NROLW Support Thread?

[bronxmom]

I was inspired by the prone jackknife thread to see if anyone else is doing New Rules of Lifting for Women. I just finished Stage 2 today and am loving it but would definitely like support and to share help/advice/stories. So far I've lost some weight (probably 15 or 20 since starting with another 15 or 20 before I started) and have really built my strength. You can begin to see my muscles and I feel so strong. I also love feeling capable in the gym and working out in the free weights section and feeling like I belong. My goal is to lose a total of 65-70 pounds, so 30-35 more.

I realize, though, that I have not been getting as much out of the program as I can because I'm not consistently doing a minimum of 2 workouts/week. It's because I have trouble with guaranteed time at the gym being only Tues, Wed, Thurs - about to be Mon-Thurs. And sometimes something interferes. So even if I get there, I can't always guarantee a day between workouts so end up doing only one. So now I'm going to just make Tues, Thurs the days I do NROLW. If I can squeeze another one in on Sat or Sun, great, but I'll make sure that Tues, Thurs are the days I prioritize. So a support thread would really help my focus. I haven't been able to add weight as frequently and I think that's because of the lack of consistency.

Anyways, anyone else? What stage are you in? Goals? What you like/don't like?

[greenmom4]

Well, you know I'm in!

I'll finish my 8th workout from Stage B tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited. I'm ready for some new moves! Did you do that 9th workout for stage 1? I'm really tempted to skip it and move on to Stage 2...

[bronxmom]

Originally Posted by greenmom4

Did you do that 9th workout for stage 1? I'm really tempted to skip it and move on to Stage 2...

I did but I did both A&B at the same time to get it over with faster. If I had to do it again I might just skip it. It got repetitive after a while and it didn't tell me as much about my gains as my increased weights did.

I found Stage 2 significantly harder because somehow your heartrate gets much higher so I'd be out of breath by the end of some moves (like Bulgarian split squats or reverse lunges with forward reach). I thought the squat push press thing was going to kill me But I also think it was more fun. And it goes faster so you get to move on more quickly. I almost never did the intervals on the same day as weights - too hard and too much time in the gym; I usually did them the next day.

[mommajb]

I loved this program. I worked through all the stages last year and have been trying a couple of other things for variety but I do plan to come back at some point. There is nothing else like it for me when it comes to gains in strength.

I think NROLFW is awesome!

[herbalshakti]

Hey ladies...I have yet to start the program, I finally got the book after hearing so many great things about the program. I teeny tiny but turned off about the nutritional info ( mainly recipes) I am a nutritionist so I tend to be attached to a "whole foods" based diet approach. So do you gals do the protein shakes after workouts? and do you count your calories?

personally, I can't really see myslef counting calories unless I absolutely had to, I eat good and regularly but I do want to make sure I am eating enough for the program.

Also, sounds silly but I am a bit nervous about heading to the gym to start the program. My workouts really have consited of yoga & running/jogging, its been a few years (before the birth of my 2 kids!) since i have been to the gym. I don't really want to get a trainer or anything like that but do want to be sure to have good form, any resources?

[mommajb]

I'll speak to the nutrition... I don't follow what they have to say for much of the reasons you point out. I am vegetarian and aim at whole foods. I took the opportunity to look at my diet and that of my family. There is always room for improvement but that doesn't meean we need to change our whole outlook.

[bronxmom]

Other than being conscious of trying to get sufficient protein (rarely a problem) I completely ignored the nutrition advice. I can't stand nutritional shakes or protein powder or fake food of any sort. I LOVE food and if I'm going to consume calories it's going to be something I like and is tasty. I cook and also follow a whole foods approach. I am trying to lose a significant amount of weight so I loosely try to keep track of my calories in my head - basically rough estimates to try not to go over 2,000 (I'm breastfeeding so I can eat that much and still lose weight). I do try to make sure I eat something with a mix of carbs & protein after workouts to refuel my muscles, but that's about it.

As for going to the gym, that's one of the things I've really loved. I've come to loosely know the people who work out at the same time I do and there's a lot of support and encouragement - almost all of them are men, but they are totally cool and encouraging. I've heard the book "starting strength" is good for form; I've also occassionally asked a more experienced lifter if I'm doing it right. But going to the gym has become something that's for me and where I've kind of found a community. I asked for and got a lot of gym "paraphenelia" for xmas: awesome gym bag; special spa towel; bath type stuff for showers; lifting gloves; pretty workout clothes. It's really motivational. Outfitting yourself for the gym can be a real motivator. And the feeling of finishing, taking a shower and getting dressed and feeling good about yourself is really rewarding. And I am not thin or shapely at all; I started off at 203 and now way 168 on my way down to (hopefully) 140. But the self-esteem and confidence kicks in pretty fast.

[greenmom4]

I ignored the entire nutrition section. I'm following Primal Blueprint-style eating instead.

As for the gym, I feel your pain. What I did was looked at all the exercises for the stage I was in, and if I felt like I wasn't sure how something should look, I looked it up on youtube or women's health or something. And really, once you're in there, things just kind of work out. Starting is the hardest part!

[herbalshakti]

Been super busy with the return to school but really hoping to head to the gym for my first workout this weekend.

I checked out some youtubes of some of the worlouts such as the prone jack knife and feel a bit more confident in taking this on. thanks for the advice

I am wondering.....since I have read in the book that you should keep your workout limited to the program and not try to combine HIIT on the same day, why I am encountering so many people doing both in one day, wha's up with that?

I know when I finally get to the gym I want to make my time super productive 'cause it can be tricky escaping the house sometimes with 2 small ones, so what do you all combine it with? if not with HIIT, i definately don't want to push it, but making my time useful is important

or do you just stick with the program and do no cardio etc. at all?

[bronxmom]

In stage 2 he does have you do hiit on one of the days of the program. To be honest, I have a really hard time doing hiit after finishing a workout (my legs are like jelly) but if you can do it, then I think it's fine to go for it.

I tend to do my lifting on two days, and try to do hiit one or two other days - frequently with an additional 20-30 min of moderate cardio added in (after a 5 min break after hiit as he describes in the book). In addition, I try to walk a lot with my baby just as part of my life or on days I can't make it to the gym. This tends to be super low intensity but longer duration (maybe 1 or 2 hours intermittently visiting places and such). So my general mix works out to be a couple of really intense lifting sessions, a couple of super-short but super-intense cardio sessions and then a few longer but really low-intensity real-life activity days. When I manage all that it works really well and I lose weight and build strength pretty consistently. That doesn't always happen but it's what I strive for.