I completed my THIRD Nicole Wilkins challenge this year!

This one was focused on Lifting Heavy and Building Strength!

My Performance Goals with this challenge were  to hit 135 in both the Squat and Deadlift.

I hit 115 so I was just short of my goal. I will be working on Squats and Deadlifts to finish out the year so that I can hit my goals.

My Program for the Rest of the Year

In addition to my focus on the Squats and Deadlifts, I will also be focused on cardio conditioning and Flexibility.  Nicole’s Program was about 5-6 days per week (Some weeks I had to catch up) and my program for the rest of the year will be about 3-4 days per week.

  • 1-2 Days Cardio Conditioning (HIIT: Treadmill or Sprint/Strength Complexes)/Flexibility
  • 1 Day Squats/Deadlifts
  • Classes like Orange Theory or Barre

Less is More

There was a time where I thought 6 days of Exercise a week was the standard of what i should be doing.  I understand now that mindset can be counterproductive  That is the beauty of program design and programming.  How much you work out depends on your goal and what supports that goal.

From personal experience, I do know working out at a high intensity/high volume every day for too prolonged of a time will lead to injury, burnout, and also hormonal imbalances.

Not to mention exercising too much tends to lead to the laws of diminishing returns in more ways than one.

Side note: Lately I’ve seen a lot of the people I used to follow in the industry talk about all of the injuries they’ve suffered due to the intense training they did.  It’s a shame when you realize they broke their bodies down to the point where they cannot even enjoy movement anymore.

The people who have stayed healthy and injury free tend to advocate 5 days per week of training (at most) and STIMULATE DON’T ANNIHILATE style of training. Not about beating your body down but stimulating the muscle.

Trying New Activities

This year I wanted to try new activities like Orange Theory and Barre but it just hasn’t been a priority. I’m still hoping to have some fun and do this as we close out the year and I have more flexibility with time.

That brings me to another point:  Life is about seasons and different seasons have different priorities. Back when I was a trainer in my 20’s, I devoted a lot of time to working out and fitness.  I did 2 hour Workouts gladly and loved every moment.

Now I’m ready to go after an hour because my priorities have changed and I know the damage that over exercising can do.  I’m more interested in keeping healthy, fit, and full of energy.

No dieting and less exercise…I can fit in all my clothes again so this philosophy is working for me!