Welcome to the Strength Workouts for Fat Loss Challenge!

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Douglas Cannon
5 years ago
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2 Welcome to the Strength Workouts for Fat Loss Challenge! What Is It? A 31-Day training and nutrition challenge 3x/week Strength Training Simultaneous fat loss and strength gain 1-2x/week metabolic conditioning workouts for accelerated fat loss I ve found that people are more likely to follow through with their goals when they have a plan and are faced with a challenge. That s exactly why I ve created the Strength Workouts for Fat Loss challenge. I want to help you combine strength training, cardio, and nutrition to get your strongest and leanest body ever. This 31-day challenge program is designed to lay the foundation for strength, while helping you shed body fat along the way. If you ve ever been told that getting stronger and leaner at the same time is impossible then you ve been misled. Not only is it possible, but you should expect these things as long as you re working hard and following a well thought out plan like this one here. Before we get into the actual program itself, I want to briefly go over the main principles behind my methods.

3 Gaining Strength Everyone wants to get stronger in some form or fashion. Whether its deadlifting 2-3x your bodyweight, carrying in 20 bags of groceries, or just being able to move pain free, gaining strength will benefit you. There are 5 important rules to consider to maximize strength gains: 1) Compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, rows, etc.) should form the basis of your training program 2) You want to emphasize gradual increases in weight and intensity over time to maximize your strength gains 3) Technique should always be as good as possible-any break in form will prevent you from getting stronger in the long run 4) Choose exercises that you can do safely and pain free 5) Push yourself to lift heavier weights over time My online client, Laura, preparing for a heavy set of deadlifts

Recipe for Fat Loss Here are the most important nutritional things to focus on for fat loss: #1 Calorie balance is most important To figure out a rough estimate of your calorie intake multiply your

4 Recipe for Fat Loss Here are the most important nutritional things to focus on for fat loss: #1 Calorie balance is most important To figure out a rough estimate of your calorie intake multiply your bodyweight x Use this is a STARTING calorie intake. Adjust calories down if you aren t losing weight fast enough. #2 Aim to get roughly 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight EVERY day There are several methods of measuring your protein intake. 1 ounce of a lean protein source is roughly 6 grams of protein. -use a kitchen scale -use nutritional labels if applicable -use your palm to estimate serving size (men eat 2 palm sizes, women eat 1 palm size serving of protein at every meal) To the right is a visual for 3oz of protein from chicken breast--

Recipe for Fat Loss Cont d #3 Fill half your plate with vegetables Not only will they help fill you up for very little calories, but they also contain important micronutrients like Vitamins A and C.

And there s also quite the talk about how much fat we actually need day to day. The truth is there are some general principles that seem to make fat loss easier in regards to carb and fat intake.

5 Recipe for Fat Loss Cont d #3 Fill half your plate with vegetables Not only will they help fill you up for very little calories, but they also contain important micronutrients like Vitamins A and C. #4 Carbs and Fats can vary on your preference There s still a lot of debate about how many carbs you should be eating for fat loss. And there s also quite the talk about how much fat we actually need day to day. The truth is there are some general principles that seem to make fat loss easier in regards to carb and fat intake. We need carbs for energy, so it makes sense to include them in our diets. Start with about your bodyweight in carbs on days that you lift weights, and half your bodyweight on off days. Here s a sample visual to get an idea of carb portioning: 30 grams of carbohydrates from pasta-

Fats are more or less the filler macro. Outside of the essential fats, we don t actually need to consume large amounts of fat, despite how delicious they may be.

6 Fats are more or less the filler macro. Outside of the essential fats, we don t actually need to consume large amounts of fat, despite how delicious they may be. Personally, I prefer to adjust my fat intake before messing with any carbohydrate restrictions. You can also cut more calories from fats than carbs since fats contain 9 calories per gram. Start out with 4-5 golf ball servings a day and adjust down by ½-1 golf ball serving a day to decrease calories. 2 tbsp of peanut butter- *Also be sure to re-read the 10 Commandments of Fat Loss as that goes into a bit more detail on nutritional advice. The best thing you can do for fat loss is to be consistent and adjust your calorie intake as needed after monitoring your bodyweight for 1-2 weeks.

7 Strength Workouts for Fat Loss Training Program During the next 31 days, you ll be strength training 3x per week following the outlined program below. In addition to 3 strength-focused sessions, you also have the option of doing 1-2 metabolic conditioning circuits for extra fat loss benefits. 3x Per Week Strength Training Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 A1) Squat 4x4-6 A1) Bench Press 4x5-6 A1) Deadlift 4x3-6 B1) Barbell RDL 3x6-8 B1) DB Low Incline Bench Press 3x6-8 B2) Barbell Bent over Row 4x B2) Plank 3x 3 holds (10 seconds) C1) Bulg. Split Squat 3x /leg C2) Reverse Crunch 3x8-10 D1) Goblet Squat 3x8 D2) Face Pulls 3x10-12 C1) Seated DB Overhead Press 3x8-10 C2) DB 1 Arm Row 4x D1) Skull crushers 3x12 D2) Hanging Knee Raises 3x8-10 B1) Barbell Glute Bridge 4x8-10 B2) Walking DB Lunges 3x C1) 1 Leg Hip Thrust 3x10-12 C2) Pullup 4x6-10 (assisted if necessary) D1) Dips 3x10-12 (assisted if necessary) D2) Goblet Squat with pause 3x12-15 D3) Stability Ball Rollout 4x8-10

8 Strength Training Common Questions Q: What weight should I use on each exercise? A: For the main lift of each workout (A1), choose a weight that is as heavy as possible but still allows you to get all the completed reps with perfect form. This should likely be about an 8 out of 10 difficulty. For the assistance and supportive exercises, pick a weight that is challenging but not too heavy where you re struggling to get the last couple reps. Save a few reps in the tank on these. Q: Do I have to train on certain days? A: Nope. You can choose any 3 days of the week you d like. My only recommendation is to make sure you take a day off in between lifting sessions. You could train Mon/Wed/Fri or Tues/Thurs/Saturday for example. Q: How will I get stronger if I m doing the same workouts every week? A: To build strength you want to slowly increase your weights week to week. For lower body exercises like the squat and deadlift, aim to add

9 10lbs each week. For upper body lifts shoot for a 5lb increase each week. Q: What do the letters in front of the exercise mean? A1, B1/B2 for example. A: This is simply the order you ll go in. If there is only one exercise per letter that means you ll complete all of those sets before moving on to the next exercise(s). If you see B1)-B2) this means those exercises are a superset. You ll perform a set of one, then a set of the other until all sets are completed. For example: B1) DB Low Incline Bench Press 3x6-8 B2) Barbell Bent over Row 4x8 Set 1: DB Incline Bench Press x 6-8 Barbell Bent over Row x8 Rest Set 2: DB Incline Bench Press x 6-8 Barbell Bent over Row x8 Rest Set 3: DB Incline Bench Press x 6-8 Barbell Bent over Row x8 Rest Set 4: Barbell Bent over Row x8

10 Q: Should I do any kind of warmup before lifting? A: You should do some type of warmup to increase your body temperature and loosen up prior to lifting. Read THIS article I wrote to help you with your warmup since it pertains to squatting, benching, and deadlifting.

11 Metabolic Conditioning Circuits Rather than have you do lots of running or spend hours walking for your cardio, I have included 2 conditioning circuits that you can do (they re optional) on your non-lifting days. If you d like to stay a bit more active throughout the week you can perform up to 2 days of these. Do only one of these circuits at a time though, and do the other on your 2 nd conditioning day. They are short but they re intense and they ll get your heart rate up fast and have you burning calories quickly. Conditioning Circuits Day 1 Lower Body Focused A1) Goblet Squat x 8 A2) Hip Thrust off Bench x 8 A3) Mountain Climbers x 10/side A4) Reverse Lunges 8/side Instructions: Perform continuously in order for 7-12 minutes Day 2 Upper Body Focused A1) Pushup x 8 A2) TRX Row or Inverted Row x 8 A3) Overhead Medicine Ball Slam x10 A4) V sit ups x 10 Instructions: Perform continuously in order for 7-12 minutes

12 Conditioning Common Questions Q: How long should each circuit take? A: Anywhere from 7-12 minutes. I d suggest starting out with 7 minutes your first few times, and then adding a minute each time if you can go for a bit more. Q: Should I use any weight on these? A: Not really. Most should be bodyweight, but for things like goblets squats and med ball slams, you can use a light weight. These are designed to help you get your heart rate up, enhance the fat loss process, and serve as quick-to-the-point cardio. Q: How many times per week can I do these? A: No more than 2x per week. So one lower body and upper circuit would be the max for the week.

13 Q: What exactly am I supposed to do with these circuits? A: Do the prescribed reps for each exercise and then move through A1- A4 trying to complete as many round within your time as possible. The goal over the 31-day challenge should be to increase the number of rounds you can complete within the allotted time. Are You Ready? You ve now got your blueprint to build strength and burn fat. Get after it! -Ryan

EXAMPLE OF A SCHEDULE FOR PHASE 1

EXAMPLE OF A SCHEDULE FOR PHASE 1 G E T T I N G S T A R T E D DAYS Each phase of the program has workout days. Repeat the workout days without skipping a day. For example, in phase 1, after day 4, your next workout would be day 1 again.