We are ready to start week 2 of Just Strength! How did week 1 go for you? Did you feel every muscle in your body?

Here is the calendar for week 2! Saturday is a bonus workout, so you can add it in if you want or rest.

Can you believe that June is here?! Summer is here, and I’m ready to grab some heavy weights! Starting on June 5th, I have a new program launching on YouTube. It will be 5 days per week of strength training with core & mobility thrown in.

This program will focus on building lean muscle mass by challenging our muscles with HEAVY weights! It will be minimal equipment, mostly weights, a bench, chair or plyo box, and resistance bands.

This program will focus on heavy weights and lower reps. We will work in supersets with reps ranging from 8-10. There will be drop sets and pyramid sets thrown in too! Be on the lookout for the occasional burn out as well 😊.

These workouts will focus on building strength through isolated movements and supersets. We will be working with the basics and focusing on form. Because this is a strength focused program, there will not be added cardio, but feel free to add in cardio as you like. I recommend 60-90 minutes of Zone 2 cardio per week. Walking is always a good choice. I also have a cardio playlist you can select from if you want a guided cardio workout.

You can also expect to work your lower body up to two times per week😬. Don’t worry! It will be fun! One day will be focused on heavy lower body exercises and one day will be body weight or resistance band training. I will also have an occasional “add-on” workout for mobility & flexibility as they are very important for the health of your muscles.

I will post a weekly schedule for this program instead of a monthly calendar. Check Instagram or my blog for the upcoming week of workouts!

Remember that “heavy” lifting is relative. Choose weights that are heavy for you! We all have different strength levels, goals, and limitations, so choose weights that are challenging for YOU but also allow you to keep good form.

Are you ready to do this?! Check out the week one calendar below!

Are you ready for a new workout program? On Monday, May 1st, I have a new program launching on YouTube.We will be building strength, working on endurance, and challenging our balance. It will be 5 days per week and last 4.5 weeks. It is totally FREE! All you need is a set of weights that challenge you, a resistance band, step, and bench. You can do this at your own pace and do NOT have to workout 5 consecutive days. Take rest days when you need them. All I ask is that you do the workout in order.

I have a calendar you can print that will let you know what days the next workout will be ready. Workouts post at 12 am EST in the U.S.

Are you ready to do this? Don’t forget to Subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the notification bell, so you know when a new workout has posted.

I made this fun snack today! This is seriously so simple and very tasty! I call them “power bites”!

Ingredients:
Peanut or almond butter
Rolled oats
Protein powder
Honey

Directions:
Combine 1/2 cup peanut butter with 1/2 cup rolled oats and 1 scoop protein powder (any flavor will do). Mix together well. Add 1 tbsp honey and stir again. I chose a chocolate protein powder, but the flavors are endless! Take the mixture and roll into small balls. Store in the fridge and eat when you need a little snack!

Do you know how many calories you need each day or the grams in macronutrients you need? This can be a confusing thing to figure out. I have a quick and simple method I use to determine how many calories I should aim for and what my macros should be.

Let’s start by figuring out your calorie needs. Take your ideal or goal body weight and multiply by 12. This will give you the calories you need to reach that weight. We will use that number to figure out macros next. If you workout on a regular basis, you can add to that number. Just remember that our workouts don’t burn as many calories as we think they do. If you find that the calorie number you get is too low for you, adjust it. This is a starting point for fat loss. I find my calorie range to be good for me, but we all have different needs.

Here is an example: if your goal weight is 140 lbs, take that number and multiply it by 12. 140 X 12= 1,680. You would need 1,680 calories each day to reach that weight. That might mean being in a calorie deficit or if you need to gain weight to reach that goal, you might need to eat in a surplus.

Next we will figure out macros. We first need to determine what percentage you want for each one. That is very personal and might take a little trial and error to figure out what works best for you. I personally prefer 40% of my calories to come from carbohydrates and 30% to come from protein and 30% from fats. I feel my best with these ratios. Now we can determine what that looks like in grams.

Let’s start with carbohydrates. Take your calories (1,680) and divide by .40 to get the number of calories from carbs. 1,680 X .40= 672. You will need 672 calories to come from carbs. Now let’s figure that out in grams. Take 672 and divide it by 4 since there are 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate. 672 divided by 4= 168. You would need 168 grams of carbs each day.

We can use the sane formula for protein and fats with a slight adjustment for fats. Here is the example for protein:

1,680 X .30= 504 (calories from protein)

504 divided by 4= 126 (126 grams of protein)

Fats: 1,680 X .30= 504 (calories from fats)

504 divided by 9=56 (we divide by 9 because there are 9 calories per gram of fat, which gives us 56 grams of fat)

This is the way I determine my calorie and macro goals for the day. Sometimes I make adjustments based on goals or weight changes, but the formula stays the same. I hope this helps you determine your goals!

It is that time again! Our next challenge starts on February 1st! Each day you will have a quick exercise to add on to your daily workout or do on its own. You can download and print the calendar and follow me on instagram for a daily demonstration of the exercise.

Looking at ingredient lists can be confusing. The list can be long with words that we can barely pronounce. My guideline is to look for items with as few of ingredients as possible and nothing I can’t pronounce or understand. When you stick to unprocessed foods, you don’t have to worry about ingredient lists, but here is a list you can print with ingredients you should avoid. I have bolded the ones that I feel are most important to avoid, but you should really try to steer clean of all ingredients on this list.

Happy New Year’s Eve! Tomorrow is the first day of 2023 and we have a new challenge to do! I am so glad that so many of you enjoyed doing the December challenge, so let’s do it again. I will post a demonstration each day on Instagram, but you can also print out a calendar, so you know what is coming each day. If there is an exercise that does not work for you, feel free to swap it out for something else. The goal is either start a habit of daily movement, that you will hopefully add on to, or give yourself a little extra challenge at the end of your daily workout. Are you ready?

A great way to track progress is by taking measurements. I believe that measurements are more accurate in demonstrating fat loss than a number on the scale is. The scale cannot tell you if you gained muscle mass, are retaining water, or losing fat. It just gives you a number that can fluctuate on a daily basis. However, measurements show you if you are getting smaller which indicates fat loss. Before we start this journey, take a few. measurements, so you can track your progress. Feel free to download my measurement tracker!