Quick question for you guys - I finished workouts 1A & 1B, and am about to move on to 2A. When going to 2A, did you use the same weights as in 1A? I see that the following workout 3A calls for less reps (12 instead of 15), which is where I thought would be a good transition point to use heavier weights. Anyone else doing the same?

Body wise, I am sore all over.. My butt/quads/triceps in particular do not like me very much right now. I guess I don't want to risk over-training I guess?

Hi! I'm just checking... from the way you worded this question, did you do 1A & 1B eight times each like the stage suggests?
I was incredibly sore in week 1 but it has been better this week. I expect to be sore throughout the program though since we need to keep challenging ourselves!

Stretch before and after... especially AFTER! I forgot about that for a few workouts :embarassed:

I barely finished my pushups (I don't know the degree of elevation but it was about 2.5 inches) so I'll do the same. I know I can do 12 regular pushups so when it gets to 8, I'll have to increase the difficulty (crazy!).

I'm struggling with the 45 degree angle pushups! I'm on 4B so I have some faith that I'll get there by the end of Stage 1!!!

I started a push up app on my phone in January. I literally could do 1 push up in a row. I worked up to being able to do about 13 in a row and about 75 total. That's the only reason I'm able to do the protocal!

Manic: Great progress! Glad you're feeling better about things. Keep it up!!!

Hi there, just started and will begin phase 1 2A tmrw.

My gym doesn't have an Olympic barbell, do I used the smith machine for my squats and dumb bells today for the deadlifts but found the deadlifts a little awkward.

Anyone have a suggestion for deadlifts apart from dumb bells.

The reason my gym doesn't have Olympic barbells, they don't want to encourage extreme body building, I was like Huh??

Hi there, just started and will begin phase 1 2A tmrw.

My gym doesn't have an Olympic barbell, do I used the smith machine for my squats and dumb bells today for the deadlifts but found the deadlifts a little awkward.

Anyone have a suggestion for deadlifts apart from dumb bells.

The reason my gym doesn't have Olympic barbells, they don't want to encourage extreme body building, I was like Huh??

that stinks. Smith machines are bad news though for squats and deadlifts. Can you go to another gym? If not, check stronglifts.com for alternatives and squatting without a rack.

good luck.

I must be thinking of something else. I googled Smith machine and my gym has one of the varieties. The Olympic bar can be moved so I am not sure why it is wrong.

Hello everyone :bigsmile:

Here's the text of the first link:

10 Reasons Why Squatting In The Smith Machine Sucks
Sep 14th, 2009 by Mehdi |
Some gyms don't have Power Racks. Instead they have Smith Machines which look like Power Racks, but with a fixed bar. Some people will tell you the Smith Machine is safer than free weights since the bar can't fall on you.

Well this isn't true. You can get injured using the Smith Machine. And although you're using a bar, it's a machine. Meaning you'll get subpar results compared to free weights. Here are 10 reasons you shouldn't use the Smith Machine.


1. False Sense of Security. You'll tend to take more risks on the Smith Machine because the barbell is fixed. Putting on weights you might not be able to lift yet since you can stop it more easily anyway.

The Smith Machine isn't as safe as it looks. You can injure yourself if you don't watch what you're doing. Read this story & watch this video for examples of Smith Machine accidents.


2. Unnatural Movements. On a free weight Squat your body goes down in an arched path. Smith Machines force your body into fixed, unnatural movements patterns. This can cause injuries, especially with heavier weights.

New generation Smith Machines — like the Jones Smith Machine — try to solve the problem by allowing 3D movements, including front & backward movement. But they're still machines with drawbacks. Read on.


3, Knee Injuries. Knee pain from the Smith Machine is common. It forces your body into fixed movements patterns and places shearing loads on your knees. And it's hard to position yourself correctly under the bar.

Feet Position. Feet too much under the bar: more knee flexion and knee stress. Feet too much forward: more knee stress because they want to slide forward and your lower back gets in a weak position.
Hip Extension. You'll tend to lean against the fixed bar, causing less hip extension. Your hamstrings — knee stabilizers — will shut down. More shear force on your knees and thus more risks of ACL injuries.

4. Lower Back Injuries. The fixed bar tends to make you rest against it and the Smith Machine forces you into unnatural movements patterns.

Lower Back Stress. You're pushing your spinal erectors & neck muscles more against the bar. More back stress, especially with heavier weights.
Lower Back Rounding. Feet too far forward puts your lower back in a weak position and will tend to make your lower back round.

5. No Balance. The Smith Machine balances and stabilizes the weight for you since its bar is fixed. You won't strengthen your stabilizing muscles or improve balance & coordination. Things you need for daily activities & sports.


6. Less Strength. All exercises become easier and less stressful since the Smith Machine balances the weight for you. You won't get as strong. Expect to lift less weight when switching to free weights.


7. Less Muscle. If you aren't making gains: switching to free weights will often make you break that plateau. Free weights force you to balance the weight, making the exercise harder on your body. Bigger adaptive response.


8. Muscle Imbalances You only build strength in 1 plane since the bar is fixed. This causes muscle imbalances and increases the risks of injuries in the other undeveloped planes of movements.


9. Technique is Different. Common advice is to learn to Squat inside the Smith Machine before switching to free weights. The thinking behind this is that the Smith Machine is safer and helps with balance.

But it's a waste of time. Technique is different using free weights since you have to balance the weight yourself. You'll have to lower the weight when switching and relearn technique from scratch.


10. Less Potential. You can minimize some of the above problems. But even if you do, the Smith Machine remains less effective for strength and muscle gains. Instead of trying to minimize problems: do the exercises with most potential.


How to Increase Safety on Free Weights. Weight lifting has the lowest rate of injury. You'll prevent injuries by learning & lifting with proper technique. Read all the exercise technique articles in the left sidebar. Extra tips:

Start Light. Control your ego. Start with light weights, focus on learning proper exercise technique and add weight slowly but gradually.
Have a Spotter. Especially on the Bench Press. Your spotter should be there to catch the weight if necessary, not to lift the weight for you.
Use The Power Rack. And set the safety pins so they can catch the weight. Read how to Squat if you don't have a Power Rack.

Good Uses for The Smith Machine. Again: don't Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift or Overhead Press using the Smith Machine. Here are some exercises you could do in all safety inside it:

Inverted Rows. Put the barbell somewhat lower than your belly height and use it for Inverted Rows.
Pull-ups. Use the Pull-up bar of the Smith Machine or set the bar high and do Pull-ups from there with your knees flexed.
Push-ups. Not strong enough yet for Push-ups? Put the barbell at belly height and do incline Push-ups. Lower the height as you get stronger.
For all other exercises: use the Power Rack so you can use free weights. If your gym has no Power Rack, consider building a home gym.

Hi there, just started and will begin phase 1 2A tmrw.

My gym doesn't have an Olympic barbell, do I used the smith machine for my squats and dumb bells today for the deadlifts but found the deadlifts a little awkward.

Anyone have a suggestion for deadlifts apart from dumb bells.

The reason my gym doesn't have Olympic barbells, they don't want to encourage extreme body building, I was like Huh??

for squats I do a goblet squat with a dumbell. If you google it or look on youtube you will find pictures. Are there any other barbells at the gym? I haven't used the olympic barbell yet either. We have these smaller plastic barbells that I like to use. Kettle bells for dead lifts are another good option. Db's & kbs should keep you going for a while, but as you get to heavier weights though you may want to look for another gym.

My son lifts weights every day for football practice. I asked him for help on my push ups. He said I could turn my hands outward to keep my elbows from flaring out. It has helped tremendously. My question : Does this affect or hinder my progress from a regular pushup?

I can't think of a reason that it would but then again if I ever attempted a push up it was on my knees :embarassed:

Ug so depressing. We dont have an Olympic bar and only have a Smith machine : (

Today's workout sucked. Seriously. I went to the gym and went straight to the rack to see if I could squat the olympic bar. I did two reps, and that was all I could do. I'm so mad. Stupid *** smith machine. So, I came home and loaded up my baby bar. My dh spotted me. I can squat 20 lbs. How deflating. :-( I guess I shouldn't feel so bad about it. When I started I was squating body weight and then 5 lb dumbells. And I wasn't going all the way down. Today I did 20 all the way. 3 sets of ten. Still, I "thought" I was doing better, so I'm still sort of bummed.

Also, I struggled with my push ups today. I just realized last week he wanted us to do them with elbows in. I couldn't do it for the life of me today. I couldn't even do ten of the regular. And I'm still on an incline. What the heck? I am curious as to his reason for elbows in? I understand it would strengthen my triceps more, but if I WANT or need to strengthen my chest more, what would be wrong with doing regular?

On the positive side, I upped my weight a little in my bent rows (I'm at home, so no cable machine) and my step ups.

Ive got sinus junk going on, so I didn't even attempt to balance for the prone jackknife. I did planks instead. Those seemed harder than usual, too.

My personal trainer told me to alternate between doing push-ups with elbows by side and with elbows flared out. I chose NOT to listen to him, and to just follow NROL4W as written.

But, jessica, all sorts of mfp posters have made all sorts of little alterations to the NROL4W program (including myself)....if you feel more comfortable doing your push-ups with arms flared, then I say "go for it"....but, if it's more "challenging" to do them with your arms in, perhaps there is a lesson there that you are supposed to be working on those weaker muscle parts (rather than presuming that it's a chest exercise only...)

My personal trainer told me to alternate between doing push-ups with elbows by side and with elbows flared out. I chose NOT to listen to him, and to just follow NROL4W as written.

But, jessica, all sorts of mfp posters have made all sorts of little alterations to the NROL4W program (including myself)....if you feel more comfortable doing your push-ups with arms flared, then I say "go for it"....but, if it's more "challenging" to do them with your arms in, perhaps there is a lesson there that you are supposed to be working on those weaker muscle parts (rather than presuming that it's a chest exercise only...)

As much as I want awesome triceps, I feel like I really need to spend more energy on my chest. I had surgery two years ago, where those muscles were severed. They have been horribly weak ever since.



Alternating though might be a good idea.

My gym doesn't seem to have one of those little slotted 5lb weights, and I wants one! Just thought I'd share

wow, too bad. try asking the manager to get some -- 10# is a pretty big jump, especially as you get higher!

maybe you could balance a powder-coated 5# dumbell (or even 3#, whatever) across the top of the weight bricks? or maybe use one of those 5# velcro band ankle weights? you could strap it on the top . . .

I will ask someone else, but if the answer's no, the vecro strap weigh is a brilliant idea!! Thanks

Sorry to have burst y'all bubble about the push-ups :flowerforyou: