Just started stage 1 today...help....:(
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FaithHopeBELIEVE
Posts: 626
I dont think I did this right. I tried rereading the stage 1 over and over to make sure I understood it. I have been doing some form of weightlifting for the last 20 years. I just finished 60 days of the Supreme90 program which was tough. I stopped at 60 days as the next 30 days didnt seem like it increased in challenge even with weight increase. I was excited to beigin NROL so I decided to start as it seemed harder. I am not being snarky (i am not like that at all I am just confused) but I dont feel like it did anything for me. It says to do 2 sets of 15 but I could have done 3 or 4 sets. Do I then and then just finished stage 1 in 3 weeks? I would put more weight (I had 50 lbs) on the barbell but I have never used a barbell before (I do everythign at home never been to a gym) and it was hurting the area you rest it on. But when I was doing Supreme90's squats with two 20 lbs dumbells I was more out of breath and seemed to have been worked harder at 3 sets of 12. It also only took me 20 minutes to complete and I felt it was short but is this right?
Am I doing something wrong? Since I am not a beginner do I do more sets ? I always heard you shoudl go to failure but today i did exactly what the book said and didnt "feel" it. Know what I mean?
Not sure if I am even wording thsi right. I just want to make sure I am doing this right.
Am I doing something wrong? Since I am not a beginner do I do more sets ? I always heard you shoudl go to failure but today i did exactly what the book said and didnt "feel" it. Know what I mean?
Not sure if I am even wording thsi right. I just want to make sure I am doing this right.
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Working through reading the pages on the topic Stage 1 above. I am getting some reassurance. I was really getting dissappointed.
Now I feel a bit better. I saw some of you follow up with cardio in stage 1? I think I'll do that too as I thought we were only to do that in a later stage. I think I'm trying to go too strictly by the book and should follow how I feel...right? 0 -
It sounds like you may need to increase the weight at which you're lifting. You definitely want to feel tired by the end of your last set.
As far as your shoulders hurting, you want to be careful where you rest the bar. It should not be on the back of your neck, it should lay across both shoulders. If it hurts too much, you may want to look into getting a squat bar cushion.0 -
Working through reading the pages on the topic Stage 1 above. I am getting some reassurance. I was really getting dissappointed. Now I feel a bit better. I saw some of you follow up with cardio in stage 1? I think I'll do that too as I thought we were only to do that in a later stage. I think I'm trying to go too strictly by the book and should follow how I feel...right?
I did not do much cardio at all during Stage 1. I still went to Pilates and to yoga, but I mostly wanted to concentrate on lifting. I started doing cardio (interval training) during Stage 2.0 -
Thankyou!!! I wondered this, but on the step up my legs were fine but the weights on my arms were hurting, meaning where I was just holding them but not doing work. So I wasnt really working what I was supposed to.
This is what I did:
Squats with barbell at 50 lbs 2x15 (legs could have done more but weight on shoulders hurt)
Seated row has to be substituted with bent over row 2x15 holding 2 15 lb weights
Pushups (have yet to be able to do off knees but trying my best...:( )
Step up I used 2 20 lb dumbells which wore on my arms but legs were fine.
prone jacknife (done this before on supreme90) 2 x 150 -
Thankyou!!! I wondered this, but on the step up my legs were fine but the weights on my arms were hurting, meaning where I was just holding them but not doing work. So I wasnt really working what I was supposed to.
This is what I did:
Squats with barbell at 50 lbs 2x15 (legs could have done more but weight on shoulders hurt)
Seated row has to be substituted with bent over row 2x15 holding 2 15 lb weights
Pushups (have yet to be able to do off knees but trying my best...:( )
Step up I used 2 20 lb dumbells which wore on my arms but legs were fine.
prone jacknife (done this before on supreme90) 2 x 15
It sounds like you might have an issue with your grip strength. I had something similar when I first started. I would do a few step ups and then have to set the weights down for a second to re grip, not because my legs were tired. Your grip will get stronger, its just a matter of time. I now have no problem hanging on to dumbbells I had issues with before. If you find the weights slipping from your hands, just take a second to put the weights down, regrip them, and continue with the set.
If you're getting blisters like I did, you might want to consider getting some weight lifting gloves. I was getting bad blisters on my hands from lifting the weights which made it even more difficult to hold on to the weights when combined with my weak grip strength. I found them especially useful for deadlifts... my palms would BURN when doing those.
Finally, if you're very concerned about your grip strength you could look into getting weightlifting straps to help you grip the weights. However, I wouldn't really recommend it. I think it's better to build your strength now rather than sabotage your progress later by not being able to properly grip the weights. It's a slow process, but you will make progress.0 -
Thankyou!!! I wondered this, but on the step up my legs were fine but the weights on my arms were hurting, meaning where I was just holding them but not doing work. So I wasnt really working what I was supposed to.
This is what I did:
Squats with barbell at 50 lbs 2x15 (legs could have done more but weight on shoulders hurt)
Seated row has to be substituted with bent over row 2x15 holding 2 15 lb weights
Pushups (have yet to be able to do off knees but trying my best...:( )
Step up I used 2 20 lb dumbells which wore on my arms but legs were fine.
prone jacknife (done this before on supreme90) 2 x 15
It sounds like you might have an issue with your grip strength. I had something similar when I first started. I would do a few step ups and then have to set the weights down for a second to re grip, not because my legs were tired. Your grip will get stronger, its just a matter of time. I now have no problem hanging on to dumbbells I had issues with before. If you find the weights slipping from your hands, just take a second to put the weights down, regrip them, and continue with the set.
If you're getting blisters like I did, you might want to consider getting some weight lifting gloves. I was getting bad blisters on my hands from lifting the weights which made it even more difficult to hold on to the weights when combined with my weak grip strength. I found them especially useful for deadlifts... my palms would BURN when doing those.
Finally, if you're very concerned about your grip strength you could look into getting weightlifting straps to help you grip the weights. However, I wouldn't really recommend it. I think it's better to build your strength now rather than sabotage your progress later by not being able to properly grip the weights. It's a slow process, but you will make progress.
Ahhh! Thankyou! This helps a ton!!! Should I do the whole workout again today? Like a do over? lol0 -
It does mention in the book that you can do the step-ups with a bar bell instead off dumbells- maybe that's another way to enable you to take more weight?0
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Should I do my whole workout 1 over? i did it at 9:00 am and now its 12;30 pm. SHould I or would that hurt the process and do workout B wednesday and workout A just wait until Friday?0
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I would just go ahead and do workout B on Wednesday and workout A on Friday. I think part of the reason Stage 1 is so long (it's double the length of both Stage 2 and Stage 3) is so that you can figure out your capabilities.0
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When I first started my grip was very weak. It gave me more trouble then my legs at the step ups. What I did was to do my step ups on a bench....it is higher then the step. Also when I had to up my weights, I used a barbell rather then dumbbells.
For the sqaut, I used my towel to protect my shoulders.
If it does not feel enought, up your weights next time. You will find what work for you.
Oh and for the prone Jackknifs......I put the ball under my knees and do it very slowly, concentrating on your abs,......you will see it is really making it harder.
Good luck0 -
I would just go ahead and do workout B on Wednesday and workout A on Friday. I think part of the reason Stage 1 is so long (it's double the length of both Stage 2 and Stage 3) is so that you can figure out your capabilities.
Ohhhh okay, I didnt realize this. THANKYOU!!! all these comments help so much as I was getting discouraged.0 -
When I first started my grip was very weak. It gave me more trouble then my legs at the step ups. What I did was to do my step ups on a bench....it is higher then the step. Also when I had to up my weights, I used a barbell rather then dumbbells.
For the sqaut, I used my towel to protect my shoulders.
If it does not feel enought, up your weights next time. You will find what work for you.
Oh and for the prone Jackknifs......I put the ball under my knees and do it very slowly, concentrating on your abs,......you will see it is really making it harder.
Good luck
Oh gosh thankyou for the towel advice. Why didnt I think of that...lol!? I also had to use a "makeshift step". I tried to make it at a height it wouldnt collapse and that would be harder. The jacknives I've just been doing on and off for 60 days on my other program so that might be why.0 -
Don't bother starting over, just take this a lesson and grow from here. It takes a few workouts to adjust to the program and how much weight to use.
Grip is definitely a concern. I use weight lifting gloves and still get blisters, I think with heavy weight it may just be unavoidable. The gloves do help though. Some gloves are better than others (some have padded palms and such) so get a good pair.
I thought the program was easy at first too, but it get's harder fast. I also felt like I could do three or four sets. When I had the time, I just did three sets. I think also cardio is a good idea on weight lifting days. I actually do cardio first to help warm me up, although some people prefer to do it after to not deplete their energy. I typically do 15-25 minute on the treadmill or elliptical. This combined with the weight lifting I'm tired.
As far as your barbell pain, they make these really hand foam cushions you can use on your barbell. It has velcro and wraps on snugly so instead of metal on your shoulders is a nice foam pillow.
And to conclude, I'm going to circle back to the grip issue. I use dumbbells for deadlifts, and recently upped my deadlift to 90 lb. My legs are fine with this weight, could probably even do more, but I can barely lift those 45 lb. dumbbells to the area where I do the deadlifts and then get them back on the rack when I'm done. I don't really know what to do about this, any suggestions?0 -
When I first started my grip was very weak. It gave me more trouble then my legs at the step ups. What I did was to do my step ups on a bench....it is higher then the step. Also when I had to up my weights, I used a barbell rather then dumbbells.
For the sqaut, I used my towel to protect my shoulders.
If it does not feel enought, up your weights next time. You will find what work for you.
Oh and for the prone Jackknifs......I put the ball under my knees and do it very slowly, concentrating on your abs,......you will see it is really making it harder.
Good luck
Oh gosh thankyou for the towel advice. Why didnt I think of that...lol!? I also had to use a "makeshift step". I tried to make it at a height it wouldnt collapse and that would be harder. The jacknives I've just been doing on and off for 60 days on my other program so that might be why.
I agree with Yanicka... also, make sure you're doing warmup sets. They aren't super clear about that in the book, but adding two warmup sets really increased the overall difficulty of the workout for me!!0 -
And to conclude, I'm going to circle back to the grip issue. I use dumbbells for deadlifts, and recently upped my deadlift to 90 lb. My legs are fine with this weight, could probably even do more, but I can barely lift those 45 lb. dumbbells to the area where I do the deadlifts and then get them back on the rack when I'm done. I don't really know what to do about this, any suggestions?
Can you use the barbell instead of the dumbbells? I think it could be easier to grip that way. I heard that if you're holding the barbell in an overhand grip and it's too difficult, you can have one hand grip overhand and one grip underhand (so your thumbs are pointing in the same direction).
Other than that, I don't really have any advice. One of those things where you probably just have to increase grip strength little by little.0 -
Thankyou everyone! This helps a ton! Going to definitely buy some gloves! But it was also straining my arms not just hands. I suppose thats where that strength needs to improve.
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i just finished workout 1 and it felt easy and i struggled with my grip. thanks for all this on here, it feels really good to know I am not alone!0
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Keep following the plan as it's laid out, no reason to start over or redo one of the steps. You'll have plenty of time to get everything under control. The 2x15 does feel a little short in the beginning, but you'll soon find out it does get harder. I was in the same boat, but I just kept upping weights and everything is workout out for the best now.
I would definitely recommend trying to use a barbell for the DL's, it will make things so much easier (if you have access to one). You can use the bar in the squat rack if you need to, I do that all the time. But we also have a lot of bars around our gym, I'm beginning to think they would rather be a lifting gym than a cardio gym LOL0
