NROLFW or Starting Strength?

qtiekiki

Which book do you prefer? and why?

Thanks.

UponThisRock

Starting Strength is far superior. NROLFW is decent for the beginner's faze, but gets into a lot of silly stuff when you get past that.

Stronglifts 5x5 is another good option.

Rae6503

New Rules for Women caters directly to women which is nice. It addresses all of the silly hang ups women have in regards to strength training. BUT the program contains a lot of strange complicated moves once you get past phase 1. I didn't like that. Also, the nutrition section is full of a lot of nonsense (like protein based on percentage of diet, not total grams, and eating 6 times a day).

I've never read Starting Strength but have heard good things about it. I've been doing Strong Lifts 5x5 which I think is pretty similar. I love the simple, basic compound lifts. And I don't think either program really covers anything about nutrition.

docktorfokse

I feel like if it has to include "For Women" in the title, it will distract itself from the point of the book, which is teaching you how to start lifting.

MaryDreamer

Never heard of Starting Strength gonna reserch it thanks. Already read NROLFW and enjoyed the nutritional information the most. That you can eat more calories and still lose weight as long as you stay within your macros. The formula is in the book to determine the amount of calories for you.

_HeathBar_

NROLFW was a good read, but the actual workout program seemed over complicated.

I'd go with Starting Strength or Stronglifts, they focus on the basic lifts and it's so easy to follow

erickirb

I feel like if it has to include "For Women" in the title, it will distract itself from the point of the book, which is teaching you how to start lifting.

The book's subtitle is "Lift Like a Man"

Both are good, I would lean towards SS, but maybe add in deadlifts over the cleans.

ATLMel

BUT the program contains a lot of strange complicated moves once you get past phase 1.

I noticed this. I'm ending Phase 1 now and intend to make some modifications to the next phase. I will credit them for getting me to get educated about strength training though! It's awesome for reforming cardio junkies.

kaleas

BUT the program contains a lot of strange complicated moves once you get past phase 1.

I noticed this. I'm ending Phase 1 now and intend to make some modifications to the next phase. I will credit them for getting me to get educated about strength training though! It's awesome for reforming cardio junkies.

That's my biggest problem as well now that I'm past Phase 1. I feel like i'm doing crazy yoga acrobatic weight lifting moves that are over complicated, and with just a picture and a description, it's hard to even know what I'm supposed to do. I've ended up modifying and picking and choosing the moves I can do for my own lifting workout.

qtiekiki

Thanks. I think I will look into SS and Stronglift 5x5.

MissTattoo

I just ordered this book to come to our local Barnes and Noble. (NROLFW) Should I skip it and read SS instead? I'm a beginner!

Pokermom10

I just ordered this book to come to our local Barnes and Noble. (NROLFW) Should I skip it and read SS instead? I'm a beginner!

I would at least read it. It does have good information. For an absolute beginner though, I would start the moves using just your body weight until you know you have the form OR take the book with you to a personal trainer so they can make sure you're doing them right.

stephl81

Im starting phase 3 today on NROLFW and yes the moves are complicated but after a couple of times, you get them. It really has forced me to push my limits with weight lifting and not be afraid of the squat rack where all the meat heads tend ot have their meat head meetings. Also, it doesnt make me fear calories as I once did. That calories (the proper kind) are good for building muscle. So take that MFP for setting my calorie limit for 1690 and now I can eat around 2000 and be comfortable and happy.

Im not familiar with the other two.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I'm a big fan of NROL4W, I've just completed the 7th stage. Even though I've worked with trainers, this helped me bedome independent in the weightroom and more confident. I didn't find the moves to be complicated, but again working with the trainers I worked with I'd performed most of them before. I haven't read SS, but found great benefit with NR. I'll probably do 5x5's for a little while, but chances are I'll return to NR for another round.

taso42

SS will give you the most solid, detailed foundation and understanding. SL 5x5 is like a cliff's notes version.

brismom070897

bump

badgerbadger1

New Rules for Women caters directly to women which is nice. It addresses all of the silly hang ups women have in regards to strength training. BUT the program contains a lot of strange complicated moves once you get past phase 1. I didn't like that. Also, the nutrition section is full of a lot of nonsense (like protein based on percentage of diet, not total grams, and eating 6 times a day).

I've never read Starting Strength but have heard good things about it. I've been doing Strong Lifts 5x5 which I think is pretty similar. I love the simple, basic compound lifts. And I don't think either program really covers anything about nutrition.

This x 11ty billion.

verdammtwenig

Bought starting strength a few months ago. Tried reading it for about a week, and there's a lot of stuff in the first chapter alone that I really couldn't wrap my head around. I don't know much of anything about the anatomy of the human body, and it wasn't very good at explaining it, in my opinion.

Edit: Also, I'm not stupid. I think if I spent time on wikipedia, I could get a better understanding of what the book is talking about, but it's rather annoying, as a beginner, to have to sit with the book on wikipedia and figure out what the hell he's talking about.

LauraSmyth28

I've just stumbled on this thread about 10 minutes AFTER I ordered NROLFW.

Of *course* I did. :embarassed:

JohnnytheGeek

There's also a Startng Strength DVD that's very good, although some of teaching methods, especially the press, have changed a little in the book's 3rd edition. This can help get around studying the details in the book, although I'd recommend both. For me, I've enjoyed learning the anatomy details in the book.

I've paged through the NROLFW book to see if it would be something my wife would be interested in and there's relatively little details on form. I would get starting strength regardless if you plan on following NROLFW. If you have a Kindle, it's $9.99. It is a great reference for lift form for the major compound lifts and WHY the prescribed form is necessary. For example, 40+ pages just on the squat.

Now as far as programming goes, the starting strength approach is for the beginner to exploit the "novice effect" to gain as much strength as possible in the shortest amount of time by adding weight each session. To be successful, you have to EAT and SLEEP and not get freaked out about weight gain. There's great support on the Starting Strength web site and forum.

JNick77

Which book do you prefer? and why?

Thanks.

Starting Strength for sure. You don't need a "woman" specific book. A man's hamstring works the same way of female's hamstring works and so on.

erickirb

Which book do you prefer? and why?

Thanks.

Starting Strength for sure. You don't need a "woman" specific book. A man's hamstring works the same way of female's hamstring works and so on.

The Point of New Rules of Lifting for Women is for them to get rid of the misconception, and to lift like a man, the subtitle of the book is lift like a man, so the full title is
"New Rules of Lifting for Women
Lift Like a Man"

AlsDonkBoxSquat

Which book do you prefer? and why?

Thanks.

Starting Strength for sure. You don't need a "woman" specific book. A man's hamstring works the same way of female's hamstring works and so on.

This is the whole premise behind "new rules of lifting for women: lift like a man look like a goddess." the whole point is to debunk that there are anatomical differences between men and women and the whole old school theories on how women should lift.

amgilman87

bump

BADGIRLstl

I'm reading The Femaile Body Breakthrough - The revolutionary strength-training plan for losing fat and getting the Body you want by Rachel Cosgrove. I loooooooooooove it.

BADGIRLstl

Bought starting strength a few months ago. Tried reading it for about a week, and there's a lot of stuff in the first chapter alone that I really couldn't wrap my head around. I don't know much of anything about the anatomy of the human body, and it wasn't very good at explaining it, in my opinion.

Edit: Also, I'm not stupid. I think if I spent time on wikipedia, I could get a better understanding of what the book is talking about, but it's rather annoying, as a beginner, to have to sit with the book on wikipedia and figure out what the hell he's talking about.

Reat the Femail Body Breakthrough. Its so simple. Provide before and after pix of women and tells their story, give you a grocery shopping list, suggest how to pair foods, when and when not to eat carbs and the right carbs, and give different phases of a workout regimen and sample menus for each stage to keep your body changing so you can be fit!

Nopedotjpeg

I have not gotten my hands on the "For Women" book, but I doubt it's a lot different than the NROL book. Which to me is just not as well put together as Starting Strength. I do not know a ton about Lou Schuler, but I do know that Rippetoe has a pretty tremendous background in strength training, and strength training novices as well.

In Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training 3rd Edition, he gives a very specific breakdown of the exercises being used and why they're being used. Given, I do kind of only skim through the technical parts of it (talking about moment arms or something like that). Not to mention, the program isn't overcomplicated. There's not a ton of phases or burdensome "Fat Loss program" or "Hypertrophy program." You squat, bench, press, and deadlift. You eventually add in a second kind of pull (Power Cleans for the Starting Strength program; or Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups for the Practical Programming routine, but that's from a different book).

Also, not sure about how the illustrations are for the women's book, but the NROL book has some terrible ones in my opinion. It's adds nothing to the text that you couldn't find from a Google search of an exercise. Meanwhile, Starting Strength 3rd Edition has many detailed illustrations and multiple pictures of the full range of motion of the exercises.

One thing that I can understand about some women not liking SS is that the book tends to be geared towards skinny guys looking to get big and strong. However, I'm obese and using it. You just skip over small amount of stuff talking about GOMAD (Gallon of Milk A Day) and the like.

nz_deevaa

BUT the program contains a lot of strange complicated moves once you get past phase 1.

I noticed this. I'm ending Phase 1 now and intend to make some modifications to the next phase. I will credit them for getting me to get educated about strength training though! It's awesome for reforming cardio junkies.

That's my biggest problem as well now that I'm past Phase 1. I feel like i'm doing crazy yoga acrobatic weight lifting moves that are over complicated, and with just a picture and a description, it's hard to even know what I'm supposed to do. I've ended up modifying and picking and choosing the moves I can do for my own lifting workout.

I have a knee injury so I can't do some of the more complicated stuff. I moved on to StrongLifts, which basically has 5 different lifts.

I liked NROLFW, and it did get me started with lifting, but I agree with the above posts.

Nopedotjpeg

What kind of complicated lifts are they btw?