[banderbe]

Well, actually I'm just quitting NROL. I am five workouts away from completing Hypertrophy I.

Basically I've come to the conclusion that it's unnecessarily complicated for a novice trainee like myself.

I've only been training for a year, and I have a long way to go before I get anywhere near my genetic potential for weight lifted in exercises like the squat.

There's really no reason to use undulating periodization! Why bother with five sets of five, three sets of fifteen, four sets of ten.. when a much simpler routine of 3 x 5 will allow linear weight progression each and every time I step into the gym?

As I've detailed on my blog I'm going to begin Starting Strength from Mark Rippetoe and focus on actually adding weight to the bar in my squat and deadlift. I've found weight progression with Hypertrophy I to be excruciatingly slow.

Additionally, I have been disappointed at the lack of information in NROL regarding proper weight selection, weight progression, etc. All Lou really says is that you should try to set a new PR each time you enter the gym. Well, that's great but it doesn't really give a new trainee the information they need.

For example, if you set a new PR on the squat at the start of your workout, the chances of setting a new PR on your split squat at the end of the workout will be less simply because you're more fatigued. Someone who doesn't know that my find themselves frustrated at the fact that they aren't making progress with those lifts that come later on in the workout.

I also think it's pretty unrealistic to expect a novice trainee to be able to do three sets of fifteen squats with only 30 seconds of rest between sets. One, it's pretty demanding from a cardiovascular stand point, and two, someone who hasn't totally mastered proper squatting form is going to have their form start to break down by the time they get to ten reps and beyond, and then they're going to run the risk of injury. Again, a simpler 5 rep set would allow the trainee to focus on form.

Anyway I still love the book but I don't think the hypertrophy workouts are ideal for someone new to the weight room. That said, the Fat Loss routines are FANTASTIC and I do still highly recommend them for everyone, novice or not.