Stage 4
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Hey ladies,
So my new rack/weights etc set up is complete and I love it! No waiting around for someone else to finish and I can take as long as I like. I'm also really hoping that my hubby is going to start using it which leads me to my NSV! My hubby in the pub last night actually complimented me on how well I'd done and how good I looked. It's not that he's not been supportive, but he hasn't actively encouraged me either and it's all been banter which led me to thinking he was afraid I was going to turn in to some kind of female Arnie lol. He even suggested that I show him some of the moves (once his dodgy shoulder is a better)!!! Think I might buy NROL Supercharged and leave it lying around for him to peruse at his leisure :bigsmile:
Did my 2nd A workout today. FSPP went really well, and I can now do 8 pushups off the floor, a new PB! However my grip strength with the dumbbells is starting to become an issue, so will need to look at using the BB on some of them. I only managed 2 sets of 2min planks (did 3 sets of everything else).
Emgel - re the wide grip deadlifts, I do the reverse of the upward move (which mentions pushing hips forward) by moving my hips back again as I approach my knees with the bar, whilst maintaining the natural curve in my back. Hope this helps.
Sue - great post! You've clearly got this stage nailed and 90lb on the Lat pulldown - wow! I'm really pleased for you!
You're so right about the foam roller, to be honest I've been pretty lazy with my rolling and need to get back into it, so thanks for the reminder.
I hear you all on the Lat pulldowns. For some reason I'm really afraid of hurting myself on this equipment, more so than deadlifts or squats, especially as a few times when I tried to up the weight there was some crunching in my shoulders, which can't be good can it?0 -
Hey ladies,
So my new rack/weights etc set up is complete and I love it! No waiting around for someone else to finish and I can take as long as I like. I'm also really hoping that my hubby is going to start using it which leads me to my NSV! My hubby in the pub last night actually complimented me on how well I'd done and how good I looked. It's not that he's not been supportive, but he hasn't actively encouraged me either and it's all been banter which led me to thinking he was afraid I was going to turn in to some kind of female Arnie lol. He even suggested that I show him some of the moves (once his dodgy shoulder is a better)!!! Think I might buy NROL Supercharged and leave it lying around for him to peruse at his leisure :bigsmile:
Did my 2nd A workout today. FSPP went really well, and I can now do 8 pushups off the floor, a new PB! However my grip strength with the dumbbells is starting to become an issue, so will need to look at using the BB on some of them. I only managed 2 sets of 2min planks (did 3 sets of everything else).
Emgel - re the wide grip deadlifts, I do the reverse of the upward move (which mentions pushing hips forward) by moving my hips back again as I approach my knees with the bar, whilst maintaining the natural curve in my back. Hope this helps.
Sue - great post! You've clearly got this stage nailed and 90lb on the Lat pulldown - wow! I'm really pleased for you!
You're so right about the foam roller, to be honest I've been pretty lazy with my rolling and need to get back into it, so thanks for the reminder.
I hear you all on the Lat pulldowns. For some reason I'm really afraid of hurting myself on this equipment, more so than deadlifts or squats, especially as a few times when I tried to up the weight there was some crunching in my shoulders, which can't be good can it?
That IS a NSV...he is definitely seeing your great results and 'flirting' with the idea of strength training. My hubby NEVER exercised - ever - until I took it up in my 30's...now he goes faithfully 3x/week and has a smokin bod! LOL Glad that you have your own set up now at home. Since I workout at 5:30am at the gym, I don't have to worry about "wait times"
Yes, the grips are becoming an issue here too. I have to look into those straps and/or use barbells...I just hate the idea of taking more time to 'set up' things as I have to get the workout done in 70minutes in order to shower, etc. to get to work.
So I ended up skipping the last workout B (looong story) but I'm looking forward to moving on to another stage...went to a 'sports conditioning' class at the gym for a change today and it was so nice to be "in shape"...
Sue - 90 pounds on lat pulldown. You're my hero.
Still having hip flexor (?) issues but manageable...0 -
Emgel - great job on the 3 sets!!! What week are you on?
Sue - thanks for the foam roller advice. Will need to get one of those!!!
Bought Jillian Michaels "Abs" DVD today on a whim...my core used to be so weak, but now I kind of like doing ab work...definitely notice a difference in the feel of my core (even though the layer of fat on my belly hides any 6-pack...LOL)
So who else is heading over to stage 5 next week???0 -
I've done 2 full sets of Stage 4. amd I will probably do with this stage as I have with all the others - the book says repeat 4 times, I do 5. I just get more from the stage doing that extra A & B workout. I don't mind that it's taking me longer to finish the program, as a matter of fact I do A & B and the 3rd workout of the week I do my trainer's lifts. Yesterday, I did OHP, assisted pullups, machine chest presses, inverted leg press and machine hamstring presses - and of course core- reverse crunches and planks - yucko!
CanGirl, I use VersaGripps now all the time - no more gloves. They are totally amazing for gripping both for lifts and presses! You should consider them. You can order directly from the versagrip website or at a local nutrition store. You'll be glad you did, seriously!!
My poor hubby is still in the hospital. I'm spending the night with him tonight so I can speak with the doctor tomorrow morning - he usually sees Mike at 7-ish. His infection is deep and the doc thinks he's going to have to open the wound up to get in deeper to clear out the infected tissue. Mike will probably be in hospital for another week. Please say prayers and healing thoughts. This stuff is very scary, more so than his original surgery.0 -
Sue - like you, I do a third workout with a trainer/bootcamp class so I really feel like I'm hitting lots of areas. It's a good balance because it changes things up, too, so I don't get bored. Thanks for the advice about the grips. I'm in Canada...hopefully they will ship here. I'm afraid of feeling stupid though because my weights are still relatively low, but they are really getting hard to grip! I want to go with 30 on step ups but just can't hang on:)
So sorry to hear about your husband's infection. How stressful for you!!! Mind if I friend you?0 -
Sue, sending healing thoughts for your hubby - hope the doctors sort that infection out quickly :flowerforyou:
2nd 4B workout nailed today, will do the HIIT tomorrow. Upped weights on some exercises but struggled with some of the dumbbell exercises as my dumbbells are in 2.5kg increments.0 -
Sue - like you, I do a third workout with a trainer/bootcamp class so I really feel like I'm hitting lots of areas. It's a good balance because it changes things up, too, so I don't get bored. Thanks for the advice about the grips. I'm in Canada...hopefully they will ship here. I'm afraid of feeling stupid though because my weights are still relatively low, but they are really getting hard to grip! I want to go with 30 on step ups but just can't hang on:)
So sorry to hear about your husband's infection. How stressful for you!!! Mind if I friend you?
I can't believe we weren't friends already! :laugh:
Update on the husband - opening up the surgical wound tomorrow at 10, debrade, flush with antibiotics and use wound vac. It's pretty amazing - keeps pulling out the infection AND promotes growth of healthy tissue. I really believe this will do the trick.
Working out, climbing stairs, walking - all are stress relievers for me. I'm going to lift tomorrow morning at 5, working with my trainer because I want to get 45 on the FSPP!
Thank you EVERYONE for your good wishes. I can't even begin to tell you how much it means!
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Sue - def thinking of you and your hubby! he is one trooper!
Yesterday should have started week 2 of Stage 4 for me but, but I stepped on some wood in my house Sunday night and it went right in to the bottom of my foot! Now I have a nasty bruise that hurts worse than it should making standing (and exercising) very challenging. HOPEFULLY I can do 2A tmw and 2B on Friday!
This is why I like carpeted floors...0 -
Sue - hope the flushing procedure went well and hubby is on the mend.
Emgel - ouch! Hope you got your workout done.
3rd A workout done yesterday evening, I was tired from running around doing errands all day, so wasn't one of my better workouts. Struggled with the 1 point rows and by the time I got to the planks I could only manage 2 sets at 90 secs.
Going skiing tomorrow for a week, so will pick up again when I'm back.0 -
Well I missed my workout today ... but it was well worth it, cuz I went to the hospital at 6:30am and at 7:00 the surgeon came in and cleared Mike to go home!! Yea!! The wound specialist let Mike take his first actual shower in 2 weeks, then changed his wound vac dressing and then, we waited, and waited and waited, first for his portable wound vac which arrived around 2:15, then we waited 2 hours for the hospitalist to sign him out.
Emgel, hope you are feeling better!!
Not much going on, I'll get to the gym on Saturday, tomorrow I'm just going to take it easy!0 -
Hi ladies! Been crazy busy at work so I had to read a while to catch up on everyone.
Sue, so glad your hubby is home. Hope he's doing well!
I'm so happy to say today was my last stage 4 workout!! I did 4B on Sunday because I had a little more time to include the HIIT and finished my last 4A today. Can't wait for stage 5! Here are the stats - see you ladies soon on the next board!
FSPP - 40lbs - 60lbs - I could only get 7 and 6 reps of 60, but I'm counting it!
Step ups - 50lbs - 50lbs
One Point Row - 40lbs - 60lbs (this is total)
Static lunge, rear foot elevated - 40lbs - 50lbs
Horiz wood chop - 35lbs - 45lbs
Deadlift - (regular deadlift) - 70lbs - 90lbs
Bulgarian SS - 25lbs - 30 lbs
UH Lat Pulldown - 145lbs - 190lbs
Reverse Lunge - 15 each hand - 15 each hand
Cuban Snatch - 9 each - 9 each
Push-ups - still can't do them on the floor. hate pushups!
Planks - 45 seconds - 75 seconds
Jackknives - 12 good form - now can do 8 pike jackknives
Overall not a lot of gains in this stage, but I didn't expect much. My lat pulldowns are crazy high, I have no idea why...maybe our machine is not working properly.0 -
I'm so happy to say today was my last stage 4 workout!! I did 4B on Sunday because I had a little more time to include the HIIT and finished my last 4A today. Can't wait for stage 5! Here are the stats - see you ladies soon on the next board!
FSPP - 40lbs - 60lbs - I could only get 7 and 6 reps of 60, but I'm counting it!
Step ups - 50lbs - 50lbs
One Point Row - 40lbs - 60lbs (this is total)
Static lunge, rear foot elevated - 40lbs - 50lbs
Horiz wood chop - 35lbs - 45lbs
Deadlift - (regular deadlift) - 70lbs - 90lbs
Bulgarian SS - 25lbs - 30 lbs
UH Lat Pulldown - 145lbs - 190lbs
Reverse Lunge - 15 each hand - 15 each hand
Cuban Snatch - 9 each - 9 each
Push-ups - still can't do them on the floor. hate pushups!
Planks - 45 seconds - 75 seconds
Jackknives - 12 good form - now can do 8 pike jackknives
Overall not a lot of gains in this stage, but I didn't expect much. My lat pulldowns are crazy high, I have no idea why...maybe our machine is not working properly.
very very nice! How the heck can you do 9# on the snatch! I'm at 5 and glad I can do that especially after those reverse lunges! And girl your pulldown is amazing! I was happy to pull 90 for 3x in my 3rd set!! Do you do jacknives as you lateral flexion?
I did B3 yesterday and upped everything - next B I will PR deadlifts - I did 100 yesterday and knew I could go heavier. My goal is 160 (my current weight) - which I obviously won't get during this Stage but it's a long term goal. I do reverse leg presses at 125 now, so I'm getting there.
Mike is so much better and quite active, he's been walking around the house, outside, up and down stairs that sort of thing. The nurse come 3x/wk to change the wound vac dressing and I get to see the healing. It's good! His vitals are all normal and I am feeling so much better. I will be relieved though when his wound is totally healed and the doc gives him a clean bill of health!
I'm off to shower, the nurse arrives in about an hour.0 -
I finally finished Stage 3 yesterday, so I'll be starting Stage 4 next week. I'm super excited! Looks like a great stage. 0
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Still stuck in stage 4. ugh. Haven't lifted in 1.5 weeks. That "splinter" in my foot? Turns out I never got it out and 4 days later pulled 1.5 inches of wood out of my foot...so that is why I couldn't walk! Then I had a cold and then I started loving the sleeping in.
Working out at home this week, back to the gym on Monday. 2 weeks off feels like starting over!0 -
Still stuck in stage 4. ugh. Haven't lifted in 1.5 weeks. That "splinter" in my foot? Turns out I never got it out and 4 days later pulled 1.5 inches of wood out of my foot...so that is why I couldn't walk! Then I had a cold and then I started loving the sleeping in.
Working out at home this week, back to the gym on Monday. 2 weeks off feels like starting over!
Sure hope you are feeling better! OMG I can't imagine how much that splinter must have hurt!!
I did my 4th S4A today. 3 sets each including planks, and I'm worn out! But I am now finally at a 45 on my step ups, not quite perfectly, and had to lower weights to get up, but there's room for improvement! I did full body pushups today 8 of them and nearly perfectly! My FSPPs were not my best today, only could push 4 @ 45 which bums me out. All in all though it was a nice workout and I feel like I worked it hard!
Welcome Holley!
Push it ladies!0 -
Hey there Stage 4 ladies,
Well I'm back from a fantastic skiing holiday. I say holiday but my legs are sooo tired. I've never skied so far or hard (thanks to the extra strength NROL has given them), I REALLY enjoyed it. The downside is that having gone skiing on Sat morning before flying back on Saturday evening, I did NOTHING on Sunday except to unpack all the gear. Yesterday I had to force myself out of bed or off the sofa etc and did 3 loads of washing, I also managed a 2 mile walk for my very stiff legs!!
Today has been horrendous. It's been so cold and grey all day, the fog that I woke up to this morning lifted for about an hour late this afternoon but then came back and my hubby is away all week. I went to the supermarket for some food shopping and sorted out the photos from the trip, but I'm seriously lacking motivation. I blame the lack of sunshine and adrenaline from speeding down a mountain lol. MUST GET GOING, so have written this post to force myself to lift tomorrow. Right now I'm going to get my foam roller out as my hip flexors and IT band got some serious abuse from all the walking in ski boots (seriously thought about turning to boarding just cos the boots look so much more comfortable!!!).
Time to get back on track!!!
jhgreer - well done! Just the sort of motivation I need so thanks for posting up
Emgel - OMG that must've REALLY hurt!! Hope you're recovering well and can start lifting again.
Sue - Great workout! You're really killing this stage and I'm really impressed with your gains.
Holley - welcome to Stage 40 -
So 3B workout completed today. Managed to up all the weights except for the prone cuban snatch which I'm stuck at 5kgs. I've had to up the reps instead as my dumbbells are in 2.5kg increments.
Also did the HIIT afterwards, but could only manage 3 intervals on the rowing machine due to my ongoing problem with my glutes after 10 mins on this equipment. Still, better than nothing and really went for it.
Feel lots better now I've got a workout under my belt. Hopefully I'm back into the routine, roll on Friday 0 -
Stage 4A starting stats:
FSPP - 40lb BB
Step ups - 20lb BB
One Point Row - 20lb DB
Static lunge, rear foot elevated - BW because of spring ligament issues...
Push-ups - 30 degrees on SM
As a singer, I don't do planks because my abs need to be flexible. And I'm not allowed to do Woodchops due to hip/low back problems. So this workout is pretty short for me! I might add some reverse sit-ups or something!0 -
Stage 4 completed today! I will have to get starting/ending weights put together and post them, but I'm very happy with the end results, especially with deadlifts, inverted pulldowns and the split leg squats.
Next week, "rest" will be working on my weak areas and prepping for Stage 5. I'm also starting a period of carb cycling and increased cardio to rid myself of this high BF% and increase LBM.
Hope you all have an awesome day!
Welcome back JS! Glad you had fun!
ETA Holley those are impressive numbers!
I totally forgot to tell you - Mike and I went to the surgeon yesterday, first visit since he left the hospital. The doc was really pleased with everything - XRay looks good, and the wound is healing nicely. I was concerned a bit because it had not healed completely from the bottom up, but he didn't see worried at all. Mike is cleared for work, driving, even easy cardio and riding his motorcycle. I can breathe again! Stress... begone!!!0 -
Great news Sue! See you on the Stage 5 thread soon.
4th A workout done today. Couldn't do it yesterday as had a large dose of DOMS despite a stretching session and a long painful session with the foam roller!
One more workout to go and will then post up my stats.0 -
This thread is quiet....
Well, here are my starting stats for Workout B:
Deadlift (regular) - 105 lbs
Bulgarian SS - 30 lb BB
UH Lat Pulldown - 90 lb (went WAAAAY too light because I was worried for the Cuban Snatch...)
Reverse Lunge - 7.5 lb DB (again, to light)
Cuban Snatch - 7.5 lb DB
Swiss ball crunch - 10 with 18 lb ball overhead
Prone jackknives - 10
Lateral Flexion - 10 with side crunch
I am SO SORE today! My abs are almost never sore, and they're sore too! :noway: Singing tonight is going to be rough.0 -
This is a VERY quiet thread! But that's ok!
Made it back to the gym yesterday to lift so Stage 4 is sort of back on track! And WOW do I have DOMS today! I SHOULD be able to finish Stage 4 by next week...but because of all the time off I haven't really seen any strength gains.
It sounds like a lot of people aren't doing their DLs in this stage from the box - how come?0 -
This is a VERY quiet thread! But that's ok!
Made it back to the gym yesterday to lift so Stage 4 is sort of back on track! And WOW do I have DOMS today! I SHOULD be able to finish Stage 4 by next week...but because of all the time off I haven't really seen any strength gains.
It sounds like a lot of people aren't doing their DLs in this stage from the box - how come?
I have a hip flexor/low back problems. Deadlifts from the box exacerbate them. Rather than injure myself, I chose to do regular deadlifts as I could actual build strength without injury.0 -
Last Stage 4 workout done this morning. I'm glad to see the back of it. Did 3 sets of everything except the planks which I did 2 sets. It's taken a while to complete due to holidays, a dip in motivation and also some hip flexor / adductor issues.
FSPP: 20kgs - 27.5kgs (44lbs - 60.5lbs)
Step-up: 20kgs - 25kgs (44lbs - 55lbs)
Dumbbell One Point Row: 15kgs (33lbs) - 20kgs (44lbs) total
Static lunge, rear foot elevated: 20kgs (45lbs) - didn't progress - having hip flexor issues
Push-up: 8 on floor good form - 10 on floor good form
Plank: 2 mins - only 2 sets though
Cable Horizontal Wood Chop: Didn't do this one
Wide-Grip Deadlift from box: 30kg (66lb) - 32.5kg (71.5lb) - did 2 sets at 35kgs but couldn't keep good form
Bulgarian Split Squat: 15kg (33lb) - 17.5kg (38.5lb)
Underhand grip lat pulldown: 35kg (77lb) - 37.5kg (82.5lb)
Reverse lunge from box: 15kg (33lb) - 20kg (44 lb) total
Dumbbell prone cuban snatch: 10kg (22lb) total - limited by adjustable dumbbell increments increased from 8 reps to 10 reps
Swiss ball crunch: 10 reps with 10kg (22lb) dumbbell - 15 reps with 10kg (22lb) dumbbell
Reverse crunch: 10 reps - 15 reps
Will be going straight on to Stage 5 on Monday as I've already taken too much time off during this stage. Hope the weather warms up soon as it's seriously messing with my motivation!!0 -
Hopefully starting Stage 4 tomorrow! We have been remodeling our bathroom and the "weight room" has been the staging area for all of our crap! I just have a couple boxes of stuff left to put back in the bathroom and I should have my weights back! Would love some encouragement along the way as working out by myself is always hard for me (I really have to push myself to do it but love how I feel when I'm done). I'm more of a class type of person because I'm a people person:)0
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I think I'm the only one here, but I'll post my ending stats for Workout A anyway!
FSPP - 40lb BB
> 50lb BB (FINALLY)
Step ups - 20lb BB 20in step
> 40lb BB 20 in step
One Point Row - 20lb DBs
> 30lb DBs (could have done more shoulder/balance-wise, but my wrists couldn't take it)
Static lunge, rear foot elevated - BW (because of spring ligament issues)
> 40lb BB
Push-ups - 4 rungs from floor on SM
> 3 rungs from floor on SM (BIG deal for me as I have a partially torn left rotator cuff)
I did well with this Stage! My left shoulder is getting much stronger and I can almost do all three sets for the things that bother it.0 -
yea Holley!!
Those are awesome stats!0 -
Thanks, Sue! How's your husband?
Finished Workout B today:
Deadlift (regular) - 105 lbs
> 115 lbs
Bulgarian SS - 30 lb BB
> 40 lb BB
UH Lat Pulldown - 90 lb
> 100 lb
Reverse Lunge - 7.5 lb DB
> 15 lb DB
Cuban Snatch - 7.5 lb DB
> 5lb DB (had to move down because my shoulder couldn't handle 2 sets) :ohwell:
Swiss ball crunch - 10 with 18 lb ball overhead
> 15 with 18lb ball
Prone jackknives - 10
> 15
Lateral Flexion - 10 with side crunch
>15
Managed three sets of everything except the Cuban Snatch. My left rotator cuff said no!0 -
Will be starting stage 4 on Monday! 0
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Decided to start stage 4 today:)
Do y'all do 2 or 3 sets? I just did 2 today. I felt like I pushed myself well enough but I probably could have done a 3rd set in every exercise.
I don't think I'll ever be able to do 120 seconds of plank:/ I had finally been able to hit 90!
I think it's kinda fun to "redo" a stage. I feel so much more comfortable with the moves and feel like I can push myself more now. And I really missed push-ups:)0
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