Best Fitness Plan ( Day 9 Workouts)

DAY 9 Chest & Triceps

It’s time to start sculpting, and the best way to do it? Bodybuilding splits. We start with a chest workout, it’s good, old-fashioned hard work and provides a lot of isolation of the pecs. With a brief break, we then move into hitting the secondary muscle group, the triceps.

HOW IT WORKS

When a muscle contracts, the whole thing contracts. So when you hear trainers talking about exercises for the “upper” pecs and “inner” pecs, this isn’t entirely accurate. However, while the whole pectoral is major muscle is involved in any kind of press, dip, or fly motion, different parts of it are indeed basically depending on the angle of resistance. So while an incline dumbbell press will work

the whole chest, it’s making the fibbers that attach to your clavicle work harder than the ones that attach to your ribs.

We’ve given you exercises that work every part of the chest and with varying degrees of isolation. If you don’t normally feel your pecs working on barbell presses, you’ll love what dumbbell, body weight, and cable work does for you.

DIRECTION

Complete the workout as straight sets. Rest 1-3 minutes and move onto the triceps portion of the routine.

1 INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS

SETS: 4 REPS: 8 REST: 60–90 SEC.

Set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 45-degree angle and lie back on it with a dumbbell

in each hand at shoulder level. Press the weights over your chest.

2 DUMBBELL FLY

SETS: 3 REPS: 8 REST: 60–90 SEC.

Lie back on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Keep a slight bend in your elbows and spread your arms wide, lowering the weights until they’re even with your chest. Flex your pecs and lift the weights back to the starting position.

3 LOW-CABLE CROSSOVER

SETS: 3 REPS: 8 REST: 60–90 SEC.

Stand between two facing cable stations and attach a D-handle to the low pulleys on each. With a handle in each hand and elbows slightly bent, raise your arms from waist height to out in front of your chest, flexing your pecs as you bring them together.

4 DIP

SETS: 4 REPS: 8 REST: 60–90 SEC.

Suspend yourself over the bars of a dip station and lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. If eight reps is too easy, add weight using a weighted belt or by holding a dumbbell between your feet.

1 CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS

SETS: 4 REPS: 8, 8, 8, AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REST: 60 SEC.

Grasp the bar with your index fingers on the inside edge of the knurling (the rough part of the bar). Arch your back so there’s space between your lower back and the bench. Pull the bar off the rack and lower it to your sternum, tucking your elbows about 45 degrees to your sides. When the bar touches your body, drive your feet hard into the floor and press the bar back up. On your last set, use half the weight and perform as many reps as possible.

2 DECLINE TRICEPS EXTENSION

SETS: 4 REPS: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE REST: 15 SEC.

Set an adjustable bench to a slight decline (around 30 degrees) and lie on it with a dumbbell in each hand. Hold the weights over your chest, palms facing each other. Bend your elbows and lower the weights to the sides of your head. Choose a weight you can do 12 reps with on the first set, and use it for every set.

3 BAND PUSH-DOWN

SETS: AS MANY AS NEEDED REPS: 100 TOTAL REST: AS NEEDED

Attach an elastic exercise band (we like the EFS Pro Light bands from elitefts.com) to a sturdy overhead object and grasp each side of the loop. Keeping your elbows tight against your sides, extend your arms downward. You can perform a push down on a cable machine instead if you prefer.

After Day 9 We will discuss Legs & Abs in Day 10 workouts.

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Best Fitness Training Day 6 Workouts

DAY 6 Conditioning Challenge POWER HOUR

The workout slated for this day in the program is a special challenge. It’s not only
crazy-effective for fat-burning, but it’s also a good thermometer or gauge on what your
overall fitness level is, and how you feel while being pushed to get through it.
800 JUMP ROPES
RUN ¼ MILE
700 JUMP ROPES
RUN ¼ MILE
Continue this work pattern down to 600 jump ropes, 500, 400, 300,…
Beginners should start at 300, intermediate at 500, advanced at 500+.

DAY 7 Full Body

Most big-box gyms feature a cluster of machines arranged in such a way as to provide members with a “circuit.” Circuits are a gym’s equivalent of a no-trainer, requiring only that the trainee move from machine to machine for a prescribed number of repetitions, over and over again. Here is a better circuit one that involves free weights, to build more muscle, burn more calories, and keep you challenged for the long term.

HOW IT WORKS This routine prioritizes abs by placing them first. From there, you’ll move on to a light circuit that will burn loads of calories. Finally, you’ll hit the main circuit, which builds strength and muscle.

DIRECTIONS Perform the first exercise as straight sets. Exercises 2A through 2D are done as a complex, so choose one pair of dumbbells and use them for each move. Use a load that allows you to complete your reps on your weakest exercise in the series. Perform six reps for each of the exercises. Rest 90 seconds and repeat. For exercises 3A through 3D, adjust your equipment and loads as necessary, but perform them in the same circuit fashion.

1 SWISS BALL PLANK CIRCLE

SETS: 2 REPS: 30–45 SECONDS (EACH DIRECTION) REST: 60–90 SEC.

Place a Swiss ball on the floor and get into push up position with your hands on it. Now lower your forearms to rest on the ball, keeping your entire body in a straight line with abs braced. Use your elbows to roll the ball in a circular motion, clockwise and then counterclockwise, as if you were stirring a pot.

2A DUMBBELL ROMANIAN DEADLIFT

SETS: 3–5 REPS: 6 REST: 0 SEC.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with feet hip width. Push your hips back and, keeping your lower back in its natural arch, bend your torso forward. Lower your body until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, bending slightly at the knees as needed. Squeeze your glutes as you come back up.

2B ALTERNATING DUMBBELL ROW

SETS: 3–5 REPS: 6 (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC.

Bend forward at the hips as you did in the Romanian dead-lift and row one dumbbell to your side. Lower it and repeat on the other side.

2C DUMBBELL HIGH PULL

SETS: 3–5 REPS: 6 REST: 0 SEC.

Hold dumbbells in front of your thighs and bend your knees and hips so the weights hang just above your knees. Explosively extend your hips as if jumping and pull the weights up to shoulder level with elbows wide apart, as in an upright row.

2D FRONT SQUAT TO PRESS

SETS: 3–5 REPS: 6 REST: 90 SEC.

Hold the dumbbells at shoulder level and stand with feet shoulder width. Squat as low as you can without losing the arch in your lower back. Come back up and press the weights overhead.

3A SNATCH-GRIP RACK DEAD-LIFT

SETS: 3 REPS: 10 REST: 0 SEC.

Set up as you would to dead-lift, only do so in a power rack, resting the bar on the safety rods at about two inches below your knees. Grasp the bar wide, hands about double shoulder width. Extend your hips and stand up, pulling the bar to in front of your thighs.

3B ALTERNATING DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS

SETS: 3 REPS: 10 (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC.

Lie back on a flat bench holding dumbbells. Press them both over your chest and then lower one of them to your side. Press it up and then lower the other hand. That’s one rep.

3C DUMBBELL LUNGE

SETS: 3 REPS: 10 (EACH SIDE) REST: 0 SEC.

Stand with your feet hip width, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Step forward with one leg and lower your body until your rear knee nearly touches the floor and your front thigh is parallel to the floor.

3D INVERTED ROW

SETS: 3 REPS: 10 REST: 90 SEC.

Set a barbell in a power rack (or use a Smith machine) at about hip height. Lie underneath it and grab it with hands about shoulder- width apart. Hang from the bar so your body forms a straight line. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull yourself up until your back is fully contracted.

DAY 8 Off!

Note: After Day 8 We will discuss about triceps & Chest Workouts.

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Best Fitness Training Day 4 & 5 Workouts

DAY 4 Intervals

Sprinting may be the only kind of cardio that can be argued to build muscle as well as burn fat.

HOW IT WORKS Sprinting is intense exercise and can beat up your lower body if you do not ease into it. That’s why we recommend doing it on a hill, which will slow you down a bit so that you are less likely to pull a hamstring, quad, or hip flexor. Still, you will work hard enough to raise testosterone and growth hormone levels both associated with muscle growth as well as improve speed and athleticism. 
DIRECTIONS Complete the sprint intervals. Rest 2- 3 minutes and move on to the body weight circuit.

WARM UP

Warm up thoroughly beforehand and run a few practice sprints at a low intensity (but

go a little faster each time).

SPRINT

Perform 8 to 10 sprints of 20–40 yards. Run at slightly less than your absolute top speed for safety. Rest as needed between sets, but keep your heart rate elevated. Allow yourself enough recovery that you can go fast. If you are new to sprinting or haven’t done it in a while, do your sprints on a hill. Start with five and run only at a moderate pace and build up from there. Land on the balls of your feet as you sprint, not your heels. Your front foot should land directly beneath you (unless the hill is

especially steep). Your arms should pump vigorously forward and backward as you run. Let your hands come up to face level and then back to your pockets, but no further. Keep your shoulders and hips level so there’s no side-to-side rotation in your torso. conclude the interval workout from Day 2. However, exclude Jump Rope and perform

only 3 rounds; not 5.

DAY 5 Full Body

Here, we continue the theme of pushing, pulling, and lower-body movements making up the core of the workout and add in some direct arm work. The high-rep approach (sets of 15) works well in conjunction with the previous two sessions.

DIRECTIONS Perform the exercise pairs (marked “A” and “B”) in alternating fashion. So you will do one set of A, rest, then one set of B, rest again, and repeat until all sets are completed for the pair. The remaining exercises are done conventionally.

1 TRAP-BAR DEAD-LIFT

SETS: 3 REPS: 15 REST: 60 SEC.

Use a trap bar and stand with feet hip width. Bend your hips back and grasp the handles. Keeping your lower back in its natural arch, drive through your heels to stand up straight and extend your hips and knees.

2A INCLINE DUMBBELL ROW

SETS: 3 REPS: 15 REST: 30 SEC.

Set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 45-degree incline and lie on it chest-down. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand and draw your shoulder blades back and together as you row the weights to your sides.

2B INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS

SETS: 3 REPS: 15 REST: 30 SEC.

Lie back on the incline bench holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level. Press the weights over your chest.

3A EZ-BAR CURL

SETS: 3 REPS: 15 REST: 30 SEC.

Grasp an EZ-curl bar at shoulder width. Keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the bar.

3B DECLINE EZ-BAR LYING TRICEPS EXTENSION

SETS: 3 REPS: 15 REST: 30 SEC.

Set an adjustable bench to a slight decline and lie back on it holding an EZ-curl bar at shoulder width. Press the bar over your chest and then let your upper arms drift back to about a 45-degree angle, which becomes your starting position. Bend your elbows to lower the bar behind your head, and then extend them to return to the starting position for the next rep.

The Day 6 training will discuss in Next Post.

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Training Fitness Plan Day 2 & Day 3

DAY 2 Intervals

Intervals are short, intense, highly effective, and great for fat-burning in between

lifting days.

HOW IT WORKS

 You will perform a little of nearly every kind of exercise, from jumping

rope to body-weight circuits.

ROUND 1

WARM UP, 3 MINUTES TOTAL WORK

Jump rope for three minutes; rest 90 seconds.

ROUND 2

Perform the circuit of exercises for 5 rounds: 

PUSH UP 

Perform conventional push ups, aiming for 20 reps.

BODY-WEIGHT SQUAT

Stand with feet shoulder width and toes turned slightly out. Bend your hips back and squat as low as you can. Aim for 20 reps.

PLANK

Get into push-up position and then bend your elbows so your forearms lie flat on the floor. Brace your abs and hold the position for 10-30 seconds. Rest 90 Sec.

DAY 3 Full Body

Applying the same principle as on Day 1, here we offer three different push, pull, and

lower-body exercises with some additional ab and calf work thrown in.

DIRECTIONS

Alternate sets of the bench press and seated cable row. So you will do one

set of 1A, rest, then one set of 1B, rest again, and repeat until all sets are complete.

Perform the remaining exercises as normal straight sets.

1A BENCH PRESS

SETS: 4 REPS: 10 REST: 30 SEC.

Grasp the bar just outside shoulder width and arch your back so there’s space between your lower back and the bench. Pull the bar out of the rack and lower it to your sternum, tucking your elbows about 45 degrees to your sides. When the bar touches your body, drive your feet hard into the floor and press the bar back up.

BAD SHOULDERS?

Switch out overhead press for neutral grip dumbbell press.

1B SEATED CABLE ROW

SETS: 4 REPS: 10 REST: 30 SEC.

Attach a straight or lat-pull-down bar to the pulley of a seated row station. Sit on the bench or floor with your feet against the foot plate and knees slightly bent. Keeping your lower back flat, bend forward at the hips to grasp the bar and row it to your sternum, squeezing your shoulder blades together in the end position. Extend your arms and feel the stretch in your back before beginning the next rep.

2 DUMBBELL ROMANIAN DEADLIFT

SETS: 4 REPS: 10 REST: 60 SEC.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with feet hip width. Push your hips back and, keeping your lower back in its natural arch, bend your torso forward, lowering until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, bending slightly at the knees as needed. Squeeze your glutes as you come back up.

3 PALL-OF PRESS ISO HOLD

SETS: 3 REPS: HOLD FOR 30 SEC. (EACH SIDE) REST: 30 SEC.

Attach a single-grip handle to a cable pulley and set it at about shoulder height. (You can also use a band.) Grasp the handle with one hand over the other and step away from the machine to put tension on the cable; turn to your left 90 degrees so your right side is now facing the machine. Stand with feet shoulder width and extend your arms in front of you. The cable will try to twist your body toward it-resist.

4 STANDING CALF RAISE

SETS: 4 REPS: 10 REST: 30 SEC.

Use a standing calf raise machine, or hold onto a sturdy object and stand on a block as shown. Lower your heels toward the floor until you feel a stretch in your calves. Drive the balls of your feet into the foot plate and contract your calves, raising your heels as high as possible. Control the descent on each rep.

The Day 4 training will discuss in Nest Post.
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Best Fitness Plan (Part 2 Training Fitness Plan Day 1)

THE SHRED-DOWN TRAINING PLAN

Over the course of the next 21 days, you will be exercising almost every day, with only a few days of rest. The program will begin (Days 1–7) by attacking the entire body with full-body,  fast-paced workouts every other day with brief interval workouts, ab circuits, and longer duration, low-intensity cardio being alternated for non-lifting days. The next phase will include traditional, old-school, bodybuilding-style splits (Days 9–14). The final phase of the program will revert back to the original full-body workouts, but with an increased work capacity.

You will have a total of three days “off” during the program. Days 8, 11, and 13 will serve as complete recovery days. Days 6 and 17 will consist of a unique fat-burning and endurance/conditioning challenge.

KICKING INTO GEAR IN THE AM:

The Morning Grinder Workouts

The key to melting off fat is being active as much as possible, and these workouts produce short bursts of moderate to intense work that will help speed up the fat-burning process. It’s true, 21 days is not a lot of time, but it’s doable with some extra effort, and these Morning Grinder sessions are brief, effective ways to jump start your metabolism each day. Here are three sample workouts; switch and swap them, but do one every morning in a fasted state i.e., before breakfast. Is it a pain to have to work out every morning? Yes, but if you want it bad enough, you will do it.

GRINDER 1

JUMP ROPE – 1 MINUTE
BODY-WEIGHT SQUAT – 30 SECONDS
PLANK– 1 MINUTE
MOUNTAIN CLIMBER– 30 SECONDS
REST– 30 SECONDS
COMPLETE 3 SETS

GRINDER 2

MEDICINE BALL RUSSIAN TWIST– 30 REPS
SUPER-SET WITH:
MEDICINE BALL V-UP– AS MANY AS POSSIBLE
REST– 30 SECONDS
COMPLETE 4 SETS

GRINDER 3

DUMBBELL PUSH UP WITH ROW– 15 REPS
SUPER-SET WITH:
PRISONER SQUAT– 15 REPS
REST– 30 SECONDS
COMPLETE 3 SETS

TRAINING BENCHMARKS:

Power Hours

One of the most popular workout series’ on the Men’s Fitness social media streams are the Power Hour sessions. On Day 6, you will complete a scale-able Jump Rope and Run workout measured by time. On Day 17 you will complete another easily adjustable workout referred to as a Muscle Run. This workout will consist of running and various body-weight exercises at checkpoints.

DAY 1 Full Body

Full-body workouts sound like they would take a long time. But when you boil down the exercises you need to perform in order to cover every area, there are only three types you need to be concerned with-a push, a pull, and a squat. This is the ultimate in minimalism and works superbly for beginners or people who are short on time.

HOW IT WORKS

Any kind of pressing exercise will train your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Any pulling movement (a row or chin up variation) recruits your back, rear delts, biceps, and forearms. Squatting movements (and deadlifts, which aren’t quite a squat but require all the same muscles) take care of the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Even your calves get some stimulation as they help to stabilize your squat. Your abs, of course, get worked on all these movement patterns, provided they are done with free weights rather than machines; also work to brace your spine throughout. The following workout, done with heavy weights, contains everything you need to put on size fast a squat, press, and pull up and you should be able to wrap it up within 45 minutes. 

DIRECTIONS

Complete all five sets for the squat and then perform the overhead press and weighted pull up in alternating fashion. That is, complete a set of the press, rest, then do a set of the pull up, rest again, and repeat until you have finished all five sets for each.

1 SQUAT

SETS: 5 REPS: 8–10 REST: 90 SEC.

Set up in a squat rack or cage. Grasp the bar as far apart as is comfortable and step under it. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and nudge the bar out of the rack. Step back and stand with your feet shoulder width and your toes turned slightly outward. Take a deep breath and bend your hips back and then bend your knees to lower your body as far as you can without losing the arch in your lower back. Push your knees outward as you descend. Extend your hips to come back up, continuing to push your knees outward.

2A OVERHEAD PRESS

SETS: 5 REPS: 8–10 REST: 60 SEC.

Set the bar up in a squat rack or cage and grasp it just outside shoulder width. Take the bar off the rack and hold it at shoulder level with your forearms perpendicular to the floor. Squeeze the bar and brace your abs. Press the bar overhead, pushing your head forward and shrugging your traps as the bar passes your face.

BAD SHOULDERS?

Switch out overhead press for neutral grip dumbbell press.

2B WEIGHTED PULL-UP

SETS: 5 REPS: TO FAILURE REST: 90 SEC.

Attach a weighted belt to your waist, hold a dumbbell between your feet, or if you can not complete your reps with weight, use body weight alone. Hang from a pull-up bar with hands just outside shoulder width. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar.

The day 2 training discussed in Next Post.
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Best Fitness Plan (Part 2)

THE SHRED-DOWN TRAINING PLAN

Over the course of the next 21 days, you will be exercising almost every day, with only a few days of rest. The program will begin (Days 1–7) by attacking the entire body with full-body, fast paced workouts every other day with brief interval workouts, ab circuits, and longer duration, low-intensity cardio being alternated for non-lifting days. The next phase will include traditional, old school, bodybuilding-style splits (Days 9–14). The final phase of the program will revert back to the original full-body workouts, but with an increased work capacity. You will have a total of three days “off” during the program. Days 8, 11, and 13 will serve as complete recovery days.

Days 6 and 17 will consist of a unique fat-burning and endurance/conditioning challenge.

KICKING INTO GEAR IN THE AM:

The Morning Grinder Workouts

The key to melting off fat is being active as much as possible, and these workouts produce short bursts of moderate to intense work that will help speed up the fat burning process. It’s true, 21 days is not a lot of time, but it’s doable with some extra effort, and these Morning Grinder sessions are brief, effective ways to jump-start your metabolism each day. Here are three sample workouts; switch and swap them, but do one every morning in a fasted state i.e., before breakfast. Is it a pain to have to work out every morning? Yes, but if you want it bad enough, you’ll do it.

GRINDER 1
JUMP ROPE – 1 MINUTE
BODY-WEIGHT SQUAT – 30 SECONDS
PLANK – 1 MINUTE
MOUNTAIN CLIMBER – 30 SECONDS
REST – 30 SECONDS
COMPLETE 3 SETS

GRINDER 2
MEDICINE BALL RUSSIAN TWIST – 30 REPS
> SUPER-SET WITH: MEDICINE BALL V-UP – AS MANY AS POSSIBLE
REST – 30 SECONDS
COMPLETE 4 SETS

GRINDER 3
DUMBBELL PUSH-UP WITH ROW – 15 REPS
> SUPER-SET WITH: PRISONER SQUAT – 15 REPS
REST – 30 SECONDS

COMPLETE 3 SETS

TRAINING BENCHMARKS:
Power Hours

One of the most popular workout series’ on the Men’s Fitness social media streams are the Power Hour sessions. On Day 6, you will complete a salablez Jump Rope and Run workout measured by time. On Day 17 you will complete another easily adjustable workout referred to as a Muscle Run. This workout will consist of running and various body-weight exercises at checkpoints.

DAY 1 Full Body

Full-body workouts sound like they would take a long time. But when you boil down the exercises you need to perform in order to cover every area, there are only three types you need to be concerned with a push, a pull, and a squat. This is the ultimate in minimalism and works superbly for beginners or people who are short on time. 

HOW IT WORKS Any kind of pressing exercise will train your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Any pulling movement (a row or chinup variation) recruits your back, rear delts, biceps, and forearms. Squatting movements (and deadlifts, which aren’t quite a squat but require all the same muscles) take care of the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Even your calves get some stimulation as they help to stabilize your squat. Your abs, of course, get worked on all these movement patterns, provided they’re done with free weights rather than machines; also work to brace your spine throughout. The following workout, done with heavy weights, contains everything you need to put on size fast a squat, press, and pullup and you should be able to wrap it up within 45 minutes.

DIRECTIONS Complete all five sets for the squat and then perform the overhead press and weighted pullup in alternating fashion. That is, complete a set of the press, rest, then do a set of the pull-up, rest again, and repeat until you’ve finished all five sets for each.

Best Fitness Plan (Part 1 EAT)

Introduction:

You need only three weeks for better results. In three weeks basic six parts will be completed.
Part 1: Eat
Part 2: Train
Part 3: Supplement
Part 4: Challenge
Part 5: FEAST
Part 6: Thrive

We will discuss each part in one Post. Now I am going to discuss Part 1 and that is Eat.

Part 1: Eat

The only way you will ever lose fat, shred your physique, and see your abs is if you eat fewer calories than you are eating now. Every day for the next three weeks you will be either training or recovering from training. That means that a conscious balance of protein, fat, fiber rather than a wholesale carbohydrate fast is the best bet. Nothing else not lifting weights, not supplements, not sitting in a sauna wearing a polyester burka can offset failing to adhere to this simple rule. Period. So

for the next 21 days.

IT COMES DOWN TO CALORIES

According to Mayo Clinic research, a 160-pound person performing high-impact aerobic exercise will burn only 533 calories in one hour. (Note that most people are not capable of sustaining an intense pace anywhere near that long.) Now consider that a healthy dinner of just four ounces of skinless chicken breast and one cup of rice contains 385 calories. That’s right: Eat one light meal and you are a stone’s throw from breaking even with the calories you burned in that day’s workout assuming the workout was long and extremely vigorous in the first place. So if you can not create a caloric deficit with exercise (at least not without a ton of it, marathon runners notwithstanding) you must do it with your diet. So let’s get started. 

First, multiply your current body weight by 12 that’s roughly how many calories you should consume per day in order to maintain your current weight. Now do the same calculation using the body weight you are aiming for. So if you are 220 pounds but remember looking and feeling your best when you were 190, start taking in 2,300 calories a day (190 × 12, rounded up for simplicity). On the other hand, if you’re 185 and only want to strip off five to 10 extra pounds, eating 2,160 calories per day (180 × 12) combined with the serious fitness routine, will get you there in record time. (By the way: This sort of eating plan, absent strenuous exercise, will get you to your desired weight over time.

But combined with the workout plan in these pages, eating this way will strip fat off your body with amazing speed while ensuring you have enough of the right kind of calories to maintain muscle growth. Again, it’s all about the balance between burning and building.)

Understand that these numbers are just a starting point. They should allow you to lose one or two pounds per week initially (more if you are heavier) but also build dense, heavy muscle at the same time. So worry less about the scale than about how you look and feel. If your weight loss stops dead for more than one week, cut your calories and readjust your numbers. Instead of 12 calories per pound, try dropping to 11 calories per pound first and then, later, 10. But don’t go any lower: Losing more than a few pounds a week means you’re giving up muscle mass as well as fat. That’s not shredding; that’s yo-yo dieting, and it will set you up for greater weight gain down the road.

THE 8 ABSOLUTE-WORST FOODS YOU
CAN PUMP INTO YOUR BODY

Packed with calories and nearly devoid of any real nutrition, these 8 foods are not only completely off limits for the 21-Day Shred, but they should be removed from your kitchen, fridge, and cabinets forever.

1: DOUGHNUTS
2: BAGELS
3: PROCESSED CEREAL
4: CHIPS
5: FRENCH FRIES
6: FAST-FOOD BURGERS
7: MICROWAVE POPCORN
8: MARGARINE

MIND YOUR MACROS

Of course, 2,160 calories of Doritos is not going to sculpt the body you want. To maximize results from your weight training, you need to eat the right combination of macro nutrients. (Macro nutrients means protein, carbohydrates, and fat; micro nutrients refers to things like vitamins and minerals.)

Protein is the building block of muscle, and it will be the cornerstone of your diet plan. Every day, regardless of training or not, you’ll shoot for 1–1.25 grams per pound of body weight it will be critical for recovery and building new muscle.

For  carbohydrates , you have to get a bit more strategic. On strength-training days you are going to consume approximately between 0.5 and 0.75 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight. But this will be distributed at key points during the day: some in the mid morning time frame, but primarily in post-workout portions of your day to optimist recovery from your workout.

On interval/cardio/ab days, your crab intake will hover around only 0.25 grams. On rest days, your body won't need much in the way of curbs, so you will reduce your intake to less than 0.25 grams. Fat , although clerically dense, plays a crucial role in supporting the production of hormones such as testosterone, so while it must be kept fairly low to help create the caloric deficit we are aiming for, you can not cut it out completely. Get 0.3 grams of fat per pound of your target body weight so a 175-pound target means consuming about 52 grams daily. Most of your fat intake should come as a by-product of the protein-rich foods you eat.

STAGGER SIX MEALS A DAY

Being on a hardcore shred program is going to make you hungry. You are going to want to eat and eat and eat. That’s why this program calls for six meals a day, to keep you from making hunger-driven food mistakes while also feeding your body the nutrients it needs to recover and perform.

Spotlight on Post-Workout:

After hitting the weights hard, your body’s levels of cortisol a stress-induced hormone that triggers fat storage are on the rise, and that can actually be harmful to muscle growth if it’s not addressed. That’s why eating right after exercise and making sure you get enough post-workout carbs is so important. Approximately 30 minutes or so will be your window of opportunity to recover appropriately. A meal combining both protein and curbs will suppress cortisol, and immediately begin the muscle-growth and recovery process. Avoid fats immediately post-workout because they slow digestion and can interfere/slow the effects of post-workout protein/crab combo.

NOTE: This plan is designed for an evening (6 p.m. or so) workout schedule. If you work out earlier, move the post-workout meal (currently Meal 5 in this schedule) so they happen right after your exercise session.

STRENGTH-TRAINING DAYS

(Evening workouts)

MEAL 1

Time 7:30 a.m.

• 4 egg whites:
• 70 calories,
• 14 g protein,
• 0.5 g carbs,
• 0.5 g fat
• 2 whole eggs:
• 145 calories,
• 15 g protein,
• 0.5 g carbs,
• 9 g fat
• ½ cup oatmeal:
• 120 calories,
• 1 g protein,
• 25 g carbs,
• 1 g fat

MEAL 2

Time 10:30 a.m.

• 1 skinless chicken breast, halved:
• 260 calories,
• 56 g protein,
• 0 g carbs,
• 1.5 g fat
• 1 cup broccoli, cooked:
• 34 calories,
• 2 g protein,
• 7 g carbs (fiber),
• 0 g fat

MEAL 3

Time 1:30 p.m.

• 1 skinless chicken breast, halved:
• 260 calories,
• 56 g protein,
• 0 g carbs,
• 1.5 g fat
• ½ cup mixed veggies:
• 60 calories,
• 3 g protein,
• 11 g carbs,
• 0 g fat

SMALL SNACK

Time 4 p.m.

• 1 tbsp all natural peanut butter:
• 100 calories,
• 4 g protein,
• 3 g carbs,
• 7 g fat
• + celery sticks

OR

• handful almonds + celery sticks

MEAL 4

Time 5:30 p.m.

• 6 oz ahi tuna steak:
• 180 calories,
• 40 g protein,
• 0 g carbs,
• 1.5 g fat
• ½ cup oatmeal:
• 120 calories,
• 1 g protein,
• 25 g carbs,
• 1 g fat

MEAL 5

• Post workout meal: 7:30 p.m.
• Blend together with ice:
• 1¼ scoops whey protein:
• 150 calories,
• 30 g protein,
• 2 g carbs,
• 2 g fat
• ½ cup oatmeal:
• 120 calories,
• 1 g protein,
• 25 g carbs,
• 1 g fat
• 1 medium banana:
• 105 calories,
• 1 g protein,
• 26 g carbs,
• 5 g fat

MEAL 6

Time 9:30 p.m.

• 1 skinless chicken breast, halved:
• 260 calories,
• 56 g protein,
• 0 g carbs,
• 1.5 g fat
• 1 cup broccoli, cooked:
• 34 calories,
• 2 g protein,
• 7 g carbs (fiber),
• 0 g fat
• ½ avocado:
• 130 calories,
• 1 g protein,
• 6 g carbs,
• 12 g of fat

TOTALS

1. Calories: 2,148
2. Protein: 222
3. Carbs: 124
4. Fat: 40

INTERVAL TRAINING DAYS

(Evening workouts)

MEAL 1

Time 7:30 a.m.

• 4 egg whites:
• 70 calories,
• 14 g protein,
• 0.5 g carbs,
• 0.5 g fat
• 2 whole eggs:
• 145 calories,
• 15 g protein,
• 0.5 g carbs,
• 9 g fat
• ½ cup oatmeal:
• 120 calories,
• 1 g protein,
• 25 g carbs,
• 1 g fat

MEAL 2

Time 10:30 a.m.

• 1 skinless chicken breast, halved:
• 260 calories,
• 56 g protein,
• 0 g carbs,
• 1.5 g fat
• 1 cup broccoli, cooked:
• 34 calories,
• 2 g protein,
• 7 g carbs (fiber),
• 0 g fat

MEAL 3

• 1:30 p.m.
• 1 skinless chicken breast, halved:
• 260 calories,
• 56 g protein,
• 0 g carbs,
• 1.5 g fat
• ½ cup mixed veggies:
• 60 calories,
• 3 g protein,
• 11 g carbs,
• 0 g fat

SMALL SNACK

Time 4 p.m.

• 1 tbsp all natural peanut butter:
• 100 calories,
• 4 g protein,
• 3 g carbs,
• 7 g fat
• + celery sticks

OR

• handful almonds + celery sticks

MEAL 4

Time 6 p.m.

• 6 oz ahi tuna steak:
• 180 calories,
• 40 g protein,
• 0 g carbs,
• 1.5 g fat

MEAL 5

• Post workout meal: 7:00/7:30PM
• Blend together with ice:
• 1¼ scoops whey protein:
• 150 calories,
• 30 g protein,
• 2 g carbs,
• 2 g fat
• ½ cup oatmeal:
• 120 calories,
• 1 g protein,
• 25 g carbs,
• 1 g fat

MEAL 6

Time 9:30 p.m.

• 1 skinless chicken breast, halved:
• 260 calories,
• 56 g protein,
• 0 g carbs,
• 1.5 g fat
• 1 cup broccoli, cooked:
• 34 calories,
• 2 g protein,
• 7 g carbs (fiber),
• 0 g fat
• 1 avocado:
• 260 calories,
• 2 g protein,
• 12 g carbs,
• 24 g fat

TOTALS

1. Calories: 2,053
2. Protein: 218
3. Carbs: 75
4. Fat: 52

REST DAYS

MEAL 1

Time 7:30 a.m.

• 4 egg whites:
• 70 calories,
• 14 g protein,
• 0.5 g carbs,
• 0.5 g fat
• 2 whole eggs:
• 145 calories,
• 15 g protein,
• 0.5 g carbs,
• 9 g fat
• ¼ cup oatmeal:
• 60 calories,
• 0.5 g protein,
• 13 g carbs,
• 0.5 g fat

MEAL 2

Time 10:30 a.m.

• 1 skinless chicken breast, halved:
• 260 calories,
• 56 g protein,
• 0 g carbs,
• 1.5 g fat
• 1 cup broccoli, cooked:
• 34 calories,
• 2 g protein,
• 7 g carbs (fiber),
• 0 g fat

MEAL 3

Time 1:30 p.m.

• 1 skinless chicken breast, halved:
• 260 calories,
• 56 g protein,
• 0 g carbs,
• 1.5 g fat
• ½ cup mixed veggies:
• 60 calories,
• 3 g protein,
• 11 g carbs,
• 0 g fat
• SMALL SNACK
• 4 p.m.
• 1 tbsp all natural peanut butter:
• 100 calories,
• 4 g protein,
• 3 g carbs,
• 7 g fat
• + celery sticks

OR

• handful almonds + celery sticks

MEAL 4

Time 6 p.m.

• 6 oz ahi tuna steak:
• 180 calories,
• 40 g protein,
• 0 g carbs,
• 1.5 g fat
• ½ cup oatmeal:
• 120 calories,
• 1 g protein,
• 25 g carbs,
• 1 g fat

MEAL 5

Time 7:00/7:30 p.m.

• Mix with with ice and a splash of almond milk:
• 1¼ scoops whey protein:
• 150 calories,
• 30 g protein,
• 2 g carbs,
• 2 g fat

MEAL 6

Time 9:30 p.m.

• 1 skinless chicken breast, halved:
• 260 calories,
• 56 g protein,
• 0 g carbs,
• 1.5 g fat
• 1 cup broccoli, cooked:
• 34 calories,
• 2 g protein,
• 7 g carbs (fiber),
• 0 g fat
• 1 avocado:
• 260 calories,
• 2 g protein,
• 12 g carbs,
• 24 g fat

TOTALS:

1. Calories: 1,863
2. Protein: 216
3. Carbs: 65
4. Fat: 52

8 FOODS THAT WILL NEVER MAKE YOU FAT

Strict dieting and tons of sweating means strong food cravings. If you’ve gotta eat, dammit, and mealtime is too far out, reach for one of these fast, nearly zero-calorie options and eat as much as you’d like.

1: CELERY

Calories per cup, chopped: 16

Celery is one of the best “negative- calorie” foods. And although it still contains 10 calories per large stalk, the majority of that is coming from small amounts of fiber and hints of sugar. Either way, go ahead and eat up as much as you’d like. It will keep you feeling full and won’t impact your daily macronutrient limits.

2: PEPPERS

Calories per medium pepper: 30

Red peppers are ripe, which means they pack several times as many nutrients as unripe green peppers.

3: KALE

Calories per cup, chopped: 33

Kale has found its way onto every healthy food list, and it would be wrong to leave it off of this one. Kale is one of the best sources of folate, an essential B vitamin.

4: BROCCOLI

Calories per cup, chopped: 31

Cruciferous vegetables are the mainstay when it comes to “zero-calorie” foods, and broccoli is one of the best ones for you. Its deep-green hue is a dead giveaway that it’s full of cancer-fighting phytochemicals. Broccoli is also packed with gut-filling fiber and a surprising amount of protein for a vegetable (2.6 grams in one cup).

5: PURPLE CABBAGE

Calories per cup, chopped: 22

Purple foods are particularly good at protecting the heart. While you probably won’t be biting into a whole cabbage, cut off a big chunk and toss it into salads or stir-fries. The addition will make your meal more filling and help curb the need to snack as the day goes on.

6: CAULIFLOWER

Calories per cup, chopped: 27

If you are not so keen on the taste of raw cauliflower, try steaming and flavoring it with herbs and spices or a little lemon zest.

7: CHERRY TOMATOES

Calories per cup: 27

This is the only “fruit” you’ll see on this list. In general, fruit has about 60 calories per serving more than double the calorie content of non-starchy vegetables. But tomatoes are on the lower end of the fruit calorie spectrum, so forgo grapes every now and then and pop cherry tomatoes into your mouth for a healthy, lower-sugar snack.

8: SPINACH

Calories per cup: 7

A powerful source of antioxidants, spinach is also packed with muscle- building iron.