New Rules of Lifting for Women

Anyone read the "New Rules of Lifting for Women" by Lou Schuler?  I am in a new city.  Before I moved I belonged to Gold's Gym and I took a strength training class three days a week.  The instructor was excellent and I always had a very challenging workout.  I was noticing a lot of fat loss and muscle development.  I tried several gyms in this area, attending the strength training classes before settling on a gym.  None of the instructors gave workouts comparable to the classes back home.  I have decided I will have to strength train on my own.  The problem is, I work harder in a group exercise setting than on my own, and I am not quite sure how to structure a good workout on my own.  Sooooo - I bought the above mentioned book.  The author recommends doing the exercise programs as written - not to vary it much.  I did the first workout and it was not very hard.  It is recommended that I do this routine, alternating with a similar one, three times a week for four weeks before graduating to a more difficult routine. 

Anyone follow this program successfully?  Any suggestions on other ways I can structure a good strength training schedule.  My last hurdle is that I feel intimidated in the gym in the free weight section.  I force myself to do it because I really enjoy free weights more than the machines, but I do not feel comfortable.  Man, do I miss my old city and my old strength training instructor!

One thing I did love about this book though, was that the author convinced me to eat more.  I was suffering on 1200 calories a day, often failing and then feeling like a failure, and just as often succeeding but going to bed starving. The author gave good arguments to go to 1500-1800 a day.  A much more comfortable range for me.

#18 - yes let's keep this thread up and see how it goes.  The approach is so different that anything I've tried in the past.  Eat more - don't exercise every day - don't overdo it.  Let your muscles recover.  Yesterday was my second lifting day.  But I also took a long walk with my dog - something I enjoy and will continue to do.  Then later in the evening I went for a bike ride with my husband.  I told him I needed to take it easy but we ended up doing some hills and sprinting the last few miles home.  My competitive nature compells me to keep up with him. 

In the past I would be thinking - fantastic - I didn't eat that much today and I exercised all day.  Now I'm thinking - gotta make sure I get more protein tonight - need to let my legs rest - want to build muscle - don't want to start using protein for energy.

Very interesting approach. It was delightful eating dinner and ensuring I had enought calories for the day! 

Laura - I'm in!  My 2nd workout is tonight.  I am going to go to Sears at lunch to get a set of heavier weights.... I only have Barbie weights now!  lol Max I have are 10 pound dumbells, which I thought were HUGE before!

I am a little sore today from the other workout.  Yesterday - no soreness, so it took a day.  I hope I can complete the 2nd workout without a problem being sore.  I am very excited about it!

I did a little bike riding last night - 4 miles.  I think doing some stuff on off days is fine.  There is a whole section of things in the back of the book as extras.  The next phase actually includes some interval training of your choice, although I am surprised it is after and not before the weights.

Sears does not carry weights in stock!  I will have to go to the gym today so that I can do my workout.  I guess that gives me a little longer to figure out what kind to get.  Are the olympic size the recommendation or regular size?

At the gym the bar is 45 pounds.... alot of these sets only have a 25 pound bar.

Any recommendations?

The 45 pound bar is the Olympic bar.  You can certainly buy a smaller one and add more weight to it as you improve......

You can also do the squats and deadlifts with dumbells, but I think the bar is more efficient, and a little safer (more even distribution of the weight across your body surface).....that would be a good question for Melkor.

I am just received my book earlier this week and am about half way through it (wish I had more time to read!).  I am excited to get started but what to read it all before I jump in :)  I love his outlook on food, weights etc and his added humor in there is great!  I can't wait to see what results I get from their plan compared to the results I have seen from my current work out!

I am interested to hear everyone else's thoughts on it and their results! 

Here's to all the soon to be goddess's or maybe new and improved goddess's would be better

Initially, the difference isn't much between DB's and a barbell, but when you're squatting your bodyweight for reps it's a little much load for your shoulder joints to take over the long haul, and it gets hard to do it with good form. That last bit is more important - if there's one thing lifters and yoginis agree on it's the need for good form when performing all exercises :)

 You can do the Goblet squat using dumbbells, which is an exercise Dan John invented to teach the front squat; it's a little more quad-dominant than the standard back squat and you need to use lighter loads which makes it more of a warmup/mobility drill than a strength exercise - at least for me personally, but until you're starting to use a significant fraction of your bodyweight for squats it's entirely possible to do all your squat training with that technique.

 The Olympic bar is actually more comfortable than the standard bar for lifting, I find - it distributes the load over a larger surface than the smaller standard bar. The disadvantage is price- the Olympic bar and weights are a lot more expensive than standard ones. For home use, I'd go with the standard size, and if necessary supplement with trips to the gym for Deadlift Day ;)

Original Post by kd-lyn:

I am just received my book earlier this week and am about half way through it (wish I had more time to read!).  I am excited to get started but what to read it all before I jump in :)  I love his outlook on food, weights etc and his added humor in there is great!  I can't wait to see what results I get from their plan compared to the results I have seen from my current work out!

I am interested to hear everyone else's thoughts on it and their results! 

Here's to all the soon to be goddess's or maybe new and improved goddess's would be better

You are more patient than me.. I kinda glanced over alot of the parts and started with the training without really finishing reading!  I did a little more reading last night!  Let us know what you think when you try it!! 

Original Post by melkor:

Initially, the difference isn't much between DB's and a barbell, but when you're squatting your bodyweight for reps it's a little much load for your shoulder joints to take over the long haul, and it gets hard to do it with good form. That last bit is more important - if there's one thing lifters and yoginis agree on it's the need for good form when performing all exercises :)

 You can do the Goblet squat using dumbbells, which is an exercise Dan John invented to teach the front squat; it's a little more quad-dominant than the standard back squat and you need to use lighter loads which makes it more of a warmup/mobility drill than a strength exercise - at least for me personally, but until you're starting to use a significant fraction of your bodyweight for squats it's entirely possible to do all your squat training with that technique.

 The Olympic bar is actually more comfortable than the standard bar for lifting, I find - it distributes the load over a larger surface than the smaller standard bar. The disadvantage is price- the Olympic bar and weights are a lot more expensive than standard ones. For home use, I'd go with the standard size, and if necessary supplement with trips to the gym for Deadlift Day ;)

 Melkor - doesn't the 7' bar make it harder to lift, since it is further out from your body?

Not really - it makes a difference in momentum and control if you were to do twisting motions, but that's something you should never, ever, ever do. Twisting your spine under compressive load is one of the fastest ways to herniate a disc or five and break something important like your spinal column.

 I think that's something you'd want to keep intact, all things considered :)

 The longer bar is actually an advantage when performing something like a snatch or a clean/power clean - a wider grip means the bar path to full lockout is shorter, so you can use heavier loads. This is probably more relevant for the later stages than the early ones, but if you look at the arm position in this picture you can see what the wider grip actually does - with a narrower grip, she would have had to have gotten the weight much higher off the ground in the initial pull, wich would mean lifting less.

You ladies nearly have me convinced to go out and buy the book! Just a few questions- does the workout program allow you to do all the necessary moves at a home gym (bench and free weights), and for those of you who've upped the calories, what has your weight trend been like? Are you seeing a loss, maintaining, or gaining? Last question- is NROLFW pro or anti cardio?

I haven't gotten to the 'moves' section yet but from the pictures I have glanced at, yes I would say most you could do in your home gym.

NROLFW is anti cardio in a sense.  He recognizes the benefits of it and says you can keep going with your cardio but suggests that you possibly cut it back a bit (depending what your routine is) and change it to interval.

I am still reading and haven't jumped into the whole plan yet so, I will leave it to some one else to answer the upping cals, weight trend question you had :)

I started this program on Tuesday.  I'll be doing my second workout tonight and I'm so excited!  I've never been excited about working out before, but I just can't wait!  I love how simple the moves are, yet they feel super effective.  I upped my calories, and I am a little worried I'll start to gain weight.  I'm going to give it a few weeks, and I'll adjust as needed. 

It is a great book and I know many people do it at home with some modifications (described in the book). I have not been eating as many calories as the book suggests--sticking with 1600 average--but I have upped protein since starting. I'm on stage 4 and have lost about 10lbs. I'm seeing more significant changes in my body composition, though (looking tighter, leaner, etc.), which is great.

Regarding cardio: the book allows for it, even including interval cardio in the workouts after stage 1. But they also stress rest and provide suggestions to limit the number of workouts (if you do a lot of cardio, for example, then limit lifting to two times per week instead of three, etc.). That said, if your goal is body-re-composition (gaining muscle, losing fat), lots of intense cardio is simply not a good idea.

They are not anti cardio... not pro either!  lol  They think that cardio and starving on 1200 calorie diets is not the way to lose weight and that most women need to do less cardio and more weight.  They do add some interval training for 15 minutes in the later workouts.  I am brand new to this, so I can't give any more personal feedback than that.  I just started the 5 meals too & upping my cals.  We shall see!  One thing I must say is I feel better since upping my cals.  Yes - you can do everything at home.

If you do a search on this site for nrolfw there are some better feedback responses from people who have done it longer - most were positive!

whooo hoooo!!!  just finished workout B on the first week!  WOW! Loved it... although I think I am a little dyslexic when it comes to lunges.  Yikes, I could not get a good rhythm there!  Great workout though.  I am sweating bullets!

 

I did workout B yesterday too.  I liked it as well.  I bought heavier weights, including a bar and 25 pound weights, because as someone else said, I only had "Barbie" weights.  I loved the dead lifts with 50 plus pounds.  (Don't laugh at me experienced weight lifters - for me that was heavy.)  It felt great. The workout was a lot shorter than what I am used to,  giving me more free time, and I am very sore today - everwhere.  Which proves that it is a full body workout without doing a lot of reps for each individual muscle.  I ate almost 1800 calories yesterday and was full for the first time in a long time.  Today I am sticking to 1500 because I did not work out.  I don't think I will gain weight on this plan.  I'm buying into the theory that we're still burning calories a day after working out.

I just got heavier weights yesterday too.   I think I am the one who had the "Barbie" weights.  The biggest I had were 10# dumbbells.  I bought an olympic size set with 300 pounds.  I think that should keep me busy for a while :)  I need to find a good bench now.  I think the Sears one with the lat pulldown would work great with the book!

I also ate 1800 unintentionally!  I added 3 pieces of sushi late.  And also deadlifted 50 pounds!  Heck - the bar alone is 45.  I am a little sore this am, mostly in the forearms... weird.  I am sure I will be alot sore tomorrow!

Original Post by queenmedia:

Last question- is NROLFW pro or anti cardio?

 Well, it's a book on weight-lifting, and since weight-lifting IS a cardio exercise, I'd say pro-cardio.

"Initially, the difference isn't much between DB's and a barbell, but when you're squatting your bodyweight for reps it's a little much load for your shoulder joints to take over the long haul, and it gets hard to do it with good form. That last bit is more important - if there's one thing lifters and yoginis agree on it's the need for good form when performing all exercises :)"

You are so right :) -- and I knew you would have a good answer for that question! 

hey everyone!  i haven't read through all the posts yet but if you're talking about NRLFW, i want in!  i've been following the exercise program for about 6 weeks now (i'll have to check my logs). i love it and it's way more interesting than running for hours at a time.