feature by : nextteenamateur@bodybuilding.com
Diet
The diet that is used on a fat loss program is the ultimate determining factor on whether or not you will lose the weight. All the running in the world won't do a thing if you are taking in excess calories (especially from the wrong sources such as sugars).
Your diet when trying to lose fat should have you eating around 500 calories below maintenance per day.
Besides focusing on staying in a caloric deficit, a fat loss diet should be based around the following:
- High protein (1-2g per pound of bodyweight)
- Low to moderate carbs (low carbs on non-training days, moderate carbs on training days)
- High EFA (Essential Fatty Acids).
- As little sugar as possible.
- No carbs after 6 PM!
By following a diet such as this one, you are priming your body to burn fat instead of muscle. By cycling your carbs, your body gets the nutrients it needs on your strenuous workout days, and you don't consume unnecessary carbs on your easier, non-training days.
The high amount of protein helps to keep your body in an anabolic state and wards off catabolism. EFA's are essential due to the fact that you will be taking in lower carbs than usual. The EFA's help to give you energy and to keep your metabolism running optimally. The last thing you want when dieting is a slow metabolism.
Sugars are predominantly stored as fat, so you want to avoid them at all costs. The one time sugars are OK to have is post-workout, when an insulin spike will serve you well. One of the most important things about this diet plan is the 6 PM carb cutoff. By not eating carbs at night, your body depletes your glycogen stores while you sleep.
When you wake up and do your cardio, your body will turn to your stored fat for fuel since there is little to no muscle glycogen left to burn.
Workout
The best fat loss workout is a mix of heavy training and cardio. I believe that training heavy is the best way to train when dieting for a few reasons. One, I believe that heavy weights are the best for building muscle and improving strength. If you can keep your strength gains going up while dieting and doing your cardio, you are in for one successful fat loss outcome.
I would set up my trainers on a three day, M/W/F training split. The days would be divided up as upper body days and lower body days. This would have you training upper body twice the first week and lower body twice the second week, which is a good way to shock your muscles.
The split focuses mainly on compound movements, which helps to keep your body releasing growth hormone and to ensure as much strength and muscular growth as possible while dieting. It is very important to keep a logbook of your exercises. Note the weight that you used and the number of reps that you got on each and every exercise.
This will help you to track your progress and determine whether or not you are dieting too hard or not (if your poundage's begin to drop quickly and steadily, you are dieting too hard and should examine your diet). The key is to take it slow when dieting, which will allow you to keep almost all of that muscle you worked so hard to build.
Monday 1: Upper Day One
- Bench Press - 2 sets of 8-12
- Military Press - 2 sets of 12
- Skull crushers - 2 sets of 15
- Chins - 2 sets to failure (add weight if you can get over 15 reps)
- Barbell Rows - 2 sets of 10
Wednesday 1: Lower Day One
- EZ Bar Curls - 2 sets of 12
- Hammer Curls - 2 sets of 15
- Seated Calf Raises - 1 set of 15 (with 5 second pause at the bottom of each rep)
- Stiff-Leg Deadlifts - 2 sets of 15
- Hack Squats - 1 set of 8 and 1 set of 20
Friday 1: Upper Day Two
- Incline Dumbbell Press - 2 sets of 8-12
- Dumbbell Military Press - 2 sets of 12
- Dips - 2 sets of 12 (add weight if necessary)
- Wide Grip Pulldowns - 2 sets of 10
- Deadlifts - 1 set of 8 and 1 set of 4
Monday 2: Lower Day Two
- Alternate Dumbbell Curls - 2 sets of 12
- Plate Twists - 3 sets with as much weight as possible
- Leg Press Calf Raises - 1 set of 15 (with 5 second pause at bottom)
- Lying Leg Curls - 2 sets of 12
- Squats - 1 set of 8 and 1 set of 20
Wednesday 2: Upper Day Three
- Decline Bench Press - 2 sets of 8-12
- Machine Shoulder Press - 2 sets of 8
- Close Grip Bench Press - 2 sets of 15
- Chins - 2 sets taken to failure
- T-Bar Rows - 2 sets of 10
Friday 2: Lower Day Three
- Preacher Dumbbell Curls - 2 sets of 12
- Zottman Curls - 2 sets of 15
- Standing Calf Raises - 1 set of 15 (with 5 second hold at bottom)
- Sumo Squat - 2 sets of 15
- Leg Press - 1 set of 20 taken to failure
Abs:
Abdominals should be trained twice per week, on off days. Keep the training short - 2-3 sets. Train them heavy and in the 8-12 rep range. Key exercises are:
- Weighted decline situps
- Weighted knee raises
- Swiss ball crunches
As you can tell, this routine is low volume. This will help you to keep your muscles looking full since you will burn less muscle glycogen. Also, low volume routines are better for dieters due to the fact that they are running on minimum fuel.
These workouts are quick, which allows you to stimulate your muscles without using 20-30 sets. It is also safer. You are more likely to injure yourself when dieting, and this routine doesn't allow someone to overdo it in the gym.
Cardio
Cardio is absolutely crucial to a successful fat loss program. The cardio I believe in performing is different than what most people use, but it WILL work. My cardio regimen ties in with my diet plan to turn you into a fat burning demon. Cardio should be performed first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach.
It should be done every day of the week, except on days that you train lower body in the gym. As soon as you wake up, you hit the treadmill. I believe in slow cardio. Each cardio session consists of 45-60 minutes on the treadmill at a SLOW PACE on an incline. Aim for around 3.5-4 MPH on as steep of an incline as you can handle.
When the cardio session seems easy to you, you increase your incline level instead of your speed. This kind of cardio will actually have your body turn to stored fat as fuel instead of the usual carbohydrates. For more information on slow cardio, read Bob Cicherillo's article here:
Results
It is important to realize that it isn't just the diet or just the cardio that will allow you to burn crazy amounts of fat. The weight lifting, the cardio, and the diet all combine to make your body burn fat for fuel instead of muscle. Expect to burn around 1 to 1.5 pounds of fat per week on this plan.
If you want to lose more or less fat per week, changes can be made to accommodate for your plans. Your caloric deficit is one of the main determinants of how much fat you lose. If you want to drop weight quicker, lower your daily caloric intake by 250 calories. This will add up to another half pound per week of weight that you will lose.
It is important to know, however, that the body does not want to burn all of that fat off too quickly. If you rush the fat loss process, you will end up losing some of your hard earned muscle.
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