the 4-week fat shredder
Harness the power of metabolic resistance training to build the body you’ve always wanted— faster than ever.
Do three workouts a week, alternating between A and B with a day of rest in between. Perform the workouts as circuits, doing each exercise for 60 seconds and moving from one to the next with 30 seconds of rest. Do up to six circuits per workout, resting 1 minute between them. “For an even greater challenge, combine both workouts into one big circuit,” says Gaddour. Follow the same work-to-rest ratio, doing up to three megacircuits per workout, three times a week.
DIRECTIONS
A
WORKOUT A
Dumbbell Good Morning to Close-Stance Front Squat
Hold a dumbbell in front of your chest with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent [A]. Push your butt back and hinge at your hips, lowering your torso until it’s nearly parallel to the floor [B]. Hold for 2 seconds and return to the starting position. Keeping your torso upright, squat down until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor [C]. Hold for 2 seconds and return to the starting position.
C
B
Make It Easier Squat onto a bench. Make It Harder Increase the weight, hold a dumbbell in
each hand, or squat deeper.
A
B
A
Dumbbell Hip Raise and Floor Press
Lie on your back with your feet flat and a dumbbell in each hand [A]. Drive through your heels as you raise your hips and extend your arms [B]. Hold for 2 seconds and slowly return to the starting position. Make It Easier Decrease the weight. Make It Harder Lift one leg off the floor. Switch legs after 30 seconds.
A
B
Dumbbell Forward Hinge to Side Lunge
C
Hold a dumbbell in your right hand [A]. Step forward with your left leg and lower the weight to your left foot [B]. Stand back up. Step out to your left and lower the weight to your left foot [C]. Switch legs after 30 seconds. Make It Easier Decrease the weight. Make It Harder Increase the weight.
B
C
Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Row to Clean
Lower your torso and let the weights hang at arm’s length, palms in [A]. Row the weights to your sides [B], hold for 2 seconds, lower them, and repeat. Drive your hips forward, raise your torso, and curl the weights [C]. Make It Easier Decrease the weight. Make It Harder Increase the weight.
A
B
Mud Run Pushup Crawl
Assume a pushup position and lower your chest until it’s a few inches off the floor. Move your right hand forward a few inches [A], then your left [B], and continue crawling forward for the allotted time. Make It Easier Keep your chest farther off the floor. Make It Harder Alternate crawling forward, backward, and side to side.
Many guys approach strength and cardio like matters of church and state: separately. “But by combining them, you can make every workout pull double duty,” says BJ Gaddour, C.S.C.S., who created the ones below based on Speed Shred from Men’s Health DeltaFIT (SpeedShredWorkout.com). The result: two fatfrying routines that will set your lungs on fire.
WORKOUT B Dumbbell Suitcase Deadlift to Sumo Deadlift
A
B
C
Hold a pair of dumbbells next to your sides and stand with your feet close enough that the weights don’t touch your body [A]. Keeping your chest up, bend at your hips and knees and lower the weights as far as you can without rounding your back [B]. Pause for 2 seconds, and stand up. Now step to your left so your feet are twice shoulder width, and lower the weights between your legs [C]. Stand up. Switch the direction you step into the sumo deadlift with each rep. Make It Easier Use only your body weight. Make It Harder Increase the weight.
A
B
C
Dumbbell Staggered Push Press
Hold a pair of dumbbells at shoulder level and assume a staggered stance, left foot forward [A]. Lower into a quarter squat [B] and explosively stand, pressing the weights overhead [C]. Switch legs after 30 seconds. Make It Easier Decrease the weight or assume a parallel stance. Make It Harder Increase the weight or drop into a full squat.
A
B
Dumbbell Hand-to-Hand Staggered Hip-Hinge
Hold a dumbbell in your left hand, left foot forward [A]. Bend at your hips and pass the weight to your right hand [B]. Raise your torso and repeat, passing the weight to your left hand. Switch legs after 30 seconds. Make It Easier Decrease the weight or assume a parallel stance. Make It Harder Increase the weight or perform on one leg at a time.
A
B
C
Dumbbell Row to High Pull
Hold a pair of dumbbells at arm’s length, palms back, and lower your torso [A]. Pull the weights to your chest [B], hold for 2 seconds, lower them, and repeat. Stand up explosively, pulling the weights as high as you can [C]. Make It Easier Decrease the weight. Make It Harder Increase the weight.
A
B
Modified Handstand Shoulder Tap
Place your feet on a bench and pike your hips [A]. Slowly raise your right hand and touch your left shoulder [B]. Repeat with your left hand and right shoulder. Keep alternating sides. (Flip the poster for must-have form tips.) Make It Easier Assume a standard pushup position. Make It Harder Perform with your legs fully extended against a wall.