Ruthie's NROLW log

[Ruthie]

Okay I christened my new barbell with workout B7 today. Took a bit of getting my head round the kg and adding on for the bar.

So I'll post in kg and pounds today to compare with last time then switch to kg.

Deadlift
1 x 8 30.5kg (67lbs)
2 x 8 33kg (72lbs)

Alternating sets of :
Dumbell shoulder press
1 x 8 6kg
1 x 8 7kg
1 x 7 7kg (failed on the eighth)

and

Wide grip lat pulldown
3 x 8 72lbs
dropped the weight here as my form had been slipping. This was better and definitely around my limit at the moment.

Alternating sets of :
Lunge
3 x 8 11kg

and

Swiss ball crunch
2 x 15 8kg
1 x 15 9kg
feet elevated on a 16in step and straight arm dumbbell.


I'm starting to look forward for a change of exercise in stage 2. 2 more workouts on this stage plus the 2 specials.

[MuscleMom23]

Looking good! I bet it is fun tobreak in those weights!

[Ruthie]

Yesterday was a rest day though I did some digging in the garden.

Today I did Stage 1 Workout 8A.

Squat
3 x 8 38kg (84lbs)

Alternating sets of:
Push-up
3 x 8 full push-ups

and

Seated row
3 x 8 80lbs

Alternating sets of:

Step-up (16in step)
1 x 8 (9kgx2)
2 x 8 (10kgx2)

and

Prone jackknife
3x15 (first set were all pikes, rest were a mixture)

I felt like I took a step forward in strength today. I was able to increase my weight on everything.

I haven't been great on the food today, picking at things a bit. I always find it harder on the weekend when I have to fit into everyone elses schedule. On a school day I eat at around 11.00am and 2pm and don't really have a conventional lunchtime. But the kids want food at 12-1pm on a weekend and I feel that we should all eat together so it messes up my eating plan and then I am more likely to get hungry and eat the wrong things. Nothing too terrible though today, just lots of ox tongue which I adore (I know probably half of you are throwing up right now ).

[Ruthie]

Yesterday was a rest day. Today I did Workout 8B in Stage 1.

Deadlift
3 x 8 35.5kg

Alternating sets of
Dumbell shoulder press
3 x 8 7kg
(just about!!)

and

Wide grip lat pulldown
3 x 8 72lbs

Alternating sets of
Lunge
3 x 8 (2 x 12.5kg)

and

Swiss ball crunch
3 x 15 with 9kg dumbell behind head and feet on 16in platform.

[Ruthie]

Today I did a 40min cardio workout which is a premix from Cathe's Drill Max. It consisted off 6 "drills" most of which got my heart rate up pretty high and I think could count as "intervals" although it's not exactly in an interval format as there isn't much respite between the drills.

[MuscleMom23]

Originally Posted by Ruthie

Nothing too terrible though today, just lots of ox tongue which I adore (I know probably half of you are throwing up right now ).

LOLOL you are right about the ox tongue! My mother inlaw loves head cheese whatever that is. It looks disgusting. Also blood soup! ACK!

WOW pikes. Really impressive!

[Ruthie]

No idea what head cheese is . We have black pudding which is made of blood. I love that too.

[instantblue]

Hi Ruthie! I wanted to just say, "hi!" to a fellow Cathe fan. I've been using IMAX 2 and 3 for some interval work, too, and I'm going to try the drill max premix you did to see how that works, too. I like this program (NROLW), but I do miss some of those really fun, SS Cathe step videos.

Congrats on the new weights, too. I'm jealous, and am looking for a new set, myself.

[Ruthie]

Hi InstantBlue

It's nice to meet another Cathe fan on here. Did you see the discussion on the NROLW board from someone who is hating the intervals in Stage 2 and missing their "fun" cardio like step etc. I suggested they might do IMAX etc for their interval work but they felt that the intervals were not really anaerobic. What do you think?

The Drill Max premix I did was the shortest one - it's just the 6 cardio segments back to back. Let me know what you think.
Ruth

[Ruthie]

So today I did the AMRAP workout at the end of stage 1. I felt in a bit of a no-win situation with this one having read a thread on NROLW board that says that Alwyn read someone's log and commented that there was no way they could have increased that much in strength, they must have started way too light. So whatever I did it wouldn't be right - too many reps today, and I started too light, but too few and I haven't improved!

I know I started on the light side with some of the exercises and that shows here I think.

Squat
40 @ 20.5kg (45lbs)

Push-up
20 full (I could keep going but they get shallower after this!)

Seated row
29 @ 60lbs

Step-up
(14in step with 6kg dumbells in each hand)
60 on each leg I could have kept going a bit longer I think also really but I was getting bored. I think I will try going to 18in step when I do this one in Stage 2.

Prone jacknife
15
when I did these in the first workout they were roll-ins. Today I did pikes because I wanted to video it and see whether they were true pikes. They weren't bad but they are not full pikes yet - I need to get higher up on the ball. However when I have done them I can't go back to doing the roll-ins or anything - it exhausts me, so I could only manage 15 reps!

[Ruthie]

Yesterday I didn't exercise but I did weed/dig in the garden which has given me a rather sore back and hamstrings - it always does. Felt them doing my deadlifts today.

Stage 1 Special Workout B (AMRAP)

Deadlift
24 x 23kg (45lbs)

Dumbell shoulder press
22 x 4kg

Wide grip lat pulldown
28 x 60lbs

Lunge
33 x (2x7kg)

Swiss ball crunch
36 x 4kg over head but I also put my feet up on the step otherwise I feel nothing.
I hate these - I guess my form isn't great but I just can't really get them to work. I am not really happy to see them again in stage 2. I will read through the threads on how to make them harder and really concentrate on form.

[Ruthie]

I got my husband to measure me and do my fat percentage with the calipers (I have to say he can get some rather variable readings with this so it's only a guide). So this is where I am at following stage 1- starting measurements in brackets.

Weight - 146.5lbs (149)
% fat - 25.5% (26.7%)
Neck - 32cm (32.5cm)
Shoulders - 98.5cm (99cm)
Chest - 88cm (89cm)
Waist - 78cm (80cm)
Bicep - 29cm (29cm)
Forearm - 24cm (24cm)
Thigh - 59cm (60.5cm)
Calf - 38cm (38cm)

Not huge differences but it's going in the right direction and the couple of pounds I have lost are fat rather than lean body mass.

I'm not going to take a week off between stage 1 and 2 as I am going on holiday for a week on the 29th March so I will have that as my rest week. In fact the next couple of weeks are going to be quite challenging diet wise. The children finish school next Thursday and I always find it harder to eat properly when they are around as we are out and about more and I have less time to fit in 6 meals etc. Plus over Easter weekend we are going to my brother-in-law's house in Scotland. Both my BIL and his wife are pretty overweight and the choice of food options is going to be limited and probably not very healthy. I am also nervous about the holiday the week after. I just don't want to worry about what I am eating on holiday but if I don't then I am likely to put the 2 or 3lbs that I have lost straight back on.

[Ruthie]

Forgot to say that today I did 7 intervals of a step interval workout (Intensity Max). I had planned to do just 5 but was feeling good so kept going a bit longer.

[Ruthie]

I started Stage 2 today. I was guessing at some of the weights hence the large jumps between sets in one or two cases.

Workout 2A
Front squat/push press
1 x 10 13kg
1 x 10 15.5kg
I am quite limited on this by my shoulder strength which always seems quite poor compared to other peoples'. I could manage the second set but I think my form suffered and I might return to 13kg next time. I have never done an exercise like this before so it needs some practice.

Alternating sets of
Step-ups (18in step)
1 x 10 (6kgx2)
2 x 10 (8kgx2)
I increased the height of my step over what I was doing in stage 1 so I dropped the weight but found I didn't need to drop it as much as all that.

and

Dumbbell one-point row
2 x 10 5kg
2 x 10 8kg
Not surprisingly balance was the main issue here.

Alternating sets of
Static lung, rear foot elevated
2 x 10 (9kgx2)

and

Push-up
2 x 10 full

Alternating sets of
Plank (variation 2 - on floor)
2 x 60sec
I found this quite doable, probably not challenging enough in truth, but it's a big jump from here to doing it on the ball with feet up. I am wondering if there's any middle ground between these two exercises e.g. three point plank on floor, plank with arms fully extended, not elbows?

and

Woodchop on ball (substitute for cable horizontal woodchop)
2 x 10 (1x 8kg dumbbell)
I need to reread some of the posts on this - it was better in the second set where I really thought about my obliques but it's not perfect by any means.

Good to get started on stage 2.

[missjane]

Originally Posted by Ruthie

Plank (variation 2 - on floor)
2 x 60sec
I found this quite doable, probably not challenging enough in truth, but it's a big jump from here to doing it on the ball with feet up. I am wondering if there's any middle ground between these two exercises e.g. three point plank on floor, plank with arms fully extended, not elbows?

Good Lord! I'm a quivering mass of jello at the 20 second mark!

[Ruthie]

Originally Posted by missjane

Good Lord! I'm a quivering mass of jello at the 20 second mark!

It's just because I've done them quite a bit before (another Cathe Friedrich favourite). You should have seen me trying to balance with my elbows on my ball, quivering mass at the 1 second mark.

[Ruthie]

Yesterday I did 45min of steady state step aerobics.

Today I did Workout B1.

Wide-grip deadlift from box
2 x 10 30.5kg

Alternating sets of:
Bulgarian split squat
2 x 10 10kg
I wasn't particularly happy with my form on these.

and

Underhand-grip lat pulldown
1 x 10 60lbs
1 x 10 68lbs
Could go heavier next time

Alternating sets of:
Reverse lunge from box with forward reach
1 x 10 (2x5kg)
1 x 10 (2x6kg)

and

Dumbbell prone Cuban snatch
2 x 10 5lbs

Alternating sets of:
Swiss ball crunch
1x 10 9kg over head, feet on step

and
Reverse crunch
2 x 10

Alternating sets of:
Swiss Ball side crunch
2 x 10

and

Prone Cobra
2 x 90sec

Followed by 18min intervals (4 one minute intervals but I extended the warm-up a bit). I went pretty hard for these as I am used to doing intervals. My heart rate reached around 95% of maximum on the last two intervals.

It took much longer time to complete this today than usual, it's getting tougher.

[Ruthie]

Yesterday was a rest day. Today I did Stage 2 Workout A2.

Workout 2A
Front squat/push press
2 x 10 15.5kg
I was happier with this exercise than last time, though a couple of times I nearly overbalanced.

Alternating sets of
Step-ups (18in step)
2 x 10 (8kgx2)

and

Dumbbell one-point row
2 x 10 8kg

Alternating sets of
Static lung, rear foot elevated
2 x 10 (9kgx2)

and

Push-up
2 x 10 full

Alternating sets of
Plank (variation 2 - on floor)
2 x 60sec
In the second set I lifted one leg for 15sec, then the other for 15sec.

and

Woodchop on ball (substitute for cable horizontal woodchop)
2 x 10 (1x 8kg dumbbell)

[Ruthie]

I have been away staying with