I'm starting stage 1!

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  • mnsmov15
    mnsmov15 Posts: 298 Member
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    skbarton and jazoo - You are absolutely welcome to join. We are all pretty new to heavy lifting ourselves, but for the wonderful twinmom here we have amongst us. She is a personal trainer and gets the best lifting stats :) and chimes in to help with our questions too!

    I personally have liked the xl sheet I from the forum here. werkit logs are good too!
  • skbarton
    skbarton Posts: 141 Member
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    Jazoo - Personal message your email addy and i'd be glad to send them to you.
  • jazoo
    jazoo Posts: 9
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    First rep of squats I had just the bar (I think it weighs 10 kg), but added 10 kg for my second rep. Probably should have done another rep with 10 + kg and considered the first one warmup. I did 25 kg for seated rows, and 10 kg dumbbells for step ups.

    Regarding the step up, I am having difficulties connecting with the right muscle groups I think, It's not very difficult or heavy for my legs, but my hands and arms protest the 10 kg dumbbells after a while. Am I doing anything wrong? I read the instructions several times. Should I be using a higher step? I used a regular step up board on the highest setting, and I couldn't find anything higher.
  • catdevrandom
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    Hello jazoo and skbarton, welcome! Glad to have more people on board :)

    Jazoo, if the bar you were using for the squats is this one (http://www.afproducts.com/site_images/uploads/Squat-Rack---show.jpg), with the thicker pins for the weight plates, then it is what they call the Olympic bar and it weights about 22kg. At least that's what the staff guy at my gym told me.

    About the step up, yep, to make it harder you should probably go higher. Maybe you could try putting two steps one on top of the other? Or using the bench? Another thing that makes it harder is to not to rest the trailing leg on the step before coming back down, using only the leg on the step to power the movement.

    Or else you could try to increase the weight using the barbell on your back instead of the dumbbells. In my gym there are a bunch of those smaller, lighter barbells that are used in the Body Pump classes. I used those last time to get to 16kg.

    But if I may say, don't do like I did and add 3 steps on top of the other plus extra weights! I completely destroyed my knee this way =P I had to stop for 10 days and today, doing B4, I could not do the lunges at all :( The knee is still hurting...

    Cheers to all!
  • jazoo
    jazoo Posts: 9
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    Hello jazoo and skbarton, welcome! Glad to have more people on board :)

    Thanks! I'm glad to be here! I have definitely been in need of some workout buddies - virtual or real!
    Jazoo, if the bar you were using for the squats is this one (http://www.afproducts.com/site_images/uploads/Squat-Rack---show.jpg), with the thicker pins for the weight plates, then it is what they call the Olympic bar and it weights about 22kg. At least that's what the staff guy at my gym told me.

    That's the one! I guess 20 kg wasn't so bad then, but looking forward to loading it with more weight in the future!!
    BTW do you guys do a warm up session like he suggests in the book, with no weight or lesser weight? Only two sets felt odd to me, I'm used to doing at least three...
    About the step up, yep, to make it harder you should probably go higher. Maybe you could try putting two steps one on top of the other? Or using the bench? Another thing that makes it harder is to not to rest the trailing leg on the step before coming back down, using only the leg on the step to power the movement.

    Or else you could try to increase the weight using the barbell on your back instead of the dumbbells. In my gym there are a bunch of those smaller, lighter barbells that are used in the Body Pump classes. I used those last time to get to 16kg.

    But if I may say, don't do like I did and add 3 steps on top of the other plus extra weights! I completely destroyed my knee this way =P I had to stop for 10 days and today, doing B4, I could not do the lunges at all :( The knee is still hurting...

    Cheers to all!
    Yeah, I should probably use a bench or double steps, to get up higher. Also a barbell would probably do the trick. I had 10+10 kg (10 kg in each hand) and I'm not sure my hands could take more weight than that but it was way too little for my legs to really feel it.

    Thx for the warning, triple steps are not a great idea! Hope you feel better soon, knees are a bad thing to hurt...
  • catdevrandom
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    BTW do you guys do a warm up session like he suggests in the book, with no weight or lesser weight? Only two sets felt odd to me, I'm used to doing at least three...

    Yup! I usually start with 10min in the treadmill at 7.5km/h (because I love running, even in the treadmill, and that's all the running I've been doing since starting the program), and then for the first set (either squat or dead lift) I do some body weight squats, then stretch, then pick up lighter weights, do some 12 repetitions, while trying to remember the proper form and proper breathing. I still don't have the moves so stuck in my head that I can just do them, so I take my time to warm up both the body and the brain :)

    Cheers!
  • jazoo
    jazoo Posts: 9
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    BTW do you guys do a warm up session like he suggests in the book, with no weight or lesser weight? Only two sets felt odd to me, I'm used to doing at least three...

    Yup! I usually start with 10min in the treadmill at 7.5km/h (because I love running, even in the treadmill, and that's all the running I've been doing since starting the program), and then for the first set (either squat or dead lift) I do some body weight squats, then stretch, then pick up lighter weights, do some 12 repetitions, while trying to remember the proper form and proper breathing. I still don't have the moves so stuck in my head that I can just do them, so I take my time to warm up both the body and the brain :)

    Cheers!

    Thanks! I do 10 mins on the treadmill too, it gets me really warm so it feels like a good thing. And bodyweight squats is def something I'll add for warmup next time!
  • MzHornedOne
    MzHornedOne Posts: 71 Member
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    Oh my gosh! I just checked back in on this and found all these posts! I abandoned the thread after a couple of days.

    I restarted NROLFW if anyone wants to join me feel free to add me!
  • catdevrandom
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    Oh my gosh! I just checked back in on this and found all these posts! I abandoned the thread after a couple of days.

    I restarted NROLFW if anyone wants to join me feel free to add me!

    :D

    Seems like we totally hijacked your topic!

    Welcome back! ;)
  • twinmom823
    twinmom823 Posts: 66 Member
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    Welcome everyone new and I'm so happy this thread is still taking off!!
    @Jazoo I usually will do a warm up of the first exercises, maybe even 5-10 min on the stairs or eliptical. Usually walking around the gym and getting all my equipment set up gets me goin! For the step ups you definitely something high enough to challenge your legs. We all seem to have trouble with grip strength, so i'm guessing a barbell would help :)

    @catdevrandom~ how's your knee? your NSV us awesome :)

    @sunshinelively~ how's it going in Nashville?

    I'm getting really discouraged with the scale. I'm up almost 3 pounds since starting. It is TOM right now so it could be water weight also, but damn!

    I completed B5 yesterday and killed it (anger/stress will always pump up a good workout lol)~ Deadlift warm up set at 95#, then 120# 3 sets of 10. Lat pulldowns at 90# but I can go heavier. I completed shoulder press with the olympic barbell plus 10#~ 55# holy crap! Lunges I also used the olympic bar and added 10# each side~ 65#, but I didn't feel challenged. Core work I did oblique side bends with 35# plates. After the usual workout I did a deadlift underhand grip row combo with a 50# barbell, paired with assisted close grip pullups (40# assistance). Then I did plea leg press with 180# and a standing lat pulldown for core 60#.
  • twinmom823
    twinmom823 Posts: 66 Member
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    Boo hoo, just finished my B8 which means just two more workouts left the AMRAP as possible ones.

    Hope stage 2 is good.

    Did you start yet??
  • jszxzcole
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    I am planning to start Monday so I will let all know how it goes :)
  • mnsmov15
    mnsmov15 Posts: 298 Member
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    So glad everyone is chugging right on and improving - getting stronger than we were before!

    I was 1/2 way through my B6 workout yesterday afternoon and got a call from my daughter's school that she was ill. I had to drop everything, leave the gym and office work and get back and pick her up. Very glad it was a one off thing and she did ok later.
    I guess I will consider moving that to monday and redoing it.

    I am seeing some definition in my abs and biceps now. And I am thrilled!! :)

    Twinmom - You are a beast!!! You are setting the bar very high for us all and letting us get inspired and push through! Thanks for that. Hope stage 2 will be more challenging for you with HIIT at the end.
  • twinmom823
    twinmom823 Posts: 66 Member
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    So glad everyone is chugging right on and improving - getting stronger than we were before!

    I was 1/2 way through my B6 workout yesterday afternoon and got a call from my daughter's school that she was ill. I had to drop everything, leave the gym and office work and get back and pick her up. Very glad it was a one off thing and she did ok later.
    I guess I will consider moving that to monday and redoing it.

    I am seeing some definition in my abs and biceps now. And I am thrilled!! :)

    Twinmom - You are a beast!!! You are setting the bar very high for us all and letting us get inspired and push through! Thanks for that. Hope stage 2 will be more challenging for you with HIIT at the end.

    You're kicking *kitten* too!!!

    So today I mixed it up and did AMRAP workout A. Squats 95# for 30 reps, push ups 25 full on toes, rows 70# for 25 reps, Step ups (aka the devil) 25 reps each leg holding 15# dumbbells.
    Then total NSV I did 3 sets of pullups!!! 6, 4, 3.5. I continued on and did upright rows 60# 25 reps, triceps pushdowns with 50# for 20 reps then 40# barbell curls for 15 reps. Also warmed up with 10 minutes on elliptical and did a 45 minute walk with my hubby and the boys.

    I'm spent! I hope everyone has a great holiday, our dinner turned out to be a disaster. Met up with my family and had to leave after 10 minutes because the twins would not sit in the high chairs. They wanted to run and scream around the restaurant. I left in tears because I was looking forward to a nice dinner out with my family. Tomorrow should.be better since we will be at my MIL' s house.
  • sunshinelively
    sunshinelively Posts: 249 Member
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    Hey NROL4W peeps - missed signing in here. Halfway home as of today in the wonderful city of Columbus OH. vacation week was sort of like treading water - got 2 weight training sessions in and one interval run and ran maintenance for diet. Hard w dumb bells only!

    Twinmom you are truly an inspiration :) Today did B6 a la the following:

    Dead lifts 6 sets @ 30, 40, 60, 80, 90, 90
    Shoulder press 4 sets @ 30, 40, 50-40, 50-40 (5-6 reps @50, 4-6 reps @40)
    Dumb bell pullover 5 sets @ 20, 25, 30, 35, 30 (didn't know what to do for back and already did dumb bell rows 2 days ago)
    Lunges 4 sets @ 40, 50, 60, 60
    Swiss ball crunch w weight 4 sets @ 8 (30 reps), 15 (25 reps) 20 (20 reps) 20 (20 reps)

    Looking at jefit app - catdevrandom said she's using it, I need something other than those sheets and I have my phone at the gym anyway. Anybody else try this yet?
    Took an hour, will cardio after getting home today!
  • mnsmov15
    mnsmov15 Posts: 298 Member
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    catdevrandom - I created my jefit profile and sent you a FR. will see how I like it. I dont know about adding the routines. Do we search for it?

    twinmom - I understand the restaurant situation. I always stayed away from seated dining options when my daughter was young. I did not want the stress of keeping her in her seat :( Now that she is older, its way better. She likes the setting. Wish I had some suggestion... Hope MIL's place works out better and relaxed for you!

    sunshinelively - Ooh!! You are kicking it up many notches!! You go girl!!

    I played shuttle much yday and sore today :( My arms hurt. But I took measurements over the weekend and have lost a bit in my thighs and tummy. I guess that's good. The only change in weight I have seen so far is the scale going up though. May be when I break between stages in 2 weeks - I will see something good.
  • mnsmov15
    mnsmov15 Posts: 298 Member
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    I did my B6 today. Enjoyed it. Since I felt like I could take on some more, I added a barbell complex kinda @ the end.

    To the regular workouts, I added barbell lunges, squats , bench press and deadlift, done in circuit style -all ofcourse with less weight or just the bar.
  • jazoo
    jazoo Posts: 9
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    Looking at jefit app - catdevrandom said she's using it, I need something other than those sheets and I have my phone at the gym anyway. Anybody else try this yet?
    Took an hour, will cardio after getting home today!
    I use the bodyspace app (bodybuilding.com) and they have all the workouts of NROLFW already in there (at least stage 1, I didn't look further than that). I like the app, it has descriptions and even video of all the exercises and you can see your previous stats and so on. The only thing I miss is the ability to add personal notes to the workouts.
  • mnsmov15
    mnsmov15 Posts: 298 Member
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    I use the bodyspace app (bodybuilding.com) and they have all the workouts of NROLFW already in there (at least stage 1, I didn't look further than that). I like the app, it has descriptions and even video of all the exercises and you can see your previous stats and so on. The only thing I miss is the ability to add personal notes to the workouts.

    Oh nice! Thanks for letting me know!
    How do I look up the NROLFW workouts in the app? I had it for a while but stopped using it when I switched to NROLFW. I liked the app too!
  • sunshinelively
    sunshinelively Posts: 249 Member
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    thanks jazoo for an alternative, the jefit one is a bit complicated, not un-doable or anything but complicated. i'll check out the bodyspace app too.

    mmsmov, thanks for the kudos i can use it for sure. fyi, i did pullovers plus weighted swiss ball crunches - between the 2 my back had some serious DOMs yesterday and into today. maybe will have a positive effect on my lack of progress with lat pull downs and rows!! lol

    scale isn't budging for me either, but there's less fat on my legs. i'll take it - swimsuit season is coming up and i can wear a one piece. guess i'm the old lady of this group, shooting for looking good in clothes since looking good naked could be a stretch. haha