Posts Tagged ‘the new rules of lifting for women’

STAGE V WRAP UP REPORT ~ New Rules of Lifting For Women

Saturday, October 4th, 2008

5 down, 2 to go!!!  Somehow (life got in the way) this 6 month program will have taken me 8 months but that’s ok : )  The book doesn’t say anything about what this stage was for (hypertrophy, strength, endurance, etc.) but the low reps and long rest periods tell me it is for strength and hypertrophy (size).  It also, I’m guessing, is related to the fact that Alwyn Cosgrove likes to changes things up every 4 weeks to keep the body guessing and growing.  Every stage in NROL4W is completely different.

As I think I mentioned before I had some fear of moving up in weight with the dumbbells.  After 30 lbs they go up in increments of 5 lbs which is a big jump for a female newbie doing anything overhead with one arm.  I purchased a pair of (2 lbs each) wristbands.  Don’t get me started on why they didn’t just make them 2.5 lbs.  Regardless, I like them!

I enjoyed the movements in this stage and surprised myself when I tried doing a pistol squat instead of the partial single leg squat.  I require just a touch of assistance getting out of the hole (the bottom position) but that’s it!  I am going to continue practicing them at home ’cause I think they are impressive!  I do them on a bench.  On the floor is more impressive.  Again, I FREAKIN’ HATE THE 2min PLANKS!  But I did them  : )  Two minute rest periods are a challenge!  Have you noticed  I NEVER, maybe once, talk about the body matrix

STAGE V WRAP UP





WO 1 WO 2 WO 3 WO 4




All 4 sets of 4 with 120 sec rest





Barbell Romanian Deadlift / Bent-Over Row
75 80 85 95
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
2 x 30=60 64 64 70
Funny # 64 comes from the use of wrist weights (2lbs ea) to bridge the gap between 30 and 35 lb dumbbells.
Dumbbell Single-Arm Overhead Squat
15 ~ 30 17 ~ 32 17 ~ 32 17.5 ~ 35
First # is DB held above and 2nd # is DB held below (between legs)
Dumbbell Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift (2 DB’s)
2×30=60 64 64 70
This version is with a DB in each hand. I’ve seen others using just 1.
One-Armed Dumbell Snatch
30 32 32 35
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown
80 85 85 85
I hate how weak I am with this move. It embarrasses me.
YTWL
2×7.5=15 15 15 15

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STAGE IV WRAP UP REPORT ~ New Rules of Lifting For Women

Wednesday, September 17th, 2008

Stage IV is a repeat of Stage II with a different rest & rep scheme.  It is my least fave in the program so far.  Some of it is like f’ing torture.  A 2 minute plank 3 times is just plain cruel in my opinion.

STAGE IV WRAP UP


















WO 1 WO 2 WO 3 WO 4






All 3 sets of 8 with 90 sec rest

Bulgarian Split Squat (I used dumbbells)
2×20=40 45 50 50
Dumbbell 1 Point (balanced on 1 leg) Row
2×25=50 50 50 50
Dumbbell Prone Cuban Snatch
2×15=30 30 30 30
Front Squat Push Press (aka Thrusters)
60 60 60 60
Static Lunge (elevated rear foot)
2×25=50 50 50 50
Underhand Grip Lat Pulldown
80 80 85 85
Wide Grip Deadlift on Box
125 125 125 125
Reverse Lunge From Box with Forward Reach
2×20=40 40 40 40










Front Squat / Push Press
Transitioning hand position from the front squat to push press was murder for my wrists. Hated it, much pain, will work on wrist strength and flexibility before doing that again. The pain made it impossible for me to increase the weight at all

Wide Grip Deadlift on Box

No change in the weight but my grip improved greatly!  Last time (Stage II) I’d be praying to make it through all the reps without dropping the barbell.  Maybe my grip didn’t improve and it just seemed better ’cause it was only 8 reps rather than the 10 it was in Stage II.  BUT it was 3 sets so I dunno….

Did I mention how much holding a plank for 2 minutes sucks!  Not a big fan of the split squat, static lunge or reverse lunge from box either.   Partly my own fault ’cause I choose to do them with 40 to 50 lbs of extra weights.  Despite hating them I still did 3 sets of everything.  This stage gives you the option of doing 2 or 3 sets.

Now on to Stage V!  It’s odd having things change every 2 1/2 weeks.  Just when you get used to the moves and could maybe up the weight it’s over.  Oh well.

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STAGE III WRAP UP REPORT ~ New Rules of Lifting For Women

Saturday, August 2nd, 2008

As always I am only showing some of the movements from Stage III so as not to give the program away.

Stage III was short and sweet like Stage II. Two workouts, each done 4 times for a total of 8. Train 3 times a week and you are done Stage III in just 2 1/2 weeks!

I really enjoyed this stage even though I am GREATLY missing the Deadlifts and Squats from Stage I. My two faves from this stage were YTWL (more about it below) and the Dumbbell Single Leg Romanian Deadlift because I felt them the most. I talked about Quad Dominance in my Stage II wrap up. This is the Stage where I really, finally!!!, felt things in my glutes and hammies (posterior chain). I am really looking forward to doing Deadlifts and Squats again, though it’s 8 weeks away in Stage 7, to see if I will now feel them in my entire lower body and not just my quads. I might have to sneak some in before that.

The funnest was the One-Armed Dumbbell Snatch. I so wanted to try heavier weight but kept imagining the horror of a more than 30lb dumbbell flying through the air should I fail! Somehow failure with a barbell does scare me as much?!

STAGE III WRAP UP






WO 1 WO 2 WO 3 WO 4






All 3 sets of 6 with 105 sec rest







Barbell Romanian Deadlift / Bent-Over Row
50 60 60 60
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
2×25=50 55 60 60
Dumbbell Single-Arm Overhead Squat
12 ~ 15 15 ~ 27.5 15 ~ 30 15 ~ 30
First # is DB held above and 2nd # is DB held below (between legs)
Dumbbell Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift (2 DB’s)
2×25=50 55 60 60
This version is with a DB in each hand. I’ve seen others using just 1.
One-Armed Dumbell Snatch
25 27.5 30 30
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown
75 75 80 80
YTWL
2×5lb=10 10 10 10
It took 3 times doing it to be able to do the full range
of motion, especially the T which is the hardest for me.

R E S T P E R I O D S

These long rest periods were a challenge. Not because the workout wasn’t hard. The recovery was needed and the rests were generally spent feeling the sweat bead up on my head and then run downwards. It’s just hard to wait almost 2 whole minutes. Knowing why helps AND I just keep reminding myself that if I want top notch results I will follow the program written by the top notch coach as closely as I possibly can!

These longer rest periods mean the goal is strength improvement and they allow for fuller recovery of the central nervous system (among other things). In other words, the longer rest period allows more recovery which then allows you to go heavier each time and therefore gain more strength.

Coach Christian Thibaudeau has written a series of articles that are about understanding how to put together a program. Reps, frequency, rest periods, etc. are all covered. The one I’m linking to is the one that covers rest periods (on page 2).
TESTOSTERONE NATION – The Thib System: Training Frequency and Rest Periods

Y T W L

Thanks to another article on T-Nation by a guy name Chris Bartyl who got to train with Alwyn for a day, I learned a little more about YTWL than what was in the book. Below is a link to the article and here is what Alwyn said in the discussion afterwards about YTWL. The pictures in the article are not of YTWL which is done prone (face down) on an incline bench. If Alwyn gives a man 7.5 and 5 lb dumbbells for these then I feel pretty good that I could do 5lbs.

Alwyn Cosgrove said:

It’s a PRE-hab exercise. So you don’t need a lot of volume.

The line of thinking with this stuff is : “how many people do you know that have ever had a shoulder injury?”

Whenever I ask that at seminars, 90% of the room raise their hands. (The other 10% usually have shoulder injuries so bad that they can’t raise their hands )

So let’s start addressing that from the beginning by adding some of these exercises.

————————end quote

Pain & Pleasure: 1 Hour with Alwyn

Kudos to Courtney (from the article) for surviving (finishing) Alwyn’s EVIL LEG MATRIX!!!! In NROL4W you do it once. Rest for double the time it took you to complete it. Then do it again. He told Courtney she had 120 seconds to complete it and she did! He said the gym record was twice through in under 3 minutes.

Here is a link to Alwyn’s Blog which describes the Leg Matrix. It also links to a video a very determined man doing the Leg Matrix. Pretty much what I looked like the first time I tried it. Got half way through, did the first jump lunge and my legs turned to mush. Laughed and went home. : ) He kept going.

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STAGE II WRAP UP REPORT ~ New Rules of Lifting For Women

Saturday, July 19th, 2008

As before I am only showing some of the movements from Stage II so as not to give the program away.

Stage II was much shorter than stage one. 2 workouts, each done 4 times for a total of 8. Train 3 times a week and you are done Stage II in just 2 1/2 weeks!

WO 1 WO 2 WO 3 WO 4




All 2 sets of 10 with 70 sec rest
Bulgarian Split Squat (I used dumbbells)
2×12.5=25 25 30 40
Dumbbell 1 Point (balanced on 1 leg) Row
2×20=40 45 45 50
Dumbbell Prone Cuban Snatch
2×10=20 25 25 30
Front Squat Push Press (aka Thrusters)
45 55 55 65
Static Lunge (elevated rear foot)
2×20=40 45 45 50
Underhand Grip Lat Pulldown
70 75 75 80
Wide Grip Deadlift on Box
115 115 115 125





Widening the grip and increasing range of motion on the Deadlift of course meant having to reduce the weight. Could barely maintain my grip for the whole set the first time I did it. I refused to go down in weight anymore. Was already bummed that I was doing 20lbs less than with the conventional deadlift. Logically I knew it would be this way but my ego (I guess that’s what it is) didn’t like it!

The book discusses the fact that most women are quad dominant. This means that we will generally use the muscles in the front of our legs/thighs more than the back leg (hamstring) and butt (glutes) muscles. The movements in Alwyn’s program address this by focusing on and engaging the glutes and hammies more. This is very important otherwise we end up with even more muscle imbalance than when we started. Our bodies will naturally do whatever is easiest for it. It takes the path of least resistance so to speak. It will use the muscles that are already strongest. So weak muscles get weaker and strong muscles get stronger. This leads to muscle imbalance and injuries. But, like I said, this program addresses that. With each stage you feel it more and more in your glutes and hammies. In the first stage not once did I have any soreness or feel it in my glutes or hammies. This stage I started to feel it a little. It helps to be aware of the issue and really focus your attention on those muscles, trying to use them and feel them working. In Stage II you REALLY get to feel them! Hehehehe.

If you want to learn more about this google or go to t-nation and search for “quad dominance” and “posterior chain” (2 separate searches).

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STAGE 1 WRAP UP REPORT part II ~ New Rules of Lifting For Women

Saturday, July 19th, 2008

I had wanted to do this a long time ago (6 weeks!) when I actually finished Stage I. I was procrastinating because I thought it was going to be a pain to make readable. Now I know I can just copy and paste tables into here!

These are only some of the “movements” used in Stage 1 and they are in alphabetical order. There was also more than one workout used and you alternate between them. So when I am talking about workout numbers below it is in sequential order for workouts in which that move is included, not overall workouts. I did 3 workouts per week for 8 weeks. If you have the book you understand. If you don’t have the book, sorry, I can’t make it any clearer without “giving away” the workouts which would be no no.

Each set/rep scheme was done for 3 separate workouts so the the 3 numbers that follow are for the weight used for that workout. For example the Deadlift 1st line means workouts 1, 2 and 3 I did 2 sets 15 using 75lbs the first workout, 75lbs the 2nd workout and 85lbs the 3rd workout. Then I move to the next set/rep scheme for workouts 4, 5 and 6 and did 2 sets of 12 reps with 95lbs for workout 4, 95lbs for workout 5 and 105lbs for workout 6.

Sets Reps
weight used each
 of 3 workouts
Deadlift (1 rep max at start 115 lbs end 185 lbs)
2 x 15
75 85 85
2 x 12
95 95 105
3 x 10
105 105 105
3 x 8
115 125 135
I stayed at 105 so long because I was using 6 x 10 lbs to
keep the bar low and the lift harder and because
3 sets of 10 is harder than 2 sets of 12
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
2 x 15
25 25 30
2 x 12
35 35 40
3 x 10
40 40 40
3 x 8
45 45 50
Lunge
2 x 15
BW 20 30
2 x 12
30 30 35
3 x 10
40 40 40
3 x 8
45 45 50
Seated Row
2 x 15
50 50 55
2 x 12
55 60 60
3 x 10
65 65 65
3 x 8
70 70 75
Step Up
2 x 15
BW BW 20
2 x 12
30 30 35
3 x 10
35 40 40
3 x 8
45 45 50
Bench came to the bottom of my kneecap approx. 14 inches
Squat (1 rep max at start 105lbs end 165lbs)
2 15
65 65 65
2 12
75 85 85
3 10
85 95 95
3 8
105 115 125
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown
2 x 15
50 55 55
2 x 12
60 60 60
3 x 10
60 65 65
3 x 8
70 70 75






For step-up, lunge, shoulder press with dumbbells:
25 = 2 x 12.5 lb dumbbells or 50 = 2 x 25lb dumbbells.

Stage 1 is referred to as the “break-in”. Before getting the book I had read stuff that Alwyn had written about the importance of building a strong foundation when you first start lifting weights by developing the body as a whole. Doing compound movements like the 2 biggest and best (in my opinion) which are squats and deadlifts does this. These movements develop and effect everything! Muscles, the Central Nervous System, the Cardiovascular system, bones, ligaments and other support stuff I don’t know the name of. In fact, most of the gains seen below are due to improvements in all of those things rather than just an increase in muscle strength. This is why those new to weightlifting can see such big and fast gains in the weight they can move. Later, the foundation is built and all you are mainly developing muscle strength at the point so of course, because only a fraction of the system (your body) is continuing to develop you will see only a fraction of the gains (improvements). Like I said, this is just my understanding of it. I could be wrong! If you really want to learn about this stuff and end up being able to design your own program you should read a fantastic series of articles by my fave coach and fellow Canadian, Christian Thibaudeau over at T-Nation, called The Thib System. Here (below) is a link to the first in the series. Note the chart a little down the page that, in row 2, describes Stage I of this program exactly!

The Thib System — Fatigue and Best Exercises
Basic Principles Behind My Updated Training Philosophy
by Christian Thibaudeau

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Bits and Pieces (mid June update on “stuff”)

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008

Just a few little notes:

Started following Joel Marion’s Cheat to Lose Diet 2 weeks ago. I had been stuck at 153lbs for 2 months. Then started to gain a few pounds. VERY happy to say that in the first week I lost those few pounds AND BROKE my plateau weight! Yes, several pounds of that was recently gained water weight from eating more carbs than I used to. But there is not doubt I lost fat as I ended up at 151 and like I said I had been stuck at 153 for 2 months. Hopefully I will have continued success!

I added my new 1RM maximum for bench press to the June 1RM post I had put up at the beginning of the month. Even though bench press has not been part of my training to date the weight did go up from 85 lbs to 115 lbs.

I am THRILLED that summer is finally here! I get the “winter blues” and the longer days of summer make such a difference. Where I live (Pacific Northwest) is often wet and cloudy : ( I appreciate the rain and it is what makes it such a green place to live but the gray and dark gets to be too much.

One last thing…. I compiled a list of links to everything I could find related to the book The New Rules of Lifting for Women. It can be found and explored at the official forum for the book which is hosted by JP Fitness. Here is a direct link to the post.

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STAGE 1 WRAP UP REPORT with rep and lb increases ~ New Rules of Lifting For Women

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008

Stage 1 is officially completed including the lovely “bonus workouts” AMRAP (as many reps as possible). There are 2 workouts, A & B which you alternate between for Stage 1. Before doing those workouts for the first time I spent a day in the gym figuring out which weight to use for each exercise. You are supposed to pick a weight that is just enough for you to be able to do the required number of reps with GOOD FORM. You might be able to crank out a couple of more reps at that weight but not with good form. So you are not going to failure. So yah, I went to the gym and tried different weights because I wanted make sure I was using as much weight as possible. I also determined my 1RM for the squat and deadlift. I will include that here and in the designated update I promised in another post.

In addition to AMRAP I’ll also include what weight I used to start with and what I used to end with. The number of reps changed 4 different times throughout the stage. Started with 2 sets of 15 reps. Ended with 3 sets of 8

So! For the “bonus workouts” you go back and use the weight you used for the very time you did the workout (A & B) and do as many reps as possible. Below are my results. I’ve mixed the exercises up so it doesn’t specify which workout they are from. I don’t want to “give away” the workouts or have people copying and doing only partial workouts.

20 reps Prone Jacknife

50 reps Swiss Ball Crunch. It was actually my back muscles hurting that made me stop at 50 not my abs.

20 reps Push Up on a 14″ high bench (approx. a 30 degree angle) (that’s +12reps) First workout ~ 30 degree angle Last workout ~ mens push ups on the floor. Could only do 3 when I started can do 15 now.

30 reps Lunge (15 each leg) 20lbs (2 x 10lb dumbells) NO IMPROVEMENT! haha. No, that’s not true. I screwed up. I thought I used weight the first time I ever did them but I did not. I did just bodyweight the first time.  I think the biggest reason I did so poorly is my legs were toast from doing the 50 rep deadlift prior to these.  : 0 First workout bodyweight ~ Last workout 50lbs (2 x 25lb dumbells) (that’s +50lbs)

90 reps Step Up (45 each leg) (that’s +60) just bodyweight on a bench about 14″ high. Felt like I could just keep going and going. Got tired of counting and didn’t want to be there all day. First workout bodyweight ~ Last workout 50lbs (2 x 25lb dumbells) (that’s +50lbs)

30 reps Dumbell Shoulder Press with 25lbs (2 x 12.5lb dumbells) (that’s +15reps) First workout 25lbs (2 x 12.5lb dumbells) ~ Last workout 50lbs (2 x 25lb dumbells) (that’s +25lbs)

32 reps Seated Row 50lbs (that’s +17reps) First workout 50lbs ~ Last workout 75lbs (that’s +25lbs)

45 reps Wide Grip Lat Pulldown 50lbs (that’s +30reps) First workout 50lbs ~ Last workout 75lbs (that’s +25lbs)

25 reps Squat 65lbs (that’s +10reps) First workout 65lbs (1RM = 105lbs) ~ Last workout 115lbs (that’s +50lbs) (1RM = 165lbs) (that’s +60lbs)

50 reps Deadlift 65lbs (that’s +35reps) I screwed up here. Should have been 75lbs. First workout 75lbs (that’s +25lbs) (1RM = 115lbs) ~ Last workout 125lbs (that’s +50lbs) (1RM = 185lbs) (that’s +70lbs)

I have to say, that seeing the before and after photos of the fabulous women who are 5 months into the program over at the official forum for the book/program (at JP Fitness) has been a huge inspiration. I’m even going to take pics of my own *shudder* finally. There’s some serious body recomp goin’ on!

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TRAINING – PHASE 2 – New Rules of Lifting For Women Stage I

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Quick recap of Phase 1:

  • Worked out at home using resistance bands for 5 months.
  • Walked pretty much every day.
  • Then did a couple months of bodyweight Turbulence Training along with HIIT.

Phase 2 is all about lifting heavy!

Started The New Rules of Lifting for Women around April 1st.

Before starting I tested my 1RM having never lifted weights before. Actually, the first thing I did was practice form. I did buckets of body weight squats in the few months prior. Then I spent a day in the gym with a friend and an olympic bar in the power rack. The next time I went to the gym it was another form practice and trying to figure out how much weight I would be using for each of movements in Workouts A and B (2 sets of 15 with 60s rest) of the program from The New Rules of Lifting for Women.

Squat 1RM 105 lbs

Deadlift 1RM 115 lbs

Bench 1RM 85 lbs

For reps (2 sets of 15 with 60s rest)

Squat 65 lbs and Deadlift 75 lbs

About a week after starting the program I found a formula which would have been helpful to have before but was now just interesting. It was bang on for me. Of course I did not use it to determine my weight for sets of 10 as it was unnecessary. I used the weight that I had built up to. No point re-testing my 1RM just so I could use the chart. I will, at the end of this phase re-test my 1RM to compare it with where I started. I’ll use that and the chart below to calculate for a 5 rep set (which the program does not use) and see how close it is just for fun.

Sets {% of 1RM } DL 115 (Squat 105)
15 {60 – 65%} 70 – 75 lbs (68 lbs)
10 {75% } 86 lbs (79 lbs)
5 {87%} 100 lbs (91 lbs)

At the 4 week mark I am doing the following for 3 sets of 10 with 60 seconds rest

Squat 85 lbs

Deadlift 105 lbs

Guess I should mention I’m about 30 to 40lbs overweight which is extra weight I have to lift when doing squats.

There is no bench press in the program right now just men’s push ups. Right now (May 1st) I can do the 3 sets of 10 at a 30 degree angle. Being overweight means I’m “pushing” more weight. Am pretty sure I will be able to do them on the ground in the next few weeks when it changes to sets of 8. Can do 11 max on the floor right now (May 1).

I will share as much of my progress as possible without “giving away” the program.

Cardio – HIIT
The book does include HIIT but it’s not until a later stage. I need to lose weight so I have started HIIT 2 weeks into Stage 1 (which was about 2 weeks ago). I following the same HIIT program I mentioned in my previous post about Phase 1. It appears to be from Alwyn’s Afterburn program and is posted at bodybuilding.com http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/alwyn8.htm

Cardio – Steady State
I do my best to go for a walk every day for 45 to 60 minutes. There is a lot of debate about whether or not there is a “fat burning zone” or any real benefit to walking or any steady state cardio. Others are just arguing you get more “bang for your buck” with HIIT or weights. Sometimes it’s about time. People say they have such limited time they just can’t do it. Personally I’m doing them all, in reasonable amounts, to cover all the bases. The walking, which I always do outside, helps me in other ways too.

  • Time to think or not think.
  • It’s one more thing I’m doing every day towards my goals. Keeps me focused.
  • Creates a routine which is always helpful.
  • Any activity is better than no activity! In the beginning it made a huge difference because It was a step up from the couch potato I had been up until then.
  • If you choose an activity you enjoy you are far more likely to continue to do it.
  • Enjoyable activities will also reduce your stress level and they say stress produces Cortisol which can cause you to gain or hold on to fat.
  • Assists with recovery from lifting weights.

Right now it’s 3 days of HIIT and it’s done right after lifting. Because Stage I is a “break in” the lifting has only been taking about 20 min. Add on the 20 min. of HIIT and that’s only 40 minutes. To round it out I then do a 20 min. low intensity “steady state” walk on the treadmill.

As the lifting part of the program gets longer I’ll stop doing that last 20 minutes. We’ll see. If I’m losing weight consistently I’ll stop and see if that changes anything. If it slows or stalls the weight loss I’ll add it back.

Nutrition

When I first started lifting heavy around April 1st with the program from The New Rules of Lifting For Women I was HUNGRY! One night after the first workout I woke up in the middle of the night super hungry so I drank a protein drink. Never experienced that before in my life. In the book they suggest you start off eating maintenance calories and see how you feel and how your body responds to training for the first month. I simply continued to eat whole healthy foods whenever I was hungry for the month of April. I also found I was tired all the time. The hunger and exhaustion are understandable considering I was doing more and working harder physically than I have ever done in my entire life (and loving it!). However I am starting to get frustrated with the lack of inch and weight loss and wanting to SEE the muscles I have grown. Now that I am a little more adjusted, sleeping more and my hunger has calmed down it’s time to see if can get some fat loss happening. I’m working all the energy systems, I’ve got the diet down, I just need to adjust the calories. The question is in which direction?

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