Stage 1 AMRAP

[Morondava]

So to clarify: I'm supposed to take the weights I used in my first workouts, do as many reps as possible, without rest between sets, one set of each exercise. Is this correct?

[maggieandmommy]

Right...for each exercise or set, do as many reps as possible.

I rested for the prescribed time between each different exercise or set, though. (like between the squats and whatever followed the squats)

[Morondava]

So do you end up doing 50 reps of each excercise? I started out doing squats with two dumbell (40# total) and now I have the whole bar plus 30# weights on there... is that the point?

[maggieandmommy]

for some of them...It depends on how grossly you underestimated your starting weights or how much you've improved (but more the first one, I think). Lou says in the book that most women underestimate what they can lift by at least 20%, so that's part of the plan here, I think. They want us to go back to our starting weight to see how many reps we're able to do with that weight now, in part, I think, to make us think twice when we get started on the next round so that we start with a more realistic weight. It's not that we've improved that much--it's that we were stronger than we thought at the beginning.

That said, some people skip the AMRAP special workouts because they don't see the point.

[z4zach]

Originally Posted by maggieandmommy

for some of them...It depends on how grossly you underestimated your starting weights or how much you've improved (but more the first one, I think). Lou says in the book that most women underestimate what they can lift by at least 20%, so that's part of the plan here, I think. They want us to go back to our starting weight to see how many reps we're able to do with that weight now, in part, I think, to make us think twice when we get started on the next round so that we start with a more realistic weight. It's not that we've improved that much--it's that we were stronger than we thought at the beginning.

That said, some people skip the AMRAP special workouts because they don't see the point.

I did the AMRAP in stage one and was so bored halfway through the workout I had to stop. However, exactly like you pointed out, the lesson I took away was that I can lift more than I think I can and I used that info moving forward when selecting a new weight.