Even if you are obese with liposuction and tummy tuck being your best options for getting rid of excess fat deposits and saggy skin, you still need to keep fit before and after your cosmetic surgeries.
Having a qualified trainer help you draw up a bodybuilding for fat loss program
specific to your needs is the right step to take if you want to lose excessive weight, shed fat and stay healthy.
In this ultimate guide for a fat loss workout plan, we explain what a bodybuilding program is and how you can train properly to achieve your bodybuilding goals.
We also provide a 5-day workout for a fat loss plan that you could tweak and adopt today. We then round up this guide with tips to keep you motivated and dedicated to your respective training program.
Bodybuilding for Fat Loss Explained
Before you hit the gym, you need to have a basic understanding of bodybuilding for fat loss. In simple terms, this is a workout program that is designed to help you burn excess calories and body fat.
The best bodybuilding program for fat loss will incorporate different types of exercises for optimal results. These exercises will help to make your training days more exciting as your body is subjected to a variety of workout routines to keep you in shape.
There are three different types of exercises that should make up your fat loss workout plan and they are:
- Weight or strength training,
- High-interval intensity training (HIIT), and
- Steady-paced low intensity cardio
Note that HIIT consists of a number of highly intense cardio workouts executed at short intervals. On the other hand, a steady-paced cardio exercise consists of a string of low to medium intensity workouts.
Both exercise routines offer the best cardio for fat loss. These exercises will help you to significantly burn calories while weight training also helps boost your metabolism which results in lipolysis (fat shedding) and the building of lean muscle mass.
By combining all three exercises, you will be able to achieve results faster than just sticking with a single type of exercise routine.
Tips on How to Train for Bodybuilding for Fat Loss?
Now that you know the three types of exercise routines that you should include in your fat loss workout plan, there are also a few things you need to take to heart before you begin your training.
#1. Nutrition
It is not enough to have a workout plan for fat loss without having the right nutrition in place. Your dietary plan will not only provide you with the right nutrients, but also the right amount of calories needed for your workout sessions.
You should speak with a dietician and/or nutritionist, they will help you come up with a nutrition plan that will be specific to your fat loss needs while also taking into consideration your daily energy requirement for each workout session.
#2. Rest and sleep
While your nutrition and workout program are both very important to your fat loss bodybuilding goals, rest and sleep also play a big role in shedding fat. You need between 6 to 8 hours of a good night’s sleep for the regulation of your body’s hormonal levels.
Proper sleep can help regulate your appetite while making you feel full in the day time. Combined with good nutrition and training, sleep will help you achieve your goal of losing weight and body fat.
#3. Positivity
No matter how much sleep you have and how great your diet and training program may be, you still need a positive mindset if you want to succeed in bodybuilding for fat loss. Getting up every morning to workout is not easy and requires a lot of motivation and dedication.
It is important to always stay positive about your workout plan. Having a trainer to talk to from time to time can help in this regard. Also, making friends with other bodybuilders or gym buddies looking to shed body fat can help you stay on course.
#4. Addictions
There is no point trying to work out a bodybuilding program for fat loss if you maintain nasty habits like cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol drinking, and binge eating.
Your health comes first at all times. So if you struggle with unhealthy habits and addiction, it is advisable to first deal with them before running a bodybuilding for fat loss program.
You can seek professional help with a psychologist and/or join a support group to overcome your addictions.
#5. Time
Time is absolutely necessary for your dietary and workout plan. If you are a busy executive, you may not have time during the week to engage in daily workout sessions. You should speak to a personal trainer to work out a schedule that will be tailored to your needs.
5-days Workout for Fat Loss
If you have time to engage in daily training, then you can take a look at our 5-day workout for fat loss plan below:
Day 1: HIIT + Steady-paced Cardio Exercises
You should try HIIT and steady-paced low intensity cardio workouts on your first day. There are several HIIT workouts for cardio you can try out. You have workout routines like:
- Jump rope,
- Sprints,
- Lunges,
- Mountain climbers,
- Burpees, and
- Jumping jacks.
For your cardio exercise, you should interchange between 30 seconds of intense workouts and 30 seconds of steady-paced low intensity workouts. You start with between 1 to 3 sets with 5 reps per set for each workout routine.
For example, 1 set of 5 reps of burpees with each rep running for 30 seconds. In this case, your first 30 second rep should be intense while your second 30 second rep should be at a steady-pace.
You should interchange between a high intensity and steady-paced workout until you complete the reps for each workout routine.
After completing the 5 reps for each workout routine, you should take a 60 second rest time before you commence with the next workout routine.
So for example, after your 1 set and 5 reps of burpees, you take a 60 second rest before you begin 1 set and 5 reps of lunges.
Day 2: Weight Training with Focus on the Upper Body
Your second day should kick-off with a weight training routine with emphasis on your upper body. To train your upper body, you will need a few gym equipment.
You can either spend time in your local gym or you could get some of the gym equipment to use at home.
Some weight training routines you can adopt include:
- Dumbbell rows,
- Lat pulldown,
- Dumbbell curls,
- Dumbbell incline bench press,
- Tricep overhead extension,
- Seated cable row,
- Bent over barbell rows, and
- Cable lateral raise.
Starting out, you should try anywhere from 1 to 3 sets of between 10 and 12 reps per set. You can begin your second day of training by executing 3 to 5 of the upper body weight training workout routines highlighted.
Day 3: HIIT Exercises
On day three, you should focus on running HIIT exercises. HIIT is great for two reasons, first off, you don’t require gym equipment and secondly, it takes very little time to accomplish impressive outcomes.
Some of the HIIT workout routines you can adopt include:
- Push-ups,
- Frog legs,
- Planks,
- Lunges,
- Jumping jacks,
- Burpees,
- Mountain climbers, and
- High knee ups.
You should run between 3 to 5 circuits consisting of 4 to 5 workout routines. Complete about 3 reps for each workout routine with between 20 to 30 seconds of high intensity for each rep.
Take a 10 second rest after each rep and a 60 second break after each workout routine and before you start a new one.
Day 4: Weight Training with Focus on the Lower Body
While day two of your fat loss workout plan focused on weight training for your upper body, day four is all about your lower body.
The workout routines for your lower body include:
- Glute kickback,
- Deadlift,
- Standing calf raises,
- Walking lunges,
- Reverse hack squats, and
- Weighted squats.
You should do between 1 to 3 sets consisting of 10 to 12 reps per set of each workout routine. You can choose to do between 4 and 5 of the lower body workouts routines highlighted.
Day 5: Steady-paced Low Intensity Cardio
The fifth day of your 5-day workout plan is dedicated to steady-paced cardio workouts. You will spend anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes of your time engaging in exercises that will raise your heart rate to about 110 to 140 bpm.
Some of the best steady-paced cardio workouts to engage in include:
- Fast walking,
- Jogging,
- Swimming, and
- Cycling.
With steady-paced low intensity cardio workouts, you will burn less calories compared to HIIT. However, low intensity exercises can help to reduce your anxiety and stress levels in addition to calories and fat burning benefits.
A two day rest period is ideal for recovery from your 5-day bodybuilding for fat loss workout plan.
How Long Should You Rest Between Sets?
As you run this 5-day workout plan for fat loss, you should know that you need to rest between sets. Ideally, you should allocate between 45 to 60 seconds of rest time between sets.
However, you should learn to listen to your body, if you feel you need more time to rest between sets, then you should take it.
But try not to rest for too long between sets or you will lose the whole purpose of your workout session which is to burn calories and body shed fat by putting in the work at the right pace and intensity required.
Conclusion
Losing body fat involves a concerted effort to eat right, abstain from bad, unhealthy habits and train hard. It all starts with you having the mindset and commitment to succeed.
If you are determined to shed excess fat today, then you should take out time to speak with your personal coach on the nutrition and training program that would work for you.
Don’t forget to have a thorough medical checkup beforehand though, as you need to be healthy before you run any workout plan.
You can chat with a coach here for free and start your bodybuilding for a fat loss journey today.
