Just wanted to let you know of the progress I've made over the last two months. I've lost 30lbs, down to 34" jeans that are starting to feel loose around the waist, my strenght has greatly improved and I'm saving money on groceries!

I used to be in the military back in the day and was always a bit more fit than my non-military buddies. On our ten year reunion I was the only one who could still fit inside our class shirt.

Fast forward a couple of years and things had changed, I'm 5'9"and wal already up to 230lbs with a 37"-38" waist. I was feeling like crap needless to say.

I made a comitment to get back into shapeon 6/6/10 and I'm chugging along nicely , next step is to get down to 190 and then re-evaluate where I go from there.

I've been thinking about trying this out, tell me what your think.

Mon
incline press 3×3
incline fly 3×3
db press 2×3
pull ups 2×3 add 5lbs every week
standing press 2×3

Wed
standing presse 3×3
db press 3×3
side lat 2×20
db rows 2×3
incline press 2×3

Fri
pull ups 3×3
rows 3×3
pull downs 2×20

thxs for everything!
Carlos
incline flyes 2×3
standing press 2×3

Each bodypart has a day where it is prioritized and the others have a lower volume. i would do strategic cardio on the three weight training and go for walks or 65-70% cardio on "off" days. EST would be doneon sundays and thursdays.

I'm new to your site and i've been reading non stop for the past 2 days or so. I am currently caught in the "gym body" category for quite some time and recently took much time to hit more cardio to get leaner. Loads of ppl are sayin that i'm getting bigger – aint something I want coz i'm 5'11" and weighin in at about 185lbs and about 19% body fat mostly on the trunk.

I've just tried out your workout routine for the first time – to me it feels weird to churn out those low high intensity, controlled reps compared to the 8-12 reps i've been used to. I'll keep this goin on for a month or so to test it out as your site has open my eyes to exactly what I've been goin after for so long. Hopefully i'll be reaping off positive results from this.

Cheers for all the great write up.

Many Thanks,
MB

Thanks,
MB

First of all, I can't tell you how glad I am to find your site. Such good advice, written in a simple straight-forward easy-to-understand style is extremely rare on the Web! Keep up the GREAT work!

I'm 5'10" and weigh around 195 lbs with around 20% body far!!! I want to get down to 165 lbs and around 10% body fat.

I currently follow a "whole-body" workout routine 3-times a week, working with one exercise per body part. I do 3 sets per exercise of 8 reps each.
Following your advise, I've dropped leg exercises in favour of a 20-min HIIT session on a stationary bike afterwards. My routine is as follows:
Mon, Wed, Fri: "whole-body" followed by 20-min HIIT session followed by 2×1 min planks.
Tue: 30-min HIIT followed by 15-min steady state.
Thu: 45-min of squash
Sat-Sun: OFF (time with family)

I'm also trying my level best to eat a healthy low-carb diet.

Do you see anything in my exercise program that I need to change to achieve my goal??? Please adivce.

Many thanks.
MB

Thanks for this great site – I'm very new to the gym and working out, so I've been reading and taking tips from you nonstop.

I like this split and it seems to get me where I want to go. I'm 6'2" and weigh 150. Got so skinny because I was hit by a car a while back and loss all sorts of stuff in my recovery. Feeling good now, but want to get some strength and tone back.

I'm just about 4 weeks in, 5 days a week. I do this split and just a HIIT on Wednesdays. Problem is, I'm LOOSING weight! Haha, seems like a good thing, but I don't want to waste away. What would you think about cutting the HIIT from my splits and just doing the weights? I bike 15 miles roundtrip to work everyday, about 25 mins each way with enough change to keep the heart pumping. I eat plenty, though never really had a massive appetite. I'm hoping more of this sort of training will just bring the tone out of my skin and bones…

So as you're not a fan of bodybuilding type of training then what do you think of Bodypump? (http://www.lesmills.com/global/en/members/bodypump/bodypump-group-fitness-program.aspx) Would it be a good way for females to achieve the perfect shape of body by doing Bodypump? I mean it's not going to bulk you up because of the really high reps, just give you some muscle tone. I'd like to know your opinion about this kind of training.

So if it's a 2 day split to you do it 3 times a week?

Being functionally fit is what makes the body look good. Also, training like a bodybuilder, even without roids, create a bulky look that is not only unappealing, it slows you down. Being slim and defined is a way to not only look better now, but look better as you age. Anyway, it seems you have a different opinion and that is cool.

Anferney,

If I was you I wouldn't do direct leg lifts. Stick with heavy weights, but try to drop overall body weight while you maintain strength. Thing low reps, without training for "the pump"…then hit cardio hard after that. If you are already lean, but still too muscular, you may have to focus a bit more on "marathon cardio". This is steady state cardio done for 30-40 minutes at a moderate jogging pace. If you just need to lose fat and have the right amount of muscle, then do more HIIIT (Intervals). Either way, watch your food intake.

Mark,

I know that my advice of "avoiding direct leg lifts" is my most controversial piece of advice. Even a decent amount of the regular readers of this site disagree with me here. I still argue that HIIT, sprinting, running stairs, and bodyweight circuit activities build the ideal legs…lean and defined without excessive mass (similar to male and female professional soccer players). Intense HIIT keeps the legs strong, but in a different way than lifting.

Rusty

Nice Post i really learnt lots of things from reading this.
Am also trying to go for that GQ look but i have more of a Running Back physique, for some strange reason i cant loose the mass on my thights and legs. am going to start The 2 Day Split work out you posted so at what rep and set should a 210 pound individual work with and also do i use light weights or heavy thats the only part that i get confused with.

Thank you.

I am betting you would look ideal right around 195-200. It is hard to know for sure. You will fit in a wider variety of clothes if you get closer to 44L in a suit coat. So I guess slightly bigger than Will Smith in I am Legend would be a great goal to shoot for.

Dax,

You will have plenty of time to get in the best shape of your life. Make it a reality and enjoy that trip!

Chris,

Good points. The big lifts are definitely the best bang for the buck for gaining overall body mass. Also…feel free to put the name of your website in the comment section. I want people who comment to get visitors to their sites as well. Next time you comment do this: Your Name – Name of Your Site. Have a good one.

ahm,

A full body routine is a great way to switch things up. Once you get back to your original split, you will find you will get even better results from that workout. Not a bad idea at all (I recently did a similar thing for two months by doing a full body Turbulence Training Workout).

Jim,

The typical bodybuilding rep range is 6-12 reps. I would consider 3-5 reps to be a low range for definition. The main thing is to avoid the pump, stop short of failure, make sure the diet is in order and do some form of HIIT.

Rusty