Stage 1
Replies
-
Yes! I was able to add 10 lbs. to my squats...95 lbs.! Today was my 8A workout and I've gone from
45 lb. Oly bar > 95 lbs. - Squats
30 degree > floor - push-ups
40 lbs. > 80 lbs. - Seated row
15 lb. db > 30 lb. db - Step ups
8 > 15 - Prone jacknife
I'm STOKED! :bigsmile:0 -
Phoenix - fantastic progress!!!0
-
Just finished 1b. I'm still feeling majorily guilty about leaving the gym in such a short time (I know the workouts get harder so I'm being patient) but I know I'm going to add some serious soreness to the soreness I already had (not too bad)! I was praying to baby Jesus like whoa during the lunges -- and they were only with 5lb dumbells. Lots of room to go up on those.
I did 60lbs on the deadlifts and I'm so glad I didn't start out with more. I haven't done deadlifts in a long time and I wanted to be able to watch the natural form I wanted to take vs correct form and I'm not sure I would've done too hot with any extra weight. But it felt great! 15 at 60 was just about right for today.0 -
Thanks, Jen! I'm looking forward to my last workout on Monday. My goal is to hit 105 lbs. on my deadlifts. I will be so ready for a rest after I'm done with Stage 1! :happy:
JNH - I'm just going to have to follow your lead and pray to baby Jesus to help me with those deadlifts! As for the lunges, as much as I hate doing them, I actually did pretty well and I'm sure you will, too.
0 -
Thanks, Jen! I'm looking forward to my last workout on Monday. My goal is to hit 105 lbs. on my deadlifts. I will be so ready for a rest after I'm done with Stage 1! :happy:
JNH - I'm just going to have to follow your lead and pray to baby Jesus to help me with those deadlifts! As for the lunges, as much as I hate doing them, I actually did pretty well and I'm sure you will, too.
What weight did you start with for deadlifts?0 -
JNH, I felt guilty leaving early as well. Tomorrow when I do 6A I will be there longer. I noticed with workout 5 I was there 15 or so minutes longer. My thoughts : as I increase weights , the harder it is for me to pull/push/lift. In turn, that increases time plus adding additional reps.0
-
Hi everyone! Still hanging with y'all. Finished A5 today. Wow! 3 sets is a lot more challenging than 2. I did not increase my weights as I wanted to make sure I would get through all 3 sets.
I will be going on vacation next week, which will disrupt my schedule unless I can find a gym. Plan on doing B5 Monday, then starting back on A6 the Thursday following. I sure hope that doesn't mess me up.0 -
Thanks, Jen! I'm looking forward to my last workout on Monday. My goal is to hit 105 lbs. on my deadlifts. I will be so ready for a rest after I'm done with Stage 1! :happy:
JNH - I'm just going to have to follow your lead and pray to baby Jesus to help me with those deadlifts! As for the lunges, as much as I hate doing them, I actually did pretty well and I'm sure you will, too.
What weight did you start with for deadlifts?
I started my deadlifts with the 45 lb. Oly bar.0 -
Hi! I've restarted NROLW after a long hiatus, and am redoing all of stage1. Second workout today, and I was very sore from 1A still. Ow! But, it makes me glad I decided to be patient and start from the beginning again.0
-
Hi Ladies,
OK, so I guess I have been overtraining. There's nothing else that explains it. I guess I have been pushing it by lifting 3 x week in addition to teaching my spin classes. I do really get why the book says not to do more than 20 min cardio on off days.
So . . . since I have to teach the spin classes, I decided to take a 4 day break until my next class on Tuesday. So, no lifting Saturday or Monday. I also took today off from paddleboarding again.
Stopped in at the chiropractor and the kinesiologist said my adrenals were shot, and this does not surprise me with all the stress we have endured with our drug-addicted niece who had been living with us until her most recent heroin binge last month ... gah.
Anyway, I have 3 workouts left of stage 1, so that will be next Wed, Sat, and the following Monday, the 30th. Then I will take an entire week off (yes!), and get back outside paddling and cycling (gently) before resuming with stronglifts 5 x 5.
I've decided I want to stick with the compound moves instead of increasing the workout time with more split workkouts.
It is still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that 3 hours lifting + 3 hours cardio is kicking my *kitten* when I used to push 13.5 hours/week cardio with ease. Ahhhhhhh well.
Thanks all for your advice and encouragement 0 -
Sleepytexan--sounds like a wise plan. I hope the rest works wonders for you. And that things stabilize with your niece--that's a rough situation. Good luck!0
-
6A completed. I increased some weights AND lowered the incline for my push-ups! I don't think I will be on the floor by the end of this stage . baby steps
squats 45
push-ups lowered incline
seated row 72lbs>84lbs
step ups 15 lbs each hand > 17.5 lbs each hand
jackknife went from NO problems last time to problems today. Last set I could only complete 7. My lower abs felt like it was tearing!
I should be back on MWF schedule next week. I hope so. I like have Sat & Sun off.0 -
Did 2A today and felt so good about it that I wanted to share!
Squats: 65 lbs
push-ups: 3rd peg from the bottom on Smith machine
seated row: 50 lbs
Step ups: 15 lb dumbells and step up to bench height
jackknife: one set jackknife like they show in the book, one set jackknife pikes (ouch!!)
I KNOW I am going to be sore tomorrow, but I LOVE how strong I feel!
Plus, the really motivating factor:
In the week since starting NROLFW I went from 174 to 169 (I'm 5'11), while eating 1800 - 2100 calories each day. Granted, I was not eating well the week before starting, but it is really exciting to see the scale go down so quickly!0 -
Finished 8A tonight....waited too long to workout (hubby was doing StrongLifts first and took for-freakin-ever) so I don't think I had as much power as I normally would. But here are my "final" numbers I guess....(debating if I want to do another week of level 8s since I don't plan to do AMRAPS):
Squat -
started at 45 lbs (BB)
finished at 100 lbs
Push-ups -
Started at a very high peg off the smith machine (I think it was 13 holes up, LOL)
Finished at....wait for it, wait for it....last set of 8 ALL ON MY TOES! (Didn't think I was going to see that this stage!)
Seated row -
Started at 40 lbs + bar (my bar is almost 7 lbs)
Finished at 95 + bar
Step-ups -
Started at holding 10 lb DBs each hand on a step with all platforms
Finished at holding OlyBB with 10 lbs for a total of 55 lbs on step (and stoopid me just realized I could do the BB with more weights instead of DBs so I imagine I may have been able to tolerate more weight so this is not very impressive to me now, LOL)
Prone jackknife -
Started at falling off the ball my first set of 8 and being super sore the next day, hah!
Finished at doing it as directed and feeling strong through each set of 15 I'd do! Love these!! One of my fave ab exercises now.0 -
Great progress everyone!
I did 7A today, and I'm up to 100# on my squats and all 3 sets of 8 push-ups on my toes. That's the biggest accomplishment of all, to me--I didn't think I'd get there this stage, either. So three more regular workouts, then to decide if I do two more 8s or AMRAPs (I'm thinking two 8s).
I go to see my orthopedist tomorrow--I had an MRI on my right foot last week (it's been hurting for about a year...) and I have bone inflammation in the ball of my foot. He may want me to wear a cast-boot for a while. Ugh. I'm definitely finishing this stage, boot or no boot. And then I'll see--may have to take a break, modify the program, or switch to StrongLifts 5x5, which doesn't have foot-bending/stepping exercises.0 -
Hi everyone...
I started workouts A1 and B1 over the weekend (Fri/Sun). My initial reaction was "that was quick" because I finished in less than 30 minutes. Normally when I go to my "weights" part of my workout, I'm at the gym for at least an hour (because I'm doing so many different lifts). But after reading everyone's posts here, I think I didn't put enough weights??? Even though I put at least 5 lbs heavier than what I would have been comfortable with. They were difficult and I was sweating, but I don't know if I'm doing this right.
What were your starting weights?
This is what I did:
Squats - I did this on that machine with 35 lbs on each side (is that 70 then?)
Seated Row - 40lbs
Push-ups - on the bench (I'll try to just suck it up and go to the floor next time)
Step up - 15 lbs (step class bench - not sure how high it was)
Prone jackknife - who invented that???
Deadlift - 30 lbs (normally would only do 20). I'm too scared to pick up the 45 bar...
Shoulder Press - 12lbs ( normally 8)
Lat pull down - 35 lbs
Lunge - 20 lbs (this was hard... I thought my left knee was going to give out)
Swiss ball crunch (25 lb plate) - I actually did 20 each set b/c I didn't look at my notes and assumed 15, but it took forever to get the ball in the right position, so I just kept going...
In the book it also mentions AMRAPs --- is that at the end of every workout or after workout 8?
Thanks all
Newbie 0 -
It took a week to recover from1A!!! But I'm alive again and no longer having difficulty walking! :drinker: So, tonight I'm going to Zumba because I couldn't move last week and missed it. (Plus if I lift on Tuesday and can't walk, I'll miss Zumba on Wednesday and that would suck again... :grumble: ). So, I gained like 3 pounds of water weight after 1A. But got back down to 219 while recovering (started at 218.6). So I'm hoping one day of Zumba and 2 lift days this week will help that pesky scale go down. :glasses:0
-
Hi everyone...
I started workouts A1 and B1 over the weekend (Fri/Sun). My initial reaction was "that was quick" because I finished in less than 30 minutes. Normally when I go to my "weights" part of my workout, I'm at the gym for at least an hour (because I'm doing so many different lifts). But after reading everyone's posts here, I think I didn't put enough weights??? Even though I put at least 5 lbs heavier than what I would have been comfortable with. They were difficult and I was sweating, but I don't know if I'm doing this right.
What were your starting weights?
This is what I did:
Squats - I did this on that machine with 35 lbs on each side (is that 70 then?)
Seated Row - 40lbs
Push-ups - on the bench (I'll try to just suck it up and go to the floor next time)
Step up - 15 lbs (step class bench - not sure how high it was)
Prone jackknife - who invented that???
Deadlift - 30 lbs (normally would only do 20). I'm too scared to pick up the 45 bar...
Shoulder Press - 12lbs ( normally 8)
Lat pull down - 35 lbs
Lunge - 20 lbs (this was hard... I thought my left knee was going to give out)
Swiss ball crunch (25 lb plate) - I actually did 20 each set b/c I didn't look at my notes and assumed 15, but it took forever to get the ball in the right position, so I just kept going...
In the book it also mentions AMRAPs --- is that at the end of every workout or after workout 8?
Thanks all
Newbie
H and welcome, Cpa.
I don't have all your answers because I am learning too.
I think your weights are good. Easier than some of mine and harder on the others. I think you must do what you are comfortable with. I don't have my log in book next to me , but I will say tentatively:
the deadlifts I was at 60
seated row at 60
lat pull down 48
squats 40
step ups 8
pushups 45 degree angle
lunges 10
AMRAP : as far as I know it is only after stage 1. (Just to prove to you how little you were lifting)0 -
Today's workout went pretty well. I finished 6B. I wasn't sure how it would go on the deadlifts since I am going free weight only, and I wasn't able to squat the Olympic bar. But I was able to deadlift it (I do Romanian deadlifts) just fine.
I did:
Romanian deadlift-- 45, 55, 55
Shoulder Press-- 15db all three sets
Lat pull down-- 40, 50, 55
Lunges-- 10db all sets (only did two sets. The allergy med I took is seriously starting to mess with me)
Crunches on ball-- 10lb plate all three sets0 -
Today I did 3B...
Deadlifts -65 2 sets
Shoulder press -10 DBs 2 sets
Lat pull down - 40 2 sets
Lunges - 10 kettlebells 2 sets. These still kick my *kitten*
Swiss ball crunches - held a 10 kettlebell on my chest for 2 sets of 12
Slow improvements and my form is getting better!0 -
Done with Stage 1! :bigsmile:
My progress went from
45 lbs > 105 lbs Deadlifts
15 lb db > 20 lb db DB Shoulder Presses (just could not manage to progress too much :frown: )
40 lbs > 70 lbs Wide-grip lat pulldown
15 lb db > 30 lb db Lunges
Finished up Swiss ball crunches with an overhead 20 lb. weight.
I'm pretty pleased with myself and will take measurements tomorrow morning to see how that progressed. I won't be doing AMRAP, so I'll start Stage 2 on Monday. I'm looking forward to it!:happy:0 -
Hi everyone...
I started workouts A1 and B1 over the weekend (Fri/Sun). My initial reaction was "that was quick" because I finished in less than 30 minutes. Normally when I go to my "weights" part of my workout, I'm at the gym for at least an hour (because I'm doing so many different lifts). But after reading everyone's posts here, I think I didn't put enough weights??? Even though I put at least 5 lbs heavier than what I would have been comfortable with. They were difficult and I was sweating, but I don't know if I'm doing this right.
What were your starting weights?
This is what I did:
Squats - I did this on that machine with 35 lbs on each side (is that 70 then?)
Seated Row - 40lbs
Push-ups - on the bench (I'll try to just suck it up and go to the floor next time)
Step up - 15 lbs (step class bench - not sure how high it was)
Prone jackknife - who invented that???
Deadlift - 30 lbs (normally would only do 20). I'm too scared to pick up the 45 bar...
Shoulder Press - 12lbs ( normally 8)
Lat pull down - 35 lbs
Lunge - 20 lbs (this was hard... I thought my left knee was going to give out)
Swiss ball crunch (25 lb plate) - I actually did 20 each set b/c I didn't look at my notes and assumed 15, but it took forever to get the ball in the right position, so I just kept going...
In the book it also mentions AMRAPs --- is that at the end of every workout or after workout 8?
Thanks all
Newbie
I started today! Here is what I did.
Squats - 35 lbs for total of 70 (my gym only has a smith press)
Seated Row - 75 lbs
Push-ups - I did modified with knees
Step up - I had 2 blocks under each side of the step and did 25 lb db in each hand.
Prone jackknife - who invented that??? <--- agreed.
I had the same feeling as you. I felt like I hadn't really completed a workout. I will be singing a different tune tomorrow.0 -
Today was not a good day. My body would NOT cooperate. I feel like the workout was useless.
6B
dead lifts killed me to do 80lb but I made it all 3 sets.
Shoulder dumbbell presses 8lbs!!! :happy: Slowly but surely working on that right shoulder.
lat wide grip 72lbs and had to decrease to 60 on the last 1 1/2 set.
lunges 12.5 pounds . next round I'll increase to 15.
Crunches-- I could NOT do. I had severe pain in the lower left quadrant of the abdomen. Every time I pulled myself up it felt like I was tearing the muscle apart. I completed one set, and realized if I didn't want to further injure myself I better stop.0 -
Hi everyone...
I started workouts A1 and B1 over the weekend (Fri/Sun). My initial reaction was "that was quick" because I finished in less than 30 minutes. Normally when I go to my "weights" part of my workout, I'm at the gym for at least an hour (because I'm doing so many different lifts). But after reading everyone's posts here, I think I didn't put enough weights??? Even though I put at least 5 lbs heavier than what I would have been comfortable with. They were difficult and I was sweating, but I don't know if I'm doing this right.
What were your starting weights?
This is what I did:
Squats - I did this on that machine with 35 lbs on each side (is that 70 then?)
Seated Row - 40lbs
Push-ups - on the bench (I'll try to just suck it up and go to the floor next time)
Step up - 15 lbs (step class bench - not sure how high it was)
Prone jackknife - who invented that???
Deadlift - 30 lbs (normally would only do 20). I'm too scared to pick up the 45 bar...
Shoulder Press - 12lbs ( normally 8)
Lat pull down - 35 lbs
Lunge - 20 lbs (this was hard... I thought my left knee was going to give out)
Swiss ball crunch (25 lb plate) - I actually did 20 each set b/c I didn't look at my notes and assumed 15, but it took forever to get the ball in the right position, so I just kept going...
In the book it also mentions AMRAPs --- is that at the end of every workout or after workout 8?
Thanks all
Newbie
I also started last week (and am also an accountant). I finished 2a today and like you, I walk out feeling like I haven't done enough. I just keep telling myself this is a mental hurdle to get over and a lot of the stuff I normally do was basically wasting time. I felt like I was at the right weight -- those last few reps were HARD.
I do a lot less than you guys on step ups and lunges. I've only got 5lb weights (each hand) for both and I'm struggling at the end! How high are you guys stepping? It actually is a good thing for me b/c I have a long way to go (and have lost SO much strength).0 -
I started today! Here is what I did.
Squats - 35 lbs for total of 70 (my gym only has a smith press)
Seated Row - 75 lbs
Push-ups - I did modified with knees
Step up - I had 2 blocks under each side of the step and did 25 lb db in each hand.
Prone jackknife - who invented that??? <--- agreed.
I had the same feeling as you. I felt like I hadn't really completed a workout. I will be singing a different tune tomorrow.
Thanks! I definitely need to up the weights after seeing yours.... LOL... Today is a rest day for me... so I'm back to workout A tomorrow.0 -
I also started last week (and am also an accountant). I finished 2a today and like you, I walk out feeling like I haven't done enough. I just keep telling myself this is a mental hurdle to get over and a lot of the stuff I normally do was basically wasting time. I felt like I was at the right weight -- those last few reps were HARD.
I do a lot less than you guys on step ups and lunges. I've only got 5lb weights (each hand) for both and I'm struggling at the end! How high are you guys stepping? It actually is a good thing for me b/c I have a long way to go (and have lost SO much strength).
I'm so glad that it's not just me. I have concerns about lifting really heavy weights and hurting myself - so I started out going "just a little more"... but maybe not the right way to go. Except for the lunges and the prone jackknives - I didn't really struggle. (LOL.... I'm so used to my comfort zone... now I'm looking for challenge... weird...)0 -
I have finished stage 1. I am going to take measurements tomorrow morning, and in the evening I will do both AMRAPs to see how much I have improved and I KNOW it has been SO much. My guy says he thinks my thighs are smaller, and since I am a pear - that would be fabulous if my trouble area has shown any movement. we will see with the measurements. 0
-
I have finished stage 1. I am going to take measurements tomorrow morning, and in the evening I will do both AMRAPs to see how much I have improved and I KNOW it has been SO much. My guy says he thinks my thighs are smaller, and since I am a pear - that would be fabulous if my trouble area has shown any movement. we will see with the measurements.
I'll be interested to see! I only took thigh and waste measurements when I started (and I picture). Did you workout before you started the program?0 -
Yes I have been using mfp and working out since December 2010. I lost 25 lbs in the first 6 months, gained about 10 back, then have hovered around that for the past 3-4 months. I am still in my size 4-6 pants even though I am 5'4" and 150ish, which is crazy because when I was a kid at that weight I was wearing 16s.0
-
OK... I have another question...
Is there something wrong with using the smith machine to do the squats? I've been on two separate threads and some posters have very negative comments to say about the machine. Thoughts anyone?0
This discussion has been closed.