Stage 6

So I just got back from the gym (and holy cow inhaling my protein smoothie and then my lunch) and this is a whole new thing!  I know the book says this stage is optional but since I'm really after strength anyway, and I don't want to miss anything, I'm going for it.

So - the first exercise calls for negative chin ups.  I ended up just being able to do the chin ups.  (Yay me) So I did 3 sets of 3.  I don't know if I should just keep going for more chin ups each time or start in on pullups instead, which are a little harder.

I can already tell I'm going to be sore tomorrow, there were times when I was just shaking, esp. the lat pulldowns which you are supposed to hold in the down position for 4 seconds.  I love this program.

And this stage looks like the workouts are a lot shorter too, thankfully.

Oh, I get it NOW!!!!  Duh... 

Well, I've never been able to do one either, so we can try together!  How did your first day go with lower calories?  I'm doing well, but definitely hungrier than when I was chowing down 1800!  Let me know how your modified NROL4W workout goes -- are you going to do Alwyn's other workout for fat loss?

Original Post by yogagirl6853:

Cool Laura - let us know how it goes.  I can't imagine adding in another round of stage 5s.  Those took forever for me!  I did the 4 sets and could not wait to finish the stage!  Did you do the 3 or 4 sets?

 I am doing 4 sets of everything.  But I don't rest a full 2 mintues between sets.  I get too board standing around.  So I rest more like 70 to 80 seconds.

Original Post by trim4ever:

Oh, I get it NOW!!!!  Duh... 

Well, I've never been able to do one either, so we can try together!  How did your first day go with lower calories?  I'm doing well, but definitely hungrier than when I was chowing down 1800!  Let me know how your modified NROL4W workout goes -- are you going to do Alwyn's other workout for fat loss?

 LOLOL!! Glad to make you giggle...

I am doing well! Fighting it, but doing it! I have a roast in for dinner, and my belly is GROWLING. It smells SOOO wonderful! I do have a plan... and looks like it will work! I am actually so excited I could almost cry... I finally figured out how to get rid of my flab... lol.... *sniff*... geez.

Here's how the plan looks:

Stage 1 NROLFW - Completed
This very week is my week off according to NROLFW.
Next week begins Complexes for Fat Loss I (4 week insert)
March 9 begins Stage 2 of NROLFW.
On or near April 4 (12 wk goal time), I will be finishing Stage 2.
April 5, begins Complexes for Fat Loss II (another 4 week insert)
May 5 - Week Off
May 11 - Stage 3 of NROLFW

*still thinking about food* I know I'll get used to it, but I have actually been starving all day. Oatmeal for breakfast, almonds and yogurt for snack (I make my own fat free, sugar free yogurt), Veggie/Venison soup for lunch and a salad with vinegar only... and afternoon I had a banana and peanut butter... 900 cals so far, and dinner is lookin like I'll kill 600 of em pretty fast. LMAO! As for working out, its my off week... I miss it! BUT, this will give me time to let the calorie reduction adjust... I'll get there. It may take me a day or three, but I'll get there.

Does your gym have one of those pullup machines that has a counterbalance? I totally dig that thing... it makes me feel like Wonder Woman.

meganr - sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread!

Please help me with the Negative Chin Up!

I went to the gym today to learn the new programs and immediately injured myself, mildly - I think, while attempting the negative move. I first tried them on the assisted machine, but I felt unstable on the foot rest and thought the hand grips were a bit wide apart. So I went to the squat rack, pulled up a bench and tried from there. I pulled my right bicep in the process. Of course, through Murphy's law, my other arm feels just fine and i felt like I could hold the weight.

I'm wanting to make sure I do these correctly and safely. How did you all go about doing these?

*Bump* Any help with the chin-ups is appreciated. Thanks!

Total bummer about pulling your bicep, I have to be careful about my shoulder when doing these, so I "feel your pain" so to speak.  I don't use the assisted machines either any more, for the same reasons as you, plus the point is to learn to do the negatives using body weight.  My gym has bars that run between the three cable stations, so I used one of the taller steps and jumped up to the bar so my start was with chin above the bar and then did the exercise from there.

You may have already seen this article, from the mighty Krista: http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/displayarticle. php?aid=51

KMK - I workout at home...  I have a smith machine (I don't use it for anything but the pulls & it also has "arms" to hold my oly bar on the outside)... I put the bar up high and get a step stool so I am over the bar... then I cross my legs so they are not touching the step anymore...  Then I slowly lower down. 

Hope your bicep feels better.  I think the first time I did these, it felt like my bicep was ripping literally... but it was fine.

Thank you for coming to my rescue! I'll give these another go on Saturday, my arm is feeling much better today so I think it'll be fine. I'm heading into for a bit of cardio today so I'll scope out some other possible bars to use. 

Megan, thanks for the article link - I hadn't seen this one and it's very useful.

Megan, thank you so much for that link! I had forgotten about the smith machine. Today I used it to set the bar at a height that works for me and then used a bench so I could start out above the bar for the chin up. Victory! And, no pain in the bicep.

And, my-oh-my, 10 sets of those underhand lats where killer! By the time I started the push-ups (I'm doing the ones where you twist and raise your arm up overhead) my upper arms were already on fire.

Now I'm enjoying a HUGE lunch of ground turkey, roasted veggies, garbanzo beans, and a Thomas Multi-grain english muffin.

Awesome job on the chin ups!

Oh, I know those lat pulldowns were something else.  They seemed like they went on for pretty much ever.

Glad you found what works!  That is exatly how I do them.  Your lunch sounds yummy! 

My knee is on and off OK.  I can do the dumbbell split squats, but not the barbell ones.  weird...  last time I had to do the barbell ones, I just substituted regular squats.  Those did not hurt my knee.  I am about to go do B which has the dumbbell ones, so hopefully I can still do those.

Couldn't get an appmt for the doc until the end of the month!  I decided to wait it out and see.

I'm sure you will anyway, but don't push it if your knee starts acting up.  Substituting for the barbell squats sounds like the way to go.

Sheesh, that's a long wait to see the doc.  Hopefully he/she will be able to figure something out.

Thanks Megan.  I didn't make the appointment since it was so far out.  I figured it would be ok by then! 

Sunday, I did my reverse lunges with the one dumbbell up on the shoulder for the B workout.  Maybe it is the reverse part and not the dumbbell part??  Anyway, I will do the squats for the A workout and hopefully by stage 7 I will be good to go.  I notice there are tons of lunges there!

So - I managed to get in 3 workouts in the this week,  Saturday, Monday and yesterday morning.  I plan to do tomorrow again and that will be my last stage 6 workout.  I have enjoyed the nice short workouts of stage 6 & I am not sure I would have been able to do the longer stage 5 workouts after losing my job.

I am looking forward to start stage 7, but with a little apprehension of the short rest periods!  I can't believe I am almost done with NROLFW!  If I enjoy stage 7, I will do it twice... then probably move on to NROL since I already have the book from hubby.  I was thinking of doing afterburn... but now I need to save money and $60 is waay too much for me!

I agree. I'm not spending $60.  What if I don't like the program?  That's $60 out the window.  Stage 7 is fun.  I'm loving it.  I plan on going back to stage 6 when I finish.

OK - so I am done with stage 6.  Instead of the 2 sets of 10, I did 3 sets of all the exercises except the last two.  I started them with light weights and then did the 2 sets of 10 with the heaviest I could manage.  I was definitely huffing and puffing between sets for the entire 60 sec rest.  I can't imagine the 30 sec rests & 15-20 reps in stage 7!

Congrats, yogagirl!

I just did the 4th A workout, the one with 30 seconds rest for the lat pulls and four reps for three sets for push ups and split squat. Gods help me when I stage seven and all of those reps! I didn't feel like I'd done much at the gym, but now I'm home and really feeling it in my legs and lats. Machi Machi! I hit 100 for many of the sets for the lat pull, and 95 for the split squat.

Can't wait to hear how stage seven treats you!

I'm in stage 6 as of yesterday.

My upper body strength totally sucks. I always knew this, but now it's even more obvious. 20 seconds on a negative chin up? You're kidding me, right?

10 sets of 2 pull downs - 85 lbs max, not with the best form.

At the end I gave in to temptation to do an assisted chin up, and was able to do so by "offsetting" 20 lbs of my weight. Which brings me back to 85 lbs, just as on pull downs. If I weren't tired,  I might have been able to do so by offsetting only 10 lbs, but it's still not the same thing (the platform eliminates the swinging, which seems to be most of my problem with unassisted chin ups)

I have such a long way to go, there's no way I'll be able to do a chin up in 3 weeks.

Second workout A didn't seem so bad. I guess I was just somewhat depressed because of the knee.

Even if it takes me longer than 10 workouts, I WILL build strength for a chin-up. And I won't beat myself up for not doing it fast enough.

Oh, and it turns out I've been doing this program for 5 months, so I decided to take some pictures on Sunday. They are in the Gallery if anyone's interested.

I love your "I WILL" - I believe you, and I think you may surprise yourself with when. I haven't checked out the gallery pics yet, but will do. Your determination is powerful.