Let's Get Summer-Ready! Details of My New 8-Week Program:

I'm SO excited to introduce my new 8-week fitness & nutrition program! This program is perfect for you if:

• You have been dieting for a while and want to learn how to actually fuel your body

• Your workouts have been random and all over the place and you need structure

• You have no idea how to challenge yourself without causing injury

• You want guidance and support from a qualified coach

• You want to look "lean" heading into summer without starving yourself

So many women tell me they've been running in circles trying to diet, do a bunch of cardio, and they end up feeling hungry, tired, and un-motivated. This often leads to binge-eating, giving up on workouts, and gaining the same 5-10 pounds every season. The truth is, we aren't meant to be dieting all the time or constantly fluctuating in weight. I understand that new workouts every week is exciting, but if you follow a structured plan where you can track your progress, you're going to feel capable and confident instead of confused and lost.

This program is designed to enhance muscle growth in the first block (weeks 1-4) and promote fat loss in the second block (weeks 4-8). With my tips and que's I will help you apply progressive overload so you can gradually get stronger and feel confident in your form. This is not a rapid weight loss program. This is to help you fuel your body, get strong, and head into summer with confidence!

This post will guide you through the details of your training program, explain progressive overload and how it can enhance your results, as well as some nutrition tips to align with your training block.

Understanding Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is applied when you gradually increase stress placed on your body over time to build strength, muscle, and endurance. Our muscles adapt over time, so this is a way to continuously challenge them and promote growth/avoid plateau's.

The great thing about 4-week blocks is that your workouts aren't all over the place. You will be able to get better at your form and execution so you can be confident enough to increase weight/reps/sets.

*Note: The most important thing is proper form. Don't increase the weight if you're unable to perform the exercise with good form, as this can lead to injury and defeat the purpose of the exercise!

In a structured 8-week program, you will apply progressive overload a little differently within each block.

The 8-Week Program Structure

The 8-week training program is split into two primary blocks. Here's a breakdown of each:

Block 1: Muscle Building (Weeks 1-4)

In this block, you will focus on muscle growth, known as hypertrophy. You will aim for 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps per exercise.

Applying progressive overload in block 1:

• Increase the weight each week over 4 weeks (2.5-5 lbs for upper body, 5-10 lbs for lower body)

• Increase reps but maintain weight (if weight increase isn't possible or you don't have higher weights at home)

• Increase sets (start with 3 sets of an exercise, progress to 4)

• Slow down your tempo (increase time under tension- pauses at the bottom of a squat)

• Focus on mind to muscle connection - don't just fly through your workouts!

Cardio & Nutrition for Block 1:

Because you're working on hypertrophy over these first 4 weeks, your cardio should be minimal to moderate. Cardio is still important, but you don't want to overdo it. Your muscles will need to rest and repair in order to grow. I suggest 2-3 cardio sessions per week that are steady-state (no sprinting, just a moderate pace).

Aim to keep your calorie intake at maintenance or slightly higher. You will need the energy from food to build muscle and give you energy for your workouts. For example, if your baseline is 2,500 calories, your goal should be between 2,750 and 3,000 calories daily. If this sounds confusing, don't worry - I provide you with a calorie and macro goal that you can follow right inside my coaching app!

If you're wondering what to eat that will align with your macro goal, you will have access to 100's of recipes within my app and personal ideas from me!

Weekly Structure:

During these four weeks, your workouts will be scheduled like this:

• Day 1: Upper Body & Core

• Day 2: Lower Body

• Day 3: Rest or Active Recovery

• Day 4: Upper Body & Core

• Day 5: Lower Body

• Day 6: Rest or Active Recovery

• Day 7: Rest or Active Recovery

To build muscle and look toned, we need to use resistance!!

Block 2: Cutting and Fat Loss (Weeks 5-8)

In this block, you're going to shift to fat loss while maintaining the muscle you have built! This will be done by adding more cardio, reducing calories slightly, but keeping strength training challenging. The focus here isn't about rapid weight loss, it's about maintaining your muscle while losing fat.

Applying progressive overload in block 2:

• Maintain strength (try not to reduce weight on lifts but if you have to it's totally okay)

• Shorten your rest periods between sets (example from 60 seconds to 30 seconds)

• Add supersets (back to back exercises with no rest in between) and/or circuits

• Adding explosive movements (jump squats, kettlebell swings, box jumps)

Cardio & Nutrition for Block 2:

Now that you're focusing on fat loss and revealing your muscle, you can add more cardio to increase the level of calories burned. This will place you in a larger deficit (more calories burned versus being consumed). But, you will still need to pay attention to your calorie intake. Within this block, your schedule will include some HIIT workouts and an extra cardio workout during the week.

During this phase, you will need to transition to a calorie deficit to promote fat loss. However, you won't decrease calories significantly because you want to preserve your muscle. Rapid weight loss is not something we are aiming for. Slow and steady weight loss is more likely to retain muscle. A decrease of about 10-20% from your maintenance level is reasonable, while increasing protein intake—increasing to 1 gram of protein per lean body weight (or goal weight).

Weekly Structure:

For this phase, your schedule will look similar to this:

• Day 1: Upper Body & Core

• Day 2: Lower Body

• Day 3: Rest or Mobility

• Day 4: Core and Conditioning/Full Body HIIT

• Day 5: Rest or Mobility

• Day 6: Cardio

• Day 7: Rest and Recovery

Tracking Your Progress

Research shows that people who track their fitness progress are 33% more likely to achieve their goals. With my 8-week program, you have access to my mobile app where you can track your weights lifted, repetitions completed, and how you feel after each workout. You can also take measurements of your body composition or progress photos because remember, the scale doesn't always tell the truth! Sometimes we build muscle and lose fat which won't show a dramatic change on the scale. That's where body composition comes into play - you will look leaner and clothes will fit better.

How I will support you during these 8 weeks:

• You will have access to my Fit Mom group chat where I post tips and encouragement and other Moms can share their wins. There will be a mini challenge to help keep you motivated with some prizes included for points earned!

• Every Friday you can send me form videos and I will provide feedback within 24 hours. This way you know if you're safely executing an exercise or need modifications made.

• I will check in with you on week 4 to make sure everything is going smoothly. This is where I will adjust your macros to align with your new block and answer any questions you may have for 24 hours as you head into the second block.

• *Note: this is not a 1:1 program- if you are interested in a completely customized, fully supported program please contact me.

Let's get started on your best body with structured workouts, guided nutrition, and best of all... SUPPORT!