see the eclipse. No cloud cover means you get to see it in all it’s glory but are also at risk of Vargvolf attack. No moon means no spectacle but also no risk of being bitten or mauled (as the Vagrvolf can only shapeshift under the actual light of a full moon . . . a lot of people get this wrong but GG knows). So go outside, walk for 15 min (post to STRAVA), look up at the sky and try not to get eaten, earn +1.5p. Good luck and GG is not responsible for life long effects of Vargvolf bites (it was covered in the liability waiver); you’re on your own there.

That’s it for this week. Don’t forget there’s a wicked 48 fast starting Tuesday for those who are taking on the challenge of HG Days #2 and #3. Be smart, make good choices and may the Füste be with you!

GG

Week 2 Update: Do you even Füste, bro?

Evening Füsters . . .

GG promises that tonight’s game update will be quick and painless. So let’s get to it!

  • You are now 10 days into WF19. Time to take stock of where you’re at in the game. To date, GG has been incredibly impressed with what he’s seeing on a daily basis. He can honestly say that this is the most competitive Füste event in years!. For a hot second, it looked like Coyote might run the game (never mind The Wolf) but then along came a Neu-Füste named Marten and how quickly things changed. Since then, it’s been all out warfare on the Bestenliste! With seven weeks to go, anything is possible!

  • Quick reminder. In order to earn your daily +1p for Schmerzenfüste, you must either post proof of a workout on STRAVA or send (read as text) GG some kind of work-out summary that shows definable heart rate data. Starting tomorrow, GG will not reward the daily Schmerze punkte without one of these two types of proof. This expectation should not come as a surprise to anyone currently playing.

  • So far the most popular IBA has been the Eiswasserfüste challenge. This, quite frankly, comes as a shock to GG who can’t quite grasp the fact that so many would suffer such discomfort for +5p! Regardless, keep it up as this trend has shown just how seriously the competition is going to be through the end of the game.

  • Another random theme that GG thought he’d share with you . . . What do these things have in common? Dude holding the phone and filming, animal (usually dog) interfering curiously with woman planking in front of a TV set? Yep, those are the most common occurrences in the plank videos GG has been receiving on the regular.

  • A new IBA has been added to the website. Click here to check it out. The Plankenfüste GBA has also been updated for Week 2.

  • This week starts Hungriger Geist (HG) Days. This Tuesday is HG Day #1 and is a full 24 hour fast. This is obviously different than Fastentag Days, which are the sunrise to sunset water only fast that takes place every Monday and Thursday of WF19 (yes, that includes tomorrow and this Thursday). HG Days start the midnight of the appointed day (this Tuesday) and go for 24 hours (so midnight to midnight). As this is the real deal, you may consume calories found in clear liquids, like juices or coconut water. You may also try the Das Tonikum, the Füste approved mixture of hot water, lemon juice, maple syrup or honey, and a dash of cayenne pepper. And to be clear, there is ZERO expectation that you do both Fastentag AND HG Days. If you’re happy with the sun based two time a week water fast, stick to that. If you want more of a challenge, bail on the Fastentag Days and give the full HG Day a try this Tuesday. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO BOTH FASTENTAG AND HG DAYS! That was never GG’s intent. Make good choices here. Your family and co-workers will thank you.

  • Week 2’s Hausaufgaben Assignment is to complete three rounds of the following:

    • 7 push-ups (20)

    • 7 forward lunges each leg, 14 total (22)

    • 14 sit ups to twist (52)

    • 14 squats (1) or 30 second wall hold for those with bad knees (to complete, stand with your back to a flat wall, press your back against the wall and slide down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, hold your arms straight out in front of you and hold position)

    • 20 hip bridges (28)

    • 10 v-ups (50)

    • 45 second plank (as always, planks performed on forearms)

  • The number in parentheses after each of the iterations above corresponds with the explanation of said maneuver on a good reference page found HERE.

That’s it for now. Keep up the excellent work. GG can’t wait to see what happens during Week 2!

GG out