New Rules of Lifting for Women group?

bizco

well, i did my first NROLW session at the gym this morning. great to get back into the weight room!
BUT... how the hell do you do the prone jacknife?!

Here's a video showing how to do the prone jackknife. Truly the best ab/core exercise!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6q7k_D6DGQ

GeorgieBradley1

Thanks Mocha.

sunshine79

Anyone taken too long a break between stages and come back to finish the program? Did you try and pick up where you left off or start all over? I left off btw phases 2 and 3 and am super frustrated b/c i hated 2 and don't want to do it again .

I'm wondering the same thing. I actually had 2 more workouts in stage 2 and took 2 weeks off. I do not want to repeat Stage 2 because I dislike it so much. I think I am going to do like 4 more workouts in Stage 2 and hopefully finish the stage at the same weights I was at before taking my break.

Welcome to all the new ladies. I haven't been on as much, but I am getting back on track.

So glad you're back on track. I'm sure once you got through the workout you felt great and it reminded you of how much you LOVE weight training :-)

kensky

Finishing up Level 5...every time I complete that body weight matrix I feel like I deserve a medal!

oddyogi

Woo, starting back up with Phase 2 today! Workout B.. and it doesn't look easy, lol.

I have a question, though.. at my gym we don't have steps, just boxes, and the boxes are pretty tall. Should I even try to do the deadlift from the box or just do normal deadlifts? I'd say they're about 6-8 in. tall.

sunshine79

Finishing up Level 5...every time I complete that body weight matrix I feel like I deserve a medal!

I still can't get through that body weight matrix...... I need to nail it next time.

Stage 5! Very impressive.... I'm a week away from stage 4, can't wait :drinker:

kensky

I always feel the need to put a disclaimer that I didn't take week-long rest breaks after the end of each level which is why I'm chugging along relatively quickly. I have been taking 3 or 4 day chunks of time between the latest levels and I feel okay with that. I try to justify it with it being one of the points he is pretty wishy washy about in the book, rest days and how he talks about how he doesn't take them because life gets in the way often enough for him that he just counts those as rest breaks? Remember that? I didn't just dream that up right?

I made a commitment to not skip the bw matrix this level and it's a big deal for me to hold myself to it. I am fascinated by crossfit and I get through it by imagining I have been assigned the matrix as a workout of the day and that's just what I have to do. For some reason facing direction after 6 or so lunges, squats helps me maintain sanity. Barely.

sunshine79

I always feel the need to put a disclaimer that I didn't take week-long rest breaks after the end of each level which is why I'm chugging along relatively quickly. I have been taking 3 or 4 day chunks of time between the latest levels and I feel okay with that. I try to justify it with it being one of the points he is pretty wishy washy about in the book, rest days and how he talks about how he doesn't take them because life gets in the way often enough for him that he just counts those as rest breaks? Remember that? I didn't just dream that up right?

I made a commitment to not skip the bw matrix this level and it's a big deal for me to hold myself to it. I am fascinated by crossfit and I get through it by imagining I have been assigned the matrix as a workout of the day and that's just what I have to do. For some reason facing direction after 6 or so lunges, squats helps me maintain sanity. Barely.

I tried to take a week off but it's as though my body starts to have withdrawal symptoms and then I just have to work out so I know exactly what you mean.

Love your new profile pic by the way

ColoradoRobin

So I learned something from a silly math error. I'd taken a month or so off due to a vacation and illness, but resumed stage 1 where I left off. So I loaded up the bar for some squats with two 10 lb plates on each side, thinking for some reason that would be the 65 lbs I had done last time. I did two reps before deciding it was too heavy, dropped to 15 lbs on each side and did a set without being able to go as deep as I should. Only then did I realize that I had just done 85 and 75 lbs instead of 65 and 55. Doh!

The actual 65 lbs felt much better, and I could do it with proper form. I guess the two 10 lb plates on each side looked right because that's what I use for deadlifts. So my legs are stronger than I thought. Now to get to real pushups. I still have to do them at an angle from about hip high. Lower is too hard. Even the angled pushups seem to work better for developing strength than those girly bent knee ones ever did.

kensky

I felt like a big deal secret had been revealed to me when reading about the slow-reduction-in-incline pushup strategy. Of course! I could have been doing real-deal pushups so long ago. I love pushups now!

My hamstrings are always sore. Always. I am going to do a true rest week (active rest mind you...still 4 or 6 days of interval/steady state cardio in there, I'm sure) and see what DOMS-free living might be like. Is being so sore (pretty suddenly--I didn't get sore until Phase 4 and now I'm finished with Stage 5) a sign that I'm doing something wrong? Not eating enough. I get a buttload of protein each day. I probably just need to rest a bit. Ho hum.

GoneWithTheWhinge

Hi

Another recent convert here! I did the second A workout of stage 1 today. Am totally loving it! I was a complete cardio freak - pushing myself 6 days a week for up to 2hrs at a time, it feels so liberating to be able to not feel the need to be quite so gym time orientated and focus on quality rather than quantity.

I'm really looking forward to getting into the lower rep sets and really upping the weights, I think I'm still holding back as squatting 15 times with proper weight on the bar seems a bit intimidating, I did up it to 25kg on the bar for the squats today and did them no problem so I think I could have gone heavier. Ah well, next time eh?! I did notice the 'Ugh girl in weights section' looks from some of the muscle boys at the gym, still heck of a lot nicer than the cardio area!

Oh and ditto the real pushups! I can only do 3-4 before collapsing in a heap!

sunshine79

Hi

Another recent convert here! I did the second A workout of stage 1 today. Am totally loving it! I was a complete cardio freak - pushing myself 6 days a week for up to 2hrs at a time, it feels so liberating to be able to not feel the need to be quite so gym time orientated and focus on quality rather than quantity.

I'm really looking forward to getting into the lower rep sets and really upping the weights, I think I'm still holding back as squatting 15 times with proper weight on the bar seems a bit intimidating, I did up it to 25kg on the bar for the squats today and did them no problem so I think I could have gone heavier. Ah well, next time eh?! I did notice the 'Ugh girl in weights section' looks from some of the muscle boys at the gym, still heck of a lot nicer than the cardio area!

Oh and ditto the real pushups! I can only do 3-4 before collapsing in a heap!

Glad you're loving NROLFW. Don't worry about those who give you strange looks because you're in the weights section, you have just as much right as them to be there. Keep us posted on your progress, I have one workout left before I move onto stage 4.

kensky

Yeah this program has been a really great exercise for me in Not Giving a Flip. I know I keep going back to the bodyweight matrix (24 bodyweight squats, 12/12 lunges, 24 jumping squats, 12/12 jumping lunges) as an example. I was self conscious about doing this where people could see me at first and NOW I'm all chin up, defiant, "YOU wanna do this, sucka? Didn't THINK so!" Hahaha.

sunshine79

Stage 3 finished - hurrah! I did not enjoy workout B at all, I just could not get into it and I never seemed to work up a sweat or get my heart rate up even though I went as heavy as I could with the weights. I am going straight into stage 4 and should get through it in 2 and a half weeks as I'll be off work in a week and will be able to lift 3 x per week!

Another victory was that I completed the body weight matrix for the first time this week - I usually just couldn't get to the end of it, my legs would give up.

Cannot wait for stage 4, Will start on Tuesday :happy: :happy:

jataijah

I did my 4th Workout A from Stage 1 today. Im still not sure if Im doing the step ups right. I looked on youtube but it seems like everyone is doing them different. Does anyone know a link to someone showing them the way NROWL wants them done. BTW loving the workout. I squatted 90lbs today felt great!

oddyogi

As of yesterday I'm halfway through stage 2! Wootwoot! Workout B does seem to take me just under an hour in the gym. Not good for days I feel like I am dragging myself to work out.

On August 1st, I'm going to be starting Insanity, so I'll be lifting three days a week and doing Insanity in the mornings SIX days a week. Eep. I hope I get pretty cut.. I'm going to be eating around 2000 calories a day for sure!

PixieGoddess

Did my last Stage 1 Workout A last night! I've been taking extra rest days between workouts due to the back pain a couple weeks ago. It hasn't been hurting lately, but it still seems to get sore faster than other areas. Plus life (and the overbearing heat - no A/C in my apartment, where I also workout!) keeps getting in the way. I'm kinda excited about moving to Stage 2, just to mix up the exercises a bit, but I'm also wishing I could stay on Stage 1 longer, just because I feel like I could definitely go with heavier weights. I didn't want to increase weights too fast and hurt myself, but now I almost feel like I got short-changed. Last night's workout was the only one where the squats felt REALLY challenging.

And I'm still on the 45-degree pushups! :frown: I tried moving to the 30-degree at one point...I did 3...after that, my arms literally refused to push me back up and I would collapse in a heap! But the 45-degree ones felt less difficult than usual yesterday, and they're in Stage 2, so hopefully I'll get to them soon. And then....REAL PUSHUPS!! :bigsmile:

baisleac

Tomorrow's the 2nd Fit Test for NROWFIZS (http://nrowfizs.blogspot.com).. i.e. just finished the 3rd set of 1-B... I'm finally starting to build up barbell calluses. This makes me way happier than it probably should. LOL. :bigsmile:

kensky

Yahoo for calluses!

I am going to start back up with my lifting tomorrow. 5 days is enough! I am sore from running instead of lifting so at least I'm changing that up. So...yeah...tomorrow...Level 6! Crazy!

sdhiphone

Hi all,

I finished my third workout in Stage 1 yesterday and hope to do the fourth tomorrow. Have any of you seen quite significant changes to the shape of your body? I'm not as interested in losing weight any more but I want to be trimmer and more athletic looking. I also do yoga and run.

I have started this program before and gave up after about 4 weeks because I wasn't seeing any results at all. I am hoping that adding it into my usual running/yoga routine will at least keep me from getting bored.