L'ilJ's NROL Log

[L'ilJ]

Hi Sona - well, I have one more FL1 workout to do tomorrow (workout B) so not quite done yet. I don't think I'll take a week off because I just took a week off when I was sick (a little over a week). I'm thinking I'll just move on to FL2 this weekend. We'll see...

[mom2w]

Jill:
Do you work out in a gym or at home? Have you had any trouble with the super setting? I've been looking over the program for 3 weeks from now and there seem to be some combos that would just not work at my gym. I've done Waterbury stuff before and gone to straight sets when there was a conflict with good results, but wasn't sure how it would work in NROL? Also, did you do BI? Had you been lifting much/similar prior to that? I just noticed that the book says it's to get your body used to those lifts (or somthing like that) so I was wondering how beneficial it was to others.
Brenda

[L'ilJ]

Hi Brenda...thanks for stopping by. Yes, I work out at a large commercial gym. I usually try to go at non-peak hours so I don't have as much trouble w/the supersets. Honesty, the only equipment that gets crowded is the lat pulldown area and so far I've only had to wait a few times. Usually if you look impatient enough and huff and puff the other person finishes up pretty quickly. There is usually no competition for the squat rack and I just set the dumbbells or swiss ball right next to the rack so I can do most of my exercises in the same area.

So I station myself near the squat rack and do squats...hustle to the cable row/lat pulldown area...do a set...hustle back to the squat rack (I put my towel on the barbell so nobody jumps in) do a set, etc. Then I do the supine hip extensions in the corner, grab my dumbbells and do the push press in the same area, etc. So it's pretty easy. I think it must get harder when you do FL3 and are working w/giant sets w/no rest between exercises. That may get tricky.

Yes, I did Break-in (if you look at page one of my log you can see what I did). The book says that EVERYONE should do breakin regardless of experience...so you should do it. I am new to lifting anyway (started in Sept. 2006) so I didn't even think of skipping it. If you are pretty experienced, I would recommend doing Break-in for 2 weeks and then skipping to FL2. Break-in is MUCH more challenging than it appears when you look at it on paper. It's only for two weeks...just do it.

[mom2w]

Thanks Jill! I was thinking 2 weeks for break in so it was good to hear you echo that. Unforunately, there is competition for the squat racks at my gym --regardless of when I go and the lat pulldown & rowing machines are on the otherside of the room so it's tricky. Sometimes I'll switch things around to get what I need done. I looked at FL3 and was thinking that, at that point, I might break it into 2 super sets rather than 1 giant set, depending on what was going on. Brenda

[UConnJulie]

Jill, glad you found something to give you a good workout at the crappy hotel gym!! And congrats on nearly finishing FLI ... you'll LOVE FLII ... it's seriously intense, but fun!

[L'ilJ]

NROL Fat Loss I - Workout B6

Warmup: Walking lunges w/twist (10 each side), lateral lunges w/reach and touch (10 per side), Ball bridge (1 held for 30 seconds), 10 Russian twists w/9lb coreball, 10 inchworms, 10 T-pushups

Workout:
Deadlifts - 6x45, 6x65, 10x105, 10x115, 10x115 (+10)
supersetted w/full 45 second rest with
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press - 10x30ea hand, 10x30ea, 10x30ea

Bulgarian Split Squat - 20x20ea hand, 20x20ea, 20x20ea
supersetted w/full 45 second rest with
Mixed Grip Lat Pulldown - 10x80, 10x80, 10x80

Romanian Deadlift - 10x105, 10x105, 10x105
supersetted w/a full 45 second rest with
Swiss Ball Lateral Roll - 10xBW, 10xBW, 10xBW

Metabolic Overdrive: 4 rounds of 1:2 intervals on the treadmill with a 5 minute warmup and a 5 minute cooldown.

Yes, I am officially done with Fat Loss I!!!! I had a great workout this morning. Here are my weights at the start of the program vs. the end. I've made pretty good progress, but I think I could have made more if I hadn't been sick in the middle of this program. I didn't lose any fat though.

Deadlifts - 85 / 115
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press - 20 / 30 per hand
Bulgarian Split Squat - 15 / 20 per hand
Mixed Grip Lat Pulldown - 70 / 80
Romanian Deadlift - 85 / 105

I don't know what to do next. I'm supposed to take next week off, but I have a biz trip planned for the week after and I'll likely take the majority of THAT week off. So maybe I'll start FL2 right away and take the week off in the middle. Does that sound reasonable? I will also start the GSD when I get back from my trip - probably the first of March will be the start date. I'm wondering if doing GSD and NROL will be a good idea? Any thoughts?

[L'ilJ]

Since I'm taking most of next week off, I decided to jump right into NROL Fat Loss 2 without the recommended break.

NROL Fat Loss 2 - Workout A1

Warmup: Walking lunges w/twist (10 each side), lateral lunges w/reach and touch (10 per side), Ball bridge (1 held for 30 seconds), 10 Russian twists w/6lb coreball, 10 inchworms, 10 T-pushups

Workout:
Front Squats - 6x45, 6x55, 12x65, 12x85, 12x85
supersetted w/full 60 second rest with
Wide-grip cable seated row - 12x80, 12x80, 12x80

Supine Hip Extension w/Leg Curl - 12xBW, 12xBW, 12xBW
supersetted w/full 60 second rest with
Barbell Push Press - 12x45, 12x55, 12x55

Dynamic Lunge - 24x55, 24x55, 24x55 (12 per leg)
supersetted w/a full 60 second rest with
Upper body Russian Twist - 12x16#, 12x16#, 12x16# (used Coreball)

Metabolic Overdrive: Skipped today since it was my first FL2 workout.

It was nice to do new exercises. I had to play around with weights since most of these I haven't done before. So much easier to have good form w/front squats! But it's harder to use heavy weights. I wasn't as winded during this workout as I usually am w/the FL1 workouts. I guess it will take a while for me to get the form down so I can up the weights. Overall fun though!

[tkinsley]

Originally Posted by L'ilJ

I will also start the GSD when I get back from my trip - probably the first of March will be the start date. I'm wondering if doing GSD and NROL will be a good idea? Any thoughts?

Hmmm.... that will be an ass-kicker, Jill. I would expect that your weights will drop and your strength endurance type of movements would also suffer somewhat... but you will certainly create a caloric deficit

[L'ilJ]

You are probably right Tina. I'll have to draw up a workout plan for when I'm GSD-ing. Maybe do NROL twice a week and throw in some kettlebell workouts and HIIT on the other days. I have a couple weeks to plan so for now I'll stick to NROL and see how it goes.

[L'ilJ]

I dusted off the kettlebells and did a workout at home today. I forgot how much fun it is!

Two-arm swings 1x20x18#, 1x20x20#, 1x20x25#

Snatch-to-OH Squat 3x10x25#
supersetted w/
KB Goodmornings 3x10x25#

One-arm swings 1x20x25#

One-arm Military Press 3x10x25#
supersetted w/
Renegade Rows 2x10x18#, 1x25x25#

KB Snatch 1x10x25#

One-arm suitcase deadlift 3x20x36#
supersetted w/
Turkish Get-ups 3x10x20#

One-arm swings 1x20x25#

Upright Row 3x10x36#
supersetted w/
Get-up situps 3x10x20#

KB Snatch 1x10x25#

I then did some foam rolling and stretching. Great workout, drenched with sweat afterwards.

[L'ilJ]

It's a day off for me today, but I just wanted to comment on the fact that my collarbone feels bruised from doing front squats the other day! Is this something that will happen until I can get my form down or is this something that will stick around for as long as I do these? I think I remember some other ladies who had the same problem? Any input/advice is welcome!

[sona]

Hi, Jill~ I love the look of that last KB WO--it's brutal. I don't even know how to do half of the exercises you have there! Turkish getups? suitcase deadlifts? It's like something out of a Hope/Crosby film!

Listen, about front squats...I think it comes down to luck or persistence. I was never able to enjoy doing them for exactly the reason you mention: My collarbone was always bruised, even if I wrapped a heavy towel around me to cushion the bar. Also, no matter which type of grip I tried, I was never able to feel confident in upping my weight on the bar. If bent all the way back, my wrists hurt, but wrapping straps around the bar and gripping them didn't make me any steadier.

So I'm one of the ones who had to opt out of doing them. Others do quite well, and find them much better than back squats.

If you would truly like to persevere, and will do them often, you might consider buying a manta ray (i think that's the name)--one of those strap on halters that positions the bar in the front and makes squatting much easier. They're not cheap, and if you're working out at a gym, you'd have to bring it with you every time. But they might be worth it, all other things considered.

I'm happy sticking with DB squats, goblet squats, the occasional back squat, and the other torture exercises: Bulgarians, walking lunges, etc. There are lots of ways to make my quads scream.

Hope you're enjoying your day!

[L'ilJ]

It's like something out of a Hope/Crosby film!

That's funny! I used to love to watch those "Road to.." movies when I was a kid.

I'm going to try the front squats a few more times. I actually liked the feel of them once I had the bar situated. It's much harder to add weight at this point, but I felt balanced and it was easier to squat low (maybe because I had only 85# loaded). We'll see how it progresses, it's only for a month anyway right?

[mom2w]

Jill: I find that I rest the bar more on the balls of my shoulders (does that make sense?). I mean, it's not up on my collarbone at all, it's more supported on my upper arm. I vary between doing the criss cross arms or straight, depending on how I'm feeling that day. It took a while to get comfortable with them, but I really like them now. Good luck!
Brenda

[UConnJulie]

Jill, that KB workout looks KILLER!! Whooot!! Can't wait to get some for my birthday ... and I agree with Brenda ... when I front squat, the bar rests more on my anterior delts and my hands are wider than my shoulders (ie my thumb sort of rests on my lateral delt. I have long forearms relative to my humerus, so these are a bit tough for me, but once my shoulders stretch out a bit, they feel great. The balance is totally different than doing back squats ... but I really feel them in my quads a lot more ...

And you thought FLII WO-A wasn't bad ... wait until WO-B!!!

[L'ilJ]

And you thought FLII WO-A wasn't bad ... wait until WO-B!!!

You weren't kidding Julie. I know you girls warned me about this workout, but i guess I didn't believe you!

NROL Fat Loss 2 - Workout B1

Warmup: Walking lunges w/twist (10 each side), lateral lunges w/reach and touch (10 per side), Ball bridge (1 held for 30 seconds), 10 Russian twists w/6lb coreball, 10 inchworms, 10 Pushups

Workout:
Snatch-grip deadlifts - 5x45, 5x55, 12x95, 12x105, 12x105
supersetted w/full 60 second rest with
T-pushups - 12xBW, 12xBW, 12xBW

Bulgarian Split-squat w/OH Press - 24x20, 24x20, 24x20 (10 per hand)
supersetted w/full 60 second rest with
Underhand-grip lat pulldown - 12x80, 12x80, 12x80

Romanian DL / BB Row - 12x45, 12x45, 12x45
supersetted w/a full 60 second rest with
Lower body Russian Twist - 12xBW, 12xBW, 12xBW

Metabolic Overdrive: Ummmm...no!

Okay, this was HARD! Much harder than the A workout. Those BSSw/OHP were brutal. I only had 10lb DBs and I had to take breaks during the sets. I also found the Romanian DL/Row was tough. I was only able to use the bar w/no added weight. The workout took me just over an hour so I didn't have time to do any intervals afterwards.

[sona]

Yeah, it's a hard one all right. Kudos to you for getting through it. 'Course, tomorrow you may regret it.

[UConnJulie]

Jill, this was the one where I had grip failure problems!! The combo of the snatch DLs, chins, and RDL/rows was killer!! It will get shorter as your reps and rest drop ... but of course you might puke then!!! Muwwhhhaawwwhhaaawwww!!! At least you finish by lying on the floor ... I used to lie there for 10 minutes or so when th