**march Chat**
 

Just wanted to make sure we have a place to chat for March! :carrot:

Hopefully we can help keep this section active!

I am chugging along through the end of Phase 1 of NROL4W. Feeling pretty sore. I was doing squats this morning and this middle aged man looked a bit put off that I was squatting more than him hehe! Go me! :cheer2:

I'm three workouts into stage 6 of NROL4W and boy, is it hard!! I feel like I've gained strength but not enough. I still kind of feel like a weakling with some of the exercises. It's eye-opening, for sure. Yet I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. My estimated date for completion of the program is April 2nd. Yay me!! :carrot:

Oops, I didn't see you had started a thread. Thanks.

I'll go tell people to come here...sorry.

Fitmom- Are you planning to do the Abs program next? You must be so excited! I feel like finishing is such an accomplishment! I would love to finish before my vacation to Hawaii at the very end of May, but I don't think I will. I lift 3 days/week and I really don't want to over do it. We will see! Also, I am certain you are not a weakling! Did you do before photos?

Tejas- no problem! For whatever reason I typed the title in all caps and it came out with March not being capitalized...making me crazy (yes I'm anal)!

I did 30 minutes of cardio this morning. I was dreading it, but it felt good. It helps with the muscle soreness too. I was off my workouts for 4 days because we had a full weekend getaway with our friends at a cabin and I had to take Monday off to recover because I was so exhausted.

I feel like my stomach is really tightening up even more, my quads are more prominent, but I don't see much change other than that. I am not weighing so who really knows what's going on there.......slow and steady i suppose.

I took a few days off from cardio myself, having aggravated my right knee with the patellar tendonitis.

Here is Thursday's wo:

do side shuffle up and down the squash court 4 times

hold 14 pound weighted ball above head then slam it down to the floor, to the right and left sides, 5 times each

backwards run up and down squash court 4 times

hold 14 pound weighted ball above head and do 10 squats

do 10 burpees with a pushup for each burpee

pull trainer up and down the gym corridor while he holds me back with stretchy band

sit down and lean back, taking feet off the floor...catch 14 pound weighted ball when trainer throws it, twist to each side, throw ball back, 8 times

collapse :lol:

do it all again

:faint:

LindsB: I am planning to do the Abs program after Labor Day when the kids go back to school as I'll have more time to devote to the workouts. I'm planning to work with kettlebells from April to August as they are quick and fun. I did take some before photos like two months in, I think. I feel like it's an accomplishment too. Six loooong months of following the program. I do think I'll do another cycle of NROL4W maybe the beginning of 2013 and then the newest program "NROL for Life" because the Abs one I should finish up at the end of this year. Did you get the Abs book yet? They only offer the women's one in paperback, all the rest are hardcover. Sounds like you're making progress too! I remember I started to see more visible changes after stage 3.

Tejas: I'm always like blown away by what you do in your workouts! You could kick my butt in the gym any day of the week. You go, girl!

Fitmom- Thanks for all the information. I do have the Abs book and the rules for life as well. They are both paperback and I ordered them via Amazon. I should probably take some before pictures....I just know that it will likely make me feel depressed....ugh!

Hi all!

I just got the Abs book yesterday and have been avidly reading it. It is very different from the other two books--but probably in a good way. It actually reminds me more of Rachel Cosgrove's Female Body Breakthrough than the NROL series, because of all the dynamic warming up.

I'm still a ways off from being able to start a training program (or even jogging, to be honest), but I did the Abs warm up last night as a kind of exercise. It felt pretty good (squats-to-stand are such a great warm up) but my knee is a bit achey today. Grrr. (I had to skip the hopping and I probably should have skipped the jumping.)

I'm spending lots of my spare thinking time pondering what I'll do when I am finally able to do real exercise...Finish NROLW (I got to stage 5 before my surgery), start FBB? Start Abs? Such difficult hypothetical questions!

LindsB: I started taking progress pics at 132 pounds and am now endlessly fascinated by all the changes that have taken place after 1 year of on-and-off weight training (and only 6 pounds lost, at that). You should buck up & take some pics; you'll be glad later! I wish I could go back in time & convince my 168-lb self to take pics at the very beginning of the journey. Just putting on my old size 16 jeans is mind-blowing.

I thought they only had hardcover ones as I got the Abs one from the bookstore. I've yet to buy the new one or pre-order it. Is it any good? Don't think about the before pics as being depressing - you're making a positive change and remember it doesn't happen overnight. Just a thought. :)

I definitely am glad that I did NROL4W before contemplating the Abs book. I had almost zero experience with weight lifting and the women's program is such a gentle program that it was perfect for a beginner like me. Plus, now I feel like I have a basic background and knowledge of weight lifting and some exercises that the Abs book doesn't seem so intimidating.

Hopefull, you'll be able to resume your normal routine soon. :)

I bought the Abs book a couple of months ago and have yet to read it. I need to get on that.

I'm thinking I need to tone down my weight a little - I've been pushing 3 days per week, lifting pretty heavy. I've reached a point where I'm happy with my muscle definition and don't want to increase any more muscle mass, so I'm going to try to work on a step down program to maintain what I have and maximize some cardio for a little while. Try to roll some more yoga back in. I also have some stretch marks on my thighs that popped up as my lifts increased - no idea what I can do about those...

I've still been lifting, and reading over here, just not as active on the posting! :)

It's funny you should say that; I had the exact opposite response. After doing parts of NROL and NROLW twice (though i didn't finish this time), I actually thought that NROL4Abs looked a bit more basic and a gentler, friendlier introduction to the gym. NROLW tends to throw you in the depend a little bit (prone jackknifes on your first trip to the gym!?) whereas I saw Abs as a bit more basic.

It just goes to show that we're all very different. :)

Is it strange that some upper-body exercises I've made more progress with than others? For example, any sort of rowing exercise, I've made crazy progress with. Yet on some of the pressing exercises, I've made decent progress but not like I'd thought. I guess there's an upshot to still being weak in some areas, there's always room for improvement.

My long-term goal is to eventually row with 60# total and perform the SLRDL with 60# total too. I was in the sporting goods store the other day and took a pic of the 30, 35 and 40# db's and emailed it to my dad. I told him that's what I want for my birthday, lol.

I managed to do all ten sets of the pullovers with 40 total lbs. Before I was doing some with 40 lbs. and 30 lbs. I couldn't bust through the plateau, so to speak. But I did. Only 2 more workouts left in stage 6. I have to say I don't know what I did before I discovered weight lifting, lol.