Naomi
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Can’t upload the pic. I’m comparing women plan 1: meal 1 option 2 and meal 2 option 1.
It’s the overall macro totals for the day, added up with all the meals combined, that is important, not the individual meals per se. Nicole calculated everything to match up within about 5g above/below the goal totals 😉
Hi,
I if the goal is to maintain muscle in phase 2. Is fasted cardio and lifting in the morning prior to eating okay?
I work out beTween 4:30 and 5am and it is hard to eat prior to workouts.What are your thoughts? Thanks
This is very individual and depends on how your body is responding to the fasted cardio and lifting prior to eating. If yu are losing muscle mass, then I would say don’t do that and try to figure out a different schedule so that you can lift after having a fe meals. But if you are happy with the results you are getting doing it that way, then keep doing it that way 😉 There is no “one size fits all” and it depends on several different factors.
Right ok but if i didnt want to use the 8 triscuit crackers i could use a english muffin or a half of a bagel or anything from the starchy Carbs list?
Yes, that is how you use the food exchange list.
Hello! I am sorry, I was not clear. I am following plan 3 (phase 2) which calls for 170 grams of protein, 140 grams of carbs, and 60 grams of fat.
Hi there-
Readjusting macros for personal reasons, whatever they may be, is beyond what this challenge calls for. That falls more under the category of 1-on-1 personal coaching. There are a lot of reasons people might need to readjust their macros during one of our challenges (injury, dietary restriction issues, etc.) but we cannot make personalized adjustments for challenge participants without taking them on as a 1-on-1 online training client since making these adjustments requires so much more individualization and information based on many factors.
If you would like to reach out to us about 1-on-1 coaching and personalizing an individual training and nutrition plan specifically for you based on your needs, please email [email protected]
Sorry. Phase 2, day 1. Home dumbbell body weight.
Ah, gotcha – that should be 3 sets not 5 sets (type-o) I will let the team know, sorry for the confusion!
Phase 2 Day Weeks 5-9 says 5 sets but then 3. The status hold was 5 sets as if included 2 warmup. Should it be just 3?
I’m sorry, which workout day and which version (gym/full home gym/db body weights) are you looking at?
Absolutely. Thanks so much for your input, much appreciated.
My pleasure, happy to help clear up any confusion! If you are tracking your nutrition, definitely pay attention to your sugar intake totals too! I’d try to keep it around 30g or less of sugar per day as a general target, but this is also individual per person based on various factors. 😉
I understand. I’m just looking for guidance for beyond this challenge just for my personal fitness journey once I complete this challenge. I’m still learning what is good and bad and just need to know if this is a type of food that I should stay away from or not.
That really depends on how your body is responding to your fitness program and nutrition, and if you are reaching your goals or not. Some people are able to eat more processed foods and still get great results, others need to eat more clean foods, less sugar, etc. to get the results they want. That is why the exchange list is helpful. Not everyone can (or want to) eat Cheerios and Triscuits and get the results they want. It varies per individual based on many factors, does that make sense?
I understand. I’m just looking for guidance for beyond this challenge just for my personal fitness journey once I complete this challenge. I’m still learning what is good and bad and just need to know if this is a type of food that I should stay away from or not.
That really depends on how your body is responding to your fitness program and nutrition, and if you are reaching your goals or not. Some people are able to eat more processed foods and still get great results, others need to eat more clean foods, less sugar, etc. to get the results they want. That is why the exchange list is helpful. Not everyone can (or want to) eat Cheerios and Triscuits and get the results they want. It’s varies per individual based on many factors, does that make sense?
I’m trying to understand why one processed food like Cheerios would be allowed and not another like these pancakes. The ingredients for Cheerios are Whole Grain Oats, Corn Starch, Sugar, Salt, Tripotassium Phosphate. Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols)
The ingredients for Kodiak Pancakes are 100% whole grain wheat flour, 100% whole grain oat flour, vital wheat gluten, whey protein concentrate, brown sugar, wheat protein isolate, milk protein concentrate, leavening (monocalcium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate), buttermilk, sea salt. Which one of these ingredients make it so bad?It’s not that it’s not allowed, it’s just that Nicole can’t possibly create a challenge with all processed foods being included/excluded, etc. She has also left a lot of whole, unprocessed natural foods out of this challenge. What I am saying is that if you want to include foods that are not listed in the challenge, processed or not, do so at your own discretion if you feel comfortable with matching up the calories and macros.
Hi, I know Kodiak Protein Pancakes are not on the meal plan but are they good to have if I can make the macros work? They have a good carb to protein ratio ( 1/2 cup dry has 190 cal, 2g fat, 30g carbs and 14g protein.) Please let me know
If you choose to incorporate foods outside the challenge into your meal plan and can make the macros work, that is totally up to you 🙂 I know you are looking for a more specific approval of Kodiak Protein Pancakes, but we cannot endorse foods outside the challenge (you can see where that would lead – protein bars, energy drinks, etc). The ingredients tell more of the story with regard to how highly processed a food is, regardless of the calories/macros. Feel free to add into your meal plan if you are comfortable and confident doing so, though we encourage sticking to the foods listed in the challenge.
Best of luck with Phase 2!
Hello!!
is rice noodles ok ??
Can it replace rice for example ?
If it’s not on the food list does it mean it’s not “allowed” ??Also I’d like to know why the veggies are only 100gr/serving ( sometimes 50gr but most of the time 100gr) I thought the carbs it contains wasn’t used as energy ?
Thanks a lot for your answers ! And enjoy your weekend!
If rice is the only ingredient in rice noodles and it is an even exchange then yes, you can use rice noodles. All carbs contained in any foods can be used as energy in the body, even from veggies. Nicole portioned out the portion sizes to meet the macros, veggies are not “empty calories” or “free foods” it all counts towards your daily totals 😉
I don’t know how to edit these. Above post should read “are these incline dumbbell high rows.” Sorry
Yes, you can do them either with a bench or just standing, bent over at an angle. If you click on the arrow to the left of the exercise, you will see a demo video pop up. If you don’t have an incline bench, just do them this way (high rows are he last of the 3 positions in this video): https://youtu.be/p9Ql9I0mEcQ
Thanks. I think so. I’m having a hard time articulating the question.
Like I don’t have to follow
Meal 1 option one or two
Meal 2 option one or two
Etc
In order…
I can eat meal 1 option 2 twice a day
And meal 3 option 1 twice a day and then post workout mealOr
Meal 1 option 1 4x a day and post workout to make for my five meals and it won’t throw off my daily macros requirements for this program?
That is correct, I understood your question the first time 😉
Thanks. I think so. I’m having a hard time articulating the question.
Like I don’t have to follow
Meal 1 option one or two
Meal 2 option one or two
Etc
In order…
I can eat meal 1 option 2 twice a day
And meal 3 option 1 twice a day and then post workout mealOr
Meal 1 option 1 4x a day and post workout to make for my five meals and it won’t throw off my daily macros requirements for this program?
That is correct, I understood your question the first time 😉
Can someone explain what makes it better to hold the weights over your head?? I find it to hurt my lower back. Thanks!
It’s not better or worse than any other way of doing squats, it is simply challenging your body in a different way than if you rest a barbell on your back or hold dumbbells down by your side. Weight overhead forces you to engage your core more,. If you have a weaker core, you will likely feel it in your lower back a bit more, so this exercise just exposes your weakness in your lower back.
If it hurts too much, just hold the dumbbells down by your sides.
I also have a question related to this…
I personally would prefer to do two leg days than two chest days. Can I make the second chest day optional instead so I can focus more on building my lower body?It is recommended to follow what Nicole has outlined in the program, but no one is forcing you to do anything in any particular way so you can change it however you see fit based on your goals. There is no way for any of us to know if you personally decide to change the programming of the workouts however you want to. That being said, Nicole designed all of these workouts in the way that she did for this challenge to give you the best results possible.
Correct me if I’m wrong but can I eat meal 1 option 1 multiple times a day for instance as long as for meal 5 / post workout is different?
I’ve always been under impression that it doesn’t matter if I eat the same meal four times in one day as an example. But now I’m wondering if I should be eating from each meal 1,2,3 etc choosing one of the options from each group.Please clarify
You can eat meals multiple times per day to meet your goal calories/macros from that stand point. But from the stand point of nutrition, it’s better to have a variety of different food sources so that you are getting different nutrients that various foods provide. Potatoes, for example, will provide different nutrients than oatmeal. If you only eat oatmeal multiple times per day, you are missing out on the nutritional benefits of potatoes, rice, and other carb sources.
But, again, from a strictly calorie and macro perspective, you can eat the same meal 4x’s per day, yes. Does that answer your question?
The optional workout may be hard to fit in my weekend schedule. It it truly “optional” or just an extra workout if we miss cardio or just wanted to burn extra calories?
It is truly optional, yes. If you miss a workout or just want to fit in an extra workout.
Did we ever get an answer back about the carbs for phase 2? Meal plan one 1st meal 2nd option calls for LP, F, and 1/2 SC but meal 2 option 1 calls for LP, F, and SC- so am I having too much carbs if I choose from meal one option 2? The LP, F, and SC meal is also the same as phase one. I know someone else asked a similar question but was having trouble finding it. Thanks!
No, not yet. Nicole had family in town and I will resend a message to her today for confirmation.
Hi. I have a couple of questions regarding the cardio protocols.
First – I understand that if one is doing real HIIT (as opposed to interval HIIT)– in other words, hitting maximum intensity on the intervals, then it is neither beneficial nor, in some cases, even possible, to do HIIT two days in a row. It is taxing on the CNS and can, I believe, eat into recovery from weight workout (particularly legs). (FWIW, I once worked with a trainer who programmed HIIT only on leg days specifically to give the legs a day off after.) …
I raise this question because Phase 2 of the program has us doing 3x HIIT in addition to intervals. That is a lot of higher intensity training. I am skeptical that this is idea given the need for recovery, which might also be somewhat compromised by the higher volume of training in Phase 2 and lower calories.
I, for one, am already suffering from joint tenderness due to the heavy load on the legs in phase 2 (HIIT tends to be leg-dominant).
Yes, I know Nicole Wilkins is pro, but I would appreciate it if you could give more insight on this programming structure. Also, I wonder if we can sub low-intensity SS for one of the HIIT days (just longer duration).
Finally, I want to ask why the 2nd leg day in the push-pull-legs set up is optional. Why would one choose to do it, and why not? What are the pros and cons of the 2nd day.
P.S. Just a note to suggest that the programs do NOT use HR as a guide when prescribing HIIT intensity. My Max HR (as measured in a lab) is 155… though classic calculations assume it should be 20 bpm higher. So, I think RPE would be a better guide — also because HR varies by age, and the programs do not account for a range of ages.
Thanks in advance!
I am going to defer these questions to Nicole for her to answer since she designed the workouts and programming. I sent her your questions for her to answer and will get back to you shortly.
Phase 2 Day 2 says Tri set but has two exercises. Should it be superset or should the alt DB row be in the triset?
The two exercises should be a superset, it is a type-O
The gym I use does not have a seated hamstring curl machine. Should do the “home workout” dumbbell hamstring curl / karate kicks instead? I do have access to a lying hamstring curl machine, but I am assuming it is different. (I see it on Saturdays workout). Thank you in advance for any guidance.
You can either do lying hamstring curls instead of seated, or you can do the home workout version.
The treadmill interval workout name boundless. I’m coming up with it taking 20 minutes, not 30….am I figuring that wrong?
If you are coming up short, just add on however many rounds in order to get to 30 min
Pull day #2 at at home dumbbells only workout has dumbbell spider curls listed as an exercise; how do you recommend performing these without a bench? (Link to video shows Nicole doing these on an incline bench).
