As we enter spring, we’re taking the intensity up another notch to knock the last few pounds of fat off of you by summer.
Make no mistake, the routines ARE intense, but by the same token, our approach is more minimalist than ever. You’ll only do one strength exercise in Workout A and one superset in Workout B.
The overall workload may be less but it won’t feel like it. The weights you’ll be lifting are the heaviest yet—the reps are down to five per set—in order to elicit the best strength gains and activate your biggest muscle fibers.
Pair these routines up alongside the nutrition plan we’ve matched it with HERE, and you’ll have abs—along with the strength, power, and stability to display them playing sports on the beach (or eating barbecue by the pool) all summer long.
12 Week Fat Loss Workout Plan, Part 3
Workout A
Mobility Warmup
Perform 5 reps of each exercise (on each side, where appropriate) in sequence. Repeat the series for 3 total rounds.
A. Vertical Neck Rotation
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and place your hands on your belly. Draw your shoulder blades back and down (think “proud chest”), and begin turning your neck side to side. Keep your chin level with the floor and turn as far as you can in one direction and then the other without moving your shoulders, torso, or hips.
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and place your hands on your belly. Draw your shoulder blades back and down (think “proud chest”), and begin turning your neck side to side. Keep your chin level with the floor and turn as far as you can in one direction and then the other without moving your shoulders, torso, or hips.
B. Standing Side Bend
Raise your arms out to your sides and bend your elbows 90 degrees with the fingers on one hand pointing up and the other hand pointing down. Begin bending your torso to one side and extend your arms to lockout in each direction. Do not bend at the hips and keep your neck in line with your head.
C. Outside Elbow Circle
Tuck your arms against your sides and bend your elbows 90 degrees. Keeping your upper arms in place, rotate your forearms outward in big circles.
D. Lateral Leg Lift
Stand on one leg and raise your free leg out to the side, keeping your knee straight and your toes pulled back. Don’t allow your shoulders to move and keep the proud chest position as best you can.
E. Alternating Cossack Squat
Stand with feet double shoulder-width apart. Shift your weight to one side and squat down, keeping your heel on the floor. Allow your opposite leg to extend and your toes to point to the ceiling so you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
Strength Superset
Perform for the prescribed number of rounds (see “Notes” at the bottom).
1 Pushup To Renegade Row
Reps: 5
Grasp a dumbbell in each hand and get into pushup position so your hands are supported on the dumbbells. Brace your abs and lower your body toward the floor until your chest is an inch above it. Press back up, spreading your shoulder blades apart at the top.
Now shift your weight to one side and row the opposite side’s dumbbell to your ribs. Draw your shoulder blade back and down as you pull the weight up. Afterward, row on the other side—that’s one rep.
Conditioning Circuit
Perform the following exercises back to back for the prescribed amount of time or number of rounds (see “Notes” below). Do not rest in between exercises; work at your own pace.
1A. Dumbbell or Kettlebell Hang Clean
Reps: 5
Stand with feet outside shoulder-width apart holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand. Bend your hips back to “hike” the weights through your hips and behind you. Try to “spread the floor” with your feet, actively driving your feet outward to fire up your hips and keep your knees apart. Maintain a straight line with your head, spine, and pelvis as well by keeping your core engaged.
Extend your hips and knees explosively, shrug your shoulders, and pull the weights up to shoulder level in one motion.
1B. Racked Dumbbell or Kettlebell Squat
Reps: 5
From the end position of the hang clean (dumbbells or kettlebells at shoulder level), set your feet at shoulder width and turn your toes out about 30 degrees. Spread the floor and squat down, keeping your torso as vertical as possible. Your knees should align with your toes and your lower back must remain flat.
1C. Dumbbell or Kettlebell Push Press
Reps: 5
From the top position of the squat, dip your knees quickly and press the weights straight overhead. Keep your ribs down and core braced. Lock out your elbows at the top.
Decompression
Perform each exercise for 60 seconds (30 seconds per side where appropriate), and repeat for 3 total rounds.
A. Standing Forward Fold
Stand tall with feet together. Tilt your pelvis back and then bend your hips back to fold your body downward. Allow your knees to bend as necessary. Reach behind your legs and grasp your calves. Now pull your legs forward while you straighten your knees. You’ll feel a stretch in your lower back. Hold this position.
B. Shinbox Tripod Extension
Sit in a shinbox position—both knees bent and your left behind you while your right points in front of you. From there, plant your right hand on the floor behind you and extend your hips and bring your chest to the sky. Reach your left arm overhead to point behind you.
C. Half Butterfly Lat Stretch
Sit on the floor with your left leg extended and the right tucked in so the sole of your right foot rests against the inside of your left thigh. Turn your left palm up and reach for your left heel. Now twist your torso and reach your right arm overhead and forward toward your left foot.
D. Elevated Scorpion
Get on all fours with your toes on the floor and place your hands shoulder-width apart. Press through your palms to drive your hips backward while extending your knees to pike your hips into the air. Keep your knees as straight as possible and your lower back flat. Now raise one leg up in the air and twist your hips, so that your raised leg looks like a scorpion’s tail about to strike. Your heel should point over the opposite shoulder. Hold the position.
Workout A Notes
Week 1
Perform 4 rounds of the pushup to renegade row, resting 90 seconds between rounds. For the conditioning circuit, do as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes.
Week 2
Perform 4 rounds of the pushup to renegade row, resting 60 seconds between rounds. For the conditioning circuit, do 10 rounds as fast as possible and record your time.
Week 3
Perform 5 rounds of the pushup to renegade row, resting 90 seconds between rounds. For the conditioning circuit, do as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes.
Week 4
Perform 5 rounds of the pushup to renegade row, resting 60 seconds between rounds. For the conditioning circuit, do 10 rounds as fast as possible and record your time (try to beat your performance in Week 2).
Use the same the weight every week for the strength sets and the conditioning circuit.
Workout B
Mobility Warmup
Repeat the warmup from Workout A.
Strength Superset
Complete one set of 1A and then 1B before resting. Perform for the prescribed number of rounds (see “Notes” at the bottom).
1A. Double-Racked Dumbbell Forward/Back Lunge
Reps: 5 (each side)
Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand in the rack position—under your chin with elbows tucked. Step forward into a lunge, lowering your body until your rear knee nearly touches the floor and your front thigh is parallel to it. From there, return to the starting position and then step back into a reverse lunge with the same leg. That’s one rep.
1B. Pullup Ladder
Reps: 1/2/3/4/5
Hang from a pullup bar with hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing away from you. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar. Perform one rep and then rest. Perform two reps, rest, and so on up until you’ve done five reps. Rest as long as you need between sets to perform the next one with crisp form. If body weight alone is too easy for you, add weight with a belt or dumbbell, but don’t use more resistance than you’d need to perform 10 straight reps.
Conditioning Circuit
Perform the following exercises back to back for the prescribed amount of time or number of rounds (see “Notes” below). Do not rest in between exercises; work at your own pace.
1A. Body-weight Squat
Reps: 15
Stand with your feet between hip and shoulder-width apart and toes turned out slightly. Look straight ahead, take a deep breath, and screw your feet into the floor as if you were twisting up turf beneath them.
Squat down as if you were sitting in a low chair, spreading your knees apart as you descend. Go as low as you feel comfortable while keeping a long spine from your head to your pelvis—your head, back, and hips should form a straight line and your torso should be very vertical.
1B. Pushup
Reps: 10
Place your hands on the floor at shoulder-width apart and extend your legs behind you in a straight line. Your feet should be about hip-width apart. Breathe into your belly and brace your core. Pull your shoulder blades down and together.
Think about twisting your hands into the floor to create tension in your shoulders. Begin lowering your body toward the floor by pulling yourself down with your upper back. Stop when your chest is about an inch above the floor and press back up, continuing to push until your shoulder blades are spread wide apart.
1C. V-Up
Reps: 10
Lie on your back on the floor and raise both hands behind your head. Extend your legs. Take a deep breath and brace your abs. Sit up all the way, raising your legs simultaneously. Your body should form a V shape at the top.
Decompression
Repeat the cool down from Workout A.
Workout B Notes
Week 1
Perform 4 rounds of the strength superset, resting 90 seconds between rounds. For the conditioning circuit, do as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes.
Week 2
Perform 4 rounds of the strength superset, resting 60 seconds between rounds. After you’ve completed all your pullup ladders, perform 5 single reps, resting as needed between them. For the conditioning circuit, do 8 rounds as fast as possible and record your time.
Week 3
Perform 5 rounds of the strength superset, resting 90 seconds between rounds. After you’ve completed all your pullup ladders, perform 3 sets of 3 reps. For the conditioning circuit, do as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes.
Week 4
Perform 5 rounds of the strength superset, resting 60 seconds between rounds. After you’ve completed all your pullup ladders, perform 5 single reps, resting as needed between them. After you’ve completed all your pullup ladders, perform one in descending fashion—do 5 reps, then 4, and so on down to 1. For the conditioning circuit, do 8 rounds as fast as possible and record your time (try to beat your performance in Week 2).
Use the same the weight every week for the strength sets and the conditioning circuit.
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