Confession: I (Christy) can’t cook. Really. At all. In life, I am confident and adventurous, but in the kitchen I can be a bumbling idiot.

How can I work in a food-related profession and be bad at cooking? I don’t know. I have no good answer for that question, but it is a weakness I have learned to own.

Click Here for the Nutrition Planner Worksheet to Prep for a Swole Week

Cooking Isn’t Rocket Science

When it comes to recommending food choices, meals, and meal-prep strategies, you can trust I have tried them all. I’ve tried prepping for the whole week on Sunday. I have tried prepping each evening for the next day. And I have tried just buying a whole crap-ton of healthy foods with the game plan to just wing it.

READ: Modern Day Meal Planning: Eating to Promote Fat Burning

“When it comes to recommending food choices, meals, and meal-prep strategies, you can trust I have tried them all.”

In my experience, none of it works. What I mean by that is one approach does not work every single week without fail. I’ve had to step away from a fixed nutrition plan and embrace a more fluid approach.

Here are the first steps I take to plan out my week of meals:

1. Mark off the time you already have obligations. Think of the “must dos” like work and family care. Be honest here! Don’t choose watching The Amazing Race over something that can get you to your best self.
2. Identify a one-hour block of time to do your large shopping trip. Then add two twenty-minute blocks of time for quick trips to replenish and fill in.
3. Block off your workouts. Allow fifteen minutes before and after for warm up and cool down time, as well.
4. Identify a one-hour block of time to prep your main items. For example, you might need to throw chicken in the slow cooker, chop veggies, mix batter for Banana nonPancakes, or prep a salad base.
5. Select three or four twenty-minute blocks of time to prep for the following days. These prep tasks might include putting leftovers in containers, cutting any veggies and fruit, or prepping the following day’s breakfast.

Download and follow the Example Shopping Guide to see how I prepare meals.

So What Do I Eat?

If getting swole is the goal, your meals need to have certain priorities. Here are our five tips for planning (and eating) to build muscle mass.

1. Start with your protein choice. When your goal is to build lean muscle, you have to prioritize protein. You should get between 0.9g and 1.1g of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. Do the math, then look back at what you have consumed over past few days. Are you close? If not, start tracking protein intake at each meal. Remember, you also need to get at least 20g in that hour immediately following your training session.
2. Add your veggies. Have at least two heaping handfuls of whatever veggie you have chosen for the meal.
3. Top with fruit or grains. Prioritize a 3:1 veggie-to-fruit ratio. Once you’ve filled your plate with your two heaping handfuls of veggies, use that 3:1 ratio as your guide for what portion of fruit you need.
4. Factor in fat. Good, clean fat sources are vital for a swole body. But even the cleanest fat source can be easily overeaten. Pop quiz: how many almonds are considered a serving? The answer is twelve to fifteen. If you consistently consume more than that, you might be overdoing it. Fat should be 25-30% of your overall daily intake. If you don’t know your fat intake, using an app like MyFitnessPal will help.
5. Sit and enjoy. No, I’m not being sarcastic. Sitting down to taste and enjoy your food is a daily habit I cannot stress enough. Getting into this habit forces you to be more aware of your portion size, your likes and dislikes, and even your own hunger cues. Take time to enjoy your meal and prepare to be amazed at how this habit can transform your relationship with food.

READ: Top 10 Foods to Gain Muscle Mass

We’re Here to Help You

Meal prep and planning can be intimidating, so we’ve provided the following four resources to help you succeed in the gym and in the kitchen:

• Six Week Workout Program
• Swole Nutrition Basics
• Nutrition Planner Worksheet
• Example Shopping Guide

These resources and habits will have a huge impact on your ability to build the body you want. Meal planning and food prep is both and art and a science, and requires an honest look at what you are willing to do to get the results you want.

Click Here for the 6-Week Swole Sisters Strength Program

Photo 3 courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Swole Nutrition 101: Building Muscle Beyond the Barbell appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Christy Baroni and Jenna Torres, collectively known as the Swole Sisters, coach at Conviction Training Facility on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Their Swole Sisters program was created to help women break out of boring, ineffective weight loss routines and get strong, confident, and, in a word, swole.

To learn more about Christy and Jenna and for more information, read (and watch) our introduction to the Swole Sisters and their nutrition and training philosophy.

A Message to Women Wanting Something Better for Their Body

What you are about to embark on is a six-week strength and conditioning program designed by women, for women, with the specific purpose of building lean muscle mass, losing fat, and becoming a Swole Sister.

The Swole Sister program is actually two programs – a nutrition program and a strength and conditioning program – that coincide with each other. One does not exist without the other.

The Strength and Conditioning Program

This program is set up by week and by day. Your rest days are on Wednesday and Sunday. Block out sixty to 75 minutes for the Monday and Saturday workouts.

Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday should take no more than an hour. Monday and Saturday workouts take priority over the other days. Make sure these workouts get done.

Monday and Saturday focus on the clean and jerk, which is one of the Olympic lifts. The idea behind Swole Sisters is to use Olympic weightlifting to build lean muscle mass and lose fat.

With that in mind, we want you to spend as much time under the barbell as possible to become confident and comfortable moving weight. For this reason, we focus only on the clean and jerk during this six-week series.

When looking at this program it is important to take it one day and one piece at a time. Programs can seem overwhelming and confusing when looked at as a whole. When we take it piece by piece, it is more easily managed.

If there is a movement you do not understand, don’t worry. There are links to movements and technique tips throughout the program.

If you are worried about how much weight you will have to lift in this program, you can relax.

The weight is scaled for you using percentages. Conditioning is scalable as well. If you are unable to safely perform a movement with the weight suggested, do not hesitate to drop the weight. You will see scaling suggestions throughout the program.

The Shankle Complex is used as a test at the beginning and end of the program. Although we do not believe in any one specific way of coaching weightlifting, Donny Shankle is the person who helped us understand how these movements should feel.

Why We Use the Shankle Complex

We highly respect Donny Shankle as an athlete and coach (and he is very swole).

For building lean muscle, performing higher reps at a medium load is most effective.

Before you start any of your workouts get your body ready. Suggestions for mobilizing and warming up are listed in the program. Spend about ten minutes on this.

Lastly – don’t forget to have fun! This program is a commitment. It will take time, and it will take effort. If it is not fun, though, you are missing a piece of this program.

Start this program with a friend (preferably one with the same availability as you) Train together as often as possible. This will help not only with accountability, but also with keeping the program fun!

Downloads for this program

• Six Week Workout Program
• Swole Nutrition Basics
• Nutrition Planner Worksheet
• Example Shopping Guide

Swole Sisters Suggested Mobility

• 10 wrist circles in each direction (both wrists)
• 10 ankle circles in each direction (both ankles)
• 10 high kicks per leg
• 10 side kicks per leg
• Hips from Plank
• Samson stretch
• 10 arm circles forward (both arms at the same time)
• 10 arm circles backwards (both arms at the same time)
• Tricep stretch
• 5 torso twist (each direction)
• 3 4-point squat

Suggested Warm Up

• 5 behind-the-neck strict press
• 3 hang power cleans (empty barbell)
• 3 front squats (empty barbell)
• 3 clean deadlift (empty barbell)
• 3 cleans (empty barbell)
• 5 strict pull ups or ring rows
• 500m row, 400m run, or 3 minutes of jump rope

Week 4: The Fruits of Your Labor

This is the best week of the whole program. You will enjoy visible results in the next seven days. I’m assuming you have been dialed in to your daily nutrition habits and you got through week three without punching anyone? Or maybe you did punch someone. No judgment either way.

There is a whole movement starting that runs counter to what you see in magazines and on TV. She’s the confident girl. Not perfect by any stretch, but so in love with her contributions to this world that her imperfections are celebrated right along with her accomplishments. This is the Swole Movement, and you are part of it.

So go post your pics to Instagram, #swolesisters! Show us your best. We want to see you having fun, food prepping, and enjoying your new found swoledom.

Week 4 Training Sessions

Be sure to scroll down for instructional videos at the end of each week’s programming.

Monday

Strength

EMOM clean and jerk. Go off your 1RM from Saturday of week 1.

• 1 rep @70% for 5 Minutes
• 1 rep @75% for 5 Minutes
• 1 rep @80% for 5 Minutes

then
ADD 5% each minute thereafter until you miss (you should get 16-21 reps)
There is no rest between percentages. This ends up being a 15-21 minute EMOM. Do not exceed 21 Minutes.

Conditioning

4x200m sprints, rest :30 between efforts

If your time drops more than 3 seconds, then 1:00 before the next sprint.

Accessory work
5 rounds for QUALITY

• 12 weighted good mornings with 5lbs more than last week
• 16 leg lifts

Tuesday

Strength

Take 15-20 minutes to complete:

Strict press: 8-8-8-8

Warm up to 70% of your 1RM strict press then start your first set of strict presses. Try to move up in weight each set. Each set should be challenging, but done with great technique.

Conditioning

8 Tabata rounds of each movement:

• pull ups
• 5 front squat to press with 65lbs
• double unders
• sit ups

*Record your total reps of each movement

Scaling options for pull ups

• ring rows
• negative pull ups

Scaling options for double unders

• 10 double unders or double under attempts
• 50 single jump rope jumps

Wednesday

Rest and mobilize ankles, calves, hips, hamstrings, T-spine, and shoulders

Thursday

Strength

Take 15-20 minutes to complete:

Push press: 8-8-8-8

Warm up to 70% of your 1RM push press then start your first set of push presses. Try to move up in weight each set. Each set should be challenging, but done with great technique.

Conditioning

3 rounds

• 500m row
• rest 1:00
• 20 dumbbell bench press (10-25lbs)
• rest :30
• 10 over-the-bench burpees
• rest 1:00

Scaling options for over the bench burpees

• Jump on the bench and then step over
• Step on to the bench and then step over
• Jump or step over your dumbbells

Friday

Strength

Take 15-20 minutes to complete:
Back squat: 8-8-8-8

Warm up to 70% of your 1RM back squat, then start your first set of squats. Try to move up in weight each set. Each set should be challenging, but done with great technique.

Conditioning
5 rounds for time and reps:

• :30 max overhead walking lunges with 25lbs
• 200m sprint
• Rest 1:00

Scale weight is needed or hold a PVC pipe overhead.

Saturday

Strength

15 minutes to build up to a heavy hang power clean to overhead

1 clean deadlift+3 hang clean pull]

• 3 sets @ 93%
• 2 sets @ 97%
• 1 set @ 102%

Percentages are based on your best clean.

10 minutes to a heavy single: behind-the-neck push press
then

3 x12@59% of the day’s heavy single behind-the-neck push press

Conditioning

Prowler push – 10x30m (35lbs on each side)

Rest :60 between rounds

Options if you don’t have a prowler:
1. Push a car. You MUST do this with a friend. Put the car in neutral. One person has to be in the driver seat steering the car and braking when needed while the other person pushes.

2. 10 rounds

• :30 row sprint
• :60 Rest

3. 6 rounds

• :30 Jump Rope
• :30 Rest

Accessory work

4 rounds for QUALITY, not time

• 25 sit ups
• 15 super womans

Swole Demonstration Videos

Week 4

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

The post Get Swole, Sister: Strength, Conditioning, and Nutrition for Women appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

What is a Swole Sister? If you ask me, she’s a badass at heart. She loves lifting heavy, testing her limits, and wants her physical body to reflect every last ounce of her badassery.

She might be nineteen or 79. She might be a working mother of three or a single girl just starting out her adult life. She may be a college athlete or maybe has never done anything athletic in her life. Until now.

RELATED: The New Mid-Life Crisis: Testing Our Limits

Get Started on the Six-Week Swole Sisters Program

You can accomplish a lot in six weeks. You can lose fat, you can gain muscle, and you can build strength and stamina. But if this is your first attempt at lining up your nutrition habits with your workouts, you also must have realistic expectations. What will success feel like? How will I know that I am on way to Swoledom?

The first step to joining the program is to take two full-length photos, one side view and one front view. We recommend wearing a sports bra and shorts (or bathing suit for those who want some hardcore accountability) so you can see your whole body. You will retake these same photos at the end of the six weeks.

“The scale can be deceiving. It is one valid and legitimate data point, but it doesn’t paint the whole picture.”

Why do we harp on the photos? Because it’s easy to dismiss actual results. The scale can be deceiving. It is one valid and legitimate data point, but it doesn’t paint the whole picture. If you have a way to get your body fat percentage calculated before starting this program, do that, as well. Between the scale, the body fat percentage, and the pictures, you will have more than enough evidence of your progress.

You Are Tackling Two Programs at Once

Doing a weightlifting program for six weeks is physically hard work. Doing a nutrition program for six weeks is mentally hard work. Doing both at the same time? It is a feat that should not be taken lightly. 

RELATED: 4 Nutrition Lessons That Can Benefit Anyone

If now is not the time to take on this challenge, that is fine. We love you and still think you are awesome. And we’ll be here when you are ready. This stuff is tough and requires 100% commitment on your end.

But if this is the right time, then what’s the best way to ensure you can get through the whole thing? Join with a bestie. Someone who will hold you accountable to meal planning and meal prep, and to getting your workouts done and sticking it out for your accessory work. Find someone who can encourage you and remind you why you are doing this program.

Lifting Weights Leads to Looking Good

If we were honest, most of us would admit we join the gym for the purposes of looking good and feeling sexy. We have specific ideas and things we want to change about ourselves. We want to get rid of the flab under our arms, we are looking for a flat stomach and hopefully some abs, we want our shoulders to be defined, and what girl doesn’t want to firm up her booty?

“The majority of the female population fears lifting weights, lifting too often, doing certain types of lifts, or lifting heavy because they believe they will get ‘bulky.'”

Many women believe in order to achieve the results they are looking for they must run or do some type of cardio for as long as possible. On top of this, the majority of the female population fears lifting weights, lifting too often, doing certain types of lifts, or lifting heavy because they believe they will get “bulky.” And, even if a woman is curious about lifting weights, finding somebody to teach you how to do it properly can be challenging.

But if you want to lose fat and you want a “toned” body, perhaps there is a better way than just running your heart out.

We Need to Have Muscles

To have definition in our body, we need to have muscles. To have muscles, we have to build them through some type of strength training. If we want to define those muscles, we must work them at higher volume and at weights between 70%-80%.

RELATED: 2 Myths About Women and Weight Lifting Debunked 

The more lean muscle mass we have, the more fat our bodies burn. Anaerobic exercise (weightlifting, interval training, sprints) not only burns more fat, but continues to burn fat long after your workout is completed. While aerobic exercise (low to moderate in intensity and long in duration, like jogging, biking, walking, or swimming) does burn fat and is beneficial for our health, but it is not the most effective way of training when concerned with physical features like defined arms, a nice round ass, definition in the quads, and a tight stomach.

Look at the body of an Olympic distance runner compared to an Olympic sprinter. If your ideal physique leans more toward the sprinter’s body, then Swole Sisters is the right program for you.

RELATED: How to Sprint Your Way to a 6-Pack

With that said, we want to make it clear we are not saying one training method is better or worse than another. We are simply saying each approach has its place and, depending on what your goals are, one program will be more effective for you than another.

The Swole Sisters Strength and Conditioning Program

The Swole Sisters strength and conditioning program uses weightlifting and short intense interval training to help women build lean muscle mass and lose fat. Although it can take months and years to transform our bodies, in six weeks you will see respectable changes. This program is meant to help women get comfortable with a barbell in their hands, and in the process you will find the confidence and the self-esteem that comes from being strong.

“Although it can take months and years to transform our bodies, in six weeks you will see respectable changes.”

Mondays and Saturdays are focused on the clean and jerk. On these days you will also see short sprints and accessory work to strengthen your core and hamstrings.

On Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, your strength workout will be a strict press, push press, or back squat. On these days your conditioning will consist of interval work. For example: 3 rounds of :30 max pull ups / :30 rest. This means you do as many pull-ups as possible in thirty seconds, then rest thirty seconds. During the time you work, you should push as much as possible while keeping the integrity of the movement completely intact. You should not finish a round thinking, “I could have done more.” And above all you should train hard, train safe and have fun.

“During the time you work, you should push as much as possible while keeping the integrity of the movement completely intact.”

On Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday the majority of your strength work is set up with dashes in between numbers. For example 5-5-5-5-5. The number indicates how many reps you do in each set before racking the weight and resting. The dashes mean you should try to move up in weight each time. These sets are considered working sets, which means each set should be at a challenging, almost maximal effort. You should not be able to jump thirty pounds between sets.

You will see the program suggests a percentage to warm up to. This means warm up to that percentage and then start your sets above that percentage. Again, you should go as heavy as technique will allow. Technique always comes before weight.

RELATED: Why Technique Matters in Olympic Weightlifting

Contact Us for Support

Throughout the program you are welcome to contact us with any questions or for support, both in terms of the workouts and the nutrition lessons. Feel free to comment on this article or on any of the workout and nutrition postings.

Click Here to Start Your Free 6-Week Program

The post Swole Sisters Free 6-Week Workout and Nutrition Program appeared first on Breaking Muscle.