Welcome!!!
Welcome to the JUNE Fitt 2 Cut Challenge kicking off Monday June 1 and ending July 3… right before the biggest BBQ weekend of the season!! This Cut is designed to be short, intense, and to hold you accountable and yield results. Remember, when you think of quitting… the CUT is temporary and great things come from being uncomfortable!
If you are using The FITT Cycle app for your workouts and nutrition guidelines you will want to change your macros to “FITT 2 CUT” - you can do this by clicking the menu > progress & goals > goals > FITT 2 Cut. These macros are designed to achieve an aggressive fat loss goal and significant caloric deficit. You can download the app HERE.
The FITT 2 Cut is also designed to be done as a community and to hold each other accountable... the best place for us to do this is in the Facebook group, if you have not yet, join by clicking HERE.
Everything you need to be successful each week will be emailed to you Sunday mornings, early enough to allow you time to grab groceries from the meal plan, meal prep, and plan for the week. This is called your Challenge Kit!
What’s included in the Challenge Kits?
Weekly Workout Schedule (F2C workouts can be found in The FITT Cycle App or you can do your own workouts)
Weekly Meal Plan
Weekly Challenge Guidelines
Weekly Q & A - each Wednesday
Weekly Virtual Workout - Varies each week
Daily Accountability Checklist
Weekly Giveaways
Each week throughout the FITT 2 CUT challenge we will randomly be giving away prizes that include gift cards, supplements, favorite athleisure, equipment, etc. We will be choosing the winners from people who “like”, “comment” and tag their friends on our daily social media posts that will be posted to The Fitt Cycle instagram… you can follow us here. We will be choosing winners directly from the comments section of each post and anytime you share something about the Fitt 2 Cut challenge (meals, workouts, posts, ideas) to your own story and tag @thefittcycle it will get you extra entries. The more you share the better your chances!!! Winners will be announced on Instagram and the Facebook group page!
Workouts
Use the #thefittcycle so we can find you!!
You will notice throughout The FITT 2 CUT, the overall workout schedule is the same. If you are utilizing The Fitt Cycle App, the workouts are designed to show progression of strength. You will notice that every other week similar types of exercises will be prescribed. This is by design so that you can try lifting heavier! It's exciting to hear the women say how many MORE reps they can do than the week prior.
I have also added “Touch Ups” or “finishers” to each workout. These are designed to sculpt and tone our curves. You can do these at the end of your workout as a burnout or add them in when you have time, but DON’T skip them!!
What if I'm short on time?! Not a problem!!
No problem! Take off the last set of each circuit OR do 1 less round of each - VERY FLEXIBLE!! You will STILL get results!!
If you are not using The Fitt Cycle App for your workouts, no problem!
When it comes to health and fitness, finding something you love and enjoy is key. I do recommend following the below outline if you plan on carb cycling! (more info on carb cycling and intermittent fasting at the bottom of this kit!)
Cardio
Beginner: If you’re new to The Fitt Cycle workouts or new to working out in general be sure you’re hitting the daily step goal for the week suggested in your Challenge Kit. You can focus on overall steps throughout the day or add in a 20-30 minute walk at the end of your workout. Just get those steps in!
Advanced: If you have been doing The Fitt Cycle for a while and are conditioned this is FOR YOU!! 30 minutes HIIT style cardio 5 days out of the week. The Fitt Cycle will already prescribe this Wednesday and Thursday, so you’ll choose 3 other days to add in HIIT. I recommend upper body days and Sunday :) My personal preference is SPRINTS, but if you need to break it up, do jumping jacks, peloton (tabata, interval, hiit classes), whatever you ENJOY!! You’ll do 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest for 30 minutes total. Remember, this is temporary and short term.
You can perform the cardio whenever you would like. Fasted, before your strength, later in the evening, whatever you need. Just remember to tag on 30 minutes of exercise time to your normal 45-60 minute session. This cardio should count towards your step goal!
Weekly Challenges
Step goal - Each week you will have a goal to hit a certain number of steps. This is one of the most under utilized tools to create fat loss, movement! As the weeks progress, you will be challenged to add more steps each week, this will be provided in the weekly challenge kit. If you like to get movement in on a stationary bike, calculate about 150 steps for each minute of biking. So in order to hit 10K steps, you’ll need to bike for at least an hour!
Water goal - Hydration is crucial when it comes to managing your weight loss. Each day you will want to drink at least 1 gallon or 128 ounces of water.
Finishers/Touch Ups - Each week you will have a new set of finishers or touch ups to perform EACH DAY. You can tack these onto the end of your workout, before bed, as a warm-up, at the end of your cardio… whichever you prefer!
Accountability Tracker - Save this accountability tracker to your phone. Upload to your social media stories each day and tag @thefittcycle for more entries in the weekly giveaways.
*Save the image below as your weekly tracker - this will also be emailed out each week.
Power Partners
Each Sunday in The Facebook group you will be prompted to find a new accountability partner for the week! This is encouraged to keep you accountable but to also connect with other like-minded women on a more personal level! We highly recommend taking advantage of your power partner. Check-in with them each day, send sweaty selfies, tag them on social, and be there when they need you!
Weekly Q & A
Each Wednesday of the challenge Lindsay will go LIVE on ZOOM to answer any and all questions that you have. These Q & As will not be topic specific and will last as long as you have questions, so come READY! This is your time to get 1:1 coaching for FREE!! There will also be a questions prompt 24 hours before the Q & A in the facebook group. The link to the call will be sent out 24 hours before via email as well as a reminder 15 minutes before the call. Mark your calendars for EACH WEDNESDAY @ 1pm.
Weekly Virtual Workout
Throughout the challenge we will be doing group virtual workouts! You all absolutely LOVED these with our last challenge so we’re bringing them back! The dates for the virtual workouts change so that we can all have a chance to join as well as work different body parts together! We will also have some guest appearances to keep it exciting!!! So be sure to take a look at the calendar and add the dates to your calendar! The link to the workout will be sent out 24 hours before as well as 15 minutes prior for easy access!
Macro Check-Ins
Macro Check-Ins will be done daily within The Fitt Cycle Facebook community. There will be a daily thread with prompts, tips, encouragement, direction, and announcements. You will screen shot your macros from the app and post into the daily thread. This is how I will be able to coach and support you in real time. Please be sure you post your macros and/or questions on the proper day or they will not get seen.
Terms to know
LISS - Low Intensity Steady State cardio. Walking or jogging but keeping your heart rate in between 120-140 BPM.
HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training. Short bursts of work followed by a short periods of rest.
Tabata - A workout strategy with a 2:1 ratio of work to rest. example: working for 20 seconds resting for 10 seconds.
Sprints - I recommend sprinting for 30 seconds and resting for 30 second each time sprints are scheduled.
Drop Set - Decreasing weight by 50% once muscle failure has been hit with a higher weight. Example: starting with 20 lbs and going until you can no longer perform with proper form, decrease to 10 lbs and complete set until failure.
Superset - two exercises performed back to back with minimal rest.
Triset - Three exercises performed back to back with minimal rest.
Fitt 2 Cut Challenge Calendar
The FITT CYcle App
The FITT Cycle APP is meant to guide you through your upcoming lifestyle!
DON’T FORGET TO USE THE #TheFITTCycle HASHTAG ON YOUR INSTAGRAM PHOTOS AND TAG @TheFITTCycle SO WE CAN ALL CHEER YOU ON!!
I have been known to do some amazing check-in/positivity/engagement GIVEAWAYS.. so stay tuned!!!
FITT CHATS
Intermittent Fasting
Throughout The FITT Cycle, we will be engaging in fasting intervals, or intermittent fasting, every day. Don’t worry, you will get to eat EVERY DAY!! This is where you have a window of time without eating at all, letting your body rest from insulin production. It is a conscious decision to have the first meal of your day a little later than you're used to and to not allow snacking after your last meal.
After we eat and our bodies are beginning to digest food, we produce insulin to counter act the spike in blood sugar. Insulin secretion makes fat burn extremely difficult. About 8-12 hours after our body is done digesting, insulin levels are lower and we are considered to be in the "fasted" state, allowing your body to access fat stores for energy.
As a society, we have been told we need to eat every two hours in order to increase our metabolism and reach our fatloss goals. Think about it. Insulin stays in our blood stream for 8-12 hours. If you are eating every two hours, you are constantly spiking your insulin levels, inhibiting your body from being able to utilize your stored fat for energy.
As a standard starting point with The FITT Cycle, I recommend breaking your fast at noon and eating until 8pm. This will help you maintain the 16:8 intervals of fasting for 16 hours and keeping an 8 hour eating window.
*if this timing doesn’t work out for you, let me know in the facebook group and we can figure out what works best for your schedule!
One of the most FAQ I get: “If I workout fasted in the morning, aren’t I supposed to have protein within 30 minutes of my workout?” - NO. Studies have shown that intermittent fasting actually increases a hormone called HGH which is your Human Growth Hormone - this hormone helps to burn fat, gain muscle, and is said to reverse signs of aging #winning!!
Once you really understand the why behind the what, you will begin to have the knowledge to implement these strategies into YOUR life, creating a sustainable LIFESTYLE. Feeling amazing, having tons of energy, glowing from the inside out, sleeping great, and loving life all start from WITHIN! Learning how to properly fuel your body will change your life. Whatever your goals are, start here.
Targeted Training and Carb Cycling
Throughout The FITT Cycle we will strategically be matching up our Carb Cycle with specific workouts to maximize fat burn and lean muscle gains, this is called TARGETED TRAINING. Carb Cycling doesn’t mean eating Tacos during a spin class.. although… I wouldn’t hate that!! Carb cycling is just what it sounds like: eating more carbohydrates on some days (strength days) to promote MUSCLE GROWTH and eating less carbohydrates (Cardio days) on some days to promote FAT LOSS and minimize fat gain. Using this technique combined with intermittent fasting, your body will enter EXTREME fat burning mode.
What's the point of Carb Cycling?
For as long as I can remember, the message we have been told is… EAT LESS… eat less carbs and eat less calories in order to lose weight. Did you know the correlation to that message and OBESITY is at an all time HIGH?! YES! Long term carbohydrate and calorie deprivation can have a negative effect on our metabolic rate and hormones. This is why so many women find themselves stuck on a diet rollercoaster. Your body is smart. If you are constantly restricting macronutrients and calories, your body is going to learn to survive on that little of calories - therefore causing you to restrict even more, leading you into a vicious cycle of frustration.
By integrating high carb days, we can increase grehlin stability (the hunger hormone) and internal homeostasis to help alleviate the feeling of being hungry. Cycling our carbohydrates also allows for two other hormones, insulin and leptin, to stabalize which will increase fat metabolization. We will be alternating two high carb days with two low carb days to allow for increased fat burn, increase energy leading to enhanced performance, endurance, and better overall physique.
High Carb Days
Monday | Tuesday | Friday | Saturday
FAST
FAST for 16 hours and complete a 6-8 hour feeding window.
Try to break your fast with your biggest/carb dense meal.
NO FASTING ON SATURDAY!! Give your body a break girl and grab some #BRUNCH
TRACK
You will want to consume what the APP recommends for your macros! Your goal is to close your rings by the end of the day!
Think of macros track like a budget!!
Try not to ADD any extra fats on High Carb Days - most fats will come from your lean protein
FITT
Activate: Build: Sculpt: Burnout
Low Carb Day
Wednesday | Thursday | Sunday
FAST
FAST for 16 hours and complete a 6-8 hour feeding window.
Try to break your fast later in the day
TRACK
Strive to eat less than 40 grams of carbs on this day!
Think PFF - protein, fats, fiber at every meal
Eat lots of vegetables and avoid starchy foods - refer to macro cheat sheet for guidance
Your macro chart in MyFitnessPal will have a LOT of fat on these days (close to 70%). THAT’S OK!!
Your app will automatically create a bigger caloric deficit on Low carb days!
If you are breastfeeding, and have consulted with your physician, I don’t recommend going below 100g net carbs for low carbs days - listen to your body and give it what it needs.
FITT
cardio conditioning
Followed by low intensity steady state cardio (LISS) Keeping your heart rate in the fat burning zone