Stage 1
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Hi mmebouchon,
seems like a good idea to add at least one additional A and B
As this was my first time working with weights, I followed the idea in the book to do each workout a total of 12 times. Helped me to master the basic exercises before now moving the next stage
So whatever feels best to you is the route you should follow - and hopefully enjoy
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Hi nufertiri! Instead of using a step/bench (step was actual basement step and was too far forward, and bench was too high), I've switched over to kneeling on the floor and stepping up from there. I found that it helps me not push off with my other foot too. I realized that it's the exact moment I use when getting off the floor after playing with my son.0
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What has everyone got their cals at for Stage 1?
I believe my full maintenance allowance is 2,100
I would like to lose some weight / fat though which I understand you can only do in deficit so I've set my cals to 1600 gross, knowing from past logging I normally don't measure completely accurately so really I'll be more like 1700 - 1900 and not eating back my exercise cals.
I haven't had any scale movements yet - other than small spikes the days after I lift and I've been going for 3 weeks - will keep persevering till the end of stage one and then assess with photos and my measurements too.
What are other people doing/experiences?
Also, question: can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time or do you need to be in surplus to build muscle?
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When I went through NROLFW I was still obese for my height but had been lifting on a deficit for 12 weeks already, following stronglifts. So, I ended up sort of ignoring the nutrition side of the book and keeping to the deficit suggested by MFP. I think I had it set for 1.5 lbs loss per week with semi-active (not sedentary). I lost weight during the stages though it did vary from week to week as weight fluctuations do affect things in different points of the month along with types of food consumed.
Fat and muscle, it's a bit debated. Some can but you won't see a lot of muscle gain. It is easier to gain in a surplus because it provides calories to help with the building, plus women have a harder time to increase muscle mass in general. Recomp is possible at around maintenance, which involves muscle increase and fat decreasing but it's a slower process. Depends on a number of factors too, how long one has been lifting and such. I don't know every detail. I'm trying to figure out which would be better on my next step. Will either eat at maintenance since I started on the higher end of my "healthy range" or figuring out how low to get before doing a bulk.
Hope that helps a little.0 -
Thanks that is really helpful. I think really I am aiming for recomp so I will just be patient and keep persevering with around maintenance eating for longer.0
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Hi nufertiri - I found a couple of things on facebook that might interest you:
CRUNCHES (Swiss Ball / Reverse) Jan. 7, 2014 I asked Alwyn if there were any other changes to the NROLFW other than doing planks instead of crunches. He said: "That's about the only change where I do not recommend the old program at all. That said, there's a lot of updates to the workouts overall, but it's only the spinal flexion stuff that I'd want people to avoid. There are lots of way more effective core exercises in NROL4A (Abs) - planks, side planks, val slide push aways etc." From a speed coaching session: "I'm not concerned about avoiding it (spinal flexion) as much as I am about not using that as the primary focus (ie crunches). The research is clear - the stability type exercises activate MORE muscle than crunches. Spinal flexion movements mean less activation therefore less effective for our goals." -Alwyn Cosgrove
PRONE JACKKNIFE The illustration in the book is incorrect! You should not be putting your butt way up
in the air. A similar but different exercise, done with the butt in the air, is called a pike. For a correct demonstration of the jackknife, see Lou`s video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPacmjg26Sg Alwyn no longer uses stability balls in his programs and for this move they now use the TRX. It looks like this: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8oA2bncROo
I am so glad I jumped on here. I have an older copy of the book (bought it years ago and was intimidated!). I'm actually only four workouts away from finishing stage one, but maybe I'll repeat it with the proper ab exercises! I feel like I should repeat anyway, since I couldn't do lunges at the beginning (strength and balance issues I think) so I did split squats and my step ups were too low. I'm now doing lunges and higher step ups.
BTW Hi! Sorry for jumping in without properly introducing myself I am a 42 year old woman who has lifted on and off for years, but would stick to the "safe" "chick exercises" - machines mostly. Took a little time to get my squats and deadlifts in order but I'm pretty confident now, even if my husband makes fun of the weight I lift. LOL 0 -
Hi helpful people - more stage 1 questions for you! I am now a month or so in, I'm finding I am able to increase the weights of my big lifts a lot - my Squat and DL started at 30kg (hehe) and now are 45/50kg. But I am not able to increase the weights of my other lifts (step ups, rows etc) at the same kind of rate.
I'm worried that I'm going to end up imbalanced, should my strength be consistently increasing for all movements? Or is it ok / normal to get stronger at some things faster?
I also wonder if it is because the big lifts are first in my work out, so I'm fatigued by the time I get to step ups?
If you want to see I am logging my workouts here - Stage 1 month 1 is the last tab at the back now https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1R0BMG7_ZX-gjJKAfSMLnsKKhk-cna4nRxujuv7AeqWY/edit#gid=682853788
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I would say that the bigger lifts recruit more muscle groups so it would make sense for those to increase more dramatically. More muscle groups each getting slightly stronger and then working together = bigger weights.0
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New here and starting stage 1 tomorrow. A little nervous, but mostly excited! I have 4 babies - 3 were c-secs - and I'm at a 160lbs with 27.02% body fat. So not terrible, but it could be better. I've been doing HIIT and lifting with a personal trainer for just over a month now, but I'm looking for more direction so this is where NROL4W comes in. I'll check in!0
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I did the first workout yesterday. It was good but felt so short!0
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I started stage 1 this week, and have now done each workout once. Happy to be back after a number of injuries sidelined my fitness over the past couple of years. I did NROLFW in 2012 and had incredible results. So I'm really looking forward to the experience again. I found this thread helpful then, and so I'll try to post a few times a week this time around. Having people to ask questions of and friends to support is really motivating!1
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Hoping this thread revives itself! I'm on 5a today--was absolutely sure that the black bar I was using for squats had to be the 25 lb one bc it felt so light. So I loaded it to 55 lbs total and thought it was a bit tougher than last time. Later found out it really was the oly bar so I was squatting 75 lbs2
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Dang, cut off my post. I almost died just trying the oly bar on 1a so for it to feel easy now is awesome!0
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Nice job gradchica! Keep up the hard work!0
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Nice work. Not many are in stage one of the NROLFW book, just tends to be hit or miss but you can also post in the daily chat thread where most of us tend to post our different lifts and more.0
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I start tomorrow. I've been in and around the weights at my gym, so I'm ok, there. What I'm most nervous about are the rows, because I'm worried I'll look like an idiot trying to figure out the machine. And the prone jacknife. There is no way to make one look cool or graceful with that one, is there? I'm going to practice a bit at home with my own ball, but I really wish I had someone to laugh at myself with when I do it in the gym. Lol0
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somehow posted twice!1
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@lazieats How's stage 1 going for you?? Are you using an actual row machine or the cable row machine with all the different handles? The row machine is pretty easy and once you figure out what handles to use for the cable row, it'll be a piece of cake.
Nope, there's no way to look cool or graceful with the jackknife. I fall off of it every time almost lol! I don't have a workout buddy either - it would make some things easier...like laughing at myself
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I just started the first workout today. I messed up the number of sets though, thought I was supposed to do 3 so I did 3. I had been doing some body weight training before so I had no idea how much weights to use. I definitely did not use enough as I got through 3 sets being less challenged then my body weight exercises.
I do have a question about the pushups though. I was able to do 3 sets of 15 pushups on my knees, which I had worked up to doing my body weight training before. I was making really great progress with the body weight training, getting rapidly stronger and I have also lost 20+pounds so far. But, part of why I wanted to try a new program was because I was getting stuck in the progressions of some of the exercises. Like with the pushups, I can do so many of those on the knees, but I still can't do a full proper pushup, so I thought with weight training I can increase more incrementally, but here I am still having the pushup problem. So next time I do this workout A, I will do the proper number of sets (2 instead of 3) and increase weight for the other exercises, but with the pushups, I can easily do 2 sets of 15 on my knees, but I can't do really even 1 proper full pushup. I know I wont make much progress doing that, as I have been doing that for a few weeks now trying to get to the next pushup level. I know the book says to use an incline to help you, however the only incline wide enough for pushups available at the gym I go to is the bench, so there is not much room there for incremental increase. Any thoughts or suggestions? I am starting to get a bit bummed out about being stuck there.0 -
Shara - does the gym have a smith machine? Sounds weird but it does work for progression when it comes to push ups or pull ups, depending on where you put the bar. Or, to go closer to ground than bench but not quite there yet, maybe using dumbbells. I liked having them to grip when doing pushups more than doing with hands on the ground, actually. Though even the bench can help. During stage one, I used a rail near a walkway and later moved to a bench. by the end I could do a few on the ground, though I never did on my knees because it didn't work for me ever that way. Hope that helps.1
