I started Stage 1 on Tuesday and yesterday I was in agony! As long as I didn't move my legs I was fine, but going down stairs or getting down on the ground (a necessity with three small children) had me sweating. The trouble is, I didn't feel like I pushed myself super hard on Tuesday. I worked hard, but I came away feeling like I could do all the exercises with more weights. Today I did my second Stage 1 workout and I tried to work hard, but, again, I feel like I could have worked harder and I'm worried about tomorrow. Is there anything I'm doing wrong to make myself so sore? I will admit I went for a jog yesterday morning, but I felt okay at the time and I only jogged a slow mile.
Also, I tried doing a regular crunch with weights for the Workout B swiss ball crunches (since I don't have a swiss ball yet) and I could do 8 crunches without trouble even after I managed to lever a 50-lb dumbbell on my chest. Does using the swiss ball really make things that much more difficult? Maybe I'm not coming up enough, but I thought you weren't supposed to raise more than your shoulders off the ground for crunches.
Anyways, I really like the actual lifting experience a lot and I'm hoping I can keep going. I'm only doing 2 workouts a week so I have 4 days to recover from this workout. I'm afraid I'm going to need it!
Carolyn
The first time you do a workout is the worst. After that the muscles expect it, I guess; I just don't get as sore even though I aggressively up my weights.
Try the crunches with a medicine ball held straight over your head (I think that's in the book). The plates don't do a thing for me either but just a 10 lb med ball makes a big difference if you hold it with your arms straight.
If you're not used to lifting weights, your body might need some time to adjust to it. When my mom started on NROLFW with just bodyweight on most exercises, she was sore the next few days, too. Also, be sure to check your form; you want to hurt from working hard, not from doing something that's causing harm.
With any crunch, I come up as far as I can and still only use my abs. I concentrate really hard on just my abs. I don't think I come up very far, either. Try holding a dumbbell back behind your head, with your arms extended. That gives you a longer lever to move and makes your abs work more. You could also try the Inverse or Reverse Inverse Crunch and see if those are harder.
As for the Swiss Ball making things harder, well, I can fall off stable objects, and the Swiss Ball isn't entirely stable, so I know I'm doing more work to keep myself up there :P I also try to keep just my lower back and a little higher in contact with the ball, so that I'm having to support the rest of my torso and don't rest it on the ball.
Thanks! I will try to hold the weight out - I can see how that would be much harder. I intend to get a swiss ball and perhaps do those exercises separately (can't figure out how to get the ball to the gym at work). In the meantime I will work on the alternate exercises. I imagine trying to hold yourself steady on the ball would work a lot of extra muscles. I'm very interested to give it a try (whenever I manage to get to the store - with work and three kids, I barely make it to the grocery store! A special trip to target might take awhile to happen).
As for doing something wrong, I think I'm okay. I watch my form in the mirror and I'm not in pain unless I'm using the muscles for something similar to a squat. Since I haven't really ever lifted weights and haven't worked out using my legs in years, I guess it is just because my muscles are in shock at what they are being asked to do. I do have a faulty ankle (sometimes both thanks to over-compensation), but it hasn't been bothering me at all so far. As long as I don't have to do any exercises that require outward pressure I should be okay (knock-on-wood).
I'm still hoping I'm not in agony tomorrow. We have guests coming this weekend and so tomorrow I will be picking up the house - lots of up and down motion. Ouch!
Carolyn
I started this week too and I've been really sore every day. I was working hard, but not overdoing it. I guess the occasional strength training I had been doing did not prepare me for using heavier weights. The strangest thing is that my inner thighs are sore. I'm not sure if that's from the squats or the step-ups.
The ball increases your range of motion so that you go further back than a flat back. Yes, it can make things harder. OR not, if you have a strong set of abs. You can use a folded towel or something to simulate the ball and give you more range of motion. Use it under your lower back, and be sure your shoulder blades aren't on it.
Other small exercises can prolong the owieness... I'm still recovering from my last deadlift day partly because I keep doing planks and other core work. A nice walk or something to help clear out the lactic acid will help, just keep moving.
The ball increases your range of motion so that you go further back than a flat back. Yes, it can make things harder. OR not, if you have a strong set of abs. You can use a folded towel or something to simulate the ball and give you more range of motion. Use it under your lower back, and be sure your shoulder blades aren't on it.
Those show a lot more motion than I can manage on the ground. I will have to revisit that video once I get the swiss ball. It certainly looks like more of a workout than a basic crunch.
Ow!
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