Help starting NROL

[tennisman03110]

Hi I am pretty new here and have read quite a few threads lately but never posted. So anyway I bought NROL a few weeks ago and have read it cover to cover. During that time I have been spending some time in the gym mostly tooling around with different machines but also trying to learn some of the basic lifts like the squat. On Sunday I will start with the break in program. My question is where I should go from there and any other advice on how to get the most from this program and book. I guess some background on me would help also.
I am 21 years old, about 5'7" and around 125 pounds. A few years ago I was overweight, but in my weight loss effort I cut my food intake severely and did only steady state cardio, virtually destroying my metabolism and losing all sense of hunger. I lost too much weight and most of the muscle I had. Now I am trying to regain weight in the form of muscle, as I currently have very little lean mass and my body kept a layer of fat even though I am underweight. Any advice on weight lifting, cardio (HIIT) or diet is much appreciated, especially if anyone has been in a similar situation. I will try to answer any questions you guys ask. Thanks for any help.

 

[Gazhole]

Welcome to the forums! I have no idea what NROL is, but there is some quality advice in the stickied threads at the top of the Training section, and the Diet and Supplement forums too.

I would give them a read first so you're on the same page - they might even answer some of your questions before you ask them

 

[tennisman03110]

Welcome to the forums! I have no idea what NROL is, but there is some quality advice in the stickied threads at the top of the Training section, and the Diet and Supplement forums too.

I would give them a read first so you're on the same page - they might even answer some of your questions before you ask them

It's the book "New Rules of Lifting". After doing some reading I decided that starting a professional program was the way to go as I have little experience in trying to make my own program. It basically calls for lifting 3-4 times a week, full body workouts with mostly compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, etc. It has a different programs for fat loss and muscle gain but you can choose what routine you do and for how long. This book seems to get positive reviews from everyone who has used it.

 

[Phineas]

I went through a very similar thing to you. I was very obese as a kid, and took up running in my mid-teens to lose weight, which I did. I ended up long-distance running for almost 6 years. For about 4 of those years I was very thin but kept somewhat balanced with some light machine weights and a balanced diet (though I often didn't get enough calories). In my last 2 years I went overboard and lost almost all my muscle and became unhealthy and thin. It messed with my metabolism, libido, hormones, and emotions.

Enter bodybuilding! I quit distance running and started researching nutrition, bodybuilding, health and fitness, psychology, anatomy, etc. It actually didn't take too long for things to heal up. My body was so desperate for calories that it latched on to everything I gave it in those first 2 months. I was up from 140 to about 165 in a month and a half, with only about 1-2% BF gain.

To me the most helpful thing was simply calories. It wasn't until a year later (I quit running in Sept 2008) in Oct 2009 that I had finally put together a fool-proof, properly balanced intelligent lifting program, so you can imagine how bad my first few programs were; like 90% isolation. The calories made the difference. The added protein also helped.

For now I'd invest in nutrition research. Lifting will help, but diet is what you need right now. Also, you'll want to research testosterone deficiency, which you likely have (I did at the time).

As for lifting, keep it short and sweet. Nothing but compound lifts. Absolutely NO isolation. One lift per plane of motion.

-back squats
-deadlifts
-bent over BB rows
-military press
-pullups
-DB chest press

 

[tennisman03110]

One question currently I do not take any supplements, but would you suggest getting some whey protein and when should I use this, everyday or just workout days?