Christy - I am UBER-JEALOUS of your push-up prowess!! Good for you!

I completed workout 3 yesterday....and my push-ups are still on the 5th/6th rung (from the bottom) of the smith machine. Embarrassing!

Jenlwb - I hear you on the DOMS....I worked out Tues/Fri last week. I wanted to do M/W/F this week, but I was STILL TOO SORE on Monday. So, I'm doing Tu/Fri, again.

Sheesh....this really is a very challenging Stage! However, I think it's probably doing very good things for my body....I guess we'll find out in a month!

I'm glad you ladies are posting....I was lonely in here for awhile.

My hamstrings are STILL sore from WO1 on Wednesday! But did WO2 yesterday, Not too bad, I thought, though I was dripping in sweat and completely winded after the step-ups.
Here's what I did:

Incline Bench Press 2x8 at 55 lbs
Seated Row 2x8 at 75 lbs

4 Sets of 15
DB Squats: 15 lb DBs on each side
Should Press 15 lb DB on each (I usually can do 20-25 lbs DBs, but I was shaking by the end with just the 15's!)
Step Ups 30 lb BB
Lat Pulldown started light and ended at 50 lb. Will definitely go up next time!

On to WO3 on Monday!

FINISHED!!! Today was Stage 7, #12. *pats self on back*
I'm so thrilled, I wrote a blog post about it, "Medium (and the completion of NROLFW)".

A week off, then on to the next adventure!

Anastasia-
I've been trying to blog about my progress as well! Would you mind sharing your blog?

---

1
Jul-16
Work Out Five Weight Reps Sets Rest
Barbell incline bench press 65 lb 8 2 90s
Seated Row 80 lb 8 2 90s
Static Lunge, rear foot elevated 15 DB's 15 2 60s
12.5 DB's 15 2 60s
Push Up 5th/6th 15 4 60s
Barbell Romanian deadlift 70 lb 15 4 60s
Dumbbell bent over row 20 DB's 15 4 60s


I am WIPED OUT. Unbelievable how much MORE it takes for me to get through a Stage 7 work-out (compared to any previous stage). Wowzers....it doesn't really *feel* like I'm getting any BETTER at this. I continue to do it because: a) I am getting stronger; b) I like flexing!; and c) it's the right thing to do. One day, I would *like* to say that "I continue to do it because I ENJOY it", but these words ring hollow, just now.

PS - I *know* it says to take 30s rests between the sets, but I just CAN'T! (I've tried. Failed nearly every single time. I give up and just take 60s now, to preserve some sort of sanity!)
__________________

FINISHED!!! Today was Stage 7, #12. *pats self on back*
I'm so thrilled, I wrote a blog post about it, "Medium (and the completion of NROLFW)".

A week off, then on to the next adventure!

Anastasia-
I've been trying to blog about my progress as well! Would you mind sharing your blog?

I just your comment today.... I think you can see it here (I think):

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/anastasiaBH

I'm a technology moron, so here's a copy of my blog as well.
(ETA: I tweaked my shoulder at some point during stage 7, so I haven't started lifing again, yet. Taking plenty of time to let this heal, then I'll see. I'm a cardio bunny / yogini for now.....)


Medium (and the completion of NROLFW)
Six months. Sixty-two workouts (skipping Stage 6). Almost 30,000 calories burned. This was NROLFW for me.

I haven’t stepped on a scale in a while. I haven’t taken measurements yet. And I couldn't care less.

I probably didn’t lose any weight. That’s right – zero weight loss. And I’m thrilled. Based on my goals, I didn’t have much to lose. Those who know me have read this before; I harp on & on about just another five. Truth be told, it’s more vanity than necessity at this point. More importantly to me, I didn’t gain.

And I don’t think I lost much in the way of inches. Again, I started the program in decent shape, roughly a size 8/10. Today, I’m very comfortably size 6/8, perhaps leaning toward 6.

I gravitated toward size Large in shirts. Always. Workout gear, for sure, had to be flowing and roomy. God forbid it cling when I moved, or worse, when I broke a sweat. My 38DD’s needed the room. My belly needed the room. Today, my 34 / 36D’s and slimmed down waist fit freely in Medium. MEDIUM.

I saw a friend in early March, and then again in early June. She was taken aback by the difference in my shape in just three months, so much so, she pulled me aside twice during the June visit to comment.

I can do chin ups, several of them. Four years off & on with P90X, I never could ditch the chair assist. Six months with lifting, and I’m knocking out four, five, six at a time… ten or more if broken into sets… I can do push-ups. Real ones. LOTS of them. One hundred during a recent walk outside (4 sets X 25); ninety during a recent Stage 7 workout.

Oh yeah …. I EAT. No 1000-1200 calorie-days combined with 400 calories (or more) burned during a workout. Not for me, thanks. I’m a three-squares-per-day gal, and I enjoy every last bite. I dine out on occasion. I eat fast food on occasion. I drink on occasion. I’m still alive & the sun came out again today.

I took breaks. Workout breaks, “diet” breaks, logging-every-f'ing-morsel-of-food-breaks. It was healthy for me. It made me happy. It makes My Fitness Pusher less of a chore, and more of a want.

Lou Schuler wrote on the cover of his book, “Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess.” Goddess? Bad *kitten*? I won’t claim either designation. But, am I happy? You bet your sweet *kitten* (and my firm *kitten*) I am.

I don't think your weights "suck", at all, Jen. You're step-ups, for SURE, are THE BOMB!

I hear ya on all the DOMS....it's insane how sore I am - mostly the second day after lifting, lingering into the 3rd day. I'm on a 2 x per week schedule, too. I *know* EXACTLY why they don't start newbie weight-lifters on Stage 7!!!!!!

Here's my question for those who are almost done...what next? I definitely want to keep lifting. I think I may create my own plan, using the exercises from NROLFW. My husband does Stronglifts 5x5, but it seems like that might get boring.

I agree, SL5x5 might get boring, but it focuses on the big lifts, and I'm planning on doing it just to get higher weights in those lifts and have a change from all the fiddley little moves and time consuming in the NR prog. I'm sure both have their pros and cons, but we all have to change it up now and then! I know I won't want to re-do NRL4W for a long while.

When i get bored with SL, I might try NRL4abs.

You could do a hybrid of the 2, NR and SL? Just make sure you keep increasing the weights!

WO5 is in the books...just one more to go!! Have a family funeral out of town, so it might be a few days before I get to it. But excited that I just about finished it!

Congratulations!! That's fantastic! And, aaah, you're going for round 2 of Stage 7. You're a tougher girl than I am!! I'm so over the 15 reps.

Well done Beeps!

I too am officially done, here are my last 2 workouts:

WO5 22 July
Incline bench press 40lb 2 sets of 7
barbell row (for seated row) 70lb 2 sets of 6
4 sets of 15 reps:
static lunge 21lb a side
DB bent over row 21lb a side
push ups- most full, a few on knees
BB RDL 70lb

WO6 24 July
BB deadlift 97lb x 6 then 101.5lb x 6- I just realised I broke 100 lbs there!! (I was in kg) :drinker:
then 4 sets of 15
DB squat 21lb a side
Step ups 21lb a side
pullover 21lb DB (lat pulldown sub)
shoulder press 14.5lb a side

WO5 weights were increased, but I didn't increase most of the weights in WO6, but I did do all 4 sets at the weight, whereas in WO4 I had to drop them on the last set.

I'm going to do stage 7 one more time- BUT I'm going to change it slightly, because I want to do more of the big moves and think 4 sets of the rest is too much. So I think i'll adapt it to 4 sets of 5 reps for the compound (A) moves, then only 3 sets of 15 for the B moves. THEN i'll take a few days off, de-poof enough to take some after-pics, and then done!

jlhudy, I think the intention is to drop the weight down to one you can just about manage for 4 x 15. It's more cardio, and it's called 'the final cut'- it's a bit of an ego-dent to have to reduce the weights, I know, but the higher reps/lower weights seem to trim us down. Anyway you can go heavy on the moves in the A section (squats/DLs etc)

I start Stage 7 tomorrow and have been excited about it but after reading through the comments here...WOW! Sounds like it is going to kick my butt!!

Still looking forward to it but at least now I know what is in store for me!!

Beeps I never thought of reducing the reps, that's a good idea. I messed with the sets instead.

For Stage 7 round 2 WO1 I did:

4 sets :happy: of 6 reps Squats 84lbs

3 sets :happy: of 15 reps:
rear elevated static lunge 22lb a side
DB row 22lb a side
BB RDL 75lb
full push ups

I guess I'm confused about Stage 7. So is it only like 3 different exercises for each day. When I read the instructions, it seemed like you do the first exercise in each workout, then pick 2 of the next four and alternate. I'm almost done with Stage 5.

Nope, stage 7 is different, there are only 6 workouts and each one is different. They're laid out completely in the book, so for example your first workout you will do squats (2 sets of 6-8), then superset 4 sets of 15 reps for each of these-
static lunge,
push up,
RDL,
DB bent over row.

Then a couple of days later, do the whole of workout 2, and so on

I guess I'm confused about Stage 7. So is it only like 3 different exercises for each day. When I read the instructions, it seemed like you do the first exercise in each workout, then pick 2 of the next four and alternate. I'm almost done with Stage 5.

Nope, stage 7 is different, there are only 6 workouts and each one is different. They're laid out completely in the book, so for example your first workout you will do squats (2 sets of 6-8), then superset 4 sets of 15 reps for each of these-
static lunge,
push up,
RDL,
DB bent over row.

Then a couple of days later, do the whole of workout 2, and so on