Stage 5 Questions
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Karen--- great progress on your BWMs... I hope your shoulder is okay. I agree on you with the 1-arm snatch... it is very cool. I do get weird looks at the gym when I do it.
I went to the gym last night intending to do my "own thing"... but I went ahead and did B1 (most of it)... I lowered most of the weights though for the sake of my shoulder. I also treated it like a cardio session... no 2-min breaks... just enough to walk to the next station, towel off, sip water, then go again. There was a muscle mania class last night too - when I got to the abs part of B1, I noticed the class just started the abs section... so I quickly jumped in there to join the class. he he he... I really don't like the ab exercises in this program, so that was a welcome change AND my abs are SORE today... yay!
My gym are now distributors of Advocare... so a lot of us are in that 24-day challenge (Cleanse program)... I hope this will help my big gut! I start that on Monday... I'm excited to see my belly go down. This is in addition to the 90-day challenge body fat % loss program. Something shoud give soon, right?0 -
CPA - glad to hear you were able to do most of B1. I'm getting bored with these abs too, and excited for a change of pace in stage 6.
I was planning to do B4 today, but forgot I had a 7:45 am Dr. appt., so there was no way I could spend 90 minutes at the gym, even if I started right when they opened @ 5 am. Finishing @ 6:30 then driving home, rinsing HRM strap, mixing & drinking my protein recovery shake, then showering & leaving the house by 7:30 was just *too* tight, so I did some HIIT + steady state, and I'll go after B4 tomorrow, and then hustle to an 8 am dentist appt.0 -
Stage 5 is done! Just one more set of intervals tomorrow, but I lifted B4 today! :happy: I'll get back to lifting on Monday with Stage 6. Here are my weight results:
Workout A:
1-arm DB snatch: 27.5 lb. --> 35 lb.
1-leg DB RDL: 60 lb. --> 70 lb.
barbell bent-over row: 85 lb. --> 100 lb.
DB 1arm overhead squat: 7.5/15 lb. --> 12.5/25 lb.
DB incline bench press: 55 lb. --> 70 lb.
reverse woodchop: 35 lb. --> 35 lb.
plank: 120 sec. --> 120 sec. (improved form)
BWM: 5:37 --> 3:41
Workout B:
RDL/barbell row: 85 lb. --> 105 lb.
1-leg partial squat: 30 lb. --> 70 lb.
wide-grip lat pulldown: 105 --> 105 lb. (not sure why I couldn't increase on these)
back extension: 7.5 lb. overhead --> 12.5 lb. overhead
YTWL: 25 lb. --> 25 lb.
swiss-ball crunch: 15 lb. OH (no change), did one set with as many as 24 reps though.
prone jackknife: no change, but did most sets with increased reps
swiss-ball side crunch: no change, but did most sets with increased reps
Cobra: 120 sec. --> 120 sec. (tried to hold my shoulders up higher off the floor)
HIIT Intervals: B1 run speeds @ 6.4, 6.9, 7.3, 7.4, and 7.5 mph. B4 run speeds planned 6.7, 7.2, 7.6, 7.7, and 7.8 mph. :happy:
I'm not sure why I stalled out on reverse woodchops, lat pulldowns, and YTWL's, but I'm pretty pleased with my other gains, and thrilled that I've finished 5 of 7 stages. Since I started Stage 1 in April, here are my weight & waist stats:
Weight: 190 --> 182 lb. (8 lb. lost)
Waist: 40" --> 37" (3" lost!!! With only 8 lb. on the scale! THAT's why NROLFW rocks!!!)
I had my 6-mo. dental cleaning this morning, and the first thing the receptionist said to me was "Wow! You've gotten smaller!" I was beaming, because the scale movement is so slow, that I'm not getting a lot of that reaction from people who see me every day (which is fine by me!), but it was nice to hear that my efforts are noticeably paying off.
On Friday, I'm going to a family wedding in N. Carolina & I'll see people I haven't seen since March, and I wonder if they'll have the same reaction?0 -
Woo hoo... great work, Karen! Awesome NSV too. I'm so jealous that you are moving on to S6.... I'm three weeks behind schedule... oh well
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Wow—some very impressive stats being posted here! Congrats ladies! Nice work Karen!
I’m halfway through Stage 5 now and, like some of the previous stages, I’m making modifications given that I work out in my basement that has low ceilings. OK, fine, I’ll come clean—in all of the stages I have kept the same structure as Stage 1 for the first sets: Workout A is always squats and Workout B is always deadlifts. What can I say? I love squats and deadlifts and they are making my body look amazing! And I hate following rules, always have!
So now that I have confessed, I’ll also complain just a teensy tiny bit! OMG the Stage 5 workouts take soooo long! The author clearly does not work a 10-hour day + commute, then workout, and then make dinner!! Thank goodness for my home gym and my crockpot or I might have given up on this craziness! (Of course, if I were less competitive I could always do 3 sets instead of 4, but that’s apparently not an option for me!).
OK, now for the positive stuff! I’ve hit my goal weight (yay!), bought some great new jeans, was really happy with how I looked in the photos from my wedding reception last month (I haven’t looked like this since my teens), and I consistently lift more than my own bodyweight in every workout! I feel fantastic and I love getting stronger, leaner and healthier. One of these days, I’ll update my profile and maybe even post some before and after/in-progress pictures!0 -
A2 done... only 3 sets of each... only 60 sec for planks and I could only manage 1 set of BWM (2:01.1)...rushing... it was already 8p and I had to pick up my girls from the daycare... grrrr.... It was a good workout though (1hr 20 min). On a good note, my shoulder did not bother me at all last night or this morning. So it looks like the rest/break helped. I also managed to bench press 2x25... it was still a struggle, but at least I didn't drop them this time :blushing:
Hi Whiskey.... congratulations on meeting your goal weight. And I know exactly what you mean by long S5 workouts. I hear S6 and S7 are shorter.0 -
I just started today. I really tried to increase my weights since you only do 4 reps, but I was a little scared. I pulled my hamstring during this phase earlier in the book. I made sure that I did a really good warm up and cool down.
I couldn't imagine resting for 120 seconds. It felt like forever so I rested for 60-90 seconds. I still hate the body weight matrix.
Does anyone else speed up the resting in between sets?0 -
Does anyone else speed up the resting in between sets?
Yes... I feel silly just standing there when I'm clearly fully "recovered" and ready for the next set. Last night I only rested 60-75 sec.0 -
B2 check! (Friday)
A3 check! (Last night) Personal best on BWM... 1:53.8 (2nd set!)..... promptly collapsed on my mat after it.
...looks like I'm sticking with this stage after all! :laugh:0 -
Awesome job Michelle!!! :happy:
I never shortened the rests b/c I asked Alwyn Cosgrove on his FB page once why the rests were so long, and his answer was basically "if you don't need the rest set in the schedule, then you could probably do the lifts with heavier weight" so I tried it, and he was pretty much right. I could definitely push myself to lift heavier when I took the full rest.0 -
Thanks Karen... that's a good point on the rest periods.... Natini: I'm also nursing an injured shoulder, so I'm not pushing the weights too much... just enough to be heavy, but I try not to overexert... is that a word?
Hopefully I'll make it to the gym tonight for B3. Those single leg Romanian DLs are working... my hammies and glutes are super sore.... it hurts to sneeze....
time to schedule a massage....0 -
B3 check! I was press for time... so I only did 3 sets each... and of course I did my own thing for Abs
2 more to go....0 -
A4 done! B4 tonight hopefully (my allergies are going nuts today and I just want to go back to sleep!)0
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Stage 5 Workout 5 sucks!!! So boring. That is all.0
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Bax,
I agree it is not exciting since it is a repeat of stage 3. I am glad that I have seen an increase in strength and lower time on the BWM. Looking forward to being done with it. I've done 2 workouts of A and 1 of B. Almost 1/2 way done. :happy:0 -
Ugh. Stage 3 is my least fav and now I have to repeat it! I agree, very boring.
Hoping to start this week if I can get a minute to go join the new gym.
RCB, that's great that you're seeing increases in strength. Makes it easier to stay motivated.0 -
Completed 1/2 A2 today as I have a soccer game tonight, will finish tomorrow. I like this workout alot. The snatches and the one leg deadlifts are killer. It took almost a week for the DOMS to go away on my hamstrings after the last A workout. I wish I could skip B alltogether. I feel like it does nothing. The whole abs workout at the end I have completly rearranged to make me feel like IM doing something. Situps (from a decline) with a 10 lb plate, will probably go up next workout out, Reverse crunches bring my feet straight down but never touching the ground, then what I call standing side crunches holding a 40lb kettlebell. How is everyone else doing?
Oh I love the BWM I take a foam roller to my quads in between sets, that helps ALOT!!!0 -
I'm hoping to start Stage 5 this week, too! I've had a bit of delay finishing up with 4 (just one workout left!), so hopefully by the weekend I'll be ready to go :-)
There were several things I quite liked about Stage 3, so I'm not exactly sorry to see them returning. Except BWM.... that just might do me in!0 -
I have 3 workouts left on stage 5. Will be done on Monday before Thanksgiving. I certainly will be thankful to be done with stage 5. I had to do the BWM first the other day because my son and his friends were using the weights doing STRONGLIFTS 5X5. It was weird to be done with the workout and no BWM afterward. I did feel more sore that day. I wonder if it is because the BWM is usually last and I feel looser then.
I am curious if anyone is skipping stage 6 and going straight to 7. I would like to know. I am torn. :glasses:0 -
Im going to be doing stage 6, because who doesnt want to do a pullup!? Also Im sure it works on strength to some extent. Can't wait to see if I actually can pull off a pullup by the end.0
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Anyone else in Stage 5 or am I seemingly all by myself here too?0
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I have one more workout, Stage 5 Workout B tomorrow!0
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Well, best wishes to you, Bax!!0
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Nthn, I will check the boards on a regular basis if you have any questions or thoughts as you kick Stage 5's butt!
- JoAnna0 -
Finally Finished! Stats of the excercises I did from start to finish and didn't modify to my needs.
Work Out A
One Arm DB Snatch 40lb-45lb
DB single leg DL 30lb in each hand - 45lb in each hand
BB bent over row 75lbs-100lbs
DB single arm over head squat 8lb/15lb - 12lb/20lb
DB incline bench press 25lb-32.5lb in each hand
Reverse Wood Chop 6plates-6.5 plates
BWM Worst Time 2:18 best time 1:17
Work Out B
BB Romanian DL W/ Row 85lb-95lb
Partial Single Leg Squat 20lb in each hand-35lb in each hand
Wide Grip Lat 87.5 lbs - 94.75 lbs
Back Extension 35lb plate - 50 lb kettlebell
YTWL 12 lbs
Keep rocking it ladies!0 -
You're not alone, Nthn!
Awesome stats, Bax! Good luck in Stage 6(or 7- whichever you are doing).
Finally got my first Stage 5 workout in today. I haven't officially lifted in a month. I was pleasantly surprised that I only had to go down in wts on the bench press (go figure!). Planks were horrible, though. Oh, and thanks to my kids screaming, I wasn't able to do the BWM.0 -
Hey Cowgirl! Glad to know Im not alone. Although now that Im reading you missed a month of lifting Im feeling guilty for being upset that Im missing the gym this morning. LOL! My eldest (4) came down with a stomach bug this morning, so no preschool. Hopefully Ill be able to run off to the gym as soon as my hubby gets home. I hate falling behind!0
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Just wrapped up Stage 4 today. Will start Stage 5 this weekend. Glad to see there's a couple people here.0
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I did some rearranging of stage 5 thanks to my wrist (de Quervains and scaphoid-lunate ligament issues). I ditched the regular BB row on workout A in favor of a Pendlay row and switched the Romanian Deadlift w/ Bent Over Row for just a plain old Deadlift. Its the row that keeps aggravating my wrist. Anywho...
I deadlifted 150lbs today!!! Thats 6lbs less than I weigh. Next time, Im going for 155!0 -
Ebaymommy, glad to see we have one more person here!
Nthn, I've missed so much with sick kids and moving these past few months. Just trying to get back in the swing of things. Way to go on the DLs! That's some serious weight.
I pulled my trap yesterday doing 1B. I've done this a lot on the pull-downs so I MUST be doing something wrong. It feels a little better today. Other than that, I had a great workout. I'm feeling more motivated now that I've finally started Stage 5. Hope I can keep up this momentum. Does anyone else feel like the overhead squat is just really awkward? It really hurts in my lower back when I do it. I'm wondering if I should do something else, but I think it may be a range of motion or nerve issue because it's only on my right side.0
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