Stage 2
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Maybe it's just the yoga talking, but I LIKE the one-point row
It's kind of like one of the warrior poses http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/941 I do NOT like the static lunges though! 0 -
Okay, did workout B today. It wasn't as awkward as workout A but it just took so damn long! I don't even want to talk about the Cuban dumbbell thing... I had to drop my weights from 15 pounds to 8 to be able to do it and I had to do sets of 5 instead of 10. I don't think it was an impressive sight.
Questions :
1. What is the point of doing deadlifts from a box/step instead of just from the ground? I'm still pretty weak, so I do them with the Olympic barbell alone with no weights added. I'm just not clear what the benefit would be of doing them from a box.
2. What is the point of the lateral flexions? I could feel them working my thighs, but it just seems unnecessary to throw that move in after the deadlifts and all those lunges.
3. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY LUNGES?!?!
4. The lat pulldown with the underhand grip made my elbows tingle toward the end of the set... you know, the weird prickly feeling you get when you hit your elbow nerves just right. Is that normal or am I doing it wrong?0 -
Okay, did workout B today. It wasn't as awkward as workout A but it just took so damn long! I don't even want to talk about the Cuban dumbbell thing... I had to drop my weights from 15 pounds to 8 to be able to do it and I had to do sets of 5 instead of 10. I don't think it was an impressive sight.
Questions :
1. What is the point of doing deadlifts from a box/step instead of just from the ground? I'm still pretty weak, so I do them with the Olympic barbell alone with no weights added. I'm just not clear what the benefit would be of doing them from a box.
2. What is the point of the lateral flexions? I could feel them working my thighs, but it just seems unnecessary to throw that move in after the deadlifts and all those lunges.
3. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY LUNGES?!?!
4. The lat pulldown with the underhand grip made my elbows tingle toward the end of the set... you know, the weird prickly feeling you get when you hit your elbow nerves just right. Is that normal or am I doing it wrong?
The Cuban snatch works muscles that are very small, so even 8 lbs. is too much. Try 5 lbs and move up when you are ready.
1. Wide grip deads from a box-the point is to go deeper into the deads and get stronger. The wide grip works your back. For the deficit deadlifts you have to go lower on the weight. If you just use the bar,, then just do deads from the floor, but you might want to put some kind of raisers on each side of the bar-like if you are having plates on, so you don't go so low to pick up and drop the bar. So if you are using just the bar, you are kind of doing a deficit deadlift, without the box.
2. The point of lateral flexion is to work your obliques, abs and hips
3.Lunges are great for the whole lower body and also when you do a lunge you engage the core.
4. I don't know why you having that kind of pain. I hope you don't have the pain next time you do the lat pull.0 -
I'm doing my last Stage 2 WO A today and my last WO B on Saturday. This Stage just flew by! I haven't looked at what exercises are in Stage 3 yet, but I kind of hope it includes the prone jackknife again... I was kind of disappointed with having to do all these crunches this stage - I feel like they don't work my core muscles as much. I liked the wood chop, but all the crunches and whatnot in workout B definitely didn't feel as difficult as doing 15 prone jackknifes (jackknives?). That exercise is a killer. 0
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I'm doing my last Stage 2 WO A today and my last WO B on Saturday. This Stage just flew by! I haven't looked at what exercises are in Stage 3 yet, but I kind of hope it includes the prone jackknife again... I was kind of disappointed with having to do all these crunches this stage - I feel like they don't work my core muscles as much. I liked the wood chop, but all the crunches and whatnot in workout B definitely didn't feel as difficult as doing 15 prone jackknifes (jackknives?). That exercise is a killer.
Sorry, I don't see any more jacknifes anywhere in the program...but the 90-second planks ought to have you feeling it!0 -
tomorrow is my last stage 2 workout and i'll be glad when it is done...i did not enjoy this one at all...it wasnt that it was too hard it just was not enjoyable lol.....i dont like the crunch work cause i feel like i get a better "burn" in my core when i do other kinds of crunches that they arent asking for if that makes sense....anyway....the last workout of the overhead push press squat that i did wednesday night was my best so far...my friend cass suggested focusing on "exploding" up thru the squat to get the bar raised up....i started this stage with 45lb bar bare and ended with 45lb bar w/2.5lbs on each end...i did feel the work and was pleased with my "progress".....i have stage 3 laid out on my spreadsheet but will definitely be taking the week to look at the book and reviewing the exercises so i'm all set when i start back up on 1/28 (i think)....ps, i love the hiit and really look forward to it on workout b each saturday...i may keep that part in my routine before or after each of stage 3's workouts as part of my cardio and/or incorporate the tabata (4min very high intensity intervals) too...
thanks for all the suggestions and guidance on this stage girls...see you in stage 3...
denise0 -
Tomorrow is also my last Stage 2 workout and I'm pretty happy about it. I didn't like Stage 2 as much as Stage 1. I hope Stage 3 has more exercises I enjoy doing.
On the other hand, maybe I didn't like Stage 2 as much as Stage 1 because a decent chunk of my Stage 1 was figuring out how much weight I could lift... and that was pretty fun. 0 -
I woke up the day after my second A workout with so much soreness in my abs... I've actually never felt pain there before. When I do jack-knives or crunches or whatever, it's sore while I do it and for a while afterward, but I get over it by the next morning. This time my core feels so tense and sore. I can feel it pretty much whenever I move. I'm doing B tomorrow and hope the pain will be gone by then...
I guess this means I'm doing something right, though!0 -
I woke up the day after my second A workout with so much soreness in my abs... I've actually never felt pain there before. When I do jack-knives or crunches or whatever, it's sore while I do it and for a while afterward, but I get over it by the next morning. This time my core feels so tense and sore. I can feel it pretty much whenever I move. I'm doing B tomorrow and hope the pain will be gone by then...
I guess this means I'm doing something right, though!
When i wake up the morning after (or get up from sitting a long time, if I got my lifting in early) and I feel the muscles protest, it makes me smile. Not because I'm into pain, but because I know I didn't just piss away an hour of precious time.0 -
Finished with Stage 2 woohoo! On to Stage 3. I'm really loving this program. I keep telling people about it.
Today, one of the trainers in my gym asked if she could see my book (because I always haul it around at the gym like a dork). She wanted to compare it with a book on weightlifting she had in her office. She said that she rarely sees women over in the weight area of the gym doing things like deadlifts and squats.
I feel pretty proud of all of us. :happy:0 -
Halfway through Stage 2 now!
One benefit that I'm getting now and didn't really get in Stage 1 is that I sleep like a log! Usually it takes me a while to fall asleep but for the past week or so, I'm out the moment my head hits the pillow. It's not 100% due to the new workouts, but I do appreciate it.0 -
Congrats, Bluiz and Aregensb! Let us know how you like Stage 3! I'm right behind you, with only 2-A-4 and 2-B-4 to go!
Question to all: do you completely rest on your rest weeks? I've been doing not-too-intense cardio, HIIT, and some running in between workouts and on rest weeks, depending on how I feel. I get too restless just doing yoga and stretching. Anyone have an opinion on whether this sabotages the main goal of building strength?
And I understand where you are coming from, Weightofyourskin...I think the endorphins and whatever other chemical soup the lifting creates helps with stress-reduction, which makes sleep deeper and more rejuvenating. Whatever it is, it also seem to improve things in the romance dept. <evil grin>0 -
I did a whole rest week between Stage 1 and Stage 2 (it actually turned into 2 weeks because I got sick the second week), but I don't think I'm going to do it again this time. My workout A4 was last Thursday and I didn't do workout B4 until Monday of this week so I feel like that was enough rest time. I didn't do any weightlifting or cardio during those days. I'm hoping to jump into Stage 3 this evening.
Mainly, I decided not to do the rest this time because my body doesn't feel as tired as it did at the end of Stage 1. Maybe it's because my body is more used to weight lifting now, but I'd like to continue on to Stage 3 and then take a full week between Stage 3 and Stage 4.0 -
I am taking a break from lifting between stages 2 and 3, but that's mostly out of convenience with other stuff going on that week. I will only have one or maybe two total rest days in that week though. Actually I guess it's a little more than a week, since my last stage 2 workout will be Feb 3rd and my first stage 3 workout will be Feb 13th or 14th, but I tend to think in calendar weeks with this program.
I increased a bunch of weights in the A workout last night! 60lbs on the squat/press (+10lbs), 25lb dumbbells on the 1-point row (+5lbs), 20lb dumbbells on the static lunge (+5lbs) and 20lbs on the cable chop (+2.5lbs) :happy:0 -
I just realized I've been doing plank wrong. I've been doing a high plank instead of the plank on the elbows. Woops!0
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Good grief, is anyone gonna be here when I get here?? I'm doing my first Stage 2A workout on Wednesday, followed by Stage 2B next Friday....0
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I still have another week of stage 2
I did increase a bunch of my 2A weights on Tuesday! 60lbs on the squat/press (+10lbs), 25lb dumbbells on the 1-point row (+5lbs), 20lb dumbbells on the static lunge (+5lbs) and 20lbs on the cable chop (+2.5lbs)!0 -
Good grief, is anyone gonna be here when I get here?? I'm doing my first Stage 2A workout on Wednesday, followed by Stage 2B next Friday....
Well I'm kind of sad myself. Nothing really seems to be going on in the Stage 3 forum... :yawn:
But that's okay because I can come back here and chat with all of you! :flowerforyou:0 -
Yes, you better come back.
Also, if you can:
1. report any "results"....maybe even differences you noticed (on your body) between time of completing Stage 1 and time of completing Stage 2.
2. advise how the cardio is going?
I'd appreciate that.0 -
Well I feel like so far, I've noticed most of a difference in my ab area and in my shoulders. The ab area I noticed after Stage 1 and the shoulders I noticed at the end of Stage 2. My ab area has shrunk quite a bit. I'm noticing that my waist is getting smaller and more curvy looking. I've also started to notice some toning in the lower abdomen. My shoulders haven't gotten huge or anything... they just look different than before. I was kind of round shouldered, and now I feel they're slightly more defined. I really need to do measurements again - I haven't done any since finishing Stage 2 on Monday.
As far as the cardio goes, HIIT isn't so bad. I probably use pretty low levels on the stationary bike (I've been starting at level 3, going up to level 5, going back to 3, going up to 6, etc.). I usually go about 15 minutes. I really dislike doing cardio so it's hard to motivate myself to step on that bike. WO B took me a long time to finish and by the end of it I often didn't feel like doing HIIT, so I did HIIT after WO A in Stage 2 a couple times. However, WO A is more tiring (imo) so I felt more fatigued doing the HIIT after that workout.0
