What do you prefer about NROL4W over 5x5?

Surfingbodi

I'm new to the forums and am wondering what people like about NROL4W over 5x5?

Thx!

Pmagnanifit

In general nrolw has more variety of exercises. So I did nrolw for almost 1.5 yrs. no boredom.
Then I did supercharged for about four months even more variety and you plan your workouts. At that point my brain was tired and i felt unfocused. So I did really focus on dl, Bp, squat, hip thrust and did upper body assistance work-- I am pretty happy. My bench press did not move forward until I focused.

I don't know much about strong lifts-- I really enjoyed nrolw. It helped motivate me through a tough period. I became much stronger. I liked reading the books and learning how to put together a workout. I learned sooo much.

What are your goals?

Surfingbodi

Ty pmag! My goal is to greatly reduce body fat (I think I am around 34% right now - yikes) and gain muscle. I most likely need to drop overall body weight by about 15 lbs so that can be challenging with strength muscle gain simultaneously but I am increasing strength. Stamina is coming more slowly which is curious to me. I work outside in winters and summers so really need stamina as well strength. Ultimate goal probably 22% body fat and strong!

dnamouse

Pretty much the same as what pmag said - I like the variety of NROL4W. I'm doing Supercharged now and I like that I can choose and plan my workouts specifically for my needs.

I've looked briefly at strong lifts, but kept coming back to NROL.

Pmagnanifit

I think you can decrease bodyfat with nrolw. I decided on strength. Stick with something and track measurements as well as weight. Pix help took.!everyone is surprised at my back and Jo's everything.

Pmagnanifit

I mean dnas everything but also her back

Surfingbodi

Thanks for responding everyone. I can understand the draw of variety and tailoring your workout to your personal needs. How much time and how many times do you workout a week? Eventually I will get the book but not until I complete the 6 weeks I committed to with my 5x5.

BarbellCowgirl

5X5 is mainly a strength program. Of course, if you are a newbie and you're eating at a deficit, you can probably gain a bit of muscle while gaining strength and losing fat. But for the most part 5X5 will help you get stronger- diet is the key to decreasing your BF%.
NROL4W is much more interesting and it includes all the rep ranges you need to gain strength, increase endurance/burn plenty of cals, build muscle. Many people believe that you need to phase through all these ranges in order to have a well-rounded program (which it sounds like you want).
Personally, I lost many inches and gained an incredible amount of strength (along with some muscle) doing NROL4W.

dnamouse

Surfingbodi wrote: »

Thanks for responding everyone. I can understand the draw of variety and tailoring your workout to your personal needs. How much time and how many times do you workout a week? Eventually I will get the book but not until I complete the 6 weeks I committed to with my 5x5.

It's recommended to lift 3x a week. The workouts are roughly an hour long, including warm up, cool down and the occasional intervals. Sometimes its a bit less, sometimes a bit longer

Surfingbodi

Ty BarbellCowgirl and dnamouse! Very helpful. Right now I am doing 2-3 x/week HIIT 75 min in addition to 5x5 and some much more low key cardio just to help burn more calories when I can. I am finding my legs are getting really fried though so I may need to change things up a bit.

bepeejaye

I did NROLFW, but for me, the exercises became complicated fast, and before I master complete form - boom! 'Tis onto the next one.

SL lets me concentrate on form - for instance, I did not know what the guy meant by saying it works your core, until I felt the soreness! Whew! But I suspect at some point I may hit a plateau of sorts when I can no longer move certain amount of weight...but I am not there yet. I will cross that bridge when I come to it. I am enjoying it as I am concentrating on form...and the short time it gives allows me to do reverse pull ups and push ups in between...that it is not too complicated, and that the compound movements are really working my body...

But I think like it has been said on here, it depends on individual preferences....good luck!

Surfingbodi

Ty bepeejaye! I agree. I am concerned I am taking on too much as I am finding that while I love the 5x5 so far because it is simple, combined with two really intense training HIIT per week, my legs are just fried for running which Is a cardio I like. Also trying 5:2 eating now. So many great things I'm learning on here but my body may need me to slow down what I'm adding. Might lighten my weight or focus more on upper body for a bit?