New to NROL, not to lifting

[bwhaley]

Hi all,

I really appreciate the active forum!

I just picked up NROL and I'm very excited to change up my program. I haven't made much progress in almost two years and now I know why! I have to admit that the drastic differences make me leery. I've been doing 4-6 days per week of mixed cardio and lifting, so moving to 3 days of strict lifting (intermediate break-in) with just a 5 minute general warm up and a 5 minute semi-specific warm up is going to be weird.

What I'd like to know is, for those of you that have been doing NROL for 6months+, how are the results? Are you strictly following the programs defined in the book, or do you change it up? Are you REALLY doing nothing on the off days? It's going to be sooo strange to go from 6 days with no weeks off (ever!) to 3 days per week and a week off after 3!

Thanks in advance.

[Hunter]

It's been some time since I've referred to the book, but I don't think you need to do "nothing" on the non-lifting days. You can do some cardio work on those days, just be cautious about allowing enough recovery time, i.e., don't do intense interval training the day after a big leg workout. Sounds like this may have been one of the reasons you haven't made progress in the last couple years.

IMO, stick to the programs in the book, unless you have enough experience in programming to make some educated decisions on that issue. However, that doesn't seem to be the case given the last 2 years. Don't second guess the pros.

I did the whole book and made great progress in fitness and strength.

[bwhaley]

Thanks a lot for the feedback, Hunter. I have one more question. Should I take a week off or so before starting the program (since I've been working out regularly without a significant break for several months)?

[Hunter]

I think you'll be OK jumping right into the Break-In routines.