NRoL4W Stage 4

[daedala]

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

Comments

[untonuggan]

Go you! As someone who is occasionally stalked by what Winston Churchill called his "black dog" (i.e. depression) I know how hard all of that can be. It's especially hard to go back to working out after a hiatus from it...so congratulations on overcoming some hurdles!

[lyorn]

Congrats for finishing it!
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...

[mongrelheart]

Congrats on finishing Stage 4! and best of luck with the next stage!