With summer just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about your bathing suit body.  The workout below is for the serious exerciser looking to change things up.  I’ve seen a lot of guys (and girls) do really well on this routine.  Variety is the key component of this workout.  If you’ve been stuck doing something similar for a while, maybe even another Share It Fitness workout plan, give this one a look.  As you should know by now, confusing your body is the best way to consistently making gains.  This plan is designed more towards those who want to build muscle (ladies – you will NOT get bulky from this plan, I promise!) with lower amounts of body fat to burn.  Simply put this plan is going to get you ripped and toned up and looking like an Olympic athlete.

Your muscles are going to have that shredded (not bulky) look almost everyone wants.  At the bottom of this plan, I’ve included a quick meal guide to help ensure you are getting ample protein.  Remember guys, muscle tissue doesn’t grow just because you’re lifting weights.  Muscle tissue grows because your lifting weights AND feeding your body fuel to create this new tissue…very important.

I broke things up into a push/pull format.  You’ll do almost all push exercises on one day, pull exercises on another, legs on the third, and fourth will vary.  Be sure to follow the exercises listed in order.  If you are unsure what an exercise is, just submit a comment and I’ll fill you in.
Week 1 and 2 – 4 sets of 6-8, unless otherwise noted in parenthesis.  If reps increase, lower the weight accordingly.

• Day 1: Bench Press, Incline Bench Press, Clean and Press, Incline Dumbbell Flys, Barbell Upright Row, Skullcrushers, (3×10) dumbbell lateral raise, (in as few sets as possible) 100 dips
• Day 2: Barbell Squats (on rack or smith machine), Barbell Deadlifts, Leg Press Machine, Calf Raises, Sumo Squats (on rack or smith machine), (4×25) 100 crunches, (4×25) 100 weighted ab crunch machine, (4×12) hanging knee raises
• Day 3: Lat Pulldowns, Bent over Barbell Row, (in as few sets as possible) 40 wide-grip pull ups, Close Grip Row, Hammer Curls, Single Arm Dumbbell Rows, (3×10) close grip pulldowns, Incline Dumbbell Curls
• Day 4: 30 min HIIT sprinting (:30sprint/1:30jog), 30 min HIIT cycling (:30sprint/1minute relaxed cycle)
  

Week 3 and 4 – 4 sets of 6-8, unless otherwise noted in parenthesis.  If reps increase, lower the weight accordingly.

• Day 1: Dumbbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Incline Bench Press, Clean and Press, Cable Flys, Barbell Upright Row, Tricep Rope Pushdowns, dumbbell front raise, (in as few sets as possible) 100 feet elevated pushups
• Day 2: Barbell Squats (rack or smith), Barbell Deadlifts, Bulgarian Squats, Calf Raises, (4×25) squat jumps, (4×25) 100 decline crunches while holding plate, (4×25) 100 weighted ab crunch machine, (3x1minute) planks.
• Day 3: Bent over Barbell Row, (in as few sets as possible) 50 wide-grip pull ups, Wide Grip Row, Barbell Preacher Curls, Dumbbell Pullovers, (3×10) close grip pulldowns, Incline Dumbbell Curls
• Day 4: 30 seconds jump rope/30 seconds box jumps/rest 60 seconds/repeat 15x  30 seconds burpees/30 seconds plank/repeat 15x
  

Week 5 and 6 – 4 sets of 6-8, unless otherwise noted in parenthesis.  If reps increase, lower the weight accordingly.

• Day 1: Bench Press, Incline Bench Press, Clean and Press, Decline Bench Press Machine, Arnold Presses, Close Grip Bench Press, Rear Delt Dumbbell Flys, (in as few sets as possible) 100 elevated feet pushups
• Day 2: Barbell Squats (on rack or smith machine), Barbell Deadlifts, Close Stance Leg Press Machine, Butt to Floor Squats (on rack or smith machine), (4×30) bicycle crunches, (4×30) weighted ab crunch machine, (4×60) flutter kicks
• Day 3: Lat Pulldowns, Bent over Barbell Row, (in as few sets as possible) 40 wide-grip pull ups, Close Grip Row, Row Machine 30 minutes
• Day 4: 30 min HIIT sprinting (:30sprint/1:30jog), 30 min HIIT cycling (:30sprint/1minute relaxed cycle)

This will get you through 6 weeks.  When you’re nearing the end of week 6, check back on the blog for another 6 week muscle focused routine.  One thing to make absolutely sure of is the weight you are using.  You’ve got to use heavy weight so the final rep in your 6-8 reps is hard in sets 1,2; almost impossible in set 3, and brings you to the point of muscle failure in your last set (meaning you can’t complete the final rep).  Now, that advice is what would be considered ideal. If you are working out alone, without a spotter, it’s okay to back off a little.   You don’t need to kill yourself by dropping a bar on your head because you attempted a final rep, but you can figure out whether or not you’ll be hitting failure on the next rep.  Don’t risk hurting yourself, just push yourself to the brink and then back off.

One other quick tip; keep track of the weights you’re using for the big lifts: bench, incline bench, clean and press, squat, deadlifts, upright row, leg press, and lat pulldowns.  Try to slowly increase the weight as this plan progresses.  A good goal would be a 5-10% weight increase by the end of week 6, depending on the exercise.

You might hear a lot of people say the only way to get bigger is to lift heavy weight/low reps.  These people are usually meatheads who don’t know what they’re talking about.  The best way to continue adding muscle is to keep things fresh and making it so your body can’t adapt to the stimulus.  If you continue beyond this 6 week program, keep an eye out for a high rep/lower weight routine that plays off this program perfectly.  This format of lifting is just what has worked very well for me and people I’ve trained, both men and women.

Make sure you are getting sufficient levels of protein so all your hard work isn’t wasted!  Quick guide below:

Protein Shake in the AM – 1 scoop whey, 12 oz milk = ~40 grams protein
Chicken breast 6 oz. – ~48 grams protein
Protein Shake within 30 minutes of ending workout = ~40 gram protein
1 cup greek yogurt right before bed = ~28 grams protein

Total: ~156 grams of protein before taking dinner into consideration

 Have questions or want to connect with other people also on this plan?  Head over to the full Share It Fitness site and get your free premium membership HERE.  We’re still offering free premium memberships which will give you access to all of our OnDemand fitness classes and other featured content…so come on over and get started today!

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Matt

Co-Founder at Share It Fitness

Matt has been involved in the fitness industry for over 10 years and has worked with, and helped countless individuals improve their lives. After college, Matt started his fitness career working in the trenches as a personal trainer for a big corporate gym. It was here he saw how impersonal Big Fitness really was. Clients weren't people, they were just sales waiting to be made. After branching out and starting his own personal training business in San Diego, Matt soon developed the idea of Share It Fitness and started our (now highly successful) blog. A fitness junkie himself, Matt knows the importance of incorporating exercise into your life. When he isn't working at Share It Fitness, you can find Matt running, biking, taking yoga, or pumping iron around San Diego.

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