I plan to start Stage 5 on Friday and I'm wondering...
How many sets are you doing, 3 or 4? How long does it take you to complete Workout A and B, including warm-ups and cool-down? Are you resting 120 seconds as the book suggests? Thanks!

Yep, I'll be starting on 12/27. Took this week off (unplanned) due to running xmas errands and overly long orthodontist appts for my son, and I'll be out of town next week. I have printed off the Angry Birds Workout from Nerd Fitness to do while I'm out of town, it's a lot of body weight exercises done in short bursts of time. Hoping that will counter all the xmas goodies!

I miss the weights though.

In reviewing the "Stage 4 Questions", here, some posters indicated they were working out 90-120 minutes!! Gosh, in all my weight-lifting days I haven't done that. (Nor can I afford that sort of time.)

Can you tell me if the work-outs remain that long in Stage 5?

Started stage 5 3 days ago......now I remember how much the body matrix sucked LOL. Still love the one hand snatch I am using 30 pounds dumbbells.

In reviewing the "Stage 4 Questions", here, some posters indicated they were working out 90-120 minutes!! Gosh, in all my weight-lifting days I haven't done that. (Nor can I afford that sort of time.)

Can you tell me if the work-outs remain that long in Stage 5?

Yes they do. I completed Workout A in 1 hour 47 minutes doing 3 sets. To avoid injury, I'm doing a general warm-up (8 minutes) plus 3 exercise-specific warm-ups as specified in the book (see page 133). Add 2 sets of the body matrix with the proper rest in between those sets. I'm also doing a cool-down & stretch session after the entire workout. I did not rest the entire 2 minutes between all of the exercises, only some.

Now that I've read Stage 5 through, I see the interval training is interspersed with the weight-training....so, the longer work-outs make sense. We shall see what I can do with my work-out schedule when I get there. (Because, right now, I'm doing my interval training on the days in-between my weight-training.)

If Stage 5 women tell me that what their doing "works", then I won't change anything....

I do my intervals on my off lifting days-I just don't like staying in the gym that long.
I'm starting stage 5 tonight and not looking forward to the body matrix. I hated it in stage 2!

Started stage 5 3 days ago......now I remember how much the body matrix sucked LOL. Still love the one hand snatch I am using 30 pounds dumbbells.

I just was able to increase to using 25lbs for the one hand snatch. My shoulders and upper back are still sore from Monday and I did workout B this morning and now I hurt even worse thanks to the YTWL's!

bizco, I'm only in Stage 1. But, I lurk all over the other "Stage" boards, like crazy. (I'm a "control freak", so trying to figure out HOW this is going to go, for me, is key to keeping me motivated to lift heavier every time I'm out, actually!)

It's okay if something is "hard" to do...that's kind of the point - to awaken (and grow) the muscles. While I'm not looking "forward" to the "body matrix", I am hoping that, when I get there, I'm up for the challenge!

Congrats on all you Stage 5 ladies....I think you are all doing SO awesome! It's soooooooooooo nice to see/read all your posts on your progress!

Started stage 5 3 days ago......now I remember how much the body matrix sucked LOL. Still love the one hand snatch I am using 30 pounds dumbbells.

I just was able to increase to using 25lbs for the one hand snatch. My shoulders and upper back are still sore from Monday and I did workout B this morning and now I hurt even worse thanks to the YTWL's!

I got re introduced to the lovely YTWL. I used 10 pounders because it is only 4 rep. I still hate them with a passion!!!! Since I started stage 5 I am so sore. Will you skip stage 6 ?

I'm a bit disappointed because I tried to use 8lbs for the YTWL but it was too hard. It could be because I am so sore from Monday's workout but I had to drop back down to 5's. I'm trying not to beat myself up over it. Work is still work, right?

Yes, I'm skipping stage 6. I don't see any real value in doing it and I have no desire to do chin/pull ups. What about you? I am actually looking forward at this point to being done with the program and moving onto something else.

I was able to use a 40lb. dumbbell today when doing the one-arm snatch. I noticed a few guys in the gym were watching me and it felt uncomfortable. No one said anything to me, but if my form was bad I wish they WOULD tell me.

I also shaved a minute off my time when doing the body matrix and the 2-minute planks are getting easier. It was a good day at the gym!

I still did 25 lbs for the snatch and I could only do 3 sets because my left shoulder was really starting to hurt and I didn't want to injure myself. But those 3 sets still worked me over.

I have to confess that I have only been doing 1 set of the body matrix. I just couldn't bring myself to do that second set. However yesterday I forced myself to do it. The funny thing is that my second set actually took less time than the first by a minute, weird. I spent the rest period between those sets stretching really well so I think that helped with the second set.

Honestly I am looking forward to finishing the program. I am tired of 90 minute plus workouts. It just makes me too tired. I think I am going back to doing circuit training. I have a good layout from The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises. But I am going to continue lifting as heavy as I can but I also need to add the cardio element. I also really like getting in and getting out.

I was able to use a 40lb. dumbbell today when doing the one-arm snatch. I noticed a few guys in the gym were watching me and it felt uncomfortable. No one said anything to me, but if my form was bad I wish they WOULD tell me.

I also shaved a minute off my time when doing the body matrix and the 2-minute planks are getting easier. It was a good day at the gym!

I bet they were looking at you because they never seen a lady do a one-arm snatch with 40lbs, or better yet never seen a lady do a snatch at all. You go, girl!

Agreed. idauria, if I get to your body at the end of this, it will have me HOWLING from the roof-tops. You look great! And I'm glad to read you are going to continue heavy-lifting - a new program sounds EXCITING!

I did 45 prone jackknives today (3 sets of 15), my personal best so far. I'm determined to have 6-pack abs!

I did 45 prone jackknives today (3 sets of 15), my personal best so far. I'm determined to have 6-pack abs!

That's great!