[Maureen]

btoy2024 wrote:

Is there a benefit to sticking to the schedule as it’s written for the carb cycling a effect? If we do move a workout should we still have the low-carb menu & the post workout meal or stick to the high carb day? What will get the best results. Thank you! 😊

Hi there,
the program was written like that to give you the best benefit so I would stick as close as you can to it. There is a method to Nicole’s madness 🙂

[Maureen]

Pufferfish wrote:

Hi!
I’m a little unsure about whether I should be taking creatine and glutamine on non-training days? Would it help with restitution? I’m feeling extremely sore after day 1 and day 2, so if it would in any way help me recover for another session of weight training and HIIT tomorrow I’m all in. 🙂
Thanks in advance!

HI there,
I don’t see a problem taking them.

[Maureen]

williask wrote:

Is it possible to switch to the vegan diet for the remainder of the challenge or would that be to much change at once? Should I wait?

Hi there,
You don’t have to be vegan to choose those meals. You can switch them up however you would like 🙂

[Maureen]

Pufferfish wrote:

As Nicole said the calories were pretty much the same for the women’s meal plan 2 I was asking whether meal plan 2 for men was correct as there is a bit of a difference.

It looks about right to me as far as I know. The carbs are lower but the fats are higher…which is how the other meal plans are looking.

[Maureen]

evashairandskin wrote:

Could you let me know ifmy orders have been shipped?

Hi there,
We can’t answer that here. Go to the contact us and you should get your question answered there.
Thank you

[Maureen]

Melanie wrote:

women’s meal plan 3 non training days noticed the fat content went way up and carbs of course go down. Why so much fat intake on non training days? I know we get energy from fat and carbs so I think I know why just wondering how this works so I can continue to learn and understand the process.

Normally in carb cycling plan…when the carbs go down the fat goes up so you can keep your calories still up there and not taking a huge hit. We are trying to build some muscle so we don’t want to be in a deficit here.

[Maureen]

mjfw2 wrote:

Hi, I live in Switzerland and it seems nonfat cottage cheese is not available here… I can get nonfat Greek yoghurt, however. Are the macros comparable? I think I’ll have the tuna option most days, but it’ll be nice to have the much talked about peanut butter balls occasionally.:-)

Hi there,
I would discourage making substitutions but If you find something that matches those macro in the greek yogurt realm then go for it. It might be tough to get them close…and you don’t want to throw the macros off.

[Maureen]

Lisa Romero wrote:

I just woke up to cannabis now being legal here in Canada. I know alcohol is not allowed but what about our newly legalized pot? I heard it makes you get the munchies and I need help getting all the food down! 😂😂😂

I am not going to touch this post lol You ladies kill me sometimes!

[Maureen]

Natasha wrote:

Yesterday, the video demos worked when clicking on the printable workouts. Today, it is not letting me see the videos. So I can see the videos today for my workout. 🙁

Hi there,
Can you tell me exactly which ones aren’t working for you? Thanks. It would be faster to email that to [email protected]. They can get right on that. Thanks

[Maureen]

jnetsjunkmail wrote:

I have to do my cardio after my weight training sessions on upper body days. It took me an hour and 10 minutes to complete the weight training session. Then I did HIIT on the treadmill for a total of 30 minutes. I used a pre workout and drank bcaa during the workout. I was absolutely exhausted to the point of feeling like I had run a 10k within 2 hours of completing my workouts. Shouldb my cardio session be less time since I’m doing it right after weight training? Fyi I was not well rested from the day before. Thank you!
Jeanette

Hi there,
Number 1…rest is the key to any program you are on. Number 2, It’s the first week. My guess is as the weeks go on…you will be using that extra fuel and you will feel alot stronger during your sessions. Hang in there.

[Maureen]

Lisa Bata wrote:

I am a fitness instructor as my full time job. I teach one kickboxing class and do a kickboxing workout (45 min) every Monday, Wed and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursdays, I lead (basically doing the workout) a 45 min resistance band strength training workout. One day is upper the other lower. I’ve been lifting and doing cardio as well so that’s not new, but how should I structure my meals. Do I do high carb meal plan Monday – Friday since I’ll be doing additional? Or alter the high/low carb meal plans based on the challenge workouts only as written. I assume I would only do the post workout meal the 4 strength training days of the challenge. Thanks in advance!

HI there!
You are one busy woman 🙂 I would just keep the structure the same. See how you feel. If you find you have one day that is more active than another you might want to slide that high carb day to that day and put the low one on the other day. Good luck!

[Maureen]

jandjglass wrote:

I’ve looked through the forum but haven’t seen anything on this. I just want to make sure I’m getting things right. Do I eat low carb or high carb on the HIIT day with no weights? I’m thinking low, but I just want verification. Thanks!!

HI there,
Heres a snapshot of what it looks like for the week.(weight training days only)
Day 1 – Monday: Weight Training Day (High Carb)
Day 2 – Tuesday: Weight Training Day (High Carb)
Day 3 – Wednesday: Non Weight Training Day (Low Carb)
Day 4 – Thursday: Weight Training Day (High Carb)
Day 5 – Friday: Weight Training Day (High Carb)
Day 6 – Saturday: Non Weight Training Day (Low Carb)
Day 7 – Sunday: Non Weight Training Day (Low Carb)

[Maureen]

shanna.anwiler wrote:

Thank you so much! I have been watching the q&a in pieces as I can. Thanks for the help.

You are welcome. Continue asking whatever questions you have here in the forums. I was just letting you know that the q and a’s have some great info each week. I am here to help.

[Maureen]

shanna.anwiler wrote:

Good afternoon. I know ideally the goal is to eat all the meal on the plan as laid out. I had weight loss surgery 18 years ago and I wasn’t able to finish one of my meals yesterday and I’m struggling with it again today. I plan to continue working to eat it all and figuring out which meals sit better, but in the meantime if I can’t finish it, should I try to leave equal amounts of the carb, veggies, and Protein? Thank you so much.

HI there,
Just do the best you can. If I understand you correctly….sometimes after weight loss surgery you just “can’t’ take in the same amounts of food you were able to before. If I am understanding you correctly..just do the best you can and what your body can handle.

[Maureen]

Amanda wrote:

I was wondering if there was a granola preference on the meal 2, meal option 3 (vegan). I know in a past challenge Kind granola was on the meal plan so I would love to use this again if possible. I have no idea if its vegan, I just liked it, lol. It doesn’t have to be vegan for me, I just wanted to eat yogurt and saw this as a meal option.

I would imagine Nicole would use the same brand. Just check the nutritional facts and make sure it would work for you.

[Maureen]

melandandycecchini wrote:

Is it ok to use the small Quaker rice cakes rather than the large if match macros? ( Flavours for small ones are better) in Canada anyways lol

HI there,
I am sure you have seen this response more than once. It’s best to just stick to the plan…but if you can figure out those macros to match the larger rice cakes, go for it.

[Maureen]

julie fritzsch wrote:

So we can now sub white for Brown?

Please refer to Nicole’s response above. Thanks!

[Maureen]

Elenor Wiberg wrote:

I was wondering about today’s program. Is it ok to do the squats in a smith machine. And If I don’t have a hack machine in my gym. Is it ok to do one part of wider and one part of narrow leg presses instead? Sorry about my English ☺️

Sure, if you feel more comfortable on the smith machine go right ahead. There is an alternative to the hack….you can do a goblet squat. Holding a Dumbell chest height (you are holding one end of the DB and the other end is facing the ground) in front of you…here’s the key: slow the tempo down 5 count down 3 count back up. It will make it difficult without going super heavy on the DB.HOpe that helps.

[Maureen]

williask wrote:

I don’t know if I’m lifting heavy enough to burn the calories I’m eating. I was kind of feeling it out today lifting heavy but not strenuous to avoid an injury.

Hi there,
Give yourself time to get used to it. This is just the start. Do the best you can and get used to lifting heavier if it’s not what you are used to. You got this!!

[Maureen]

jessicamartin168 wrote:

To Nicole and your team…Thank you!! This program is perfect for my ADD self <3 I love the amount of workouts with small set numbers and rep ranges. I am so excited, I started working out again a few weeks ago and have already huge progress in my strength. I can wait to see what happens by the end!! 🙂 Jess

Thank you Jess! I am sure when Nicole reads this she will love to know how these challenges have helped you out. That’s the point 🙂

[Maureen]

Barbara wrote:

Are some of the push exercises pull and v.s ?

Hi there,
Im not sure exactly what you are asking. Can you be more specific?
Thanks.

[Maureen]

Kayla Katterman wrote:

Hello!
If I run into time constraints for completing weights and cardio in the same session or same day. Would it be better to do:
A) Monday Day1 weights, Tuesday HIIT, Wednesday Day2 weights, Thursday HIIT, Friday Day3 weights, Saturday HIIT, Sunday Day4 weights
or
B)Monday Day1 weights, Tuesday Day2 weights, Wednesday HIIT, Thursday Day3 weights, Friday Day4 weights, Saturday HIIT, Sunday HIIT
My husband and I are sharing equip and treadmill and having to respond to waking little ones! Just let me know your recommendations on flow. My goal is to just fit it all in across the 7 days. I know it does not leave much for a rest day, but I am used to that.

Hi there,
In terms of switching the routine. I wouldn’t switch the order but you can switch the days that you do them. You can push the schedule forward if that makes sense. But you want those rest days and train days to remain in that order. Does that make sense?

[Maureen]

Stephanie Faessler wrote:

I see a lot of the ab work involves crunches or similar movements. What would be the best alternatives for those of us who have DR?

Hi there,
I would reach out to your doctor who knows exactly where you are with that. I don’t want to give you specific advice because I am not able to see you in person and haven’t worked with you. If you ask your doctor I am sure they can guide you to what’s appropriate for you. Thanks.

[Maureen]

Charlene wrote:

For weeks 1, 3 and 5, are we doing pyramid training?

HI there,
This was the explanation of when and why to use pyramid sets: (for the lower rep ranges it could be helpful)
If you have never trained in the lower rep ranges that this program calls for in Weeks 2, 3 and 5, here is what I recommend:

• Add an additional 5-10 pounds for every isolation exercise
• Add an additional 10-20 pounds for every compound exercise

If you are able to perform more than the required number of reps with that weight, continue to add more as your reps decrease. This is called the Pyramid Principle.

If the rep range calls for 3 sets of 6-8 reps, you will start your first set using a weight you can do for 8 repetitions – struggling on the last two or three. On your second set, you’ll increase the weight and shoot for 6-8 reps (again, struggling on the last 2-3); on your third, you’ll increase the weight again and shoot for 6.

Here’s how it would look for a compound exercise like barbell rows during Week 2:

Set 1 8 reps with 135 pounds (let’s call it a fairly easy 8)
Set 2 7 reps with 155 pounds
Set 3 6 reps with 165 pounds (let’s call it a hard 6!)

[Maureen]

Lori Moore wrote:

I wanted to confirm on the cardio workouts. I wanted to do the Rowing Pains for something different but I’m not sure what the MI and LI means???? I thought it meant Hi row (HI) Does the LI mean low and MI mean middle ? If not, what do they mean?
THank you

HI there,
Looks like Low Intensity, medium and high. If I hear anything different from that, I will be sure to repost here.

[Author]

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