How did you decide?

rlw911

Hey, ladies! I've been lurking on this forum for about 3 weeks now. I've been wanting to start lifting heavy for awhile now and finally bought NROL4W a couple of weeks ago. I read the book right before I left to go on a cruise. Hubby and I worked out several days at the gym on the ship. I did about 10 minutes on the treadmill (awesome view!) and then went over to the dumbells and did most every exercise I could remember that involved using weights. I just wanted to do something to get started, before I got home from the cruise and actually got into the program.

I'm the kind of person who likes to research things and I think I've researched myself into confusion. Well, maybe not confusion, but indecision. I finally made the decision to join the gym, instead of trying to do this at home. I joined last Friday and my hubby got me 3 sessions with a personal trainer. I wanted someone to teach me good form, before I attempted anything on my own, and my first session was yesterday. We didn't have time to do much, but I think she'll be ok and help me learn a few things and give me confidence to walk into that weight area like I know what I'm doing.

So, first decision out of the way - join the gym! Second decision, I thought I had already made, when I bought NR. Now that I've had a few days/weeks to look at other programs, I'm not sure I've made a final decision as to which program I should follow, NR, SL5x5, Starting Strength, etc. I know these are all good programs and I know I need to choose one and go with it.

I'd like to hear what helped you decide which program to follow. Was it as hard a decision as I seem to be making it or did you just go what felt right for you?

Thanks for your input!

(Oh, and the PT told me I have good form on my squats! I've been working on them using bodyweight and dumbells, so I'd feel halfway prepared to do a barbell squat. At least I've accomplished something these last couple of weeks!)

wibutterflymagic

That's exactly it. Just go with it. Any of the programs are good. One is not the end all be all over any of the others. You choose NROL4W so start it and put your focus into it. It's only a book so if down the road you decide you want to try something else then you can change your mind. You have the gym which is a good resource on it's own. Don't over think it. Everyone has opinions. There isn't one Holy Grail.

MyOwnSunshine

No offense intended, but I believe that some people (ME!) use "over-thinking" as a way to avoid actually doing.

I chose NROL because I didn't know about Starting Strength, 5/3/1, or Stronglifts prior to starting a lifting program. I read it, it made sense, I got brave enough to get in the weight room, and I've enjoyed doing it.

The biggest benefit for me is that the plan works in stages, and the stage changes every 4-6 weeks or so. I get bored easily, so I like the fact that my workout changes frequently enough to be interesting and challenging. I finished NROL for Women and am now about half-way through NROL Supercharged.

I read Starting Strength and have used the form suggestions to improve my lifts. As I have progressed through Supercharged, I use knowledge from the other programs to choose my exercises within the workouts.

They are all good programs. Pick one and do it. It's not for the rest of your life. My only advice would be to actually follow through with the program that you choose, and don't switch around. The benefits of heavy lifting don't reveal themselves quickly -- they build over months and even years. Pick a plan and stick with it for six months to a year (or completion if you choose NROL).

I haven't decided what I'm going to do when I finish Supercharged. I may switch over to 5/3/1 twice a week and running/swimming/biking twice a week to train for a tri. There's a whole world of effective training workouts -- they all have fitness and health benefits. Don't get so paralyzed by the choices that you don't ever commit to one of them.

rlw911

Thank you ladies for taking the time to reply to my question.

MyOwnSunshine, no offense taken. After I posted my question, I realized, if I'd read the same question from someone else, I'd probably think the same exact thing you did. In fact, I asked myself that very question today and I honestly feel I'm ready to start, and I'm looking forward to it. I honestly want to make sure I know what I'm doing, before I walk into the gym and face those weights by myself. Yes, I'm a little nervous and yes, I'm a little intimidated when I think about walking into the "lunk" section of the gym, lol. But, I'm encouraged by the fact that my PT said my basic squat form was good and she commented on what little muscle development I've managed to develop in my arms and calves, by doing dumbbell workouts at home.

Tomorrow morning, I'm going to the gym with my hubby. I'm going to walk over to the weight section and do what I know how to do. No, I won't go to the squat rack just yet, because I'm going to wait until I do that with my trainer. But, I am going to do what I feel comfortable with and I'm going to feel good doing it. If I start to doubt myself, I'm going to remember the little 120 lb girl I saw I at the squat rack the other day. I don't know how much she was lifting, but there were a couple of plates on the barbell! I was silently admiring her strength and encouraging her, as she was slowly working on her last set.

Thanks again for the words of encouragement!

rduhlir

Okay...so between the two:

New Rules of Lifting constantly changes every stage. So you get to have the feel of different exercises so you don't get bored. The downside, is the later stages can get pretty long. And if you are one of those people (like me lol) who are a "stick to the book" type person, then going from 30-45 minutes in stage one to 2+ hours in stage 5 can become overwhelming. I am restarting and going to be taking some suggestions and resting for how long you feel will work. Some of the rest periods get to 2-3 minutes long, which takes up a good amount of the time...this time around I plan on 2 minutes max rest.

With 5X5, the bonus here is super fast gym sessions. I have seen people in and out within an hour. But the downside, it is the same two workouts over and over. Then when you go to 5X3X1, it is the same exercises again over and over. With me, I get bored if it is the same thing over and over so I already know that I would lose interest fairly quickly.

Really you just have to figure out what you should do. There are some women who have done NROL, completed it and then shifted over onto 5X5 instead of going supercharged.

rlw911

As a beginner, I think part of me is worried about understanding and doing some of lifts in the latter stages of NR. 5x5 keeps it simple, but will it be too simple and I'll get bored? Guess that all remains to be seen!

On the up side, I survived the man-cave yesterday! I kept an eye on the weight area while I was on the treadmill warming up, and there were quite a few lunks, but a few women, too. I did my own program, mostly just trying to get an idea of the size of the weights I could or should use. The only guy that tried to get me away from the free weights was my DH. He kept suggesting machines I should try. I don't think he quite gets that I'm serious about lifting, but he will! I did get him to come to the squat rack with me to see if I could squat the Olympic bar. I could, but I wasn't doing it exactly right. Did some googling and YouTube watching when I got home and figured out why the bar was hurting the top of my spine. Guess I should've paid more attention to the videos I watched before I tried it alone!