OK so i am resting this week and re reading on stage two. The first exercise freaks me out ..ive never done this front squat push press before. It looks really awkward. ANyone have a video or any other info for me to look at before attempting? The rest looks like i can handle it. What do you guys prefer for hiit? treadmill? stair climber? i havent done hiit yet and am interested what machine to pic.
Do i have to use an oly? or can i start with something smaller? I only got up to about 10lbs for shoulder presses. So i am not sure ill be able to get it up
I tried to use the barbell with 10lbs and it was too heavy for me. I was only able to get about 7 reps on the second set and it wasn't pretty. I'm using just the bar with no weights for now. Much better.
I do the Treadmill for HIIT. I walk fast 4MPH 2mins and kick it up to 6.5MPH for the 1 min intervals. Hope this helps.
I am in stage 2 too. I did the squat/push press twice so far. The first time, I used just the bar and it worked well. I found that if I used the momentum from the thrust, it was easier to get the bar up. I tried more weight last time. I added 5 pounds to the bar and noticed the difference. I did all 10 reps the first set and the second set only completed 7, rested and then did 3 more. I don't know if it was just my energy level the second time because it was Sunday morning with nothing in my belly first. Usually do T & TH evening and Sunday AM. It just seemed harder to do and I had a hard time using the momentum.
I do this workout a third time tonight and hopefully I can finish all the reps at the same weight! This is definitely my fav exercise in the entire workout though!
For HIIT - I also use a treadmill. The last one I did I did 2 min warmup on 2...
one minute on 3
then 1 minute on 6,
2 minutes on 2,
1 minute on 7
2 minutes on 2
1 minute on 7
2 minutes on 2
1 minute on 7
2 minutes on 2.
I started out with 6's instead of 7's and added a 7 to increase. I started doing HIIT a bit in stage 1.
I just completed my third workout on these (2nd time doing this stage...I don't remember what I did the first time around). I am up to 60 lbs. and find I am most limited by the grip issue. That is, in order for me to go up in weight I find I really need the standard front squat grip with the bar balanced on fingertips (otherwise I want to lean too far forward), yet I obviously need to transition to a full grip for the overhead portion. The only way I could find a happy medium was to drop the weight. I can both front squat and push press more than 60 lbs. when done as separate exercises, so this is a little frustrating for me. Also, I can't always complete 10 straight reps simply due to the pain in my wrists...so sometimes I do 5 and 5. Maybe I'll have it figured out by the workout 4. These come around again in Stage 4.
Kathy - wow - that seems odd that you can do 60 pounds seperately, but not together. I do better with them when I don't think about the transition. I start with the bar on my fingertips, squat and as I am coming up, I concentrate on my legs for the thrust and the bar just goes up. My biggest issue is that sometimes I lose balance and end up with one foot forward and have to step back. I am going to try 50 pounds again tonight. Oly plus 2.5 pound plates (tiny ones).
I am finding stage 2 much harder than 1 and it is kicking my butt!! (especially B)
Yeah, it isn't unconscious for me. I don't have trouble getting the thrust for the bar to go over my head, but I am conscious of the discomfort of the bar moving from fingertips to my palms so I can fully grip the bar. At some point the bar is in your hands and not resting on the tips of your fingers otherwise it would keep flying, so when and how did it get there? I feel it. But to squat fully if I don't have the bar on fingertips and elbows sky high, I will lean very far forward and a heavier bar accentuates the effect. I think when I did this stage the first time I wasn't as concerned about squatting atg as I am now. Anyway, I'm constantly adjusting and trying figure out the best grip.
Stage 2 is harder for sure. Stage 1 was really just a 'break in' to prepare for the real lifting. My least favorite exercise is the one point db row. I feel like an idiot doing them and find I can only keep my balance with a much lighter weight that I would normally use for these. (i.e., 25 db vs. 40 lbs.) Stage 3 is a lot of fun...lots of cool stuff.
For the 1st time since I started NROLFW I missed my workout last night. I had a school meeting at 6:30 and I usually work out as soon as I get home from work at 5:30. I didn't want to show up at my son's school all sweaty and stinky, so I moved my workout to today.
Yeah - those 1 point dumb bell rows kinda stink. I can't balance too greatly either. I am looking forward to stage 3. Do the stages just keep getting harder and harder or just different?
Stages are different, not really harder. You will see a repeat of some of the exercises too. In fact, I think Stage 4 is a repeat of Stage 2, and Stage 5 is a repeat of Stage 3. The reps decrease and the rest periods increase to allow you to lift heavier weight.
Thanks to everyone that answered my questions. It seem that everyone has a bit of adjusting to do on the front squat thing! so i wont feel bad. I also was starting to worry how silly i would look doing the db row too. So glad to hear im not alone. I wish i knew someone else doing nrolfw at my gym so we could figure it out together! Or for them to post those videos to go with this work out book. Ok good luck =)
Yeah, the great thing about the push press is that you don't have to worry about people crowding you in the gym. You do one, and people will clear out of the area....I got to love the really crazy moves. : )
Yeah, the great thing about the push press is that you don't have to worry about people crowding you in the gym. You do one, and people will clear out of the area....I got to love the really crazy moves. : )
Not necessarily true- people liked to stand right behind me when I was doing the one-arm dumbbell snatch . I had to ask them to move.
? ABOUT STAGE 2
. I had to ask them to move.
Linear Mode
