The Question:

Our forum members put their best foot forward with what they believe is the best way to get the definition and shape you are looking for. Use these tips and workouts now to get those great results you have always dreamed of.

We always seem to be concerned about our bodies. Do I have enough muscle? Have I lost enough fat? What do I need to work on?



What is the best workout for creating definition and shape in only 6 weeks? Be specific.

What kind of results can be achieved using this routine?

What can you do in addition to training to make that definition & shape a reality? I.e. diet, supplementation, etc. ...

Bonus Question: Who would not benefit from this training and why? Who would benefit the most from this and why?

Show off your knowledge to the world!

The Winners:

  1. mrkdrt View Profile
  2. TheSculpter View Profile

Prizes:

  • 1st place - 75 in store credit.
  • 2nd place - 50 in store credit.

1st Place - mrkdrt

View This Author's BodySpace Here.



We Always Seem To Be Concerned About Our Bodies.

Do I Have Enough Muscle? Have I Lost Enough Fat? What Do I Need To Work On?

So guys, you want that beach-worthy body that the other guys envy and the girls immediately notice? And ladies, you want to turn heads and feel good? Well, the goal is easy enough, but the work you need to put in is by no means a simple task. The workout following requires dedication and discipline to bring you closer to your goals in 6 weeks.

Workout

What Is The Best Workout For Creating Definition And Shape In Only 6 Weeks? Be Specific.

Cardio or HIIT (high-intensity interval training) are the tools you need to lose fat and show definition. A good time to do your cardio is first thing in the morning, upon waking, before eating. If you do cardio the same time you do your lifts, do your lifts first and then your cardio or HIIT.

Another technique aimed to retain muscle mass is to lift heavy. This will convince your muscles to stick around, instead of being used for energy.

To ensure you're not over exerting yourself and over training (putting excess stress on your body), train (lifting heavy) with compound exercises only.

Start weeks 1-2 with the following routine:

Day 2: Chest
1
Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
1 set, 1-6 reps (heavy weight)
+ 5 more exercises

BodyFit

$6.99/month
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  • Detailed workout instruction
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  • Access to Bodyfit App
  • Store Discounts

What comes with BodyFit?

  • Instructional Videos
  • Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.

  • How-to Images
  • View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.

  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.

Day 3: Cardio/HIIT/Abs
1
Treadmill walking
20 minutes at ~75% Max HR OR HIIT - 5 minute warm-up, 15:45 second intervals (15)
1 set, 1 rep
+ 4 more exercises

BodyFit

$6.99/month
  • 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
  • 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
  • Detailed workout instruction
  • Step-by-step workout tips
  • Training at gym or at home
  • Access to Workout Plans
  • Access to Bodyfit App
  • Store Discounts

What comes with BodyFit?

  • Instructional Videos
  • Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.

  • How-to Images
  • View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.

  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.

Day 4: Legs
1
Barbell back squat
1 set, 1-6 reps (heavy weight)
+ 5 more exercises

BodyFit

$6.99/month
  • 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
  • 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
  • Detailed workout instruction
  • Step-by-step workout tips
  • Training at gym or at home
  • Access to Workout Plans
  • Access to Bodyfit App
  • Store Discounts

What comes with BodyFit?

  • Instructional Videos
  • Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.

  • How-to Images
  • View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.

  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.

Day 5: Cardio/HIIT/Abs
1
Treadmill walking
20 minutes at ~75% Max HR OR HIIT - 5 minute warm-up, 15:45 second intervals (15)
1 set, 1 rep
+ 4 more exercises

BodyFit

$6.99/month
  • 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
  • 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
  • Detailed workout instruction
  • Step-by-step workout tips
  • Training at gym or at home
  • Access to Workout Plans
  • Access to Bodyfit App
  • Store Discounts

What comes with BodyFit?

  • Instructional Videos
  • Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.

  • How-to Images
  • View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.

  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.

Day 6: Back/Shoulders
1
Bent Over Barbell Row
1 set, 1-6 reps (heavy weight)
+ 5 more exercises

BodyFit

$6.99/month
  • 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
  • 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
  • Detailed workout instruction
  • Step-by-step workout tips
  • Training at gym or at home
  • Access to Workout Plans
  • Access to Bodyfit App
  • Store Discounts

What comes with BodyFit?

  • Instructional Videos
  • Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.

  • How-to Images
  • View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.

  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.

Day 7: Abs
1
Kneeling cable crunch
4 sets, 20 reps
+ 3 more exercises

BodyFit

$6.99/month
  • 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
  • 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
  • Detailed workout instruction
  • Step-by-step workout tips
  • Training at gym or at home
  • Access to Workout Plans
  • Access to Bodyfit App
  • Store Discounts

What comes with BodyFit?

  • Instructional Videos
  • Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.

  • How-to Images
  • View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.

  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.

Taking less rest time between sets and exercises can burn additional calories, so keep those exercises high intensity. In weeks 3-4, add another cardio/HIIT session on Day 7. Also, increase cardio sessions to 30 minutes and increase HIIT to 20 intervals.

In weeks 5-6, increase cardio sessions to 45 minutes and increase HIIT to 25 intervals. You may also want to throw in an extra cardio/HIIT day in the week, depending on your progress.



In weeks 3-6, it's more than acceptable to exchange exercises with ones that are compounds that work the same muscle groups. For example, you may choose to use Romanian Deadlifts instead of Stiff-legged. You can also move each muscle day around in the week to change up the schedule, this is also great to do.

Moving around the exercises around each day too is good and actually recommended, say doing BB Shoulder Presses before Bent Over BB Rows, but make sure you do the sets of lower repetitions first.

Results

What Kind Of Results Can Be Achieved Using This Routine?

Using this program, you will see noticeable change in your appearance and the way you feel. As long as your diet remains regulated and you stay true to the program, you may be able to see results very shortly. By the end of week 6, you will notice hardness to your muscles, your abs should be more visible and you may notice more defined muscularity and vascularity. 2

Not only does this workout help you out to look better, you will actually feel better. For guys and the ladies, you may feel more confident walking around the beach, or at the pool showing some skin.

Cardio and other exercising are great for your body and immune system, which can help you stay healthy. Also, you may find your small tasks in your daily life can be a lot easier to do.

That said, do not use this program expecting to lose 50 pounds of fat. This program is mainly geared to those who already have experience working out.

In Addition To Training

What Can You Do In Addition To Training To Make That Definition & Shape A Reality? I.E: Diet, Supplementation, Etc...



Realistically, if you want to lose fat your diet must be in check. If you want to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you take in from your diet.

In general, a pound of body weight is approximately 3500 Calories. So, if you want to lose a pound a week, you should try each day to have a 500 Calorie deficit. Now, that doesn't mean eat 500 Calories extra, and then run it off. Taking in your required Calories to maintain your resting metabolic rate are all you should be having each day.

If you have just come off a bulk, obviously do not jump down from adding 500 calories a day right to 500 calories less a day. Taper down slowly, a couple hundred Calories at a time.

Do not make the mistake of skipping meals or not eating enough either. To keep your metabolic rate up, having small frequent meals are at your benefit. Also, be sure to keep up your water intake to about 1-2 gallons a day.

To really speed up fat loss, you may want to "Carb cycle." Taking in low carbohydrates for 3 straight days, a high carbohydrate day for one day, then repeating, will help get maximal fat loss. On low carb days, take in at least 1.7g of protein per pound of body weight per day. On high carb days, you can drop the protein down to 1g/lb/day to allow more carbs into the diet. 3

Supplementation can also help you reach your goals of losing fat while maintaining muscle. Protein is important to have in your diet. If you cannot get enough from whole foods in your diet, protein powders are a great option to meet your required quota.

There are many fat loss products on the market, but if you really want to cut an ECA stack, if legal or available for you, is a cheap and effective choice. If you're looking for more readily available supplement, a thermogenic fat burner may be the best option for you.



These supplements can boost your metabolism to lose some Calories even when your resting, curb cravings, give you an energy boost and help prevent excess water retention.

Keep in mind; there are stimulant-free fat burners available as well. An important point to remember if you decide to take up one the mentioned stacks or products, HIIT training is not necessarily needed. The thermogenic ingredients can help you reach close to the same levels doing cardio, as you would doing HIIT. Anytime you take a fat burner or stack that includes a diuretic, such as caffeine, maintain your water intake to prevent dehydration.

To help retain your hard earned muscle, supplementing with branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), EAAs and Glutamine can provide energy, preventing lots of muscle breakdown, but can also provide the building blocks of protein to help repair muscle or build on it. Some EAA products provide additional ingredients such as beta-alanine and citrulline malate to aid in endurance during your workouts as well.

Another overlooked factor is rest. Be sure to get in at least 8 hours of sleep every night. This will ensure you got the energy and recuperation to get your intense workouts done.

Bonus Question

Who Would Not Benefit From This Training And Why? Who Would Benefit The Most From This And Why?

If you are a person just starting out, or are fairly new to lifting or exercise in general, this program may not be the best one for you. The way this program works is to help get a more defined and sculpted body for an experienced lifter. Do not take risks if you are just starting out.

It's important the exercises are done with proper form and safety. The movements may be unfamiliar and can result in injury, and the intensity of both the lifting and cardio/HIIT can put too much stress on your body. This program, however, would be a great one to use once you've got some "mileage" and have gained experience to lower your risk of injury.



For someone who is familiar with the exercises and can do this physically demanding workout with bodily harm, you can definitely benefit from this workout plan. This plan uses principles many bodybuilders use to "cut" and when done properly is effective. So, if you're looking for a great workout to see results in a fairly short amount of time, you've found it!

Cheers, mrkdrt

References:

  1. B&S Magazine - Fall 2007

  2. Men's Fitness - March 2008

  3. https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises

2nd Place - TheSculpter

View This Author's BodySpace Here.

Best 6 Week Training Routine To Get Shredded

Here it is guys, the "Idiots Guide to Sculpting the Beach Body in 6 weeks." I read Bodybuilding.com at least once a day and this is one of the only programs I have yet to see anyone talk about. I don't bring this training routine up just to have something new, I bring it up so show all the other die-hards and wanna-be-die-hards a great way to solve the age-old question of what sets and reps are best to use to reach true definition?



This training routine has already helped me drop from 18.6% body fat down to 13.4% in 6 weeks without changing my diet. I eat fairly healthy but nothing that can be considered hard core. There are 3 training days specified as A, B, and C. You workout two days on then take a day of rest. The Daily Cycle would be:

  • Day 1: Routine A
  • Day 2: Routine B
  • Day 3: Rest
  • Day 4: Routine C
  • Day 5: Routine A
  • Day 6: Rest

Each Routine uses a method called Escalating Density Training (EDT) founded by strength and conditioning coach Charles Staley. I have varied this program slightly to fit my personal needs, but I need to give credit where credit is due.

This program is a great way to answer the age old questions of how many sets and reps do I need to perform. EDT will give you a new and invigorating way to attack those muscle fibers and make them explode.

Within each routine you are going to do three 15-minute cycles with your goal being 60 reps during each 15-minute cycle. You rest 5 minutes in between each of those 15-minute periods. You will superset two different exercises that will not effect the strength of each other. You use a weight that is close to your 12 rep max (RM) and proceed to start with 6 reps, going back and forth between the two exercises for 15 minutes.

Eventually you will not be able to complete 6 reps, so by the end you might only be doing 3 reps for each exercise before you switch to the other one. You should at least be able to do 50 reps of each exercise, so if you can't make sure to dial down the weight. When you reach 60 reps you can move the weight up accordingly.

I generally move the weight up 10 pounds for compound movements and 5 pounds for isolation movements. The great thing about this routine is you know exactly when to move up in weight. There is no guessing on how many sets or reps to do.

My Routines look like this:



Routine A: Legs, Triceps, and Abs
1
Session 1: Superset
15-minute cycles alternating between exercises, 5 minutes rest between
Barbell Squat
1 set, 1 rep (12 rep max)
+ 3 more exercises

BodyFit

$6.99/month
  • 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
  • 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
  • Detailed workout instruction
  • Step-by-step workout tips
  • Training at gym or at home
  • Access to Workout Plans
  • Access to Bodyfit App
  • Store Discounts

What comes with BodyFit?

  • Instructional Videos
  • Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.

  • How-to Images
  • View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.

  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.

Routine B: Chest and Back
1
Session 1: Superset
15-minute cycles alternating between exercises, 5 minutes rest between
Smith Machine Incline Bench Press
1 set, 1 rep (12 rep max)
+ 3 more exercises

BodyFit

$6.99/month
  • 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
  • 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
  • Detailed workout instruction
  • Step-by-step workout tips
  • Training at gym or at home
  • Access to Workout Plans
  • Access to Bodyfit App
  • Store Discounts

What comes with BodyFit?

  • Instructional Videos
  • Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.

  • How-to Images
  • View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.

  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.

Routine C: Shoulders, Biceps, and Calves
1
Session 1: Superset
15-minute cycles alternating between exercises, 5 minutes rest between
Machine Shoulder (Military) Press
1 set, 1 rep (12 rep max)
+ 3 more exercises

BodyFit

$6.99/month
  • 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
  • 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
  • Detailed workout instruction
  • Step-by-step workout tips
  • Training at gym or at home
  • Access to Workout Plans
  • Access to Bodyfit App
  • Store Discounts

What comes with BodyFit?

  • Instructional Videos
  • Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.

  • How-to Images
  • View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.

  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.

The key to this workout is that you are only taking short rests during those 15-minute sessions but you still keep the weight relatively high. It works both aerobically and anaerobically.

The best nutrition plan to add to this in order to get ripped is moderation and knowing what you are consuming. Start eating more natural slower digesting carbs such as broccoli, oatmeal, whole wheat bread or brown rice. You also need to eat the majority of your carbs in the morning and right after your workout.

Try to stay away from eating any carbs after 6. You want to keep your protein intake relatively high at the normal rate of 1 gram per pound of body weight. You can also supplement with some fish oil or flax seeds to get your omega-3 fats and maintain a positive nitrogen balance. Try to stay away from the drive-thru's, sweets and white bread and you will be well on your way.

If you really want to kick this program into gear you can try some High Intensity Interval Training on the off days. There are plenty of articles in Bodybuilding.com on that subject that can help you.

There are a few supplements I would recommend taking during this period. You should use BCAA's to help you recover faster. Make sure to get some quality protein powder to make your shakes so you can keep up with the protein requirements.

As I mentioned before adding some fish oil capsules will help you keep the positive nitrogen balance. Top that off with a good multivitamin twice a day to get all of your vitamins and minerals. If you feel the need you can also take a fat burner but it is not necessary if you diet properly with the program.

For people looking to add tons of mass this is not the program for you. The rest periods are too short to allow you to lift extremely heavy and bulk the way you want to. But anybody looking to trim up in 6 weeks without losing muscle will benefit from this program. Also anybody who is confused about when to move up in weight and how many sets or reps to do will love the simplicity of not having to think.



All this program takes is a stop watch (about $10) and a training journal to keep track of your reps and you are set to go.

About the Author

Workout Of The Week

Workout Of The Week

Workout of the Week is where forum members are asked to answer questions about what they think the best workouts are.

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