Starting Nov 1
Replies
-
Yep, let's do them forever. We'll just keep increasing the weight.
Sorry to hear your weather is going to get worse; ours was below freezing today as well, and windy. The storm they predicted for this week is now expected to go out to sea, so that's something I'm very grateful for!0 -
Don't worry blue. I leave for Vegas next week and it is always nice when I go away *sigh*.
So.. Looking at 3B tomorrow, what is the difference between the Romanian deadlift/bent over row and just bent over row?
I'm also jealous of the outdoor nice weather
0 -
Good morning ladies... so I have exciting news, I joined the gym last night, I feel so badass joining a mostly guys gym
This morning I woke up at 5:45am (just to give me those needed 15mins to actually WAKE UP), had my pre-workout drink, dressed and ready I was for working out. Opened the windows' curtains (the glass windows act as my mirror to check my form and tbh, to check how my butt and belly are looking every day, vain I know), turns out IT WAS RAINING!!!!!! arrggghhh no way that little rain will keep me away from my first official gym AM workout. I did my warm up (Insanity 4mins warm up). Did my home workouts:
Push ups - all 15 on both sets (NROL4W)
Hip Thrusts - all 20 on 3 sets (Strong Curves) - Damn those get harder, my butt was on fire and I'm ready to add a barbell for my
next workout)
Back Extensions - all 20 on 3 sets (Strong Curves) - I love/hate those, I know they are working, but they are BORING
Side Lying Clams (Strong Curves) - 30 with each leg- If I wasn't on a time limit I would have done a couple more sets, for some
reason I love the little burn I get towards the end of each set hehe
(wore a hoodie and drove 3mins to the gym)
Step ups - 10lbs on each hand (NROL4W)- KILLERS, I was doing those at home with body weight just fine, but I guess the
bench I chose was too high (I'm 5" after all), for the 2nd set I chose a smaller bench and it was better
Seated rows - 40lbs (NROL4W) just as hard as the previous time at the gym... gotta keep that weight for 1 more workout A
Squats - 15lbs preloaded bars (NROL4W) - honestly was the first time using those bars, I just assumed it was better than Smith
machine, I should be able to do more, I just need to figure out for next workout.
All in all, it took me less than an hour (from wake up to driving back home), so I'm hoping the more confident I get, I'll do more at the gym and eventually the whole workout at the gym, might save me some time. I burned good amount of calories, even if I know with weightlifting the HRM doesn't really work. I'm already feeling the soreness and I know i'll be SORE tomorrow...0 -
And well, my general impressions and experiences of my first SOLO morning weight training workout at the mostly guys gym...
- I caught a glimpse of my calves and they are looking good...lol
- My left leg (dominant) is way weaker than my right leg.. weird... gotta work on that.
- There were like 6 guy at the gym and this was their face when they saw my come in, hoodie on and all :noway: :noway: :noway: (loved it)
- Those guys were mostly hanging out tbh, lol. they'll somehow always gravitate towards me, I guess out of curiosity. One of them was doing the seated row next to me in a very bad form, I felt like correcting him but I didn't know how he'll take it... 5" lady giving a big strong men form advise about weightlifting ....
- Minutes later, same bad form guy asks another guy who was very busy doing some cable exercise, what (muscle) were they good for... guy looked at him and said: "idk but my arms get tired".... :huh:
All in all it was a good crowd and good workout , looking forward to Thursday one 0 -
Nicely done May! I like how you're incorporating different exercises from different plans! I wear my HRM for weightlifting - I figure if it actually burns more than what my HRM says, I'm creating a bigger deficit. I know 'they' don't recommend it, but I start with cardio - I do the 16 min of intervals with every workout (either treadmill or bike). That gets my HR up and then I find it stays up during the lifting.
I'm sure feeling the effects of my workout yesterday! YOWSA!! I could hardly get out of bed this morning but sucked it up and walked/ran on the treadmill for 40 min. Tomorrow I do B - which if I remember correctly, isn't as hard as A.
Terrie, can you go to Vegas this week instead? LOL I'd really like some warm weather
I find it's that way when we travel too. It's always nicer at home. It's a wedding you're going for? Where are you staying? I love Vegas :bigsmile: 0 -
Morning ladies! I am sadly sore from my outdoor run yesterday. Makes me think I need to add some incline when I'm on the treadmill. I am starting to get really tired and am hoping that I can figure out a way to break through that to just get my workouts done. I fought the urge to go to sleep at 8:00pm last night... I am planning on doing Stage 4 B today, but may have to skip the intervals depending on how I feel. I can't imagine this is going to get any easier either :laugh:
May - great work! That looks like a killer workout.
Terrie - the romanian DL/Bent over row you essentially have one leg up in the air behind you parallel to the ground while doing the row. Bent over row is just that, you bend over and row. Hope that makes sense. Jealous you're going to Vegas! I went at the end of Feb and it wasn't quite warm enough yet.
Blue - I just bought a HRM and am really excited to start using it!0 -
I'm having less achiness today than I expected--just a little. Did the boring elliptical for 45 minutes today and will do Stage 1B tomorrow. Stage 1, I love you.
I have to do side-lying clams as part of my PT--you want strong adductors, let me tell you! I did 10 hip thrusts and yeah, I can see how you'd burn with 20! I haven't figured out how to do it without having my arms on the bench as balance.
May, watch the height of your step up--I am now just using a low step, but was stupidly using a full-on weight bench, which was at least as high as my knees, being wee like you. My form was atrocious and my knees went out continuously, which probably was one of the factors in the long injury I just recovered from. I'd rather add weight, lower bench. I tried to do both, and won't do it again!0 -
I was using a workout bench for stepups too. It was a little high an my bend was just slightly over 45 degree so I switched to a step up with 4 risers to get to my perfect 45 degree.
Ramalem - I was doing that one leg for the single leg Romanian deadlift. The problem and regret with buying the book on Kobo, you can't look at the pages they suggest because they don't line up on the phone.
We have a friends wedding in Vegas, at some gardens so probably no cheesy Elvis there saying at MGM, which is ok but I ind almost too large. I don't like walkin forever to get to the pool.
Yates at home sick today so 3B will wait. Glad to hear it isn't as bad as A, day 3 and still sore.0 -
Where's the wedding, Terrie? I went to one at the Paris several years ago. Hilariously, they give you an hour in between the ceremony and reception that's entirely unscheduled--shockingly, they suggested we visit their casino
I did 45 on the elliptical today and man, this afternoon the DOMs from yesterday really kicked in. I picked today to wear heels, too, which I only do once or twice a year. By 6:30 I was staggering! lol.0 -
Not 100% on the location. I think it is almost an hour from the strip.
Looked back at my last message, what bad typing on my phone I did.
Trying to figure out my schedule this week, no WO tonight and now a gender reveal party tomorrow. When WO take over an hour and the gym closes at 9. It is sometimes gets hard to fit it in. Mornings are out of the question too since I've been doing 9-10 hour days at work.0 -
Good morning ladies! I was supposed to do WO B this morning but I didn't have a great night's sleep so decided to sleep in instead. That extra hour makes a huge difference - just can't make it a habit Plus I'm still feeling major DOMS from Monday. Give my legs one more day to catch up
I was going to look at the book on the differences on those deadlifts for you Terrie - I do remember them being very similar. I think one is just bent over and lift while the other one goes more below your knees, lift and stand - or something like that. I know when I did them in Stage 3 I was quite confused and followed the book precisely doing WO-B.
Rama I hope you're able to find your happy medium for exercise without wearing yourself down too much. I'm looking forward to following your journey :flowerforyou:0 -
My DOMs are still tough today, so I too will be taking the day off! Tomorrow, 1B.
My copy of "Strong Curves" is waiting at the library for me--I'll let y'all know what I think once I get a look at it. My three dresses come in today, too...waaaay more excited about that 0 -
Morning ladies!
Terrie - I hear ya on the long workouts. They are definitely hard to fit in, especially after work. I've been lucky enough to be able to get a few lunch time workouts in here and there. That's really helped.
Blue - I had a crappy nights sleep last night too! Lately I've been in bed by 8:30 and asleep by 9:15 at the latest. Perhaps I just need to start taking naps after work and go to bed at my normal time Honestly, I think I'd be worn out either way :laugh: I'm just going to take advantage of not having morning sickness (yet) and try to keep up 3-5 workouts/week depending on how I feel.
Jen - You should post pics of the dresses!0 -
Sure! You guys can help me decide which one(s) to keep.
A good friend of mine was similarly exhausted when first pregnant--she slept a lot. Good thing, since she hasn't slept much since!0 -
The dresses have arrived!
I really like this one, but it's a bit...cleavagey I'm concerned about where I'll be able to wear it. It's cotton.
This one is also cute, if a bit less flattering. The fabric's polyester and indeed, is deliberately designed to look like a couch, or like cheap polyester. And I don't know how I feel about that. It's very comfortable, though.
Your thoughts? The third was too big and isn't in contention.0 -
Hi ladies, today I took a mental day off, after a hard day at work yesterday. i really needed it. i could have worked out since i wasnt completely worned out, but i'm trying to take thr needed rest days in between workouts.
@blueberry09 - i also kept the hrm because i figured it would still show my heart rate during lifts and at least give me an estimated of the calories. i even noticed that after i was done and getting in my car, my heart rate was still "in zone". so that's exciting tomorrow is workout B, firt time doing it at the gym. my new hybrid workout takes some time to prepare hehe. i spent a good 20min organizing the order of the exercises for tomorrow morning and finding the right combination so as to not overwork any area.. let's see how i do. i'll post back when i'm done tomorrow. is also my first time doing deadlifts, so far i was just practising form with a broom at home (im scared of the real thing!!!)
@sleepyjen- i also like the 1st dress better. i could swear i have a similar one. tell me how it goes with the Strong Curves book, i love the workouts so far. i just didnt want to wait so i incorporated the booty workouts only to my routine, since i noticed the other full body booty workouts were similar to the nrol4w.
@ramalem - i guess this is why they say "listen to your body", you need more sleep hours for sure. i know my friends were also super duper sleepy during pregnancy and they needed it coz now they are sleep deprived, babies dont sleep much i guess hehe.
@terri - i hope u enjoy the wedding, havent been to vegas but i heard great things. i had an invite to a cousin's wedding there in june, but it got cancelled... lets see when i go anyways. hope to see some nice pics when u come back 0 -
Loving the first dress!
Did 3B today because I left work early to fit it in. Although I didn't feel tired from the lifting, my body said 'no more'. The intervals only lasted 5 min before I couldn't breathe and it felt like the first one all over again. Lack of sleep finally catching up? Must be part if the trend in here lately my jaw also hurts a bit, might've been clenching too hard trying those evil YTWL. Love the one legged squats though (finally a keg exercise I enjoy since back squats in 1A).
Ramalem - is this the first? The sleepiness should get better I hear.0 -
Jen, I really like the first dress too! It doesn't see too cleavagey to me. They're both cute - if it was me, I'd keep them both :laugh: I always tell my husband I'll return one and then I never do
I did workout B this morning - only the deadlifts and YTWL seem challenging at all. I don't have great balance for the one legged squat so if I want to get any lower I have to hang on to something. B just seems so easy compared to all the squats in A. I'm looking forward to doing some new stuff in Stage 6!
My new books came in yesterday! I read the introductions for both and I think I might try Supercharged next and then NORL4 Life after that. I may change my mind after reading the whole book tho. I think Life might be something my hubby can buy into as well. He has a program from the PT but doesn't seem to ever get it done - not that he needs to - the man is a stick at 140lbs.0 -
I am going to keep the first one and send the other one back--I don't like it $50 worth
I did order these to go with the dress: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040Q5U9G/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Sweeeeeeet red shoes. 0 -
So I did my workout B this morning, first time at the gym doing it. Well, it wasn't too good (it wasn't bad though). I went to bed late, so woke up sleepy, so I was slower to warm up, so I went later-ish to the gym, and I ended up nervous (first time doing 2 of the exercises) and rushed since I felt I was walking from a side to the next with those alternating sets. When I get home i'll post exactly my workout, because I have a bunch of questions that I think you girls might be able to help me figure out. My conclusion is, I need a try out as I did with the workout A. Just to figure out the best most effective (and quick) way to do the workouts since I'm working out in the mornings.
I'm thinking also once I'm confident enough to go when there are more people, I might switch workout days to Friday (after work), Sunday (any time) and only 1 day then during the week morning, probably Tuesday. I need that extra hour to sleep. lol. The rest of the days I will do the T25 or 2nd round of Insanity.
It felt good this morning when some of the guys from last time were there and they seemed happy to see me and saying Good Morning. They now look at me as if "I have it all figured out". I painted my nails last night so when I had to change one of the handles for the bar for the lat pulldown, my first thought was ("oh no my nails!"), then I looked around and I thought to myself, if I ask anyone's help just not to ruin my nails, all my "badassness" will be ruined lol.0 -
I am going to keep the first one and send the other one back--I don't like it $50 worth
I did order these to go with the dress: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040Q5U9G/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Sweeeeeeet red shoes.
I like those shoes!!!!!!!!!!!! cant wait to see what other dresses and stuff u get. my new version of window shopping hehe0 -
hee hee. Well, this is it until Stitch Fix arrives in May. I'm generally a very cheap person, so this is waaaay out of my usual zone!
I did 1B today, too, May, so I might be able to help you out. I too have to go back and forth across the gym for this one.
Today the gym had a handful of young, mouthy, muscly guys using the free weights. I've never seen them before. We're primarily a women's college so we only have so many men in there in general, but these guys were exactly the "gym type" we talk about. I just ignored them and did my thing, but still, it was so odd to see them in there!. 0 -
Morning Ladies!
Jen - I love the first dress AND the shoes! So glad you're keeping it
Terrie - Yep my first!
May - I've all but given up on morning workouts (even before I was pregnant). I just value my sleep in the AM WAY too much.
Blue - I do the same thing with my husband, "oh sure honey I'm going to return like half this stuff..." and it all ends up in my closet anyway haha.
Well unfortunately, I didn't quite escape morning sickness so I'm trying to figure out the best way to deal with that. For now it seems to be *true* morning sickness and I'm only really experiencing it before I eat breakfast. Sigh, and here I thought I was in the clear! I have all my stuff to workout today either during lunch or after work - we'll see Today is Stage 4 2A. 0 -
evening ladies, so im already feeling today's workout. i guess B is way harder than A? or does it get easier? i had to take painkillers already for my hip pain (having rheumatoid arthritis can be a pain, pun intended, sometimes). lets hope my second B workout gets easier.
so, my best discovery was that my gym does indeed have the raisers AND the swiss balls!!! they are however by the cardio machines, so that'd make 3 areas i'd have to use during every work out. i have to keep doing what im doing nothing, or figure a way to make it faster thru the 3 areas. will think about it. so here's my workout today:
Warm up Insanity - 3mins
Body Weight single leg glute Bridge (SC) - 2 sets of 10 reps for each leg ... was supposed to do 20 reps each leg. but i couldnt figure out my
form, i felt awkard in so many ways. i tried looking for examples in youtube and ended up more
confused by how many variations they have. I guess thats gonna be my homework.
Side lying abduction (SC) - 1 set of 30 reps for each leg...... OMG!!!!!! i about died! those were harder than i'd even dream. my glute
was on fire! Im wondering if thats the pain im feeling now.
I drove to the gym and did the rest of the workouts
Deadlift (NROL4W) - 2 sets of 15reps @35lbs.... so... first time doing it and i have a feeling that i did it completely wrong. i used the
preloaded bar with the small plates, so im not sure if thats ok? coz i reall had to squat low to get the bar. and
2nd question, i never thought about this before... do i rest the bar in the floor after each lift? or do i keep it in
my hands and just lower it a bit to the floor as a very low squat?
Dumbbell shoulder press - 2 sets of 15 reps @10lbs on each hand. my first set was ok-ish.. but by the second set my hands were
TIRED!
Wide Grip lat pulldown - 2 sets of 15 reps @40lbs. i feel like i can up a bit but from 40 goes straight to 55lbs... i dont know if that
would be too much too soon.
Lunge - 2 sets of 15 each legs @10lbs on each hand. .. by that time i was exhausted, my legs were tired and my arms couldnt
even hold the dumbbells. i hate lunges now lol and next time i think i will do the bulgarian split lunge.. it seems like the
work the same muscles right?
Inclined bench crunch. 2 sets of 15 crunches with a 10lbs plate. - i could have handled a 20lbs one for sure but i couldnt find it then.0 -
so continuing my questions.
1. does it feel like i worked my legs too much today? when i look at the mix of my workouts, it seems like it's even, full body workout, upper body and mid-lower body.
2. any ideas how to organize my workout "flow" to make the whole workout faster? this is the current gym layout..
a small area with the dumbbells by the wall and the preloaded bars rack right in front of it. you can do the deadlifts, dumbbell shoulder press there (and squats) looking at the mirrors, but i felt it might be too tight for the lunges even side ways. if theres someone there already i gotta carry the dumbbells and preloaded bar to the side by the smith machine. pain in the butt, u end up disturbing whoever is there and forget abt upping the weights from one set to the next.
Then there are the cable machines right in the middle of the gym. i could also bring the dumbbells there id have to do the shoulder press and lunges, alternate sets without looking at the mirror and basically right there in the middle of the gym while pple r using the machines and just walking around.. quite a showstopper
or should i just forget about those damn alternating sets and the order of the exercises? and just do whatever is empty at the time? do the cables while waiting for the dumbbell area to get empty? or do all the possible dumbbell and preloaded bar when the area is empty?
3. Am i taking it too easy by using the preloaded bars? they seem to increase by 10lbs so i can always keep upping them. or should i really try to find out the olympic bars and the normal standard size plates? would that even make a difference as long as the weight is the same?0 -
How did your workout go Rama?
May, I'm not sure what to tell you about sequence - I pretty much go by the book but then I'm not faced with the same challenges you are. One question I do have - can you use any of the cable machines for any of your workouts? I have a functional trainer (home gym) that works on cables and I do my step ups with it. I have the pulleys on the bottom and I basically just keep my arms rigid as I'm stepping up.
I love preweighted bars! Stage 1 was ok as my squats and dead lifts were the same. Stage 2 introduces the front squat which is much lower than the back squat so I find I'm constantly changing weights on my bar between the squats and the dead lifts. Do whatever you find easiest.0 -
Re: deadlift--don't just jump to the Oly bar. It alone is 45lbs, and you need some plates to lift it off the floor (this I learned the hard way). Does your gym have ez curl bars? I used one of those today--first, with just 10 extra pounds (25 total) and then 20 (35 total). I think I capped deadlifting when I first did Stage 1 at 70 or 75, but I'm easing slowly back into it. You want the bar to be over your feet. Squat down, pick it up, and as you lift it let it roll over your feet and legs, squeezing your glutes and your abs the whole time, and pushing forward at the hip. You don't want to use your back (that's where I went wrong the first time, despite good intentions). I don't rest it on the floor between--I get very close and then go back up.
Re: locations--can you take some dumbbells with you to another part of the gym to start? And then just sort of claim a corner? That's what I do, except I still have to march over to the rower, lat pulldown, etc.
I always stretch my hips as my hip flexors tend to be tight--maybe that would help you, too.
You might consider doing extra glute work only every other workout or stick with just one exercise for them in addition to your NROLW lifting routine. You can also cut back on the reps--you want to get to fatigue but don't have to kill yourself. Most of what we do in NROLW is some kind of compound lift--major lifts like squats and deadlifts, but even lugging the weights for, say, lunges I can feel in my arms.0 -
Morning ladies:flowerforyou:
No workout for me today. I get to go to the dentist instead - YAY! Not lol. I will get my third lift done tomorrow.
On another note - I bought a car! I get to pick it up early next week - so excited. I decided on the Toyota Rav4. I really liked the Honda CRV but it didn't have a power lift gate as an option
I tend to haul a lot of stuff so that was an important feature for me. Terrie, did you get your car?
Hope everyone has an awesome day!0 -
I did, ended up with a Nissan Altima, I love it so far.. although deffinitly need winter tires next year (the all-seasons they came with haven't been cutting our spring storms). My parents drive a Rav and like it lots, so does about 1/4 of my co-workers, I think we have one in every colour in our lot
I feel like I should skip a workout today too, going snowboarding tomorrow and my DOMS from 3A were terrible last time (I blame the body weight matrix). Thinking Sunday sounds like a better day Sunday, then Tuesday then... VEGAS!!!
May- I move around tons in my gym, the weights are all upstairs and it is U shaped with stairs connecting the U. I feel like people probably think I have ADD because I do a few lifts in one area, move to another, then back again, then to another... etc. I do the same as the book lays out, but have switched around some (ex. if it says Press then Lat Pull, I have done Lat pull then press..). I only change it when something is busy, which the only thing that is ever occupied is the Lat pull-down bar or squat rack (rarely).
Ram - So exciting for the first, seems to be going well for you though.
Jen - decide if you were returning a dress?0 -
May - Also, I tend to prep and put things away during my breaks to save time. We have so many personal trainers going with group in the weight area, so frsutrating so a good spot is hard to find.
With the DL, my gym has some light but large weight plates, they are 15lbs each but the size of 45lbs (came in handy with the DL from box) and some lighter, shorter bars that can be loaded. Maybe your gym has something like this and lighter bars, so you can increase without going by 10s? The oly bar I find easier to balance, but I started with that, so I can't really comment much on the shorter bars.
Funny gym story the other day...
I've been doing my ball cruches with my arms extended back, I added a 5 lb plate a little while ago. So, find 5 lb too light, I grabbed a 10lb, sat on the ball, stretched my arms out and proceeded to lay back. I guess the 10lb was just enough to add too much weight behind me and I almost somersaulted backwards. My only saving grace was that I managed to twisted and put a leg down to rebalance before going *kitten* over tea-kettle (really worked that one side of my abs though). At least that time no one seen it.0
This discussion has been closed.