[Naomi]

pattydalton wrote:

My shoulders don’t like behind (over) press.
I’m ok with the overhead press movement but is there something else I can add to this to make up for not doing the over portion?

Hi Patty- I would just do the overhead press part, there really isn’t a substitute for behind the head (over) portion that isn’t behind the head/neck. Just doing overhead presses is fine for an alternative modification 🙂

[Naomi]

melissa.hansler wrote:

Hi 🙂

I am used to eating about 60% less carbs than the meal plan, as well as less calories overall. I’m confident in you ladies but I guess im trying to understand how I am going to drop weight eating quite a bit more. Any reassurance would be so helpful, thanks so much!

Hey there- sometimes your body actually needs MORE carbs and food in general to revv up your metabolism and trigger physique changes and an overall body transformation.

Phase 1 is a muscle-building process, which means you need more calories and carbs in order to give your body the building blocks it needs to construct more muscle.

As we go along in phases 2 & 3 your calories will start to decrease and cardio will increase so that we can uncover the quality lean muscle you built in phase 1.

Just trust the process 😉 You can always go back to what you were doing before if that’s what you prefer after the challenge is over, but I’m guessing you joined the challenge because you wanted to see some different or more drastic changes. You won’t see changes unless you do something different.

Good luck! 😀

[Naomi]

tanyabriscoe wrote:

Hi, is it ok to do a HITT on any of our rest days or best to do them on training days just not leg day and always after weight training?

Hi Tanya- Nicole recommends you take full advantage of your rest days and not do any of the cardio or weight-lifting workouts on these days. If you need to do cardio on one of your rest day due to schedule conflicts then it’s fine but just make sure you have at least one full rest day per week. You need to let your body rest, repair and recover 😉

[Naomi]

Kristen Hassell wrote:

Sounds good but I thought that the “interval” part meant having more of a “peaking” heart rate and then “dropping” heart rate like the rowing machine graph shows with a greater difference between high and low. The Stepmill workout looks similar to my spin bike workout. Could this also be considered HIIT? Sorry I’m just a little confused about the difference between “HIIT Cardio” lasting 20-30 minutes and “Interval Cardio” lasting 45 minutes.

With HIIT, your HR doesn’t necessarily drop. Your activity drops for a very short period of time, like 10-15 seconds, but that doesn’t mean your HR drops. Your HR during HIIT could stay pretty high the whole time. High Intensity Intervals means you have a much shorter rest period than regular interval training. Don’t base it off dips and highs in you heart rate, base it off of dips and highs (intervals) of your activity/exercise/workout, not your heart rate.

I hope this makes more sense 🙂

[Naomi]

Kristen Hassell wrote:

Good morning, can you please advise me as to which heart rate is a better target for HIIT cardio? The “Medium” was on my rowing machine and the “High” is the programs “Bringing Up the Rear” Stepmill HIIT.

Hi Kristen- for HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) you want a high rate, since it is high intensity. So go with the higher HR on the stepmill 😉

[Naomi]

heatherez38 wrote:

It looks like the hip circle squats are part of the warmup. Should they be weighted or bodyweight only?

The hip circle squats are not part of the warm up. The warm up is the superset between body weight walking lunges and body weight squats (the two exercises below the word “superset”). The hip circle squats are your first working set, so you’ll do 5 straight sets of weighted hip circle squats.

I hope this helps! Good luck 🙂

[Naomi]

Tiffany Walker wrote:

I’m having trouble envisioning how to set this up in a home gym. I assume it’s supposed to look similar to the cable high row from the gym workout…but how would I secure a band above my head at home?

Hi Tiffany-

Here is a video demo of how you can set up bands for a cable high row: https://youtu.be/yIF-3TG1wgM

I hope this helps! 🙂

[Naomi]

sarrlu650 wrote:

I know in past challenges meals could be taken out of order or you could essentially eat any of the meals on the the list more than once if you chose. Is it still the same this challenge. So if you ate a meal with a FP (meal 3 in phase 1) could you eat that meal again later in the day or should it be a LP option. Sorry if this is confusing.
Thanks
Sarah

Hi Sarah- you could rearrange the different orders of the meals from the way they are, yes, but I would just make sure you are staying consistent with what combo the meals call for. Also, make sure you watch all of the nutritional videos and read all of the info for the rules on swapping/exchanging so that you don’t miss any important info. Good luck with the challenge 🙂

[Naomi]

Kristen Hassell wrote:

Hello, couple errors I spotted in Training Phase 1 Day 3:

The instructional video link for “Machine Lateral Raise” is not working and the “At-Home Workout” also lists “Machine Lateral Raise” that might not be correct.

Thanks so much for pointing this out, we will get this corrected 🙂

[Naomi]

tanyabriscoe wrote:

Can we add MCT OIL to our morning coffee and exchange it for something to balance the macros back out for the day?

If you’d like to, yes. MCT Oil would be (as I’m sure you know) in place of a fat, so I would use 10ml of a fat as it shows in the exchange list for your even exchange. Good luck! 🙂

[Naomi]

Christine wrote:

Where do I get the challenge?

You should have received an email with all of the instructions and links to the program. If you didn’t receive the welcome email, please send an email to: [email protected] to let them know you didn’t receive the welcome email.

In the meantime, you can access the challenge material by clicking here: https://nicolewilkins.com/challenge/10-week-photo-shoot-ready-challenge-2019/

Make sure you read ALL of the information and watch all of the videos so that you don’t miss any important info 😉

[Naomi]

raghad baybars wrote:

Hi nicole and team
I noticed that the totals for the vegan plan for women plan 2 phase 3 is identical to women plan 1. It is also not same as the non vegan plan . For phase 3 non-vegan women plan 2, the total is 1580 calories while the vegan plan is 1364 calories. Can you please check it out
Thanks

I will take a look at it and see where the discrepancy might be. Thank you for bringing this to our attention! 🙂

[Naomi]

Kristen Hassell wrote:

How much activity can we include outside of the 10 Week Challenge Program strength and cardio? I am currently lifting 6x a week and do HIIT 3x I also walk about 20k step per day and do short 20 minutes yoga sessions a few times a week. My Polar watch says I’m burning on average 2600 cal per day and I eat around 2000. I’m 5’0” 112lbs and meal plan 1 has me eating 1700. Should I cut my calories for this plan and limit my yoga and walks? I’m most worried about burning too many calories and being hungry.

Hey Kristen!

I totally understand where you’re coming from being very active before starting this challenge. If you want to see changes, I would highly recommend changing what you’re doing. I feel the best thing you can do for your body is follow the challenge workouts, cardio and nutrition for your height/weight to a T, which will mean decreasing your cardio and activity. BUT, your body will likely respond really well to the changes. As you progress into phases 2 & 3, your activity level will ram back up and you may see some pretty neat transformations in your body.

You never know until you give it a shot! See what happens 😉

[Naomi]

mdunham73 wrote:

Can 4 ounces of white albacore canned tuna be used to replace 4 ounces fresh tuna steak? Thanks.

If you look at the food exchange list, you’ll see the proper swap/portion size for the exchange of canned tuna for fresh tuna steaks. Just follow the exchange list provided 😉

[Naomi]

tmerlie613 wrote:

Confused on what exercises we are supposed to superset. Just looking at Day 1 and there are odd number of exercises. Can you clarify the superset expectation

Hey there- the supersets will be the two exercises below the word “SUPERSET”. So, for Day 1 Quads /Glutes/Calves, you’ll superset the two exercises below “SUPERSET” (bodyweight walking lunges/bodyweight squats; curtsey lunges/sumo squats; hip circle lateral step/standing db calf raises — wherever you see the word superset, superset the two exercises below that. All of the other exercises are straight sets.

I hope this helps! Good luck 🙂

[Naomi]

Courtney Baumeister wrote:

I generally do cardio 5-6 days a week.. nothing intense just love the way I feel when I get up and get moving first thing… do I stop this and only do the 3 days HIIT or should I keep these in as it’s what my body is used too?
Thanks in advance 🙂

Hi Courtney- I would follow the challenge plan as it is written for best results. Your cardio will increase with each phase, and if you start out doing more cardio than what the plan calls for, you may not see the best transformation results as the challenge progresses. Good luck! 🙂

[Naomi]

j_pickett33 wrote:

Hi – I am curruently training for a marathon and run 4-5 days a week, one of those days being a long run (12+miles)…how should I balance this with the cardio plan?

Hey there! Do not do any extra cardio outside of your running, as you are already doing way more cardio than Phase 1 calls for 😉

Good luck with the challenge and with your marathon training!

[Naomi]

adamravaughan wrote:

Hi Nicole,

Just bought your program and am super pumped. The mens meal plan 2 for those about 190 is almost 3000 calories in phase 1. I really dont think I can get that much food down without force feeding myself. Is it okay for me to go with plan 1 for 190lbs and under. I understand the importance of food during muscle building but not sure. I also lack major appetite with this summer heatwave we are getting right now.

Hey Adam- I totally understand if you aren’t use to eating this much. But I would definitely give it an honest try before you decide you can’t do it. Phase 1 is focused on building muscle, and you need to be in a caloric surplus in order to see good quality muscle growth. Phases 2 and 3 will decrease in calories with each phase, and if you start at lower calories than what the plan calls for, you aren’t going to give yourself much room or opportunity to transform as the challenge progresses from muscle-building to leaning out.

I would suggest giving it an honest 1-2 week try before deciding to take a different route, especially with the intensity of the workouts. Who knows, you may be working so hard and lifting so heavy that your body will be screaming for more food and nourishment 😉

Good luck!

[Naomi]

ashton5 wrote:

I had that question also. So day 1 if I had Ride and Power ….still do legs? I totally agree, I want to make this work and hope the additional classes don’t hurt our results.

I would still do all the strength-training workouts, just no extra cardio. Monday’s leg workout is not the same as a spin class, even though you’re working your legs 😉 I would recommend not using much resistance on the spin bike so you can save it for the leg workout.

Good luck! 🙂

[Naomi]

narby67 wrote:

I am 5’4” and 123 lbs which is the right plan for me plan 1 or plan 2?, really confused because my weight is not vlise to 130 lbs
Thanks in advance

Hey there- Meal Plan 1 is what you should go with. When there is a discrepancy in height and weight, go by your height. Meal Plan 1 is for 5″4 and under. Good luck with the challenge 🙂

[Naomi]

Diana wrote:

Hey Naomi,

My email was sent at 5:25 EST. Just checked again and nothing has changed, I’m sure it’ll get fixed. Just letting you know it appears this thread was started after the program went live.

LOL, sorry Diana! My bad, I am on East Coast time and the timestamp is 2:42pm, but Pacific is 3 hours behind me. You’re correct! 🙂

[Naomi]

Melissa wrote:

Any chance you can advise me on my macros for a fast cut or weight loss? You gave us the formula at camp but I’m thinking that was for maintaining. I did the 40 day shred and did lose 10 lbs. I have my 20th wedding anniversary coming in Aug. My goal is to be the size I was when we were married. I only have about 9lbs to lose but several inches off this belly and thighs.

Hi Melissa-

Can you email this question to: [email protected]

Thank you and good luck with your goals! 🙂

[Naomi]

Marie-Lou wrote:

Hello!! I know it was mentioned to choose a meal plan according to your height, but I just wanted to confirm if it’s ok if a woman fall into Men’s meal plan? Because I mesure 6’1″ and 211lbs, which for me, I would belong into Men’s meal plan 2. I know this must have been already asked before but could not find the info anywhere, so sorry in advance!!

I would follow the Woman’s Meal Plan 3, which is for women over 5’6. Women’s Meal Plan 3 is just over 2,100 calories and Men’s Meal Plan 2 is close to 3,000 calories. I’m not sure how much of a transformation you would see if you consumed 3,000 calories.

The meal plans are designed differently for men than they are for women because of our different metabolisms. All of the men’s meal plans are much higher in calories than the women’s meal plans.

I hope this helps, good luck! 🙂

[Naomi]

jmvellucci wrote:

Question, the Women’s Meal plan 1 5’4″ under 130lbs is 1340 calories in phase 1 and goes up to 1536 in phase 2, but all of the other meal plans go down from phase 1 to phase 2, am I missing something?

The email hadn’t gone out yet saying the material was ready. We still had some corrections to make when you looked over the meal plan, but in the future it’s best to wait until the official email goes out so that you know you have the correct info 😉 It should be corrected now.

[Naomi]

Angelica Obregon wrote:

I know it said to follow meal plan based on height. So that would be M1 with less calories than M3 ( I think) witch has my weight.
Should I just stick with Meal plan 1 then?

Hey Angelica- yep, go based on your height, not your weight 😉

[Author]

Posts