Daedala (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
daedala) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
lifting_heavy_things2011-10-13 08:33 pm
daedala) wrote in lifting_heavy_things2011-10-13 08:33 pm
NRoL4W Stage 4
After several false starts, a depressive episode, quitting my job, and finding a new one (in that order), I've finished New Rules of Lifting for Women's Stage 4. I finished Stage 3 in May, and this stage was just eight workouts.... It's been a while. I had some abortive starts -- one workout in June, three in July -- but just couldn't keep going. In September, I started at the beginning, and did all eight workouts, two or three per week. I reduced the weight I started with so I could manage it, and I didn't increase them very much, which was frustrating, but I finished. Also, looking back at Stage 2 (which has the same exercises), I hadn't increased weights much over the course of the stage there, either. So at least it's consistent!
Stage 4 doesn't have the bodyweight matrix that made Stage 3 so special. So I added a half-matrix (same stuff, same order, just half the number of reps for each) after each A workout. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Once I decided to quit my job, I started exercising a lot: biking to work (because if I was quitting anyway, I still meant to do good work but damned if I'd wear full business for it), starting up Stage 4 again, and now trying to do an hour of yoga every day. The new job pays enough more that I'm going to try personal training once I'm settled in, and maybe that will help.
Because I had such a long hiatus before Stage 4, I'm planning to start Stage 5 this weekend.
Final Weights
Workout A
Front squat/push press -- 20d (two 20-lb dumbbells)
Step-up -- 15d
Dumbbell one-point row -- 25d
Static lunge, rear foot elevated -- 8d
Push-up -- bench
Plank -- 90s
Cable horizontal wood chop -- heavy Theraband
Half bodyweight matrix -- 90s
Workout B
Wide-grip deadlift from box -- 35d
Bulgarian split squat -- 8d (this dropped a lot because of form issues)
Underhand-grip lat pulldown -- medium assistance band
Reverse lunge from box with lowered front reach -- 8d
Dumbbell prone Cuban snatch -- 2.5d
Swiss-ball crunch -- 20s
Reverse crunch -- thrusters
Lateral flexion -- ball side crunch
Prone cobra -- 90s
Intervals -- biking the next day
Stage 4 doesn't have the bodyweight matrix that made Stage 3 so special. So I added a half-matrix (same stuff, same order, just half the number of reps for each) after each A workout. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Once I decided to quit my job, I started exercising a lot: biking to work (because if I was quitting anyway, I still meant to do good work but damned if I'd wear full business for it), starting up Stage 4 again, and now trying to do an hour of yoga every day. The new job pays enough more that I'm going to try personal training once I'm settled in, and maybe that will help.
Because I had such a long hiatus before Stage 4, I'm planning to start Stage 5 this weekend.
Final Weights
Workout A
Front squat/push press -- 20d (two 20-lb dumbbells)
Step-up -- 15d
Dumbbell one-point row -- 25d
Static lunge, rear foot elevated -- 8d
Push-up -- bench
Plank -- 90s
Cable horizontal wood chop -- heavy Theraband
Half bodyweight matrix -- 90s
Workout B
Wide-grip deadlift from box -- 35d
Bulgarian split squat -- 8d (this dropped a lot because of form issues)
Underhand-grip lat pulldown -- medium assistance band
Reverse lunge from box with lowered front reach -- 8d
Dumbbell prone Cuban snatch -- 2.5d
Swiss-ball crunch -- 20s
Reverse crunch -- thrusters
Lateral flexion -- ball side crunch
Prone cobra -- 90s
Intervals -- biking the next day
no subject
no subject
no subject
And for keeping on trying!
Personal training sounds good. Tell us how it's going ;-)
I haven't started yet -- before my vacation I had back issues (I am worried that trying for too much range of motion on the ball side crunches, or forcing the hip flexes on the inlined bench might have somtehing to do with it), and now that the back is fixed (hopefully) and I'm home again, I have kind of a slow-motion cold. Here's to next week when it *has* to be all better...
no subject
I found the floor reverse crunch to the incline bench reverse crunch too big a jump to make, so I started doing these hip thrusts. For the side ball crunches, I just started them (I was sooo bored with the Hanna flexion, but I forgot those were available) and I count myself lucky to stay on the ball. :)
no subject
Though thanks to my NRoLfA reading, I've been doing side planks lately, and if I'm feeling masochistic, which I usually am, try for the side plank version where you lift a leg up. These have yet to bore me, but that's mostly because I can only hold that for 30 seconds at a time, and that's if I'm lucky.
I really enjoyed stage 5! It was like stage 3, except more intense and slightly shorter.
no subject
I really liked workout A and hated workout B in stage 3; hopefully I've learned enough that B won't seem so tedious any more. I'm going to do this for the ytwl and follow the progression here ('ware t-nation pictures) for the partial single-leg squat. And also doing hip thrusts and side ball crunches again. I remember those taking sooooo long -- I'm glad you say it's shorter in stage 5!
no subject
It felt shorter anyway, though most of my 'rest periods' were enforced by having to move plates from the barbell to the dumbbells and trying to calculate how I should arrange everything for minimal switching. Which made the rest periods much longer than they needed to be, and wasn't noticeably actually shorter until I did the workout at a hotel gym and didn't have to bother with that anymore. I also found that it helped if I just did all of the D exercises in each set with no rest between them, just with a little rest between the sets. They didn't seem straining enough to need more than that as written, though doing modifications may change that.
The weights I was using in stage 3 were light enough when I started that I could set up everything and just switch between things without having to share plates. So I think that stage 5 is actually a little shorter due to having fewer reps, but it may depend more on access to equipment than I think it does.
no subject
I copy every stage into my training book and do dry-runs in the living room, and then take only my training book to the gym. I do not dare to imagine how the book would look otherwise...
The links look interesting -- I haven't yet managed to add any weight at all to the YTWL. My goal for the single-leg squat is a full range of motion pistol squat. Not sure if that's reasonable, but I can do them when holding on to something for balance, so, hm, just maybe? It would look cool to be able to do those. (*is vain*)
Falling off the ball when doing the side ball crunches... oh yes. I wish I knew where exactly I have hurt my back. I noticed the pain on the incline bench reverse crunches (I can to those on the 15° setting, but it seems that I'm using everything *but* my abs for them), but I'm not sure that they *caused* it, or if it was clumsiness on the side ball crunches. I dislike the whole side-sequence. It becomes painful before it becomes an effort. I might try weirdquark's side planks (*looks at right shoulder doubtfully*).
If only that stupid cold would go away.
no subject
I would luuuuuuurve to do pistols, but I doubt it will be possible any time soon, because my flexibility is so poor. That's part of why I liked that article -- it showed me better ways to do single-leg squats. (I remember reading someone on a forum saying they'd stopped doing the partial single-leg squats in stage 3/5 because they were too easy... missing the point a bit, I think, though admittedly the book didn't give any good sense of how to progress.)
I'm really paranoid about hurting my back. I'm the only person in my family without foot/knee/back problems (despite breaking both foot and knee at different points a few years ago) and I want to keep it that way. :)
no subject
no subject