Four Weeks To Fit Again: Weeks 1-2

by Sommer Robertson Mar 13, 2012

Four Weeks To Fit Again

Main | Weeks 1-2 | Weeks 3-4

Overview

Use light weight and higher reps at the beginning of the workout to help enhance blood flow to muscles and burn more calories as you train.
With each circuit you'll go heavier and use lower reps to stimulate your fast-twitch muscle fibers and keep your body in fat-burning mode after the workout is over.
Focus on compound movements to maximize the amount of work done in this short, full-body routine.
To keep your heart rate up, you'll perform five minutes of cardio between each circuit at 70-75% maximum heart rate (MHR).
Use an average tempo like 2/1/2 (two seconds to lower the weight, one second pause, and two seconds to lift it) to ensure you perform each exercise properly.
Perform 45-60 minutes of cardio on your cardio days, working at 75% of your MHR.

Upper-Body Circuit:

Bent Over Barbell Row
Seated Cable Rows
Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
Barbell Shoulder Press
Side Lateral Raise
Triceps Pushdown
Barbell Curl

* Between each circuit, complete 5 minutes on treadmill, StepMill or elliptical at 70-75% MHR.

Bent Over Barbell Row

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and bend forward at about a 45-degree angle.

Keeping your back stable and head up, pull the bar toward your body until it touches your belly button.

Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pause for a moment at the top of the movement.

Slowly return to the start position, making sure to stretch your lats fully at the bottom.

Barbell Bench Press

Lie faceup on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor.

Grasp a barbell just outside shoulder width and lift the bar off the rack.

Slowly lower the bar toward your lower chest, keeping your elbows pointed out to the sides (not forward), until it's just an inch or two above your chest.

Press the bar back up forcefully in an arc so that it ends up over your neck.

Stop just short of locking out your elbows.

Seated Overhead Barbell Press

Sit on a bench that adjusts to 90 degrees.

Take an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width and start with the bar under your chin and just above your upper chest.

Press the bar straight up overhead until your arms are fully extended but not completely locked out.

Slowly lower the bar back to the start position and repeat.

Lower-Body Circuit:

Leg Press
Leg Extensions
Lying Leg Curls
Stiff-Legged Barbell Deadlift
Standing Calf Raises

* Between each circuit, complete 5 minutes on treadmill, StepMill, or elliptical at 70-75% MHR.

Stiff-Legged Deadlift

Stand erect holding a barbell with a shoulder-width, overhand grip, and feet 6-8 inches apart.

Keeping your chest high, abs tight, and knees slightly bent, lean forward at the hips, letting the bar naturally track away from your body.

Pause when you feel a good stretch, then carefully reverse the motion by contracting your glutes and hamstrings, allowing the bar to come closer to your body as you approach the top position.

Squeeze your abs, back, and glutes at the top.

Leg Press

Sit squarely in a leg-press machine and place your feet on the platform, shoulder width apart.

Keeping your chest up and your lower back pressed into the backpad, lift the sled, and unlatch the safeties.

Bend your knees to lower the weight toward you, stopping before your lower back and glutes lift off the pad.

Pause for a moment, then extend your legs to press the weight up, stopping just short of locking out your knees.

Squeeze your thighs hard at the top and repeat.

Four Weeks To Fit: The Diet

As with the training portion of this program, the diet is broken down into two phases over four weeks.

Phase One: Weeks 1-2

You must eat fewer calories than your body is used to in order to drop body fat. When a calorie deficit is created, the body responds by collecting from fat reserves, and you get leaner. In this phase, you'll eat between 1,400 and 1,500 calories per day.
You'll consume ample amounts of protein. This will ensure you're burning off body fat while sparing muscle. This will be coupled with keeping your carbs and fat intake in check to moderate levels.

Monday

Breakfast:

Cinnamon

1 tsp
Egg Whites, Scrambled/Boiled

3
Oatmeal, Uncooked

1/3 cup

Late-morning Snack:

Peanut Butter, Natural

1 tbsp
Rice Cakes, Brown Rice/Multigrain

2
Whey Protein

1 scoop

Lunch:

Balsamic Vinegar

2 tbsp
Brown Rice, Cooked

1/2 cup
Shrimp

4oz
Salad w/ Tomato and Onion

1 small portion

Midday Snack:

Ground Turkey Breast, 99% Fat-Free

4oz
Sweet Potato, Baked, Skinless

4oz

Dinner:

Almonds

10
Asparagus

4oz
Halibut

4oz