My Workout and Diet Plan To Get Big And Ripped justinkavanaghfitness.com /my-workout-and-diet-plan-to-get-big-and-ripped/ Justin
Getting ripped is definitely no easy task. I know I’m not the biggest, baddest guy on the block, but I know what it takes to transform my body from flab to ripped in a short amount of time. So, in this post I am going to share my complete workout and diet plan to get big and ripped. Here, you will get my complete weight training, nutrition and cardio program. With over 10 years training experience I’ve learned more through trial and error than I did from listening to the pros on what exercises and food to eat in order to get ripped. Thinking back, maybe If I did listen to them, I would probably have gotten in shape a lot sooner. Who knows! Let me tell you, their is no quick fix, there is no magic bullet to get the body of your dreams without hard workout and commitment.
Body Transformation Scams I was never a believer in trying workout programs that are available in magazines and online. Nowadays it’s very easy to get overwhelmed with all the information and scams available online, especially for the average person who wants to get in shape and has little to no experience. The ‘Guru’s that claim to know everything about health and fitness are only trying to get you to buy their amazing “Lose weight in 7 days” products that promises a perfectly defined sexy body without working yourself into a sweat-up or changing your diet. Do you really believe the majority of the stuff they sell actually works?
Here’s my formula…
If you want to get in great shape, then stop reading and just get off your butt and go to the gym. There are no shortcuts to getting the body you always wanted unless of course you want to believe in all the unrealistic weight loss and muscle building programs that promises amazing results in 30 days or your money back. It’s entirely up to you. Don’t be fooled! You
probably already know this or maybe you have been a victim of the fitness and weight loss scams in the past, but I just wanted to bring it to your attention, that’s all. It’s up to you if you want to buy their products or not. I’m not saying they’re all bad, but most of the information is repackaged and unoriginal. You would be much better off finding a training partner who has some experience about weight loss and how to get in shape. That’s how I started when I joined the gym for the first time. [Tweet “You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great.”] You will learn more from the guys in the gym than you would from reading any magazine or from watching videos online. You’d be surprised how helpful a lot of the guy’s are in the gyms these days. The way I learned is by going to the gym even when I had no clue how to lift weights, no exercise program and a lot of the time, no training partner. So no matter how badly out of shape you think you are, that can all change by deciding you want to transform your body and feel better about yourself than ever
before. You don’t like going to the gym, you get your own equipment and workout at home. It’s your call.
Nutrition About three years ago I knew very little about nutrition. I just knew I needed to work my butt off harder to get in decent enough shape. I always wanted a perfect body like the guys you see on the cover of “Muscle and Fitness Magazine” but I didn’t realize that my bad eating habits prevented me from reaching my goal. I was never a fan of counting my calories. I didn’t think I needed to. I thought as long as I was trying hard in the gym, I’d eventually get in great shape. I use to think I could still eat junk food and still stay in shape, but the progress was much slower. What I didn’t know back then was if I had eaten a clean strict healthy diet in combination with my intense workout program I would reach my ideal physique much quicker. I didn’t want to be sprinting outdoors 2-3 times a week just to burn off the 1000 calories Chinese meal I ate 2-3 nights a week. That was way too much stress on my body. I was always kind of bulky and I thought it looked good, but it’s only because I didn’t know to get super lean and muscular. As the years went by I learned so much about nutrition and how my body worked. After years of training and trying out healthier foods my body started to transform. My muscles looked more defined and learner, I had more energy and eventually realized what I needed to do If I wanted to stay in shape for the long term. Today, I eat so much healthier than I did about a year ago and I would imagine I’m in far better shape as well.
Just so you know, I plan on competing in a natural bodybuilding competition in September (2015) so my meal plan is a high protein / low carbohydrate diet.
Should you count calories? For most people it can be really hard to keep track of the amount of calories their consuming, that’s why I only choose to eat foods that provide the nutritional facts on each item. That way it gives me a rough estimate how many grams I’m eating. I currently weight 176lbs (79kgs) so my daily caloric intake is 1760 kcal. If you multiply 10 by your body weight it will give you the total amount of calories to consume each day. So for me it’s: 176lbs. X 10 = 1760 kcal daily If you want to go ahead and keep track of the calorie intake, go right ahead. Personally, I never count calories. I find it very time consuming and besides, I’m already happy with the progress I’ve made. Anyway, most of my meals are small portioned sized meals – about the size of my fist.
Now, if you’re so used to eating 2-3 large meals a day and have no intention of changing your diet then that’s okay. But if you are struggling to burn fat then it might be a good idea to decide to break down your meals into smaller meals. I find it provides the body with more energy to burn off more calories and also reduces hunger cravings. Let’s say I wanted to count my calorie intake it would look something like this: 40 percent Carbohydrates – 1760 = 704 calories 40 percent protein – 1760 = 704 calories 20 percent Fats – 1760 = 352 calories Below is a breakdown of my current meal plan. It changes from time to time, but this is what I eat most of the time. I still like to have the odd bar of chocolate, I’m only human. If I was to go without eating sweet food for an entire week I’d probably crack up and start picking on someone. But generally, I eat clean, healthy food throughout the week.
My Daily Meal Plan
When I have time I like prepare tasty, healthy recipes out of the anabolic recipe cookbook instead of eating the same meals every single week. This book contains over 200 easy to cook and
delicious recipes for bodybuilders, vegetarians or anybody who wants to eat healthy and lose weight. You can learn all about it by visiting the Anabolic Cooking website.
Eliminate Sugary Food If you want to greater chance of getting the body of your dreams then you should reduce the amount of sugar in your diet or eliminate it completely. I believe eating simple sugars such as By cutting down on sugary foods and only eating it in moderation (and I mean once a week) you will feel better, have more energy and even look better. Sugar is the main cause for obesity because it’s such an addiction. I generally use sweeter instead of refined sugar in my tea and coffee. I know it doesn’t taste the
same as regular sugar, but you eventually get used to it after a while.
Drink plenty of water I know some of you would probably prefer energy drinks over water any day of the week and I even enjoy drinking tea or coffee instead of water. I find it hard to drink water most of the time, unless I’m training really hard and I’m thirsty, I’ll drink it. But the reality is, water is great for weight loss and is also good for your skin!
Cardio Training You don’t need to spend hours of cardio each week running on a treadmill or around your local park. All you need to do is thirty minutes of slow or high intense cardio sessions 4-5 days a week if that’s the only exercise you do. For me, it’s a bit different though. I do both weight training and cardio during the week. But I only do cardio once a week and that usually consists of high intensity interval training (HIIT) either on a treadmill or outdoor sprints. My goals are probably different than your goals, but all I want to do is to look completely lean and muscular without looking huge. So choose a cardio workout than you enjoy and do it regularly. I like to do cardio and abs on the same day and I usually do it on an empty stomach for maximum results.
Weight Lifting Program
If you have never done weight training before, it takes a bit of time getting used to. It’s easier for me because I’ve been lifting weights for over 10 years now and I nearly always looking forward to it. If you want to get the best results from your weight training routine you have trained hard and stick with it. Hard work always pays off as long as you lift heavy, eat right and get enough rest.
Weight Lifting For Women If you are a woman, you should definitely include weight training to your schedule. Don’t worry you will not bulk up and get big like guys do. The female body is much different than men’s bodies. By lifting weights you will only tone up the muscles that will also help you to burn fat and reshape your body.
My Weight Training Program Here is my complete workout program. It might look pretty advanced for the average person, but trust me it gets the job done! Important Note: I don’t always do the same number or reps and sets every week and I don’t always do the exact same exercises either. But I always include the big compound lifts every week, such as “Bench press, Squats, Deadlifts, Bent-over barbell rows and overhead shoulder press. As you should know, if you want to pack on muscle mass you need to lift heavy weight and that’s why it’s important to include compound movements in your workout program and it will also help you when you do your isolation exercises. You will notice that in at least 4 of my training days I include compound exercises and I usually only train two body parts in each session. Some weeks I also like to through in drop-sets to add more intensity to my workouts and to increase muscle mass potential. If you want to give this workout a try, you don’t have to do all of these workouts or even do them in the same order their in. [sociallocker]l always find by doing 3-4 exercises per body part, the greater chance of maximizing muscle growth, as long as you are focusing on strict movements with proper form and technique and taking shorter rest periods (minimum 30-40 seconds between each set).
Day 1 – Chest and Triceps (Upper body workout)
Chest Workout Bench Press (Barbell) – 4 sets of 8-10 reps Incline Bench Press (Barbell) 3 sets of 12-15 reps Weighted Push-ups 3 sets of 10-12 reps Dumbbell Pullovers (3 sets of 10-12 reps) Standing Cable Flyes 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Triceps Workout Flat Bench Triceps Extension – Skull-crushers – 3 sets of 10-12 reps Overhead Rope Extensions – 3 sets of 10-12 reps Dips (Weighted Dips) – 3 sets of 10-12 reps Triceps Cable Push-down – 3 sets of 10-12 reps Overhead Dumbbell Extensions – 3 sets of 10-12 reps Also Read My: Chest and Triceps Workout for Building Size
Day 2 – Legs and Biceps (lower and upper body workout)
Leg Workout Squats – 5 Sets of 8-12 reps Leg Press – 4 Sets – 3 sets of 10-20 reps Calve-Raises – 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Biceps Workout EZ Barbell Curl – 4 sets (10-12 reps) Dumbbell hammer curls – 2 sets ( 10-12 reps) Alternate dumbbell curls – 2 sets (10-12 reps) Ez Preacher curls – 4 sets (8-10 reps)
Standing cable curls – 3 sets ( 10-12 reps)
Day 3 – Rest Day 4 – Back and Shoulders (Upper body workout)
Back Workout Deadlifts – 5 sets (10-12 reps) Bent-over barbell rows – 4 sets ( 10-12 reps) Single Arm Dumbbell Row – 4 sets (10-12 reps) Wide-Grip Lat Pull-down – 4 sets (8-10 reps) Weighted Back Extension – 3 sets ( 10-12 reps)
Shoulder Workout Standing Overhead Barbell Press – 4 sets (8-10 reps) Barbell Upright Row – 3 sets ( 8-12 reps) Cable Face-pulls – 4 sets (8-12 reps) Dumbbell Lateral Raise – 4 sets (8-10 reps) Barbell or Dumbbell Shrugs – 3 sets ( 10-12 reps)
Day 5 – Abs and Cardio
HIIT Treadmill Workout I usually begin this workout with a light walk for 5-10 minutes on the treadmill for before transitioning to doing 8-10 rounds of 30 second sprint intervals with 30 seconds recovery in between. So I basically set the speed on my first two intervals at 14-16mph and then increase it to 17-18mph. Like I said earlier, I only do cardio once a week so might as well make the most out of one day cardio training. Besides, this type of training burns tons of calories long after you’re finished. If you want to burn a lot of calories faster than walking, jogging then HIIT is your answer to immediate fat loss.
I absolutely love HIIT cardio, whether I do it on a treadmill or sprint intervals. I burn way more fat and get ripped much faster than any other cardiovascular workout I’ve tried before. HIIT cardio is not easy and if it was I’m sure everybody would be doing it. The result’s I get from doing it are amazing! Read: 15 Minute Sprint Interval Workork For Fat Loss and Muscle Gain If you want to give HIIT on a treadmill, you can start off by complete 4-5 rounds at 12-14mph then recover for one minute before doing your next round. As you get better you can increase the speed and reduce rest time, but most importantly, be very careful. You don’t want to burn yourself out or fly off the treadmill.
Abs Workout Hanging Leg Raises – 3 sets of 8-10 reps (These are really tough but I still do them) Weighed Crunches – 3 sets of 10-12 reps Cable Crunches – 3 sets of 20-30 reps (i’m pretty strong on these) 45 Degree Weighted Oblique Extension – 3 sets of 10-12 reps Planks – 3 sets (1 minute planks) – Optional – weighted planks If you are not sure how to perform any of these exercises then please consult a personal trainer for assistance. It’s better to be safe than sorry. [/sociallocker] I hope you enjoyed reading my workout and diet plan and hopefully it will assist you in reaching your own goals. Also, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me in the comments section below ask on my Facebook Page.
More from my site 6 Exercises to get Ripped Abs (with photos) 20 Reasons Why You Should Squat And How To Do Them Correctly What Was Your First Workout In 2015? Back and Biceps Workout Program for Huge Gains 5 Best Chest Exercises For Beginners Healthy Nutrition – Proteins Carbohydates, Fat’s Vitamins, Minerals and Water