Wow, these workouts are showing how strong you are! I found the 15 sec rest such hard work.
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Push-up: 3x4 w/ 6 seconds at bottom (dude, these are tough)
Have you tried push ups with your feet raised? I started on the floor with a 2 sec pause, then with feet raised and a 2 sec rest, then feet raised even more with a 2 sec rest. I think I might have died with a 6 sec rest! Well done.
I probably would have done pics and measurements sooner, but I was out of town over the weekend.
Going through the process of measuring, weighing, and photographing is educational. October's dietary lapses didn't send me backwards, but they didn't help me move forwards much either. Almost all of the changes in my numbers took place during September when my diet was more disciplined. I would like to make a chart of all my measurements throughout the challenge. Maybe I'll do that sometime this week.
I'm also feeling sort of stagnant in my strength again. I have my last workouts in Stage 6 coming up later in the week, and those will help me gauge whether I've improved since they are workout 2 weights at AMRAP. Well, I'll go to the gym here in a little while and see how I fare.
I can't wait to see your AMRAPs for Stage 6. It gives me a good benchmark of where I would like to be by that time. I should finish Stage 3 this week, which puts me at 3 months. I would like to do a mini-AMRAP just to gauge my process.
Wow, these workouts are showing how strong you are! I found the 15 sec rest such hard work.
Have you tried push ups with your feet raised? I started on the floor with a 2 sec pause, then with feet raised and a 2 sec rest, then feet raised even more with a 2 sec rest. I think I might have died with a 6 sec rest! Well done.
Thanks! I used to do push-ups w/ my feet on a ball back in the pre-NROL4W days. I always thought those were easier than regular push-ups. Maybe I'll revisit elevated feet again between the stages.
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Originally Posted by Camazama
I can't wait to see your AMRAPs for Stage 6. It gives me a good benchmark of where I would like to be by that time. I should finish Stage 3 this week, which puts me at 3 months. I would like to do a mini-AMRAP just to gauge my process.
Anyways, congrats on the great looking workouts.
Thank you! I don't know what my AMRAPs will be like. I thought the ones at the end of stage 1 were boring, but these may not be b/c I don't feel like I've improved as much. I didn't push myself very hard ealy on in the stage, so I don't feel like I will have a very good indicator w/ my workout 2 weights. Well, I should at least have those workout A AMRAPs done before the week is up.
Seems like you could do an AMRAP after any stage, if you wanted, before you took your "rest" week.
Rev. Lunge w/ 1 DB on Shoulder: 4x4 @ 30 (I went down on the weight significantly, but didn't rest the DB on my shoulder and instead tried to hold my arm as close to 90 degrees as possible. This was really hard on my arm and esp. my elbow, only moderately challenging on my core, and totally easy on my legs.) DB 2-Point Row: 4x4 @ 50. (Wore out my forearms. Yowza!) DB Push-Press: 4x4 @ 30s (same weight as last time; I didn't feel like I had good control over the 35s) Incline Rev. Crunch: 3x10 (since all the angles feel more or less the same, I went back to higher reps) Back extension: 3x10 @ 45 (I know I can do higher weight, but don't feel like trying to walk the big DBs all the way across the gym only to find that I can't lift them properly and hurt my back, or drop the weight on my foot)
Edit: How did I forget to mention this? New low today: 147.8. Woot! How come the scale couldn't read this when I was posting for the challenge deadline yesterday?!?
Edit: How did I forget to mention this? New low today: 147.8. Woot! How come the scale couldn't read this when I was posting for the challenge deadline yesterday?!?
I'll bet you're happy to be almost through stage 6! I'm coming up on it soon, so I like seeing what you're doing for weights; looking good. I'm excited to try the BB split squat; I am awed by your weight on that!
Are there really no intervals or bodyweight matrices in 6? Yay!!!
I'll bet you're happy to be almost through stage 6! I'm coming up on it soon, so I like seeing what you're doing for weights; looking good. I'm excited to try the BB split squat; I am awed by your weight on that!
Are there really no intervals or bodyweight matrices in 6? Yay!!!
Thanks! The lack of intervals and BW matrices has been nice. I've been doing about 15-20 min of cardio after most of the workouts anyway, since they are so much shorter, but not necessarily HIIT. I'll drop in on the dance aerobics class one day, do steady state on the treadmill another day, etc. But I'm ready to move on from this stage. I really like workout A, but am not crazy about B.
I'm also starting to investigate new programs to try after finishing NROL4W. It's very exciting!
Edit: How did I forget to mention this? New low today: 147.8. Woot! How come the scale couldn't read this when I was posting for the challenge deadline yesterday?!?
Congrats! I've lost pounds since the challenge weigh-in too. Challenge weigh-in days have been some of my most bloated, icky days.
Congrats on the new low. I am very excited for you. It seems like several people are hitting new lows all of a sudden. Must be a ramp-up for the over-indulgence of Thanksgiving. I am hoping to see my new low by the end of November.
Congrats! I've lost pounds since the challenge weigh-in too. Challenge weigh-in days have been some of my most bloated, icky days.
Thanks! Unfortunately, the weigh-ins fall a little too close to TOM in my case. Oh well.
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Originally Posted by Camazama
Congrats on the new low. I am very excited for you. It seems like several people are hitting new lows all of a sudden. Must be a ramp-up for the over-indulgence of Thanksgiving. I am hoping to see my new low by the end of November.
Thank you! I'm going to try to maintain rigid self-discipline until the holiday. I'd really like to get to 145 by Thanksgiving so I have a little cushion room to pig out and still ultimately finish the challenge at or below 145. (145 is my target b/c that's about where I was before I started a desk job and gained all the weight.)
Yesterday I did some cardio-- 15 min. HIIT on treadmill, followed by 15 min. steady state on bike. Weight was down to 147.2.
Today was my next-to-last stage 6 workout. I didn't do as well w/ my AMRAP exercises as I had hoped.
Neg. chin-up: 3 at 20 sec. each (finally!) Underhand lat pull-downs: 6 reps at 115 lbs (this was an AMRAP exercise; I picked the weight that was in the middle of the range I've been doing. I'd hoped to do a few more, but just couldn't get my right side to finish another) BB split squats: 2x10 @ 95 (this wasn't my weight from the 2nd workout but my 3rd--just felt like I could do more than 85. And I did. Took a lot of concentration, though) Push-ups: 1 x 16; 1 x 13 (this was the other AMRAP exercise. Did I read it right that you had to do 2 sets? I felt like this was a pretty poor showing. Wanted to get 20 at least. I feel like I am not really improving. These remain really difficult for me.)
Added 12 minutes of cardio at the end on the bike. Steady state.
Forgot to check my weight.
I saw another girl doing chin-ups today. Of course, she could actually do them. (This is the 3rd girl I've witnessed do chin-ups seemingly effortlessly. Makes me crazy jealous.) She was skinny, maybe 5'2". I bet I could do a chin-up if I were built like that..... But then could I do a max pulldown of 130 lbs? Perhaps not. Still, I think the chin-up would be more satisfying-- the badass factor for a chin-up is much higher.
I did try to lower myself about a quarter of the way and pull back up during the negative chin-ups. Managed to get that a couple times. I think that one of my fitness goals for 2010 will be to do a chin-up. I have about a 20 lbs gap to close-- I can pull-down 130, and I weigh almost 150. (I know the exercises aren't that precisely correlated. But 20 lbs is something I can wrap my brain around.) And that 20 is quickly becoming 15, as I continue to lose weight (or so I hope).
Did I mention that I have allergies so bad I was convinced yesterday that I was getting sick? Prob didn't help with the workout much.
Did I mention that I have allergies so bad I was convinced yesterday that I was getting sick? Prob didn't help with the workout much.
I'm got a stuffy nose at the moment myself. I'm convinced it is allergies as well. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Hope that yours is just allergies as well.
I did try to lower myself about a quarter of the way and pull back up during the negative chin-ups. Managed to get that a couple times. I think that one of my fitness goals for 2010 will be to do a chin-up. I have about a 20 lbs gap to close-- I can pull-down 130, and I weigh almost 150. (I know the exercises aren't that precisely correlated. But 20 lbs is something I can wrap my brain around.) And that 20 is quickly becoming 15, as I continue to lose weight (or so I hope).
I keep telling myself the same thing. I can pulldown 100. I weigh under 170 now (169.4, but still excited). If they meet somewhere in the middle, I should be able to do a pull-up around 145. That's 25 pounds. Plus, by the time I get there, I should be able to skip one pull-up and go directly to ten cause that would be the number of reps. Skewed thinking, I know. But it keeps me going.
I think it's like once you can pull 120% of your BW on the lat pulldown, you can do a chin. I just can't put my finger on the data, but I read it here somewhere. I'm just not sure if I got the percentage right.
I think it's like once you can pull 120% of your BW on the lat pulldown, you can do a chin. I just can't put my finger on the data, but I read it here somewhere. I'm just not sure if I got the percentage right.
I don't know; I can do two chinups, but I can't pulldown 151 lbs. yet.
I'm got a stuffy nose at the moment myself. I'm convinced it is allergies as well. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Hope that yours is just allergies as well.
So far, it seems to just be allergies, which is both good and bad. Good in that I'm not down with something worse, but bad in that I can't do anything but wait it out.
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Originally Posted by Camazama
I keep telling myself the same thing. I can pulldown 100. I weigh under 170 now (169.4, but still excited). If they meet somewhere in the middle, I should be able to do a pull-up around 145. That's 25 pounds. Plus, by the time I get there, I should be able to skip one pull-up and go directly to ten cause that would be the number of reps. Skewed thinking, I know. But it keeps me going.
It definitely helps to have a benchmark of some kind, even if it isn't accurate, just to have a way of thinking about it and staying motivated. Good job on your weight loss.
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Originally Posted by missjane
I think it's like once you can pull 120% of your BW on the lat pulldown, you can do a chin. I just can't put my finger on the data, but I read it here somewhere. I'm just not sure if I got the percentage right.
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Originally Posted by LancelotsLover
I don't know; I can do two chinups, but I can't pulldown 151 lbs. yet.
Well, the 2 exercises are definitely not precise corollaries. Maybe the ratio differs among individuals, too. For example, I have a friend who just busted out a chin-up the other day, having never attempted one. She weighs in at about 115, but her max pulldown weight is about 105. (Maybe she's underestimating her strength on the pulldown, I don't know.) LL, can you pulldown your own body weight? It will be a while before I can.
Not much exercise news. Couldn't make it to the gym Friday. Cleaned out the garage yesterday. Hopefully some yardwork today, but it looks like rain, so who knows.
I ate the best butternut squash yesterday. Cut it in half, took out the seeds, filled it with applesauce. Smoked it for about an hour over indirect heat on the grill. Toasted the seeds with salt, paprika, and garlic powder, and put them on top of the squash. Really good. I love winter squashes.
I've never tried to pull my own weight; and of course, right now I'm 7 pounds heavier than I was last time I did narrow-grip pulldowns. There are wide grips in stage 5. I know I can pull more with a narrow grip than a wide one. I, too, will be interested to know how much I can pull in stage 6.
I think it's like once you can pull 120% of your BW on the lat pulldown, you can do a chin. I just can't put my finger on the data, but I read it here somewhere. I'm just not sure if I got the percentage right.
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Originally Posted by LancelotsLover
I don't know; I can do two chinups, but I can't pulldown 151 lbs. yet.
It should be less or equal to what you pull for lat pull downs. Trouble is, I've never done any lat pulldowns for less than 5 reps.. (hmm pulls out the Excel sheet). Did a single at 56kg LPD just once & then 6 reps @ 52.5kg. Yet my BW has rarely been below 60kg and even at 72 kg I could do 3 reps for neutral grip chins.
Now I make a dead stop at the bottom I can't do more than 5 reps anymore but am not specifically training chins anymore either with weighted chins and 'fat man pullups' (AKA inverted rows) in the Smith or power cage)
I've never tried to pull my own weight; and of course, right now I'm 7 pounds heavier than I was last time I did narrow-grip pulldowns. There are wide grips in stage 5. I know I can pull more with a narrow grip than a wide one. I, too, will be interested to know how much I can pull in stage 6.
P.S. Love your new kitty avatar! Who is it?
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Originally Posted by Katydid77
I am a dog-lover . . we know this.
But I will admit that is one cute kitty avitar. What a cutie!
Thanks! New avi is my cat, Miga. She is a stray that adopted me 2 years ago. She broke into the house one night and just refused to leave. When she showed up, she was a balding, 4 lbs pile of bones. Now she is an 8 lbs fluff ball. The funky ear is the last remaining badge of her street cat days. She and the other cat never got along, but now that she has the house to herself, she seems extremely bored.
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Originally Posted by Espi
It should be less or equal to what you pull for lat pull downs. Trouble is, I've never done any lat pulldowns for less than 5 reps.. (hmm pulls out the Excel sheet). Did a single at 56kg LPD just once & then 6 reps @ 52.5kg. Yet my BW has rarely been below 60kg and even at 72 kg I could do 3 reps for neutral grip chins.
Now I make a dead stop at the bottom I can't do more than 5 reps anymore but am not specifically training chins anymore either with weighted chins and 'fat man pullups' (AKA inverted rows) in the Smith or power cage)
Hmmm. That's interesting. To me, it seems like you could pull yourself up more easily than pull your own weight down just b/c the rest of your body is involved in the chin-up situation. Even though it's the same muscles doing the actual pulling, you have more latitude for wiggling in the chin-up. Or perhaps I'm just trying to be optimistic b/c it will be a long time before I either weigh 130 lbs or can pull down 150+ (but hopefully I'll meet in the middle somewhere).
You also have to remember that you really don't know how much weight you are actually pulling on the lat pulldown machine. Every machine is different, the plates are sometimes numbered, sometimes not. If they are numbered, different companies have differently weighted plates. And, you have to take into account the pulleys, levers, etc, which also affect how much weight you are really pulling. Kind of hard to get a definite number with a cable machine.
You also have to remember that you really don't know how much weight you are actually pulling on the lat pulldown machine. Every machine is different, the plates are sometimes numbered, sometimes not. If they are numbered, different companies have differently weighted plates. And, you have to take into account the pulleys, levers, etc, which also affect how much weight you are really pulling. Kind of hard to get a definite number with a cable machine.
Well, that is a good point. Esp. about the pulleys.
Ok, I did something bad. I skipped the last workout of stage 6. Meant to do it over the weekend, but I cleaned out my garage instead. I may go back and do it this weekend, but I decided I really don't care that much how many reps I could do at my B2 weights. Those weights were too light to begin with. Is that just terrible of me? And I really wanted to start stage 7!!!!!
By the way, I've decided already that I'm going to do the stage 7 workouts twice. I'm saying that now so I will be committed to it later.
BB Squat: 2x8 @ 95 (I am never going more than 3 weeks without squatting again. This was NOT easy, but did them all w/ good form. I heart squats.) DB static lunge w/ rear foot elevated: 4x15 @ 15's (can prob increase a little) Push-ups: 4x15 on floor (I can't believe I did them all!!! So hard! Usually had to take a 2-second break after doing 10, but finished the sets) RDL: 2x15 @ 85, 2x15 @ 80 (grip gets fatigued with long sets! Hamstrings felt pretty toasted, too!) DB row: 4x15 @ 20's. (Coulda used more weight)
General thoughts: 15 reps is a whole lotta reps! It's been a while since I did long sets like these. Such a different challenge. Gets the ol' heart rate up, so no need for cardio afterwards. I wasn't totally sure what weights to use, either.
I prefer short sets with heavy weights, but I guess it's important to challenge yourself in different ways from time to time.
Congrats on starting Stage 7. Bad for skipping the end of Stage 6, but I can understand the excitement of wanting to move forward.
Your weights for Stage 7 are looking really good, especially with 15 reps. I nearly collapsed when my trainer wanted me to do 20 reps the other night. That is quite an increase from 8 or 10. Doesn't seem like it should be, but it is.
WoOt, on the weight. You have reached my goal weight. Wanna trade??
So you missed some AMRAP? Bah, enjoy Stage 7 (if anyone can enjoy Stage 7...actually, once I realised that I should decrease my weights I quite liked that stage).
I definitely like lower reps with heavier weights. I really haven't enjoyed 12 reps recently but at least I'm down to 10 now.
Congrats on starting Stage 7. Bad for skipping the end of Stage 6, but I can understand the excitement of wanting to move forward.
Your weights for Stage 7 are looking really good, especially with 15 reps. I nearly collapsed when my trainer wanted me to do 20 reps the other night. That is quite an increase from 8 or 10. Doesn't seem like it should be, but it is.
WoOt, on the weight. You have reached my goal weight. Wanna trade??
Oh, I might go back and do the AMRAPs over the weekend, but it just sounded so uninteresting. 15 reps is a lot! I'm trying to convince myself that I'll do 20 reps on the second round of these workouts, but dude that will be tough! It's as much a psychological challenge as a physical one-- it's just kinda boring to do that much of anything. This is why the AMRAP round didn't hold much interest.
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Originally Posted by poppypixie
So you missed some AMRAP? Bah, enjoy Stage 7 (if anyone can enjoy Stage 7...actually, once I realised that I should decrease my weights I quite liked that stage).
I definitely like lower reps with heavier weights. I really haven't enjoyed 12 reps recently but at least I'm down to 10 now.
Congrats on the weight!
Thanks! So far, stage 7 is not my favorite stage, but I've only done it once, so maybe it will grow on me. I do like the moves.
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Originally Posted by Naive
Congratulations on the new low!
Thank you! It feels good to be so close to my target weight.
Today I had the day off for Veteran's Day. Raked a bunch of leaves. The worst was bending over and putting them in bags b/c.... my hamstrings are sooooo sore today!!!! Attack of the DOMS!
Had a cheat meal last night-- big bowl of spaghetti bolognese. I couldn't help it. The carbs were calling to me like Sirens to sailors. I hope that not all of the stage 7 workouts leave me craving carbs so much or I will be in trouble.
Well done.
Oh well. 
Hope that yours is just allergies as well.
For example, I have a friend who just busted out a chin-up the other day, having never attempted one. She weighs in at about 115, but her max pulldown weight is about 105. (Maybe she's underestimating her strength on the pulldown, I don't know.) LL, can you pulldown your own body weight? It will be a while before I can.
And I really wanted to start stage 7!!!!! 
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