So why did you choose this over NROLFW?
christianteach
Posts: 595 Member
Or other programs? I want to start weight training after our cruise but I can't decide which program would be best for me. What do you like better about this one?
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Simplicity! :-)0
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It's free, it's simple and if you google enough, you'll find tons of women who made the switch after the nrolfw got painfully complicated. If it takes me more than about 8 seconds to figure out what I'm supposed to do that day, it's not going to happen. SL totally fits in that window.0
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^^What she said!
I don't know if this happens to anyone else, but my workout buddy and I laugh about how incompetent our math skills get when we enter the "RONE ZONE" - it's like we can't even count reps by the time we're into 2 sets of heavy squats, let alone figure out what plates we need for the next exercises and whether they do or don't add up to what we are supposed to lift that day. We need it simple!
And then I am supposed to go back to my desk and do statistics. Nice.0 -
I didn't choose one over the other. I did NROLFW first, and then did SL. I would recommend that you decide which one appeals to you most and go for it. You really cannot go wrong either way.0
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It's free, it's simple and if you google enough, you'll find tons of women who made the switch after the nrolfw got painfully complicated. If it takes me more than about 8 seconds to figure out what I'm supposed to do that day, it's not going to happen. SL totally fits in that window.
This was me. It was too confusing at 5 AM. Too many new moves too often...But I love the book!0 -
Sounds like this is the easier of the two to learn. That's a big plus in my book!0
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It's free, it's simple and if you google enough, you'll find tons of women who made the switch after the nrolfw got painfully complicated. If it takes me more than about 8 seconds to figure out what I'm supposed to do that day, it's not going to happen. SL totally fits in that window.
This was me. It was too confusing at 5 AM. Too many new moves too often...But I love the book!
Is it worth reading if I'm going to do stronglifts?0 -
Why not, more knowledge is no bad thing!0
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Same reason as most of the others--it's simple and free. :- )0
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Same reason as most of the others--it's simple and free. :- )
Me too. I looked over NROLFW and was interested, but SL was just so easy to remember. I keep exploring all the things though, so now I'm interested in Nia Shanks, Strong Curves, Starting Strength, Nerd Fitness and whatever pops out of the internet at me next!! I downloaded the sample of Starting Strength, but there were far too many words for me! I had no idea what he was talking about. But I like his professionalism, unlike the tosser Mehdi who is behing SL.
Anyways, my reason is all jumbley, just like my brain!
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simplicity, and as i understand it, NROLFW busts a lot of misconceptions and kind of pumps you up, letting you know you can do it.
i already knew i could do it
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I think reading the NROLFW booked really helped me and I loved the program but it started taking 90 minutes or more and I just dont have that time. Also the limited equipment needed for stronglifts is a plus.0
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I found the NROLFW book informative, and having a decent amount of lifts in your inventory to shake things up with definitely isn't going to hurt. I did find the program too convoluted for my personal taste, though. I think it's good for someone who wants to learn all the lifts and have a great amount of variety. I much prefer simplicity though, which is why I started off with Starting Strength. Then I got into a body building routine but didn't enjoy it much after the first 4 weeks, so switched to a home-baked 5x5 for a month, then switched again to focus on endurance more so than strength gains, and am now considering switching to Stronglifts soon (which I've never actually done).
There's so much variety out there, anyone can find a lifting program they enjoy. You can sit there and analyze things however long you want, but unless you pick up a barbell and try something on for size for a week or two, you really have no idea what you're going to like, and somebody else's opinion may or may not help you. You don't have to commit, but you do have to start somewhere. So my advice to you would be to pick something that seems mostly appealing to you, and get started. It's not like you're going to sign some contract in blood. You can always change to something else ...and something else ... and something else ... until you find something you enjoy and stick with. Or find a program or string of programs that give you the variety you crave, if that's your thing (it certainly is mine ... which is why I'm not expecting Stronglifts to last for the entire 12 weeks, honestly).0 -
I think reading the NROLFW booked really helped me and I loved the program but it started taking 90 minutes or more and I just dont have that time. Also the limited equipment needed for stronglifts is a plus.
90 minutes? That alone convinces me that's not the one for me!! Stronglifts only takes about 30 minutes to an hour, right?0 -
There's so much variety out there, anyone can find a lifting program they enjoy. You can sit there and analyze things however long you want, but unless you pick up a barbell and try something on for size for a week or two, you really have no idea what you're going to like, and somebody else's opinion may or may not help you. You don't have to commit, but you do have to start somewhere. So my advice to you would be to pick something that seems mostly appealing to you, and get started. It's not like you're going to sign some contract in blood. You can always change to something else ...and something else ... and something else ... until you find something you enjoy and stick with. Or find a program or string of programs that give you the variety you crave, if that's your thing (it certainly is mine ... which is why I'm not expecting Stronglifts to last for the entire 12 weeks, honestly).
You are right! We are leaving for Florida in the morning and for a cruise on Saturday. I was going to pick up the Nrol4w to read on the cruise if I decided to go that way. However, I am also working on my master's degree so I really need to be reading one of the books for my research project. Looks like my poolside reading with be on differentiating instruction. :ohwell: It wouldn't be my first choice of reading material, but it needs to be done.0 -
You are right! We are leaving for Florida in the morning and for a cruise on Saturday. I was going to pick up the Nrol4w to read on the cruise if I decided to go that way. However, I am also working on my master's degree so I really need to be reading one of the books for my research project. Looks like my poolside reading with be on differentiating instruction. :ohwell: It wouldn't be my first choice of reading material, but it needs to be done.
Actually, with your obviously highly analytical mind, my suggestion to you would be to skip NROLFW, get Starting Strength, read it cover to cover, and spend a week or two doing a 3x5 version of all the major lifts (squat, bench press, deadlift and overhead press) as well as trying on bent-over rows for size. Then try an A/B rotation of 3x5 or 5x5 (just pick one) and do that for another couple weeks. Teach yourself proper form, keep the weights low, and then pick a program and have at it.
Starting Strength (the book) is super technical and full of detailed descriptions along with graphs, pictures and mechanical analyses and I get the feeling it would be right up your alley. It's considered the end-all, be-all weightlifting manual and sort of a "bible" for barbell trainees and trainers.
You seem to be somebody who enjoys her research, so go research. But also do yourself a favor, and just start lifting. There's no "ideal" program out there, and as barbell training goes, "good enough, works for me" is going to be what you're going to have to settle on. It'll be fine, because of how highly effective these lifts are if you do them properly and continue adding weight on a regular basis.
I spent the first month loosely following Starting Strength, but as somebody who had never picked up a barbell before in her life, it was important to me to know what I'm doing before I committed myself to any program. And once I knew what was working for me and what wasn't, I just went ahead and designed my own program because that's what most appealed to me. Cause, why not?
And just to throw you a curve ball, there's also Nia Shanks who has wonderful resources and programs available geared towards us ladies that you might find very appealing.
Go play. It's fun. 0 -
When I started looking into heavy lifting, I'd heard about NROLFW and Stronglifts. I looked them both up. Frankly, the Stronglifts webpage horrified me. The whole thing looks like a late night infomercial aimed at 18 year old frat boys. I picked up NROLFW and it was a great catalyst to get me into the gym and into free weights. As I got more confident though, I found the workouts in later stages just way too complicated. By then, I could see past all the bro-speak on the Stronglifts page and started on that.0
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ha, I skipped the stronglifts page completely and just read Tameko's summaries on here. Works for me, AND I don't get annoying 'inner circle' emails lol!0
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Trust me, I would have loved to find tameko's summaries first!0
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Depends on your goals, time and other individual stuff
I finished NROL4W back in 2009-2010. It was the first program I did when I started lifting hence, was sort of my intro to lifting. I LOVED it. I found a new love with working out. For me it was a new thing as I didn't have to be on my dreadmill day in and day out. So, I am always recommending it to folks.
Lou has a new book now - New Rules of Lifting Supercharged. I have that book and definitely recommend it to all. Lot of information is updated (new research) and the style of programming is slightly different - menu style. Meaning, you get to pick the exercises from the list provided based on your level/ability and create your own program. They have also provided substitutions if needed. Exercises are also listed as movement based, for example, push, pull, hinge etc.
I would recommend it if you are still looking into choosing what program to do.
Previous to Supercharged book was NROL for Life. They have several other NROL books. Each and every one is packed with lot of exercises.
In Lou's own words --
" Supercharged has more exercises, and of course it has seven more programs beyond the three that also appear in [NROL] Life. But the big difference is that it's written as a reboot of the original NROL. So the content is mostly about our philosophy of lifting, updated to 2012. (The original was written in 2004 and early 2005, but the programs reflect what Alwyn was doing in 2003.)
The nutrition information in Supercharged is crammed into two short chapters, and it's mostly about protein. Life has a bit more, with a focus on weight loss and weight-loss maintenance. But neither can touch NROL for Abs. With 52 pages on nutrition, it has more than the next two combined.
I've done my best to introduce new content into each book. Even the exercise descriptions are somewhat different across the board. "
Hope this helps
Personally, I preferred NROL type books as my first ones as it did not feel overwhelming to me when I first started out. Everyone is different.0 -
Why not, more knowledge is no bad thing!
Totally agree!
You still get to learn stuff. Knowledge is powerful 0 -
Like the others, I went with SL because it's simple. I saw several people saying they loved NROLFW, but when they got to the second or third stage, it got too confusing, so they were looking for something else. It seems that everyone loves the book and the message it sends whether you do the program or not. I've personally never read the book.0
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Let's see...
5 basic, compound lifts vs a bajillion new lifts/variations every couple of weeks/stage
2 workouts to remember A or B vs Week "x" Workout "y" and Stage "z"
StrongLifts = SimpleLogic for me0 -
Really hard to find the book in the UK, and 5x5 is easy as it's online!0
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It looks like StrongLifts would suit me best but I would also benefit from reading nrol4w. We are on our way to Fl as I type. If I notice a bookstore on the way, we will stop to see if they have it. Thanks for all your responses! I'm really looking forward to starting (after vacation)!0
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Just FYI if you have a tablet with a Kindle app, NROL4W and Starting Strength are both available in e-book format.0
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Just FYI if you have a tablet with a Kindle app, NROL4W and Starting Strength are both available in e-book format.
I thought of that and have a Kindle but I didn't bring it with me. I think I would prefer having an actual paperback so I could easily look back at something.0 -
Where can I find Tameko's summaries? She's a member of MFP, right?0
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Where can I find Tameko's summaries? She's a member of MFP, right?
They're all in the stickies at the top part of this group.0 -
I need to unsubscribe to Mehdi's emails like yesterday!0
