I find it all quite interesting. The best I can do right now with alternating db chest press is 20-25 pounds; with a bar bell chest press, 65 pounds; with a front squat 65 pounds. Mostly I do 2 sets of 9 reps with those. Obviously, my lower body is much stronger than my upper---probably true for most women.
But, I promise you this. If you keep this up, you will lift heavier and heavier weights and feel great!
Today I started New Rules of Lifting for Women. I really enjoyed the workout but I am a little undone by the harping the book does about 1200 calorie diets ruining your RMR and throwing you all off kilter/ general doom-saying. Now I can understand that they have a general point, but I just came off a year of 1300 calories average. (if I'd found 3FC earlier I might have started at a higher #) so I feel like they're telling me I've failed and done everything wrong and probably destroyed pounds of muscle mass. Not the most encouraging way to enter the workouts.
Now I know you have to eat more while building, and I am on my way up to 1700 cals a day to see how this works for me. I know they recommend a bit more in the book but I gotta get used to it too after so much time lower.
I really enjoyed the squats too, but failed miserably at the pushups. Obviously not as strong there as I thought I was.
Fromthebox: I echoed your sentiment the first time I read that part of the book as well. I lost my weight before the book was published ranging in about 1200 to 14 calories. I wasn't a calorie counter either so to be fair, it was kind of loose. Mostly followed macronutrient and portion sizing while losing weight.
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you certainly have not failed in the sense of your ability to lift or improve your ability for strength training. I usually hate to post numbers because everyone comes to this at their own pace, but after losing the weight and five years later I'm using 40lb dumb bells for my chest presses and 50lb for my dumb bell lat rows off a bench...the backsquat could use some work at 135lb but seriously, I'm not out to compete at this weight still fatigues me enough for sets.
Point is I doubt you have done anything that will impede your abilities to develop strength gains. (Assuming your experience will be similar to mine) I think the range up to 1700 is fine you can always dial it up or down as tyou need to after a few weeks and you are able to notice a trend. Just go in and work hard...take from the book the parts that speak to you and then create your own awesome experience.
Oh. And keep working on the pushups...plank position if you can eek out one or two it counts...try for three next week. The thing about this is I've seen people do modified pushups forever and a day with very little crossover to the plank position. Granted, individual differences attribute to this and perhaps some here have been able to gain strength starting in a modified position. I think that it is best just to do two plank pushups to begin with and make those your best effort. THEN, if you want to continue with pushups do modified....
Pushups are worth the effort and fuss to get in the plank position because there are so MANY wonderful variations to them that are incredibly effective for core training and safer than the flexion/extension of the lower back and functionally more relevant to everyday activities outside the gym than the variation of crunches you see on the mats. JMO.
ryebwww.thenewrulesoflifting.com/nrol-for-women
It's a 6-month strength training program that is based on the principle that women should lift like men, there is no physiological reason that we need to be coddled or stick to machines and 'pink' weights.
wow, Tejas and Lydia, you are two strong chicas!!!
Nelie - your post cracked me up! Wish there was a "like button" similar to Facebook for that one!!!
Fromthebox - welcome to the program!! To be honest, I'm just coming off months at 1300-1500 calories and now I am taking a break. I am not specifically counting calories right now like the program calls for, but I am trying to eat lots of protein/veggies. Next week is 1 month with program and then i am going to start cutting calories back to 1500-1800.
Okay, call me an idiot but I have had the book for a while, read it and want to start but I am TOTALLY CONFUSED. I would like to do the workout at home, but dont understand the whole workout A and B thing and the workouts 1-4....this just seems so confusing....
Me!!! I'm still in the first phase and am about to do Workout 5A tomorrow! So far I've definitely lost some inches but now weight . However, I love the workouts and I'Ve really been pushing myself a lot!
I'm actually trying to get DH to start them at least twice a week and he likes the idea how it works your whole body but they're rather quick.
Oh, and I randomly met a traininer here who is familiar with the book (and uses a number of things from it) who I'm thinking of hiring once we get $$ because we don't have a back rack so it makes getting enough weights when it comes to squats/lunges very difficult!!!
Protein Shakes- er, no way am I buying that!) but I will make fruit smoothies with flax seed in them sometimes afterwards or just eat a lot of cheese!
Calories - I don't calorie count (eat whole foods/intuitive eating/no sugar) so I'm just sticking to that. I know I probably eat pretty close to maintenance since, in general, I lose pretty slowly and I get my calorie deficient from workouts. I'm much happier this way and I feel it's something that I can maintain long term.
Squats/lunges - I was a college athlete and have been lifting on and off for years so these are pretty normal to me. My biggest problem is getting enough weight there because we don't have a back rack at our gym. The first day I tried lofting the bar over my head, NEVER AGAIN! Now I'm just using dumbells of 14KG each but those aren't heavy enough for my legs but they are the most my arms can keep up. I'm hoping to hire a trainer because my squats/lunges are just too easy...
Busy weight room - there's a weight room at our apt complex so I use that. I try to go at times when it's not so busy but I just ignore everyone if it is. I normally don't have problems fighting over the equipment, though, so I always go in order. But I do admit I take longer breaks than 60 sec between certain exercises.
Push-ups - those are a killer but I found doing them on a bench at first really helped! I just did my first ones on the floor this past week!
Results - So far (I'm about 3 weeks into this?) I've lost about 2 inches from my waist, 2 from my hips, and I think 2-3 from my chest? I'm not 100% sure of the exact amounts but it's a noticeable difference. My scale has been all over the place, though!
Okay, call me an idiot but I have had the book for a while, read it and want to start but I am TOTALLY CONFUSED. I would like to do the workout at home, but dont understand the whole workout A and B thing and the workouts 1-4....this just seems so confusing....
Yeah, it IS confusing. Basically, you just alternate workout A with workout B each time you work out.
Soo...if you work out 3 times a week, it looks like this:
Monday - workout A
Wednesday - workout B
Friday - Workout A
Monday - Workout B
etc, etc
The numbers for the workouts (1-8) corresponds to how many reps/sets you should be doing (it corresponds to a chart on page 140). The reps/sets change every 2 workouts. Also, you only do each workout 8 times and then you graduate to the next sets of workouts.
Results - So far (I'm about 3 weeks into this?) I've lost about 2 inches from my waist, 2 from my hips, and I think 2-3 from my chest? I'm not 100% sure of the exact amounts but it's a noticeable difference. My scale has been all over the place, though!
This is awesome!!!
I'm not sure I've lost any inches (I think I may have gained inches, actually) But I will be officially measuring on May 18th, as that will mark 1 month since I started the program and I measured back in April.
Pushups are worth the effort and fuss to get in the plank position because there are so MANY wonderful variations to them that are incredibly effective for core training and safer than the flexion/extension of the lower back and functionally more relevant to everyday activities outside the gym than the variation of crunches you see on the mats. JMO. 
So far I've definitely lost some inches 
but now weight 
. However, I love the workouts and I'Ve really been pushing myself a lot! 
But I will be officially measuring on May 18th, as that will mark 1 month since I started the program and I measured back in April.
