[Naomi]

Hi Pufferfish- Nicole does not have artificial sweeteners (besides Stevia) or diet sodas listed in the nutrition portion of the Summer Shred Challenge as part of the program, therefore it is not advised to incorporate them during the 40 days of this challenge.

[Naomi]

Hi Claire- weights 100%! 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Christen- If a barbell is listed for an exercise, you should use either the EZ Curl bar or barbell but not dumbbells 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Nicole! If it doesn’t indicate an incline than it would be zero. But you could always add an incline for extra intensity 😉

[Naomi]

Hey Milena- yes, for sure! I max out at level 11 on the stair climber at my gym, so level 15 is not possible for me lol! So I know exactly what you mean. You will just have to go by ‘feel’ and by this I mean your perceived rate of exertion Adjust the levels based on the workouts provided and the intensity of the machine at that level and adjust from there. This may take a few times to get the levels right, but there is no formula other than just going by how the intensity feels of any given level.

I hope this helps, good luck with the challenge! 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Alisha- both the high intensity and low intensity times are indicated in all of the workouts (both HIIT and Intervals). Just adjust the levels to the intensity that will get your HR up to the intensity indicated in the program for cardio 😉 This will be different for everyone. But you’ll go by the times indicated in each of the workouts.

[Naomi]

Hey there! You can use any cardio you’d like as long as you stick with the time, frequency and intensity outlined in the program 🙂 Good luck with the challenge!

[Naomi]

Hey there- The At-Home Body Weight Calorie Burner can be done at home 😉 But yes, you can also do mountain trail running and street runs for cardio as long as you stick to the time and intensity indicated in the program.

There are also two track workouts that require no equipment if you have access to a track. Good luck! 🙂

[Naomi]

Hey there! Yes, but you can always set an incline if you want increase the intensity/difficulty 😉

[Naomi]

Hey guys- Laura, I’m sorry the program workouts are what they are. Nicole offers several cardio options for you to try but you can also do your own elliptical workout based on the ones she’s provided in the program 🙂

Rebdyd1- Yes, you can do all the cardio on the elliptical, as long as you stick with the time and intensity protocol outlined 😉

Good luck with the challenge guys!

[Naomi]

Hey guys! Yes, just count your running training for your events toward your cardio 🙂

[Naomi]

Hey there- when you get on the Stair Master, you will set the timer on the Stair Master for 30 minutes. For the first 3 minutes of those 30 minutes, you will warm up on the levels indicated in the workout. Then you will do 8 rounds of the time/level indicated in the workout. You will manually increase the level after a minute, and continue increasing as indicated in the workout, then manually decrease back down. I hope this makes sense!

[Naomi]

No problem, Alisha! I am glad you asked 🙂 Your situation is a little different in that it is more of a medical issue, so it is best to choose foods that your doctor recommends you stick with but fit them within the macros provided.

In general, we prefer challenge participants to stick with the foods listed on the meal plan, except in cases like yours where there are legitimate health factors that would warrant more of a macro calculating approach 😉

[Naomi]

Hi Claire- an apple and a banana are not interchangeable. Bananas have more calories, carbs and sugars than apples 😉

[Naomi]

That should be fine, yes! 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Rebecca- The different types all have about the same macro profile, so whichever you prefer will work 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Kim!

We are so excited to have you on this journey too!! 🙂 It would definitely be a good idea to not snack on baby carrots (extra carbs/sugars) and peanuts (extra fat, quite a bit actually) between meals. This will completely throw all of your macros off and you won’t know exactly how may calories, fat, protein and carbs you’re eating. This would affect your progress during this challenge 😉

You could drink more BCAAs to keep your energy up, absolutely! Good luck with challenge! 😀

[Naomi]

Hi Anne- To keep the calories and macro ratios the way Nicole calculated them for each meal, it is not advised to swap different foods in different meals.

[Naomi]

Hey there- Nicole put this program together based on her experience and knowledge to give participants the best possible opportunity for shredding in 6 weeks. If you follow the program as it is laid out, doing all the workouts and following all the nutrition/meal plans to a T, you may be very surprised at how your body transforms 😉

We are working on getting the correct meal plan for Phase 3 up. It will be corrected soon 🙂 Good luck!

[Naomi]

Hey there- for this challenge, we do not recommend any diet sodas and minimal artificial sweeteners. If you are using artificial sweeteners, we recommend Stevia (liquid preferred) and there is no max amount, but just use as little as possible throughout the 6 weeks 🙂

[Naomi]

Hey there- I would choose any protein powder you’ve used in the past that agrees with you. God luck with the challenge! 🙂

[Naomi]

Hey there! You will choose your meal plan based on your height if the height and weight don’t fall into any of the standard meal plan categories 😉

[Naomi]

Hi Melanie- Yes, you can do that 🙂 Or you can have your post-workout meal, then wait about 30-60 minutes and eat your last meal. Or you can eat your ‘dinner’ about 30-45 minutes before your workout, then have your post-workout as your last meal of the day. Any of these would work, so whichever one works best for you! 😀

[Naomi]

Hi Roberta!! 😀

Nicole created this program to give participants and effective program to transform their bodies as much as possible in 6 weeks. That being said, everyone is starting from a different place (most are not coming off a competition ;-P)

With you having just competed, you shouldn’t continue to decrease your calories lower and lower, as they are already quite low. Increasing your calories from where you are now for a few weeks in Phase 1, then slowly decreasing again in Phases 2 and 3 will be really good for your body and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how your body responds by sticking to the meals and workouts as they are laid out 😉

Good luck! I can’t wait to see your progress!! 😀

[Naomi]

Hi Barbie- you are correct! Two servings = 4 muffins 😉 Better to ask and be sure than not sure! Good luck with the challenge 😀

[Author]

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