Changes in lifestyle to “Crack your pack”!

1If you are a serious six-pack seeker and would want to have a quick 6-pack body for a personal challenge or going into a competition, this will be helpful. I will touch base on the 3 main aspects namely life-style/diet/workout

Remember EVERYONE has abs (most of the time it is hidden under the fat) but the definition and the ab musculature depends entirely on your genetics. Some have 4 packs, some have 6 packs and 8 packs etc.

The idea is to first rapidly decrease your body fat (down to ~12% for fat lean built and ~15% for heavy built) in phase-1 and then gradual fat loss accompanied by clean bulk up in phase-2. In some cases skinny people (already around 15% BF) see no abs because they need to build the ab muscle using CLEAN bulk up (stressing on “CLEAN”, which is very critical for abs which I am going to touch base on it later) process

 

Lifestyle changes worthwhile!

Prior to starting your workouts and diet, stage yourself strongly for your success. There are lot of resources on diet, exercise, workout routines to build a great body but very few emphasize on the most important part which is change in “lifestyle” or habits. Everybody wants and is capable of carving a perfect 6-pack body, it’s just that our habits (remember habits die hard) curtail it. I would like to touch base on how a few changes in  lifestyle would set your stage and help approach your goal (ignore the ones that do not apply to you) quickly.

Motivation

  • Many people try to transform but only few succeed. Most of the people are motivated initially and then digress due to several reasons (not seeing any improvement, issues at
    work, family, social life etc.)
  • Try to find a workout group or try to find like-minded people (either in the friends circle or gym or online) who have the same goals so that you can share your learnings and experiences. We (group of friends) are working on an App (aiming at fitness competition) which would help keep you motivated and make sure you do your workouts religiously. I will get back to you once the pilot testing is done and ready to takeoff.
  • Try different workout programs (for e.g. P90X, Insanity, Rushfit, HIIT etc.) and then pick what you and your body like the most. Also mix some outdoor activities (hiking, cycling, swimming, games etc.) into your workouts now and then to keep you motivated. Also take long term membership in a gym so you would be committed. 
  • Pick a person who is showing good progress (if you are in a group). Tell yourself if he/she can do it you can do it too. Look up online for models with ripped body to get motivated
  • Take pictures (before and after) every month to keep you motivated continuously looking at the progress

 

Social life

  • The intention is not to give up on social life but work around a way on how you would restrict yourself from the “yummy” food and “drinks”. e.g. if you have a party to go, plan what would you eat there (may be only protein and veggies) and eat the necessary carbs (healthy) at home prior to the party. Also plan for an extra cardio for that day
  • if you think this would hinder reaching your goal I would suggest to let it go until you achieve your goal. It’s just matter of few months and true friends will understand you anyway
  • If you go to a restaurant with friends, try to prevent un-healthier options (fast food, pizza, most buffets etc.) and order fresh natural food. I am sure most restaurants would provide an option of veggies and protein (of your choice). You always have an option for ordering a salad with some lean protein

 

Be open and learn to say “No”

  • Let all the people around you (family, friends, relatives, and co-workers etc.) know about your goals if possible. That way you don’t have to feel embarrassed to say “no” and people wouldn’t force you and might rather be impressed of your determination
  • You will definitely come across some food pushers, drinking buddies etc. Come up with nice ways to say “no” to them and motivate them to join your routines/goals
  • Learn to say “No” to yourself too. At times you might get tempted to delicious food, party times and lazy days.

 

Diet modifications

  • Eat only healthy food to get the right amount of good protein/carbs/fat etc. Have 5-6 meals everyday with the appropriate nutrients in each meal. No carbs late night (after 7pm or 8pm depending on the body type) and consume most of the carbs (healthy only) in the day time
  • Try to quit alcohol (especially beer) and rarely have wine. If you have no option but to have some then plan for extra cardio around that time.
  • Reduce the intake of salt (sodium), sugars and increase the water consumption. See my diet section for more details

 

Pre-planned meal arrangements

  • You should make no mistake in taking healthy diet no matter how hectic your schedule gets. Always plan and prepare your lunches and snacks in advance. A healthy meal should be readily available (especially post-workout and dinner meals which are very crucial).
  • Purchase protein (fish, chicken, meat etc.) once in a week. Cut and marinate the meat and pack in zip-locker bags. Place couple of them (you consume next 2 days) in the fridge and others in the freezer and transfer (from chiller to the fridge) as necessary.
  • Make sure stack some food/snack at work. If you have a meeting in the middle of your diet schedule, make sure you pick up some dry food/snack (like a fruit, bread, bar etc.).
  • You can always find a tasty healthy option these days, you just have to explore finding the right ones for you.

 

Stress, sleep and anxiety

  • Chronic stress issues can increase your abdominal fat levels and shrink your muscles. Cortisol (also called as “fat storing hormone”) is an adrenal hormone produced in the body due to stress and lack of sleep etc. The serious downside is that cortisol breaks down muscle tissue and converts it into glucose. You could reduce stress levels by few breathing exercises, yoga and meditation. I will provide more info on this later
  • Good sleep (at least 7hrs every night) is very important because this is the time the muscle recovery happens. Even if you work out heavily and doesn’t sleep adequately you wouldn’t see the expected progress
  • It is common to get anxious during your quest for the abs. You have to be patient because it takes time to burn the fat that is covering your packs. It may not be that easy, but it’s well worth the time and energy. The fat gain in your midsection will be the last place to go

 

Research

  • If you have a solid trainer and robust workout/diet schedule you are ready to take off but if you don’t then you got to do a lot of research. I have tried to put together a generic schedule/plan but you got to tweak according to your body reactions
  • As you will soon find out 6-pack is all about diet (healthy diet) you have to invest significant amount of time to figure out what kind of diet schedule works well for your body type, because research has repeatedly shown that people have dramatically different responses to the exact same amount of overeating.
  • There are many workout/exercise paths to reach your goal but you have got to pick the right one that fits you based on the feedback and response of your body

 

Goal

  • You already have the goal otherwise you wouldn’t have read till here. You got to make this goal as top priority and work everything else around it (there could 1 or 2 exceptions but not many). Try not to compromise anywhere, if you have to then clarify and clear it off immediately
  • Plan your schedule, workouts etc for both long-term (6-8 months) and short-term (next few weeks). Look at my other links on how to plan the long-term schedules (depending on the nature of your body if it is either lean or heavy built)
  • Regular exercise is critical to achieve your six-pack goal.  It is very important to workout 45 to 60min sessions 5 to 6 days a week to chisel your aspired 6 pack. As I mentioned earlier the App we are working on would definitely help stick to your rigorous workout routine.

 

Beating out physical limitations

  • Attaining a 6-pack body involves lot of ab exercises which would definitely put some strain on your back. So plan and choose your exercises that won’t stress your back as much. There are different ab exercises which put pressure on different parts of the back due to the nature of the exercises themselves. There are specific ab workouts that would not strain your back
  • If you already have back pain or physical limitations, you have to fix them prior to working on the abs or hire a trainer and/or consult a physician. You could work on the diet and weights until you fix your back
  • You would also weaken your back if you don’t take in proper carbohydrate (healthy) rich diet

 

Travel (>2 days)

  • Make sure the hotel you book or place you stay has easy access to a gym facility and you wouldn’t have an excuse to miss out on your workouts
  • If possible a handy kitchen with minimum cookware in case if you have hard time planning your meals ahead.
  • Carry nutrition replacements (like protein bars, dry nuts, peanut butter, protein powders) just in case if you don’t have easy access to fresh natural food
  • Always keep some ab exercises in your pocket which can be done without the need of any gym equipment
  • Travel which involves more than a week would disturb your diet/workout rhythm so I would suggest to push the long period travels if possible.

 

Family

  • Last but never the least. During this entire process the most affected ones would be the family. If you achieve your goal and ruin family relation there is no point of the goal.
    • Sit and discuss with the family about your goals and get their opinions/concerns. Give heads up and set up expectations
    • So plan all the workouts around family obligations (e.g. drop off your kid at soccer game and go to a gym during that time)
    • Involve them as much as possible, discuss your learnings and progress and get feedback
  • How much ever you plan you will unintentionally affect them so I would suggest checking and making sure now and then.

Once you have set the stage go and plan you diet and workout as below.

 

Diet Plan

If you talk to any  6 pack achiever, you would realize that exercise accounts for only 20% and rest 80% would be the diet!

Anyone can work out an hr everyday but designing  and controlling what you eat the rest of 23hrs is the key. They say 6 Pack abs are created in the kitchen not the gym. You have got to follow a religious diet.

There is lot of information about diet on the internet. Basically you have to play with amount of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Don’t neglect vitamins as they are important for your body.

pic-1Some math if you are interested:

Proteins account to 4 calories per gram, fats account to 9 calories per gram and carbs account to 4 calories per gram too.  You need to take in 1-1.5x your weight (in lbs) of protein every day. Depending on your present body constitution you would need 30-45% protein, 35-45% carbs and 15-25% fats (all in calories). You could use this to design your nutrient content.

For example: if you are planning for lean bulk up at 150 lbs and say you would need 40% protein, 40% carbs and 20%fat. You need 225gm (1.5×150=225) or 900 calories (1gm=4calories) of protein. 40% represents 900 calories, so 40% would be 900 calories of carbs (or 300gm) and 20% would be 600 calories of fats (or 67gm).

If it is confusing I am going to explicitly mention how much you would need later on.

The best App to count your calories is “My Fitness Pal” App which has enormous database (including indian dishes). You could set up your goal and estimate the amount of you would need to eat for every day

There are lot of diet plans and structures but below is what worked for me and few others. You could use this for a kick start but tweak as you move on as necessary.

I have separated out the diet plan according to the 2 different body types. Type-1 being the lean built or higher metabolism or lower body fat% to start with and Type-2 with hefty (fat) built or lower metabolism or higher body fat% to start with.

 

Diet for lean built body (start off with body fat 15-20%) Body type-1: 

Very high probability that these kind of body constitutions have high metabolism and hence would need to take higher carbs otherwise would encounter muscle loss.
The key is to quick decrease of the body fat (~12%) in phase-1 until you see at least 2 pack definition and then gradual decrease of body fat along with “clean” bulking up (“clean” is the key, which we will go over later) in phase-2 during which you would gain a lot of muscle mass and steadily shred to pop up rest of the packs

Phase-1: Quick body fat reduction (NO carbs after 8pm)
Training days: You would need 35% protein, 45% carbs and 20% fats (all in calories)
Non-training days: You would need 40% protein, 35% carbs and 25% fats (all in calories)

Phase-2: Clean bulk up (simultaneous gradual body fat loss)
Training days: You would need 30% protein, 55% carbs and 15% fats (all in calories)
Non-training days: You would need 35% protein, 45% carbs and 20% fats (all in calories)

Don’t get engrossed in too much math and calculations. This is just to help you get started and you have to tweak it as you proceed and figure out your optimum macro.

Full day schedule (includes workouts timing and diet). Plan to have 5-6 meals everyday

5:00am pre-workout meal:
• Normally the pre-meal would be a banana or healthy carb diet for fuel

5:30am Cardio:
• See my “Exercise routine” link for more details (phase-1 vs phase-2)

7:00am Meal-1 (Breakfast-1):
• 4 egg whites
• ¾ cup instant oatmeal in water (Steel-Cut Oats preferably)
• 12 almonds (peeled soaked is better)

10:00am Meal-2 (Breakfast-2):
• 2-3 turkey slices
• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 1 tbsp. low fat almond butter
• 1 medium apple or a fresh fruit

1:00pm Meal-3 (Lunch-1):
• 5 Oz Chicken (thigh preferably)
• String beans and spinach
• 3 Oz Brown rice
• 0.25 Avocado

4:00pm Meal-4 (Lunch-2):
• Light fit Greek yogurt (12g protein)
• 1 small sweet potato
• 10 unsalted raw cashews

5:00pm Snack (pre-workout):
• 1 medium banana (during phase-1) and 10-15 fresh raw raisins
• 2 slices whole wheat bread with 1 tbsp. low fat almond butter (only during phase-2)

6:00pm Weight training
• 5 days a week
• See my “Workout” (Exercise routine) link for more details

7:00pm Post workout shake
• 20g whey protein isolate shake (with water or unsweetened almond milk)

8:00pm Meal-4 (Dinner):
• 5 Oz grilled Salmon
• Grilled veggies (for phase-1) and Quinoa/Brown rice (phase-2)
• 0.25 Avocado

10:00pm protein shake (before going to bed):
• During the rest days (no weight training days) you can drink the protein shake just before going to bed
• You have to take casein and not the whey isolate because casein will break down slowly
• During phase-1 (Quick body fat reduction) consume NO carbs (veggies ok) after 8pm
• If you do your weight training after dinner then take the whey protein shake before going to bed (preferably casein) and dinner should be done by 7:00pm

 

Diet for hefty built body (start off with body fat >20%) Body type-2:

diet-1These kind of body constitutions generally have lower metabolism and hence would need to take lower carbs to lose the body fat.
The key is to decrease of the body fat (~15%) in phase-1 until you see flat tummy and then gradual decrease of body fat along with “clean” bulking up in phase-2 during which you would gain muscle mass and steadily chisel the packs

Phase-1: Fat reduction (NO carbs after 7pm, veggies OK)
Training days: You would need 40% protein, 40% carbs and 20% fats (all in calories)
Non-training days: You would need 50% protein, 30% carbs and 20% fats (all in calories)

Phase-2: Clean bulk up (NO carbs after 7pm, veggies OK)
Training days: You would need 40% protein, 45% carbs and 15% fats (all in calories)
Non-training days: You would need 40% protein, 35% carbs and 25% fats (all in calories)

Don’t get engrossed in too much math and calculations. This is just to help start your quest and you have to tweak it as you proceed and figure out a optimum macro.

Full day schedule (includes workouts timing and diet). Plan to have 5-6 meals everyday

5:00am pre-workout meal: only during phase-2 (phase-1 needs fasted cardio)
• Normally the pre-meal would be a banana or healthy carb diet for fuel

5:30am Cardio:
• See my “Exercise routine” link for more details (phase-1 vs phase-2)

7:00am Meal-1 (Breakfast-1):
• 5 egg whites
• ¾ cup instant oatmeal in water (Steel-Cut Oats preferably)
• 12 almonds (peeled soaked is better)

10:00am Meal-2 (Breakfast-2):
• 3-4 turkey slices
• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 1 medium apple or a fresh fruit

1:00pm Meal-3 (Lunch-1):
• 5 Oz Chicken (thigh preferably)
• 3 Oz Brown rice or Quinoa
• 0.25 Avocado

4:00pm Meal-4 (Lunch-2):
• Fat free cottage cheese (1/4 cup)
• 1 small sweet potato
• 10 unsalted raw cashews

5:00pm Snack (pre-workout):
• 1 medium banana (during phase-1) and 10-15 fresh raw raisins
• 2 slices whole wheat bread with 1 tbsp. low fat almond butter (only during phase-2)

6:00pm Weight training
• 5 days a week
• See my “Workout” (Exercise routine) link for more details

7:00pm Post workout shake
• 20g whey protein isolate shake (with water or unsweetened almond milk)

8:00pm Meal-4 (Dinner):
• 5 Oz grilled Salmon
• Combination of complex (peas, beans, sweet potatoes) and fibrous carbs (artichoke, eggplant, broccoli, asparagus, sprouts, onions, mushrooms, cauliflower, and other green leafy vegetables)
• Complex if it’s your weight training day otherwise fibrous carbs

10:00pm protein shake (before going to bed):
– During the rest days (no weight training days) you can drink the protein shake just before going to bed
– You have to take casein and not the whey isolate because casein will break down slowly
– During phase-1 (Quick body fat reduction) consume NO carbs (veggies ok) after 8pm
– If you do your weight training after dinner then take the whey protein shake before going to bed (preferably casein) and dinner should be done by 7:00pm

 20150319_130818 Other snacks options:
• Light fit Greek yogurt
• Unsalted raw nuts
• 100% Whole wheat bread with 1 tbsp. low fat peanut/almond butter

Other protein options:
• Zero fat cottage cheese
• Light fit Greek yogurt
• Tofu/paneer
• Boneless/skinless chicken thighs
• Ground turkey
• Lamb occasionally

20150308_200951Other veggie options:
• Broccoli
• String beans
• Spinach
• Healthy salad/green veggies

Other carb options:
– Brown rice
– Quinoa
– Lentils

 

Workout plan

Though diet accounts for 80% of your six pack, workout is also important to carve your pack. Diet (eating it right) helps attaining a flat mid-section but without appropriate workout you wouldn’t have your abs pop out.IMG_8899

There are 2 stages of workout for the body. One would be the fat reduction which helps burning the body fat and the other would be weight training which would help shape/build the muscles. The weight training is pretty straight forward and you could find the information anywhere for each body part. For fat loss there are several schools of thought (interval training, cardio, strength training, HIIT, weights etc) and several programs (fitness blender, insanity, P90X, RushFit etc.).  You could pick which ever suits you and I mention what ever worked for me.

I have separated out the exercise routine based on the body types and also separated it out into 2 phases (phase-1 being the fat-cut phase and phase-2 being bulk-up phase).  It is very important to workout 45 to 60min sessions 5 to 6 days a week to reach your goal.

Here is the full day schedule for Lean built body types. Let us start with the phase-1 (till we get to ~12% body fat).

 

Lean built (low body fat)

Phase-1: fat-cut

SCHEDULE   Monday   Tuesday Wednesday  Thursday  Friday  Saturday  Sunday
5AM Pre-meal None Pre-meal None Pre-meal None None
5:30AM Normal Cardio None Normal Cardio None Normal Cardio None Cardio or Holiday
7AM Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1
10AM Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2
1PM Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3
4PM Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4
5PM Healthy snack Healthy snack None Healthy snack Healthy snack Healthy snack None
6PM Weight training Weight training Holiday Weight training Weight training Weight training Holiday
7PM Shake Shake Meal 5 Shake Shake Shake Meal 5
8PM Meal 5 Meal 5 None Meal 5 Meal 5 Meal 5 None
10PM (before sleep) None None Protein shake None None None Protein shake

 

  • HIT Core strength training is a combination of intense core routine as shown below. This HIIT core workout starts out with five minutes of fairly intense warm up core exercises  followed by 2 rounds three rounds of the entire high intensity interval training for abs section, below (20 seconds on, and 20 seconds off). The whole workout is about 30min
    • Warm up (1min each exercise)
      • Front Kicks
      • Squats
      • Jumping Jacks
      • Flutter Kick
      • Side Kicks
      • Burpees
    • Actual workout (50 On, 10 Off x 4 Each)
      • Jumping curls
      • Planks
      • Jumping lunges
      • Spiderman crunches
      • Touch toes
      • Butt kicks
  • HIIT could be treadmill cardio or core strength training. Treadmill HIIT would be 10sets, each set consisting of 30sec of walk followed by 30sec sprinting (10sets of 1min each would be 10min)
  • HIIT is high intensity interval training where you do intense burst of exercise followed by short times of recover. You repeat this several times (20min). “A high-intensity workout increases the body’s need for oxygen during the effort and creates an oxygen shortage, causing your body to ask for more oxygen during recovery”. HIIT stimulates your metabolism and burns your fat even after the workout is done. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat in less time. Research says you lose same weight doing normal cardio for 1hr or HIIT for 20min
  • Normal cardio: This should be done 3-4 times a week during phase-1. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and/or Sunday. Normal cardio meaning cardio with filled stomach. Normally the pre-meal would be a banana or healthy carb diet fueling for the cardio. Cardio should be 30-45min consisting of 20min HIIT Cardio and 10-25min brisk walk or slow cardio
  • Weight training: You would do 4 sets, use the weight such that you would only be able to do 8-10 reps. The exercise should be done 45min to 1hr
  • The rest period between sets should be around 1-2min (for 8-10 reps each) and the rest between each reps should be 30-45sec
  • Workout schedule of the body parts
    • Day 1: Legs/Abs
    • Day 2: Chest
    • Day 3: Rest
    • Day 4: Biceps/Triceps
    • Day 5: Back/Abs
    • Day 6: Shoulders
    • Day 7: Rest

 

Lean built (phase-2: bulk-up)

SCHEDULE   Monday   Tuesday Wednesday  Thursday  Friday  Saturday  Sunday
5AM Pre-meal Pre-meal Pre-meal Pre-meal Pre-meal Pre-meal None
5:30AM Brisk walk Abs workout Brisk walk Abs workout Brisk walk Abs workout Holiday
7AM Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1
10AM Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2
1PM Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3
4PM Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4
5PM Healthy snack Healthy snack None Healthy snack Healthy snack Healthy snack None
6PM Weight training Weight training Holiday Weight training Weight training Weight training Holiday
7PM Shake Shake Meal 5 Shake Shake Shake Meal 5
8PM Meal 5 Meal 5 None Meal 5 Meal 5 Meal 5 None
10PM (before sleep) None None Protein shake None None None Protein shake
  • Brisk walk: This should be done 3-4 times a week during phase-1. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and/or Sunday. Normally the pre-meal would be a banana or healthy carb diet fueling for the cardio. Brisk walk should be 30min on a treadmill or nature. You would also do the Abs workout 3 times a week during the morning after a pre-workout meal
  • No HIIT during phase-2 (bulk up phase) because this would consume your muscle
  • Weight training: You would do 3-4 sets, use the weight such that you would only be able to do 5-6 reps. Don’t decrease the reps from 1st set to 4th set. Try to ramp it up if possible. Also try to ramp up the weights every set if possible
  • The weight training should be done 45min-1hr. Every rep you should lift weights till failure meaning  you’ll push it to the max going until you’re exhausted and your fatigued muscles have nothing more to give.
  • The rest period between sets should be around 3 minutes (for 5-6 reps each) and the rest between reps should be 1-2min
  • Workout schedule of the body parts
    • Day 1: Legs
    • Day 2: Chest
    • Day 3: Rest
    • Day 4: Arms
    • Day 5: Back
    • Day 6: Shoulders
    • Day 7: Rest

 

Heavy built (higher body fat)

Phase-1: fat-cut

SCHEDULE   Monday   Tuesday Wednesday  Thursday  Friday  Saturday  Sunday
5AM Fasted Cardio Fasted Cardio Fasted Cardio Fasted Cardio Fasted Cardio Fasted Cardio Cardio or Holiday
7AM Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1
10AM Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2
1PM Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3
4PM Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4
5PM Healthy snack Healthy snack None Healthy snack Healthy snack Healthy snack None
6PM Weight training Weight training Holiday Weight training Weight training Weight training Holiday
7PM Shake Shake Meal 5 Shake Shake Shake Meal 5
8PM Meal 5 Meal 5 None Meal 5 Meal 5 Meal 5 None
10PM (before sleep) None None Protein shake None None None Protein shake
  • Fasted cardio: Fasted cardio means cardio with empty stomach which you do only during phase-1 where you want to lose your fat quickly. This should be done 5-6 times a week during phase-1. Monday through Saturday or you could take a break 1 day in between. Cardio should be 1hr consisting of 5min warm up, 20min HIIT Cardio and 10-25min brisk walk or slow cardio
  • HIIT is high intensity interval training where you do intense burst of exercise followed by short times of recover. You repeat this several times (20min). “A high-intensity workout increases the body’s need for oxygen during the effort and creates an oxygen shortage, causing your body to ask for more oxygen during recovery”. HIIT stimulates your metabolism and burns your fat even after the workout is done. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat in less time. Research says you lose same weight doing normal cardio for 1hr or HIIT for 20min
  • HIIT could be treadmill cardio or core strength training. Treadmill HIIT would be 10sets, each set consisting of 30sec of walk followed by 30sec sprinting (10sets of 1min each would be 10min)
  • HIT Core strength training is a combination of intense core routine as shown below. This HIIT core workout starts out with five minutes of fairly intense warm up core exercises  followed by 2 rounds three rounds of the entire high intensity interval training for abs section, below (20 seconds on, and 20 seconds off). The whole workout is about 45min
    • Warm up (1min each exercise)
      • Front Kicks
      • Squats
      • Jumping Jacks
      • Flutter Kick
      • Side Kicks
    • Actual workout (50 On, 10 Off x 4 Each)
      • Jumping curls
      • Dumbbell squats
      • Planks
      • Jumping lunges
      • Spiderman crunches
      • Burpees
      • Touch toes
      • Side lunges
      • Butt kicks
      • High knees
  • Weight training: You would do 3-4 sets, use the weight such that you would only be able to do 5-6 reps. Don’t decrease the reps from 1st set to 4th set. Try to ramp it up if possible. Also try to ramp up the weights every set if possible
  • The weight training should be done 45min-1hr. Every rep you should lift weights till failure meaning  you’ll push it to the max going until you’re exhausted and your fatigued muscles have nothing more to give.
  • The rest period between sets should be around 3 minutes (for 5-6 reps each) and the rest between reps should be 1-2min
  • Schedule of the body parts workout
    • Day 1: Legs/Abs
    • Day 2: Chest
    • Day 3: Rest
    • Day 4: Biceps/Triceps
    • Day 5: Back/Abs
    • Day 6: Shoulders
    • Day 7: Rest

 

Heavy built (phase-2: bulk-up)

SCHEDULE   Monday   Tuesday Wednesday  Thursday  Friday  Saturday  Sunday
5AM Pre-meal Pre-meal Pre-meal Pre-meal Pre-meal Pre-meal None
5:30AM Normal Cardio Abs workout Normal Cardio Abs workout Normal Cardio Abs workout Holiday
7AM Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1 Meal 1
10AM Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2 Meal 2
1PM Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3 Meal 3
4PM Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4 Meal 4
5PM Healthy snack Healthy snack None Healthy snack Healthy snack Healthy snack None
6PM Weight training Weight training Holiday Weight training Weight training Weight training Holiday
7PM Shake Shake Meal 5 Shake Shake Shake Meal 5
8PM Meal 5 Meal 5 None Meal 5 Meal 5 Meal 5 None
10PM (before sleep) None None Protein shake None None None Protein shake
  • Normal cardio: This should be done 3-4 times a week during phase-2. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and/or Sunday. Normal cardio meaning cardio with filled stomach. Normally the pre-meal would be a banana or healthy carb diet fueling for the cardio. Cardio should be 1hr consisting of 5min warm up, 20min HIIT Cardio and 10-25min brisk walk or slow cardio
  • HIIT could be treadmill cardio or core strength training. Treadmill HIIT would be 10sets, each set consisting of 30sec of walk followed by 30sec sprinting (10sets of 1min each would be 10min)
  • HIT Core strength training is a combination of intense core routine as shown below. This HIIT core workout starts out with five minutes of fairly intense warm up core exercises  followed by 2 rounds three rounds of the entire high intensity interval training for abs section, below (20 seconds on, and 20 seconds off). The whole workout is about 45min
    • Warm up (1min each exercise)
      • Front Kicks
      • Squats
      • Jumping Jacks
      • Flutter Kick
      • Side Kicks
    • Actual workout (50 On, 10 Off x 4 Each)
      • Jumping curls
      • Dumbbell squats
      • Planks
      • Jumping lunges
      • Spiderman crunches
      • Burpees
      • Touch toes
      • Side lunges
      • Butt kicks
      • High knees
  • Weight training: You would do 3-4 sets, use the weight such that you would only be able to do 5-6 reps. Don’t decrease the reps from 1st set to 4th set. Try to ramp it up if possible. Also try to ramp up the weights every set if possible
  • The weight training should be done 45min-1hr. Every rep you should lift weights till failure meaning  you’ll push it to the max going until you’re exhausted and your fatigued muscles have nothing more to give.
  • The rest period between sets should be around 3 minutes (for 5-6 reps each) and the rest between reps should be 1-2min
  • Schedule of the body parts workout
    • Day 1: Legs
    • Day 2: Chest
    • Day 3: Rest
    • Day 4: Arms
    • Day 5: Back
    • Day 6: Shoulders
    • Day 7: Rest
  • I suggest the heavy (or fat) built type folks to do workout twice (cardio in the morning and weights in the afternoon) if you want to compete with the mean built type folks and get faster results.

 

The information written here is based on my personal experience and reading several fitness articles etc. What works for me might not work exactly for you. So you should only use this to start off and adjust to the macro (ratio, diet, plan) that works best for you.

If you have any health issues please consult your doctor or hire a dietician and/or trainer

Make sure you do all the ab exercises and workouts properly. Incorrect way of training would cause severe body/muscle pains