How Heavy? How Many Sets? How Many Reps?

TRAINING GOALS

A lot of people get confused when it comes to choosing the appropriate size weight and knowing how many sets and reps they should preform in their workouts. I'm going to break it down for you based on different fitness goals.

Table provided by The American Council on Exercise (ACE)

IN TERMS EVERYONE CAN UNDERSTAND 

GENERAL MUSCLE FITNESS: Get lean and toned

MUSCULAR ENDURANCE: Get lean and toned and be able to lift weights for a long/longer period of time.

MUSCULAR HYPERTROPHY: Bulk up and/or get larger muscles then you currently do. In order to bulk up you must be choosing appropriate weights and training at a intensity level of 70-80%.

MUSCULAR STRENGTH: Get stronger then you currently are and be able to lift heavier weights. It can also be defined as the maximal force a muscle or muscle group can exert during contraction.

POWER: Muscular force and speed of a movement (Olympic Weight Lifting)

SOME ADVICE

Lift heavier! A lot of people do not choose a weight that is truly challenging them. The final few reps of a set should feel tough and like you can't do anymore. Lifting weights will not make you bulky, just make sure you choose the appropriate training goal that I mentioned above.

Ditch the treadmill and pick up the dumbbells! Yes, running does have its benefits but don't think by running a hour a day is going to leave you feeling skinny and toned.

Lifting lighter weights will not help you "tone up" better than heavy weights. It's actually totally opposite, lift heavier to lean and tone your body.

NIKKI PERSONAL FACT: When doing my personal lower body workouts and when I feel the leanest is when I lift at least 50lbs + for my squats, lunges, and deadlifts etc.

Want a fast and efficient workout?? Try HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). It is the best way to burn fat and reshape your body, it increases stamina and strength and offers more functional benefits than steady state cardio or heavy weight lifting.

Lastly, try to strength train at least 3 + times a week and eat as clean, lean & green as possible.

CONCLUSION: LIFT WEIGHTS ;)

You Workout, Now What? Tips to Living a Healthy Lifestyle!

NUTRITION                                                 
Nutrition is key and is an essential part to reaching your health and fitness goals. Try eating as CLEAN, LEAN & GREEN as possible. What does that mean?
​
STAY HYDRATED -​ Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated. Drinking water will speed up your metabolism, suppress your appetie and help your body burn more fat.

​​EAT FRESH FRUITS & VEGGIES -​ Add dark leafy greens like kale and spinach into your daily diet as well as choosing a variety of colors when picking out your fruits and veggies. A more colorful plate benefits your health and also your waistline. ​

​​CONSUME LEAN PROTEIN - Eating protein throughout the day is super important if you want to achieve a lean and toned body. It speeds up your metabolism and helps your body build lean muscles.​

​​EAT HEALTHY FATS - Yes, fat can be a positive thing! Healthy fats protect your heart and support overall health.

​​AVOID PROCESSED FOODS - Try to avoid processed foods and stick to whole, real nutritious foods as much as you can!​​​

​​TREAT YOURSELF - Ok let's be real, most of us won't be able to eat clean, lean and green 7 days a week and that's ok. I totally believe in letting yourself indulge every once in awhile. As long as you are eating clean, lean and green 90% of the  time, it's okay to indulge that 10%. Just remember portion control and everything in moderation  :)


PERSONAL REFLECTION & GOAL SETTING
Finding the balance between your work and personal life can be hard, but it is important in becoming the best YOU possible! Pick a day, maybe once a week or maybe once a month to have some YOU time and just reflect. Write down all your goals; personal, work and health & fitness related, then make a plan of action of what you need to do to reach them. Need some help? I would love to grab a coffee or lunch sometime and help you organize!
​

​FITNESS & NUTRITION TRACKING
Keeping track of the food you eat and the workouts you do has been proven to be very beneficial. That's why every successful weight management program suggests that you keep a food diary and/or an activity log. There are many ways to do this, here are some ideas:
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ONLINE TRACKING & APPS - Health & Fitness Apps such as My Fitness Pal make it easy to log your workouts and meals right on your phone anywhere, anytime!

PAPER JOURNALS - putting actual pen to paper can be very therapeutic. You can use a normal notebook or daily planner to record your meals and workouts​

STICKER CALENDAR - This is one of my favorites, nothing makes you happier and feel like a kid again than seeing a smiley face sticker on the calendar showing you worked out that day! You can set fun goals such as; get 20 stickers/workouts this month and you get to buy a new outfit, treat yourself to a fancy dinner, or something else that really motivates you. This is a fun way to compete with your significant other or best bud! 

Training Shoes VS Running Shoes!

So many people don't know the difference between training shoes and running shoes and how important it is that you are using the proper shoes for your workouts. I used the think all NIKE FREE shoes were the same and didn't realize there were NIKE FREE RUNS and Nike FREE TR (trainers). In the pics below you would probably think that both pairs of shoes are used for the same thing but they are not.

I'm going to break it down for you :)

1. Running shoes are only meant to go in one direction, forward and the traction patterns on the bottom only go in one direction. Training shoes have multidirectional traction patterns and built in support which provide additional stability for a variety of different training activities.

2. Training Shoes are lower to the ground than running shoes, keeping you stable when making any combination of multidirectional movements.

3. Training shoes are lightweight, breathable, and durable to give athletes what they need for great, zero distraction workout

 TRAINING

 RUNNING

 *you should never let the bottoms of your shoes get this worn down FYI

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE NIKE FREE LINE? READ MORE HERE! Visit NTC Lincoln Park and find out what shoes will be the best fit for you! Also, they offer FREE classes 7 days a week, so you might as well take a FREE class while you are there! Check out my NTC schedule here!

The Fashionable Workout!

I was recently featured on the Velvet's Edge blog post about "The Fashionable Workout!" Below I included photos from the blog write up! You can read more here:
Velvet's Edge

 

Around Town: Pair this tank with workout pants and running shoes or you can spice it up with some leather shorts and pastel hightops!

 TRAINING: The Legend tights are by far my favorite workout pants, they are comfortable and totally make your butt look good! They come in a variety of prints and colors. Pair them with a G87 Tank or a comfy 80's inspired sweatshirt!

 Go Bold: Who says you need to stick to black pants and solid prints? Be an attention grabber with some crazy printed pants and bright colors! Try the Nike Legend print tight or a Nike Pro printed sports bra.

 Workout to Wine: If you tend to go somewhere casual after a workout the Nike Legend tights and AMAX Air Logo tank makes for a super cute workout outfit but you can also throw on a leather jacket, a Nike+Fuel Band and some Nike Dunk Ski Hi sneakers for an around town look!

FAVORITE WORKOUT PLAYLISTS FOR SPRING/SUMMER!

 

PLAYLIST ONE:

will.i.am – #thatPOWER
Benny Benassi – Control - Jacob Plant Remix
The White Panda – Girls To Blow
Flo Rida – Right Round [Benny Benassi Remix Edit]
TNGHT (Hudson Mohawke x Lunice) – Higher Ground
Jay-Z – Brooklyn Go Hard - feat. Santigold
Diplo feat. Billy The Gent & Long Jawns – Butters Theme (feat. Billy The Gent & Long Jawns)
Sleigh Bells – Demons (Diplo Remix)
Conor Maynard – Animal
Deadmau5 – The Veldt - feat. Chris James - Tommy Trash Remix
Ivan Gough – In My Mind - feat. Georgi Kay [Axwell Radio Edit]
will.i.am – T.H.E (The Hardest Ever)
The White Panda – Fly & Freaky
The White Panda – Your Woman (Remix feat. Dorrough)
David Guetta – Without You (feat. Usher) [Nicky Romero Remix]
Charli XCX – You're the One
M83 – We Own The Sky

 PLAYLIST TWO:

3LAU – Action - Extended Edit
3LAU – Guilty Pleasure - 3LAU Bootleg
3LAU – H8 - 3LAU Bootleg
3LAU – B#tch City - 3LAU Bootleg
3LAU – Love Control - 3LAU Edit
3LAU – Jupiter Unison - 3LAU Bootleg
3LAU – Petty Language - 3LAU Edit
3LAU – Set Fire - 3LAU Bootleg
3LAU – These Are The Days - 3LAU Edit
3LAU – Back To New - 3LAU Reboot
The White Panda – Fly & Freaky
The White Panda – Kreayshawn the Insomniac
The White Panda – Relax Mode
The White Panda – Save the Cobra
The White Panda – Wondersleep
The White Panda – Drop It Like Twilight
Coldplay – Paradise
Deadmau5 & Kaskade – I Remember

5 Favorite Things

1. Nike Fuel Band - its like a workout game starring YOU as the player! How awesome is that?!?

http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-691777/pgid-670534

2. Nike Training Club App - AMAZING workout app for days you can't get to the gym. You can do
these workouts at home or in your hotel room.
 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nike-training-club/id301521403?mt=8

3. My Fitness Pal - Very organized food and workout diary. You can even scan bar codes and it will transfer all the nutrition info to your phone. SWEET!

    ​ http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

4. Daily Hiit/Body Rock - great for at home workouts!
http://www.dailyhiit.com/

    ​

5. Zuzanna Light - also great for at home workouts!
http://www.youtube.com/user/ZuzkaLight

Jailhouse Workout!

2 exercises, 10 reps of each, 9 reps, 8 reps.....all the way down to 1

     

Equipment: medium and heavy dumbbells

 **make sure to take 3-5 minutes to warm up and cooldown

    ​

    Set 1:

    Push ups

    Overhead Press

    ​

    Set 2:

    Froggers

    Squats

    ​

    Set 3:    Tricep Dips

    Reverse Fly

    ​

    Set 4:

    Squat Jumps

    Alt Lunges

    ​

    Set 5:

    Bicep Curls

    Crunches