Stage 5

I've finished Stage 4 and am now entering Stage 5 - which is clearly Stage 3 all over again with less reps.  Has anyone done Stage 5 with only 2 sets?  I remember the Stage 3 workouts getting crazy long and me losing motivation to do them because of that.  When I look at the exercises, I don't remember having issues with anything in particular - just the length.

Strangely enough, I'm looking forward to doing the body weight matrix again - even if it does completely wipe me out.

Question:

how much should i go up in weights in Stage 5 vs. Stage 3?

Example:

Stage 3 was 3 sets of 6. I did 60lbs in the bent over rows. What would I try in Stage 5 (I'd be doing 3 sets of 4) 70lbs?

As much as you can.  So yeah, try the 70 pounds.  I just checked back and I was doing 85 in Stage 3, and did 95 in Stage 5 to start with.  My notes say it was pretty tough and I think I failed at the end of 4th set, but sounds like you are only doing 3 sets. 

i did 65 lbs last night in that exercise and it was tough but i did it.

wow 95 pounds thats amazing!!!

i had a great workout last night. im going to up all my weights next time I do workout A.

i cant do more than 60 second planks.... i just cant do it.

the BWM wasnt as terrible as I remembered it. i liked it and my fastest time ever wa 2:45 in stage 3 and last night i did 3:05

i did NOT need 120 sec rests, i dod 60 for some and 90 for others,....i know its not the exact same plan but i just didnt need it... i have always recovered fast...

The 120 second rests are tough.  But doing the low reps with weight as heavy as I could I think they really helped, so I tried to force myself to wait the whole time.

Sometimes I would get on the treadmill and walk slowly, so that at least I felt like I was doing *something* during that time.  I also tended to do that between the BWM as well. 

Not for the ab stuff in workout B of course, but the other stuff yeah. 

And I hate planks.  I never got any good at them, and the only way I could do longer than 60 was on an incline... I can do 120 with my arms on the bench, but it kills me.

Planks: so do you think I should try and do longer ones on an incline or keep trying to increase slowly (70second, 80 seconds etc) on the ground? Which is more beneficial?

Even with 90 second rests I am fully recovered after a minute. And I always walk around the pool table in my basement until my timer goes up- I too need to do something during the rest time not just stand around.

In between BWM I do nothing but catch my breath! LOL Yesterday I walked upstairs to get myself some water in between BWM's and I thought I was going to collapse on the stairs my legs were so wobbly!

Next A I am going to really up the weights and push it and see if I can use the 2 minute rest. I'll do B on Friday evening and see where I am at there (then the next B I will pump it up)

PS- i was just chatting with hubby and mentioned that you did 95lbs on the bent rows and he was VERY impressed! he does them- sets of 10 with 110lbs..

Well, when I first read NROLFW I thought that you were supposed to do the entire time for planks, even if you had to break it up, so I ws trying to do 60 sec, (rest), 40 sec, (rest), 20 sec.  And then try to do it again for another "set".  But it was killing me and it took forever. 

So, I decided I would do them however I could to complete the time without having to take multiple breaks, which for me meant moving up so that I was on an incline. 

Yeah, when I say walking slowly on the treadmill after BWM, I mean slowly..  there's basiaclly no room to walk around in my workout room, so like 2-2.5 mph, and that was usually after laying on the floor for 3 minutes or so panting. 

The 95 lbs, was a lot.  I don't think I was able to increase weight at all in Stage 5 and I'm not even sure that at first  I was "rowing" them all the way to my chest, but I didn't want to back down on them.    And they're just 4x4, so not too badm no way I could 3x10 at that weight.

Hi!

I can't seem to get back into the swing of things! I did workout A last Wed, then went for a 1 hour walk on Sunday and had a 2 hour baseball practice last night. Good exercise for sure- just not weight training!

Not sure if anyone has seen my recent posts in the other forums but I have a flight coming up next Friday and I am in terror over it. I suffer from anxiety so that adds to it (and so does PMS this week!) I find that I can't focus well and just need to be occupied which is why I've been going on walks and stuff...

Our renovation will be done today at 5pm! Then I will spend the night putting stuff back its in place- hope to sweat a bit while I do that. Debating going to the Y (for $7) to swim a bit too if I have time after I reorganize. Probably won't get to workout B until Friday...

I'll just keep doing my best and I will keep being active even if its not structured workouts. Hoping that after the flights that my life can go back to normal....

On the other hand- eating: I've been doing quite well. No night snacking anymore...eating around 6 250-300 cal meals each day. Tomorrows dinner: lean beef burgers with carmelized onions (no bun) and quinoa salad!

Any advice? I'm just getting bored and lonely working out in the basement gym lifting weights.. I need to find fun things that I like for exercise now to shed some fat (I dont want anymore muscle)

Hubby and I are considering taking Kickboxing together. The classes are twice a week. If we do this, I will only lift once a week, KB twice a week, then we are joining Dodgeball in the fall! (after baseball is done)

Sometimes life gets in the way, but as long as you are staying busy (and you sound like it!!!) don't worry about getting a certain number of workouts done. 

Kickboxing sounds like fun.  I took a jdo class several years back.  The instructor would not take kids unless an adult joined with them and we wanted to get my son in, so I signed up with him.  It was a lot of fun and we did it for about 1.5 years until something got in the way.  (I think it ws night classes that I needed to take to finish my degree???)

I just started back after 3 weeks, and I am sore and loving it. 

Thanks Karozel. Yes- I am trying to keep super active, even around the house I am becoming more active....

Judo eh? Sounds fun! I'm looking forward to kickboxing. It will be fun because I like to kick and punch (hubby does mixed martial arts and we always play) so to combine something I like and exercise is what I need to do.

I am naturally muscular/athletic and with this program I got more muscular rather easily, and eating well over the last bit I have gotten down to my goal weight, now I just would like to shed a bit more fat (in the kitchen and with some stuff like KB'ing and sports: baseball, dodgeball)

Glad you are back to it! Have you reached your goal with NROLFW and NROL?

Tonight I am going to be moving tables and couches and stuff by myself so I anticpate being sore tomorrow! But the main floor should look awesome when I'm done!!

See, I was always sort of intimidated by the kicking and punching.  But judo was more like wrestling or grappling. 

I'm not sure if I've reached my goals. LOL.  My biggest goal was to get my weight down, but that hasn't happened.  I need to set some strength related goals... such as I'd really like to do pull-up or 3...  so that they won't be affected by my diet (or lack of). 

I'm still enjoying the weights, and I love seeing the muscles in my upper arms and even the tops of my abs just under my ribcage. 

hahah ya I have those couple of abs just under my boobs...lol the others are covered :)

I like to kick and punch to get some anger/stress out! LOL

so. flight is friday. nervous but coping. not really able to do much exercise as i cannot focus and getting my heart rate up seems to trigger anxiety attacks for me lately- so silly. but true.

ive been walking a bit, short bike rides, and playing baseball for a couple hours a week. my eating is in check which is good (probably eating less than i should just because i am not really hungry much cuz of anxiety)

looking forward to monday when this trip is over, and ive overcame my fear. then i can get back to my life.

next week ill get back into stage 5. ill be on my first workout B when i start back up. trying to finish stage 5 in the rest of august (it will be tight but we'll see) i have a couple more modeling shoots and a wedding to go to in august too.

sept we are going to start kickboxing lessons. (or ju jitzu) havent decided. baseball ends and dodgeball starts. so im going to move into stage 7 (no desire to do a pull up with stage 6) i want fat loss.

my schedule will then be: monday weights, tues Kickboxing, wed dodgeball, thurs kickboxing.

only doing weights once a week in there... im sure with KB'ing I will get a wicked workout.

after im done stage 7 (which will take a while since it will only be once a week) I wil probably go back to stage 2 or just pick exercises that I like and create my own workout A and B and do that for a couple months...then ill decide whats next. im happy with my weight right now...

anyways just wanted to check in.

:)

Have fun on your trip!