day 1 done, rest of life to go!
bonjour24
Posts: 1,119 Member
hi everyone!
my name is joni, and i have just done the first day of nrol4w. i'm doing it at home, but between me and my neighbour we have pretty much everything i need- i hope.
my dumbbells are the ones that you add weights to, so it's going to take some planning to have them at the right weights for the different exercises. i also tried to do the barbell squat with some dumbbells (my neighbours weren't home so i couldn't get to their olympic bar), but then they came home a few hours later, gave me a key, and i did them then.
my book is already looking a bit battered. i get the feeling that it's going to be falling apart in a few months time!
the session only took about 20 mins (not inc warm up or cooldown). is that usual? also, the jackknife things were bloody impossible! clearly i need to work on my balance!
well, just thought i'd say hi! is anyone else at workout 1 or 2 yet?
my name is joni, and i have just done the first day of nrol4w. i'm doing it at home, but between me and my neighbour we have pretty much everything i need- i hope.
my dumbbells are the ones that you add weights to, so it's going to take some planning to have them at the right weights for the different exercises. i also tried to do the barbell squat with some dumbbells (my neighbours weren't home so i couldn't get to their olympic bar), but then they came home a few hours later, gave me a key, and i did them then.
my book is already looking a bit battered. i get the feeling that it's going to be falling apart in a few months time!
the session only took about 20 mins (not inc warm up or cooldown). is that usual? also, the jackknife things were bloody impossible! clearly i need to work on my balance!
well, just thought i'd say hi! is anyone else at workout 1 or 2 yet?
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Replies
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20 mins is about right for the first stage. HAHA, the jackknife thingys are horrid, I have no balance and still fall off.
I am on stage 3, and loving it.
Good luck0 -
Welcome! 20 minutes is about right for stage 1. Yes the jackknifves are awful, but at least you're doing them alone, I was doing them in the middle of a picked gym ful of young guys, embarrassing! I'm half way through stage 2 now and I'm really enjoying it.0
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Welcome!! 20-30 min is correct. Gets to be a bit longer after wo 8 when # of sets increase to 3. The jackknife was a b*tch the first time but slowly getting the hang of it. I admit I practiced it at home so I wouldn't make a total fool of myself in the gym haha.0
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Congratulations for starting the program! I hope you love it as much as I did. If you stick with it and continue to challenge yourself by increasing the weight you'll love the results! Ideal form always comes first though.
You will soon be limited with only dumbbells. Back squats, deadlifts, split squats, etc. require an Olympic barbell, plates and a rack. You're stronger than you think. Your strength will improve quickly if you follow the program.
My book was coming apart during Stage One too. I brought it with me to the gym thru Stage 3. It still works.
Yes, it's normal. The workouts will get up to 90 minutes long later.
Don't give up on the prone jackknife! It just takes practice and determination. They made a HUGE difference in the appearance of my stomach. I worked my way up to 3 sets of 15.
Many of the exercises in later stages will challenge your balance. Some one-legged stuff, some uneven distribution of weight stuff. Your balance and core strength will improve tremendously.
Again, congrats on making the wise decision to incorporate strength training into your fitness regime. Best of luck! Participate in the stage-specific "pinned" threads.0 -
Don't forget there are great spreadsheets on werkit.com! Better than dragging the book all around, IMO! Good luck! (I'm at stage 6!)0
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Yay for newbies! I had my first workout yesterday and I'm feeling it today. ESPECIALLY from the jackknife. Yowsers. Including warm up on the treadmill and some of the warming stretch exercises, plus finding everything I needed at the gym, my total workout time was 45 minutes! I'm hoping I'll get a bit more familiar with all of the equipment and speed up a bit before the longer phases.0
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Didn't know you were starting this, Joni:) I'm a week into stage 2, loving it! You'll make some great strength gains in Stage 1 I bet. Congrats on doing it! Let me know if I can be of any assistance.0
