When it is time to shed that extra body fat and show off all of the hard earned muscle, nutrition plays a very large part. Training is important, as well, but it must be coordinated with the diet to be effective. A good cycle of cardiovascular work does no good if you eat a load of wasted calories after it. Along the same lines, a calorie reduction diet will eat away at the muscle, as well as the fat, if a solid training program is not followed.

It is no secret that in order to reduce the definition-hiding body fat the calories must be reduced and the nutrients manipulated. The key is to manipulate those nutrients correctly to minimize muscle loss during this reduction phase. Protein is needed to repair the muscles broken down during training. Protein is also the last nutrient to be stored as body fat. Essential fats are necessary to keep the joints lubricated and to protect the organs. The fats can be used for energy, as well, without causing the insulin spike common with simple carbohydrates. Carbohydrates must be limited but not eliminated. The brain and other essential organs, as well as the muscles, require some carbohydrates to function properly. It takes some trial and error to find the optimal carbohydrate amount to reach the best definition while maintaining muscle fullness and proper functioning.

Training is essential, not just for burning calories, but also for adding shape and bringing out the flowing lines in the muscles. High repetition strength training will make the muscles harder and also help maintain their fullness. The added calorie burn of doing more repetitions, and essentially working out longer, will also help. Don't shy away from the exercises used to build the mass, just increase the repetitions. A high repetition set of deadlifts, power cleans, squats, bench presses, and military presses can really burn some calories and make the muscles look great.

Cardiovascular exercise will also help to burn extra calories, which is especially important when the reduction diet causes the metabolism to slow down. This is also the key to maintaining overall health by strengthening the heart and lungs, which in turn makes it easier to complete the strenuous workouts needed to reach peak performance. The cardiovascular exercise can be done in ways to support the muscles, also. High intensity work done with little rest in between can be a great way to get some extra calorie burning in without the long, drawn out, muscle-robbing aerobic exercises.

When you have achieved the size and fullness you are looking for then you must work on the definition to make the muscles jump out. Some people choose to go to an upper body, lower body split with active rest days in between. The workout below is an example of this type of split.

Day 1:

Incline Bench Press: Do one warm-up set then 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions
Flat Bench Dumbbell Press: Do three sets of 15 repetitions
Deadlifts: Do one warm-up set then 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions
Barbell Row: Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions
Upright Row: Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions
Lateral Raises: Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions
Triceps kickbacks: Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions
Abdominal Routine
Cardio work

Day 2:

Squats: Do one warm-up set then 3 sets of 15 to 18 repetitions
Lunges: Do 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions (per leg)
Leg Extensions: Do 3 sets of 15 to 18 repetitions Lying Leg Curls: Do 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions Standing Leg Curls: Do 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions Standing Calf Raises: Do 3 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions Seated Calf Raises: Do 3 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions Concentration Curls: Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions Abdominal/Lower Back Routine Cardio Work

Day 3: Active Rest Abdominal Routine Cardio Work

Then repeat Days 1 and 2 with slightly different exercises. Every seven days there should be one full rest day. Lower calories slowly and increase the caloric burn gradually, as well. This allows the body to adapt and reduces the chance of muscle being sacrificed. Plenty of high repetition work along with reducing calories and increasing cardiovascular work will lead to eye popping definition that will bring out those hard earned muscles.

 

Tags: Work Out Tips and Advice //