#vague thoughts of tracking calories/macros and knowledge that to lose weight I need to be in a calorie deficit: you can stay for now....

[girlscience]

*EXTREME SIDE EYE @ my current health and wellness and fitness kick* are you actually me trying to take care of my body or are you that eating disorder I have been trying to avoid my whole life *grabbing it by the neck and shaking* ANSWER ME

[korrafitness]

Nikki’s FAQ (as a linkable post)

HEY! So a bunch of people informed that my FAQ is inaccessible on mobile (it usually only works for iphones) so I’ve decided to work around this by making my FAQ into a post under a read more so y’all will be able to view/reblog it! And I will try to make edits/changes as I go along on my actual FAQ. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I am not a certified personal trainer and the advice and thoughts I give on fitness are based on my own personal experience and knowledge. I will answer any questions regarding fitness to the BEST of my abilities. 

**I have split up my FAQ to be a bit more organized… Fitness Q’s are at the top and Personal Q’s are at the bottom

FITNESS FAQ

1.     Can I ask you for fitness advice? Yes if you don’t see an answered question in the FAQ and the “fitness shit” ask tag feel free to shoot me an ask or a message. NOTE: PLEASE try to avoid asking me “Do you have any tips on ___?” Unless you specify a topic, it is generally too vague for me to answer. There is literally so many tips in the fitness tag. I promise if you spend some time there you’ll find what you need and then some. ***TIP: you can also search keywords (ex. cardio, nutrition, protein) for answered asks by “korrafitness.tumblr.com/search/KEYWORD”

2.     What’s your workout routine?

For my program I am currently working out 3 to 4 times a week. For my current program (2018) I am running a 2 upper body day and 2 lower body day program. On one of those given days I will do a few power lifts, which can be: Bench Press, Sumo Deadlift, Overhead Press, Back Squats, or Front Squats. Along with a power lift I do accessory movements to complement it. Brief Overview of what movements work out which muscles: to work out your pecs, triceps, deltoids: usually a PUSHING motion is involved  to work out your biceps, traps, lats: usually a PULLING motion to work out your glutes, quads, calves: usually pushing which is self explanatory

Examples of my workout plans:

·        Push: Chest: Barbell Bench Press, DB (Dumbell) Incline Press, Pec (Pectoral) Deck, Cable Crossover, DB Flat Press, DB Incline Flys Shoulders/Delts: Overhead Press, DB Shoulder Press, Side Lateral Raises, Front Lateral Raises, Machine Lateral Raise Triceps: Dip Machine, Overhead Tricep Extension, Rope Tricep Extensions, DB Overhead Extension

·        Pull: Sumo (or Conventional) Deadlifts (whole body workout) Back: DB Row, TBar Row, Seated Cable Rows, Lat Pull Down, Anchored Barbell Row, Pull Ups, Chin Ups, Pendlay Row, Barbell Row Biceps: DB Curl, Hammer Curl, Rope Hammer Curl, Preacher Curl, Spider Curls Rear Delts: Face Pulls, Reverse Pec Deck

·        Leg: Back or Front Squats, Conventional Deadlift, Sumo Deadlift, Calf Raises, Leg Curls, Lying Leg Curls, Glute Kickbacks, Leg Extensions, Seated Leg Press, Hip Abduction, Hip Adduction, Barbell Hip Thrusts, Cable Pullthrough, Barbell Hip Thrusts, DB Reverse Lunges, etc. 

·        Abs: Leg Raises, Weighted Ab Crunches, Weighed Side Crunches, Planks, Decline Sit Ups, Russian Twists, Barbell Rollout etc. (I usually add this to one of the other days)The rep scheme of each workout varies. For the big compound movements (Bench, Deadlift, Squat, Overhead Press) I do one of the following: 4 sets of 10 (70% 1RM), 4 sets of 7 (75% 1RM), 5 sets of 5 (80% 1RM), 5 sets of 3 (85% 1RM) depending on the week. For the accessory movements I will typically do 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps. Low reps with heavy weights = building strength. High reps with low weights = building muscle. You want to vary because dealing with heavy weights is taxing on the body and if you are not careful it can lead to injuries.

The amount of sets and reps for accessory movements varies each day, one day it could be 3 sets of 15 and another 4 sets of 6-8, etc. Sometimes I will lower the amount of reps and increase the number of sets

3.     What is your diet?

Nutrition 101 My goal is to become lean, which is basically try to remove my fat as much as possible without losing too much muscle. To do this I need to keep track of what I eat. On the nutrition label of every food there is 3 macronutrients: Fats, Carbs, and Protein. What are macros? Macros aka macronutrients are 3 basic components of food: Fats, Carbs, Protein. There are important because calories are not the only thing that attribute to being healthy. A good composition of macros is important for muscle gain, fat loss, and energy. This is important because I need to keep track of this if I want definition! How do macros and calories relate? 1g of Fat = 9 calories (Important to note that fat has more calories) 1g of Carbs = 4 calories 1g of Protein = 4 calories Right now I am eating about 700 calories below my maintenance calories (which is the amount of calories I need to maintain my weight.) I am eating 1470 calories a day AND I am trying to eat my weight in protein. (** UPDATE: I am currently in a maintenance phase so my calories have increased for the time being to roughly 1650-1750cal) Now I NEED TO DO THIS TO MAINTAIN MY MUSCLE MASS. Right now I weight around 130 lbs so I try to eat at LEAST 130 grams of protein. I am also limiting my fat intake to around 50g. If this is confusing I am basically eating 25% Fats, 40% Carbs and 35% Protein. I HIGHLY recommend you download the MyFitnessPal App!!! It makes it 10x easier to track what you eat and also calculates your macros and calories for you!!

So in short I am eating 1470 calories, ~130g of protein, ~150g of carbs, and <50g of fat with 2 refeed days where I eat 1900 calories. Along with that I am doing 1200 calories worth of cardio a week. Trying to get to the summer bod!

4.     How do I get abs? Doing a bunch of ab workouts/machines/planks will NOT do anything for you if you have a little tummy. Abs do not just bypass the fat you have on your stomach. If you really really want to get abs its ALL about what you eat. Start tracking, start dieting, and in the end you’ll shed that tummy away and your abs will just be there! Yes it is important to do ab exercises but don’t do a bunch of crunches and wonder why your not seeing results its all about NUTRITION.

5.     How do I lose fat in [specific area of body (thighs, tummy,hips, etc)]? Sadly there is not workout/exercise that can target a certain body part to lose fat there. You can certainly work out a specific muscle and tone/strengthen it however the fat layer will still be basically sitting on top of your muscle! To lose fat body has to burn it off by using it as energy! If you eat more calories than your maintenance, your body will just use those excess calories instead of your fat storage! You will need to be in a deficit!! You can do this by cardio or dieting or a mixture of both.

6.    How do I lose mass (cut/get toned/lean/lose fat/weight)? Losing weight is a product of a CALORIC DEFICIT (consuming less and burning more calories than your body needs in order for it to use the fat storage in your body as energy) The best way to have a deficit is to keep track of your nutrition/calories and also burn calories as a cardio workout. (Refer to question 10 to calculate your caloric deficit)

7.   How do I gain mass (bulk/gain weight/muscle)? In order to gain mass your body must be in a CALORIC SURPLUS (your body will not have the energy/nutrients to build more tissue as muscle otherwise) During this time you will gain fat if you are trying to bulk. It is possible to try a lean bulk phase where you MINIMIZE the fat gained by consuming a good macro ratio, only going into a slight caloric surplus (Refer to question 10 to calculate your caloric surplus), and adding in LIGHT cardio (just make sure you are still in a surpus) I also recommend eating your weight in protein (0.8-1g per 1lb of your body weight) because having more protein will aid in protein synthesis (an important part of muscle growth)

8.   Why is it impossible to gain muscle mass and lose fat at the same time? You can still build muscle on a deficit HOWEVER you won’t gain MASS. You will still have stronger muscles/slightly more defined but they won’t grow in size. Your body just simply doesn’t have the energy/nutrients to build more tissue as muscle which is why people go on bulking/cutting phases. Being in a caloric deficit hinders protein synthesis which means your body tends to lose muscle when you’re trying to lose fat. Restricting your calories also restricts your body’s ability to build and repair muscle tissue so consuming high amounts of protein AND gradually increasing your deficit will help to preserve your muscles. HOWEVER!!! There is a SHORT portion of time as someone who’s just getting into fitness (never worked out before) that goes through a period of “newbie gains” where it is possible to lose fat and gain muscle because your body reacts very strongly to any new stimulus it gets (You will see that it is possible to make huge jumps in strength compared to that of an experienced lifter)

9. How do I calculate my caloric maintenance? First off, what are maintenance calories? The amount of calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight. This is determinant on many different factors (age, height, sex, lean mass, hormones, exercise/activity level, diet, etc) - Why is this important? In order to gain muscle mass or lose fat you will have to be either in a caloric surplus or caloric deficit respectively. To determine how many calories you need you will need to know your maintenance and add (surplus) or subtract (deficit) from that. (Note: Cardio can definitely help you put yourself in a deficit by burning more calories in your workout HOWEVER if you still end up eating more calories you may still end up at maintenance or even at a surplus!!!) - What’s the formula? There’s many different formulas and some might be better than others but here here is a VERY simple calories per unit weight calculation which is based on how active your lifestyle is (it is not very specific to individual and offers too wide of a range sometimes but it gives you a good guessimate for you to try to find your maintenance)…    - normal, healthy, sedentary individuals: 12-13 kcal/lb    - moderate activity (active 3-5x a wk): 14-15 kcal/lb    - highly active lifestyle (active 5+ a wk): 16-17kcal/lb ex. I am moderately active and weigh ~125lbs so… 125lbs x 14kcal = 1750kcal and 125lbs x 15kcal = 1875kcal so… ~1750-1875kcal is the range in which my maintenance most likely lies NOW to get a more accurate measure you will have to narrow it down… for about 2-4 weeks monitor your weight by weighing yourself every morning when you wake up and before you consume any food. At the end of the week take an average of them and compare it to the previous weeks.. if it is roughly the same you have found your maintenance. Congratulations! - What now? I want to LOSE weight: From your maintenance start by taking ~10-20% of your maintenance away and again like the method before monitor your weight WEEKLY (it is very important to note that DAILY weigh ins are NOT A DETERMINANT OF HOW HEALTHY YOU ARE so please do not stress if it fluctuates against what your goals are) There is no exact numbers or pattern to follow when dropping the calories but if you are progressing well after ~1-2 weeks drop another ~5-10% and so on.. these results are GRADUAL and patience is very important. I want to GAIN weight:  Same as above except now you are adding ~10-20% of your maintenance calories. Monitor your results and adjust as required.

10. What advice/tips can you give to a beginner? i. Set REALISTIC goals! Give yourself time and set goals that you are attainable so it can push you to work harder once you meet it! ii. Take progress photos! I can’t stress this one enough… numerical goals aren’t always the best inidicator for how well you are doing fitness wise! Visual improvement SHOWS you and you will notice small things that you would’ve never seen otherwise iii. Don’t cut cold turkey! Don’t think of dieting as something you should do for x amount of time just change some little things here and there with your nutrition I promise it’ll go a long way. Start by eliminating soda from your diet then junk snacks and then fast food! Not all at once! iv. Be flexible with your schedule! If you miss a day make it up another time and if you still miss it it’s okay forgive yourself move on KEEP GOING v. Don’t compare your progress to others! This one is difficult because of societal standards and unrealistic media portrayals but your OWN progress is what matters how are you doing compared to your PAST self! (Again, progress photos!!) vi. Start slow and steady! Don’t just go into it thinking the most important thing is the most weight you can lift, I see a lot of people go into the gym and pick up the heaviest weight they can handle and when they do the movement it’s not a complete extension or its sloppy. Take your time, good form and technique goes a long way. vii. Work out all your muscle groups! Don’t make the mistake of working out the muscles that you like (I was guilty of this) A lot of workouts indirectly aid in another and having an evenly built body will just make you feel strong as hell. Don’t be a dorito. viii. Enjoy your life! Just because you are working out/trying to be healthy doesn’t mean you can’t go out with your friends/family or eat the foods you want as long as they are in moderation!! Enjoy it and be ready to come back to it right after

11. What is the difference between high reps/low weight and low reps/high weight? - Higher weight and low reps = a bigger focus on building strength - Lower weight and high reps = a bigger focus on building muscle (hypertropy) Both are important to intregrate into a workout program if you want to have muscle definition and strength. Varying the rep scheme is also good to prevent over exhaustion of your muscles and potential injuries. For more rep scheme details refer to question 3.

12. How do I speed up my metabolism? Metabolism 101: 3 major components 1. BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): the amount of calories your body needs to simply just BE à this is dependent on your mass/weight, age, height, etc and will only change if one of those factors changes 2. TEPA (Thermic Effect of Physical Activity): heat generated by ANY physical movement (walking, running, fidgeting, etc) à any amount of physical activity you add to your daily routine will help increase this. It may not be practical for some to suddenly do a bunch of cardio but if you add any physical activities (taking stairs, walking vs driving, etc) over time it adds up 3. TEF (Thermic Effect of Feeding): energy spent digesting, transporting, absorbing food àthis one is a bit trickier and less significant but a protein calorie requires more energy for your body to break down vs a fat calorie (a high protein diet could help you) MYTHS: - Drinking water will boost your metabolism (it does not affect metabolism, it simply just creates satiety and makes you feel a bit more full which helps for DIFFERENT reasons) - Eating more frequent smaller meals boosts your metabolism (NO scientific backing, what matters is DAILY/WEEKLY nutrition and calorie consumption)

13.    What do you do for cardio? While I am cutting, my goal is to burn 1200 calories per week. I am doing low intensity cardio where I walk on the highest incline (15) at a speed of 3 for 30 minutes and burn roughly ~300cal per session.

14.   What do you usually eat? While I am cutting: chicken, turkey, rice, eggs, cereal, low fat cheese and milk, greek yogurt, beef jerky, protein shakes, protein bars, vegetables, fruits, etc.. and I will still have the occasional snack/fatty food

15.   How much can you bench/squat/deadlift? My 1 rep max for Bench: 130lbs Squat: 145lbs (front) Deadlift: 275lbs (sumo)

16.   How do you stay motivated? I am gonna be honest but you shouldn’t rely on motivated to keep up with the gym.. motivation is fleeting and it comes and goes when it wants and there are gonna be bad days that kill it and in order for you to persist and keep going things need to become routine: 1. MAKE TIME FOR THE GYM! Plan ahead and schedule your week beforehand.. figure out which days and times you are able to go and try to set a consistent schedule. If you plan to go for 3 days a week and lets say you have a bad day on one of those days.. make it up! Go the next time you’re free, be flexible. 2. CHANGE YOUR ROUTINE LITTLE BY LITTLE! DON’T make a complete 180 to your nutrition or workout schedule and expect yourself to follow through with it. That’s way too difficult. Make adjustments here and there (don’t cut cold turkey!) and lets say you can’t work out for the whole two hours you wanted to.. that’s okay! Do as much as you can and slowly work up to it. 3. SET ATTAINABLE GOALS! The most discouraging thing is working really hard and expecting results a little too soon and have your “motivation” die because you haven’t made any “progress”. TAKE PROGRESS PICTURES! If you set smaller goals, once you reach them you’ll be even more motivated to keep going! 4. EXPECT BAD DAYS! Something I used to struggle with was being busy with work and school and all the stress that comes with that and I would stop working out if I had exams coming up and THAT’S OKAY! Take some time off, I know other priorities pop up HOWEVER after that’s done don’t feel like you’ve lost all the “potential progress.” Keep going! Life happens, don’t be so hard on yourself. 17.   Is it better to work out all your muscles on one day or different muscles on different days? 

It generally depends on your schedule. I do recommend giving yourself a few rest days! For someone that has a super busy schedule they may go only 2 to 3 times per week vs someone with a more flexible schedule that can go 4 to 5 times per week. As long as you can hit all your muscle groups in 1 week you are golden. example of workout plans: 2 days a week: upper body, lower body 3 days a week: push day (chest/triceps) , pull day (back/biceps), leg and abs 4 days a week: chest/tricep, back/biceps, legs, abs and shoulders 4 days a week: upper body, lower body, upper, lower 4 days a week: lower body, push day, pull day, lower body the possibilities are endless and are completely up to you

18.  I can’t afford/go to a gym, what are some things I can do at home? If you can’t make it to the gym, I do highly recommend you at the very least invest in a pair of dumbells and possibly a pull up bar! Here are some workouts: - Push ups                                (chest/triceps) - Bicep curls                             (biceps)     - DB lateral raises                    (shoulders) - DB shoulder press                 (shoulders) - DB rear delt flys                     (delts) - DB pec dec flys                     (chest) - DB tricep extensions             (triceps) - DB rows                                (back) - Chair dips                              (triceps) - Pull ups                                 (back/biceps) - Leg raises (w/ pull up bar)    (core) - Squats (can add db)             (legs) - Wall sits                                 (legs) - Planks                                    (core)

19. Do you have a sample workout program? Sample

20.  How many times a week do you go to the gym and for how long? I go ~4 times a week and will spend an avg of 2 hours there, sometimes I’ll do cardio for 30 minutes in addition during my cutting phases

21.  Do you ever experience gym anxiety? And how do you deal with it? Of course! The best thing you can do is avoid the gym at peak hours (5pm-8pm) and bring headphones when you go to basically block everyone out and ignore them. Bring a buddy if that’s an option. People at the gym are focused on their own workout and even if they seem like they’re judging you, it’s probably not the case they’re in their own zone!

22.  Do you have any fitness websites you could recommend? NerdFitness, Darbee, BodyBuilding are a few And I also really enjoy OmarIsuf’s and Alan Thrall’s youtube videos.

23.  Can I add you on MyFitnessPal? Sure its nikkintn

24.  How long have you been working out for? I started working out about 4 years ago but have only recently, in the past few years, been more serious about it with dieting and consistency.

25.  How do you cut your T-shirts? Cutting T shirt tutorial

26.  What is your workout playlist? Playlist

27.  What protein do you take? I take this one amazon it has 25g of protein for only 110 calories but any whey isolate will do just fine!

28.  Do take any other supplements? I only take a preworkout before I hit the gym

29.  Do you have any fitness blog recommendations? Sadly, I don’t follow any fitness blogs on here. However if you want recommendations for fitness inspirations @ bonschro, megsquats, brookeence, baconandbiceps, kriis_d, steficohen, cynthialeu, matiecakesssss!

ABOUT ME FAQ

1.     What inspired your tattoo? My forever girl Korra, more specifically this fanart by peaceofseoul

2.   Have you every cosplayed/would you every cosplay [character]? I have ‘closeted’ cosplayed before but I’ve never done an actual full blown one? I would really like to cosplay Korra one day but I don’t have much time/craft skills to make one at the moment.

3.     What platform do you game on? PS4 only

4.     Can I add you on PSN? Sure my PSN is i-Nikki however I don’t usually get a chance to play a lot of multiplayer because of school/work

5.     How tall are you? 5′5″

6.     What is your ethnicity? I am half chinese and half viet

7.   Are you single? No

8.   Favorite video games? Mass effect, tomb raider, the last of us, dishonored, transistor, bloodborne, horizon zero dawn

9.   What’s your major? Biology, Fall ‘18 I will be attending pharmacy school

10.  What’s your career goals? I want to become a pharmacist (drug lord)

11.  Would it be okay if I draw you? Go for it. Follow your dreams.

12.  What characters do you main on overwatch? Roadhog, Zarya, Mei, 76, Lucio

13. When is your birthday/sign? July 10th and cancer

14.  Where are you from? If you missed it in my description, I am from Orange County, CA

15. Can I send you snaps of ___? My snapchat is PUBLIC. Apologies but I will not see any snaps that you send me. Only the people that I have added are able to message me. You can DM me on tumblr if you would like.