5 Tips to Get Shredded for Summer

The summer is already around the corner so everyone is about to start the race for a striking lean body.

That’s right, because how can you do without six packs in summer? In this article, I will share a few cornerstones that will help you to hone your body before the summer season. 

Strength Workouts

Of course, in order to “reveal” your abs, you should concentrate on your diet first of all. There is no secret: spend more energy than you take in, and fat will go away. 

However, I’m going to repeat again and again that making a body athletic along with burning fat is impossible without proper weight training. You definitely need a strength boost to maintain your muscles and make them grow. Unlike improving Olympic weightlifting exercises (the snatch and clean & jerk), muscle pumping and fat burning during the off-season need a special load structure with splits for particular body parts. 

In order to make your body lean and athletic, I have created a special version of my hit 4-week program Weightlifting Bodybuilding. 

The goal of this program is to train the body in a way that will make you an all-around athlete with an emphasis on muscle pumping and fat burning.

3-Day Weekly Split

The program structure is a traditional 3-day weekly split for the following muscle groups: 

• Workout 1 – legs + shoulders
• Workout 2 – chest + triceps
• Workout 3 – back + biceps 

Every workout starts with a specific warm-up performed in circle mode. Then, an athlete moves to the main block which consists of basic strength exercises and superset combinations. In the final part, we train core muscles and have some kind of fat-burning cardio (in the standard or hybrid mode).  

Of course, if you ache for weightlifting so much, you may use the program template to add a light optional technical training for the snatch or clean & jerk. 

Inside this weightlifting bodybuilding program, you will find special nutrition recommendations to make sure your body is ready!

 

Apart from this, here are some more tricks to get shredded: 

1. Walking a Lot

Among all the energy that we spend within a day, there is a component called NEAT (or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). It is the part that we use for our daily routine.

People tend to underestimate walking as a NEAT component, but it is actually one of the best means of increasing the energy output. Moreover, it is a great way of active recovery and meditation on days off.  

Neat is a secret weapon in the battle against fat. And walking is one of the most reliable tools to increase the energy output within NEAT. Walk more during the day or take a stroll before going to bed – it will also make your abs show up. 

2. Focus on Proteins And Vegetables

The combination of strength training and sufficient protein amount is a very conducive environment for fat burning and maintaining or even building muscles at the same time. On top of that, proteins will make you full for the whole day long. 

Vegetables along with proteins are the most filling products. Maintaining satiety is the main condition that helps you stay exactly within your calorie limits, needed to finally show your abs. 

The amount of protein should be high – about 2,2 g per 1 kilo (1 g per pound) or slightly more. 

3. Calorie And Carbs Cycling

If you haven’t tried calorie and carbs cycling, you should definitely check it out. It means that you take in more carbs (and, therefore, calories) on training days, but cut down on them on days off. 

For example, if you maintain the weight by eating 350 gr of carbs a day, stick to 300 gr on training days and 230 gr on rest days for fat loss. 

4. The Goals of Such Cycling

1. Cutting the average weekly calorie intake to provide weight loss.
2. Creating a conducive fat-burning environment within rest days. As your glycogen reserve is drying out, your body accumulates the use of the fat tissue. 
3. Maintaining good training performance and providing a strength boost on particular days in order to keep or even build muscles.

Therefore, the calorie and carb cycling with sufficient protein intake within the average week deficit will quickly make a difference in your fat rate.

5. Flexible Diet planning 

In order not to go crazy while sweating over your abs, I recommend adding small amounts of sweets or junk food (but don’t get carried away). 

Make sure that healthy foods take 85-90% of your diet and leave 10-15% for a cheat meal. It won’t stop you from the desired result in case you stay within a calorie deficit. But it will definitely cease the psychological pain.