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 | ||
Tags: alwyn cosgrove, stage v, the new rules of lifting for women
Thanks for the useful info. It’s so interesting