Well done, great stuff! I've now sorted my gym membership. Did my second 4B workout Monday and still have lower back and abs DOMS today! Suddenly having issues with my deadlifts - I'm fine picking it up but feel like I'm going to hurt my back when I put it down.... don't know what has changed?! Anyway, I got 8 reps of 40kg, 50kg and 4 reps of 55kg.

Don't like the new benches at this place - lower than what I had been using for a step and also they are slippy so I feel like I can't quite get my cuban snatch form right :-/ Oh well, just takes a bit of getting used to I suppose. No weights for me today as won't have chance to get to gym, but will be back to workout A tomorrow. This has been the longest phase 4 ever, lol

Yup, core is on for sure. I will try and think 'use my legs' next time and see if it makes a difference! Thanks

I did 1 x 120 sec plank yesterday! Could only crank out one more at 100 secs though, lol. Still only at 20kg for the FSPP but managing to get all the reps now. 3 sets of 8 is a big improvement on the 4 I managed in stage 2! Bit bored of the lunges and Bulgarian split squats in this stage.

My Mum has just bought the NROLFW book! She's going to the gym today, a complete newbie at any kind of resistance work. Hope she loves it like I do!

Stage 4 Workout A Day 1
I couldn't wait to get back in the gym after an unintended rest between stages.

Front squat/push press - I found a new method: http://youtu.be/P1ShmiJ9vZA

I felt much less awkward doing it this way which is a little different to the book.

A guy that works at the gym gave me some useful advice. He noticed I was using the fixed weight barbells (I only use 10kg(22lb)) and asked if my wrists hurt when the bar rolled back. I hadn't noticed probably because the weight is so light. He showed me some other ready assembled bars where the weights can spin around just on the olympic bars. Because the weight can't spin on the fixed weight bars they can hurt the wrists.


Dumbbell 1pt rows - I LOVE doing these. The way the body balances itself is really cool. 2x5kg

Push-up - I've gone backwards with these and found I had to go up to point 5 on the Smith Machine

Static lunge - I found it helped to really pinch my shoulder blades back. This helped avoid the usual left shoulder twinge I get when I went back to the push ups. 2x4kg

Plank - after reporting almost embarrassingly light weights on all my lifting I don't seem to have as much trouble with these as some of the bigger lifters are reporting. Okay my body was shaking by the end of the third 2 min set but I got there okay.

Most importantly my mood is lifting with each stage and I'm on my final cut with the anti-depressants. After 18 months I think I can finally do without them. I thought I did very well today with a spinny head.

I've always been more of lurker than participator on internet forums but realised this morning that it was really nice to have some friends to tell about how much I'm enjoying this program. Thanks to all.

I haven't had any strength gains in this stage. I'm finally getting the hang of the FspP. Thanks for the video link blacknivory, that really helped.
I can do push ups but they aren't beautiful. But at least they are on the floor now, not off a bench so I'm proud of that. I can do one 90 second plank but can't do the other 2 without a break. I really think most of it is mental and I stop from mental boredom or something. Any advice?

Thanks for the motivation jo, Conley, and blacknivory. Keep up the good work everyone!

I agree with the mental strain of the plank!! I also listen to something to get me through, but I play it in my head. Trying to remember all the words in a verse distracts me haha.

I know, you're thinking 'I must be almost there!'.... sneak a glance at the timer..... '00:45'..... wtf?!

I know, you're thinking 'I must be almost there!'.... sneak a glance at the timer..... '00:45'..... wtf?!

This exact situation happened to me yesterday! lol
I don't usually skip anything in the program but I skipped my third plank yesterday. It was just torturous!!

Well done jo_marnes!

I finished my last B workout today yay! I actually think the few days off did me the world of good- I felt pretty great this morning.

Stage 4 results:

A
FSPP: 27.5kg x 6, 27.5kg x 6, 30kg x 4
Step Up: 12.5kg dumbbells x 8 (Same as what I started this stage at. Just couldn't make that leap to the 15kg dumbbells!)
One point row: 12.5kg dumbbells x 8
Pushups: 3 x 15 reps
Lunge: 12.5kg dumbbells x 8
Plank: Longest plank was 2 minute 30 seconds. Next goal is 3 minutes!
Cable Woodchop: 58.5kg (Not sure if this is a "true" 58.5kg... there are two cable machines that I can do woodchops on and one is MUCH easier than the other- not sure what the difference between the two is)

B:
Deadlift: 45kg x 8, 47.5kg x 8, 50kg x 6 - YAY! I hit my goal of 50kg though I noticed that my back was rounding so it probably doesn't count. That's something for me to work on.
Split Squat: 16kg kettlebell
Cuban Snatch: 7kg dumbbells (tried 7.5kg but it wasn't happening. Amazing how 0.5kg makes such a big difference for this move)
Underhand lat pulldown: 7 x 43.3kg, 6 x 43.3kg, 8 x 43.3kg. I wanted to reach 45kg but I didn't. I feel like I've really stalled with the pulldowns which is annoying.
Reverse lunge from box: 7.5kg dumbbells x 8

I'm heading off on holidays for 2 weeks on Saturday, so it'll probably be at least 3 weeks from today until I can get back to the gym, eek! This will be my longest lifting break since I started the program. Hopefully it won't affect my progress? My knee is still bothering me a little so I think I'm also going to book a physio appointment when I return to see if I can get that sorted out as well.

Not being funny, but that is an enormous weight for woodchops..... are you sure it's in kg's? I only say that because I'm so confused about my lat pull downs. At my old gym I was up to 41, now at my new gym I can only do 23..... I'm beginning to think that the onld machine must have been in lbs? 58.5kgs is heavier that I am..... bloody good effort if it's accurate but it seems unusual in comparison to the other weights you are lifting.

No, you are right, I'm completely suspicious of it myself as it's a ridiculously high weight, and it bugs me every time I use the machine because I know I'm not woodchopping a true 58.5kg despite what the machine says. Especially as I've just hit 50kg with my DL and still haven't hit 45kg on my pulldowns! I put down 58.5kg because I'm not sure what it "converts" to, if that makes sense. I generally use this machine to do my woodchops:
http://uk.matrixfitness.com/product/features/g3-msft-functional-trainer

However, once I had to use the cable crossover machine when the functional trainer wasn't free and I immediately had to cut my weight in half, I think at the time it was 38kg on the functional trainer vs 18kg on the crossover machine. So 26-28kg is probably closer to the actual number.

I've actually googled this over and over trying to figure out why one machine is so much more "forgiving" than the other but to no avail!

I'm pretty sure I double checked to make sure it was kg and not lbs but I should probably triple check, it wouldn't be the first time I've misread something twice

Edit: Actually, until I can get to a gym, I'm going to assume that the weight is in lbs not kg!

Apparently the functional trainer prioritises range of motion over actual weight and gives a "mechanical advantage". It can either have a ratio of 1:4 or 1:2, so although the label says the resistance is 58.5kg, effectively it's either 29kg or 15kg depending on what the ratio is. It's a bit confusing, it seems how far you pull the cable also has an effect but that's the general gist of it.

Oh lordy, that is confusing! Maybe my issue is something like that too? Will have to ask at the gym!