-This is all the best ways and steps to get crazy ripped-
Every body wants to be ripped and cut like this dude in the picture above whether they want to admit it or not. Its easier to achieve then people realize, but its also not the way most people think. People tend to see guys like this and think that alls they need to do is lift weights and do crunches everyday. But the truth is that when you lift weights everyday but never do any type of cardio or fat burning exercise, you wont be able to see the muscles like you can on someone who is actually ripped.You do need to lift a lot of weights but you also need to do some good high intensity circuit training to burn that layer of fat sitting over your abs. So now I am going to help you achieve that look and give you all the guidelines you need to really burn fat, build muscle, and end up looking ripped. There's two major components when it comes to getting ripped, your workout and your diet.
How you should workout
One of the biggest parts of getting ripped is to make sure you got a good workout program. Most of the time when people want to get ripped they think like a body builder and workout a different muscle each day (chest Monday, back Tuesday, etc.). This is not the best way to get ripped and really not even a good way to workout unless you are a competing body builder or wish to become one. Body building is a sport and the athletes in that sport usually take steroids and/or max supplements along with a crazy diet. These things are what allow their body's to handle their type of training. But when it comes to getting lean and muscular, its done a little different then body builders. So if you would just like to get ripped this is how you should workout.
Full body workouts
The best way to lift weights is to stick with movement patterns over muscle groups. If you do a push, a pull, bend at the hip, bend at the knee, and something for your core, such as a rotation or plank, you have hit every movement but also worked every muscle. Super set your lifts and take little to no break when possible. Super setting your lifts is simply hitting one movement or lift and then going right to the next. The best way to do so is to do the exact opposite of the last exercise, so if you do a chest press super set it with a horizontal pull (the exact opposite movement of the chest press). Since you just did a horizontal press and pull, you should also perform a vertical push and pull. Vertical push could be a dip and a vertical pull could be a pull up. Then add a hip hinge exercise (deadlift) and a knee hinge exercise (squat) and you have done it all. The benefit of this is that your muscles get more rest which helps avoid fatigue, but you also hit every muscle every workout which is a great way to build a lot of muscle and burn a lot of fat. If you don't like the idea of full body workouts every day then switch it up by having an upper body day, lower body day, and a full body day. Here's a few good examples of some programs:
Full body workouts
The best way to lift weights is to stick with movement patterns over muscle groups. If you do a push, a pull, bend at the hip, bend at the knee, and something for your core, such as a rotation or plank, you have hit every movement but also worked every muscle. Super set your lifts and take little to no break when possible. Super setting your lifts is simply hitting one movement or lift and then going right to the next. The best way to do so is to do the exact opposite of the last exercise, so if you do a chest press super set it with a horizontal pull (the exact opposite movement of the chest press). Since you just did a horizontal press and pull, you should also perform a vertical push and pull. Vertical push could be a dip and a vertical pull could be a pull up. Then add a hip hinge exercise (deadlift) and a knee hinge exercise (squat) and you have done it all. The benefit of this is that your muscles get more rest which helps avoid fatigue, but you also hit every muscle every workout which is a great way to build a lot of muscle and burn a lot of fat. If you don't like the idea of full body workouts every day then switch it up by having an upper body day, lower body day, and a full body day. Here's a few good examples of some programs:
| Monday-Upper Body Tuesday- Lower Body Wednesday-Cardio/Metabolic Thursday-Full Body Friday-Cardio/Metabolic Saturday-Rest Sunday-Rest or Cardio/Metabolic | Monday-Full body Tuesday-Cardio/Metabolic Wednesday-Full body Thursday-Cardio/Metabolic Friday-Full body Saturday-Cardio/Metabolic Sunday-Rest | Monday-Upper Body Tuesday-Lower Body Wednesday-Rest or Cardio/Metabolic Thursday-Upper Body Friday-Lower Body Saturday-Cardio/Metabolic Sunday-Rest |
Power
Power exercises are a very important part of being fit and should be added into every heavy lifting day. The best way to incorporate power into your workout is to create a 2-3 exercise circuit that you will repeat 3-4 times and perform 2-5 reps on each exercise. Power is the ability to move max force in the shortest amount of time, pretty much an explosive movement that a certain amount of weight is moved as quickly as possible. So med ball slams and throws, plyo jumps, explosive shoulder press, snatches, and cleans are all types of power exercises. So a good power circuit would be something like this: plyo jumps, single arm dumbbell snatches, and ball slams. The benefits of performing power exercises is increasing performance, reducing injuries from falls and/or sudden accidents, and you also use a lot of energy which burns calories.
Cardio/HIIT
Cardio and High Intensity Intervals Training are two very important things when it comes to getting ripped because you need to burn a lot of fat to be able to see ripped muscles. As seen above in the program examples it is easy to fit these workouts in between your heavy lifting days. When it comes to burning fat with cardio the best way to do so is to perform high intensity exercises with short rest breaks, this causes your heart rate to increase and decrease back and forth which has many benefits. One of the benefits is the EPOC effct (Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), this pretty much means that your VO2 max will increase which leads to better oxygen consumption over time and allows you to go harder and longer in your workouts and also allows you to burn more calories after your workout. So the more you perform these high intensity intervals the harder and longer you will be able to train which in turn will get you ripped. The best way to do this is too perform full body exercises with light to no weight. Set up circuits for yourself with times, such as 30-40 seconds on with 20 seconds rest inbetween each exercise and repeat the circuit a few times. This is how bootcamp training and stuff like crossfit can get you so ripped, they are doing full body workouts at high intensity. Low intensity cardio isn't as effective as high intensity, this is because the body uses slow twitch muscle fibers vs. the fast twitch muscle fibers that high intensity uses. Fast twitch fibers need more muscle to work because they need to produce maximum force to move the body as quickly as possible. The more muscle you use the more fat you burn and the more muscle you gain. Slow twitch muscle fibers work at low intensity but for a long time which can actually cause muscles to deteriorate because your body needs to be light (muscle weighs more than fat) to move for such a long distance and long amount of time. This is why marathon runners are skinny and do not have great body's and sprinters are very muscular and have great body's.
Power exercises are a very important part of being fit and should be added into every heavy lifting day. The best way to incorporate power into your workout is to create a 2-3 exercise circuit that you will repeat 3-4 times and perform 2-5 reps on each exercise. Power is the ability to move max force in the shortest amount of time, pretty much an explosive movement that a certain amount of weight is moved as quickly as possible. So med ball slams and throws, plyo jumps, explosive shoulder press, snatches, and cleans are all types of power exercises. So a good power circuit would be something like this: plyo jumps, single arm dumbbell snatches, and ball slams. The benefits of performing power exercises is increasing performance, reducing injuries from falls and/or sudden accidents, and you also use a lot of energy which burns calories.
Cardio/HIIT
Cardio and High Intensity Intervals Training are two very important things when it comes to getting ripped because you need to burn a lot of fat to be able to see ripped muscles. As seen above in the program examples it is easy to fit these workouts in between your heavy lifting days. When it comes to burning fat with cardio the best way to do so is to perform high intensity exercises with short rest breaks, this causes your heart rate to increase and decrease back and forth which has many benefits. One of the benefits is the EPOC effct (Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), this pretty much means that your VO2 max will increase which leads to better oxygen consumption over time and allows you to go harder and longer in your workouts and also allows you to burn more calories after your workout. So the more you perform these high intensity intervals the harder and longer you will be able to train which in turn will get you ripped. The best way to do this is too perform full body exercises with light to no weight. Set up circuits for yourself with times, such as 30-40 seconds on with 20 seconds rest inbetween each exercise and repeat the circuit a few times. This is how bootcamp training and stuff like crossfit can get you so ripped, they are doing full body workouts at high intensity. Low intensity cardio isn't as effective as high intensity, this is because the body uses slow twitch muscle fibers vs. the fast twitch muscle fibers that high intensity uses. Fast twitch fibers need more muscle to work because they need to produce maximum force to move the body as quickly as possible. The more muscle you use the more fat you burn and the more muscle you gain. Slow twitch muscle fibers work at low intensity but for a long time which can actually cause muscles to deteriorate because your body needs to be light (muscle weighs more than fat) to move for such a long distance and long amount of time. This is why marathon runners are skinny and do not have great body's and sprinters are very muscular and have great body's.
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I dont even need to ask which body you would rather have. This brings me to my next point:
Sprint Training
Sprinting is a great way to finish a workout or to do on your cardio days. Sprinting is another type of training that is very high in intensity, so the EPOC effect is associated with it which means your going to continue to burn calories even after your finished working out. Sprinting also creates positive metabolic adaptations, which means you increase enzyme production and muscle storage capacity which helps produce more ATP (energy) and leads to less fatigue. So not only will you gain more and more energy the more you sprint but you will also be sore less and less. Sprinting can also help phosphate metabolism and glycolysis, this means you will increase your metabolism, break down more fat, and break down more simple sugars which will all lead to greater fat lose and fat burning. Your body also needs to use a lot of muscles at a maximum force to sprint at a top speed, so your also building muscle when you sprint.
Sprint Training
Sprinting is a great way to finish a workout or to do on your cardio days. Sprinting is another type of training that is very high in intensity, so the EPOC effect is associated with it which means your going to continue to burn calories even after your finished working out. Sprinting also creates positive metabolic adaptations, which means you increase enzyme production and muscle storage capacity which helps produce more ATP (energy) and leads to less fatigue. So not only will you gain more and more energy the more you sprint but you will also be sore less and less. Sprinting can also help phosphate metabolism and glycolysis, this means you will increase your metabolism, break down more fat, and break down more simple sugars which will all lead to greater fat lose and fat burning. Your body also needs to use a lot of muscles at a maximum force to sprint at a top speed, so your also building muscle when you sprint.
Get your diet right
Nutrition is fitness' best friend and they don't function right with out each other. If you eat like crap but train a lot, you wont see the results you want. The same goes for those who have a great diet but don't workout, your not gonna get muscles you'll just maintain where your at or slim down until your body hits a plateau. Here are a list of great tips and guidelines to get a good diet to get ripped.
Eggs
Eggs are just about the best way to start out your day, everyday. Eggs are packed with protein, low in calories, have zero carbs, and have a ton of great vitamins and fatty acids (Omega-3). Another great benefit of eggs, that has been researched and tested, is that they fill you up. Participants in a study were found to be more satisfied and consumed much less food throughout the day, then those who did not eat eggs. A great way to prepare your eggs in the morning is to scramble 3 whole and 3 white, or half and half of however many you'd like to eat in the morning. This makes them lower in calories and fat but also still fills you up a lot.
Spice it up
Peppers in general, but especially hot and red peppers, have been found to speed up metabolism and increase the fat burning process. So buy some good peppers to through into your meals whenever you can. A easy way to do this is to buy red peppers in powder form, like seasoning, sprinkle that on your eggs and any other meal you make that it will go good with.
Smart Snacking
Snacking is where a lot of people have problems and it is the negative part of a lot of peoples diet. Pick good snacks, simple as that. If you get good things to snack on then snacking wont be
a problem and you can continue to do so inbetween meals. Smart snacking is simply choosing good foods instead of processed foods (chips,cookies, boxed deserts, etc.). So buy some different types of nuts, trailmixes, veggie snacks, fruits, and anything else that you enjoy that isn't junk food.
Fruit
Fruit can be a good way to snack also, but you want to try and stick with the low sugar/calorie fruits when you can. These are just about all fruits besides melons, bananas, oranges, and a few others. Those fruits are still good for you and have tons of good vitamins and antioxidents, but when it comes to frequent snacking you want to stick with the low sugar, low carb, and low calorie fruits. Some of the best fruits to eat when trying to build muscle and burn fat are apples, all types of berries, and grapefruit. Apples are going to be your best friend, they weren't lying when they said an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Apples are a slow digestive carb with lots of antioxidents and they have been proven to boost muscle strength, endurance, and even fat loss.
Avoid dairy
Dairy has some benefits like its calcium, but its also high in fat and if you eat or drink to much it can have bad effects. So lay off the dairy, don't add cheese to your meals, switch to almond milk (which has 50% more calcium), and stay away from the rest of dairy as much as possible with the exception of eggs.
Good Fats
Eating a good amount of the right fats is an essential part of getting ripped. You just flat out need them. Good fats are in a lot of natural foods such as fish, olive oil, alvocado, mixed nuts, peanut butter, etc. Good fats should make up about 30% of your diet, so get foods with good fats and get them in your diet, it will help fat loss.
Beverages
People don't realize how many calories and how much sugar they are getting from the beverages. Most people only track their food calories and don't realize that your drinkning as many calories as you are eating. Stick to water, green teas, and zero calorie beverages. This will help you get rid of the extra fat you don't want and also you will end up drinking more water than before which is great for you. Green tea has many benefits such as vitamins, appetite suppression, and most of the time they are low calorie and low sugar. When you drink water, try and make sure its cold water because it actually has benefits over room temp or warm water. Cold water can temporarily boost metabolism by about 30% because of norepinephrine.
Supplements
People now a days are really abusing supplements because they think they need to take everything they can get a hold on to burn fat and build muscle. But it is not true, yes some supplements can help temporarily but most have negative effects that people are unaware of. Stick with good protein (low sugar, low fat, low carb), fish oil supplments, and a daily multi-vitamin. This is all you really need. Protein powder is very important but you got to make sure you get a good bran, spend a little extra if it means its more natural and better for you. There are a lot of other good vitamins and supplements out there but it all depends on who you are, how you train and eat, and if you are lacking any types of nutrients.
So there it is, take all my advice and apply it to your training lifestyle and you should most definitely see some great results!
Eggs
Eggs are just about the best way to start out your day, everyday. Eggs are packed with protein, low in calories, have zero carbs, and have a ton of great vitamins and fatty acids (Omega-3). Another great benefit of eggs, that has been researched and tested, is that they fill you up. Participants in a study were found to be more satisfied and consumed much less food throughout the day, then those who did not eat eggs. A great way to prepare your eggs in the morning is to scramble 3 whole and 3 white, or half and half of however many you'd like to eat in the morning. This makes them lower in calories and fat but also still fills you up a lot.
Spice it up
Peppers in general, but especially hot and red peppers, have been found to speed up metabolism and increase the fat burning process. So buy some good peppers to through into your meals whenever you can. A easy way to do this is to buy red peppers in powder form, like seasoning, sprinkle that on your eggs and any other meal you make that it will go good with.
Smart Snacking
Snacking is where a lot of people have problems and it is the negative part of a lot of peoples diet. Pick good snacks, simple as that. If you get good things to snack on then snacking wont be
a problem and you can continue to do so inbetween meals. Smart snacking is simply choosing good foods instead of processed foods (chips,cookies, boxed deserts, etc.). So buy some different types of nuts, trailmixes, veggie snacks, fruits, and anything else that you enjoy that isn't junk food.
Fruit
Fruit can be a good way to snack also, but you want to try and stick with the low sugar/calorie fruits when you can. These are just about all fruits besides melons, bananas, oranges, and a few others. Those fruits are still good for you and have tons of good vitamins and antioxidents, but when it comes to frequent snacking you want to stick with the low sugar, low carb, and low calorie fruits. Some of the best fruits to eat when trying to build muscle and burn fat are apples, all types of berries, and grapefruit. Apples are going to be your best friend, they weren't lying when they said an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Apples are a slow digestive carb with lots of antioxidents and they have been proven to boost muscle strength, endurance, and even fat loss.
Avoid dairy
Dairy has some benefits like its calcium, but its also high in fat and if you eat or drink to much it can have bad effects. So lay off the dairy, don't add cheese to your meals, switch to almond milk (which has 50% more calcium), and stay away from the rest of dairy as much as possible with the exception of eggs.
Good Fats
Eating a good amount of the right fats is an essential part of getting ripped. You just flat out need them. Good fats are in a lot of natural foods such as fish, olive oil, alvocado, mixed nuts, peanut butter, etc. Good fats should make up about 30% of your diet, so get foods with good fats and get them in your diet, it will help fat loss.
Beverages
People don't realize how many calories and how much sugar they are getting from the beverages. Most people only track their food calories and don't realize that your drinkning as many calories as you are eating. Stick to water, green teas, and zero calorie beverages. This will help you get rid of the extra fat you don't want and also you will end up drinking more water than before which is great for you. Green tea has many benefits such as vitamins, appetite suppression, and most of the time they are low calorie and low sugar. When you drink water, try and make sure its cold water because it actually has benefits over room temp or warm water. Cold water can temporarily boost metabolism by about 30% because of norepinephrine.
Supplements
People now a days are really abusing supplements because they think they need to take everything they can get a hold on to burn fat and build muscle. But it is not true, yes some supplements can help temporarily but most have negative effects that people are unaware of. Stick with good protein (low sugar, low fat, low carb), fish oil supplments, and a daily multi-vitamin. This is all you really need. Protein powder is very important but you got to make sure you get a good bran, spend a little extra if it means its more natural and better for you. There are a lot of other good vitamins and supplements out there but it all depends on who you are, how you train and eat, and if you are lacking any types of nutrients.
So there it is, take all my advice and apply it to your training lifestyle and you should most definitely see some great results!
