hi Garnet - that question was asked a while back and I would have to say that the votes came down on the side of the paper book, but not by a wide margin. You will want to print off excel worksheets for the workouts anyway. If you are a big e-book person, it will probably work just fine.

Looking for input on the correct way to do the barbell squat. On p 158 of the book, the 2nd picture shows the gal down to thighs parallel to the floor. On several youtube videos, proper form is shown as going way further - nearly touching the floor. It seems that would put a lot of stress on the hips/knees, of which I need to be careful anyway.

Appreciate any input on proper form to get the most benefit from this particular exercise!

Hi everyone.

I just started today and thought I would share some of my mistakes and misadventures.

1) I completely forgot that I was supposed to rotate between my push-ups and rows. So I did both sets of push-ups one behind the other and the same with the rows. Off to a bad start.

2) The prone jackknife. Well, I never did get along with these Swiss/balance ball things. Today was no different--at least during the first set when I lost count of my reps because I was too busy trying to stay on top of the ball. I rolled off twice. I rolled forward into a wall the first time (managed to get my elbow down before I hit my head). And I almost killed my Nook the second time because I couldn't move it out of the way fast enough when I rolled sideways.

I tried to stabilize the ball between two steps. No good. Finally, I realized that I need to wear shorts when I do this exercise so that my skin makes contact with the rubber and holds me in place. So I rolled up my pants and revealed my scarily hairy legs, which I've shaved maybe twice since December. Luckily, I was in my office gym at 5:00 p.m. It was completely dead, but I was praying the cleaning crew wouldn't show up.

3) After figuring out how to keep my shins on top of the Swiss -balance-ball-of-death, I proceeded to do MORE reps than necessary. I was very unhappy when I realized this. The number "15" was stuck in my head from the previous exercises, so that's what I did.

4) I didn't eat half of the 131g of protein I was supposed to get today. I can't figure out how the heck I'm going to eat all of that each day I lift. But from what I've read, it should get easier over time as my appetite increases, and I start to develop a routine.

5) I tried my best to rest for 60 seconds between sets, but I kept losing count because my mind was racing (Was the weight I used on that last exercise heavy enough? Was my form right? How come I'm not more tired? Will I really feel it tomorrow?). I might try using the timer on my phone next time.

I think that's it. I hope this makes another newbie feel more comfortable about getting started. I hope it's entertaining if nothing else. I definitely enjoyed putting it all down in a post and laughing at myself.

Happy lifting!:flowerforyou:

I don't want to start a new thread because the question is pretty stupid, but I need to know somehow... :blushing:

I bought this book about 3 years ago when I first got interested in weight lifting. Then I moved out of my parent's house and didn't bring the book with me... and now that I want to get back on it nobody can find that book. I don't want to shell out extra money to buy the book because I know it's in there SOMEWHERE but at the same time I need it :[

Do you guys think that downloading a digital book for my nook will be just as effective? The nook is pretty small :[ (the nook is an ereader, like the kindle)

EDIT: Derp, I didn't read the top of this page. twinsmom7602, how do you like the nook? Is it just the spreadsheets that give you a problem because you can't print it out?

I don't want to start a new thread because the question is pretty stupid, but I need to know somehow... :blushing:

I bought this book about 3 years ago when I first got interested in weight lifting. Then I moved out of my parent's house and didn't bring the book with me... and now that I want to get back on it nobody can find that book. I don't want to shell out extra money to buy the book because I know it's in there SOMEWHERE but at the same time I need it :[

Do you guys think that downloading a digital book for my nook will be just as effective? The nook is pretty small :[ (the nook is an ereader, like the kindle)

EDIT: Derp, I didn't read the top of this page. twinsmom7602, how do you like the nook? Is it just the spreadsheets that give you a problem because you can't print it out?

I have it on my Nook, too, and I was able to put it on my iPhone as well, so I always have it conveniently on me! The Nook version is definitely convenient, but the thing I don't like is having to flip through pages upon pages trying to figure out what I need!! Definitely bookmark and highlight all the pages you think you'll have to refer to later! Like for chapter 10, I bookmarked the different stages, then for chapter 11, I highlighted the name of each exercise so I can quickly flip to that page. A bit more work than the paper version, but convenient to have. Also, you can download the training log from the website www.newrulesoflifting.com

Thanks for the great tips! Starting today!!!!

I didn't add any extra reps and definitely didn't do A & B on the same day. They took me about 40 minutes to start. And I always use a timer!

I'm just starting Stage 6. And I have my book on my tablet and my phone and my pc. The only thing I don't like is that I cannot print and I think that's the whole book, BUT I have a great place to get individual logs (www.werkit.com) - all you have to do is register, no spam or anything from the site. I also have a great spreadsheet if anyone wants it. It's got macros built into it to calculate the suggested calories and has a tab for each of the workouts as well.

Yes, it takes me about 35 - 40 minutes, but its only 5 exercises, 2 reps each - does not seem like enough but I guess I'll find out!

This is my concern, too. I guess the point is to do a few reps with heavy weights. I'm just starting out too, so we'll see!

Hi! Just joining. I did my first workout on Saturday, was so grateful that the weights area at Y was all but deserted. Fumbled around with my book and my werkit sheet and felt silly, but also awesome. Still sore today, but ready to go try Workout B.

Should it be totally obvious where the 'Olympic Bar' is? Anyone care to share their starting weight for deadlifts? I'm pretty strong to begin with but also prone to pushing myself too hard.

I didn't add any extra reps and definitely didn't do A & B on the same day. They took me about 40 minutes to start. And I always use a timer!

I'm just starting Stage 6. And I have my book on my tablet and my phone and my pc. The only thing I don't like is that I cannot print and I think that's the whole book, BUT I have a great place to get individual logs (www.werkit.com) - all you have to do is register, no spam or anything from the site. I also have a great spreadsheet if anyone wants it. It's got macros built into it to calculate the suggested calories and has a tab for each of the workouts as well.

I would love this, if you'd like to share!

Thank you! That is so, so helpful.

HI everyone! I wanted to ask a few questions for you guys that have been doing this for awhile. Can you successfully do this at home? I'm currently doing Chalean Extreme and am finishing it up soon and am looking for a new workout plan. I lift M, W, F and run on T, Th, Sat. I do have a set of adjustable weights up to 50lbs and I'm pretty sure I have an exercise ball in a closet somewhere. Was wondering about the bar though - is that a necessity or is there a work around for that?

I'm not a gym member and can't really fit it into my budget and daily commute - and I get up at 4am to work out every day so I'd like to continue that at home if possible. Thanks for any tips ahead of time! I just bought the book and am going to download it on my iPad and get started reading tonight. Thanks again!

Sorry if this has been covered before but I don't have time to read 12 pages of posts...

Anyhooo I started today workout A1 - and it took like 20 minutes. Is that right? 3 workouts a week for 20 minutes and that's it? I feel like I'm missing something. After today I realize I need to up my weight with squats (I was afraid to do too high a weight on my one sketchy knee). Also, I'm pretty much the girl described in the book - 5'4", 140lbs, 30 yrs old (give or take a pound or 2 and a year) and 2000 calories??? Really??? Sorry if I'm skeptical, but 60 minutes of training and increasing my calories by over 3500/wk (after just recently increasing them by 2000/wk) is going to help me lose fat? This seems counterproductive. If you've done this and it worked please share!

That's only for the first 4 (I think) workouts. Then you move to have 3 sets instead of 2. The Stage 1 3 set workouts take me about 40 minutes. I wear a HRM and I burn as many calories as I do with a Month 1 Insanity video (did Insanity twice). Stage 2 workouts can bump into the 70 minute range!

BUT, I try to do my lifts on opposite sides of the gym which means during rests, I'm walking -- not sitting or standing. If you want a longer workout, add some HIIT for 15 minutes on the end of each.

As for the diet, I'm 5'11 and don't eat 2000 calories a day. If you're wanting to lose weight...you'll have to play around and see what works for you but I did this program last year and people that start it drop like flies because it's a hard program to do and lose.

Hi, all. I'm reading my husband's NRoWL, so I don't know how different it is from NRoL4W, but one thing the author talks about in NRoWL is that doing cardio on non-strength days can actually interfere with strength gains. The way he explained it, your body will have to choose between strength and endurance and will likely choose endurance. However, he says that if you do strength and cardio *on the same day*, this won't happen.

I do try to toss in some cardio post training sessions (usually a fast 1 mile jog), but I don't have much time to spend on it after already spending 45 minutes to an hour on strength. So I've also been doing cardio on off days, ~1 hour of fast walking and some HIIT. I enjoy it, and I didn't feel like it was causing any issues, but now I wonder.

Do any of you have feedback on this? Maybe even have tested the theory? What is your usual weekly routine, if you don't mind sharing, in terms of how often you strength train and when/if you do other forms of exercise? Is this really only a concern if you're going for high/competition level strength?

I'm planning on starting with stage 1 next week after I finish reading through once. Anyway I'm just not really sure what weights to use starting out. I'm guessing for the squats I just use the bar, but what about the rows and step-ups? I feel like I'm just going to be staring at the weights for half an hour without an idea of what I should be doing and then my lunch hour will be over and I'll have to leave.

What are good starting weights for a reasonably healthy, average sized person?

i just got the book on my kindle and I'm confused.....so i do workout a and workout be for the ones that are for wo 1....I do that 3 days a week and then go on to wo 2 for 3 days a week and then so and so forth?