Jaylie Nicoll Fitness Model Interview and Photos

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Jaylie Nicoll – Fitness Model Statistics

  • Name: Jaylie Nicoll
  • Height: 5’4″
  • Weight: 126 lbs off season, 122 lbs on stage
  • Date of Birth: January 19th
  • Hair Color: Dark Brown
  • Eye Color: Green
  • Bust: 35D
  • Waist: 25.5″ and 25″ on stage
  • Hips: 32″
  • Location: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Jaylie Nicoll – Fitness Model Interview

How did you get started in the fitness field?
Not being born athletic, taking the first step in April 2008 and taking fitness seriously was a huge leap of faith and completely out of my comfort zone. In all honesty, I had hit rock bottom after coming out of a very broken childhood and the emotionally scarring horrifying divorce of my parents. At the age of fourteen, I witnessed my parents in a domestic fight, had several officers ambush our house, and ended up separated from the family I only knew as perfect the day before.

Soon after this, I lost several of my immediate family members. After dropping out of high school twice because of living situations and depression, I relocated to Kitchener, Ontario to be with my beloved grandmother, after my grandfather’s passing with her mother and younger brother. Two more drop-outs, and I was kicked out of school.

I’ve had to do everything the long, hard way. Short cuts did not happen for me. I entered College only by acing my entrance exams and later graduated in Law & Investigations, with a year of Police Foundations.

I can still remember the first time I touched barbells. Don’t laugh at me, but I felt powerful, for once. I love the feeling of challenging my body.

Eleven months later, I competed in my first fitness competition. At my third competition, in the fall of 2009, I placed 2nd in my category.

Just recently, competing with the WBFF (World Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation), I have completed one of my biggest goals. Stepping on the WBFF stage had been on my mind for quite some time and the opportunities from it have become endless.

What is the #1 thing you like best about being into fitness?
The community of positive people!

What has been your biggest accomplishment in the fitness field?
Prepping for the WBFF World Championships and stepping on their stage for the first time in September. I’ve had the privilege of shooting with GW Burns and David Ford since. I’m very proud to be a Sponsored Athlete as well as a published writer. There are quite a few new accomplishments that will be coming to the surface soon that I look forward to sharing with everyone!

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What is the best way to get started in the fitness modeling industry? Should I just contact the photographers directly or should I use an agency?
I think the best way to get started is to hire a good trainer or coach who is in the industry themselves. They will be able to help direct you best. At first, I went it alone and only when I hired the help of other professional athletes did I learn the ins and outs. I am still learning!

Please describe a typical day for you. What is your daily routine like?
Seven days a week, I wake up at 6am. I do 3-4 days of cardio for 30 minutes before breakfast so on these days I don’t eat until 7am. Sometimes I have clients as early as 6am so breakfast comes even earlier. After or between training morning clients, I will check emails and work on any programs or projects that I have on the go. The afternoon is my normal gym time but sometimes it changes depending on the client’s schedules. When not competing, I train 5 days a week and if I happen to miss a day or need an extra day of rest, it is not a big deal. Any extra time I have after the gym is spent catching up on errands, cleaning, or preparing my meals in advance. It’s back to work in the mid-evening until about 9pm. I eat every 2-3 hours throughout the day. During a competitive season, I train 6 days a week, rain or shine. There is also a bit more cardio added closer to the competition and of course there is time allotted for posing practice and other preparation that is involved in getting out on the stage. To say the least, I don’t have much of a life at all during this time!

I don’t have that much time during the day to workout, so I really want to burn major calories in a short amount of time. What is the #1 “bang for the buck” cardio exercise I should do to burn serious calories?
HIIT is definitely the best type of cardio for a daytime workout if you are trying to lose weight and only have a short time period of time (20-25 minutes) to workout.

You can use regular cardio equipment in the gym, or perform intervals outside in a park (for instance). Circuit training is also a great way to burn a lot of calories in a short time period. You ‘kill two birds with one stone’ so to speak, by incorporating resistance training and cardio intervals at the same time. This keeps your metabolism boosted throughout the rest of the day and you can continue to burn calories even after you stop working out, as opposed to steady state cardio.

How much weight (pounds) should I focus on losing every week? What is a safe amount to make sure I keep it off?
Losing 1-2 pounds per week is a safe amount of weight to lose per week. Some people may lose more than that in the first few weeks simply because of a drastic change in going from eating fast food twice a day, to eating fast food as a cheat meal 1-2 times per week. It depends on the body type and what your lifestyle was like before you started. Loosing more than 1-2 pounds per week is unhealthy and unfortunately, you may not be loosing just fat, but rather burning off muscle mass that is needed in order to shape your body and keep your BMR (basal metabolic rate) up high.

What type of food or supplements should I take before and after my workouts to help me see results in gaining lean muscle and losing fat?
There is a great controversy with supplements and whether they work or not, so I will just mention what I personally do myself. Before and after cardio or weight training sessions (sometimes during, depending on intensity), I will take BCAA’s. I always have a protein shake with glutamine post work out (weight training). I’ve found creatine to help with strength and stamina throughout a heavy work out. These are all supplements centered solely around training times, whether you are trying to lose fat or gain lean muscle. Creatine can cause some people to hold quite a bit of water, so take this into consideration if you are trying to lose weight and are using a scale as your method to measure with.

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How do you deal with cravings for junk foods, sweets and salty food? I can stay on a diet for maybe a few weeks but I eventually get really bad cravings and binge on snacks and fast foods.
I am never on a diet. I eat healthy, clean foods 90% of the time year round. Most people have cravings at the beginning of trying a very strict or crash diet. This is not the way to do it. You must rearrange your lifestyle and give yourself some time to get into a routine and learn a new way of living. It does not happen over night for anyone, including myself. If I am craving something, than I eat it what I am craving in moderation. By not limiting yourself and enjoying your food, you will find that cravings will be less frequent. It’s as simple as that.

I’m trying to create a healthy shopping list to stick with. What are some of the main foods I should include to maintain a lean and muscular physique?
My diet is very basic:

  • Complex Carbs: Brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat breads or tortillas, oatmeal, quinoa, yams, sweet potatoes, red potatoes
  • Lean Protein: Skinless, boneless chicken breast, tuna, white fish, salmon, lean turkey, dry cottage cheese, lean steak, egg whites, protein powder
  • Healthy Fats: Unsalted almonds, natural peanut or almond butters, flaxseed oil, whole eggs, extra virgin olive oil
  • Veggies & Fruits: Every vegetable except for corn, peas and carrots. Fruits should be in moderation or for breakfast, pre and post work out meals.

There are LOTS of other additions (to name a few) in order to come up with meal ideas which include cinnamon, low sodium seasonings & sauces, vanilla extract, cayenne pepper, balsamic vinegar.

I’m about 35 pounds overweight. I have never started an exercise program and really don’t know where to start. What tips can you give me to get started on the right track?
Hire a knowledgeable Personal Trainer! It is worth it to be pointed in the right direction from the beginning and have someone to support you and hold you accountable. Too many people give up because of the reasons mentioned above and anyone has the ability to achieve their goals with the proper information and tools.

I tend to eat out most of the time and really don’t know what healthy foods to order from the menu. What tips do you recommend for eating out at restaurants to make sure my diet will not suffer?
Make sure to ask your server how the food is prepared. Look for good words such as broiled, grilled (meat), boiled or steamed. Sauces that are creamy are a bad idea, and always ask for your dressings/sauces on the side. Refrain from having added cheese, bacon bits, etc. from salads. Remember portion sizes and what types of foods you would be eating at home. For instance, stick to whole wheat and lean protein food sources. Never eat corn, peas or carrots as a restaurant vegetable. Ask that no bread be brought to the table, fill up on water, and don’t be afraid to order your meal the way you want it.

What exercises do you recommend for getting a bigger, rounder and fuller butt?
Aside from genetics (remember that everyone’s body will be different and may not grow, shape or lean out the same as the next person), the best exercises that I have personally found useful for getting the butt that you want are squats, stiff legged dead lifts, all variations of lunges, step ups, split squats and plyometrics.

What is the most challenging thing you deal with about consistently staying in top shape?
Many people would think it would be either the training, following a nutrition plan or finding time to prepare your food and train, however, for me, it is not. Unfortunately, I only get to see all of my friends (who understand everything it takes to be in top shape) from the fitness industry at shows! The most challenging thing for me is finding the right people to center yourself around and keeping up with positive influences who understand your lifestyle and don’t make you feel bad about choosing it.

Please describe your normal diet. What do you eat in a typical day to stay in shape?

  • Breakfast: Chocolate oatmeal banana pancakes, Coffee
  • Meal 2: Healthy fats and veggies
  • Meal 3: Complex carbs, lean protein and veggies
  • Meal 4: Almonds, natural peanut butter or dry cottage cheese with an apple
  • Post Workout: Protein shake, dextrose powder, banana, yogurt or rice cakes
  • Meal 5: Depending how late I will be up for, a repeat of Meal 3 or lots of veggies and steak or salmon
  • Meal 6: Lean protein source with veggies
  • Meal 7: Healthy fat and protein before bed

What type of exercises do you include in your routine to stay in shape?

  • Strength Training: Mostly compound movements at the beginning, followed by bi-lateral and uni-lateral movements depending on the muscle group. If I want to pre-exhaust, I switch the order.
  • Cardio Exercises: Steady state cardio, HIIT cardio, Mix of both HIIT & Steady State, Circuit Training
  • Additional Training: Gymnastics, Flexibility Training, Pilates

What are the top 5 tips (specific exercises, diet advice, etc) you recommend for developing toned and defined arms?
jaylie-nicoll-7Again, I will re-emphasize genetics! Some people hold more fat in certain places or have a harder time developing muscle in others.

1. Eat a healthy clean diet throughout the day and hydrate.

2. Resistance Training: This is how you sculpt the body.

3. Don’t focus too much on isolation movements until you have the strength in compound movements first in bigger muscle groups. Example: Work on your chin-ups before you start focusing on concentration curls.

4. Maintain cardio for unwanted body fat.

5. Fuel yourself properly before, during and after your work outs.

What are your top 5 tips for losing unwanted body fat?

1. Establish a Plan/Program and set out your goals. Seek out professional advice if you do not know how to put one together.

2. Eat a healthy clean diet throughout the day and hydrate.

3. Resistance Training: This is how you sculpt the body and build lean muscle mass which will burn more fat at rest.

4. Cardio should increase if fat loss is your goal. Balance sessions out through out the week, but do not over do it.

5. Fuel yourself properly before, during and after your workouts.

What are your top 5 tips for gaining lean muscle mass?

1. Be patient. This does not happen over night since you are naturally building your physique.

2. Put together a plan/program and stick to it!

3. Make sure to eat a healthy clean diet for quality lean muscle mass. Calorie intake should be higher than maintenance. Fuel yourself properly for your work outs.

4. Do not over do cardio.

5. Resistance Train. Focus on compound movements, with the appropriate rep ranges. Always challenge yourself or you will not grow.

What are the top 5 tips you recommend for staying motivated on a fitness plan and truly making a healthy lifestyle change?

1. Surround yourself with positive thoughts and influences. Any negative people, places, situations, etc. should be kept to a minimum. You are in control of your life.

2. Be grateful for what you have and set goals.

3. Make a vision board or find a role model to look up to. Read fitness magazines/resources and start learning!

4. Remember that if other people pressure you to take part in unhealthy situations or events, it is only yourself that you are cheating by not sticking to your goal. These are not the type of people you want to be around.

5. Always keep your plan or program where you can see it and COMMIT!

What is your training routine like? (Please include a few details – training split, sets/reps, exercises, types of cardio, etc.)

jaylie-nicoll-8Cardio: 3-4 days a week. 30 minute sessions of cardio a week on the mornings I have time.

Upper Body: 3-4 sets, 4-5 exercises, all reps between 8-12. Drop sets are common for my stubborn areas which seem to be working in bringing them up (delts and back)

Lower Body: 3-4 sets, 5-6 exercises, mostly higher reps because it is a more developed area of mine, I am working on the ham-glute tie in this year

  • Monday: Delts/Core
  • Tuesday: Back/Abs
  • Wednesday: Legs/Glutes
  • Thursday: Delts/Arms/Core
  • Friday: Cardio only day
  • Saturday: Delts/Chest/Glutes
  • Sunday: OFF

What are the top 5 tips (specific exercises, diet advice, etc) you recommend for losing fat around the stomach and developing a toned and defined midsection?
Nobody wants to hear this but a toned and defined midsection is made in the kitchen. You won’t see the abdominal muscles with a layer of fat over top of them. Once that layer is thinner, you will be able to work on building up the abdominal muscles that create the ‘six-pack’. In the meantime, focus more on core stability and exercises.

What are the top 5 tips (specific exercises, diet advice, etc) you recommend for toning the thighs, hips and butt?

1. Eat a healthy clean diet throughout the day and hydrate.

2. Resistance Training: This is how you sculpt the body. Do not be afraid of heavy weights!

3. Don’t focus too much on isolation movements until you have the strength in compound movements first in bigger muscle groups. Examples of exercises: all variations of squats, stiff-legged dead lifts, hamstring curls, cable kickbacks, split squats, all lunge variations, step-ups, plyometrics/speed training, stairmaster (best cardio for the butt!), incline on a treadmill takes second place. Train your core and lower back as well to support yourself properly for the weight necessary in order to gain lean mass in these big muscle groups that involve a lot of stabilization in the exercises above. Always use proper form! I can’t stress this enough!

4. Maintain cardio for unwanted body fat.

5. Fuel yourself properly before, during and after your workouts.

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