In fitness, weight loss and life in general, you will find many differing opinions on what is the right thing to do. The best way to make a decision is to weigh all the factual evidence (information obtained from legitimate not-for-profit scientific research) and then make your choice. After you have committed to your choice, study how its effect on you (your own research n=1) and re-evaluate after a specified time period. If you got the results you wanted, continue. If not, go back to the drawing board.

What do you think would work best for you at this point? If you decide on NROLFW, you don't need a trainer. If you choose to do the program, commit to it and follow it through all the stages and then re-evaluate whether you got the results you wanted or not. I was thrilled with my NROLFW results and am now doing Supercharged.

One caveat about the NROLFW plan and weight loss: You may not drop weight if you follow the calorie recommendations in the book. I don't think they are the best for people who have a lot of fat to lose. You may want to consider following the NROLFW work out plan and creating a separate diet plan based that you adjust as you go along based on your results. I adjust my calories stage by stage now, based on the goal of the stage I'm in and my own short-term goals (fat loss, build lean mass, build strength).

I'm really not a great model for setting your calories for weight loss. Due to my age (44), my long history of obesity and dieting/weight loss (lost and regained over 250 pounds in my life, in various chunks of pounds not including my current 110), and the fact that my current loss is post weight loss surgery, no one should use me as a metabolic role model. LOL

What I found is that I was losing at about 1400ish calories towards the end of my WLS loss when I started NROL. I bumped my calories up to the recommended amounts and completed the program and my weight basically stayed the same. I did slowly recomposition some body fat to lean mass, and I made insane strength and fitness gains.

Right now, I can cut/lose on 1600 calories, but the losses are small (1 pound per week) and I stall out after about 4 weeks so I return to maintenance for a while to spare what little metabolism I have left. I am going to do one more cut during the Supercharged Basic Training Stage IV, and then I'll do maintenance calories (1800-2200 based on activity) for the rest of Supercharged, and likely the rest of the year. I'll reassess then.

I know that some have found that they could lose on the NROL calorie plan, and others have found they needed to decrease the calories. As my example demonstrates, not everyone can use the same cookie cutter plan and get the same results. I would probably recommend trying the book's advice for the first 2 or 3 stages and then adjust your calories accordingly.

I just consider Alwyn Cosgrove and Lou Schuler my personal trainers. LOL

You need to do the squats properly not with the smith machine. If she isn't even willing to show you how to do them properly then you need to get rid of her and get a different one for a session to teach you what you need to know IMO

From everything I have heard smith machines should be avoided at all cost as they can cause injuries so I personally would not use it.

I agree. If she isn't willing to show you proper form I'd look for someone else. She is supposed to be giving you instruction on things you ask about and it sounds like she doesn't really understand weight lifting. To have a trainer say you don't want to get bulky is kind of a red flag for me. Not all trainers are the same. I went to one and all she had was hand weights and weighted bars so she obviously didn't have the knowledge for true lifting clients. As your goals change, your trainer may need to change.

Having been in and out of the gym for the last couple of decades, I can tell you that part of the reason why women think that they'll get bulky is because we've been told so. By trainers.

If she warns you that you'll get bulky, tell her that's your goal and ask if she's willing to help you do that. What you are looking for is a progressive resistance program that uses exercises that work your entire body instead of focusing on axillary exercises to define specific muscles. NROLFW is an example of this. Sara and SideSteel on Eat, Train, Progress can help you with the exact wording to describe your goals.

If she doesn't want to follow Alwyn's program, and you want to keep her, she should be able come up with another program that meets the same parameters. If she can't do that, you're wasting your money.

My $0.02:

1. Find a trainer who listens.
2. Proceed to utilize that trainer only 2 times, at the beginning of each stage of NROL4W.
3. Have trainer walk you through an "A" work-out in one training session.
4. Have trainer walk you through a "B" work-out in your 2nd training session.
5. Work through the stage on your own.
6. Book 2 more sessions with trainer at beginning of next stage.

You won't need training for stages 4 and 5 because they are the same as 2 and 3. You can pay for 10 training sessions and get personalized training for Stages 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 - work-outs A and B - and keep the rest of the program as DIY.

(I did this and it worked GREAT for me! My trainer walked me through the stages, noting when my form wasn't correct, and helped me "adapt" moves to my body-type, too!!)