jaztoderan Member

Thank you so much! I do want to build some muscle. I did do NROL4W for about a month last year and saw great improvements and had fun.. until I lost the book and had no money to pay for another month at the gym anyways. I think I'm going to either buy the book again or try a simpler routine like stronglifts or something…

I finished week 2! A couple days late due to travel etc but I did it. and going down to 12 reps was nice, I can squat 95lbs and probably more, and I deadlifted 90lbs can't wait to say I can deadlift my bodyweight! I did my shoulder presses today in front of a mirror and I could see my arm muscles it felt good!

I understand the importance of rest days, as hard as it is to resist the urge to work out more. I just have a question.. how important is the extra rest day per week? The book says no more than 3 workouts in 7 days, but if I'm not sore is it okay to skip that extra rest day? I'm feeling good and I have no plans today,…

I did my second A workout today and I rocked it! I increased the weight on most workouts without losing reps. and I SQUATTED THE BAR. It was easier than I thought it would be :) I asked the gym attendant to show me how to load plates on it properly so next time I can do more. So pumped.

I've officially done A1 and B1! I'm so proud of myself. I think I'll be able to try squatting the bar asap. and I picked too small of a weight for deadlifting, I was so proud that I had to move up 20lbs for set 2! My arms and abs are comfortably sore, thighs are killer sore though. Gonna do some yoga tomorrow on my day off.

Thanks! After I read your post I went to my basement and picked up my powerblock weights weighted up to 50lbs and I knew instantly it would be too heavy for me. I'm so scrawny and weak haha. It'll be my goal to work towards squatting the bar! I did goblet squats with 20lbs instead. Other than forgetting to do the B/C…

I just took my before pictures and measurements and hope to get started today. Do most people start out squatting the bar? 45lbs sounds like a lot to me.. that's over a third of my bodyweight haha. I'll give it a go I guess.. or maybe I should start out with hand weights or something?

Thanks! I'm just gonna go for it and I'm sure it'll work out. If the first workout is really just a wash because I pick totally wrong weights I'll just redo it when I have a better idea. Thanks so much :)

Hi, I'm Jaz :) I'm 23, I'm from Alberta. Looking to start this program as I know it'll be so gratifying to watch myself get stronger! Just picked up the book recently and looking forward to starting. It's intimidating though, I really am having a hard time trying to figure out where to start as far as how much to lift. I…

I've done 30 Day Shred and Ripped in 30 so I know the basics of squats etc and I do yoga as well so hopefully I'm conscious enough of my body to not do any damage. The book also says women are more conscious in general and tend to have better form. Thanks for the advice! I'm excited :)

That sounds awesome! Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely check it out.

Thanks! I've heard it becomes an addiction. I hope it's this way for me too. I've always been scrawny and weak and soft. I want to be able to be like, "I can pick you over my head, no big deal." :P

I've never gained weight from antidepressants but I was concerned at one point when switching (due to other side effects) that I could develop this side effect, and my doctor said if it was a concern my appetite would return to normal after stopping. So hopefully if you continue to wean off slowly you'll feel ok and you'll…

I wasn't going to take any rest days unless I absolutely needed to.. well I absolutely need to take today off! I had the most intense hot yoga session.. it was way hotter than normal and the instructor was brutal. I'm wiped & have a dehydration headache! So water and rest tonight. Starting week 3 tomorrow to keep on…

stay hydrated and throw out the scale and go by pictures/measurements to track progress!

:D two more days and we'll be at the halfway point! I'm excited. This is the most consistently I've ever worked out.. usually would go through a 3-4 week kick and still only workout a couple days a week. Feels good to keep pressing "copy from yesterday" for my exercise log.

Good luck! I was going to do it this month but lost my DVD. So I picked up Ripped in 30 instead and in two more days I'll be halfway done! Feels awesome. I'm sure you'll do great.

this is what I want to do.. get stronger and change my body composition. I'm underweight and I still have belly fat! but I'm having a hard time finding the right program to start with, everyone just says "lift heavy!" but I have no idea what to do

my powerblock weights! love them

I've heard week 3 is the hardest! Can't wait to hear about it. I'll be starting it Tuesday.

Thanks for the advice!

this might only help the mental aspect of it.. if you're losing weight you could go down a band size instead of a cup size. I used to wear a 34B bra and they never really fit right.. turns out I should have been in a 32C because I have a small frame. no actual boob difference, just a better bra and the knowledge that "ooh…

you might see lb gain at first from water retention (just like when you sprain your ankle and it swells, when you stress your muscles they retain water for healing). long term you might gain pounds from gaining muscle but your body composition WILL change and you will look better. & the more muscles you have the more…

I was going to take measurements but I don't trust myself to measure the exact same spot each time. Hopefully I see a noticeable difference in pictures (before and after)! (haven't seen any changes yet.. although my legs and butt feel tighter to the touch)

I don't have a membership but there are fitness centers in my area.

No. I've been doing a workout DVD for the past ten days (Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30) to get into the swing of exercising daily but haven't really sketched out a long term plan/done enough research. &No. How do I find that out?

I have a question too. I am underweight and from what I've seen online I should do strength training to get stronger and improve my body composition (even though I am underweight I still have lower belly pooch etc so I'm vain and want a flat stomach). Can I do cardio if I'm underweight? I want to look good and be strong…

My butt and legs have been comfortably sore since starting the workout and even more so since starting week 2. and today I felt a bit of soreness during my warm up in my obliques! NEVER felt sore there before, not even when I had a PT. AWESOME. Ten days down :D

I was always told never to do a weigh in around or during my period because you retain water and the numbers will go UP. So I have no idea if it can make it drop more than usual? Unless your cramps cause diarrhea maybe you could be dehydrated from that? I can't think of anything else. I don't think the uterine lining/blood…

there's a website that promotes standing! they have a calculator to get an estimate of what you're burning http://www.juststand.org/tabid/637/language/en-US/default.aspx