I finished Stage 5 last Friday, but forgot my log sheet at home and not sure if I can remember where I started/ended on everything. I just know I wasn't able to go up much, only about 5 lbs on each exercise.

On to Stage 6 today.

Hey, thought I'd pop in to say hello! I just did stage 5 workout A and want to keep tabs on what others are saying about Stage 5.

Oh, and everyone deserves a high five for making it this far!

I've got two S6 workouts under my belt and they were great. Honestly the negative chin ups give me the most apprehension, but they weren't that bad. Now that I know I can do them, I just have to work on getting up to 20 seconds on the let down.

Jennie, Did you just count in your head doing the negative chin-ups?

Febgirl, I hate that YWTL too. And I hate the BWM, lol. Happy that I just finished my last one today!!

One more S5 workout on Monday, then taking the rest of the week off and will start S6 after Labor Day.

Only two more workouts left and on to stage 6! I'm excited to get to something new and I have to say pretty challenging looking. My desire to finish this program has really been wavering lately so i'm hoping the change will help push me through to the end!

Finished!! Spectacularly sucktastic final Stage 5 workout today. I'd planned to up all my weights but instead could barely lift the ones I lifted last time. Weird. Cut down to 3 sets on everything and skipped the YTWL! And tweaked my shoulder. Sigh. I'm hoping it's just some PMS weirdness or maybe the result of eating crap at the Dutchess County Fair yesterday (pierogies and milkshakes do not muscle-food make, I guess!!). Anyway, I'm taking a rest week from lifting until next Monday when I'll start stage 6.... See you there!

thanks dandelion.
JNH the negatives aren't that bad. You just get up and slowly let yourself down, trying to stay as still as possible. Most people are impressed that your even on the apparatus. I love being stronger. Comes in handy when I have to pick up the kids, carry groceries, or move furniture.

It's getting in the up position that worries me. The grips in my gym are WAY high in the air (in between the cables)!

My gym is the same, but the cable/pull-up stations are over to one side. If my lat pulls aren't anywhere near my body weight by the end of stage 5 though (which I'm guessing they won't be - I'm @ 105 lb. now on them, but I weigh over 180), I may just do the negatives on the assisted pull-up station instead, but with as little assistance as possible.

Workout A1 is in the books. LOVED IT!!! Even the 1-arm overhead squats. I stayed with the same weights I used in stage 3 for them, but I thought my form was a lot better (I think b/c I tried keeping my feet a little further apart & pointed outward more than for a regular squat). Loved the snatches, 1-leg DL's, barbell rows, bench presses, too. I don't think I'll ever love planks, but I didn't completely hate them today, so that was progress. And I'm just "meh" about reverse woodchops. I like waist-height ones better. Or swiss ball side-crunches.

It's all a blurry memory by the time I do the BWM's though. At which point I'm still gasping for air and wondering if I could actually die before I'm done (only half-joking!). But my times were a lot better than stage 3 though. In stage 3, my slowest was 9 minutes, and my fastest was 5:30. Today, they were 5:37, and 4:50! I could hardly believe it! And my legs only felt like Jell-O for a few minutes afterwards (not hours like when I started stage 3). So *something* is working, I guess.

Am I the only one here in stage 5 now?

Lori - congrats on finishing stage 4! I started with where I ended stage 2 (or stage 3 if the move was there too), and went up if I could. I think with only 4 reps, I went up on most things, but not everything. For me, the stage 5 workouts take just as long as stage 4, mainly b/c the rests are 2 minutes now. So I'm making an effort to push myself with heavier weights, so that I'll *need* that rest.

I did workout B1 yesterday, and here's what I did (compared to where I ended stage 2):

RDL/bent-over row: 90 --> 90 (I'll try 95 for B2)
1-leg partial squat: 25 --> 30 (I'll try 35 or 40 for B2)
WG lat pull-down: 100 --> 105
back extension: 5 lb. OH --> 7.5 lb. OH
YTWL: 20 --> 25 lb. total (and I wasn't thrilled with my form @ 25 lb.)
SB crunch: 10 or 12.5 OH --> 15 lb. OH
Jackknife: Standard shins on ball --> just ankles on ball to start.
Lateral: Stayed with SB side crunch. LOVE these!
Cobra: 120 --> 120 (wider arms, and these are definitely feeling easier).

and then my HIIT today, where I increased by 0.1 mph on all my intervals, so today I did 6.4, 6.9, 7.3, 7.4, and 7.5.

Here's my question on partial squats. I tried some with my free leg behind me, and others with my free leg in front. I think I like it better with my free leg behind me, but do you think it makes much difference? I could also try these on the step-up platform & let my free leg dangle by the side, but I don't know which variation is "best"?

Karen - I started stage 5 on Tuesday. I will do the first B workout tonight. I like doing the partial squats from a high step. I use a chest (doing this at home) that is about two feet high. My free leg hangs pretty much straight down the side of the chest.

Lori - I plan on moving on to the NROL4abs book next. My abs are my problem spot and I hope that will help fix that problem!