If you want to get your body in tip-top condition by summer, now is the best time to start. It’s normal to pack on a few extra pounds during the winter months. Consider it hibernation when you’re spending all day curled up in your comfy clothes and pouring yourself extra glasses of eggnog.
Now, however, spring is around the corner. You’re almost ready to start baring some skin. Why not aim for your optimal health and try getting shredded?
“Shredded” will mean something different for everyone. Remember: having a visible six-pack at all times isn’t possible for every type of body. That said, we’re here to talk about how you can lose fat and build muscle, so you’re summer-ready.
Read on for our top tips.
What Are Your Goals?
If your goal is simply to get shredded, you might find it difficult to make progress. Again, getting “shredded” looks different for everyone.
What is your starting point, and where do you want to be by the time summer rolls around?
Many people are striving toward weight loss, but weight loss alone won’t get you shredded. You need to build muscle as well if you haven’t already been doing so. Exercise newbies should keep this in mind before they try starvation diets or “quick fixes.”
If you can’t do a single crunch or push-up, you need to work on that if you want to be shredded. Otherwise, you’ll end up looking “skinny fat.”
If you already have a decent baseline of muscle, you can start shedding fat right away. We’ll talk about how to establish a good nutrition and exercise plan that can help you do so without losing too much muscle.
If you think that you’re too skinny to start with, you’ll want to start by building muscle with a clean bulk. You’re starting early enough that you should be able to lose fat and get lean before summer starts.
Creating an Exercise Routine
If you’ve been slacking all winter long, it can be hard to get back into exercise mode. Even if you’ve been keeping up with exercise, you may have to up the intensity to see the results that you’re looking for.
Here are a few tips.
Balancing Your Routine
Everyone knows that if you’re trying to bulk, you need to prioritize strength training. Believe it or not, heavy lifting can also help you lose fat! This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t also be focusing on your stability, cardio, and flexibility exercises.
Balance your routine by breaking it into parts.
Start by breaking up your strength routine. If you have the time to do so, focus on one section of your body for strength training per workout session. This will help you avoid working out on tired muscles.
Try to get at least 120 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week. If you’re trying to build muscle rather than lose fat, we recommend doing shorter bursts of high-intensity aerobic exercise (like HIIT) for 75 minutes per week.
When you’re done with your workouts, and between workouts, try doing yoga to work on your stability and flexibility.
Diversify Your Exercises
Do you feel like you’re not making any progress? It’s time to diversify your workouts.
Many people plateau because their bodies get too used to the exercises that they’re doing. Others lose motivation because they’re too bored. By diversifying, you’ll be able to beat this problem.
Are Rest Days Necessary?
Another reason people stop seeing progress is that they don’t take rest days. They may experience burnout or give their bodies too little time to recover and start building muscle.
Try to incorporate at least one rest day if you’re used to heavy exercise. If you’re new, two or three rest days might be necessary.
On rest days, you can still exercise as long as it’s low-intensity. Gentle cardio, yoga, and pilates are great rest-day exercises that will keep you active without overdoing it so you can maintain optimal health and wellbeing.
Creating a Nutrition Plan
Abs are made in the kitchen. If your nutrition isn’t on point, you’re not going to get shredded anytime soon.
Use a macro calculator to determine how many calories you need to maintain your current body weight. You can also put in if you want to lose or gain weight, and the calculator will tell you what you need to do.
To gain weight for a lean bulk, we recommend adding no more than 5-10% of your daily calories. This means that someone with a 2,000 calorie diet would add 100-200 calories.
To lose weight but maintain most of your muscle, subtract 5-10% but increase your protein.
When it comes to nutrition, many people wonder about supplements. Whether you’re adding heavy supplements, like prohormones (are prohormones legal? Find out more here), or more common supplements like vitamins, BCAAS, or protein, there can be benefits for certain people.
For serious supplements, talk to your doctor before using them. For BCAAS, you may find that they give you a boost of energy before your workout, but some people feel no effects.
Protein and vitamins are helpful for people with dietary limitations or people who are trying to cut calories. They’ll make sure that you get everything that you need, even when you’re on a limited diet.
Getting Shredded Isn’t Easy
Even with all of these tips, getting shredded isn’t truly possible for everyone. Remember that when you see bodies with tight six packs, these people don’t usually look like that full-time. It’s common for them to look like that first thing in the morning or before they’ve had food or water for the day.
That said, these tips will help you reach your health and fitness goals if you’re consistent. You’ll look better, feel better, and be capable of athletic activities that you never would have imagined.
Good luck on your fitness journey!
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