Getting shredded for the summer does not have to be an incredibly difficult feat. The most common mistake men make while trying to get really lean is not focusing in on the importance of nutrition and certain types of exercises. Here is an overview of what you need to do to get shredded.
Focus on diet
Most fitness experts agree that diet is the biggest challenge when it comes to achieving a shredded body. Getting a shredded body starts in the kitchen. If you are looking to totally change your physique, start off by cleaning up your diet. This can easily be done by (1) reducing carbohydrate intake, (2) eat high protein, and (3) eat healthy balanced fats.
Stay away from all refined and processed carbohydrates. Cakes, cookies, pies and any other sweets must not be consumed when in the process of getting shredded. Eating high amounts of protein creates a thermic effect in the body which in turns helps shed body fat. Also, it is necessary to eat healthy balanced fats coming from natural sources such as eggs, fish, beef, avocado, nuts, and dairy. Stay away from hydrogenated oils and fried foods. You may want to consider an omega-3 supplement as well.
Increase the exercise intensity
One of the biggest mistakes that many individuals make when attempting to get shredded is performing the same exercise routine over and over again. In order for the body to grow, it needs a new level of stimulus every six to eight weeks.
Individuals should focus in on heavy and explosive compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, rows, chin up and presses. These movements transform the body because the sheer amount of adaptive stress placed on the neurological and endocrine system.
Try super-setting between variations of those aforementioned exercises. Always workout within 60%-90% of your one-rep max. Each set should be composed of 6-12 reps with the last rep being at failure.
Do high intensity interval training
The days of slow steady-state cardio is over. High intensity interval training not only burns more fat, but also boosts testosterone and other hormones. These hormones work in tandem with one another to not only help individuals retain and build muscle mass, but also burn fat.
Sprints, Tabatas, CrossFit WODs and other high intensity workouts will be the best. These total body workouts shock the body and will burn fat better than running on a treadmill or bicycling. When doing high-intensity exercise, you can improve performance by using supplements like creatine and whey.
Get enough rest and recovery
The key to fat loss and ultimately being shredded is rest and recovery. A lack of sleep not only affects workout performance, but also raises cortisol levels drastically. Cortisol, a catabolic hormone, hampers fat loss by burning muscle glycogen for energy versus fat. Getting eight to nine hours of sleep a night, supplementing with ZMA, and limiting caffeine intake to around workouts will help reduce cortisol levels.
In the end, getting shredded does not have to be difficult. It’s just a matter of understanding that it is a science and certain procedures must be followed in
