NROL4W Stage 1

[daedala]

We're on the third week of the first stage of New Rules of Lifting for Women. My sister has dropped out for a bit due to a car accident (she's ok, and she'll start up again when her doctor gives the ok), but my partner and I are still doing it. It's really helpful to have him working out with me -- I haven't put the workout off a day or anything yet.

The first stage of workouts for the book is set up so that the reps decrease: 15 reps in the first week down to 8 reps in the eighth week. This makes it a good way to ease in -- starting with body weight wasn't completely ridiculous, with fifteen reps -- and it's really nice to be able to increase the weight faster because the reps are going down. I've decided that this is very clever psychology on their part. :)

The most important realization I've come to is that I'm not a personal trainer and I don't want to be a personal trainer, even for myself. I like doing the program, getting it done, and knowing it will work. I'd had a fairly regular practice going until I was injured (not lifting) in 2007, and then could never get very far when I tried to restart, and I think it's because it basically wasn't fun to figure it out myself. The whole geek "I can figure it out myself!" is definitely a part of my identity, so it's been weird to let that go. On the other hand, Practical Programming is worth a fair bit used on Amazon, so that's a win!

So far, this workout is fun.

Comments

[lyorn]

I started with first week, first work-out today.

The bar bell squats are scary. I used the empty bar and it was a wobbly affair, plus the bar wants to lie on the knobby end of my spine, and grabbing hold of something so far back with my hands strains my shoulders. It strains them both equally, so at least it's not the bad shoulder acting up, but, ouch. I also did not go down far enough because of the wobbly. And the bar wasn't even heavy.

You said you are doing this with dumbbells? How?

Seated rows were fine (I used 20 kg for starters), thogh I had to improvise some things that I would not want my workplace saftety guy to know of.

Step-ups: Used 2*3 kg just to remind myself that something was there. Couldn't quite convince the trailing leg on the step-ups that it ought to be trailing.

Used the Smith machine for the push-ups, hight 95 cm. Keeping my elbows close to my ribs does strange things to my wrists, so I let them go outwards a little more.

Prone jackknifes on the Swiss ball are a very fun exercise.

I did not have a clock in sight and needed to do a lot of arranging stuff, so the rest periods were all over the place.

I guess I'll do some extra workouts to get into the forms. All in all it was quite short and I felt that I was not doing enough. I added some back hyperextensions because my lower back likes them a lot. However, when I was doing some handstands and intervall running afterwards I noticed that I had done serious work.

All in all, not too bad a start.

[lyorn]

Sorry if I'm becoming a pest re-replying, but I don't feel like opening a new one.

Did workout stage 1, 1B, despite still having sore legs from the squats in 1A.
Weighed the bar, it's 20 kg. Did deadlifts with the empty bar.
Shoulder presses: Barely managed 2*4 kg.
Lounges: I kind of jump back into original position there... that can't be correct form, can it?
Lat pulldowns: fun.
Swiss ball crunches: Boring. Did 15 because I forgot that I was supposed to do only eight, and with hands stretched out over my head. I'm going to use a weight next time. And a smaller ball.

These workouts are really short. My warm-up before and stretching after takes longer than the workouts.

[lyorn]

Stage 1, workout 2A today.

Squats with empty 20kg bar went OK -- could go down a good way without overbalancing or bending my back the wrong way. Still, the knobby top of my spine is not safely out of the way. Ouch.
Push-ups against 90 cm height.
Seated rows with 25 kg, that was a good weight. I need to think about a better arrangement of whatever to brace my legs aginst, though -- it came toppling down *g*.
Step-ups again with 2*4 kg. Less pushing off with the trailing leg today, better form overall.
Prone jackknives still fun, and did not fall off the ball this time.

Finished with stretching and three handstands against the wall, just for fun.

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Stage 1, workout 2A today.

Squats with empty 20kg bar went OK -- could go down a good way without overbalancing or bending my back the wrong way. Still, the knobby top of my spine is not safely out of the way. Ouch.
Push-ups against 90 cm height.
Seated rows with 25 kg, that was a good weight. I need to think about a better arrangement of whatever to brace my legs aginst, though -- it came toppling down *g*.
Step-ups again with 2*4 kg. Less pushing off with the trailing leg today, better form overall.
Prone jackknives still fun, and did not fall off the ball this time.

Finished with stretching and three handstands against the wall, just for fun.

<user="daedala">, are you doing the nutrition plan from the book also?