hey all, i started stage 3 last night at the Y and had to finish my last plank and the body matrix at home cause i didnt get to the Y early enough to get it all done...the 105sec rest between sets really truly does suck and i have got to plan better and get to the Y by 840 if i want to finish workout A each wednesday night before they close at 10 - i typically do about a mile on the elliptical to warm up and then jump right into my lifting....anyway, just curious, i know we all have different times and we are all in different places but how did everyone do on their first body matrix????? let me just say HOLY *kitten*......i did it in my play room with my hubby timing me and i had to rest in between quite a bit....my form was not great on the first round for sure but i think i did better with my body positioning on the 2nd round...i think my times were 3:25 and then 4:15??? is that "Good"??? how did you guys do your first time???

also the Dumbbell single arm overhead squat was very awkward...i couldnt keep my arm straight over my head...i used a 5 over and a 10 under....the Dumbbell single - leg romanian deadlift was very hard to keep my balance...better on #2 and 3 for sure....

denise

I started Stage 3 chart A on Wednesday and loved it!! It kicked my butt... I didn't time the body matrix I just made sure that I did both sets and tried to get through it as quick as possible while still keeping form...

Today I start Stage 3 chart B... Wish me luck!!

hey all, i started stage 3 last night at the Y and had to finish my last plank and the body matrix at home cause i didnt get to the Y early enough to get it all done...the 105sec rest between sets really truly does suck and i have got to plan better and get to the Y by 840 if i want to finish workout A each wednesday night before they close at 10 - i typically do about a mile on the elliptical to warm up and then jump right into my lifting....anyway, just curious, i know we all have different times and we are all in different places but how did everyone do on their first body matrix????? let me just say HOLY *kitten*......i did it in my play room with my hubby timing me and i had to rest in between quite a bit....my form was not great on the first round for sure but i think i did better with my body positioning on the 2nd round...i think my times were 3:25 and then 4:15??? is that "Good"??? how did you guys do your first time???

also the Dumbbell single arm overhead squat was very awkward...i couldnt keep my arm straight over my head...i used a 5 over and a 10 under....the Dumbbell single - leg romanian deadlift was very hard to keep my balance...better on #2 and 3 for sure....

denise

Let me second that "HOLY *kitten*" on the matrix!! My times were 5:41 and 5:13. I think I was faster on the second go-round cause I felt like if I didn't hurry up and get it in, I was going to lay down and not get up for a while!

I had the same trouble with the single arm overhead squat...same weights, too. My overhead arm wants to bend and go forward, no matter how hard I try to keep it straight. I had the same trouble when I did squats with the lift on the 30DS...not sure what's to be done about it. If you find out a trick for it, let me know, eh?

And thanks, all, for the responses about starting C25K and doing NR. I'm going to try it, and listen to my body. Hubs is against someone "my age" taking up running (okay, I get it, he is concerned for my health, but dammit, you just don't say that *kitten* to a woman!). I can't even articulate WHY I want to do it...but I feel like it would be a huge confidence booster, and would put the final touch on my decision to quit smoking.

Congrats, kcfaber! We'll be right behind ya! Stop back by and let us know how you're doing.

i did workout 3B saturday for the first time and i felt it pretty much right away lol....i feel it even more today and it probably doesnt help that i ran 10.25 miles yesterday good thing i dont lift again until wednesday night.....

i liked workout B except i still hate the lateral flexions....i think i'm going to skip back to just regular bicycles cause i do not feel the move during or after i complete it....i also dont like the swiss ball crunches - i used a 15lb kettle bell on my chest and i dont feel the pull in my core when i am doing the crunch like i do on the floor doing regular crunches...not sure what i am doing wrong but i think i'm moving back to the floor to do my crunches in the future....

the ytwl was FUN - lol, not, i used 5lbs and think i will try moving up a bit next saturday....i skipped prone cobra cause i forgot about it i guess....i just dont like that move lol and would rather do WEIGHTED exercises instead of that type of stretching move....

i have to say the 105 sec rest period sucks *kitten*....i walked around the gym, got myself set up on the next exercise, did some slam balls, but seriously i feel like i'm pushing myself with the weights so hard and then bam, i'm just standing around lol....

anyway, i also tried the assisted pullup/chinup machine for the first time....one of my fitness goals is to be able to do just ONE unassisted pullup - i dont care if it takes me forever to get there, i will get there....i did 5 wide grip pullups on 110lbs and then i did 10 narrow chip ups at 110lbs...i'll be adding this to my workout routine on my weight days and hopefully, eventually i'll get to the UNASSISTED pullup with no weight.....

looking forward to lifting again workout 3A on wednesday....

denise

I like this stage.. It's challenging... I haven't been timing the body matrix for chart A, I just try to make sure I get through it as quickly as I can while keeping form.. Kicks my butt!!! LOL..

I haven't really lost any weight, in fact I have gained some weight.. But I know I have lost inches... My clothes fit better and I feel better in general.. I'm going to keep pressing forward and not let the scale ruin or upset how I'm feeling.. Easier said than done, but I'm going to keep focused...

i also dont like the swiss ball crunches - i used a 15lb kettle bell on my chest and i dont feel the pull in my core when i am doing the crunch like i do on the floor doing regular crunches...not sure what i am doing wrong but i think i'm moving back to the floor to do my crunches in the future....

Hold the kettleball with both hands and stretch your arms out straight by your ears, and I guarantee you'll feel it. I was up to like a 30lb kettleball on my chest in stage 1, and still only felt something on the last couple crunches. I started doing them with arms overhead in stage 2, and by the end of the stage I was only up to 8lbs.

Yes, exactly. Having the weight farther away from the "fulcrum" (your butt/back on the ball) significantly increases the difficulty.

Bwahahaha! Just LOVE busting my *kitten* right in front of hubs!

I do the back extensions on the ball, with my heels wedged under the leg-developer pegs on my bench. There is a hook that slides down to hold the pegs in place for stationary work. I guess it wasn't completely engaged...I was at the top of the extension, holding for few seconds, when suddenly...gravity worked. Yep, *kitten* over tea-kettle!

Hubs happened to be taking a drink of coffee at that exact moment. He's okay, and I don't think the carpet stained...

Did my first 3A workout yesterday! LOVE the dumbbell snatch and the bench press - I did 25lb dumbbells for both of those exercises and might be able to go higher next week. 90s planks were killer but I survived (music helps!) The one-leg romanian deadlift was just awkward (15lb dumbbells).

The bodyweight matrix killed me :ohwell: I got through the first set of regular squats and lunges, and was thinking "Well this isn't so bad..." And then I got to the jump squats (I accidentally switched the order of the jump squats and jump lunges) and OMG burning legs. I could only do about 2-3 at a time before I'd have to pause for a second or two. My TOTAL time including the 2x rest in the middle was 15:04...plenty of room for improvement.

Kewlness! I had to order olympic dumbbell handles, so I can use my plates instead of buying more solid dumbbells. I find it funny that last autumn (before I even heard of NROLW), I wasn't able to imagine ever needing more than 15's for anything!

On the one-leg romanian deadlift, I was having trouble with 15's. Hubs watched my form and said I was trying to go too deep. I tried stopping with the bells just below the knee instead of mid-shin and it felt much more natural. I was able to go up to 20's.

I have a notation on my workout sheet next to Body Matrix...in large, red letters it reads: E-V-I-L!!!

Re: YTWL

Due to my vacation-break, I won't hit this stage until mid-March, but I found this video/information, today and thought I'd post here so that I can review it for Stage 3!

http://nicktumminello.com/2009/07/a-new-and-improved-ytwl/

Two weeks into stage 3 (I'm doing 5 weeks total, to make it fit my calendar so I don't have to take two weeks off between 3 and 4). Definitely liking the A workout better! I am in awe of how much y'all are using on some of the exercises though...my cable chop is only 15lbs! I did much better on the SLRD only going down just past my knee. I think I can move to 20s next week. My second attempt at the BWM was 13:35 total (significantly better than my first attempt). And can I just say, I am only using 5lb dumbbells on the YTWL but my arms and shoulders look totally bad@ss on the T :happy:

i had 3 workouts left in stage 3 back in february and got sidetracked with finishing up with my 1/2 marathon training and then resting after the race and then just not getting my *kitten* back to weights...i'm thinking i'm going to start stage 3 over again from the beginning since it has been soooo long since i lifted since 2/15.....grrrrr, i hate going backwards but it's better than giving up i guess....
denise

I'm choosing to do my cardio on Tues/Thurs/Sat, rather than after the strength-training M/W/F. I only have 60 minutes, so that's how I'm choosing to do it.

I did my first Workout A in Stage 3, today.

And, coming off of approx. 2.5 weeks of NO lifting and very little cardio....so, it wasn't a very good work-out.

I only did 2 sets of each exercise. And, my quads actually SEIZED UP after my first set of the day!! Both quads!! Ugh. So, I stretched them and then continued on with the remainder of the exercises.

I didn't really lift THAT heavy....just easing back into the routine of it.

As such, I'll probably add one extra A- and one extra B- workout to the end of this Stage, to permit me to have this "ease in" week.

Now that there isn't any "holiday" on the horizon, I don't seem to be as *worried* about how fast/hard I'm progressing, lol!!

Tomorrow I give the "body matrix" my first shot....wish me luck!

I need to watch videos on form for the one-armed snatch....I wasn't doing it right, despite my trainer showing me a number of times and yacking in my ear about using "leg power" and not "arm power". The whole "explosive move" thing isn't my strong suit, that's for sure....I'm more of a slow-and-steady performer.

Also, for the single leg deadlifts, keeping my hips square is KEY. My first set, I was (unexpectedly) twisting a little bit, trainer said. So, that's important. I have really long legs and a short torso, so I'm practically touching the floor by the time I get my legs to parallel - which is fine for me....I have long arms, too.

I don't think I'll do 105 seconds between reps, either. I'll try and do 90, like agthorn suggested....or maybe even 75. I won't be doing my HIIT or body matrix at the end of weight-training, though....I'll save those for my "off-days".

Nicely done, agthorn!!

I've had to postpone my weightlifting scheduled for today....my quads are still TOO sore. So, I'm just going to do some light cardio and LOTS of stretching for today's workout.