I'm starting stage 1!
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Thank you for the replies. Its reassuring to know others are pushing through noisy knees. I am not new to exercising but I am definitely new to lifting so I am tentative about increasing too quickly. Sounds like keeping form is going to be an important part of preserving my knees. Twinmom, I hope you post what you did for complete leg day. I'm always interested in seeing what people are doing outside of the book.0
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alasin1derlan - welcome to our group!
I have found that working on form, though slower increase in weights goes a long way. We wont be able to sustain the workouts and not getting injured if we progress too quickly and cannot get the form correct till the last set of last rep.
Hope this helps. !0 -
sunshinelively - I did my B7 today too, since I missed a workout last week. Well this week work had been crazy and I could not do anything on my non lifting days. I thought tht should help me with my lifts and it DID!!!
I almost killed B7 today, progressing on weight in most of the workouts.
DL 85
OHP 15lbs - for the first time EVER!!!
Lat Pull down 82.5
Lunges, tried it with the barbell instead of dumbbells since it sounded easier. I feel I can carry more - I just get tired holding the dumbbells - did 50lb with oly bar almost easily.
Crunches, weighted with a dumbbell overhead.
Ofcourse tahts with some added warm up sets and ended with 2 wall sits of 45s and 2 squat sets with just the bar.
I am very happy with today's workout. 0 -
Ladies! I've missed you guys so much! I haven't been able to log on (no more wifi at work) but managed it today! My weight has been fluctuating like crazy and I am not a happy camper. Was up two pounds but I'm now up about .5 lbs. I've cut my calories down quite a bit and will work my way back up to better figure out where maintenance really is for me......maybe. I made a bucket list for the summer and the main thing on there is to buy a bikini and wear it without shame. I even have a date set for that bikini....June 16th which isn't that far off.
Can I tell you guys a secret? I'm bored to tears with stage one. So bored that I think this will be my last week doing it. I already had lifting experience (3 months before I started NROL4W) so I may be moving right on ahead to stage two come Tuesday. I don't think I'm robbing myself if I skip ahead which was a concern when I considered doing it sooner. Now I think I'm just saving myself from giving up on the program all together. Have a great weekend ladies!0 -
Holy crap mnsmov, that's great. Getting ready to leave for b7 in a couple minutes - had a late lunch and still feel too full. Did an interval run yesterday legs a bit sore but no worries. I guess stage one is almost done anyway - are you going to do the AMRAPs? Feel like I'm going to be massively weight training for likely a whole year, then I'll do a massive cardio shred. More later - hoping for a slammer today, going down to 8 reps.0
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@mnsmov: 15# wool hoo!! I knew you'd do it!
@redlipstiklyfe: go for it! I know you got those goals!
@sunshinelively: how was b7?
Here is the leg workout I did ladies! All exercises were 3 sets of 15.
Started with 20 minutes on the elliptical, alternating level 4 & 6, 2 minutes each for HIIT training. Kept my RPM around 170.
For core we did TRX pikes.
We superset all our exercises. First was a seated single leg extensions 50# each leg/ single kneeling hamstring curl 45# each leg.
Second we did decline leg press loaded with 230#/ incline leg sled (machine on shoulders) with 50#.
Third we did standing deep squats holding 20# dumbbells (made our butt touch a low bench)/lunges 15# dumbbells.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to be training with my co-worker and going back to my training program, which is a split body training program. Three days a week, always 20 minutes cardio first then either bicep/triceps, shoulders/back, and legs. I'm going to incorporate the NROLFW exercises into it because just with Stage 1 I got stronger!!!! Even with no weight loss or body changes I'm happy I did it.
Also going to go high protein and cut out my dairy/fruits...I've done it before and it really helped me lean out.
I'm interested to see how Stage 2 goes for everyone, we are all getting stronger yay!!! Keep it up! 0 -
Hey all!
I'm back from my short vacation in Portugal. It was great to see my family, and that country is just amazing! I love it!
The bad news is that I haven't lifted for a long time now, because of my knee problems and of the trip, except for just one day last week. This week I also haven't managed to go at all and tomorrow I'm off again for the weekend (holiday again here in Italy)! At least the diet part was mostly in check Oh, well, next week I'm back on track, hopefully! I'm planning on repeating A4/B4 and keep going from there.
But the good news is that even without lifting, I've achieved yet another victory: my second goal jeans now fits well! Woohoo! I'm ecstatic!
I must say, however, that I'm fed up with calorie counting and with eating at a deficit, even if it is a small one (TDEE around 1750, I think, and eating at 1600). I'm seriously considering upping my calories to maintenance (since I now fit in both my old jeans) and then keep tracking for some week or two, before finally stop tracking and see where that leads me. If I start gaining fat/inches, then I get back to it. I still haven't made up my mind though... Let's see!
Cheers to all! Keep rocking!
Cheers back!! Great NSV!!!0 -
Thanks for the encouragement twin mom.
Redlipsticklyfe if your slamming stage 1 already why not move up go for it
B7 update: got 3 sets of 8 reps plus warm up sets
DL - 95-105
ODP - 50
LPD - 70
LUNGE - 70
CRNCH - 25lb,20 rep
CARDIO - my legs felt dead so I ran just one 10 min mile walked another 8 min, did a complete stretch
NOTES - 35# db's really hard to hold for whole set, would like to try smith machine for lunges next but need to know how to use the machine and get the right form. 105 oly also hard to grip for whole set. Saw a guy training another guy on squats, think I need to decrease weight and get my form better. Back strength inching up - maybe should try more back exercises? Feel like NROLFW lacking in core exercises would like to add some good compound ones - anybody have any suggestions?
One more workout of each and I'll be done with stage 1!0 -
Just did my bicep/tricep workout.
Only got in 10 minutes of HIT because of time~ legs were dead from yesterday so I alternated between quick at level 2, then slow at level 6.
Bicep curls 25#DB's 1 set of 10, then 2 sets of 15 at 20#/Tricep Kickbacks Single Arm 20# DB
Hammer Curl 15# DB's/Single Arm overhead Extension 15# DB
Standing Pulley Curls 30# each arm/Single Arm Tricep Pushdown, 1 set 40#, 2 sets 30#
Again everything 3 sets of 15
Have a great weekend!0 -
Dead leg syndrome, lol.
Did A7 yesterday - squat 105, 8 rep; row 85, pushup on the flat, step up 40 (used 24" box), jackknife 27 rep. All 8 rep except for jackknife. Felt pretty good, I find the A workout harder for some reason. Made some progress on the row at last!
Last week of stage 1. Playing with my cals a bit - some days I get super hungry. Working some animal products in, too hard to get all the protein otherwise. Got all the protein in yesterday and was able to stay on track. Figure it's protein and veggies w small amounts of carbs and dairy. Really different from the nutritarian diet I've been on for the last 3 years.0 -
TOM week..
I did my B8 today and officially done with all workouts but for AMRAP A and B!! I did not feel like I could increase my weights today, so just stuck with B7 workout stats. Felt weaker though so I am worried how AMRAPs will go.
Hope to be able to do at least the regular sets
Then a week break from lifting and Stage 2 baby!!
sunshinelively - We are almost in same stages.
Anyone else start stage 2 yet? We might have to consider creating a new thread for stage 2 and continue the discussions there!0 -
mnsmov15: I just did my first stage two workout last night and I loved it! I was so bored with stage one and I think because two is so short and looks so much more challenging that I'm really going to have a lot more fun doing it. We could definitely start another thread but I'll probably still lurk around this one. I definitely want to see how well everyone is doing.
Sunshinelively: You are killing these workouts! I read your numbers and my mind is boggled!
Twinmom: I love your workouts! How do you decide what exercises you're going to do?
Like I mentioned I started phase two last night and I think that was a great decision. Really after a month of doing the same moves I'm sniffing around looking for the next thing. So I'm glad the phases are getting shorter. Phase two looks like it's moving into the fat burning stage too as opposed to phase one which I think just gives you a foundation for lifting. I'm excited to start burning some fat. I don't want to go outside and run and I don't own a treadmill so I'll be doing Tabata instead. Definitely excited for that. I've never heard anyone say they do Tabata but didn't get results. And I need results! June 16th is right around the corner.0 -
Hey all!
Congrats to all of you moving on to stage 2! I'm excited for you all and so proud!
Yesterday I repeated A4, which was the workout that busted my knees last time. I was glad to see that I didn't lose any strength in the upper body. In lower body I lowered my weights on purpose to avoid injury again. Not sure if I lowered them enough though... Crossing my fingers that this achiness in my legs is just regular muscle soreness
. I'm looking forward to having my boyfriend joining me in the gym next month to have someone to correct my form!
Here are my stats for A4 - the return:
Squats: BW/12 reps, 22 kg/12 reps, BW/20 reps, 32 kg/10 reps, 32 kg/10 reps
Pushups (regular, woohoo): 12 reps, 12 reps
Seated row: 35 kg 12 reps, 11 reps, 11 reps (not sure if my form was good though... Maybe I should focus on getting my arms further back)
Step up (2 steps): BW/12; 8 kg/12 reps, 8 kg/12 reps
Prone jackknife: 12, 12
And finally, I decided to stop logging my food intake. I'm still more or less eating the same things, but I'll try to follow the "eat when I'm hungry, stop when I'm full" to decide on the quantities. And also I have some maximum amounts of treats that I allow myself every day or on weekends and I'm using the food scale to make sure I'm not going too much over on the very caloric food (like cheese, which I love). Let's see how that goes!
And can I join you girls on the stage 2 topic even if I'm one month away from starting it?
Cheers!0 -
catdevrandom - Ofcourse all of us in this are welcome!! We might as well continue here
So glad your knee felt better. Hope it wont bother you more. Yes, I understand too much tracking being a pain. See how it goes. If you can maintain within limits without having to count n track every morsel, good for you!
I will be doing AMRAPs this week and take a break from lifting next week as suggested. So at least 2 weeks away from Stage 2 ! 0 -
Good afternoon ladies, twinmom your workouts look very intense. I can't believe some of you are over 100lbs on your squats. I am at 70 and find the last one difficult. I went hiking on the weekend up and down hills on a beautiful nature trail but I awakened an old hay bailing upper quad injury. I found out today, I am unable to do lunges with my left leg so instead of trying and rendering myself completely immobile, I did some squats instead. I am loving the whole weight lifting experience. Aside from my lunge issue, I have made some nice gains. I hope the injury doesn't impair my weighted squats ability. I guess I'll find out in a couple days.
deadlifts - 3 sets of 10 - 80, 95, 95 (feel like I can probably go a little higher)
barbell shoulder press 3 sets of 10 - 61, 56, 56 (tried to start with 65 but could only do 5)
wide grip lat pull downs - 3 sets of 10 - 100, 100, 100
lunges turned into squats due to injury
swiss ball crunch - 3 sets of 10 with 40lb barbell (didnt notice I was suppose to do 12)
congratulations to those of you moving on.0 -
I would love if we all could stay on this thread!! I'm not going to continue on with new rules but enjoy the support and motivation checking in with all of you!!! And I want to see your progress as well as keep you informed on mine. Perhaps my different workouts can give you ideas for your own and I can help out with any of your questions
@redlipstiklyfe I'm a personal trainer so I'm certified in training, nutrition and physical therapy. I've been trained under a former CIA agent who taught me everything!
Here is my shoulder/back workout I did today. I always start with 20 minutes on the elliptical. Today I chose a performance program and just kept changing the resistance. Core work was seated Russian twists with an 18# medicine ball. First set 40# single arm dumbbell rows/push ups. Second set 20# DB shoulder press/60# bent over underhand grip barbell row. Third set we used TRX bands and did reverse flat and chest press. Last set was seated lat pull down 40# each arm/military seated shoulder press machine 40#.
I'm sticking to 1400 calories, cut out fruit and dairy besides my shakes/protein bars, 60% protein intake. Doing this for four weeks!0 -
Morning! I'm doing 2B1 tonight so that means dun dun duuuuuuuunnnnnnn INTERVALS! I'll be doing Tabata's because well let's face it I have the attention span of a two year old and the patience of one too. Plus they're really supposed to get the fat moving. And I need this fat to move. I found a great article on T-Nation about Tabata and I'm going to be using their body weight and barbell complexes. I have a million errands to run tonight but this workout will DEFINITELY be happening. Oh and here's the link for the Tabata workouts in case you guys want to check it out:http://www.t-nation.com/training/6-new-tabata-workouts-for-fast-fat-loss Side note -> I have now become that woman that spends almost as much money on exercise equipment as I do on shoes and I recently noticed that you can buy an elliptical for $78-99 not including tax and shipping of course. I'm thinking of getting an elliptical. ......0
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I just did the first workout this morning! I'm excited to build up some strength! Has anyone else just begun?0
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Hi Chelsea - I started on 3/31 but have added an additional routine on each as I am totally new to weights. I did my first Stage 1 workout 3 today where you move up to 3 sets of 10. I started out at 15 pounds and have moved up 85 pounds on the squats and deadlifts and 75 pounds on the seated rows and lateral pull downs. I decided to add an extra session for this stage (taking it out to 24 workouts) as I am new.
Susan0 -
hi girls, i know i havent been here in forever! but i have been moving along on stage 1, only workout B8 left to do! yay!!! i can honestly say im in love with lifting weights. i feel super badass/superwoman even my lifts are of course beginner level. im the kind now that looks at the guys in the lifting area like oh damn they have no idea what they are doing... oh well, they should follow me :laugh:
im super happy that im almost over with stage 1, meaning : I did it!!! but sad because i love this stage, i love the progress as well. im super nervous about stage 2, i know is shorter but damn, those workouts seem to be all over the place.
like redlispt... im the kind of girl now that goes to the store and ends up ooowing and awwing over workout clothing and shoes, while explaining the "virtues" of each item and each workout gear while my cousin looks at me :noway: lol.
unfortunately im not seeing the quick results aka belly fat melting as i was expecting
so i continued on my 2nd round of insanity and t25 mix with lifting. so im wondering...
1) since im not exhausted or anything like that, should i just move ahead and start stage 2 without the break week? im afraid to lose strenght... like with insanity recovery week, biggest mistake ever!
2) should i take the week off lifting but have a full intensive insanity week to shake that fat off a bit?
At the same time, i know our vitual PT here @twinmom might give me some advice... I still feel that my upper body, aka super weak hands, arms and shoulders are not developping as fast as i would like. so, is stage 2 more focused on that area or still heavy lower body focus? or should i add some specific arms/shoulders exercises to the workouts? or on some days a week? as an extra help...0 -
alasin1derlan - welcome to our group!
I have found that working on form, though slower increase in weights goes a long way. We wont be able to sustain the workouts and not getting injured if we progress too quickly and cannot get the form correct till the last set of last rep.
Hope this helps. !
I appreciate these words of wisdom. I wasn't feeling 100% today and started my squats at 70 where I left off last time. I wasn't feeling any work in the glutes so I know my form was off, I dropped to 66 then decided to do my 3 sets of 10 at 50. I was successful in going all the way down at 50. Normally going backwards like that would drive me nuts, but I don't want to risk injury and I am not competing with anyone but me. lol I kept my barbell row at 70 but I upped my prone jack knife to 3 sets of 30 as they are just too easy. I don't feel anything till about 27. 0 -
It's settled then!! Lets all stay here in this thread itself!!
@Redlipsticklyfe That;s nice! Cannot wait to start stage 2 - Hope you like that one better than this one.
@twinmom823 - Sure, please keep chiming in and keep us posted about your progress. Yes, we are interested in your workouts. How do you choose? Do you split it like leg/back n chest etc? I am 5 4" and not even losing anything yet on 1400. I mean Nothing!!
I will take measurements this weekend may be n see if there is any progress. Mostly on the FB group they suggest many of them started having results from stage 2 or 3 - I mean noticeably diff size and strength not always weight. Lets see...
@mayaysf Break from heavy lifting, but continuing with other workouts through that week seems nice. I just finished my A1 AMRAP and planning to run 3X and 2X HIIT/walking on break week.
@alasin1derlan -Are you all the way out on the ball with just your toes on the ball? I always find jackknife challenging. To be on my hands and bring the ball all the way - pulling it in by just by my feet/toes. I started out my hands closer to the ball and moved farther when I felt a bit better. May be planks might be challenging for you then? I am not sure. Someone else might have any ideas
I did my A1 AMRAP yday. Will do B1 AMRAP tomorrow - since I wanted to see how far I have come. Mostly did it exactly with week 1 weights.
Squats - 45lb * 45
Push ups - incline 20
Row 60lb * 40
Step ups 12 * 32
Jackknife 26
Almost 3 times the reps. I could have gone higher in weights and may be challenged myself a bit more, but I did not want to do too much the first one exercise and not do anything later at all.0 -
2B1 is in the books and I'm so excited. It's hitting my shoulders and abs and back which are all areas that I really want to work on. Plus I got my tabata in so I'm feeling super badassery. I was worried about whether this program would work even after seeing so many success stories. But now I'm back and so pumped!
Maya: Stage two definitely works all those areas. I didn't take a week off between stages. As a matter of fact I don't see myself taking a week off until I get to the end of stage 6. I feel like this stage is the stage where all the magic is going to happen as far as changes in body comp. I'll probably throw a tabata on the end of every workout not just the B work outs.
Twinmom: If I can post about stage 2 on a stage one board you can certainly talk about your independent work outs! I personally love hearing about them. It gives me an idea of what I could be doing when I finish New Rules. I also haven't been seeing much of a change in weight. I cycled my calories down by 300 and the losing has started all over again. If these upcoming stages are as horrible as I think they are I'll probably have to cycle back up to maintenance and then go back down again.
mnsmov: Have you calculated your calories to make sure you're eating enough? I did the scooby calculator and then just subtracted 300 and that really seemed to get me moving again. That and starting phase 20 -
oh good - glad we're staying with this thread. and, holy cow look at all these posts - tells me we're all slammin it!!! awesome
doing last stage 1 workout today, then starting amraps on sunday, so i'm only a couple of days behind mnsmov :-) on tuesday doing the body fat and measurement reading. hoping for lower body fat, don't think i lost inches other than on my legs (i think about 1.5 - 2" on each leg, not sure though)
@mnsmov: love those numbers you put up!
@maya: same thing for me belly fat has stayed put, hoping for a core burn in stage II, looks like it might go that way looking over the exercises
@redlipsticklyfe: thanks for the kudos i've been sweating my *kitten* off. love your notes on stage II exactly what i'm looking for. heard about tabata but it scares me a little, i've just been doing one interval run a week and one long run plus some 15 min runs at the end of strength training here and there. the heavier the weights got the more my legs would feel dead. any good results with tabata?
@twinmom: you got the expert vote which i totally agree with - you can be our on line specialist, if you're willing that is
@alasin: glad you're here!! noticed the same thing about form, and needing to perfect it. for me squats are challenging more than DL's, hard to keep a straight back and not lean forward. saw some guys squatting and noticed they look up at something on the wall when lowering down. tried this - helps a lot with keeping my back straight and forces the action on the legs and glutes. totally impressed with your lat pull down numbers - wow! i can't touch 100 yet.
@catdevrandom: glad you're back! losing the weight you wanted has to feel great.
interested on how everyone is calculating cals - put my diary at 1700 which is what the book says, but then try to shoot for 1500 and cheating every once in awhile. don't think i've lost any weight, waiting for that measurement on tuesday. think i'm holding on to water in my muscles, so for that reason may have even gained.0 -
I just did my first stage 1, workout A. I have been doing NROL4L for the last month, so I decided to bump my reps to 12 instead of 15 (10 for prone jackknife).
Squat: 65lbs, 12 reps, 2 sets (Can anybody give me pointers on how the bar is suppose to feel--I find it rather uncomfortable--is that normal?)
Pushups: 8 reps, then 10 reps
Seated Row: 60 lbs, 12 reps, 2 sets
Step-Ups: 15# using a bench, then #25 because it was too low
Prone jackknife: 10 reps, 12 reps
I am thinking maybe I need to add HITT now. NROL4L has a much longer warm-up and it has a five 1 min rounds of metabolic training at the end. Thinking about subbing that warm-up and adding on the metabolic training. Do you all think that's a bad idea? Or should I start HITT training now if I feel like I have more to give?0 -
Hiya! New in here. I just finished Stage 1, Workout B2. I feel like I need to do a 3rd round at this level, but I have a question.
I'm doing really well already on most of the exercises. For Workout A, I was able to increase weight in about half of them and will increase weight in the rest on Sunday. For Workout B, I'm really struggling with deadlifts and lunges. I have yet to complete a full set in either. Today, I used the 20 lb. barbell for deadlifts (smallest barbell for floor work at my Y) and I did 2 sets of 10 reps. I used the 7.5 lb weights for lunges and did 13 reps in set 1 and 10 reps in set 2. My legs are just dying.
Is this normal? I think for the lunges I might try just doing them with no weights for workout B3 and see where that gets me, but I don't know what to do about the deadlift. Just keep trying to work my way up?0 -
BTW, I've enjoyed reading this thread and seeing everyone's progress! I haven't read all the pages, so if someone else already posted the same thing, I'm sorry.0
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i officially finished stage 1! did my B8 workout last night. so glad i did. i never loved B workouts so i was super happy with getting it out of the way. since i couldnt do the squats for my last A workout and squat rack was emoth, i just went for it and switched deadlifts for squats. when i finished i did a shirt insanity core cardio abs, so i felt a good burn.
from this week i will take the week off lifting and focus on insanity, i really want to see that fat melting off my belly or i might have a meltdown lol.
im glad we will keep posting over here, it's easier to follow all of our progress here, and help each other on the next stage.0 -
welcome new ladies!
@write2nicole Please check and recheck your form in the initial weeks. Don;t hurry to increase wights. Yes, doing warm up sets or entire work set even without weights for lunges is best. Make sure your knees are not crossing your toes when you lunge. And it should feel more like a vertical movement rather than forward and backward when done correctly. Doing it with weights, initialy I felt very wobbly and had to work on my balance and up the weight v slowly.
Deadlifts also - get the form right with light bar first. You can check the videos and even use the FB forum for NROLFW for posting video and get form correction/suggestions etc - Esp if you are doing it by yourself without trainer's help.
twinmom here is # 1 help to all of us as she is a personal trainer herself!! She might be able to help further.
@mayaysf Congrats!!!! I finished stage 1 too and taking a break next week! Hope stage 2 kicks butt err... kicks gut more so and makes our tummy shrink a bit further!!
@sunshinelively I am right there with you sista!!! Just finished AMRAP B and soo happy. Since I finished just the 1 set, did some HIIT at the end. This week, I am done with TOM and next week just cardio and some HIIT workouts and no lifting. Hoping that would show some progress 1.5" each thigh is GREAT!!! I would love slender thighs someday, moving away from my perfect pear example.. - although I like my hourglass shape just fine :P
Pretty excited about stage 2
I am eating @ 1400 based on ETP groups suggestion since I started NROLFW and yet to see any changes on the scale. Have 9 more lbs to go for my UGW. This is homestretch, so I expect this will be S L O W - though it frustrates me.
I have swollen face most days after I lift heavy and feel cushy. Hoping I will eventually lose some water weight and feel the scale go down. I have been slowly losing inches
My AMRAP B
DL 65 * 35
OHP 12 * 25
Lat Pull down 75 * 30
Lunges 10lb each * 40
Crunches 60
followed by HIIT for 20 mins
Happy Friday all!!0 -
1) since im not exhausted or anything like that, should i just move ahead and start stage 2 without the break week? im afraid to lose strenght... like with insanity recovery week, biggest mistake ever!
2) should i take the week off lifting but have a full intensive insanity week to shake that fat off a bit?
At the same time, i know our vitual PT here @twinmom might give me some advice... I still feel that my upper body, aka super weak hands, arms and shoulders are not developping as fast as i would like. so, is stage 2 more focused on that area or still heavy lower body focus? or should i add some specific arms/shoulders exercises to the workouts? or on some days a week? as an extra help...
I would keep going. I feel like any time I take time off I immediately lose my strength and it takes about 2 weeks to get back~ that's just my opinion. I would make sure you aren't over training and doing too much. Take a rest day when you feel you need it.
It looked as though stage 2 had both upper and lower body exercises each time. but if your focus is to work on arm strength I would add another superset of shoulders/back to each workout, making sure to have a push/pull combo so you get to also work the secondary muscles of biceps/triceps Hope this helps! 0
