lemme see if I am getting this right...

[cumin]

I am a newbie to lifting; NROL is the first time for me. I am a 45 yr old overweight man, finished break-in, rested, went to FL-1.

I am posting here to see if I am putting this all together correctly, and would appreciate if someone who knows what they're doing would correct me. It seems like there are a number of different pieces to keep in mind with NROL...

1) Nutrition. I am getting (from here http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpo...postcount=3088) that a pre-workout and a post-workout meal are each helpful; the post workout meal is easiest as a shake (but it can be chewable), it has more carbs than the pre-workout meal, and is taken immediately after the workout. The pre-workout meal can be food you chew, taken maybe an hour and ahlf before the workout. During the workout water is probably the simplest and best thing to take. I now have unsweetened whey powder, and frozen bananas; I am still working on constructing shakes out of things that most seem like food.

2) "Conditioning". This is the ability to hold up under the high reps of split bulgarian squats and deadlifts in FL-1B. HIIT is good for that, or more generally anything that makes you breathe really hard and has a change-up pace (vs a steady, "jogging" pace).

3) Strength. Pushing and pulling heavy weights, different from conditioning.

4) Form. Don't injure yourself; see #6.

5) The Program. Know exactly what to do in the workout. Keep a log. Expect tangible progress.

5) Overtraining/recovery. These are related. Be careful of overtraining, be sure to factor in recovery.

6) Courage. This is related to overtraining maybe, and maybe related to conditioning (for me). Facing the workout. Maybe skipping the workout to survive to fight another day.

So that's my nutshell summary. I did injure myself, or at least scare myself, right before going on a trip, and ended up not doing a real workout for a week. It felt good to get back to it, and it was that experience that made me take stock of this whole thing and put up this post.

So let me know how you would say these things differently, or what kind of different things you would say.

[Lisa~]

I think you're doing a pretty good job of getting the essentials sorted out in your mind. I'd add that you should never stop learning. There is always more to learn and there is always room for improvement. You'll never be a finished product.

1. Nutrition. I don't know that you have to get this particular. At this point just having a basic nutrition plan and making sure you get the right amounts of good food choices throughout a day is probably enough. Read more of Alan Aragon's posts on pre- and post-workout nutrition to understand this better. This thread might get your started: Is this a subsitite for gatorade?. Spending more time down in the nutrition sub-forum would be a good idea.

2. Conditioning. Another term for conditioning is work capacity. It just means your ability to do more. Someone who huffs and puffs when they walk has a very low level of conditioning. Some young athletes (like my son!) have amazing conditioning and can keep up a heavy pace of activities throughout the day. Coach Dos, who is a strength and conditioning coach, wrote a short article you might want to read: Building Work Capacity: Knowing when to push the envelope.

3. Strength. You're right. A person can be really strong and still have very poor conditioning. The stereotypical image would be the competitive powerlifter who starts breathing hard when he has to walk up the steps.

4 and both your 5's (ha!). Agreed.

6. Courage is facing whatever fear is holding you back.

I'll add

7. Consistency. There is never an end. This is a lifestyle.