Has anyone finished? and What do you do next?

I was just curious to find out if anyone has finished, and what they did next?Did you create your own program using the same routines? Did you go back to cardio to maintain?

If anyone wants to maintain all their beautiful muscle they grew - they are going to have to keep up some kind of lifting program!  Cardio is not going to do it.   I am not finished yet, and not sure what to do next, but these are the options I've given myself:

1. restart NROLFW at stage 1
2. redo stage 7 and then onto something else
3. NROL - bought it for hubby so I already have this at home
4. Afterburn - by Cosgrove too
5. Turbulence training
6. P90x??

Personally, I wouldn't trust myself to know enough to make sure a program I write is balanced, ie - front/back, etc.  Plus, I do better when someone else tells me what to do.  That way I don't cheat and pick only the things I like.  lol

I'm going to look up that Afterburn book.

I think I might do P90x after I finish.

I was just wondering, what kind of materials do you need to have for P90X? Looks like a lot.

amayou - I am not totally sure.  There are a few threads regarding P90x.  I can't imagine it would be much more than what you need for nrolfw.  I think you can use weights OR resistance bands.  I don't think you need both.  I think you need a chin-up bar... but that is used in nrolfw too.

Yeah, on second thought, now that I've looked into it, I don't think I'm going to do it. Anything associated with infomercials makes me nervous (besides my Magic Bullet), and it's meant to be done at home (i.e., there are DVDs you watch), but you need a pull-up bar which I don't have and am not willing to install. Plus, it costs $100+.

Yogagirl yeah I think p90x is meant to be for at home where you can watch the DVDs that come with it while you're working out.

Emily(I have a magic bullet too)

I'll just cross that bridge when I get to it.

Not sure about p90x - it got good reviews on this site.  I do workout at home, so that is not a problem for me.

I think if I like stage 7, I may do it twice and then maybe NROL.  Not totally sure yet.  I even thought about Jillian's 30 day shred.  Not sure what that is like?  I do NOT like normal workout videos, but I thought that these 2 were more weight lifting.  Don't really know.

Hey guys wass up?  I have received notice that my book shipped.  I guess soon I know what the heck you guys are talking about.  I have figured out that the book seems to start with lounges and squats - neither of which I am currently doing and both I have been putting off!!!  Although the strength class I took did them with weights and it was fun.  I am excited to see this book!!

amayou I was wondering the same thing. Thanks for posting the question. I'm only near the end of Stage 2 so I have a ways to go.

Has anyone extended the stages? I only have 2 more workouts in stage 2 and I feel like I am just getting to the point where I can do them fairly well.
I really enjoyed the extended time on Stage 1. Would it hurt to do each stage for 16 workouts instead of 8? (Maybe I'm just scared of the body weight matrix coming up in stage 3??)

:)

I guess I'm sort of the opposite - I've been overeager to start each next stage!  Stage 2 actually already repeats as stage 4, although stage 4 has different reps and rest periods.  Same with Stage 3 and 5.  So I don't know how much you'll actually get out of extending each stage.

Anyhoo, I just finished the third workout of Stage 7 today, so only three more to go.  I'm going to be sad to finish I think.  I've decided to do New Rules of Lifting after this program and I've already absconded with my husband's copy and started looking at it.

By the way, that original New Rules of Lifting has one of the best discussions of nutrition and the thermal effects of eating and metabolism around.  Very explanatory and easy to understand, I highly recommend it.  It's even better than what he did for NROLFW where I think he was just trying to get us to eat something already!

edit:spelling

Original Post by almdennis:

Has anyone extended the stages? I only have 2 more workouts in stage 2 and I feel like I am just getting to the point where I can do them fairly well.

 I ended up extending stage 4.  I was half way thru and hit a wall in December.  When I got started again, I just did all of stage 4 again. 

I just started stage 5 and looked ahead to stage 6.  Stage 6 is all about increasing strength and not so much about burning fat.  I may skip it unless I eat very cleanly in stage 5 and burn some fat.  I lost some ground in December and want to get back to where I was. 

This also looks interesting as a follow up to NROLFW

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/s ports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding/ real_fast_fat_loss&cr=

That looks like fun,in an I'm-probably-going-to-be-very-sore-the-next-d ay kind of way.

Facebook has a NROLFW group (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6318148 415) and there is a discussion on there about "What Next?" too. They mention a book called Starting Strength (2nd ed.) that sounds good, as well as NROL, Power Training and "Eric Cressey's Maximum Strength."

I'm liking this program so much, I just might to start over with heavier weights when I'm finished. :)

Well, today's workout was my last one, I have officially finished!  Appropriately enough, I made myself kick my own butt and increased everything in spite of the ridiculously high number of reps. Just because it was the last one.

I'm kind of sad to have finished.  I'm going to start doing the NROL book on Wednesday and some of these exercises I'm going to miss.  (Not the matrix, although I'll probably do it sometimes for the sheer awesome hardness of it).  There don't seem to be any of the one-legged exercises in NROL, probably because that book seems to be aimed at a male audience and they would look too girlie or something?

I just loved this program, I am so happy there are so many women doing this.

Congrats Megan, on completing the NROLFW program! I'm excited to hear of all the new ways you learn to wreak havoc on your strength :)

Yes, wonderful accomplishment.  Good for you.

Original Post by laura42:

This also looks interesting as a follow up to NROLFW

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/s ports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding/ real_fast_fat_loss&cr=

i did rffl in aug/sept. the first couple of weeks really kick your butt but by the 5th week i defo needed to change things up, my endurance outstripped my strength. so i would say its good for awhile & something you could go back to. anyway here it is my rffl journey

ive been hearing great things about afterburn and there's chad waterbury's huge in a hurry which is geared mainly towards men but it does talk about training your body a little differently, & differents always good.

What if you are completely 100% satisfied with your strength level, body, body fat etc? How do you just maintain as opposed to increasing?