newbie concerns aqnd questions

[zartmanh]

Hi all! I am new and am excited and nervous about starting the new rules of lifting for women program.

I am used to weight training three times a week in an hour long class called "body pump" at gold's gym. I have been going for about 2 years and have seen great results. I am just bored and need to change things up. In addition to this class, I usually get in about 2 30 minish cardio sessions a week.

I found this book and loved what I was reading especially since I saw the best results from lifting!

My concerns are this. I am into stage 1 and these workouts are way faster than I am use to spending at the gym.
Are these total body workouts? I do feel sore after the workouts but my mind keeps telling me I am going to start gaining weight since I am not at the gym as long! Can someone ease my mind on this?

Thanks for any insight you can give!

[Aoife]

Whether you gain or lose is entirely based on how much you eat relative to the amount you burn the whole day.

This is better than bodypump. By FAR. A million and a half quarter squats are not the same as a real workout. Don't get me wrong, bp is fine for what it is. This is not that. This is REAL weightlifting. With real weight. Working your whole body in harmony to a nice strong total.

Of course, your weight may go up. If so, it'll likely be muscle.
Just don't eat more than you use in a day. That includes your walking around, sittin on yer butt, driving, sleeping, housecleaning, whatever else you do, etc. There's a FAQ. Give it a read.
There's a few challenge threads from the beginning to middle of the year where a lot of ladies used this book. See their results (there are measurements and pics).

Welcome.



eta: oh, and the first stage is to get you used to this kind of lifting. The workouts get longer. Trust me. I see the complaints all the time of people who can't fit it in.

[zartmanh]

Thanks, I didn't plan on eating anymore. I was just concerned with burning at least the same as I was before. I understand muscle weighing more than fat and my weight may change. I just don't want to see inches added on as I am already in good shape with a pretty solid body. I am trying to get to the next step of definition.

Thanks for your reply it was helpful!

[StagingMaster]

I just completed Stage 7 this week. I had the sames concerns as you. It took awhile for me to get used to short workouts. (Not all of the stages are short, mind you! They seem to gradually get longer, then shorter again.)

This is a completely different workout from Body Pump. My arms and upper body have never been so toned. 8-)

I believe I put on about 3 pounds over the last 6 months. I didn't change my diet at all, and I did not do all of the HITT workouts. I did follow the workouts to the letter, 3x/week, only missing one workout.

I am now transitioning to metabolic workouts to focus on burning fat. I could not have done these if I hadn't spent the time doing NROLFW first. I burned out on BodyPump years ago.

I hope you enjoy this program as much as I did.

[zartmanh]

StagingMaster, thanks for you reply that does ease some of my concerns.

I too am burnt out on body pump and just wanted to make sure I will see at least the same results for this program.

Is the weight gain muscle or have your clothes become tighter? And if it is the latter, do you believe it had to due with your diet?

[outofcontrol]

The program changes intensity and duration through the stages. It is very carefully designed to produce results. Some workouts are less intense for a reason. You don't have to work out at maximum capacity every time to see results. Just trust the program. As long as you don't overeat, you won't gain.

[StagingMaster]

Actually, my clothes fit the same. I did not get on the scale once during the last six months. I was happy as long as my jeans fit! I'm sure I would be leaner if I had eaten a cleaner diet. (Can't give up the carbs!)

I would rather put time in the gym and be able to eat what I want without thinking about it. My goal for NROLFW was to build strength, which I had lost due to inactivity. Now that I've met that goal, I'm focusing more on training in such a way that I can burn fat without stepping on an elliptical. (If I had a dollar for every minute I've spend on that machine!)

[zartmanh]

Alright! I am going to trust the program

[newdawn]

I would rather put time in the gym and be able to eat what I want without thinking about it.

if only it were that simple....

[missjane]

Originally Posted by agymrat

if only it were that simple....

True that. It's all about diet....well, probably 90%.