Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer -
Phase 2
Watch The Video - 08:04
Daily Programs For Phase 2
Here's an introduction to the Phase 2 workouts you'll be following. Each day has a printable guide complete with that day's workout, meal plan, or both:
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Take It To The Next Level In Phase 2
Now that you've finished Phase 1, healthy eating, working out, and taking the right supplements should be a regular part of your daily routine. Hopefully your commitment is revealing positive change and increased energy. As this phase comes to a close, prepare yourself for intense muscle-building in Phase Two and the introduction of cardio, to kick-start the fat-burning.
Training: Week 5 & 6
Moving into Phase Two, the focus continues to be building muscle, courtesy of a 6-day workout split. The repetitions in this phase fall between 8 and 10, with the exception of certain exercises, where really taxing the muscle requires more volume.
Work at 85% of your maximum effort, which means your last rep in each set should be a struggle but still doable. Don't sacrifice form for strength, and ask for a spot as you progressively lift heavier weight. Safety is key!
Lifting heavier means you'll need longer rest periods between sets. For some exercises, you'll feel ready to continue after one minute; other exercises might require two. Regardless, the rest period should be long enough to allow you to tackle each set with as much exertion as possible.
The one exception is when you encounter exercises grouped as a superset. This means performing an exercise set immediately after a different exercise set with nearly no rest taken between exercises (sets) -- only enough to position yourself for the second exercise.
While we're on the topic of definitions, you'll also need to know what "lifting to failure" means: On your last set of an exercise, instead of lifting to a set number (rep), continuing to lift until the muscle is fatigued and another full rep can't be performed.
Though lifting heavier will increase your heart rate, at this point in the program, we will begin to incorporate 4 days of medium-intensity cardio, done in 30-minute increments. Forgoing the cardio in the first phase allowed your body to use all of the "clean" calories it consumed for everyday activities and building muscle. By introducing medium-intensity cardio in Phase Two, we'll begin to facilitate fat burning, while minimizing the risk of losing any hard-earned muscle.
Training: Week 7 & 8
These are your last two weeks to achieve as much muscle gain as possible. So work it! These workouts are intense - you should use as much weight as you can safely muster. Instead of consisting of 3 sets, many of these exercises will increase to 4, albeit with fewer repetitions (e.g., 4 sets of 8 reps). As during the last few weeks, you'll be incorporating supersets and taking your sets to failure. With maximum exertion required, you might need to rest longer between sets. Two or three minutes should suffice for most of you.
Your workouts for these weeks might take longer to execute with the increased volume and rest time. If you feel like you need to, reduce the outlined 4 days of 30-minute-cardio sessions to just three. Once we move into the final and third stage, the workouts will shift from an emphasis on weight training to a greater emphasis on fat burning and cardio.
Nutrition: Weeks 5-8
Because you're doing even more activity during this phase, you might find yourself becoming hungrier. No worries. Eat up, as long as you make healthy selections! You need more fuel, and your Phase 2 nutrition plan will accommodate your body's newly developing needs. You'll still be eating a meal or snack every 2 to 3 hours, focusing on healthy food choices rather than the easy grab-and-go appeal of fast food, but you'll learn how to adjust your calories so you're not starving at day's end.
During Phase 2, I want you to start reducing your carbohydrates, since the goal is to lean out. The best way to taper down is to begin eating fewer carbs later in the day, or at least exchanging starchy carbs like potatoes and grains for vegetable carbs like broccoli. I don't want to be as rigid as saying, "Now, after your 3 o'clock meal, no more starchy carbs!" But you definitely need to reduce them.
Your total calorie intake during Phase 2 actually won't change a whole lot from Phase 1, even as we remove some of those starchy carbs from your diet. Your macronutrient mix will change a bit, as those carbs are replaced with a bit more protein. You're starting to add the cardio, which we didn't have before, so you're naturally going to be burning more calories. I don't want you changing things drastically. You still need to support your muscle, and that's going to be key going all the way to that last phase.
Are you ready? Let's do this!
Discounts & Deals - Sign Up!
(5 characters minimum)