New Rules of Lifting vs Stronglifts

drysdaled

I just finished the Break-In period from the book The New Rules of Lifting. I want to transition into a new program now and am debating in my head whether to go to the NROL Fat-Loss program or if I should just do Stronglifts 5x5. (I've also considered Starting Strength, but I don't know how to properly do a power clean, and my gym is awful in terms of space to actually do them. A billion Smith machines, but only two squat racks and no room for power cleans. Sigh.)

Does anyone have any thoughts on how these programs compare to one another? I've read really good things about both, and both have been recommended to me. The thing that's really putting me off the NROL, honestly, is that it includes crunches (I feel like I can train my core as well with the compound lifts in Stronglifts) and fiddly things like "Supine Hip Extensions" and (less fiddly, but...) rotational lunges. I wonder if a workout that emphasizes more fundamental movements might be better for me.

Thanks.

jshaps7

I'm curious to see what people say... I did stage 1 of new rules of lifting for women and enjoyed it. I've had to take a break due to scaitica and back pain. I have friends who love Starting Strength and I've heard good things about Stronglifts.

Have you looked through the groups on MFP? I know NROLFW has a dedicated group so chances are there are others for the routines you're looking at and can get some more indepth feedback. Good luck!

meshashesha2012

i've done both.. i dont like the cutesy over complicated exercises in stages 2-5 of new rules. things like 1 legged deadlift or 1 legged DB row. i also hate most of the core exercises since they are a waste of time to me (i subbed side planks for the hip flexion things because i could do a zillion of hose flexion things and not feel it). i also hate that those later stages are so long to complete. stage 1 takes like 25 minutes but the other stages take over an hour. i really dont have the patience o spend an hour doing several movements i hate

what i dont like about strong lifts is that the movements never change. i get bored very quickly so i'd prefer not to do the exact same thing for more than 2 months.

oh yeah another thing about new rules is that in stages 2-5 you will need to do more explosive movements like a power clean. imo those front squat push presses and 1 arm DB snatches are what redeems stages 2-5 for me.

anyway, there's no reason why you can only do 1. you can start 1 take a break and do the other.

drysdaled

Thanks, meshashesha. That's just my worry—I don't like the isolated ab stuff or the cutesy stuff, either. I think I might start in with Stronglifts, then. Doing the same thing week in, week out won't bother me if I'm making progress. I like to be able to chart how much stronger I've become over a period of time and I think Stronglifts is good for that. If I do get bored I'll switch.

monty619

not sure about new rules of lifting... but stronglifts is good for newbies.

meshashesha2012

charting progress : that's another issue i have with NR. i like keeping track and seeing that my numbers have increased because it makes me feel better when i have 2 weeks of NO weight loss :laugh:
a lot of those balance type movements in NR i couldnt progress on weight wise because i was too busy trying to balance. that was very frustrating for me. i know i have horrible balance for things like standing on 1 leg and bending forward, but i'd rather work on that during yoga and pilates and reserve my strength training for strength training

juliebeannn

bump...other opinions?

rogerbosch

Bump

LoraF83

I bought the NROLFW book. I read it. I decided against it because I didn't want to have to work that hard to well, work that hard. There were a lot of different exercises and you'd have to manually track everything (ya know, pen and paper) and I'm too lazy for that.

I like Strong Lifts because it's much simpler and there's an app for my phone that makes tracking easy. I get in and out of the gym in 30-45 minutes. I know exactly what I'm doing every workout because there are only 2 options.