It’s that time and Summer is here fellas! With tight jeans being as popular as they were this Winter, I can only imagine what guys have in store for the beach this summer. 

Dare I say, the speedo might be brought out of retirement… 

Real talk, if you have any plans to wear a cut-off shirt this summer or shorts - do yourself a favor and take your workout up a notch. I have laid out a fool-proof plan that will assist any would-be exercisers that want to strut the beach in their leopard skins (Martin). 

The key to a head-turning beach physique is fat burning, and here is the Blueprint One.

Cardio

The first component to any ripped frame is going to be cardio. There is only a short time before the weather gets really hot so you are doing your cardio in the morning.

Right when you wake up in the morning after an overnight six to eight hour fast, your body’s stores of glycogen are somewhat depleted. Doing cardio in this state causes your body to burn more fat because of the unavailability of glycogen. We need to do this at least five days week. 

When you are doing your cardio, you are only doing intervals. Intervals are workouts that alternate high-intensity levels with lower-intensity levels. Interval training mimics sports - start-and-stop motions with periods of sprinting followed by light jogging or a walk. 25-30 mins of intervals per day is your goal. 

Treadmill Interval Workout:

• Two minute walk (3.0-3.5mph)
• Two minute sprint (7.0-10.0mph) for total 10 minutes
• Break (Ab workout, Example 1)
• Repeat  3x

Total time: 30 minutes

I’m sure somehow someway Usher will end up with his shirt off as he promotes his new album, so we have to get your stomach tight as well. In between each interval, you are doing 100 ab exercise reps (i.e. crunch’s, sit-ups, ab shockers etc.), then you are going right back into another interval of cardio. You are doing a minimum of 300 abs every morning, so this means you need at least three intervals.    

Ab Workout:

• Full sit ups  25x
• Ab Shockers  25x
• Toe touches  25x
• Crunches   25x

Total: 100

CARDIO MISTAKES

• Not stretching after cardio
• Doing to much cardio (i.e. 1 hour)
• Having bad form

Weight Lifting

We’re not training you for the Bruce Lee look, so you are going to add some weights in the afternoon. The reason you are lifting during this time is for two reasons - you are employing muscle shocking techniques, because pain threshold is highest, and the limits of the body can be pushed further than usual at this time. Also, adrenalin and body temperature has a rising trend, so they peak later in the day. Our ideal time to lift is between 3:00-6:00 pm .

Next we are dropping the reps of our workout (6-10 reps, three sets). What we are trying to do is maintain the maximum amount of muscle density while the body fat is being burned off by our cardio routine. To drop the weight to something lighter to allow higher reps (ie. 15+ Reps) in the belief that this will make you more “cut” is a myth. No time for the full explanation - just trust me, Summer is around the corner.   

Workout 1 Example

• Dead lifts                                           
• T-Bar Rows
• D. Bell Shrugs
• Behind Back D. Bell Shrugs
• Lat Pull Down (machine)

The second workout is a super-set workout. This means that you do one exercise, and upon completion, perform a body weight exercise set. We are focusing on weight lifting and calisthenics. You are still going heavy with the weight lifting, but make sure that every set you do 10 reps, four sets of both exercises.  If you are unable to do pull-ups or dips, use an assisted machine.

Workout 2 Example

• Bench Press/Push ups
• Arm curls/pull-ups
• Overhead Triceps ext./Dips
• Squats/Jumping Squats

The third workout is the most intense and most important. We based this workout off of Terrell Owens off-season workout. The object is to complete 100 reps, one set, before you go on to the next exercise. Pick a weight that is not too heavy. You don’t have to worry about it being too light, because you are performing 100 reps. 

Workout 3 Example

• Medicine-ball crunch              
• Hammer-strength incline press
• Leg press                               
• Bodyweight squat                    

15-20 lb medicine ball

WEIGHT LIFTING MISTAKES

• Not warming up before you start lifting
• Lifting to heavy
• Using momentum to lift

DIET

Wait! Were you really about to pack your gym bag without putting the protein in there? You seen dude in the new Ashanti video, he making everybody step it up. Well, if you are going to be serious, pack at least 24 grams of protein to ingest post-workout. Gaining strength and muscle doesn't occur while you workout but after during the recovery stage. 

After a workout, protein breakdown goes up and protein synthesis stays the same or slightly elevated.  Now, if nothing is done about the protein breakdown, then muscle that could have been gained is not gained for a certain amount of time, and muscle that currently exists is lost. I recommend that you should consume a liquid protein shake since it is quickly absorbed. A more detailed explanation is in my book Confessions of The Personal Trainer

Fast food and greasy food will make you chubby like Ricky Ross, trust. Trainer or no trainer, McDonalds fries are my personal weakness. I swear there has to be some crack sprinkled somewhere in them, because those things are addictive. But for the summer we have to pick our battles, and that is one we can’t win. 

Keep your plate as colorful as possible when you are about to eat a meal. The more colors you have when you eat, the higher the antioxidants. The higher the antioxidants, the better you feel.  The better you feel, the better you look. So let’s start with the basics to reduce our body fat. 

• Cut Calories 150-300 per day if you are over weight
• Increase Calories 150-300 per day if you are under weight
• Cut Fats (Fried food, processed food, swine)
• Restrict bad Carbohydrates (White sugar, white bread)
• Increase Fiber (Wheat bread, Oatmeal)
• Increase Water (Nothing specific just always have a bottle with you)

Meal Plan Example

Meal 1 - Oatmeal, banana and OJ    

Meal 2 - Brown rice, green beans and baked chicken  

Meal 3 - Apple & Grapes

Meal 4 - Protein shake with skim milk and Natural peanut butter 

Meal 5 - Bake Potato, broccoli, lean fish with red and green peppers 

So we are at the X-factor of your progress: You are waking up every morning getting that cardio in, and hitting the gym for a quick weight lifting session three days a week. You have improved what you eat all day long. You are just about to start shedding that excess body fat, and the worst thing happens: the Celtics win the championship and you want to celebrate! Yep, you hear T-Pain in the back of your head talking about “the bartender,” and your silly self goes to get skummy. 

Alcohol will throw everything off. Alcohol has a lot of sugar in it, and that will turn to fat once it’s in your body. This fat will attach its self every where in your body, belly, thighs, arms, etc…  Overall, men gain more weight in the abdomen, meaning that the Grey Goose is going to cause belly fat for you. 

For the sake of your routine, you should just “say no” all together.

DIET MISTAKES

• Not drinking enough water
• Eating too much
• Eating too late (i.e. within two hours of going to bed)