Stage 1
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Stage 1 Workout A results:
Squat: 45lbs
> 115lbs
Pushups: just terrible on knees
> still terrible 30 degrees (I have a super weak mid-back, so will probably never have a good pushup.)
Seated row: 35lbs (started WAY too low)
> 90lbs
Step-up: 13in step with 20lbs
> 24in(??) step with 10lbs
Prone jackknife: easy 8
> 12 (didn't make 15 since my low back got kinda injured)
Midway thru I had a DEXA scan** and my left hip was feeling poorly. Looked at the scan and low and behold my left hip was THREE INCHES lower than my right and my WHOLE BODY was tilted. :noway: Had to take off about a week while my chiro sorted it out. My hip was very rotated and did not want to go back to "normal." Chiro made me drop weights for some things and not raise weights for others. (I totally cheated and didn't drop weight for the squats...just stayed the same. But he knew I would do that.) Apparently my left hip is angry that I am trying to get the muscles around it into shape. It's mostly back to normal, but there's about an inch of swelling in my left SI joint back there. Keeping an eye on it though!
**Scan showed that I had put on 4.6lbs of LBM in 8 weeks (NROL4W for only 4 of those weeks! On a break before that because of a show.) and LOST 1.6% BF. Wooohoooo! Obviously, I am a mesomorph since I build muscle like crazy. Even impresses my chiro. Everyone thinks I lost another ten pounds, but my weight stayed about the same. :happy:
I'll post Workout B results tomorrow and measurements sometime next week after the remainder of the DOMs is gone!0 -
Today is my very last workout for Stage 1! Yaaaaayyy me :happy: I'll be back either tonight or over the weekend to post my results. Unfortunately, I did take pictures before I started the program but I accidentally deleted them
So, I won't have pictures to compare, but I did take measurements. I'm excited to see what the 'results' will tell me. BUT even if they don't show dramatic changes, I still feel good about the progress I've made and I know my body is changing, so I'm excited about completing this first stage and moving on to stage 2. 0 -
I'm pretty mad at myself for not taking before pictures. My husband noticed the muscles in my legs yesterday. He wondered if they were from running. I was all, "No way! That's from lifting!"0
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Hi Ladies!
I'm still going at Stage 1, just haven't had a chance to post. I love what I'm doing right now, the scale is a bit scary, I've gained a pound or two. I have to tweek my eating a bit and try and get a few more days of intervals in on off days.
I'm doing the workouts three times a week. I just finished week 4, and workout #12.
Progress so far:
Squats: 20lbs to 75lbs
Push-ups: doing floor pushups since beginning, form is definately better
Seated row: 60 to 70lbs (using cable machine)
Step-ups: 15lb dumbbells to 30lb dumbbells
Prone jackknife: doing these at full number of reps since beginning, form definately better
Deadlift: 60 to 95lbs (hoping to break 100 before end)
Shoulder-press: 10 lbs to 15 lbs
Wide-grip lat pulldown: 60lbs to 70 lbs
Swiss-ball crunch: body weight only from beginning
Lunge - 15lb to 20lb
I'm reading NROL4 Abs right now. Anyone incorporate some of the exercises in this program? My midsection needs some help
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I have one more stage 1 workout left. I'm not doing AMRAPS. I'll take 4 days off after my last B workout and post my stats a week from today. I wish I had pictures, though
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Good Morning Ladies,
I'm new to this group but I love NROLFW! I'm on stage 1 workout 7A today and I just want to say that I did the squats at 145 pounds! I am so excited about doing that, considering I started at 20 pound squats (totally underestimated myself). Cannot wait to go back and up my deadlifts (70 pounds last week).
Just a quick question, does anyone do cardio after their NROLFW workout? I was thinking about adding C25K to my workout afterwards and then do 1 hour on the eliptical on my off days. Does this sound good?0 -
I do about 15 minutes of intervals when I'm done lifting. I don't know if I'd call it HIIT, but I run for a minute at 6.3-6.5 mph on the treadmill then walk for 1.5-2 minutes at 4 mph. I end up running 5 times. It kicks my butt! Then I do c25k 2 or 3 days a week on my non-lifting days. I aim for 3, but usually end up taking an extra rest day...lol.0
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OWWWWWWW!
Seriously.
OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
Just done Stage 1 Day 1 and OWWWWWWW!
But it's a good ow
It was intimidating as hell - I did 10 mins cardio warm up as I had jumped straight out of the car and then asked the gym boy if he could come show me squats, check my form etc etc. He tried to get me to use the thingie machine - what's the machine where the bar goes up and down between the rails - so you're squatting but the machine is keeping you straight? Well he tried to make me use that and I said no and he said I should and I said no and by this time all the beefy boys are watching us have this argument and laughing and I was stood there with my book and my bits of paper and I was NO. If I'm doing it I'm doing it right.
So we stood in front of the mirror with the olympic bar and I couldn't get it over my head - which I wouldn't be doing normally because normally I'd be in a squat rack but he wanted me to watch myself in the mirror and I can see condescending smiles in the mirror as I struggle to make it through the 15 reps and I just kept talking out loud and....and....and.....
I'm not going to talk myself out of this. Or be intimidated. Or any of those other things I would normally do. As I said to gym boy no one is an expert at anything the first time they try it.
I'll be back there in 2 days time and I WILL make him go through deadlifts with me and I will keep asking him until I have everything down pat. So there.
It feels good 0 -
Good Morning Ladies,
I'm new to this group but I love NROLFW! I'm on stage 1 workout 7A today and I just want to say that I did the squats at 145 pounds! I am so excited about doing that, considering I started at 20 pound squats (totally underestimated myself). Cannot wait to go back and up my deadlifts (70 pounds last week).
Just a quick question, does anyone do cardio after their NROLFW workout? I was thinking about adding C25K to my workout afterwards and then do 1 hour on the eliptical on my off days. Does this sound good?
I would NEVER do cardio AFTER my NROL4W workout. If you have energy to do cardio afterwards, you are not pushing hard enough! That being said, I will do 5-10 minutes on the elliptical beforehand just to get my muscles warmed up. It sounds to me like you're doing too much cardio on your off days...but to each his/her own! I hope your giving your body at least one day of rest per week.0 -
Good Morning Ladies,
I'm new to this group but I love NROLFW! I'm on stage 1 workout 7A today and I just want to say that I did the squats at 145 pounds! I am so excited about doing that, considering I started at 20 pound squats (totally underestimated myself). Cannot wait to go back and up my deadlifts (70 pounds last week).
Just a quick question, does anyone do cardio after their NROLFW workout? I was thinking about adding C25K to my workout afterwards and then do 1 hour on the eliptical on my off days. Does this sound good?
I would NEVER do cardio AFTER my NROL4W workout. If you have energy to do cardio afterwards, you are not pushing hard enough! That being said, I will do 5-10 minutes on the elliptical beforehand just to get my muscles warmed up. It sounds to me like you're doing too much cardio on your off days...but to each his/her own! I hope your giving your body at least one day of rest per week.
I haven't done cardio yet after NROL4W and I sometimes wonder if i'm not pushing myself hard enough. I am into really heavy weights (exhausting myself on the last rep) and I do have muscle stiffness/slight soreness the next day. I have just been doing C25K on my days off and taking Sunday's off. I'm just not seeing any decrease in weight and was wondering if I need to up my cardio to see movement on the scale. That being said, I have only measured myself once and have not checked to see if there is any difference in inches. I don't feel any difference in my clothes but I do feel the muscles (which I love!). I also do the 5-10 warm up on the eliptical and it is a great warm-up. Maybe I should just do my C25K tomorrow with 30 minutes on the eliptical and leave my lifting days for only lifting. Maybe that's the better option. What do you think?0 -
Hi all. I'm on the 4th workout (B, workout 2). Here's what I did today:
Deadlift - 2 sets of 15 reps @ 30 lbs -- I think I might take the plunge and move to the 45lb Olympic bar. There is something about these that intimidate me. I know I can lift the weight, but that dang bar is so long and unwieldy. I used the 5' bar that's only 25 lbs and added weight.
Shoulder press - 2 sets of 15 reps @ 15 lbs alternating with:
Wide Lat Pulldown - 2 sets of 15 @ 70 lbs NOTE: This was a bit heavy and hard to do the last few reps. Last week it felt a bit too easy (I did 50 and 60 lbs).
Lunges - 2 sets of 15 (for each leg - ugh!) holding 15 barbells alternating with:
Swiss Ball Crunch - 2 sets of 15 (this don't kill like the evil prone jackknives from hell, so I don't mind them)
Man those lunges were getting today. I had to drop the weights on the second set because my knee started hurting. I am loving being a "heavy lifter" though. I was VERY intimidated the first few day (all last week) because it's mainly men lifting crazy amounts of weight. Then I figured, half of them are probably guessing. So I carry my little workout sheet and my pen and look at it and take notes, feeling a bit dorky, but a bit proud too.
FOR THOSE ALSO TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT: Did you modify your MFP calories? I was/am at 1550/day, and eat 1750 on lift days. I managed to lose 2 lbs the first week of lifting, but I'm not sure if I'm getting enough. I'm really striving for 30% protein, but averaged 25% for the week. I'm not expecting to lose like I had been before lifting, but it would be nice to continue on the downward path.0 -
Good Morning Ladies,
I'm new to this group but I love NROLFW! I'm on stage 1 workout 7A today and I just want to say that I did the squats at 145 pounds! I am so excited about doing that, considering I started at 20 pound squats (totally underestimated myself). Cannot wait to go back and up my deadlifts (70 pounds last week).
Just a quick question, does anyone do cardio after their NROLFW workout? I was thinking about adding C25K to my workout afterwards and then do 1 hour on the eliptical on my off days. Does this sound good?
I would NEVER do cardio AFTER my NROL4W workout. If you have energy to do cardio afterwards, you are not pushing hard enough! That being said, I will do 5-10 minutes on the elliptical beforehand just to get my muscles warmed up. It sounds to me like you're doing too much cardio on your off days...but to each his/her own! I hope your giving your body at least one day of rest per week.
I haven't done cardio yet after NROL4W and I sometimes wonder if i'm not pushing myself hard enough. I am into really heavy weights (exhausting myself on the last rep) and I do have muscle stiffness/slight soreness the next day. I have just been doing C25K on my days off and taking Sunday's off. I'm just not seeing any decrease in weight and was wondering if I need to up my cardio to see movement on the scale. That being said, I have only measured myself once and have not checked to see if there is any difference in inches. I don't feel any difference in my clothes but I do feel the muscles (which I love!). I also do the 5-10 warm up on the eliptical and it is a great warm-up. Maybe I should just do my C25K tomorrow with 30 minutes on the eliptical and leave my lifting days for only lifting. Maybe that's the better option. What do you think?
Honestly, if you're not seeing a difference on the scale it probably has more to do with your calories and weight retention than with your cardio habits. The scale hasn't moved for me either and I have Workout 8B left (it's today!). But I have been eating at maintenance until last week. I'm really not concerned about it since I can feel more muscles, I know for a fact I've put on muscle and lost fat, and I've dropped a pants size. Don't sweat the scale! It's not worth worrying about it if you feel like things are changing internally.
Personally, my lifting days are only for lifting (disregarding a warm-up of course) because I want to DRAIN my muscles by the end. You should be really pushing through the last two reps of a set, as in "almost not able to complete" the final rep. I also go as quickly through each set as I can with good form to really get my heart rate going. The only time I have added five minutes of cardio at the end was when I didn't push hard enough because my quads were super tight so my lunges were terrible. So I did some time on the elliptical at the end to loosen them up a bit and make-up for my lack-luster lunges. So I would go with lifting days for lifting only!0 -
Hi all. I'm on the 4th workout (B, workout 2). Here's what I did today:
Deadlift - 2 sets of 15 reps @ 30 lbs -- I think I might take the plunge and move to the 45lb Olympic bar. There is something about these that intimidate me. I know I can lift the weight, but that dang bar is so long and unwieldy. I used the 5' bar that's only 25 lbs and added weight.
Shoulder press - 2 sets of 15 reps @ 15 lbs alternating with:
Wide Lat Pulldown - 2 sets of 15 @ 70 lbs NOTE: This was a bit heavy and hard to do the last few reps. Last week it felt a bit too easy (I did 50 and 60 lbs).
Lunges - 2 sets of 15 (for each leg - ugh!) holding 15 barbells alternating with:
Swiss Ball Crunch - 2 sets of 15 (this don't kill like the evil prone jackknives from hell, so I don't mind them)
Man those lunges were getting today. I had to drop the weights on the second set because my knee started hurting. I am loving being a "heavy lifter" though. I was VERY intimidated the first few day (all last week) because it's mainly men lifting crazy amounts of weight. Then I figured, half of them are probably guessing. So I carry my little workout sheet and my pen and look at it and take notes, feeling a bit dorky, but a bit proud too.
FOR THOSE ALSO TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT: Did you modify your MFP calories? I was/am at 1550/day, and eat 1750 on lift days. I managed to lose 2 lbs the first week of lifting, but I'm not sure if I'm getting enough. I'm really striving for 30% protein, but averaged 25% for the week. I'm not expecting to lose like I had been before lifting, but it would be nice to continue on the downward path.
MOVE TO THE OLYMPIC BAR (if you can)!!!! The point is that it's a bit unwieldy. Your muscles will get a better workout from that. Stick with the 70lbs for the widegrip lat pulldown. It should be hard the last few reps!
Yeah...the lunges suck for me too. I actually stretch my quads during the rest breaks before moving to the swiss ball crunches and that helps tremendously.
Ummm...We need your stats before we can recommend calorie help! Age, height, current weight, activity level...Where does the book put you? I don't go with the book because it's way too low for me, but it can be a great starting point. Last week I started eating 2400-2700 calories depending on the day. (That's a 10% cut for me.) I should only lose 1lb a month with that. To me, it sounds like you need to eat more, but like I said, stats would help! Are you hungry? Because if you are, listen to your body and add some more calories.0 -
I do cardio after lifting. Usually 20 minutes of HIIT on the treadmill. 2-3 minute walk at 4.5 and 1 minute run at 9.0. My school of thought is that you do the lifting first if that is what you are concentrating on, you need the energy there. After the lifting workout I'm wiped, but once I get on the treadmill I get a second wind and can do the HIIT until I have done 5km (around 32 minutes). Maybe it's because I've been long distance running for the past 3 1/2 years, perhaps my endurance is good. I know that if I did the HIIT prior to lifting I would never get through the first exercise! LOL
I also don't do anything except Pilates on my off days.0 -
So I finished Stage 1 last week and here's my final numbers (and starting numbers). I'm 5'6" and 140 lbs, 32 years old.
Squat: 95 ---> 135 (Got up to 150lbs but form suffered, so this is the weight I can still do with proper form, i.e. go all the way down
Push: Regular push, with 1 hand lift (forgot the name)
Seated row: 50 ---> 90
Step up: 20 lbs DB with 2 risers ---> 35 lbs DB with 6 risers each side
Deadlift: 45 ---> 115
DB Shoulder Press: 15 ---> 30
Wide grip lat pulldown: 45 ---> 90
Lunge: 25 ---> 35 (each DB)
Didn't do the ab exercises because I have diastasis recti (ab separation) still, so doing corrective exercises still.
Weight: Same, no changes 140 lbs (fluctuates between 139-142)
Measurements: Same, no changes in any of my measurements
Waist:28
Hips: 39
Thigh: 22
Arms: 11.5
However, I feel like I look more defined and that my core is getting stronger. After having a baby and losing weight kinda fast I felt like I was really .... um jiggly, so I will say that I've firmed up quite a bit. My butt is lifted and round, and my thighs look nice and toned. Accidentally deleted my "before" pictures, so I haven't been motivated to take "after" pictures, but I will. I ate at maintenance calories the whole 6 weeks, so I am planning on doing a slight calorie deficit when I start phase 2 to see what kind of results I get.
Overally, I'm slighly disappointed at my lack of results in my measurements, but I'm still happy with the program and feel good about my body and lifting heavy, sooooooooooooooooo on to Phase 2!0 -
So I finished Stage 1 last week and here's my final numbers (and starting numbers). I'm 5'6" and 140 lbs, 32 years old.
Squat: 95 ---> 135 (Got up to 150lbs but form suffered, so this is the weight I can still do with proper form, i.e. go all the way down
Push: Regular push, with 1 hand lift (forgot the name)
Seated row: 50 ---> 90
Step up: 20 lbs DB with 2 risers ---> 35 lbs DB with 6 risers each side
Deadlift: 45 ---> 115
DB Shoulder Press: 15 ---> 30
Wide grip lat pulldown: 45 ---> 90
Lunge: 25 ---> 35 (each DB)
Didn't do the ab exercises because I have diastasis recti (ab separation) still, so doing corrective exercises still.
Weight: Same, no changes 140 lbs (fluctuates between 139-142)
Measurements: Same, no changes in any of my measurements
Waist:28
Hips: 39
Thigh: 22
Arms: 11.5
However, I feel like I look more defined and that my core is getting stronger. After having a baby and losing weight kinda fast I felt like I was really .... um jiggly, so I will say that I've firmed up quite a bit. My butt is lifted and round, and my thighs look nice and toned. Accidentally deleted my "before" pictures, so I haven't been motivated to take "after" pictures, but I will. I ate at maintenance calories the whole 6 weeks, so I am planning on doing a slight calorie deficit when I start phase 2 to see what kind of results I get.
Overally, I'm slighly disappointed at my lack of results in my measurements, but I'm still happy with the program and feel good about my body and lifting heavy, sooooooooooooooooo on to Phase 2!
You are BAD *kitten*! : ) I'm impressed with your starting weights. Great job!0 -
Hello all,
I'm a newbie, just did stage one workout A for the first time. My gym was CRAZY busy but I did my best. However I had a heck of a time with the prone jackknife!
Dos anyone have tips or is this simply something that will be better with time?0 -
Very impressive, perfect! Nice weight gains!0
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I completed workout 3a yesterday. But I was wondering do you guys use a free form squat (bar on the back ) or an assisted squat rack (bar attached to a track)? I feel my form is better on the track but the weights are heavier on the free form. Opinions?0
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I need to get serious about logging in with all of you!!! I'm on week 4 stage one. Here's my beginning size before I started. I have not remeasured.
Weight 194 Height 5'5" BMI of 32
Neck 14"
Arms Rt 14" Left 14"
Bust 44"
Waist 38 3/4"
Hips 45 1/2"
Thighs Rt 25" Lft 25"
Calves Rt 14 1/2 " Lft 15"
I will be sure to put in my weights and new measurements in three weeks I am seeing some increase in weight and strength0
