Introduction
Dadbod is one of 21st century’s biggest issues for men. For decades, the majority of men were fit, strong and functional with no specific approach to training and nutrition.
However, the often-sedentary modern lifestyle, full of processed, sugar-dense foods, led many men to the WORST shape of their life- Beer belly, zero to none strength, endurance, etc.
If you recognize yourself here, this article is specifically for YOU.
We will give you a simple explanation of how fat loss works and after this, we will guide you through a solid, fat-burning workout that will help you reach your objectives quicker.
How fat loss works
As we mentioned, unhealthy food is the BIGGEST problem of modern day life. You see it everywhere- Packed in grocery stores, convenience shops and even every 50 meters on the main streets of your city.
Now, the unhealthy food in specific is not the main cause for obesity.
The problem is that people eat too much of it. What this means is that you can lose weight with fast food, if consumed in proper amounts.
However, it is not recommended to do that, as the quality of the products is important in a diet, since that is what will determine the healthy factor of your weight loss process.
To put weight loss simply for you- Your body requires a daily number of calories to MAINTAIN its bodyweight.
If the number of calories you consume is LOWER than that maintenance level consistently, weight will be lost- This is called a period of time, eating at a caloric deficit.
And vice versa- If it is consistently higher than maintenance level, weight will be gained- This is called a period of time, eating at a caloric surplus.
Of course, if the number of calories consumed daily, is at around maintenance level, no significant change in weight will be observed.
BUT! Calories are not the only thing to consider in a diet. If you want a full-blown, healthy diet, that will not only make you lose weight but also help you sustain a healthy inner environment of the organism, focus on QUALITY products.
Now diet is important, but it is nothing without a proper exercise schedule.
Doing physical exercise while on a weight loss diet, will help you retain the precious muscle tissue.
And you need that musculature in order to keep your metabolism up and look toned, rather than skinny and depleted.
Explanation of the workout
The workout we are about to show you is designed for males, who are looking to lose fat and shape up their muscles.
The routine is not the best for people with bigger goals like shredding for a competition, but is rather a general weight-loss routine, based on principles that will make your body burn more energy (Calories).
Workout scheme
Warm up
Each workout begins with 15 minutes of warm up, including a warm up for the joints, stretching the musculature and 5 minutes of light cardio like rope jumping or light jogging.
Rest times
- 40 seconds of rest between sets
- 50 seconds of rest between exercises
Day 1- Leg workout
Day 2- Push workout
Day 3- Pull workout
Exercise map
Day 1
Bodyweight squats
Execution
- Stand up with feet placed at shoulder width and toes pointing out
- Lift your arms up and keep your back straight
- Keep knees slightly bent and not locked out
- Squat down until your legs are parallel to the ground
- Move up without locking out the knees
Leg press
Execution
- Sit down and lay back comfortably, keeping your butt, back and head on the seat and backrest respectively
- Place your legs high on the platform at shoulder width
- Un-rack the platform without locking out the knees- This is your starting position
- Let the platform go down slowly
- Push up explosively, without locking out your knees
Leg extensions (superset with next exercise- No rest between exercises)
Execution
- Sit down and rest your back comfortably
- Place your legs behind the lever’s pad, at ankle level
- Extend the lever up, contracting the thighs
- Hold contraction briefly and let the lever down slowly
Leg Curls
Execution
- Lie down and grab the handles
- Place your feet under the pad, at ankle or heel level
- Curl the weight up, without letting the pad touch your butt
- Let the pad go down slowly, stretching out the hamstrings
Romanian deadlifts (superset with next exercise- No rest between exercises)
Execution
- Place the loaded barbell in front of you
- Step with your feet close and toes pointing forward
- Bend knees slightly and bend over, keeping your back straight
- Grab the bar at shoulder width and raise it up
- Bend over with the bar slowly, without letting it touch the ground
- Feel the hamstrings and calves stretching on the way down and contract your glutes at the top
Standing calf raises
Execution
- Tuck shoulders under the pads
- Stand with your toes on the edge of the platform
- Keep body straight, knees slightly bent and look forward
- Let your heels go down slowly, stretching the calves
- Push up through your toes explosively, contracting the calves
- After holding the contraction briefly, let your heels down slowly again
Seated calf raises
Execution
- Sit down and place your legs under the pads
- Step with your toes at the edge of the platform
- Un-rack the weight and let your heels go down slowly
- Push up explosively through your toes and hold the calf contraction briefly
- Let your heels down slowly again and stretch out
Day 2
Push-ups
Execution
- Get into a push-up position with your arms placed on the ground, wider than shoulder width and feet slightly apart
- Look forward, while keeping your body straight
- Let your body go down slowly, until your chest touches the ground
- Push up explosively, without locking out the elbow
Incline dumbbell bench press
Execution
- Grab the dumbbells and sit down
- Lie back and keep the dumbbells above your head without locking out the elbows
- Let the dumbbells go down slowly, so that they are by the sides of your upper chest
- Push the dumbbells up explosively, getting them closer, but without letting them touch
- Avoid elbow lockout
Flat barbell bench press
Execution
- Lie down on the bench comfortably
- Grab the barbell wider than shoulder width
- Un-rack the barbell without locking out the elbows
- Let the barbell down to the lower portion of your chest, without letting it rest completely
- Push the bar up explosively, contracting the chest- avoid elbow lockout
Dumbbell shoulder press
Execution
- Sit down, grab the dumbbells and lift them so that the arms are at a 90-degree angle- Initial position
- Push the dumbbells up, without locking out the elbow
- Let the dumbbells down to the initial position
Bench triceps dip
Execution
- Place arms on the side of a bench and lift your legs up on another bench/elevated surface
- Look up and let your body down slowly
- Push up explosively, contracting the triceps with a careful elbow lockout
Day 3
Bodyweight pull-ups
Execution
- Hang on the bar freely, grabbing it wider than shoulder width
- Look up, keep legs together and straight
- Pull yourself up explosively, until your chin reaches the bar
- Go down slowly and completely, stretching the back
Lat pulldowns
Execution
- Grab the bar and sit down, tucking your legs under the pads
- Lean back slightly and keep back straight
- Tilt your head back a tad bit so that the bar doesn’t hit your nose/chin when pulling
- Pull the bar down to the lower portion of your chest
- Hold the contraction of the back musculature briefly
- Let the bar all the way up, stretching the back
T-Bar row
Execution
- Step on the side platforms
- Keeping your back straight, bend over and grab the handles of the lever
- Extend your body up so that the plates are slightly off the ground
- Look forward and pull the lever up with your elbows as close to the torso as possible
- Contract the back and hold contraction briefly then let the lever down, without letting it touch the ground
Preacher barbell curls
Execution
- Grab the barbell at shoulder width
- Place your arms on the edge of the preacher- It is recommended that the whole upper arm is on the pad
- Let the bar down slowly
- Curl the bar up, contracting the biceps
- Let the bar down slowly again, stretching the biceps
Barbell shrugs
Execution
- Grab the barbell at shoulder width
- Step with feet at shoulder width stably
- Look up slightly and shrug the weight, contracting the trapezius
- Let the bar down slowly, keeping the tension on the traps/neck
Conclusion
The workout is designed in a way that will make your body burn more calories and create a caloric deficit easier- High reps, low rest times.
This in turn will help you shed fat down easily. On top of that, the nature of this workout will also help you retain and shape up your existing muscle tissue.
It is recommended that you also have a nutritional plan designed for you in specific, to accompany this workout, otherwise, no significant, consistent fat loss will be observed and you will feel rather tired.
If you have difficulties building that nutrition plan, do not hesitate to contact us for in-depth, personal advice and coaching.
