[Maureen]

Beth Milford wrote:

When I click on “training” on the forums, I get an error & there is nothing there. I thought in would see those questions like I do for general chat & nutrition.
Thank you

Hi there. Until the IT dept fixes this glitch, post all training questions in the general forum. I am sorry for this inconvenience. Thanks.

[Maureen]

williask wrote:

Any recommendations? There’s so much out there

I would just go into your local supplement store and give them the guidelines Nicole has given to you and have them give you a recommendation. I do prefer powder over pills. YOu can put them in your shakes each day.

[Maureen]

Marie wrote:

Is anyone else having trouble hitting the carbs? My protein and fat are almost to the exact gram and my calories are spot on but carbs are off by 80-100g! On both training and non-training days. I’m not doing any swaps – following the plan exactly. I’ve tried inputting different meal options than what I’m eating just to check and it’s still off.

Hi there,
if you are eating the meals as written you probably are choosing some of the wrong foods On MFP. There are “wrong” entries on MFP and you can choose them. Look for a green check mark, scan barcodes etc. That will increase your chances of getting the macros correct. If you are following the plan don’t sweat it.

[Maureen]

jpedwards1969 wrote:

Should the timing of meals matter, more specifically, for the next three weeks the majority of my workouts will be ending close to 9:00 pm. Is it okay to eat my post workout after, or is that considered too late at night to be eating?

The goal is to get the macros in…..you worked hard. Doesn’t matter if it was 9pm, your body will still be able to use it and put it to good use 🙂

[Maureen]

jpedwards1969 wrote:

I have tried (many times over the years) to like avocado. I really want to like it, and I tried it again for this challenge. But it is not going to happen no matter how hard I try or how I try to “dress it up” What can I sub for Avocado?

Thanks Sheri….she’s right. That’s the best advice 🙂

[Maureen]

Beth Milford wrote:

Thank you, I understand the warm up, But then we are to do 3 more sets, I assume heavy, 10-12 reps. I was just curious on doing RDL’s on thursday & then SL deadlifts on Friday. Seems hams & glutes will get 2 days in a row. Sorry to be a pain (in the butt)!

Hey there….here’s the easiest explanation..
Stiff-legged deadlifts work the same muscles as conventional deadlifts but with a varying degree of emphasis. They involve the hamstrings and glutes more than a conventional deadlift, and they put less strain on your lower back. So the Conventional deadlift might emphasis the low back just a bit more. Similar lifts but different emphasis.

[Maureen]

Karen Okerlund wrote:

I need to make a gushy post really quick! THANK YOU for showing me NOT to be afraid of carbs. As a former figure competitor it’s easy to be constantly chasing the “stage” look. This program freaked me out at first glance, and probably still does a little bit, but I am going to trust the process. All of the work you did to fine tune each meal to make them interchangeable is EPIC! I am excited to eat each meal and trying ones I wouldn’t normally try!
Huge THANKS to Nicole and the entire team!

I am sure that would make Nicole’s day to hear that. The is the entire goal of these challenges…to show you that you should be afraid of “food” and the weights lol. I am so happy to hear that as well. Brings more balance to the health and fitness lifestyle.

[Maureen]

Stephanie wrote:

In terms of building muscle, is one form of assistance better than the other? (Bands vs machine?) Or does it really not matter?

HI there,
I think the bands gives you more natural assistance. YOur form is much better with the band. The machine makes the pull up motion a bit unnatural. Just my opinion.

[Maureen]

Barbara wrote:

i still can’t see any post on this forum for the training section? it keeps saying “Oh bother! No topics were found here!”

Hi there,
Email [email protected]. They can help you with that. Thank you.

[Maureen]

nflangel wrote:

Is it ok to do the hiit workouts the day after legs? I was told that wasnt good for muscle growth because it overtrains them. Thanks for clarification.

Hi there,
If that’s what the schedule says to do then Nicole planned it that way. Go for it!

[Maureen]

Susan Richardson wrote:

Just being sure… should we do 3 warmup sets of deadlifts and 3 regular set? Thanks….

Yep,
Do it exactly as written 🙂

[Maureen]

melandandycecchini wrote:

Good am ladies I am a bit of a macro freak (sorry) so can I ask for meal plan 3 the yogurt chia strawberries and almond butter when I plug into my fitness pal I get 23 g of fat as opposed to 18 g.as listed.. Should I eat less nut butter and go with macros ?

Hi there,
MFP can skew some macros sometimes by choosing different brands…or even having foods in the system that other users have added (making them not legit). I would stick to the amounts on the plan and don’t stress too much.

[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.

[Author]

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