Jump to the routine

The No-cardio, Fat-burning Workout

The same equipment you use to pack on size can also be extremely effective at melting body fat.

Jump to the Routine
  • 30

  • Yes

Weighted Bench Dip
Per Bernal / M+F Magazine
Weighted Bench Dip
Per Bernal / M+F Magazine

Most of us gym rats don’t need to be talked into hitting the gym. If anything, you need to talk us out of hitting the gym. However, that’s not the case for most gym rats when it comes to doing cardio. No matter what type—high-intensity interval training, steady-state, or anything in between—when it comes to hopping on a hamster wheel, we cringe and search for an excuse to bail.

Unfortunately, cardio activities shouldn’t be viewed as optional—even when you’re looking to pack on size instead of lean out. It’s common to use the fact that we wear bulky clothing during the fall and winter as an excuse, but here are the facts: Cardio keeps your heart strong, can rev up your metabolism, and, as noted in a 2012 issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology, is equally if not slightly more effective than resistance training for fat loss.

Of course, that still might not be enough to sway you. So instead of trying to conjure up more reasons as to why cardio should be weaved into your training, we’ll simply offer an out: a fast-paced, properly packaged resistance-training routine that you can hammer out multiple times per week to help get you jacked and keep you looking defined. Using circuits, supersets, and a little testicular fortitude, rip through this for two months and you might never need to run on a damn treadmill again.

Hollywood’s Most Effective Fat-Loss Diet

Hollywood’s Highly Effective Fat-Loss Diet

Give this eating approach a try to shed more weight than you thought possible.

Read article

EXERCISE EFFICIENCY

When utilizing weight training to stimulate fat loss, the compound lifts will give you the most bang for your buck, which means the foundation of your routine should center on movements like presses, rows, deadlifts, and squats. These types of exercises will most effectively boost the heart rate, burn off calories, increase natural growth hormone production (GH is a powerful fat-burning hormone), and enhance the metabolic rate.

REP-RANGE REGULATION

Since the primary goal is to keep body-fat levels in check (while keeping lean tissue intact), you want to keep repetitions in the medium to medium-high range throughout each workout. This translates to about 10 to 12 reps per set for upper-body exercises and 12 to 20 for the lower half. These higher rep ranges will force more calories to be burned, stimulate lactic acid production (which also increases GH release), and greatly ignite your metabolism, while still providing your muscles with resistance that’s challenging enough to foster continued growth.

28 Days to Lean Meal Plan

28-days-to-lean Meal Plan

With the right plan and discipline, you can get shredded in 28 days.

Read article

PROPER PROGRAMMING

Most of the time when focusing our efforts exclusively into building pure muscle mass, we use a straight-sets approach, with two to four minutes of rest in between. However, when the goal is to burn excess calories and keep those cuts and striations you’ve worked so hard to get, it’s far more effective to speed up the pace of your training with techniques like supersets, circuits, and reduced rest time.

BONUS TIP

Weight training in this manner can be very demanding on your muscles and cardiovascular and nervous systems. I highly recommend that you take a full day’s rest after completing any of these workouts. If you still wish to perform small amounts of cardio, it would be best to do it on your off days. All exercises should be performed with perfect technique and full control throughout every rep. Feel free to change some of the movements to better fit your needs, but always make sure the majority are basic compound exercises in order to get the greatest fat-burning effect. Keep your diet in check during the cooler weather, hit these three workouts hard, and you’ll be itching to take off that sweater.

Directions: For Workout B, rest no more than 2 min between supersets. For Workout C, perform as many circuits as you can in 60 min. Move from one exercise to the next as rapidly as possible. Do not go to failure on each movement, but rather 1-2 reps short. Rest about 3-5 min in between each circuit by slowly walking around the gym until you’re ready to go again.

Routine

Want a copy on the go?
Print

Workout A

The Quick-paced Fat Killer

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 1 of 30

Barbell Lunge

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
3
Reps
12-15*
Rest
60 sec
*Perform as an alternating barbell lunge. Do 12-15 reps per side.
Exercise 2 of 30

Barbell Squat

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
12-15
Rest
60 sec
Exercise 3 of 30

Stiff-legged Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
12-15
Rest
60 sec
Exercise 4 of 30

Barbell Bent-Over Row

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
10-12
Rest
45-60 sec
Perform using an underhand grip.
Exercise 7 of 30

General Pullup

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
2
Reps
AMRAP*
Rest
45-60 sec
*Perform using a close underhand-grip. Do as many reps as possible.

Workout B

The Superset Fat Torcher

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 11 of 30

Leg Press

Equipment
Sets
3
Reps
12-15
Rest
--
Exercise 12 of 30

General Pullup

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
3
Reps
AMRAP*
Rest
2 min
*Perform using a wide grip. Do as many reps as possible.
Exercise 13 of 30

Dumbbell Step-Up

Equipment
Bench, Box, Dumbbells
Sets
3
Reps
12-15*
Rest
--
*Alternate legs. Do 12-15 reps per leg.
Exercise 15 of 30

Stiff-legged Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
2
Reps
12-15
Rest
--
Perform using dumbbells instead of a barbell.
Exercise 17 of 30

Lying Leg Curl

Equipment
Sets
2
Reps
12-15
Rest
--
Exercise 18 of 30

Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
2
Reps
10-12
Rest
2 min

Workout C

The Psycho Circuit Fat Incinerator

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 23 of 30

Leg Press

Equipment
Sets
--
Reps
12-15
Rest
--
Exercise 25 of 30

Smith Machine Reverse Lunge

Equipment
Smith Machine
Sets
--
Reps
12-15*
Rest
--
*Alternate legs. Do 12-15 reps per leg.
Exercise 27 of 30

Seated Leg Curl

Equipment
Sets
--
Reps
12-15
Rest
--
Exercise 29 of 30

Cable Crunch

Equipment
Adjustable Cable Machine, Rope Attachment
Sets
--
Reps
12-15
Rest
--
Exercise 30 of 30

General Pullup

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
--
Reps
AMRAP*
Rest
--
*Perform with a close, underhand-grip. Do as many reps as possible.
See all of our tutorials