WHAT TO EXPECT

The BODY MAKEOVER CHALLENGE has been divided into 3 stages:

RELEARNING (Week 1-4)

ACCELERATION (Week 5-9) and

DEFINING (Week 10-12).

Here are some tips for each stage:

Stage #1: RELEARNING – Week 1-4

The first stage of your USN Body Makeover Challenge is a relearning stage. The lifestyle shift is new to your system, and your body has to adapt to the activity and the new stresses. Excellent food choices, regular physical activity and the correct supplement balance will help to support your immune system and improve your physical adaptations.

What to expect during this stage:

#1 Initial drop in total body weight

You may experience an initial drop in total body weight that gradually slows down.This is partially due to the increase in physical activity and optimal hydration, flushing your system of toxins.

#2 Discomfort and stiffness

You may experience initial discomfort and stiffness as a result of the exercise. This is totally normal, and it should be expected if you are untrained. The training plans have been developed to help you adapt to exercise by allowing sufficient time to recover.

#3 Difficulty finishing your meals

Your metabolic rate will experience a total shift in the first 4 weeks. Your body has to relearn how to use and store the energy that you provide it with through your good food and supplementation choices. You will initially find it difficult to finish your meals because your body is accustomed to irregular feeding times and larger portions of possible energy dense, but

compact meals. As your metabolic rate increases, you will be craving the regular meals required to support the lean mass and drop in body fat.

#4 Do not use the scale

Do not use the scale as the measurement tool as you will become fixated with dropping weight, when you should actually be monitoring your body fat percentage for real results. Remember that regular exercise will enhance lean muscle tissue growth and conditioning, and this will add new weight to a system that is increasingly inclined to metabolise fat, and this may result in

a neutral scale weight.

Training Tips:

#1 Train regularly

Find time to train regularly, regardless of where it fits into your lifestyle. Make sure that you understand the programme and follow the plan diligently. You have to start as you mean to go on!

#2 Train intelligently

Train intelligently, using light to moderate weights that place enough stress on the muscle for the exercise to be effective, without compromising your form and function. Adaptation to your exercise comes with time, and it is a compounded result of regular participation, so monitor & assess your training weight every 2 weeks to make sure you are continually improving.

#3 Meet your minimum cardio training time

Your cardiovascular training will help to increase your base fitness levels, further supporting a higher metabolic rate and an improved recovery cycle. Make sure that you are meeting your minimum cardiovascular training time of 45 minutes daily, and increase this gradually as your fitness levels improve.

Stage #2: ACCELERATION – Week 5-9

The first 4 weeks of the Challenge will have been a learning phase for you. By now you should be well adjusted to your new lifestyle, and you should be feeling full of life, with improved energy levels and faster recovery. Regular eating and supplementation should be like second nature to you, and you should be inspired to take your training and eating to the next level so that you can speed up your results, getting you closer to your goal.

What to expect during this stage:          

#1 Start to make strategic changes

The second phase of your USN Body Makeover Challenge is adaptive, and you can start to make strategic changes to your food, supplementation and training.

The most important change you can make to your food is the methods of preparation. Make sure that you chronically assess how you make food.

Opt to steam and grill foods as no additional calories are added to the foods. Limit your intake of table salt, sauces and condiments because of the negative effect they have on your system. You may have already noticed that your taste buds are far more sensitive to foods and flavours as you no longer rely on poor food choices.

#2 Consistent & positive weekly results

You will start to see consistent positive results at your weekly assessment sessions, where your body fat levels show a small, but regular downward trend and your lean muscle tissue conditioning shows improvements. You also understand the impact that your efforts have on your results, so the more you put in, the more you get out.

#3 Remain cautious

Mentally you will feel motivated to push your limits, but you need to remain cautious of the fact that you may experience cravings for additional carbohydrates. This is easily remedied by including additional supplementation, without adding excessive calories, increasing your body’s utilisation of stored fat mass for energy.

Training Tips:   

#1 Start to split your training sessions

You have built up an exceptional base fitness level, so you can now start to split your training sessions if you can find time to do so. Try to get your cardiovascular training done first thing in the morning so that you can elevate your metabolic rate for the day ahead, priming your system to burn more energy throughout the day. You should be able to complete 60 minutes of intense cardiovascular activity, so be aware that you have the control over how hard you push your limits!

#2 Introduce new training methods

Continue to perform your resistance training sessions in the evening, and take the opportunity to stretch post-workout so that you can recover in a shorter period of time. You can start to introduce additional and new training methods into your programme. Remember to pay special attention to your weak points, and train intelligently and according to your goal.

Make time to use other facilities in the gym like the sauna and steam room, which can aid in recovery and the removal of toxins and metabolic waste from your system.

Stage #3: DEFINING – Week 10 – 12

Your focus and commitment over the past 9 weeks prepares you for your last 3 weeks of intense dieting and training. You are well on your way to successfully completing your USN Body Makeover Challenge, and your dedication over the next 3 weeks will deliver on your toning and conditioning requirements.

What to expect during this stage:                          

#1 You will start to see things coming together

Your energy levels will be high as you enter the last phase of the USN Body Makeover Challenge. You will start to see things coming together as you gain consistent results from your dietary and training efforts.

#2 Don’t skip meals and get your required training time in

The last 3 weeks of your Challenge offer you time to reflect on the small changes that need to be made to get the best results. Also, remember to take time out to focus on your final photo shoot, and take into account time required for hair removal, tanning, hair and makeup leading up to your last week. Don’t get overwhelmed by the small things, just plan your time properly, don’t skip meals and get your required training time in!

Training Tips:               

#1 Training sessions will become more important

Your training sessions will become more important as you aim to tone and condition your physique to prepare for the final photo shoot.

#2 Cardio MUST INCREASE

It is important that your training intensity, from a cardiovascular perspective, increases so that you increase fat utilisation as an energy source. Aim for 45-60 minutes daily, 5-6 times per week to improve your result.

#3 Lower the training weight

You should lower the training weight used during your resistance sessions, rather opting to increase the amount of reps that you perform. You would ideally want to achieve total fatigue this way, further enhancing conditioning and tone.

What happens after the 12 weeks?   

This is not the end of a journey, but the beginning of a whole new lifestyle for you. Remember why you decided to start the USN Body Makeover Challenge in the first place. Remind yourself of your goal, reassess where you are now, plan your next goal and start your next Challenge.

You will have learnt the real value of good eating, regular exercise and effective supplementation, as well as the benefit of time and goal setting.

Here are a few tips on how you should manage your post-Challenge maintenance:

#1 Maintaining your physique

Maintenance of your new physique will not require the intense approach to dieting and training that you have become accustomed to over the last 12 weeks. Your adaptation to exercise will not have to occur at such a fast rate, and this gives you the ability to focus on improving your technique to isolate specific muscle groups and further improve your conditioning. It is important to realise at this stage that you have paid your dues, so you have the advantage of time on your side.

The maintenance phase is more about physique progression, it is not about standing still. You have to have a goal big enough to keep you motivated to further refine your physique. You no longer have to plan specific meals diligently, although you will be expected to continue with a healthy approach to eating, and you can slow your training down to 3-5 times weekly. Your main focus is now on the improved sense of well-being and overall health.

Maintaining your physique is not difficult, but it does require the understanding that there is a need to focus on food, supplementation and training diligently. You will simply make the small adjustments to how you do these things to support maintenance.

#2 Nutrition

It remains essential to continue with the total balanced approach to food that the Body Makeover teaches you. Regular eating may now be the norm for you, so if you find that it is a habit, continue with the 5-6 meals per day approach, allowing yourself a little more variety. Why change a winning formula?You should still aim to eat healthy most of the time because you want to avoid a calorie surplus. The nutrition aspect of physique maintenance is the most important, because even with an infrequent or less intense workout regimen, if you are still flooding your body with calories, it will respond by utilising them to either build muscle or increase fat storage. Just make sure not to eat too few calories because the one thing you don’t want to do is lose muscle. This will take a bit of practice, but you will get confident about your system’s ability to manage food types and portion sizes, and you have total control over your diet.

#3 Training

Training during the maintenance phase is much like your approach to eating, it does not have to be regimented, and you do not have to be purist about it. You will not lose muscle tissue overnight, so you can train 3-5 times per week to maintain fitness and not compromise conditioning. You can manage your intensity and you can use this time to work on areas that you wish to improve on.

You can now start to include different types of training methodology into your routine. Include cross-fit, high intensity own body weight training and circuit training to give your system a break from the standard routine. You can also incorporate another option for your resistance sessions: Lower the weight of choice and increase the reps to the 12-20 range to improve conditioning.

The basic approach and philosophy of training for maintenance would be to:

• Opt for lighter weights at higher reps (keep rep ranges between 12-20).
• Don’t utilise any intensity tactics (drop sets, super sets, etc).
• Reduce the volume and frequency of your workouts.

By still lifting weights, but not as often, or as intense, or as heavy as you used to, you will effectively keep the muscle you currently have while improving conditioning.

#4 Supplements

You can now start to strategise your supplementation more effectively, using the products only when required. In essence, you can simplify your use, and use products out of convenience and to support your health.

We recommend the use of CLA Pure 1000, BCAA Amino Gro, Whey Protein + and Pro Protein GF-1 on a continual basis. If you find that you are picking up body fat levels, adjust your diet and training first and then include Phedra-Cut LIPO XT to get you back on track. The maintenance phase allows you to use products to your advantage and to get results in very short periods of time. If you struggle with water retention, use Waterslim. And don’t forget our Fat Block for the cheating session every now-and-again!

#5 Planning

Your maintenance phase gives you the opportunity to plan your next goal without compromising the achievements that you have made in the last 12 weeks. Take a break from the intensity of the last few months and establish a new target.

It’s all about results!