Are you Beach Ready? I know it’s only Spring, but it’ll be Summer before you know it! That means it’s time to lean out, especially if you went a little overboard over the holidays. With that in mind, here’s an 8-Week beach ready Routine that will get you where you want to be! There’s no reason to wait, so let’s dive right in!
Beach Ready Nutritional Guidelines
When you were bulking, you were eating roughly 500 more calories every day. Therefore, your first step should be to reduce your total calorie intake by 500 calories a day. Start with sugary, simple carbs and limit them to the hours around your workout only. If your daily sugar intake does not reach 500 calories, cut complex carbs. Never, ever cut protein. Keep your protein high – 1g per lb of body weight at least. Finally, don’t worry about fat, unless your diet is high in junk fat. If that’s the case, include those fatty foods in your calorie cut.
After one week, if you have not lost any fat, reduce your calories by another 500 per day, carbs only. This should put you 500 calories below maintenance, and should be enough of a calorie drop for most lifters.
The Recommended Maximum Amount Of Sugar Per Day
As a point of reference, the American Heart Association recommends no more than 37.5 grams of sugar or 150 calories for men, and 25 grams of sugar or 100 calories for women. (1)
The Beach Ready Routine
This 8-week program has two phases. Phase 1 is a 4-week full-body routine. Phase 2 is a 4-week Push/Pull/Legs 3-Day split.
Beach Ready Phase 1 Routine (Weeks 1-4)
Since your goal is fat loss, you should perform this full-body routine at a quick pace. I don’t mean rep performance, I mean you should limit rest between sets to 30 seconds. Therefore, none of this camping out on the equipment for 5-6 minutes playing with your phone. Put your phone down and get to work!
Calculating Your 1RM
For all exercises, use about 70% of your 1RM. How do you determine your 1RM? You don’t have to lift your estimated 1RM (unless you really want to). There’s a better way. Choose a moderate weight and lift to failure. Record the weight you used and the number of reps you performed. Then use the following calculation:
Weight x reps x 0.0333 + weight = e1RM (estimated one repetition maximum)
For example: Let’s assume you did Bench Presses using 200 lbs for 8 reps. That would be 200 x 8 x 0.0333 + 200 = 250. So, your working weight is 70% of 200 lbs, which is 175 lbs. You can also just use an online calculator if you prefer.
Here’s Your Beach Ready Routine
Perform this routine 3 times a week. For example, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Always allow a rest day between your workouts.
Perform cardio 4-5 days per week, 30-40 minutes per session.
Squats
Warm up over 3 sets:
- Bar x 15 reps
- 20% RM x 10 reps
- 40% RM x 8 reps
Working Sets – 3 x 10 reps
Seated Row
Warm up over 2 sets:
- 20% RM x 10 reps
- 40% RM x 8 reps
Working Sets – 3 x 10 reps
Lat Pulldown
Working Sets – 3 x 10 reps
Bench Press (You can use free weights or a machine)
Warm up over 3 sets:
- Bar x 15 reps
- 20% RM x 10 reps
- 40% RM x 8 reps
Working Sets – 3 x 10 reps
Shoulder Press (You can use a barbell, dumbbells, or a machine)
Working Sets – 2 x 10 reps
EZ Curls (or curl machine)
Working Sets – 2 x 10-12 reps
EZ Triceps Extensions
Working Sets: 2 x 10-12 reps
Calf Raises
Working Sets – 2 x 20 reps
Crunch
Hanging Leg Raises
Side-to-Side Crunch
1 tri-set x 15 reps each exercise. All 3 exercises are done with zero rest between each.
Performance Notes
You should fail on the last rep. If you can do more than the listed reps, you need to add weight. As far as rep performance, don’t rush your reps. Use this tempo: 2-0-4. That’s 2 seconds up, no pausing at the top, and a slow 4 seconds down. On the last rep of an exercise, hold the fully stretched position for a 4-count. Also, perform a full range of motion. I see guys all the time doing little ¼ reps. Don’t do that, you’re wasting your time. Finally, make sure you’re adding weight. Even though you’re leaning out, you should still be thinking about progressive overload. If you can’t add weight, try adding 1-2 reps.
What About Cardio?
As noted, you will be performing cardio 4-5 days per week, 30-40 minutes per session. You can do your cardio at a separate time of the day, or right after your workout. If you have a lot of excess body fat to lose, add more cardio by adding 10 minutes to every session.
Additional Notes
One of the benefits of the Phase 1 workout is its flexibility. For example, you can move your workout days to fit your schedule, yet you’re getting in 3 workouts a week. Finally, more experienced lifters may want to add a couple of sets to this workout. But, if you’re working hard, you shouldn’t be able to add more than a couple.
Workout Plan: Phase 2 (Weeks 5-8)
The Beach Ready Push/Pull/Legs Split (with Rest-Pause)
The basic 3-Day split is a classic routine that’s common among bodybuilders and other lifters. That’s because it works so well with busy lifestyles. In our case, we’re doing this routine a little differently. As noted, we’re adding a rest-pause technique (there are several variations) to up the intensity.
Here’s how we will use rest-pause. Take your set to failure (you should fail at the prescribed rep number), rack the bar, and count to 8. Then unrack the bar and knock out as many reps as you can. Rerack the bar and count to 8 again. Then unrack the bar and again knock out as many reps as you can.
Finally, we’re using 80% of 1RM on all working sets.
Day 1: Legs
Squats
Warm up over 3 sets:
- Bar x 15 reps
- 20% RM x 10 reps
- 40% RM x 8 reps
Working Sets – 4 x 8 reps – rest-pause on last set
Lying Leg Curls
Working Sets – 2 x 8 reps to failure
Standing Calf Raises
Working Sets – 2 x 10-12 reps – rest-pause
Seated Calf Raises
Working Sets – 2 x 10-12 reps
Crunch
Working Sets – 2 x 15 reps
Hanging Leg Raises
Working Sets – 2 x 15 reps
Day 2: Cardio
Day 3: Push
Bench Press
Warm up over 3 sets:
- Bar x 15 reps
- 20% RM x 10 reps
- 40% RM x 8 reps
Working Sets – 3x 8 reps – rest-pause on last set
Incline Press
Working Sets – 3 x 8 reps
Overhead Press
Working Sets – 3 x 8 reps – rest-pause on last set
Seated Dip Machine (plate-loaded leverage machine)
Working Sets – 3 x 8 reps – rest pause on last set
Crunch
Working Sets – 4 x 15 reps
Day 4: Cardio
Day 5: Pull
Deadlifts
Same as bench press
Bent Rows
Working Sets – 2 x 8 reps
Lat Pulldowns
Wide Grip – Working Sets – 2 x 8 reps – rest pause last set
Close Underhand – Working Sets – 2 x 8 reps – rest pause last set
EZ Curls
Working Sets – 2 x 8 reps
Hammer Curls
Working Sets – 2 x 8 reps
Wrist Curl
Working Sets – 2 x 8-10 reps
Hanging Leg Raise
Working Sets – 3 x 10 reps
Crunch
Working Sets – 3 x 15 reps
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Cardio
Performance Notes
You can change the workout order around however you prefer. For example, you can do Legs on Day 1, Push on Day 3, and Pull on Day 5. However you schedule it, try and make sure there’s a Rest Day or 2 between your Pull Day and Legs. That’s because your legs will be heavily involved in deadlifts.
As noted, concentrate on using the correct exercise form and a full range of motion. Be sure to lift the weight under control, from start to finish. Don’t let momentum do the work for you. Rep performance is the same as Phase 1. You’ll perform your reps like this: Take 2 seconds to lift the weight. Take 4 seconds to return to the start position. On the last rep of a set, hold the fully stretched position for a 4 count.
Rest 30 seconds between sets.
In Phase 1, we talked about progressive overload. Here, progression comes in the form of rest-pause.
Beach Ready Supplement Suggestions
Of course, illpumpyouup.com has the supplements you need to get in shape. First, make sure you’re stocked on your foundational supplements. These are the “must-have” supplements, and include a protein powder (I suggest Hi-Tech Precision Protein), pre-workout (one great suggestion is Alpha Supps PRE, an economical “basic” formula), and creatine monohydrate (a great choice is AllMax Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate)
From there, I suggest a two-fold approach to fat loss with the Condemned Labz Arsynist Stack.
Arsynist was designed to be an aggressive thermogenic. This is a powerful stim-based thermogenic designed to give you long term energy, stimulate thermogenesis, and help control hunger. Arsynist PM promotes restful sleep and supports fat burning with non-stim ingredients like tart cherry, green tea extract, and time-release melatonin.
How To Use A Thermogenic Fat Burner
Divide the recommended dosage in half to determine tolerance. Take your half-dose with water in the morning. Once your tolerance has been determined, move up to the full dosage.
Summary
It’s still Spring, but beach time is right around the corner. In this article I have given you a complete approach – 2 routines, cardio, nutritional, and supplement suggestions. Stop by illpumpyouup.com today to grab your supplements, then use the information presented here to get beach ready!
References