Build Muscle, Burn Fat, Get Ripped
Originally posted: 1/27/10
Updates:
2/1/10 updated routine, added Excel spreadsheet workout logs)
3/8/10 added example HIIT routines for days 2, 4, and 6.
 Fat Loss for Men |
Many of you are asking for a full body workout routine to burn fat, so here you go.
I have even customized the program for both men and women.
You can skip the details and go straight to the routines if you wish:
The Program
We are integrating 3 full body training sessions with 3 HIIT routines and taking the 7th day off. Since the goal is fat loss, we are striving to add some muscle mass, maintain strength, and burn as many calories as possible.
This is accomplished by staying in a slightly higher rep range than we would normally use for strictly strength training, while using super-sets for most of our exercises. We add an optional set to the end of each workout in case you are able to finish the workout early.
Major compound exercises are rotated to prioritize a different muscle group on each of the 3 training sessions each week.
Volume, Frequency, and Overtraining
HIIT sessions on off-days are designed to melt fat and stimulate muscle growth, but the sheer volume of work should not force you into overtraining. If you do feel the symptoms of overtraining, you should take either the 4th or 6th day completely off instead of performing a HIIT workout.
Some of the symptoms of overtraining:
- elevated pulse
- trouble sleeping
- nagging muscle soreness
- sore joints
- inability to recover from the previous workouts
- decreasing strength
- decreasing muscle mass
- increasing fat storage
This routine can be used for 6-10 weeks before switching your focus to a new set of goals. When progress stalls and you can determine that the plateau is not a result of overtraining, it is time to take an active recovery week and start a new routine.
Rest
You should rest 60-90 seconds between super-sets, and 180 seconds (3 minutes) at most between exercises.
Warm Up
Initial Warmup – small, light exercises possibly including dynamic stretches to warm up the muscles
Feeler Sets – use feeler sets only if necessary, with 40-50% of your 1 rep max for 3-5 reps to warm-up before each new exercise
Recovery
You should engage in some form of recovery on a daily basis.
Here are some of your recovery options:
- foam roller
- deep tissue massage
- ice massage
- alternating hot and cold showers
- dynamic stretching
Nutrition
You know the drill.
- Calories = 12 x your goal bodyweight, adjust weekly according to progress
- Protein = .8-1 gram per pound of bodyweight
- Carbs = 100-150 grams per day, more on weightlifting days, less on HIIT days, and even less on rest days
- Fat = the remainder of the calories once you’ve subtracted protein and carbs from total calories
The Routines
Click here to see this workout routine customized for women.
Full Body Routine For Men
Day 1:
5 minute initial warmup
a) Quads - Barbell back squats
reps: 5/5/5/5
b1) Chest - Incline dumbbell press
reps: 7/7/7
b2) Calves - Standing calf raise
reps: 7/7/7
c1) Hamstrings - Stiff leg deadlifts
reps: 7/7/7
c2) Abs - (Weighted) decline sit ups
reps: 7/7/7
d1) Back - (Weighted) wide grip pull-ups
reps: 10/10
d2) Shoulders - Seated dumbbell shoulder press
reps: 10/10
e1) Triceps - Dips
reps: 5/5
e2) Abs - Reverse crunches
reps: 2 x As Many As Possible (amap)
f) Stretch all your muscles for 10 minutes while sipping your post-workout drink.
Day 2:
25 minutes of full body HIIT (push, pull, calisthenics, jumps, sprints, kickboxing, etc…)
Example:
- 3 sets – 30 seconds of push ups as fast as possible, 90 seconds of moderate-speed jump rope (6 minutes)
- 60 seconds rest
- 3 sets – 30 seconds of rowing as fast as possible, 90 seconds of squat thrusters (6 minutes)
- 60 seconds rest
- 3 sets – 30 seconds of skipping lunges as fast as possible, 90 seconds of kickboxing drills (6 minutes)
- 5 minutes of stretching
Day 3:
5 minute initial warmup
a) Chest - Flat bench press
reps: 5/5/5/5
b1) Quads - Step ups onto a bench or box holding dumbbells
reps: 7/7/7
b2) Abs - Lying leg raises, get your lower back and butt off the floor, try to touch the ceiling with your toes
reps: 10/10/10
c1) Back/Hamstrings – Standing bent over barbell rows
reps: 7/7/7
c2) Calves - Seated calf raises
reps: 7/7/7
d1) Shoulders - Standing dumbbell raises to the side
reps: 10/10
d2) Biceps - Standing alternating dumbbell curls
reps: 10/10
e1) Hamstrings - Glute-ham raise
reps: 10/10
e2) Abs - Fold ups
reps: 2 sets x amap
f)Stretch all your muscles for 10 minutes while sipping your post-workout drink.
Notes:
the glute-ham raise – lock your heels under something with the instep of your foot facing down and, starting upright with your thighs perpendicular to the floor, lower your upper body forward and down towards the floor then use your hamstrings to pull yourself back upright.
Day 4:
25 minutes of lower body HIIT (jumps, sprints, etc…)
Example:
- 5 sets – 30 seconds of sprinting, 90 seconds of jogging/walking (10 minutes)
- 60 seconds rest
- 2 sets – 30 seconds of rapid squat jumps, 90 seconds of moderate-speed bodyweight squats (4 minutes)
- 30 seconds rest
- 2 sets – 30 seconds of sprinting, 90 seconds of jogging/walking (4 minutes)
- 30 seconds rest
- 2 sets – 30 seconds of jumping rope as fast as possible, 90 seconds of jogging/walking (4 minutes)
- 5 minutes of stretching
Day 5:
5 minute initial warmup
a) Hamstrings - Deadlifts
reps: 5/5/5/5
b1) Shoulders - Standing overhead shoulder press
reps: 7/7/7
b2) Abs - Standing side bends holding dumbbells
reps: 7/7/7
c1) Quads - Alternating barbell lunges
reps: 7/7/7
c2) Chest/Triceps – Decline close grip bench
reps: 7/7/7
d1) Back/Biceps – (Weighted) close grip chin-ups
reps: 10/10
d2) Calves – One leg standing calf raise on a 2 inch block or plate holding a dumbbell
reps: 10/10
e1) Chest/Triceps - Clapping push ups
reps: 2 sets x amap
e2) Abs - Sit ups with straight punch
reps: 2 sets x amap
f) Stretch all your muscles for 10 minutes while sipping your post-workout drink.
Day 6:
25 minutes of full body HIIT (push, pull, calisthenics, jumps, sprints, kickboxing, etc…)
Example:
- 3 sets – 30 seconds of bodyweight rows as fast as possible, 90 seconds of jumping jacks (6 minutes)
- 60 seconds rest
- 3 sets – 30 seconds of bodyweight step-ups as fast as possible, 90 seconds of kickboxing drills (6 minutes)
- 60 seconds rest
- 3 sets – 30 seconds of explosive push ups (clapping, up onto a box, etc…), 90 seconds of moderate-speed walking lunges (6 minutes)
- 5 minutes of stretching
Day 7:
Completely off, no exercise at all.
Men’s Full Body Fat Loss Workout Log
Now you can print out your workout log using this Excel spreadsheet:
Men’s Full Body Fat Loss Workout Log
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About Project Swole - Project Swole is managed and mostly written by Steve, a formerly IFPA and ISSA certified personal trainer and sport nutritionist, who has been studying, practicing, and experimenting with fitness and nutrition since 1992. Please use the content at Project Swole to supplement the advice of your doctor or physician. All medical questions should be directed towards a qualified medical professional, and the advice provided at Project Swole should be used at your own discretion.
Here are some humorous links:
Related posts:
- Fat Loss for Women: A 7 Day Full Body Routine Plus HIIT
- A Generic Full Body Workout Routine
- Critique My Full Body Workout Routine
- What is HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training – And How Should You Use It?
- HIIT Video: High Intensity Interval Training
Tags: Conditioning, fat loss, full body, hiit, lose fat, lose weight, weight loss, Weight Training, weightlifting, workout routine, Workout Routines
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hi steve I’m working out for last 1 year but there is no improvement in my back. And my belly’s fat is not reducing. My dimantions are
hight-5’6″, weight-76Kg, waist-34
please suggest me somthing
Use my fat loss workout for 3 months and then report back to me. Make sure you have your diet right too, or you won’t make good progress.
Hey Steve, your my hero. Quick question, is it possible to be gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time? I started out at 166lbs with 21% bodyfat. I’ve been on a strict 1600 calorie diet that is a slightly modified version of a TLC Heart Healthy diet that basically switches out some carbs for more protein to make it to my 1g per pound of weight quota. It’s been two weeks and I’ve been on the routine religiously with no cheating on the diet besides the post-workout drink which is about 240 calories. I’ve weighed myself everyday first thing in the morning at the same time with the same clothes and I’m currently at 165.7 lbs with the same bodyfat percentage.
See my recent article on losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. It is possible and highly likely.
Hi Steve, I’ve been doing this workout for a month but don’t seem to be losing any weight. What are the common mistakes that people make when doing this routine and I can see if I am doing it wrong?
The 2 common mistakes are eating too much and not using enough intensity with your training. But you seem to own a personal training website so you probably already know that.
Yeah, the diet on paper is actually considerably less than what you’re actually eating. You have to bring out the measuring cups and spoons to truly adhere to the diet. The trick I used it to aim for a lower calorie diet which gives you some room to compensate for over-portioning. Honestly a 1600 calorie diet for me consists of a serving of whey in water first thing in the morning. A couple hours later I eat breakfast of 1 cup high protein, high fiber cereal “Eating Right” brand,with 1 cup of 1% milk, 1 slice of whole grain, whole wheat bread, with 2 tbsp of natural peanut butter “with healthy oils”. For lunch I eat a chicken sandwich with 2 slices of whole grain, whole wheat bread, 1 leaf of romaine, 2 slices of tomatoes, and 2 slices (2 oz) of deli-style chicken breast, 1 slice of american cheese, and 2 tbsp of “light” mayo. For dinner I keep it simple with a medium plate of salad (spring mix and baby spinach) and chicken breast about the size of your palm and thickness of a deck of cards. Then before I sleep I take a serving of casein. If it’s a workout day it obviously includes a post-workout shake of your choice, I personally use 2:1:1 Recovery by Optimum Nutrition since it was the closest I could find to the Biotest Surge Recovery since that isn’t available to me. This honestly has been working for me since it adheres to a low-carb philosophy Steve mentions in another article of most carbs in the morning, moderate complex carbs at lunch, and little to no carbs at dinner. I also take into consideration the teachings of guru Steve in regards to spreading out protein servings and maintaining maximum muscle retention during a cutting phase. I currently weigh 162 lbs. since starting 5 weeks ago from 166 lbs. Just gotta experiment with what works as you can tell I did from my previous post up there. Hope this helps, take care.
Oh and I’m around 18-19% bodyfat now since my original 21%.
Steve, I’ve been weightlifting for 2 years or so now, and 2 months ago i stopped, and last month i took up running because im playing a summer sport in a league. My main goal is to gain speed, by building endurance and loosing fat. My upper body is a lot weaker than it was 2 months ago, and I want to know if this routine will help me keep my hard gained muscle but not hinder my cardio and endurance gains.
I’ve been doing this 5 day routine on Muscleandstrength.com and I was wondering, if in you’re unbiased opinion, is fat loss or the 5 day high def better for me to loose weight?
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/24-doug—s-5-day-high-definition-routine.html
I need a good opinion, I’ve been afraid to choose one because i’ve gotten a lot faster and have already lost some weight, and I dont want to slow that down.
I don’t know man. That doesn’t look like the most effective routine I’ve ever seen. I mean it has a dedicated arms day which is pretty lame. You don’t need all those sissy isolation movements IMO. I’d stick to a routine that uses more compound movements and doesn’t recommend 1 hour of endurance cardio twice a day. I think if you try the fat loss for men routine you might like it. Fat loss is 75% diet and only 25% exercise and lifestyle, so if you want to lose fat get your diet in check.
what do you recommend to measure body fat percentage? the electrical stuff, digital calipers, or old school calipers?
I just recommend using the same method for repeated testing. A handheld electrical tester is way easier to use than calipers, but calipers are more accurate if you know how to test the sites properly, which many people do not. Even better would be a hydrostatic analysis, but you usually have to pay someone to do that or find a university with the right equipment.
Ran into a few good questions in a conversation regarding this routine. I was asked if the best time to do HIIT workout was first thing in the morning on an empty stomach? With my understanding of the effects of cardio in a glycogen depleted state, the body would turn to other sources to burn energy such as fat, but I also started to think that it may turn to breaking down protein as well. So another question arose as to whether to take a serving of whey some odd minutes(not sure how long) before the HIIT workout. Then another question asked if it is better to take some carbs+whey before the HIIT workout, but this I figured would defeat the purpose of morning cardio if your body is burning the carbs you ate instead of the fat on your body. So, I was a little confused and said I’d get back to him. I checked various websites and there was plenty of average joes giving their opinions on the matter but they were all over the place. I value your opinion since you do the research and I appreciate that.
The thing about eating before HIIT in the morning, is that your body will burn whatever nutrients are currently in your bloodstream for energy. That includes any carbs and protein you consume before training. I’d say limit your intake to coffee or tea if your sole goal is to burn stored body fat. Immediately after training be sure to drink a post workout shake to limit muscle catabolism, and enjoy a day of increased metabolism and efficient fat burning.
Hi Steve just a quick question about the HIIT days, when you say 3 sets of bodyweight rows for example for 30 seconds per set. How long do i rest between the sets? Thanks, ive got 2 weeks left of the Werewolf training with dumbbells and want to use this program to switch it up when the 3rd cycle is finished for a few month to shed some body fat.
Rest 30-60 seconds between sets, depending on your personal level of conditioning.
I think I see what your asking, no offense Steve, but I think he’s confused about the superset. He’s asking about rest periods but he’s thinking he’s doing the 30seconds of bodyweight rows 3x in a row and the second exercise 90 seconds 3x in a row instead of alternating exercises. Nath, you’re supposed to do 30 seconds of BW Rows no rest, then go into 90 seconds of Jumping Jacks no rest,then back to 30 seconds of BW rows no rest,etc. repeat until you finish with 90 seconds of Jumping Jacks. If you add it up you’re going non-stop for like 6 minutes and THEN you rest for 30-60 seconds and start the next (pair of exercises)superset. Dude, the intensity is CRAZY, I honestly hate life beyond measure when I’m doing HIIT. Huffing, Panting, Sweating, Muscles Burning, Feeling like I need to throw up. It double sucks since you’re probably sore from the weightlifting routine the day before if you trained at the right weight and intensity. Good signs you’re burning fat and not losing muscle on a low calorie diet is that you’re lifts all get stronger(keep track, it helps) and you’re improving intensity and endurance on your HIIT days. Honestly I’ve improved strength on all my compound lifts over 50% and over 100% on my BB Back squat which I’ve trained very hard on. I would throw in some shrugs somewhere though since all my muscles are developing but my traps seem to be falling behind. Good Luck!
Thanks guys for the replies, yeah i should’ve worded it better, i couldnt understand the order of exercise for HIIT when i read it thats all. I know it sounds strange but i love doing the HIIT style workouts, i like pushing my body to its limits and when you get past something you feel real good about yourself, only thing im worried about is keeping my diet in check, but ill get there eventually. Thanks for clearing it up though and good job on the Werewolf routine Steve, i used it after not working out for a good two years and have seen a big difference after my first 3 cycles. Gonna take a weeks active recovery, get on the fat loss for men routine and then go back to Werewolf for another 3 cycles.
Hi Steve, just a quick question. I do a small bit of running, about 20-30 miles a week that I would like to keep up (as I run a 5K or 10K every month). This really helped me in the past (went from 295 -> 235, back up to 244 after doing some strength training this summer), but I still have a good belly, even tat 6’5”. I’m wanting to lose fat, but not lose my endurance and flexibility. Would it be alright to also run in the evenings if I do this workout in the morning? Furthermore, would it be acceptable to do some light yoga on the day off? If not to the yoga, what if I alternated the yoga and running so that it would be
1. Running
2. Yoga
3. Running
4. Yoga
5. Running
6. Yoga
7. Rest
in addition to this full workout.
Thanks!
Do you increase weight for each set or use the same weight for each set in the exercise?
It’s your choice really. I tend to increase weight for each set unless I’m doing 5×5, in which case I use the same weight for all 5 sets.
lose weight while running…
Fat Loss for Men: A 7 Day Full Body Routine Plus HIIT | Project Swole…
I am 50 years old and have been involved in bodybuilding, martial arts, and general exercise since I was 21. I’ve built numerous workouts for others and was one of the first personal trainers in North Dakota (1990). With all that said, I’m overweight, have chronic tendonitis (due to an adverse effect of an antibiotic) and want to get back into fighting shape.
I saw this website and think the routine looks really efficient; however, I am confused by the a,b,b,c,c,d,d,etc.
Am I to assume this means all letter which are similar are supersets? I would appreciate any/all information you feel like communicating and thanks so much.
Consecutive letters like a) b) c) d) are a superset or giant set. You perform all of these exercises once each in succession, then start over at a) again. All of the letters which are similar, for example all of the c)’s have no relation to each other and are not in the same giant set.
I am looking at starting this routine. I have 2 questions. do you do all the A, B1, C1, D1,E1, F as a superset. Then take 90 seconds off and do all of the A, B2, C2 etc.. until finished? also what do you mean by 7/7/7?
Thanks
You have it right with a1, b1, c1 and a2, b2, c2. 7/7/7 means 3 sets of 7 reps with rest in between.