I started New Rules Break-in phase this morning. I haven't actually lifted weights in about a year, since I tore my ACL. The past few months I've been doing bodyweight turbulence training, and before that, I was focussed on rehab from my knee reconstruction. Because it's been so long, I'm going to go with the Lifter #1 progression, which means 4 weeks of this phase. I also plan to do the metabolic overdrive cardio on off-days, cycling between the heavy bag, recumbent bike, rower, and running.
Since this is the first lifting I've done with added resistance since the surgery, I've started out conservatively with my weight choices, but hopefully, I'll be able to increase fairly quickly.
Day 1 - 4/10/2006
Break-in program workout A
warm-up sets in blue, work sets in red, comments in green
Semi-specific movements as described in the book - 5 reps each
Squat - 8 x BW, 7 x 45 lbs., 6 x 65 lbs., 15 x 95 lbs., 15 x 95 lbs.
Superset 1
Static lunge - 15 x 45 lbs., 15 x 45 lbs. my repaired leg feels stronger on these than my "good" leg - must be from all the isolateral focus during rehab
Two-point 1-arm DB row - 15 x 22.5 lbs., 15 x 22.5 lbs.
I wasn't sure how to superset these ie. do lunges for both legs before rows for both arms or lunge right, row left, lunge left, row right, etc. I went with the second choice.
Superset 2
Push-up - 15 x BW, 15 x BW
Swiss ball Crunch - 15 x BW, 15 x BW
The workout felt good. I can definitely add to the weights, but the volume was enough to have me breathing hard and sweating. I even felt a little nauseous at the very end, but that passed fairly quickly.
The Break-in was basically the very first thing i had ever done at the gym. I remember getting really buggered and freaking out slightly when i felt like i was slowly actually passing out. I didn't but it was still really intense for me. But it must have done some good cause my boyfriend and i have managed to get to fatloss 3 (which we have just started having done one of each workout...lets just say i hurt him if i had the energy/strength) they are some pretty good workouts, i enjoy them and i havn't been scared off....yet
__________________
To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with.
Thanks for the comments, all. It's nice to know people actually read this.
It's 74 and sunny outside. That usually only happens a couple times in April around here, so we have to make the most of it.
I went for a quick bike ride tonight, ~7 miles. I road to a nearby park. The river is pretty high, so a lot of the good trails are underwater right now, but it was nice to get out riding, anyway.
4/11/06
Metabolic overdrive on rec. bike - 3 intervals
My hips and lats are a little bit sore from yesterday's workout, but not too bad. I would have worked on them with the foam roller this morning, but I had to leave early for a dentist appointment. I'll probably do some foam rolling tonight.
Great to see another NRL log!.It's a long program if you're planning to do the full year, so you're doing the right thing by starting carefully. No point rushing in and hurting yourself right off the bat!
Hope it continues to go well for you!
__________________ Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use. -- Wendell Johnson
Thanks Mahler. Your log and some of the others here are what helped me make the decision to buy the book. I've always liked Alwyn's programs and Lou's writing, but, to be honest, I have enough fitness books. The logs allowed me to see in fairly good detail the content and organization of the workouts so I knew that I could fit it to my equipment and circumstances without major modification. That made the purchase an easy choice.
4/13/2006
Break-in program workout B
warm-up sets in blue, work sets in red, comments in green
Semi-specific movements as described in the book - 5 reps each
Deadlift - 8 x 45 lbs., 7 x 95 lbs., 15 x 135 lbs., 15 x 135 lbs.
Superset 1
Step-up - 15 x 45 lbs.*, 15 x 45 lbs.* These sets felt like they lasted forever
1-arm DB overhead press - 15 x 22.5 lbs.*, 15 x 22.5 lbs.* *per side
Superset 2
Close-grip band lat pull - 15 x band, 15 x band I don't have a lat pull machine, and I can't do anywhere close to 15 pull-ups (2 is a good day). I'm still trying to decide what the best substitute will be. I'm either going to buy some tighter bands and continue with this option, or I'll go with pull-up negatives.
Reverse crunch - 15 x BW, 15 x BW
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Working "hard," or the perception of working hard, doesn't really mean anything. Sweating, vomiting, and breathing hard could be a good workout or a tropical disease kicking in.-Dan John
I've always been partial to lower body work. I've never been partial to 15-rep sets of deadlifts or step-ups. I think the happiest moment of my day today came at 6:38 AM, when I finished my last set of step-ups.
4/20/2006
Break-in program workout B
warm-up sets in blue, work sets in red, comments in green
Semi-specific movements as described in the book - 5 reps each
Deadlift - 8 x 45 lbs., 7 x 95 lbs., 6 x 135 lbs., 15 x 155 lbs., 15 x 155 lbs.
Superset 1
DB Step-up - 15 x 55 lbs.*, 15 x 55 lbs.*
1-arm DB overhead press - 15 x 27.5 lbs.*, 15 x 27.5 lbs.* *per side
Superset 2
Neutral grip negative pull-ups - 15 x BW, 15 x BW
Reverse crunch - 15 x BW, 15 x BW
I helped a friend move on Saturday. Yesterday, I worked on the house all day, then went for a bike ride and played basketball (first time on concrete since the surgery). Throw in workout A today, and my knees are extremely angry at me right now.
4/24/2006
Break-in program workout A
warm-up sets in blue, work sets in red, comments in green
Semi-specific movements as described in the book - 5 reps each
Squat - 8 x BW, 7 x 45 lbs., 6 x 95 lbs., 15 x 135 lbs., 15 x 135 lbs.
Superset 1
Static lunge - 15 x 65 lbs.*, 15 x 65 lbs.*
Two-point 1-arm DB row - 15 x 32.5 lbs.*, 15 x 32.5 lbs.*
*per side
Superset 2
Push-up - 15 x BW, 15 x BW
Swiss ball Crunch - 20 x BW, 20 x BW
4/26/2006
Break-in program workout B
warm-up sets in blue, work sets in red, comments in green
Deadlift - 8 x 45 lbs., 7 x 95 lbs., 6 x 135 lbs., 15 x 175 lbs., 15 x 175 lbs.
Superset 1
DB Step-up - 15 x 65 lbs.*, 15 x 65 lbs.* I was doing these on my stairs and I only have one set of dumbbell handles, so I was limited by the weight I can do on the overhead press. My wife won an aerobic step in a raffle last week. I 'm going to switch to using that and a barbell and heavier weight next time I do this workout.
1-arm DB overhead press - 15 x 32.5 lbs.*, 15 x 32.5 lbs.* *per side
Superset 2
Neutral grip negative pull-ups - 15 x BW, 15 x BW
Reverse crunch - 20 x BW, 20 x BW
4/27/06 Metabolic overdrive on rec. bike - 3 intervals
2-week diet assessment
compliance: 77%
bodyweight: +1 lb.
Not really a surprise. Considering how I ate around Easter and the week after, I actually expected to gain more. I've found that my compliance needs to be over 80% to make any weightloss progress, and closer to 90% for consistent/predictable progress.
I've been taking it easy a little bit, because my knee was still swollen and stiff through all of last week after playing basketball. I have reason to believe that I may have reinjured the ACL during a fall this winter. I've just been unwilling to admit it to myself. As soon as I sort out some things with my insurance, I'll go for an MRI. The good news is the only time I seem to have a real problem with it is when I play sports that involve contact. I haven't had any problem lifting. The swelling is gone now, and I feel good except for some tightness and pain at full flexion, so for today's workout I limited the ROM on squats and static lunges a bit. Next week is my scheduled off week, so I plan to just rest it and do some rehab stuff.
5/2/06
Metabolic overdrive on rec. bike - 3 intervals
5/3/2006
Break-in program workout A
warm-up sets in blue, work sets in red, comments in green
Semi-specific movements as described in the book - 5 reps each
Squat - 8 x BW, 7 x 45 lbs., 6 x 115 lbs., 15 x 155 lbs., 15 x 155 lbs.
Superset 1
Static lunge - 15 x 65 lbs.*, 15 x 65 lbs.*
Two-point 1-arm DB row - 15 x 37.5 lbs.*, 15 x 37.5 lbs.*
*per side
Superset 2
Push-up - 15 x BW, 15 x BW
Swiss ball Crunch - 20 x 10 lbs., 20 x 10 lbs.
The week off came just at the right time, and was very good to me. I'm back to squatting pain-free at full ROM.
5/15/2006 Fat-Loss I program workout A
warm-up sets in blue, work sets in red, comments in green
Semi-specific movements as described in the book - 5 reps each
Superset 1 (75 sec. rest between all sets)
Squat - 8 x BW, 7 x 45 lbs., 6 x 115 lbs., 15 x 155 lbs., 15 x 155 lbs., 12 x 155 lbs.
Bent row - 8 x 45 lbs., 7 x 65 lbs., 15 x 95 lbs., 14 x 95 lbs., 12 x 95 lbs.
Superset 2 (75 sec. rest between all sets)
Supine hip extensions - 15 x BW, 15 x BW, 15 x BW
DB Push Press - 9 x 85 lbs., 15 x 65 lbs., 15 x 65 lbs. I definitely overestimated the weight on the first set. After squatting and then carrying the dumbbells upstairs where the ceiling is high enough, I didn't have near the leg drive/explosiveness that I was expecting for these. In the interest of time, I took off the 5-lb. plates on my dumbbells, but that ended up making the remaining sets a little bit too easy.
Superset 3 (75 sec. rest between all sets)
Rotational lunge - 15 x BW, 15 x BW, 15 x BW
Swiss ball Crunch - 15 x BW, 15 x BW, 15 x BW
5/15/06
Metabolic overdrive - 4 intervals on rec. bike
5/16/2006 Fat-Loss I program workout B
warm-up sets in blue, work sets in red, comments in green
Semi-specific movements as described in the book - 5 reps each
Superset 1 (75 sec. rest between all sets)
Deadlift - 8 x 45, 7 x 85 lbs., 6 x 135 lbs., 15 x 185 lbs., 13 x 185 lbs., 10 x 185 lbs. Probably could have eaked out a few more reps to complete the last two sets, but my form was going to crap, and bad form for me on deadlifts means bad news for my back
DB Incline Bench - 8 x push-ups, 7 x 45 lbs., 15 x 65 lbs., 15 x 65 lbs., 15 x 65 lbs.
Superset 2 (75 sec. rest between all sets)
Bulgarian Split Squat - 15 x BW, 15 x BW, 15 x BW
DB Pullovers - 15 x 25 lbs., 15 x 32.5 lbs., 15 x 32.5 lbs.
Superset 3 (75 sec. rest between all sets)
Romanian deadlift - 15 x 85 lbs., 15 x 85 lbs., 13 x 85 lbs.
Swiss ball lateral roll - 15 x BW, 15 x BW, 15 x BW
Axis - New Rules log
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