Couple to start lifting Stronglift or NROLFW? Please help!

Daisy80

Hello

I am currently planning to start lifting. I have just finished reading New Rules of Lifting for Women and I really liked it. I now managed to get my boyfriend to start lifting with me. I am really excited and would love to start lifting together. I am now unsure though what program to go with. Could a man do NROLFW? I can't see why not and was thinking to just do that but would like to get some opinions on that.I know there is NROL which I think is aimed at men but I don't think I could convince him to read a whole book on lifting. And it would be nice if we could do the same program. I also looked into Stronglift 5x5 and that seems to be aimed at men but I do know women are doing it too. The trouble with that one though is that I think I'd get bored as it is the same exercises over and over. Also we both have weak knees and it seems that Stronglift has more squats in it.

It would be great if people could help me.

Daisy

DopeItUp

It's just a matter of preference. SS, NROL, Stronglifts, etc are all good programs. Just do the one you can both agree on. There may be gender differences but the lifts are the same. The only real difference is going to be the amounts of weight utilized in the exercises.

Daisy80

Thank you for your reply! Do you say that a man could do NROLFW and would just use higher weights?

Daisy

clee369

Thank you for your reply! Do you say that a man could do NROLFW and would just use higher weights?

Just cause he's a man doesn't mean he would necessarily be using more weight. The best program is one that you can stick to, be it stronglifts, NROL, starting strength, whatever. Squats shouldn't hurt your knees if you do them right so don't be intimidated by them. In fact, they will actually HELP your knees

DopeItUp

Thank you for your reply! Do you say that a man could do NROLFW and would just use higher weights?

Daisy

Sure,why not? You'll both have to figure out where you stand strength-wise and what amount of weight you can use, anyway. He will probably need much higher weights with upper-body stuff but the gap will close when it comes to lower-body stuff.

Btw I forgot to post earlier, but as already mentioned, squats can actually help your knees as you build up the muscle to support them better. Just go light to start and be cognizant of pain.

Hendrix7

If you are totally new to weightlifting you will find stronglifts easier to follow.

There reason there are the same exercises over and over, is that these are the exercises that work, and have worked for decades.

clee369

squats can actually help your knees

spread the word!

Daisy80

Thanks to you all for taking the time and reply to my questions. That is really interesting about the squats. I really didn't think they could help my weak knees but I am very glad to hear it!

I can see why Stronglifts would be good for beginners I am just worried that I might get bored of doing the same exercises over and over. I haven't ruled it out yet though. Maybe it might be good to start with Stronglifts to get the basics down and gain confidence and then once I/we are bored we could change to NROLFW.

clee369

If i were you, which i will be in a few months when my girlfriend and I start working out together, I would start with stronglifts and keep doing stronglifts. If after doing stronglifts for at least 4 months, I feel as if there's some other aspect I need to change about the routine, I would add it on to the stronglifts routine I am already doing. Basically, stronglifts is ALWAYS the focal point of the workout, with other stuff being added on. However, these additional exercises can not interfere with the stronglifts exercises.

DopeItUp

I can see why Stronglifts would be good for beginners I am just worried that I might get bored of doing the same exercises over and over. I haven't ruled it out yet though. Maybe it might be good to start with Stronglifts to get the basics down and gain confidence and then once I/we are bored we could change to NROLFW.

Just a small note about that. Doing the same move over and over might seem boring in concept. However, the goal of these plans is to increase weight on a consistent basis. You might be doing squats every workout, but as they get heavier and heavier you're not going to be thinking "oh this is boring", you're going to be thinking "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU" as you try to lift large amounts of weight. Then you're going to be thinking about finding a place to sit down before you pass out from the exertion.

Boring on paper, perhaps. But not in practice. You can always switch up or add fun accessory lifts too.

Daisy80

I can see why Stronglifts would be good for beginners I am just worried that I might get bored of doing the same exercises over and over. I haven't ruled it out yet though. Maybe it might be good to start with Stronglifts to get the basics down and gain confidence and then once I/we are bored we could change to NROLFW.

Just a small note about that. Doing the same move over and over might seem boring in concept. However, the goal of these plans is to increase weight on a consistent basis. You might be doing squats every workout, but as they get heavier and heavier you're not going to be thinking "oh this is boring", you're going to be thinking "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU" as you try to lift large amounts of weight. Then you're going to be thinking about finding a place to sit down before you pass out from the exertion.

Boring on paper, perhaps. But not in practice. You can always switch up or add fun accessory lifts too.

Ha ha that's great! I know what you're saying. It all reads so easy on paper but I think I am in for a shock once I actually hit the weight room.

Just another thing. Would you say that both programs are equally good for fat loss? I am hoping to lower my bodyfat % by about 10-12%.

DopeItUp

I can see why Stronglifts would be good for beginners I am just worried that I might get bored of doing the same exercises over and over. I haven't ruled it out yet though. Maybe it might be good to start with Stronglifts to get the basics down and gain confidence and then once I/we are bored we could change to NROLFW.

Just a small note about that. Doing the same move over and over might seem boring in concept. However, the goal of these plans is to increase weight on a consistent basis. You might be doing squats every workout, but as they get heavier and heavier you're not going to be thinking "oh this is boring", you're going to be thinking "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU" as you try to lift large amounts of weight. Then you're going to be thinking about finding a place to sit down before you pass out from the exertion.

Boring on paper, perhaps. But not in practice. You can always switch up or add fun accessory lifts too.

Ha ha that's great! I know what you're saying. It all reads so easy on paper but I think I am in for a shock once I actually hit the weight room.

Just another thing. Would you say that both programs are equally good for fat loss? I am hoping to lower my bodyfat % by about 10-12%.

Body fat loss is really going to be 75-100% diet. Any exercise program will work for calorie burning, it's all in the time spent and the intensity that you put into it. So again, I suggest picking a program that you both enjoy. That is going to be paramount. Why? Because you'll actually do it AND you'll go hard when you're in the program. If you hate it you'll quit eventually or you'll half-*kitten* it at least.

Daisy80

I can see why Stronglifts would be good for beginners I am just worried that I might get bored of doing the same exercises over and over. I haven't ruled it out yet though. Maybe it might be good to start with Stronglifts to get the basics down and gain confidence and then once I/we are bored we could change to NROLFW.

Just a small note about that. Doing the same move over and over might seem boring in concept. However, the goal of these plans is to increase weight on a consistent basis. You might be doing squats every workout, but as they get heavier and heavier you're not going to be thinking "oh this is boring", you're going to be thinking "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU" as you try to lift large amounts of weight. Then you're going to be thinking about finding a place to sit down before you pass out from the exertion.

Boring on paper, perhaps. But not in practice. You can always switch up or add fun accessory lifts too.

Ha ha that's great! I know what you're saying. It all reads so easy on paper but I think I am in for a shock once I actually hit the weight room.

Just another thing. Would you say that both programs are equally good for fat loss? I am hoping to lower my bodyfat % by about 10-12%.

Body fat loss is really going to be 75-100% diet. Any exercise program will work for calorie burning, it's all in the time spent and the intensity that you put into it. So again, I suggest picking a program that you both enjoy. That is going to be paramount. Why? Because you'll actually do it AND you'll go hard when you're in the program. If you hate it you'll quit eventually or you'll half-*kitten* it at least.

I totally agree! That is why I am tending more towards NROL. And thanks for the info in regards of the body fat. I just started to eat clean so hopefully that should do the trick!

Rae6503

I only made it through Phase 1 of New Rules. I've been doing Strong Lifts for a while now. I will tell you that Strong Lifts gets really hard quickly when you are dieting. I ended up dropping to 3x5 instead of 5x5 because it was just too much. New Rules might be better for those dieting, I'm not sure. I like the big basic moves that Phase 1 and Strong Lifts have.

And yes, Men and Women can do both. Both of you should make sure you are lifting "heavy" for you, meaning the last reps of each set are pretty hard (and maybe not even possible). I lift with a man. We started Stronglifts at around the same weight. He'd never lifted in his life and I have been lifting on and off since I was a teenager. He's now way past me on lower body stuff but we are still doing the same on upper body.

michellekicks

I've been trying to figure out how to start lifting... just started reading NROLFW but I had also poked around at Stronglifts a while back. Anyway, as I was reading this thread I got an email from Stronglifts with a video of Medhi deadlifting 370-something lbs lol... That guy is so strong and not that big! Surprised...

I think I'm going to do Stronglifts for the simplicity. At least to start.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I've done both, I preferred NROL4W. There are a lot of beginners who are enjoying NR:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/119-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w-

hesn92

I am a girl doing stronglifts except 3x5 instead of 5x5... It was just too much doing 5 sets and in Starting Strength, Rippetoe suggests doing 3x5 for most of the lifts and I figure he would know better. The only reason I didn't do the SS program is because I'm too scared to try power cleans LOL.

It is not boring whatsover. Just because you are doing the same lifts over and over doesn't make it boring because you are constantly trying to go heavier, or get up to all 5 reps if you couldn't the last work out.

And also, between male/female there should not be a difference. We have the same muscles and should do the same things.

mmapags

I can see why Stronglifts would be good for beginners I am just worried that I might get bored of doing the same exercises over and over. I haven't ruled it out yet though. Maybe it might be good to start with Stronglifts to get the basics down and gain confidence and then once I/we are bored we could change to NROLFW.

Just a small note about that. Doing the same move over and over might seem boring in concept. However, the goal of these plans is to increase weight on a consistent basis. You might be doing squats every workout, but as they get heavier and heavier you're not going to be thinking "oh this is boring", you're going to be thinking "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU" as you try to lift large amounts of weight. Then you're going to be thinking about finding a place to sit down before you pass out from the exertion.

Boring on paper, perhaps. But not in practice. You can always switch up or add fun accessory lifts too.

Totally agree! Part of what I like about it is the simplicity and measuring progress. Just yesterday, I was looking at my starting squat weight at 95 lbs back in march and this week at 215! Very cool. I do a few accessory's but I really like the program! At 61. as the weight got higher and recovery got harder, I transitioned to 3x5 which is essentially the Starting Strength plan. They are both very similar. I truy look forward to my lifting days!

mmapags

I am a girl doing stronglifts except 3x5 instead of 5x5... It was just too much doing 5 sets and in Starting Strength, Rippetoe suggests doing 3x5 for most of the lifts and I figure he would know better. The only reason I didn't do the SS program is because I'm too scared to try power cleans LOL.

It is not boring whatsover. Just because you are doing the same lifts over and over doesn't make it boring because you are constantly trying to go heavier, or get up to all 5 reps if you couldn't the last work out.

And also, between male/female there should not be a difference. We have the same muscles and should do the same things.

Yup! Power cleans are too technical. Maybe at some point but for now, barbell rows are just fine.

zombilishious

My husband does NROLW with me. He felt awkward at first, but we made a few adjustments to switch out exercises that use the ball. He's getting even better results than I am, and I've lost TONS of inches since I started.

Meggles63

If you are totally new to weightlifting you will find stronglifts easier to follow.

There reason there are the same exercises over and over, is that these are the exercises that work, and have worked for decades.

^^^This! I am a very SIMPLE woman, and got frustrated and confused with all the variety in NROLFW....I do a basic workout, similar to stronglifts with lots of compound, BASIC lifts. I am so much more satisfied with this and have seen much more progress. Good luck!

Daisy80

Thank you so much everyone for the input! It is really helpful. I suppose I will familiarise myself with the moves in NROLFW and then see how we like it once we have started. I can see why Stronglifts would stay interesting as you add more weight every week.

We'll see...It'll be great though to do it with my boyfriend whichever one we end up doing.

Bakkasan

Many will say there are only deadlifts, squats, bent over rows, and bench press. Everything else is done between sets of any of the big 4.

halleymw

The authors of nrflfw also have a general new rules for lifting for life, in addition to a new rules of lifting for men. You might want to go to the local book store and see if they are that much different IE worth paying the extra bucks for.
Mike

meshashesha2012

well technically you're supposed to keep adding weight to NROL4W as well.

i liked them both, BUT there are a lot of more cutesy metcon type moves that require props in NR as you get to stages 2-5.

sarah44254

If you are totally new to weightlifting you will find stronglifts easier to follow.

There reason there are the same exercises over and over, is that these are the exercises that work, and have worked for decades.

^^^This! I am a very SIMPLE woman, and got frustrated and confused with all the variety in NROLFW....I do a basic workout, similar to stronglifts with lots of compound, BASIC lifts. I am so much more satisfied with this and have seen much more progress. Good luck!

Yeah, too many different things in NR for me. I am loving SL