New to NROL4W, excited but having concerns

[leyla]

Hi everyone,

I have just begun the program of weight lifting as described in NROL4W.
I’m 47 years old, 5’4, and 127 pounds. My goal is to loose a few pounds (flatten my belly mostly) and get stronger in preparation for …the years to come...

I have never been much into physical training except for some stretching and yoga here and there, walking and riding my bike in the last two years. I’m a TOTAL beginner to weight lifting and after a few sessions of NROL4W Stage 1, I started to have knee pain, for which I have already started exercising and stretching my glutes following advice I received in the injuries & rehab forum.

I have found myself quite motivated by this program and the possible benefits, I see the point of training hard (not with “barbie” weights), I’m very willing to do so (and much more now that I broke through my terror of entering a weight-lifting room), but I don’t want to be foolish or risk getting injured. My elbows seem to have somewhat of a pain too, which does not seem to be just soreness…

I am taking off this week from lifting to focus on the stretching and strengthening glutes...


FYI: day 7 and 8 workouts were as follows:
A
squat 2x15x45lb (just the barbell, no added weights)
pushup 2x15x45degrees
seated row 2x15x20lb
step up 2x15x7lb on a 12” bench
prone jack knive 8

B
deadlift 2x15x45lb (just the barbell, no added weights)
DB shoulder press 2x15x7lb
lateral pull down 2x15x20lb
lunge 2x15xbw (I did 7lb the previous lunge sessions)
swiss ball crunch 8

My concern is if having had no previous training with weights at all I should have started with the NROL4W or if I should be training myself UP to be able to do this program.

I’d appreciate your thoughts on this.

[maggieandmommy]

What I would suggest is maybe trying to work with a trainer (or someone who can recognize and show you GOOD form) to make sure that your form is good. That's the hardest part about some of these--not knowing if you are using good form. It's hard to watch your form when you're trying to focus on lifting the weights, etc.

Another thing that I'd suggest is to do a warmup set of some of the exercises with bodyweight so that you can practice your form and really focus on that. Lou talks about that in the book. If you have already worked those muscle groups, then you probably don't need to do a warmup set of that particular exercise, but I find that it's a good way for me to refresh my mind with the movement and how it's supposed to feel.

[leyla]

Originally Posted by maggieandmommy

What I would suggest is maybe trying to work with a trainer (or someone who can recognize and show you GOOD form) to make sure that your form is good.

I realize that working with a trainer would be ideal, at least a few times until I make sure that my form is OK. I guess it's a matter of budget... I'm trying to be careful with my bank account, but maybe I will have to make that effort.
The first two weight lifting sessions I prepared at home by visualizing the exercises and reviewing them with my husband to make sure I understood what was described in the book. Other than that, I bring the book to the gym and mindfully re-read the explanation before I start each set. That way I feel that a teacher is there with me reminding me how to perform it.

Originally Posted by maggieandmommy

Another thing that I'd suggest is to do a warmup set of some of the exercises with bodyweight so that you can practice your form and really focus on that...

I have been warming up by walking in a treadmill for 15 min. and doing some of the exercises just with body weigh as shown in the book. I plan to incorporate some glute-activation exercises into the warm up.

Thank you for writing, Maggie. It's very encouraging having people respond.

[maggieandmommy]

No problem! And at my gym, I can schedule a one-time session to work with a trainer, so that might be an option...

The most important thing is to listen to your body. I've got arthritis, so I'm quite aware of my joints and when things don't feel quite right. There's a "wow, this is hard work" kind of pain and there's "oh, my body isn't supposed to move this way; something's wrong" kind of pain. Know the difference and don't be afraid to stop and ask for help. If there are others working out when you're working out, keep an eye out for the ones who seem to know what they're doing and who are using good form. You could always ask one of them if he or she could watch you do a rep or two to make sure that you've got the form right. I've done that and everybody is more than happy to help. Once you're in the gym for a while, you start to see the same people and can probably get an idea of who would be willing to help out.

Oh, another thing...use the search function here and look for the posts about some of the exercises. Lisa~ usually posts great links to reliable videos for the exercises. You and your husband could watch the videos and then you could try the bodyweight versions at home so that he can watch you do it (with the memories of good form firmly in mind).

Good luck! I'm on Stage 3 and LOVE this program.

[foodfromafar]

Hi, Leyla! I'm pretty new, too. I'm just finishing up Stage 1. I also refer to the pages in the book during my workouts. I've watched a lot of videos posted on here as well as reading threads to adjust my form. I've also asked a couple of folks working at the gym to show me the correct form for things I wasn't sure about. Once you have your form down, things go much better. I am much more confident about not injuring myself than I was at the beginning. I am a brand new lifter, too. I've done strength training with resistance bands and lighter weights, but the heavier ones really made me a bit anxious. I was so afraid of the Olympic barbell. Now it almost feels light to me!

[leyla]

Thank you Maggie and 'foodfromafar'. I have been reading a lot in here and watching exercise videos now.
My biggest challenge when my husband and I signed up for the gym last January was 'what do I do now?' He would said to me "go there and ask questions from people who are exercising", but I didn't even know what questions to ask...
With a program like NROL4W I feel now that I have something to aim for. As I do it I am getting to know what specific questions to ask here or to people at the gym and as my knowledge has started to grow I'm shedding my fears.
As I wrote in my knee-pain post, I am feeling encouraged and quite determined to be patient, and I want to persist in handling my challenges and getting on with the weight lifting. I'll keep reading and posting and perhaps at some point I will also be able to offer good advice or words of encouragement here.