Post Baby Hammer & Chisel Week 1

Well I finished week 1!!! So there is THAT!

After finding out I was pregnant I worried about losing all the hard work I put in for my NPC

competition. I had spent 9 L O N G months focusing on my nutrition, pushing myself to my max and practicing strutting my stuff in clear plastic heels to lose it all! I embraced my growing belly and decided I WILL NOT GIVE UP ON MY FITNESS.

I knew I would be weak once I started lifting so I decided let me ease myself back into by spending 3 weeks maxing out with Max 30. By then I will surely have the stamina to get through these new workouts,

You see The Hammer and Chisel is RIGHT up my alley. LOTS of food and tough workouts that utilize weight and stabilization!!! Meal planning is kind of my jam and nutrient timing is som
ething I researched. I learned that eating the right foods around when you workout will produce faster results. By results I mean lifting stronger and recovering faster.

Week 1 Meal Plan

Core worked in EVERY workout

For those of you who are thinking about Hammer and Chisel or who have already started I BEG you to increase your calories. I am doing PLAN C. There are a couple reasons for this. 1. I am breastfeeding and need the additional calories. 2. Winter time is BULK time in the world of building muscle. So this nursing momma is gonna build up.

Here is the AMAZING thing!!! In one week of super dialed in nutrition and the HC workouts I lost 8 pounds!!! I don't typically weight myself regularly but I wanted to share in the accountability group I am in that you can eat a significant amount of weight and still lose weight.


So here are the things I have learned during week 1

Holy Sweat

• DRINK WATER- I've always been a gallon water drinker but I would encourage everyone to drink. These workouts are TOUGH and require your body to work at it's optimal performance level and hydration is super important.
• I AM WEAK- There are a TON of pull-ups and chin-ups in this program!!! At the end of my competition training 15 was my pull-up failure. Now I use bands to assist me. I'm gonna share with you all that by the end of this program I want to be able to do pull-ups unassisted!!! Hold me accountable please!
• This workout can be done either in at home or in the gym. Since we don;t have weights high enough at home (saving for some Bowflex adjustables) I have been taking my workouts to my gym. Everyday someone asks me what I am doing and the other day someone even joined in :) If you are new to lifting and can stream this On Demand get to the gym, the trainers can help you with form cause that to is super important.
• You will sweat and be sore. This is an understatement. PiYo and Insanity Live used to be the workouts that made me sweat the most. NOT ANYMORE. I have been hydrating myself with Beachbody's Performance Hydrate (and water). To help with the soreness don't skip the cooldown and try a fast acting protein (like Recover) 30 min post workout. This will help relieve muscle soreness from pushing hard.

I'm excited to see what Week 2 has in store for me. Follow my daily journey on Facebook