No one who benches 405 pounds for reps started at 405 pounds—it just doesn’t work that way. They had to go through hundreds of hours in the gym and dozens of other mini-milestones before hitting that bar-bending mark. They had to work up to it—five pounds more this week, 10 more the next. Building on the previous workout is what eventually amounts to four plates on each side of the bar. What if a rookie lifter tried to press 405 without that kind of calculated progression? Well, it wouldn’t be pretty.

The same approach applies to plowing through stores of unwanted body fat, which we’re sure is on your mind after your standard winter of gluttony. Take a look at your sugar-cookied, holiday-wrecked midsection. You can’t pick just one slim-quick method and hope to get rid of that doughy gut by beach time. You have to work toward it. As with any weight training plan, consistently adding new variables into your program—especially when they build on what you’ve done previously—will not only accelerate your fat-burning but also keep your body from getting used to one particular approach.

While making a whole-hearted commitment to fitness as a lifestyle is really the only way to keep those love handles in check for good, we can help you build some serious blubber-melting momentum with our six-week training plan. If you incorporate one or two new fat-burning strategies each week, by the end of Week 6, you’ll be firing on ten strategic cylinders. There’s no question about it—this year, your six-pack is sure to make an unseasonably early cameo.

Six-week Fat-burning Training Plan

Follow these steps over the next six weeks to increase your body’s ability to burn fat.

Week Strategies

Week 1:

  • Reduce carbs by half for four days
  • Eliminate carbs from your last meal of the day

Week 2:

  •  Add two 30- to 40-minute cardio sessions per week
  • Add 50 g protein and 5-8g leucine per day

Week 3:

  • Add a fat-burner
  • Cut carbs further on one of your low-carb days

Week 4:

  • Schedule 40 minutes of medium- to high-intensity cardio postworkout or first thing in the morning

Week 5:

  • Have a 500- to 700-calorie cheat meal on one of your regular-carb days
  • Add 50% more sets to your weight workouts

Week 6:

  • Take a three-day break from the entire plan, then start again if needed
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6 Lesser-Known Tips for Fat Loss

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