Help. I have been doing the New Rules of Weightlifting for Women program for the last few weeks. I'm still in stage 1. As I've increased weights for deadlifts, squats and step-ups, I'm having 2 problems. The first is that my heart starts to race like crazy and I get lighteaded/dizzy toward the end of a set, and the second is that my hands/arms/shoulders have a hard time supporting the weight I'm using, because my upper body strength is considerably less than my leg strength. I don't feel like the muscles of my legs are getting stronger, because the other parts of me are too weak to manage the workload that my legs can handle.

I don't have any such trouble doing upper body or abdominal exercises. Do any of you have any thoughts or suggestions for either of the above, besides "just keep doing it and you'll get better"? It's really uncomfortable to get so lightheaded that I need to sit down after a set!

This is a very common problem for women because we have a lot less muscle mass in our upper bodies (compared to the proportions of a male). It's also more difficult for us to push ourselves on our weaker points and tend to work out harder on our stronger points (for example, I might skip a few reps of the press because I'm weak at it and I just feel tired doing it).

All I can say is to persevere at it... eventually you can work on the imbalances. Check out "microplates" for upper body exercises, you can add 0.25lb, .5lb, 1lb plates rather than a full 2.5lb or 5lb.

Neurodoc:

So your first concern is about resting between sets of NROLFW.

Are you resting 60 seconds in between each set of exercises?
That is you are squatting for 15 reps, resting for 60 seconds, and then going back to do your second set of squatting for 15 reps. Then resting 60 seconds.

If you are, then you are doing the program correctly. Please don't think that you are supposed to do each set back to back without a rest. Only Nelie, Cheryl, or Mel, our resident CrossFitters would do that.

Why do we rest between sets? We have too.
Lifting is anaerobic. That is, our bodies rely on fuel stored in the muscle to complete the task instead of oxygen. Generally it takes about 30-90 seconds to tap out that fuel source. Fortunately, that's about how long it takes to complete a set too. We then have to set the weight back down, take a minute and then resume. Lifting relies upon the same fuel source as sprinting. How long could you sprint (not just run or jog but go all out...?) Same fuel source.

So what I'm leading up to here is that there is a brief rest between sets. It's been a couple of years since I've done NROLFW however, I still use many of the exercises in my routines. I rest between sets. If I want to challenge myself, I'll keep the rest down to 20 to 30 seconds. When I am training at my best I may superset with a brief rest of about 10 to 15 seconds but not on a regular basis.

Now. What really concerns me is the dizziness you have. May want to have your blood pressure checked. Weight lifting does tend to spike the blood pressure.

There may also be other causes to this so if anyone has other suggestions please share. I would contact a physician just that have things checked out and explain what's happening when you are exercising. I've felt dizzy when I was underfed, underhydrated or coming down with a cold. But seriously, get that checked out.

Also, what happens when you scale back the weight you are using just a little? Is there any difference in your ability to recover from the set? Do you still feel dizzy?

Oh Gosh, I forgot the other part of your question. Thanks Sacha. I may also suggest that in your quest to build upper body strength consider doing short sets of shoulder presses, lat pull downs, and rows with a heavier weight. That is, select a weight that will fatigue your muscles by the 6th rep instead of the 12 or 15th rep. I would aim for one set the first week, two sets for two to three weeks and if you can, three sets by week four to six.(All with rests of course) Grip strength can also be improved through the farmer's walk as well. Oh and PUSHUPS! PUSHUPS PUSHUPS AND MORE PUSHUPS. Great for increasing upper body and core strength/endurance. Kind of a two for one.

Good luck!

Ditto what the above posters have said... also you might want to look at your nutrition? Are you eating (enough) before your workout? SOme people find they need to, some dont.....i get dizzy, weak, nauseus when i dont eat before a strenuous workout.
Maybe you could also try slowing down the movement, making it more deliberate-- really focusing on the muscles you are supposed to be working, instead of powering quickly through.
Also, how is your breathing during the movements? Are you focusing on breathing out during the "push"?
Just some ideas

sometimes the wt is hard on my wrists bc i'm using dumb bells. switching to a barbell i can do heavy weight during a deadlift w/o any discomfort in wrists. as you go, your wrists will likely get stronger too.
you can also try holding a plate doing the lower body w/o.

I think your body is telling you that you are doing too much. Listen to it

Thanks ladies. Lydia, I understand about resting between sets, and pretty much stick to the 60 sec rest periods that NROLFW advises. The issue is that as I'm resting, I feel like my heart is racing (which it is- I get up to ~150 bpm) and I get a lightheaded, jelly-legged need-to-sit-or-I-might-pass-out feeling. Sometimes, the feeling is so intense that I need to wait longer than 60 sec. to recover back to near-normal. And yes, if I decrease the weight, it doesn't happen, BUT MY LEGS DON'T FEEL MUCH OF A WORKOUT. As it is, my legs don't get sore the next day the way my arms do after a workout, which tells me I'm probably not using as much weight as they would need in order to develop. Maybe when I get down to 8 reps (next week), I will be able to handle a heavier weight without getting so winded.

The other issue is that the barbell for squats kills my shoulders, and using it for deadlifts really hurts my hands. I think if I buy some handgrips, it will help with the hand problem, but I don't think anything will help my neck and shoulders- and I'm only squatting 65 pounds right now. Can't imagine the pain when I get up to over 100!

Mkroyer- at first I didn't eat before a workout, figuring if I did I would get queasy. Now I eat a banana or a small bowl of cereal and milk (I work out in the morning) because I would get really hungry if I didn't.

ddc, I think you're right that the reason I get lightheaded is that I'm straining too much, for too long. I'm going to back down on the weight a little for this next workout to see if that makes it better.

All- thanks for your suggestions.

Squat tip- I wear a hoodie sweater during my squats and allow the bar to rest on the hood. A bit of a cheat, but helps

I wonder if doing things that are more difficult but don't call for heavier weights might be an idea. Not NROLW though.

Try walking with dumbbells and with each step forward, lift the back leg behind you and lower the dumbbells to the floor and then pull back up for a walking one-leg deadlift. Sort of like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWLg7...eature=related but with 2 dumbbells and when you straighten up you take a step forward and repeat.

Also consider body weight squats on the flat side of the bosu.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE heavy weights, but it is also possible to have a tough workout with lighter weights and body weights.

The dizzyness makes me wonder about your hydration level, but I agree with Lydia: see a doc just to double check.

Are you remembering to breathe? Pretty common for beginners to forget to take a fresh breath in/let air out between reps...for example, try to do 3 or 4 deadlifts in a row without breathing, yeah, you're going to get dizzy and/or pass out. Learn to take a breath when you're in a safe position to do so, at the top of a back squat or between reps on a deadlift. It's also sometimes necessary to let a little air "escape" the lungs during the lift, without losing tension in your low back/abs that protect your spine. Watching more experienced lifters, either in person or on videos, can help you figure out a breathing pattern that will work for you, and with practice, you'll be able to hold your breath longer and lift heavier without getting that feeling of being dizzy. Rest as long as needed between sets, IMO...if a minute doesn't do it, rest for 2 or 5, just don't wait so long that you lose the warmth and flexibility, in other words, walk around/move a little if you need to rest longer than 2 mins or so, to help keep warm and flexible.