Perfectly timed fat loss (Part 1)

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

The clock governs everything, your ability to burn fat included. To get the most from your workout you need to be in the right place at the right time, performing the right exercise. By doing just one of these workouts – each burning 500 calories – every day for a week, you’ll burn that excess body fat. It’s all in the timing.

7-9am: Attack your fat stores early

Advantage: stamina

Don’t hit the snooze button – you need to be out of bed nice and early to maximise your morning fat-burn. You’re up to 7% weaker when you wake, so it’s best to go for a long bout of steady-state cardio over more strenuous interval or weight sessions. Perform any one of the exercises below, maintaining a speed that’s about 65% of your maximum effort. A constant pace ensures you don’t tap out your energy reserves and can train for the set time-frame. You’ll be in and out with a 500-calorie deficit before breakfast.

Stationary bike 34 minutes
Elliptical trainer 36 minutes
Rower 43 minutes
Run 35 minutes

12-2pm: Mix it up on your lunch break

Advantage: increased lung capacity

You’re awake but you still won’t have reached your peak strength by midday. Your body’s aerobic capacity will have increased by 4%, so a mixture of intervals and resistance training is ideal for this time of day. Do your cardio first.

Interval training Warm up for 4 minutes. Then sprint for 30 seconds, rest for 20 seconds, then go again. Go 7 times.
Weight training Do the exercises on the next post after another, resting for 1 minute between sets. Do 3 sets of 12 repetitions

5-7pm: Lift heavy when you're working late

Advantage: maximum strength

You may feel tired after a day’s work, but you’re at your strongest now. So go for a pure weights session. Perform a set of six reps with a weight heavy enough that you’re unable to keep lifting after the last rep. Research found it will burn more calories post-training than doing 12 reps of a lighter weight.

Weight training Do the exercises on the next post after another, resting for 1 minute between sets. Do 4 sets of 6 repetitions

Jason Momoa’s Conan the Barbarian Workout

Try the 110-rep per exercise routine the Hollywood star used to pack on 20lbs of muscle and step into Arnie's shoes to play Conan the Barbarian. You’ll build a barbaric amount of muscle and slash away fat.

Build barbarian muscle

To get a body like a barbarian, you need to lift more than a broadsword. But achieving Jason Momoa’s physique doesn’t require you to bivvy down in a corner of your local gym for months on end. The Conan the Barbarian star’s colossal physique was built through simple 30-minute, extremely-high-rep sessions.

If you really want to test yourself, try to gradually increase the load you use each day you perform the workout. Pick a heavy weight and it will get you shredded and build a lot of muscle. Fat slayed. Muscle plateaus conquered. 

Instructions

Each workout should take 30 minutes. Pick three from the following five exercises and take a day's rest between each session. Try to use a weight around two thirds of the maximum load you can lift in one rep.

Squats
Shoulder Presses
Incline Bench Presses
Cable Crosses
Pull-Ups

Sets, reps and rest

With your first move, perform 7 reps. Then take a 7-second rest. Then perform another 7 reps. Take another 7-second rest. Continue in this way until you have completed 7 sets of 7 reps. Rest for 30 seconds. Then do a 6-rep round: 6 sets of 6 reps with 6-seconds rest between each set. Finish with a 5-rep round to bring the total rep count for that exercise to 110. Take a breath. Then do the whole thing again with two more exercises. 

Reach your goal faster - Rules to Workout

Use these exercise and nutrition rules to workout 

For weight loss

Nutrition - Cardio is key to fat loss, but it can take up to three weeks to start seeing the benefits. Consistently making the right food choices delivers faster results and it's easier.

For instant energy

Exercise - Simple carbs leave you feeling lethargic later on. A study at California State University found a 10-minute walk increased energy levels for twice as long as sugar.

For lean muscle

Nutrition - To bulk up, you need a surplus of muscle-building nutrients. Splash some olive oil on that salad: its healthy fats prevent muscle wastage.

For a mood boost

Exercise - A healthy brain is well-nourished. But in the short-term, cardio is king. 20 minutes of exercise will improve your mood for 12 hours.

To lower your blood pressure

Nutrition - Exercise reduces the narrowing of arteries, but it won't neutralise the ill effects of a poor diet. Increase your fruit and veg intake. Studies have shown raisins to be particularly potent.

For a sharper focus

Nutrition - Inositols, unique carbs that stimulate your nervous system, will improve mental endurance. Add a side serving of beans to your lunch.

Burn fat, build muscle

Achieve the impossible – lose weight while adding muscle

Burn fat, build muscle

Like most blokes, you've probably been reminded by your other half of men's inability to multi-task. Totally untrue. It's often said that building muscle and losing fat are mutually exclusive. To lose body fat you need to eat less and to add muscle you have to eat more, so it can seem downright impossible to have these two goals. Read on to find out how to tighten your sleeves and loosen your jeans.

How it works

You'll alternate between weeks of heavy weights and low repetitions to build muscle and low weights and high repetitions to burn fat. This strategy elevates your metabolism by conditioning your muscles to have both endurance and strength. Combine these efforts with the "Get ripped" meal plan and you'll expose your body to the variables you need to hit your seemingly contradictory goals and realise the overall objective: looking your absolute best.

Get muscle workout

Do this low-repetition, high-weights programme for weeks 1,3,5,7,9. Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets to make sure you're fully recovered and constantly increase the weights you're lifting. 

EXERCISES                     

Monday: chest and abs

Bar-bell bench press               
Sets: 5
Rep: 12,8,6,4,12
Incline dumb-bell press
Sets: 4
Reps: 8,6,6,6
Flat flye
Sets: 4
Reps: 8,6,6,6
Dips
Sets: 4
Reps: 8,6,6,6
Weighted sit-up
Sets: 5
Reps: 10               
Standing cable crunch  
Sets: 4
Reps: 8           

Tuesday: legs

Bar-bell squats   
Sets: 5
Reps: 12,10,8,8,6
Dumb-bell lunge               
Sets: 4
Reps: 12,12,12,12
Leg press                   
Sets: 4
Reps: 10,8,6,6
Leg extension          
Sets: 4
Reps: 12,12,12,12
Bar-bell straight leg deadlift   
Sets: 4  
Reps: 12,8,6,6
Lying leg curl               
Sets: 4
Reps:8,8,8,8
Donkey calf raise
Sets: 5
Reps: 12,10,10,8,12

Wednesday: arms

Underhand pull-ups
Sets: 5
Reps: 10
Alternating bicep curl   
Sets: 4
Reps: 12,8,8,8
EZ bar curl      
Sets: 4
Reps: 12,8,6,6
Lying triceps extension          
Sets: 5      
Reps: 10,8,8,8
Cable pushdown
Sets: 4
Reps: 8,6,6,6
Dumb-bell overhead extension   
Sets: 4
Reps: 8,6,6,6

Thursday

Rest day

Friday: shoulders and abs

Seated dumb-bell shoulder press     
Sets: 5
Reps: 12,10,8,8,6
Bent-over lateral raises      
Sets: 4
Reps: 12,8,8,8
Front raise                  
Sets: 4
Reps: 10,8,8,8
Lateral raise      
Sets: 4
Reps: 12,10,10,10
Smith machine upright row  
Sets: 4
Reps: 12,8,8,8
Medicine ball Russian twist      
Sets: 4
Reps: 10,8,8,8
Weighted leg raise  
Sets: 4
Reps: 12,10,10,10

Saturday

Rest day

Sunday

Rest day or a light cardio day

Do 10 minutes each on the rowing machine, bike and elliptical cross trainer.

Get ripped workout

Do this high-repetition programme for weeks 2,4,6,8,10 and rest for no more than 15-20 seconds between sets to keep your heart pumping and sweat dripping.

EXERCISES

Monday: back and biceps

Lat pull-down  
Sets: 5
Reps: 12
Bar-bell bent-over rows   
Sets: 4
Reps: 12
Seated rows   
Sets: 4
Reps: 15
Standing one arm cable row      
Sets: 4
Reps: 15
Standing bar-bell curl       
Sets: 5
Reps: 12
EZ bar curl          
Sets: 4
Reps: 12
Cable rope curl              
Sets: 4       
Reps: 20

Tuesday: legs and abs

Smith machine front squat          
Sets:  5      
Reps: 12
Dumb-bell straight leg deadlift  
Sets: 4
Reps: 12
Leg press               
Sets: 4
Reps: 15
Lying leg curls      
Sets: 4
Reps: 15
Leg extension           
Sets: 4
Reps: 15
Calf raises          
Sets: 5
Reps: 20
V-up                       
Sets: 4
Reps: 20
Roll-out  
Sets: 4
Reps: 15

Wednesday:

cardio machines

Do intervals on the treadmill for 40 minutes: sprint for 40 seconds, then jog for 60 seconds to recover.

Thursday: chest and abs

Bar-bell bench press       
Sets: 5
Reps: 12
Smith Machine incline press       
Sets: 4      
Reps: 12
Smith Machine decline press       
Sets: 4      
Reps: 15
Pull-over                  
Sets: 4      
Reps: 12
Leg raises                  
Sets: 5      
Reps: 20
Cable woodchop               
Sets: 4      
Reps: 15

Friday: shoulders and triceps

Clean and jerk              
Sets: 5       
Reps; 12
Dumb-bell lateral raise           
Sets: 4      
Reps: 12
Dumb-bell front raise          
Sets: 4      
Reps: 15
Bent-over lateral raise           
Sets: 4      
Reps: 15
Dumb-bell upright row          
Sets: 4       
Reps: 12
Cable pushdown              
Sets: 4      
Reps: 20
Kickback                  
Sets: 4      
Reps: 12
Bench dip               
Sets: 4      
Reps: 12

Saturday

Rest day

Sunday:

Cardio machines
Do intervals on the rower for 30 minutes: sprint for 40 seconds, then recover for 30 seconds at a slower pace.

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.

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