Survey: How many cals do you eat per day?
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SL 5x5 (and starting strength which is the program its more or less based on) is more about strength gains. For me personally I find it more motivating to make strength gains since I don't see big changes in my inches lost or weight anymore - it gives me something to focus on. (also the alternating sets of exercises are hell to do in my gym where the weight room is always quite busy) But that doesn't make it a better program, just different strokes for different folks. I would probably recommend people try NROL first, or at least look at it. Especially if they are at a less equipped gym or have a home gym where they can move between equipment easily without someone snagging their spot. I actually did try it on my husband first but for whatever reason, it didn't' take with him. (I didn't do it because like I said, crunches - and pushups, gag - , but I did have 4-5 months of personal training before I started SL which was more circuit training and I did the crunches then because a trainer made me. I felt like I stopped making as much progress around then and switched over).
so, wait a minute, now I am confused. Is this not a good program to help me build muscle? Is that what you mean by strength gains?? I need to lose fat and gain muscle and look less jiggly. I want definition in my arms and legs and abs. SO is this the right program for me?? I have NROFW but its so complicated, I really do not enjoy lifting, but with SL its so simple, I dont mind it, but is is the right one for me???0 -
It will help you build muscle but not as much as an actual bodybuilding program would (which NROL is not either, for the record).
But I mean, you're talking about something like:
80 units of muscle (made up amount) for SL
vs
120 units of muscle (for a body building program)
vs
ZERO units of muscle because you tried the bodybuilding program, hated it, and didn't do it.
80 is much better than zero.
A body building program usually is 4-5 days a week with longer rest times between various muscle groups with the idea that muscle is built by putting tiny tears in the muscle and then repairing them, so they think that ideally you want a LOT of repair time. A Strength program like SL is less focused on building big puffy muscle and more focused on increasing the strength of the existing muscle (And neurological strengthening as well) and so you WILL still have the same effects as a body building program but its not designed as aggressively to build muscle.
for me its a combination of 1) I love the simplicity of SL, its not that its shorter (I think NROL is actually shorter workouts) but I like that I'm not bouncing around doing a bunch of exercises, and constantly learning new ones or re-learning how to do some old ones. Its very ZEN for me - I just settle in at a rack, do my set, rest, do my set, rest, etc. I don't have to think "ok, now I need the 10 lb dumbbells, oh shoot they're occupied...." - I just stand next to my equipment and then when I'm done with it I'm done. and 2) I actually do not want to do ANY targeted arm workouts. I don't want particularly big or defined arms, and I feel like the incidental workout I get for my arms is giving them the shape I want - it would probably decrease the flabby skin look faster if I built them up but I can be patient. Like I said - Zen.
(the above is my synopsis of my understanding of the differences here, I apologize if anything is wrong)0 -
thanks!
I really like SL because of its simplicity, but I certainly dont want to do it just to get "stronger". Of course this is nice, but I need to tone up everywhere and I think this is working.0 -
NROL is no more of a bodybuilding program than SL. It is all about compound movements and is also for strength. The programs incoporate periodization, which is why the rep ranges change. You're body adapts to the rep range and the load long before it adapts to a particlar exercise. Change up rep range, which dictates the load, and you don't experience the type of stall you get with a program for which the rep range is always the same.There are no isolation exercises. I get bored easily, so I personally like a program that changes every so often. The original book is a full one year plan with fatloss specific programs, strength programs and hypertrophy programs. You will find some isolation exercises in the hypertrophy programs.
SL is intended as a beginner strength program, as explained in the "book" and will only work for a short time, which is why it is suggested to move on to the lower rep scheme to continue making progress. But you should see similar physique changes whether you do NROL or SL, since you doing pretty much the same moves, or similarly working the same muscles.0 -
Kazzari, you really piqued my interest when you first mentioned the fat loss program in the original NROL book, so I just ordered a copy to be sent to my local library branch!
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Kazzari, you really piqued my interest when you first mentioned the fat loss program in the original NROL book, so I just ordered a copy to be sent to my local library branch!
Cool! Let me know what you think or if you have any questions. Also, be sure download the free logs at werkit.com while you have possession of the book.0 -
I'll have to check out the NROL book too. I have the 4W one, but got really confused with the workout schedule, and when I asked for clarification on the forum and a couple other online sources, I got 3 different answers :grumble: Found out about SL and liked the simplicity. I love Schuler's writing style though, and his 4W book was the one thing that gave me a wake up call about the possibility I might not have been eating enough. i.e., I haven't had my period since January(!), my hair is falling out, weak/brittle nails, I've had a cold about 5x this year, etc. etc. Had my thyroid and hormones checked and everything's normal.
Pinkita, if you like I can send you the pre-loaded workout logs for NRL4W, they really make it easier to understand the sets/reps (which are way too convoluted). Just send me a message with your email.0 -
Kazzari, you really piqued my interest when you first mentioned the fat loss program in the original NROL book, so I just ordered a copy to be sent to my local library branch!
Bonus points for using "piqued" correctly!
**Sorry, I was in a grad level class for future teachers where a woman who wanted to teach HS English kept writing "peaked". After the third time, I sent her a private email about "peeked", "peaked" and "piqued". She was bewildered why I thought I needed to teach her about this.
I just thought that if she was going to teach English, she ought to know it!0 -
1. 5'9"
2. I don't know, 9-10 weeks. I'm not really doing it anymore though, still doing the routine but not following the progression "rules".
3. I'm all over the place with food. I aim for around 2000 but often go over or even have "eat all the food" days.0 -
I am totally digging Tameko's description of SL as being Zen...best single word descriptor for the program.
Where's the zen smiley face?0 -
Kazzari, you really piqued my interest when you first mentioned the fat loss program in the original NROL book, so I just ordered a copy to be sent to my local library branch!
Bonus points for using "piqued" correctly!
**Sorry, I was in a grad level class for future teachers where a woman who wanted to teach HS English kept writing "peaked". After the third time, I sent her a private email about "peeked", "peaked" and "piqued". She was bewildered why I thought I needed to teach her about this.
I just thought that if she was going to teach English, she ought to know it!
LOL, ishtar :laugh: I'm a nurse now, but I used to be a Technical Writer/Editor, so I'm picky about those things too! I used to have a nursing professor who constantly used the word "irregardless," and it drove me nuts.
And recently my 12-yr-old nephew got a bad mark on a paper for supposedly using the word "none" incorrectly. I had helped him with that assignment and corrected a sentence where he said something like "none of us are..." and I told him to change it to "none of us is..." His teacher circled that in obnoxious red ink, and I wrote a note on that paper and told him to take it back to his teacher. He came home from school that day with a slightly higher grade on that assignment, and a short note of thanks from his teacher
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I'm 5'5", 150 lbs, size 5/6.
I do SL 2x a week, and isolation exercises the 3rd weightlifting day. Then, I do cardio (zumba x 2, kickboxing x 1) three times a week, with one rest day.
I have been doing SL since April 9th (prior program was something I created - three day split).
I eat a variety of calories, from 1200 on days I do next to nothing, to 2300 on days when I feel I need it. My BMR is 1270 and my maintenance is around 1650, not counting workouts. I burn calories slowly, based on my Fitbit and weight loss patterns.
I have not lost a new pound of weight since February 12th. I've actually gained inches since started SL, although not significantly.0 -
What's the original book called? Maybe it will help me more, I can find lots of others. I too am finding it difficult to decipher the NROL4W. It makes my brain hurt0
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The New Rules of Lifting.0
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I'm 5'5", 150 lbs, size 5/6.
I do SL 2x a week, and isolation exercises the 3rd weightlifting day. Then, I do cardio (zumba x 2, kickboxing x 1) three times a week, with one rest day.
I have been doing SL since April 9th (prior program was something I created - three day split).
I eat a variety of calories, from 1200 on days I do next to nothing, to 2300 on days when I feel I need it. My BMR is 1270 and my maintenance is around 1650, not counting workouts. I burn calories slowly, based on my Fitbit and weight loss patterns.
I have not lost a new pound of weight since February 12th. I've actually gained inches since started SL, although not significantly.
I've been eating at maintenance based on advice in the Eat More to Weigh Less group and podcast #139 on fat2fitradio.com, but I'm concerned that I'm gaining too much and too soon. I'm up 6.6# just since Thursday and my waistline is 2.5" bigger than it was just about a week ago! I'm wondering if I should stop SL altogether...0 -
I'm 5'5", 150 lbs, size 5/6.
I do SL 2x a week, and isolation exercises the 3rd weightlifting day. Then, I do cardio (zumba x 2, kickboxing x 1) three times a week, with one rest day.
I have been doing SL since April 9th (prior program was something I created - three day split).
I eat a variety of calories, from 1200 on days I do next to nothing, to 2300 on days when I feel I need it. My BMR is 1270 and my maintenance is around 1650, not counting workouts. I burn calories slowly, based on my Fitbit and weight loss patterns.
I have not lost a new pound of weight since February 12th. I've actually gained inches since started SL, although not significantly.
I've been eating at maintenance based on advice in the Eat More to Weigh Less group and podcast #139 on fat2fitradio.com, but I'm concerned that I'm gaining too much and too soon. I'm up 6.6# just since Thursday and my waistline is 2.5" bigger than it was just about a week ago! I'm wondering if I should stop SL altogether...
My waist can fluctuate a whole inch just from being bloated/water retaining/etc. There's no way you gained 6.6 lbs of pure fat in that long. But SL does cause pretty gains for me in terms of water weight + eating more will make your weight go up a bit since there's just plain more food in your belly. (SL make me gain about 3lbs of scale weight)
Still - those numbers are just an estimate, so if you think its too high go ahead and drop your cals by 200 and see how you do.
In general though, the first week or two that you up your calories a lot of people see a big spike. My friend on here saw a 5 lb spike for about 4-5 weeks and then she dropped it AND started losing again steadily (and she's still losing, eating 2300 cals or so at 5'4" 150 lbs). But its possible you are more sedentary than those calcs think (what do you do all day, generally?) so it might be right to drop a bit from those calculations - 200-300 at most to start out.
But just for reference - I have an honest to god sit-on-my-butt desk job, do very little cardio (and what I do is moderate effort), and play video games at night and I have no problem maintaining my weight at 2000+ calories everyday. (and when I Say 2000 plus I mean between 1900 and 2500)0 -
I wore a BodyMedia Fit for about 9 days, and averaged out my daily burn over 7 full days to 2117/day, which I rounded down to 2100 for simplicity. I reran my numbers on the scooby site (since it used hours spent on exercise to determine activity level) and it gave me 2067.
The only exercise I'm doing is SL 3x/week, but I'd like to add 2-3 days of cardio--I miss cardio because I felt fit when I was doing it regularly. I ordered one of the Insanity DVDs from Amazon, which is a 20-min workout since I don't want to spend more than 30mins on cardio.
I'm just worried I'm gaining too much too fast compared to others... I'm up 16.8lbs since just 5/12, less than a month ago.
Maybe I should change my activity level to sedentary I'm in week 4 of SL and for the most part it's still kind of easy--except for the Overhead Press (which I have to repeat) and the Bench Press (also have to repeat) the next time I do those moves. I got behind on the deadlift because my set of weights didn't come with the springs to secure the plates to the barbell so I had to start the deadlifts with an empty bar :P0 -
woah, 16 is a lot... are you certain about your logging? Do you think its possible you underestimate some things or do you weigh everything? Any chance you forget to log food, little bites of stuff, milk in your coffee?0
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woah, 16 is a lot... are you certain about your logging? Do you think its possible you underestimate some things or do you weigh everything? Any chance you forget to log food, little bites of stuff, milk in your coffee?
I weigh and measure EVERYTHING, been doing that since Jan. 2011 when I started my weight loss journey. I didn't have my weight log with me earlier so I just rechecked and I'm up 14.4# since 5/12/12 (one day before starting SL). I'm wondering if I should stop SL and go back to my kettlebell workout instead. I think I can still return the home gym equipment.0 -
woah, 16 is a lot... are you certain about your logging? Do you think its possible you underestimate some things or do you weigh everything? Any chance you forget to log food, little bites of stuff, milk in your coffee?
I weigh and measure EVERYTHING, been doing that since Jan. 2011 when I started my weight loss journey. I didn't have my weight log with me earlier so I just rechecked and I'm up 14.4# since 5/12/12 (one day before starting SL). I'm wondering if I should stop SL and go back to my kettlebell workout instead. I think I can still return the home gym equipment.
SL shouldn't cause hat big of a gain (I mean, its not like its making you fatter...) no matter what else, so maybe it accounts for 5 lbs and you could have something else wierd going on that might account for a couple more (That would be a lot though) but that still seems like a big gain fora relatively small amount of food.
Have you been tested for thyroid and PCOS? That seems like maybe there's more going on than just food and exercise, I'm lighter than you (I think you said you were 188), eat a lot more, and do basically NOTHING except SL. I weighed in at 166.8 today and I've eaten 2300-2700 calories every day this week except for like, 1 day that I managed to rein it in at 1900. I'm pretty sure *I'm* overeating but I find it hard to believe that you are. That sounds like something else, like pcos.0
