Stage 1
Replies
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did 5B today i had some pretty good progress.
i'm using the big girl 45 plates now for the deadlifts. i feel like i can lift more weight, but i was losing my grip at 145. it's to the point where i can do 2 in row then need to regrip. i did better with a mixed grip
i think i've stalled at the wide grip lat pulldowns, i've been at a 120 max for the past few workouts
DB shoulder press is looking nice. my right shoulder is coming along nicely and fairly painfree.
i'm starting to feel kinda weird though, so i think i might need to take a deload week once i finish stage 1. i wasnt planning on it, but after i spent 20 minutes trying to mentally talk myself into lifting i realized that i havent taken a complete week off from lifting since early january, so it's about time to let my nervous system, joints and tendons rest and get with the program0 -
My first workout was today. I feel great. I can tell my thighs are totally going to feel it tomorrow. I am so glad I'm doing this. I hope hope hope I can stick to this and not get injured.0
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Just did my first bonus workout today and it was a bit poor really. had no energy whatsoever so felt I didnt really have anything to show for the past 5 weeks of doing Stage one
Squats 30 reps x 20 kilos
Pressups x 25 reps BW
Seated Rows 80 reps 11.25kg
Step ups 60 reps 14 kilos
Jack Knifes 20 reps BW
I know I could of done a lot better. Might repeat it tomorrow rather than doing workout B's bonus round.....0 -
Gym was a minor disaster today. It was WAY over-crowded. Took forever to park, then waiting for equipment and people trying to talk to me. I waited so long for a set of 20's and the wide lat machine that I had cooled down. I ended up pulling my one bicep a bit. I relaxed it for while before continuing onto lunges, but I didn't increase weight on them. On the bright side I finally hit 100lbs on my deadlift
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NROLFW stage 1 workout B3 DONE this afternoon - able to increase weights on upperbody to 16# (2 8# dumbbells).... guess I need heavier dumbbells soon, huh. Better stability in my Lunges today - just figured out that it is supposed to be alternating legs. I think this program has helped me already - was able to walk UP a flight of stairs on Sunday fairly easily for the first time in years! I'm impressed!! J 0
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I'm moving on to A5 today, which is exciting as I just started to think I need more of a challenge, haha. I have no idea though how much time to calculate for my workout tonight. We'll see.
I can see a difference in my body shape already though, and people make me compliments. I measured the other day and was down 2cm on hips and waist and 0.5cm on my upper thighs.
I haven't stepped on a scale in probably 6 weeks but my clothes fit better, so sod the scales. :happy:0 -
I'm starting week 3 today and I can't say I notice a difference yet but I haven't measured yet either. Perhaps I will in another couple of weeks. I've already been able to increase my weights which is motivating.
My only problem is I love lifting so much that it's killing me not to do it more than 3 times a week, lol.0 -
popping in to say 00trayn, your running numbers are IMPRESSIVE (as are your lifting numbers....heck, for a beginner lifter, you are PUSHING A LOT OF WEIGHT!)
Very impressive - congrats to you.
Sincerely,
fellow asthma-sufferer
Thanks!! I just signed up for another 5K in DC May 6th to see if I can beat 34:51. I really love this program, and the people doing it with me clearly rock I'm going down to sets of 8 now that I'm onto Workouts 7 and 8, so I really want to work on my form and getting lower into the squats and deadlifts. I did hit 100 lbs for deadlifts yesterday, but my grip was again the weak link. 0 -
So I have proof that the guys in the weights section of the gym are actually quite impressed by us NROLFW chicks. Two guys came up to me in the grocery store after the gym and called me The Workout Queen and told me they were impressed by how much I bust my butt and that I'm the only girl doing it! They couldn't believe I was using 120 lbs for squats (which apparently one of them couldn't even do yet, haha). It helps erase any of the aprehension that I had when starting the program on "that side of the gym". Now apparently I RULE that side of the gym, mwahahaha!0
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Hello all!
My name is Faith and I am a fellow phase one newbie!!! I got invited to join the group yesterday but having a house full of sick kiddos and hubby made it impossible to get in here and say hello!! First I just want to say how exciting it is to see yalls progress!!! Seeing how far yall have come and the amazing results yall are having makes it much easier to stick out this period of eating at maintenance ( SCARY!!!!) and digging deep to lift heavy (OUCH)!!! I was so thrilled to hear there was a group for each stage of this process it just makes it all so much less intimidating!!
Anyway, a bit about me...( not too much mind you, don't want to be a bore!!) I am 32 (almost 33). I just did my first workout yesterday (A) My DH got out of his sick bed to come watch to make sure my form was good enough that I wouldn't hurt myself. I got a thumbs up on every thing but that darn prone jacknife!! I am pretty sure this move will be the bane of my existence! I can NOT keep my feet on the darn swiss ball hardly at all! My DH says I will get better as my body gets stronger but it is still frustrating to not be able to do it!! If anyone has pointers on this I would welcome them! I ended up doing a series of plank to downward dog just because I couldn't stay on the ball but I would like to do them as prescribed in the book! Anyway I will end this now before it turns into a book! It is so nice to *meet* yall!!0 -
So I have proof that the guys in the weights section of the gym are actually quite impressed by us NROLFW chicks. Two guys came up to me in the grocery store after the gym and called me The Workout Queen and told me they were impressed by how much I bust my butt and that I'm the only girl doing it! They couldn't believe I was using 120 lbs for squats (which apparently one of them couldn't even do yet, haha). It helps erase any of the aprehension that I had when starting the program on "that side of the gym". Now apparently I RULE that side of the gym, mwahahaha!
That's awesome!0 -
Faith - good to see you here! :bigsmile:
00trayn - that's awesome!! What at great NSV!
Couldn't drag my butt out of bed this morning to get 5A done :sad: I've been really tired since Sunday, I just can't imagine one day of snowboarding would run me down that much. Feeling better since I slept in, but hope I'm not coming down with something.0 -
:flowerforyou: yay!So I have proof that the guys in the weights section of the gym are actually quite impressed by us NROLFW chicks. Two guys came up to me in the grocery store after the gym and called me The Workout Queen and told me they were impressed by how much I bust my butt and that I'm the only girl doing it! They couldn't believe I was using 120 lbs for squats (which apparently one of them couldn't even do yet, haha). It helps erase any of the aprehension that I had when starting the program on "that side of the gym". Now apparently I RULE that side of the gym, mwahahaha!0 -
So I have proof that the guys in the weights section of the gym are actually quite impressed by us NROLFW chicks. Two guys came up to me in the grocery store after the gym and called me The Workout Queen and told me they were impressed by how much I bust my butt and that I'm the only girl doing it! They couldn't believe I was using 120 lbs for squats (which apparently one of them couldn't even do yet, haha). It helps erase any of the aprehension that I had when starting the program on "that side of the gym". Now apparently I RULE that side of the gym, mwahahaha!
THAT IS AWESOME!!!!! ( Isn't it FUN to kinda blow people away with stuff, at least every once in a while)0 -
So I have proof that the guys in the weights section of the gym are actually quite impressed by us NROLFW chicks. Two guys came up to me in the grocery store after the gym and called me The Workout Queen and told me they were impressed by how much I bust my butt and that I'm the only girl doing it! They couldn't believe I was using 120 lbs for squats (which apparently one of them couldn't even do yet, haha). It helps erase any of the aprehension that I had when starting the program on "that side of the gym". Now apparently I RULE that side of the gym, mwahahaha!
THAT IS AWESOME!!!!! ( Isn't it FUN to kinda blow people away with stuff, at least every once in a while)
Haha, it definitely is! Especially since I'm only 5'2" and I'm around 155 right now but look more petite than that (hello muscle! haha). People don't think I can lug around the weights that I do. The two guys that were talking to me were a trainer-type person and his client. It was nice to have a body builder complimenting me 0 -
So I have proof that the guys in the weights section of the gym are actually quite impressed by us NROLFW chicks. Two guys came up to me in the grocery store after the gym and called me The Workout Queen and told me they were impressed by how much I bust my butt and that I'm the only girl doing it! They couldn't believe I was using 120 lbs for squats (which apparently one of them couldn't even do yet, haha). It helps erase any of the aprehension that I had when starting the program on "that side of the gym". Now apparently I RULE that side of the gym, mwahahaha!
NICE!0 -
So I have proof that the guys in the weights section of the gym are actually quite impressed by us NROLFW chicks. Two guys came up to me in the grocery store after the gym and called me The Workout Queen and told me they were impressed by how much I bust my butt and that I'm the only girl doing it! They couldn't believe I was using 120 lbs for squats (which apparently one of them couldn't even do yet, haha). It helps erase any of the aprehension that I had when starting the program on "that side of the gym". Now apparently I RULE that side of the gym, mwahahaha!
THAT IS AWESOME!!!!! ( Isn't it FUN to kinda blow people away with stuff, at least every once in a while)
Haha, it definitely is! Especially since I'm only 5'2" and I'm around 155 right now but look more petite than that (hello muscle! haha). People don't think I can lug around the weights that I do. The two guys that were talking to me were a trainer-type person and his client. It was nice to have a body builder complimenting me
That's AWESOME!! I don't know what it is but now the men in the weight area stop to talk to me now. They're asking what program I'm doing and what my goals are. It's kinda cool. Like being the cool little sister. I feel respected though. Way to go weight-lifting Mamas 0 -
I just finished Workout A, week 3 and kicked *kitten*.
Squats 90 pounds
rows 90 pounds
Step-ups 40 pounds.
push-ups (on my knuckles because of my wrist)
Prone jackknife was a lot easier because my balance has improved.
I absolutely love lifting. I'm going for 100 pounds with the squats next workout. I think I can do it 0 -
I just finished Workout A, week 3 and kicked *kitten*.
Squats 90 pounds
rows 90 pounds
Step-ups 40 pounds.
push-ups (on my knuckles because of my wrist)
Prone jackknife was a lot easier because my balance has improved.
I absolutely love lifting. I'm going for 100 pounds with the squats next workout. I think I can do it
Awesome job!0 -
I did Workout 2B last night. I just dont feel like I'm doing my deadlifts correct. I've watched vids on form but it just seems so awkward and not fluid at all.
Swiss ball crunches (as well as prone jackknife) need work because I have poor balance. But overall I'm really enjoying lifting and can tell already that I am losing inches. Scale hasnt moved much since I started but lots of clothes are fitting better!0 -
I finished Stage One today,:happy: here’s how it went from the first workout to the last:
Sets and reps as in the book:
Workout A1 to A8
Squat: 40 lb to 85 lbs
Push up using swiss ball to step-up bench at 3 steps
Seated row: 40 lb to 85 lbs
Step-up 15 lb on low step to 25 lb on a step-up bench at 5 steps
Prone jackknife: 12 reps to 15 reps, better form each time made it harder each time!
Workout B1 to B8
Deadlift: 20 lbs to 80 lbs
Shoulder press: 10 lb to 20 lbs
Lat pulldown : 40 lbs to 70 lbs
Lunge: 10 lbs to 16 kg (35 lb)
Swiss ball crunch 12 reps to 15 reps with 3 kg weight overhead (6.6 lb).
I feel powerful :explode:
I lost about a pound a week in February, have not lost any this month.:grumble: My hip and waist measurements are down and I can pull my jeans on and off without undoing the zipper. :ohwell:
Trouble is I have to have major surgery on my foot in a couple of weeks. I won't be able to walk on it for 6 weeks, and then expect 6 more weeks of easing back into full activity. So...Stage 2 will have to wait while I focus on doing things that don't require weight bearing.
Good luck, everyone. Lift heavy. :flowerforyou:
Nancy0 -
I finished Stage One today,:happy: here’s how it went from the first workout to the last:
Sets and reps as in the book:
Workout A1 to A8
Squat: 40 lb to 85 lbs
Push up using swiss ball to step-up bench at 3 steps
Seated row: 40 lb to 85 lbs
Step-up 15 lb on low step to 25 lb on a step-up bench at 5 steps
Prone jackknife: 12 reps to 15 reps, better form each time made it harder each time!
Workout B1 to B8
Deadlift: 20 lbs to 80 lbs
Shoulder press: 10 lb to 20 lbs
Lat pulldown : 40 lbs to 70 lbs
Lunge: 10 lbs to 16 kg (35 lb)
Swiss ball crunch 12 reps to 15 reps with 3 kg weight overhead (6.6 lb).
I feel powerful :explode:
I lost about a pound a week in February, have not lost any this month.:grumble: My hip and waist measurements are down and I can pull my jeans on and off without undoing the zipper. :ohwell:
Trouble is I have to have major surgery on my foot in a couple of weeks. I won't be able to walk on it for 6 weeks, and then expect 6 more weeks of easing back into full activity. So...Stage 2 will have to wait while I focus on doing things that don't require weight bearing.
Good luck, everyone. Lift heavy. :flowerforyou:
Nancy
Great job Nancy! So nice that your jeans are falling off you - I think! Lol! Did you do AMRAPs? I'm right behind you - I finish this week.
I'm also a veteran of foot surgery, so I know what you are facing. The silver lining is that people are very nice to you when they see the crutches (I nearly kept mine, just in case I felt like I needed a bit of TLC!). Jigsaws are good!0 -
great job nancy! looks like you made some great progress.
don;t worry about stage 2. it'll be there once you're ready. just focus on healing 0 -
So last night I did my first of the 3 set workouts, A5, and today I'm fine?! I'm a bit irritated, I was sweating my sweet bum off and really working hard, according to my HRM as well as to my muscles, and today, nothing, no muscle soreness.
Does that mean I should have gone harder? I don't think I could have done anymore than I did :ohwell:0 -
So last night I did my first of the 3 set workouts, A5, and today I'm fine?! I'm a bit irritated, I was sweating my sweet bum off and really working hard, according to my HRM as well as to my muscles, and today, nothing, no muscle soreness.
Does that mean I should have gone harder? I don't think I could have done anymore than I did :ohwell:
Hey, we are almost on the same exercise, I did 5B yesterday. If you don't think you could have went harder or heavier I wouldn't worry about it. I'm not always sore but think I'm working hard, and sometimes I think I'm not sore in the morning but it hits later. It's weird, I was kinda struggling on dumbbell shoulder presses yesterday(shoulders have always been my weakest), so you'd think that would be what is sore today but all that is sore is my lower back from upping weight on deadlift. 0 -
I don't feel sore after every workout now, but I'm definitely pushing my limit on what weights I can do. I'm usually close to failure by the last rep, so that's a good sign I'm using appropriate weights. I think after 8 of the same workout, your muscles are somewhat used to it. I suspect switching to Phase 2 is gonna hurt the first week because it's a new set of exercises. Until then, as long as I'm happy with how hard I've worked, I'm not too concerned about soreness.
And for the deadlifts, I watched a YouTube video to get a better idea, but they are a bit of a strange move. I think I'm rushing them too much, but I suspect it's my grip that's causing that. I have trouble holding on. I might need to back off the weight slightly and try and improve my form and grip before going up again. I have a bad habit of increasing weight and then going too fast on the exercise. I don't want to sacrifice form to get higher numbers.0 -
Hi! You're all doing so well, and the weight increases are inspiring! I just finished WO A2, and am loving it. I upped all my weights this time--wonder if I'll be able to next time, though. They felt pretty heavy today. But the next two workouts are fewer reps, so maybe? Almost fell off the ball at the end of the second set of jacknives! Was worn out at that point.
One question before my next B workout--Deadlifts (of course): Do you put the weight all the way back down on the floor and stand up straight after each lift? Or just touch to the floor and lift again? Or put it down but stay bent over? It really isn't an intuitive motion for me (or wasn't the first day).
Thanks...
Oh! Have to share: After a many-weeks plateau, and not expecting any loss at all, I found when I weighed this morning that I'd finally dropped another 2 lbs. I was very surprised, because I figured starting this program would put off any loss for a while, but yay!0 -
@Nancy - great improvements on your weights! And defintely concentrate on getting better first! The workouts can wait.
@nelski & melaine - I'm right with you as well - did 5A this morning. Got a lower step (was using a folding chair) and it feels like it's actually working better. I was having to push off my non-working foot a bit to get myself up and today I was able to lift myself up without a push and increase my weights and it felt like I was really working my core more.
As for soreness - I really haven't been sore at all for the last few weeks, but I know I'm pushing myself because I can barely finish my sets.0 -
@Nancy - great improvements on your weights! And defintely concentrate on getting better first! The workouts can wait.
@nelski & melaine - I'm right with you as well - did 5A this morning. Got a lower step (was using a folding chair) and it feels like it's actually working better. I was having to push off my non-working foot a bit to get myself up and today I was able to lift myself up without a push and increase my weights and it felt like I was really working my core more.
As for soreness - I really haven't been sore at all for the last few weeks, but I know I'm pushing myself because I can barely finish my sets.
Yes, I can barely finish my sets too, so it seems all fine. Glad I'm not the only one, hahaha! I'm so looking forward to stage 2 though, as I'm getting a bit bored now...
We can do it! :happy:0 -
One question before my next B workout--Deadlifts (of course): Do you put the weight all the way back down on the floor and stand up straight after each lift? Or just touch to the floor and lift again? Or put it down but stay bent over? It really isn't an intuitive motion for me (or wasn't the first day).
I may still need to work on my deadlift form but I think you are supposed to put it down on the floor for a sec as you are still bent over then pick up again. I wanna think the book had said something about just tapping it down in the begging but as you start lifting more weight to put it down on the ground. I have to read it again to be sure.0
