Stage 1
Replies
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4a done0
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Today is my first day of stage one. I have been hitting the gym 3-4 days a week consistently for over a month to ease my way back into that life again. I had taken quite a bit of time off from weights as I trained for back to back races, but I am back in the strong game now, as running has done a number to my young, arthritic hip.
I am excited to start my first real program, and I am hoping to get a feel for NROL before the rush hits the gyms.
Are there any suggestions for a newbie right off the bat?
My main question is what shoes work you feel work best for this program?
I tried to read through some of this discussion but 115 pages is a ton.
Thank you!!0 -
Welcome and yay for starting.
When it comes to shoes a lot of it is personal preference and what you have available. I think the general consensus with lifting is not to use running shoes. Those tend to be more padded (except a few varieties) and are geared for running and can affect the balance and some form.
There are squat shoes, but those aren't necessary unless getting into competition, though some on youtube have found they really helped to improve their squat form. Others just suggest something flat, like chucks, etc. I see a lot of youtubers wear different varieties of Nike and such. And some go without shoes.
I use what I have available, which aren't always the best and one pair of sneakers look ready to fall apart in spots. Need to get a replacement since after Christmas is one of the few times I have extra funds available. I didn't go with just socks during NROLFW, but I did try them on deadlift and squats recently and kind of liked it. Only trouble was with the squats and the rack because without shoes I'm even shorter and that little bit did have an affect on getting the bar back on the rack.
There are also different "crosstrainers" as the program does mix things up a bit with the different lifts. Maybe someone else can recommend something specific. *waits*0 -
Thanks for your input! I wore my chucks today as I had those available and didn't want to use my runners. I think they worked well for the squats and step ups.
The workout only took about 30 min to get through as the gym was less crowded than I expected it to be. I did well on guessing my starting weights but man... Push ups were embarrassing. Serious room for improvement there! Should I be increasing the weight for A2 or does it stay the same for 2 workouts?
I loved the workout and can't wait for more!0 -
Started today! Even though the book doesn't say you "need" as much cardio...I still do for myself. I am not easy to wake up in the mornings, and every time I've tried to do anything with weights first thing, I suffer. But, if I wake myself up for 30 minutes or so on the treadmill first, I'm ready to go! So, stage 1, day 1 complete! I've been doing a lot of the moves with my trainer already, but in a different sequence, so I had a pretty good idea what weights to start with.
Question: I get REALLY BAD vertigo. I am diagnosed with POTS, which can cause me to faint at any given time, for any reason. The swiss ball crunches? Yeah...I blacked out. I am totally fine doing crunches on the floor...but the ball really throws me off. Is there really a difference whether I do them on the ball or on the floor?
Thanks! ~Danielle0 -
Hi everyone,
after reading a bit through the thread (but far from the full 115 pages...) just wanted to say hello to all doing stage 1 right now
Originally started with the program in September, but had to pause for some weeks due to several colds and such nasty things.
Started again in November, and am now in day 16 (of 24) of stage 1... hope to be done with the stage in 2 or latest 3 weeks from now
I think I saw mentioned somewhere that the swiss ball activities are not the ideal anymore. But I don't have Facebook, thus can't check the background. Could one of you give me some more ideas of why? And what would be the better exercises?
Greetings from Berlin 0 -
Hi nufertiri - I found a couple of things on facebook that might interest you:
CRUNCHES (Swiss Ball / Reverse) Jan. 7, 2014 I asked Alwyn if there were any other changes to the NROLFW other than doing planks instead of crunches. He said: "That's about the only change where I do not recommend the old program at all. That said, there's a lot of updates to the workouts overall, but it's only the spinal flexion stuff that I'd want people to avoid. There are lots of way more effective core exercises in NROL4A (Abs) - planks, side planks, val slide push aways etc." From a speed coaching session: "I'm not concerned about avoiding it (spinal flexion) as much as I am about not using that as the primary focus (ie crunches). The research is clear - the stability type exercises activate MORE muscle than crunches. Spinal flexion movements mean less activation therefore less effective for our goals." -Alwyn Cosgrove
PRONE JACKKNIFE The illustration in the book is incorrect! You should not be putting your butt way up
in the air. A similar but different exercise, done with the butt in the air, is called a pike. For a correct demonstration of the jackknife, see Lou`s video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPacmjg26Sg Alwyn no longer uses stability balls in his programs and for this move they now use the TRX. It looks like this: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8oA2bncROo 0 -
@lovtolaff Thanks a lot for the tips and videos!
Just seeing the pike made me speechless - not sure if I'd ever be able to do this - or even try when anybody could be watching
Funny coincident: for whatever reasons I hadn't used the book's instruction on the jackknife, but some other youtube videos. The TRX approach looks ... daunting. But I'll try it in one of the next rounds 0 -
@lovtolaff great info updating NROL4W thanks. I have been using the swiss ball and will happily give it up.
It's wonderful to see so many people on her, hi to all. I am pretty much new to strength training. I got interested in it as a way to strengthen my back which has been giving me fits for the last couple of years. I feel like it is getting stronger, yea! and I am really enjoying the weights.
After a 4 week break over the holidays I am picking up where I left off on level I just reduced the weight a bit. Did 5b and 6a are in the last couple of days.
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Read through the strong edition
Weighed in
Bought new shoes and pants
Figured out daily protein goal
Started a "dry" streak (no alcohol)
Joining neighborhood rec center tomorrow
Logged calories for the day
Accentuating the positives0 -
Finished #222 of 24 of stage 1 today - so only one execution of stage A and B left... and I must admit I'm starting to feel nervous again to move up to the next stage. But also looking forward to it!
I switched the ball to the TRX jack knife, and am glad I tried it. Its a bit weird, but its both more challenging (to keep the back flat) but also easier to perform the exercise (with no ball going strange ways)
Thanks again for this idea!
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Halfway through Stage 1. It's exciting to add more weight and do 3 sets of the exercises now. I feel a lot more confident in the gym and look forward to knocking out the next 4 weeks to complete this stage.
I am anxious to start seeing changes. I feel really good, but am getting impatient!0 -
Glad to see peeps posting. I'm still here, still in Stage 1 as I keep having delays and I also decided to do it a second time. I will admit, I'm a little intimidated by Stage 2 - I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to do it! Guess I need to buck up and give it a whirl when the time comes.0
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Wouldn't be too worried to "still" be in Stage 1, lovtolaff
I've done my first Stage 1 A #1 exercise in mid September - but had to pause more than one month for various reasons and started from scratch again. Thus I'll be finishing stage 1 only this week... So: you're not alone on the long running stage 1
Whats much more important to me is that I started to get back to the training when all was good again. And that I'm sticking to my weekly routine whenever possible, and not get started with any kind of lazy habits...
Will start get myself familiar with stage 2, and am truly nervous on this change - after such a long time in 1. But then I remind myself that last year not only stage 1 was new and intimidating, but that whole weight training topic in itself
Quite sure that you and I are capable of ruling stage 2 at least as much as we're ruling the current one! 0 -
nufertiri - you are right...before beginning stage 2, i was nervous about it also. heck i've been in it so long now, I'm an old pro! lol
And I too have been trying to curb any lazy habits and I'm slowly making progress. I keep telling myself I'm not in a race. I do feel stronger then I did before I started lifting - so that's something!0 -
first stage one workout done yesterday.
30# goblet squat
30# split stance step ups
able to complete 60s planks
push up from weight bench
15# 3pt row
I did the whole work out with RAMP and 3 interval set took me 1:12.
got all my protein in for the last 2 days.
Did yoga tonight.
I am sore today but not overly so.
Goals this week is 125grams of protein a day and three weight training sessions a week.0 -
Nice work everyone.
For stage 2, I recommend giving the lifts a trial run before doing the stage since they don't last as long as the first one. They aren't too bad but a little different. I think the hardest for me was the front squat/push press because my wrists don't do well with the front squat position. I'm working on them now in my program but back when I did NROLFW, trying to hold the bar at the right angle to do the moves combined didn't work that well. And I still rather keep my front squat and overhead press as separate lifts, lol. It'll seem a little odd at first, then stage 3 will be different and stage 4 is back to stage 2 lifts but different rep scheme.
Also, check out the sticky posts on the different stages. It's kind of fun to read through what people in the past commented on over the different stages back when they were attempting them.0 -
Thanks for tips Dawn. Started reading the workout plan and exercise details for stage 2 yesterday. Not so happy that Step ups and Pushups are still in
Only after the second read I realized that the front squat is *plus* overhead press - that will surely be ... interesting
Today was last time with 1A for me:
And the first time I was brave enough to try the push ups on the floor. And it was okay!! *yeah*
Not yet putting my head on the floor yet, but descending to 60-70%... But still a good feeling, and it will surely improve over the next couple of weeks. One year ago I couldn't even do one proper bench pushup
Tried the TRX jack knifes again, but there was not much energy left at the end of the workout and didn't want to sacrifice form for numbers, so only 3x9 on them. But I can live with this... 0 -
Last 1B exercise for me this morning. Will miss it, but I'm also looking forward to the next phase
As step ups will be there as well, I tried them the first time with barbel. Unfortunately the gym doesn't have any steps, but only benches. But it went surprisingly well. Also had more chance to concentrate on the form, as I didn't need to concentrate on not loosing my grip on the dumbbells... no need to rush through the step ups anymore 0 -
Last stage 1 workout done, but I am thinking of continuing on and doing a 9a and 9b. I took a month off in the middle of stage 1 and it has taken me until now to get back to the weights I was lifting pre break.0
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Hi mmebouchon,
seems like a good idea to add at least one additional A and B
As this was my first time working with weights, I followed the idea in the book to do each workout a total of 12 times. Helped me to master the basic exercises before now moving the next stage
So whatever feels best to you is the route you should follow - and hopefully enjoy 0 -
Hi nufertiri! Instead of using a step/bench (step was actual basement step and was too far forward, and bench was too high), I've switched over to kneeling on the floor and stepping up from there. I found that it helps me not push off with my other foot too. I realized that it's the exact moment I use when getting off the floor after playing with my son.0
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What has everyone got their cals at for Stage 1?
I believe my full maintenance allowance is 2,100
I would like to lose some weight / fat though which I understand you can only do in deficit so I've set my cals to 1600 gross, knowing from past logging I normally don't measure completely accurately so really I'll be more like 1700 - 1900 and not eating back my exercise cals.
I haven't had any scale movements yet - other than small spikes the days after I lift and I've been going for 3 weeks - will keep persevering till the end of stage one and then assess with photos and my measurements too.
What are other people doing/experiences?
Also, question: can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time or do you need to be in surplus to build muscle?
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When I went through NROLFW I was still obese for my height but had been lifting on a deficit for 12 weeks already, following stronglifts. So, I ended up sort of ignoring the nutrition side of the book and keeping to the deficit suggested by MFP. I think I had it set for 1.5 lbs loss per week with semi-active (not sedentary). I lost weight during the stages though it did vary from week to week as weight fluctuations do affect things in different points of the month along with types of food consumed.
Fat and muscle, it's a bit debated. Some can but you won't see a lot of muscle gain. It is easier to gain in a surplus because it provides calories to help with the building, plus women have a harder time to increase muscle mass in general. Recomp is possible at around maintenance, which involves muscle increase and fat decreasing but it's a slower process. Depends on a number of factors too, how long one has been lifting and such. I don't know every detail. I'm trying to figure out which would be better on my next step. Will either eat at maintenance since I started on the higher end of my "healthy range" or figuring out how low to get before doing a bulk.
Hope that helps a little.0 -
Thanks that is really helpful. I think really I am aiming for recomp so I will just be patient and keep persevering with around maintenance eating for longer.0
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Hi nufertiri - I found a couple of things on facebook that might interest you:
CRUNCHES (Swiss Ball / Reverse) Jan. 7, 2014 I asked Alwyn if there were any other changes to the NROLFW other than doing planks instead of crunches. He said: "That's about the only change where I do not recommend the old program at all. That said, there's a lot of updates to the workouts overall, but it's only the spinal flexion stuff that I'd want people to avoid. There are lots of way more effective core exercises in NROL4A (Abs) - planks, side planks, val slide push aways etc." From a speed coaching session: "I'm not concerned about avoiding it (spinal flexion) as much as I am about not using that as the primary focus (ie crunches). The research is clear - the stability type exercises activate MORE muscle than crunches. Spinal flexion movements mean less activation therefore less effective for our goals." -Alwyn Cosgrove
PRONE JACKKNIFE The illustration in the book is incorrect! You should not be putting your butt way up
in the air. A similar but different exercise, done with the butt in the air, is called a pike. For a correct demonstration of the jackknife, see Lou`s videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPacmjg26Sg Alwyn no longer uses stability balls in his programs and for this move they now use the TRX. It looks like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8oA2bncROo
I am so glad I jumped on here. I have an older copy of the book (bought it years ago and was intimidated!). I'm actually only four workouts away from finishing stage one, but maybe I'll repeat it with the proper ab exercises! I feel like I should repeat anyway, since I couldn't do lunges at the beginning (strength and balance issues I think) so I did split squats and my step ups were too low. I'm now doing lunges and higher step ups.
BTW Hi! Sorry for jumping in without properly introducing myself I am a 42 year old woman who has lifted on and off for years, but would stick to the "safe" "chick exercises" - machines mostly. Took a little time to get my squats and deadlifts in order but I'm pretty confident now, even if my husband makes fun of the weight I lift. LOL 0 -
Hi helpful people - more stage 1 questions for you! I am now a month or so in, I'm finding I am able to increase the weights of my big lifts a lot - my Squat and DL started at 30kg (hehe) and now are 45/50kg. But I am not able to increase the weights of my other lifts (step ups, rows etc) at the same kind of rate.
I'm worried that I'm going to end up imbalanced, should my strength be consistently increasing for all movements? Or is it ok / normal to get stronger at some things faster?
I also wonder if it is because the big lifts are first in my work out, so I'm fatigued by the time I get to step ups?
If you want to see I am logging my workouts here - Stage 1 month 1 is the last tab at the back now https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1R0BMG7_ZX-gjJKAfSMLnsKKhk-cna4nRxujuv7AeqWY/edit#gid=682853788
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I would say that the bigger lifts recruit more muscle groups so it would make sense for those to increase more dramatically. More muscle groups each getting slightly stronger and then working together = bigger weights.0
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New here and starting stage 1 tomorrow. A little nervous, but mostly excited! I have 4 babies - 3 were c-secs - and I'm at a 160lbs with 27.02% body fat. So not terrible, but it could be better. I've been doing HIIT and lifting with a personal trainer for just over a month now, but I'm looking for more direction so this is where NROL4W comes in. I'll check in!0
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I did the first workout yesterday. It was good but felt so short!0
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