Nelie - wow...amazing pictures. Thanks for sharing! Looks like the trip of a lifetime so good for you!
baffled - thanks so much for the details. I haven't bought (and don't really plan to buy) the original NRFL. He certainly did cover the concept of why the compound exercises are such a better use of your time, it's just that the workouts (if you do nothing else) seem almost too good to be true. Maybe they are. As I mentioned, I'm going to try them twice a week with an additional yoga, power class and maybe one run per week. I'm going to respect his research and not try to change them or do too much else since he implies that it could be counterproductive. What the heck...it's a good workout and it's not too hard to follow so why not? I've needed a change anyway. As for the food, I want to try what he suggests but I'm not sure if it's for me. I'm not looking to lose much more weight but I haven't seen the scale move in a long time so a change is good. I know I don't eat enough protein so that's what I'm going to try to emphasize.
Not too good to be true, just really efficient. After you do the workouts, you'll feel it, I promise. In fact, you'll feel it while you're doing them too. Usually by the end I'm sweating and completely exhausted. FWIW, I still do cardio 2-3 times per week as well as lifting 2-3 times per week. It's a combo that works for me (and besides, I really, really like burning calories because I really, really, really like consuming them. )
How do you know how much the different bars weigh? At my gym they have some "pre-done" bars with the plates already on them and the weights listed so I know that the weight amount includes the bar but if I looked at the bench press and the smith machine and the squat rack (yes, it appears as if they have both) and I don't know how much I'm lifting. And I'm not sure if all the bars are the same. Should I just ask someone? Obviously I can put on the same amount everytime or increase it when I need to but I would like to know, just for my own information, how much I'm lifting in total.
A standard bar, like you would use for a bench press, is called an Olympic bar and always weighs 45#. My gym also has bars that are noticeably shorter and weigh 35#. The only other bars we have (besides preloaded) are E Z curl bars and they have a zig zag shape and varying weights.
A Smith machine bar is much lighter, but I'm not sure what it weighs. It may vary with the brand of the machine.
I think most of the bars you will come across in the free weight area of a gym are 45# Olympic bars. We have them at the squat racks, bench press stations, incline and decline benches, military press, and deadlift platform.
Morning, LWL. Am I really the first one up (or at least posting) this morning?
I'm due for shoulders/abs today, which will complete my first four-day split since my gym reopened. I'm sore, sore, sore ... but pleased to know that my sets/weights didn't drop over my break. I'm down a couple of reps on some exercises, but I'm sure they'll be back by the time I work through the rotation again.
I'm planning to do a "two-a-day" today. Can you call it a two-a-day if you only do two workouts in one day once? Maybe "single two-a-day half-caff" would be better.
Anywhoo... it's supposed to be above 60 here. Completely unheard-of weather, for January. And, a perfect day to take my new used bike out for a spin. So, after the gym I'm going to go to work, plow through some stuff, and skip out for a ride. Sore legs and all.
My copy of NRLfW arrived yesterday and I fell asleep on about page 8 where he talks about not bulking up
I think I probably pretty much do what is in the book, but I'm going to read it even thought it has a soporific effect on me (could also have been that it was just plain LATE and there was a losing football game droning in the background...darn those heartbreaker Buckeyes!)
baffled- I think you hit the nail on the head with a LOT of the programs out there- they are great for people who want to gain muscle and lose body fat- like 5%, but if someone needs to lose morethan 30 ish pounds, a little more drastic effort and nutrition are required. I really should read the book before I comment, tho.
Cardio done, olympic lifts and balance at lunch.
And just in time for that 65 degree weather, I found the ski boot deal of the century last night!!! woooo hoooo! Pray for snow- north of me.
Mornin'. I didn't get on first thing and then had a meeting. But I think my 4am EST postings have me usually as the early bird.
No workout today. Day of rest forced upon me because of my meeting, which means working out tomorrow through Sunday. Boot camp yesterday was great--love it. Training tomorrow....
I agree with the idea that NRLW is a really great book for adding muscle and dropping fat for someone who is fairly close to their goal weight. But it's not a plan for someone looking to lose 100 pounds, and I think the authors would agree. The nutrition section is awfully nonspecific and mostly consists of "eat more protein". Regardless, it's a book I would highly recommend to all the members we have who are looking for a source to get them started with weights.
Mel, the book isn't going to be anything new for you, but it's always refreshing to see all the principles we endlessly espouse written down in black and white.
I agree about the nutrition part of NRLW. I have no intention of dropping my cardio.... I like the weight workouts, and I was so ready to change mine up.
I suck and I'm pissed. I don't know what happened but I think I strained my left butt! How odd is that to type?! Really, I have no idea what happened. I was sore all weekend (from the PT training session) but mostly quad sore (a little glute sore but no big deal). I don't remember thinking anything when I woke up this morning but at work I started to think that my hip flexor was sore but no, it was more in the butt. I wasn't sure what it was but it was just a little "nothing" so I was going to yoga and thought a nice stretch might help...nope! Well, that made it way worse.
The first time we went into a stretch with the left leg forward (don't know the name but it looks like a hip flexor stretch - like a long lunge to the floor?) - anyway that was it, it's like I couldn't hold my own weight on that side and I almost fell. Walking was a bit painful after. It loosened up but going up the stairs? Not so good. I'm trying to figure out what it is...my little bit of research makes it look like it's certainly part of the glutes, maybe gluteus medius?
I'm going for positive thinking and assuming that it's just a tiny strain - nothing too serious. I'm sure it will be fine! Yes, I'm going with that.
Argh. I'll get back to my lower body workouts one day!
Thanks Fran! I feel the love when I see you doing this: Just don't do this right now and we should be okay!
And thanks Meg for the barbell information. I had been told once 45 lbs. for the chest press bar but I wasn't sure if they were all the same. I'll confirm at the gym about the squat rack and the smith machine.
Yes, yes, it sounds Elisa like me last year. In January, and then again in February I pulled my gluteus medius. I at the time thought it was "my hip flexor" too, but a doctor visit on the second pull (3 weeks after the first) confirmed it when the doctor explained I pulled my ***. (insert laugh here)
It was extremely painful and the doc described it as harder to heal than a broken bone. It took 6 months for me to return to normal activity and even today I still feel something there that makes me cautious.
I pulled it while running, FWIW.
The only way to heal it is walking (at the time, I could barely walk 20 feet). No crutches or staying off your feet.
I feel for you, I really do. It's truly a pain in the ***.
Thanks for the information JerseyGirl - I guess I didn't do too bad of a strain. It's much better today, although I can still feel it. I'll try to take it easy and see what I can and can't do. The weird part for me was not knowing when it happened. I tried just doing a few squats (the movement, no weights) and it seems fine, probably no lunges right now. Nothing like talking about a pulled butt on a public forum! Did you do any stretches at all to help or ensure that you don't pull it again? I think you're back to running right?
Ouch, Elisa I had a high hamstring pull several years ago that took about four months to rehab very painful. I was able to find exercises to "work around" so I didn't lose much muscle mass or amazingly, strength. Hope you heal quickly!
OK, I'm now into the nutrition section of NRLW- like when I first read Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (very similar), I find myself saying YES! YES! most of the time...with a few uh...no. not for me, at least. I tried his version of long cardio this morning- 20 minutes of killer intervals, sit for 5 minutes (3 in my case), then 25 more minutes of steady-ish state cardio. Three observations: I can't sit for 5 minutes; I need to put a big towel down on my leather couch and my pants are STILL NOT FITTING like they were a month ago!!!! I want instant results!
)
I don't know what happened but I think I strained my left butt! How odd is that to type?! Really, I have no idea what happened. I was sore all weekend (from the PT training session) but mostly quad sore (a little glute sore but no big deal). I don't remember thinking anything when I woke up this morning but at work I started to think that my hip flexor was sore but no, it was more in the butt. I wasn't sure what it was but it was just a little "nothing" so I was going to yoga and thought a nice stretch might help...nope! Well, that made it way worse. 
I'm trying to figure out what it is...my little bit of research makes it look like it's certainly part of the glutes, maybe gluteus medius?
right now and we should be okay! 
I had a high hamstring pull several years ago that took about four months to rehab 