Perfectly timed fat loss (Part 2)

Exercises vary in effectiveness depending on when you perform them. Match the right workout with the right time for maximum burning potential.

Barbell squat

Muscles worked glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, abs

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and rest a barbell on the back of your shoulders.

Bend at the kness and hips, stop when your thighs are parallel to the ground, then rise up. Testosterone – your chief fat-burning hormone – is raised when multiple-joint lifts are done at 85-95% of your maximum.

Clean and jerk

Muscles worked lower back, glutes, hamstrings, quads, arms

This move is the fat-burning pièce de résistanceas it uses pretty much every muscle you own. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Squat down and grip a barbell with an overhand grip.

Pull the bar up to the front of your shoulders, drop into a quarter squat and press it over your head. Lower to the start. This is great for increasing production of your muscle-building growth hormones.

Incline bench dumbbell chest press

Muscles worked upper chest, triceps, shoulders

Own-bodyweight exercises have their place but weights burn far more calories. Lie on an incline bench set to a 45 degree angle. Hold a dumbbell in each hand above your chest.

Lower the weights to your sides then straighten your arms. Setting an incline bench promotes the greatest chest and shoulder muscle activation.

Turkish get-up

Muscles worked quads, hamstrings, lower back, glutes, abs

The sound you make when performing this move is the sound of calories burning. Lie face-up with your legs straight and hold a weight in your left hand with a locked elbow.

Stand up, pushing off the ground with your hand. Keep the weight above your head. Then lie back down, still holding the weight above you. Complex resistance moves like this obliterate the most calories.

The time-saving weight-free workout

Get fitter with no gym time. This circuit uses only your bodyweight to work your body from head to toe. Do each exercise for 20sec on, 10 sec off, then repeat eight times. Rest for 1min between circuits.

Push plank

Muscles worked: arms, shoulders, core

Kneel with your forearms on the floor, then drive forwards, bending

your elbows and raising your forearms. Finish in the position shown. Return.

Torso rotation

Muscles worked: core, hips

Crouch with your palms on the floor. Twist your hips, taking your knees to either side. You'll carve a core more stable than a banker's income.

Box press-up

Muscles worked: arms, chest

Kneel, place your hands on a box and perfrom a press-up. This works your whole upper body – plus the Ikea crate storing your spare linen.

Spider rock

Muscles worked: core

Sit on the floor and grab your shins. Rock back, then return to the start. Bringing your torso into your legs. The tension chisels out your abs.

The table

Muscles worked: glutes, back

Sit on the floor, legs bent, arms straight and fingers facing forwards. Drive your hips up to add strength to your glutes and back. Lower again.

Lunge

Muscles worked: legs, glutes

Stand with your arms bent then step forwards. Lower until your knee is bent to 90 degrees. Repeat with the other leg for explosive power.

Get constantly evolving workout and nutrition plans personalised for your specific needs and training goals.

The press-up and plank workout

Drop and give 20 minutes

Forearm plank

How to do it: Balance on your forearms and toes and hold for 30-60 seconds, ensuring that your stomach is ‘pulled in’ tight and your body forms a straight line from your heels to your head.

Why you should do it: The 'regular' plank trains all the muscles of your core and upper body isometrically (i.e. they are in contraction but static, with muscles neither lengthening or shortening). Although it's an easy exercise to perform, it’s hard to perform well. Most people let their hips sag, or they don’t keep their stomach tight, which is essential for training the transverse abdominis (the muscle that wraps around the abdomen like a corset and is the foundation of a well-defined six-pack).

Reps and sets: Aim for 3 sets of 30-60 seconds.

T press-up

How to do it: Perform a standard press-up, letting your chest touch the floor. As you come up, twist your body and extend your right arm towards the ceiling until you make a 'T' shape with your body. Then place your right arm back on the floor, and repeat with the left arm.

Why you should do it: After exhausting the muscles of your core with the conventional plank, you then further fatigue them by forcing them to contract while in motion. As well as training the muscles of your upper body (pectoralis major; pectoralis minor; triceps brachii) the twisting motion also comprehensively trains your shoulders – the anterior (front) medial (side) and back (posterior) deltoids.

Reps and sets: Aim for 3 sets of 6 repetitions on each arm (12 repetitions in each set). The pace should be slow and controlled.

Spider plank

How to do it: Get into a plank position on your forearms or hands. Balance on the toes of your right foot as you bend your left knee out and towards your left elbow.

Why you should do it: This plank variation not only trains your transverse abdominis, but by adding the tucking motion you also train your external obliques, your internal obliques and yourrectus abdominis. The later is a paired muscle that runs vertically on each side of the anterior (front) wall of your abdomen. When your body fat is low enough, the lines of separation in this muscle are what give the appearance of a six-pack.  

Reps and sets: Aim for 3 sets of 12 repetitions on each knee. Use a slow and controlled pace, keep your abs tight and don’t let your hips sag.

Knee-tuck press-up

How to do it: Get into a standard press-up position. Then bring your right knee to your left elbow, pause, and return your leg to the start position. Now perform a standard press-up as normal. Repeat the movement, this time bringing your left knee to your right elbow.

Why you should do it: After pre-exhausting the muscles of your core, you then further fatigue them by performing the press-up equivalent of the Spider-Man plank.

Reps and sets: Aim for 3 sets of 12 repetitions. Use a slow and controlled pace, keeping your abs tight at all times.

Aztec press-up

This is an advanced move – only perform it when you are completely confident with the first four exercises

How to do it: Get into a standard press-up position and lower your body to the ground until your chest touches the floor. Then, explode off the ground and quickly touch your legs with your hands. Land back on your hands. Be careful not to faceplant.

Why you should do it: This is a form of plyometric training, which builds elastic strength and explosiveness to and bridges the gap between speed and strength work.

Reps and sets: Aim for 3 sets of 12 repetitions. Use a fast and explosive pace.

The Rock’s Workout Playlist

From Muscle & Fitnes

Eminem – Till I Collapse 

Living Colour – Cult of Personality

Tupac – Ghost

Metallica – Enter Sandman

Jay-Z – Moment of Clarity

Public Enemy – Can’t Truss It

Hank Williams Jr. – A Country Boy Can Survive

Trick Daddy – Where U From

Tupac – Hell 4 A Hustler

Godsmack – I Stand Alone

The Rock, Dwayne Johnson’s Workout Routine And Diet

Monday, Wednesday, Friday Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, used this workout routine while trying to trim down from 14 to 7% bodyfat for some of his Hollywood movie roles. He trained six days per week, resting on day seven.

• Chest, back, biceps, calves: 5 sets, 15-20 reps, 30 second rest periods
• Cardio: 5 minute warm-up, 12 minutes high intensity, 5 minute cool down

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

• Quads, hamstrings, shoulders, triceps: 5 sets, 15-20 reps, 30 second rest periods
• Cardio: 5 minute warm-up, 12 minutes high intensity, 5 minute cool down

The Rock Dwayne Johnson Sample Cutting Diet

• Meal 1: 10 scrambled egg whites, 3 servings cream of rice or 1 cup oatmeal, 3 rice cakes, 24oz water
• Meal 2: 6oz skinless grilled chicken breast, 1 cup grits, 6oz yams, 1 cup of steamed asparagus, 24oz water
• Meal 3: 6oz tuna, 1 cup brown rice, 1 sliced cucumber, 24oz water
• Meal 4: 6oz perch fillet, 1 cup barley, 6oz baked potato, 1 cup steamed green beans, 24oz water
• Meal 5: 6oz pork tenderloin, 1 cup brown rice, 6oz sweet potato, 1 cup peas, 24oz water
• Meal 6: 10 scrambled egg whites, 3 servings cream of rice or 1 cup oatmeal, 24oz water

The Rock Dwayne Johnson Sample Muscle Building Diet

• Meal 1 – 10 oz cod, 2 whole eggs, 2 cups oatmeal
• Meal 2 – 8 oz cod, 12 oz sweet potato, 1 cup veggies
• Meal 3 – 8 oz chicken, 2 cups white rice, 1 cup veggies
• Meal 4 – 8 oz cod, 2 cups rice, 1 cup veggies, 1 tbsp fish oil
• Meal 5 – 8 oz steak, 12 oz baked potato, spinach salad
• Meal 6 – 10 oz cod, 2 cups rice, salad
• Meal 7 – 30 grams casein protein, 10 egg-white omelet, 1 cup veggies (onions, peppers, mushrooms), 1 tbsp omega-3 fish oil

The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, Muscle Building Workout Routine

This is a muscle building workout routine used by The Rock, Dwayne Johnson.

• Day 1 – Shoulders
• Day 2 – Back
• Day 3 – Legs
• Day 4 – Arms
• Day 5 – Chest

Day 1 – Shoulders

• Seated Military Press Machine – 3 sets x 21 reps
• Dumbbell Lateral Raise super set with Dumbbell Front Raise – 3 sets x 8 reps each
• Rear Delt Cable Raise – 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
• Hammer Stength Shrug – 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
• Four Way Neck Machine – 4 sets x 12 reps

Day 2 – Back

• Wide Grip Lat Pull Down – 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
• Close Grip Lat Pull Down – 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
• One Arm Seated Row Machine – 4 sets x 12 reps
• Back Extension – 4 sets x 15, 15, 12, 12 reps

Day 3 – Legs

• Leg Press – 4 sets x 25, 20, 18, 16 (Last set is drop set)
• Smith Machine Lunge – 4 sets x 8 reps per leg
• Lying Leg Curl – 4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps
• Standing Calf Raise – 6 sets x 16 reps (Last set is drop set)

Day 4 – Arms

• Alternating Dumbbell Curl – 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
• Preacher Machine Curl – 6 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 21, 21 reps (*Last 2 sets are 21s)
• Cable Tricep Extension – 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 20 reps
• Overhead Cable Extension – 4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 20 reps
• One Arm Reverse Grip Tricep Extension – 2 sets x 15 reps

*21s are 7 uppwer half partial reps, 7 lower half partial reps and 7 full reps.

Day 5 – Chest

• Incline Dumbbell Press – 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
• Dumbbell Bench Press – 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
• Cable Crossover – 4 sets x 12 reps
• Push Ups – 4 sets x 15 reps (superset with crossovers)

Abs are performed twice a week – weighted Swiss ball crunches, 4 sets x 25 reps.