New Rules of Lifting for Women - Rest intervals question

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RoamingDuck
RoamingDuck Posts: 74
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm sure this has already been asked but I had no luck in the search feature.

I'm going to start the NRLW program tomorrow, and I have one question. I work out at the gym, and I'm sure that there will be times when I can not abide by the rest times between sets. Is it okay if some of the rest times are periodically longer than the subscribed 60 seconds in stage 1? Sadly, I must work within the bounds of my gym.

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  • Emtabo01
    Emtabo01 Posts: 672
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    It's been mentioned in the New Rules group on here, check it out with any of your other questions, but yes, you do what you have to, if you need longer, take it, if your gym makes it be longer or shorter, so be it, the book is a guided suggestion. Good luck, I just finished up stage 7.
  • Daresie
    Daresie Posts: 41 Member
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    I am new to this, too, so I can't say what you should or shouldn't do. I have noticed that when I am really pushing myself, I really need that 60 sec to drink water, catch my breath, wipe sweat, and pray that my heart rate goes down before my next set begins. When I first started, I didn't push so hard, and 60 seconds seemed like a long time. Not now! Good luck with your program!!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    You must work within the bounds of your gym? What does that mean?
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    You must work within the bounds of your gym? What does that mean?

    Make sure you make it through the door - don't do your first set in the car park!
  • AnnaVee84
    AnnaVee84 Posts: 345 Member
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    yes, i def take all the rest seconds in between sets, sometimes a little more if i am waiting for a machine or am feeling a little tired. there was a line in the book saying that it was better to have like a full warm up and full rests rather than cutting them to try and get more of the workout in - better to cut the workout then the rest and recovery....have fun, it's a great program!!
  • RoamingDuck
    RoamingDuck Posts: 74
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    You must work within the bounds of your gym? What does that mean?

    Just meaning that sometimes I have to wait for equipment to open up. The squat machines are especially hot items at my gym.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    You must work within the bounds of your gym? What does that mean?

    Just meaning that sometimes I have to wait for equipment to open up. The squat machines are especially hot items at my gym.

    Ahh. Waiting is absolutely not a problem at all. I often rest 2-5 minutes after a heavy set of squats before I move on to the next set.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    You must work within the bounds of your gym? What does that mean?

    Just meaning that sometimes I have to wait for equipment to open up. The squat machines are especially hot items at my gym.

    Are you using machines that are set up for circuit training instead of free weights? Because typically if you're using a free weights (or a machine) the space is yours until you're done with your sets. So you shouldn't have to wait for stuff to open up once you've started.

    OTOH, if you're talking about how a situation where you have finished all the required sets for one exercise and then have to wait for the next piece of equipment to open up, that's fine. As long as you're not standing around for 20-30 mins getting cool it really won't matter that much.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    You must work within the bounds of your gym? What does that mean?

    Just meaning that sometimes I have to wait for equipment to open up. The squat machines are especially hot items at my gym.

    Are you using machines that are set up for circuit training instead of free weights? Because typically if you're using a free weights (or a machine) the space is yours until you're done with your sets. So you shouldn't have to wait for stuff to open up once you've started.

    OTOH, if you're talking about how a situation where you have finished all the required sets for one exercise and then have to wait for the next piece of equipment to open up, that's fine. As long as you're not standing around for 20-30 mins getting cool it really won't matter that much.

    Yeah, but I will amend that to say that if you have to wait more than 5 minutes or so between exercises, get on a treadmill and walk at a comfortable pace or do some stretching to keep the blood flowing.
  • artbkward
    artbkward Posts: 238 Member
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    I'm in the middle of Stage 2 at the moment. I have problems waiting for the squat rack too but since it's always the first exercise, I'm not really in the middle of my workout while I'm waiting for it.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Yeah, but I will amend that to say that if you have to wait more than 5 minutes or so between exercises, get on a treadmill and walk at a comfortable pace or do some stretching to keep the blood flowing.

    Not sure how your or the OP's gym is arranged, but it's gonna be awfully tough to keep an eye on the station you want to work if you walk away from it to get on a treadmill. Sounds like a really good way to blow an entire workout if you're in a crowded gym.

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