The goal is to try to increase your weights every workout--and definitely when you drop to a lower rep scheme. I can't give a recommendation for how much to increase them--try out different weights and see what you can do. You want to be struggling by the last couple of reps of each set.

So I just did workout A, stage 3 and that body weight matrix is wicked. Also, does anyone else have problems with the planks?? I cannot get over how difficult these are for me.

I get to do Stage 1 6A tonight. I haven't had a chance to lift since Saturday and it feels like it's been so long. I'm actually skipping my Bodyflow class tonight in favor of weights because familial obligations kept me busy the last few nights and I couldn't fit it in. Anyway, I did 5A and B last week and, man, increasing from 2 sets to 3 sets really did me in. In a good way. That was great!

I was looking ahead to Stage 2 the other day and it seems the rest periods increase to 75 seconds. Did/do any of you follow that or did you find it was too long?

YES, the body weight matrix is wicked. My time went way down from the first time I did it in stage 3 to the last time I did it in stage 5, but it was still hard every time!

I had trouble with planks once they got up to 90 seconds. I only managed to get to 120 seconds twice when it called for that (in stage 5 I think?). Abs/core is still my weak point (I did other lifting before NROL4W, but very little ab work). Progress, not perfection!

I took & needed every second of every rest they gave me in every stage! Even the 120 second rests later on. I've seen some folks saying they cut the rest times shorter (I don't know how! oy!).

Has anyone tried the new rules of lifting for abs?? I was thinking about trying that after the NROLW or should I wait till i lose more weight?

I also just did workout A stage 3 on Tuesday - my hamstrings hurt unlike anything I've felt before... I can't get over how difficult the dumbbell single arm overhead squat is... it looks easy enough in the pics!

The body weight matrix is what I think killed me though... wow... and I also have difficulty doing plank for longer than 60 seconds... hopefully I can work up to 90 and maybe even more... I've found that concentrating on breathing helps... I know I used to have a tendency to hold my breath, not on purpose, which actually just makes it harder.

Just debating now if I'm up to workout B today... since my legs are still so sore... thinking maybe if I go they'll loosen up and start to feel better once I get the blood flowing... does anyone else ever feel like they're muscles are literally swollen when they're sore?

I occasionally lurk on the official NROL4W forum, and I've seen lots of folks who go on to do NROL4A afterward. Why not? I think that NROL4W is a super program--has been for me, anyway--and NROL4A looks just as good.

For anybody who wants to go with something different, btw, I bought a book that was also recommended by some folks on the NROL4W forum: "Power Training," by Robert Dos Remedios. It gives some guidance for putting together a training program, but you have significantly more freedom & flexibility than with the New Rules books. This is what I'm planning to do once I finish NROL4W (two more workouts left!); I think that will fit what I'm looking for at the moment.

It wouldn't be unusual if your muscles were actually swollen! When your muscles are repairing themselves, your body produces hormones that causes them to swell, and in addition, your muscles fill up with extra fluid. A number of times during these last 6 months of NROL4W, my thighs have gained more than a half-inch each overnight! (Obviously, it goes back down soon afterward.)

OK, love stage 6. I'm moving on to other things after I'm done with it, but I can definitely see myself coming back & doing this again in the future.

2nd-to-last workout today (last "A" workout). Before my negative chin-ups, I do regular unassisted chin-ups. I went from being able to do one (and only one ) in WO1, to being able to do 3 sets of 1 in WO3, to doing 2 sets of 2 chin-ups (yay! 2nd rep!) today, followed by 1 more set of 1.

For my AMRAP underhand grip lat pulls, I did 8 reps @ 105. Barbell split squats, 1 set of 10 @75lbs (too easy), 1 set of 10 @ 85 (still pretty easy!). Pretty good, considering that in WO1, I was doing 2 wobbly sets of 10 @ 65lbs. Pushups (from the floor, 2 sets of AMRAP): 20, 21.

I'm impressed with how much strength I gained in this stage, especially considering that I've made substantial gains throughout the program already. It really is very well-constructed.

Wow, that's great Sumire - I still can't do a chin-up (stage 3), I don't think anyway I haven't really tried recently, but I'm hoping I'll be able to by stage 6.... not sure if I'm looking forward to those negative chin-ups haha!

But that's super awesome for you, congrats

I started the New Rules Of Lifting on Tuesday, June 12 and i loved it except the prone jackknife because after watching some youtube videos i realized i was trying to do it totally wrong! lol my legs are SORE but i dont mind the soreness because i know i worked HARD at the gym on Tuesday! I cant wait to see the results! My fiance was there to help me because i dont know much about weights at all. I wasn't sure about a lot of the equipment but he helped me out.

Finished stage 6! I'm not going to do stage 7, so this is a wrap-up post.

Some thoughts: It really did me well to have a longish, focused program to follow. I had been (un-seriously) lifting, doing this & that, off and on for about 16 months before I started NROL4W. I was surprised that I managed to complete the program more or less as written; I tend to be a little bit ADD when it comes to exercise, so I thought I'd get bored with it. But I think the thrill of upping my weight and improving my form was enough to keep me in it.

I'm quite happy with my strength levels now. For a small gal (125 pounds), I can lift a fair amount: deadlifts for 6-8 reps at 135 pounds (more weight for fewer reps), 6-8 nice deep squats at 100, barbell push presses at 65 pounds, 8 underhand grip lat pulls @ 105lbs, can do 2 chinups in a set and pistol squats and lots of pushups, etc. My future training plans involve getting even stronger!

I decided at the beginning that I didn't want to lose any weight while doing the program, and I managed to hold my weight perfectly steady, so I don't have quite as much to report in terms of physique changes. Toward the beginning, my waist did go from 25.5" to 24", and my hips/butt from about 38" (I think? if memory serves) to 37", and thighs from 22.5" to 22". I see a little more definition just about everywhere (abs picture attached ), and my arms are pretty bangin', especially when flexed or semi-flexed.

I also have to say that whether it was the lifting itself, or eating more calories, or the combo, my energy levels have shot through the roof on this program. I seem to have boundless energy, and I'm in constant motion. This is so not the typical me. I feel really fit, and everybody else around me notices, too.

All in all, I'm very pleased with the program. Good luck & good fun to all you gals. I may continue to haunt this thread.

Thanks. And negatives are crazy brutal! They leave me so shaky. Good luck!

Doing Workout 3 of stage 7 tomorrow!

My weight has stayed steady through the whole program, but I've lost 5 inches overall so far.

Loving this. NROL for abs next, and then onto the 6 moves for max muscle!

I work for a veterinarian and I need to be strong, it's a tough job. Plus I live on a farm, and pounding in steel posts by hand, takes some muscle!

shcirerf, I just got the NROL for abs and was planning on doing that after this as well. Please let me know how it is going. I am almost done with stage 3 of NROLW so I have a ways to go but I already have my abs book.

Congrats on being finished Sumire - your picture is awesome

If you do end up doing the NROL for Abs, let us know how that goes

Also, you said you can do pistol squats... craziness!!!