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Jumpstart your fat loss journey with a fat loss workout perfect for helping you maintain muscle and burn calories. This 8 week program is sure to help!
And now that we put that silly notion away – because spoiler: fat cells can’t be destroyed once they are accumulated – we can move on to developing a helpful strategy to assist in your weight loss goals.
When you “lose fat”, the fat cells shrink.
And the only real way to make fat cells shrink is through maintaining a calorie deficit.
In addition to this, if you want to maintain/build lean muscle mass, you have to resistance train (preferably with weights).
So, this 8 week program is going to outline a routine to help you maintain lean muscle while losing body fat.
Recommended: Need help losing fat? Take our Free Fat Loss Course
The routine is a 5 day per week workout that follows an upper/lower split with a full body workout on Saturday. Resistance training during fat loss phases is important to maintain lean body mass.
Given that it is a 5 day workout routine, it is designed more for an intermediate lifter in mind. The volume will be slightly higher since you’ll have an extra day to distribute volume on.
Weight selection should be within a 7-8 RPE on most of the exercises listed. You want to finish each rep feeling as though you have 2-3 reps still left in the tank. The slightly lower intensity will allow you to maintain the training frequency while still allowing you adequate time to recovery from each individual workout.
As with most programs on Muscle & Strength, the main goal should be weight progression week to week. However, given that you will be eating at a calorie deficit while performing the program, it is not expected that each week will result in an increase in weight used.
Simply perform at as high of an intensity as you can during the duration of the program and the rest will take care of itself.
Rest periods in between working sets will be 90 seconds for your first lift, 60 seconds for the following 2 lifts, And 45 seconds for the remaining lifts listed.
However, fat loss is achieved through being in a calorie deficit and there are plenty of ways you can achieve a deficit. If you’re used to working out 4 times per week with an upper/lower split, the extra full body workout might be enough to get you there.
If not, subtracting a few calories from your daily intake is one strategy. Or, increasing your daily energy expenditure through additional cardio is another.
It takes experimenting with what works best for you. Some people struggle with eliminating calories from their diet. Others don’t have time to increase their activity level.
Either strategy works – so long as you maintain an energy deficit, you’ll be on your way to fat loss.
Something else you may want to consider is optimizing your quality and quantity of sleep – and if you haven’t done this already, it should be your first tactic. We have plenty of articles on Muscle & Strength that tackle how important sleep is to both fat loss and muscle growth goals. So, if you’re not getting 7-9 hours of high quality sleep each night, you might be cutting yourself short.
Finally, circling back to diet, you’ll want to ensure you’re eating an adequate amount of protein to prevent/minimize muscle tissue loss while in a calorie deficit. There’s a pretty wide range when it comes to what experts think is most optimal (ranging from 0.7g-1.2g of protein per lb of bodyweight).
Experiment within the range to find what works best for you. Consuming towards the lower end will allow you eat more calories from other macronutrient sources, which might assist in workout performance. Eating towards the higher end might help keep you more satiated while dieting. Everyone is different.
WORKOUT SUMMARY
- Main Goal
Lose Fat - Workout Type
Split - Training Level
Intermediate - Program Duration8 weeks
- Days Per Week
5 - Time Per Workout45-70 minutes
- Equipment Required
Barbell, Bodyweight, Cables, Dumbbells, EZ Bar, Machines, Other - Target GenderMale & Female
- Workout PDFDownload Workout
Workout Description
Time to destroy body fat!And now that we put that silly notion away – because spoiler: fat cells can’t be destroyed once they are accumulated – we can move on to developing a helpful strategy to assist in your weight loss goals.
When you “lose fat”, the fat cells shrink.
And the only real way to make fat cells shrink is through maintaining a calorie deficit.
In addition to this, if you want to maintain/build lean muscle mass, you have to resistance train (preferably with weights).
So, this 8 week program is going to outline a routine to help you maintain lean muscle while losing body fat.
Recommended: Need help losing fat? Take our Free Fat Loss Course
Body Fat Demolition Overview
This 8 week fat loss routine will help in creating a calorie deficit needed to help you lose body fat. However, to make it a successful routine, you will have to eat in a calorie deficit.The routine is a 5 day per week workout that follows an upper/lower split with a full body workout on Saturday. Resistance training during fat loss phases is important to maintain lean body mass.
Given that it is a 5 day workout routine, it is designed more for an intermediate lifter in mind. The volume will be slightly higher since you’ll have an extra day to distribute volume on.
Weight selection should be within a 7-8 RPE on most of the exercises listed. You want to finish each rep feeling as though you have 2-3 reps still left in the tank. The slightly lower intensity will allow you to maintain the training frequency while still allowing you adequate time to recovery from each individual workout.
As with most programs on Muscle & Strength, the main goal should be weight progression week to week. However, given that you will be eating at a calorie deficit while performing the program, it is not expected that each week will result in an increase in weight used.
Simply perform at as high of an intensity as you can during the duration of the program and the rest will take care of itself.
Rest periods in between working sets will be 90 seconds for your first lift, 60 seconds for the following 2 lifts, And 45 seconds for the remaining lifts listed.
Monday: Upper Body Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Single Arm Dumbbell Row | 4 | 6-8 Each |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Lat Pull Down | 3 | 8-12 |
| Cable Lateral Raise | 3 | 8-12 |
| Incline Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 12-15 |
| French Press | 3 | 12-15 |
Tuesday: Lower Body Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Back Squat | 4 | 6-8 |
| Dumbbell Lunge | 3 | 6-8 |
| Hip Thrust | 3 | 8-12 |
| Leg Curl | 3 | 12-15 |
| Calf Raises | 5 | 15-20 |
Wednesday: Upper Body Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Pull Up | 4 | 6-8 |
| Decline Hammer Machine Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Cable Row | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Preacher Curl | 3 | 12-15 |
| Skull Crusher | 3 | 12-15 |
Thursday: Lower Body Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Hack Squat | 3 | 6-8 |
| Leg Extension | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell RDLs | 3 | 6-8 |
| Seated Leg Curls | 3 | 8-12 |
| Calf Raises | 5 | 15-20 |
Saturday: Full Body Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Trap Bar Deadlift | 4 | 6-8 |
| Dips | 4 | 8-12 |
| Lat Pull Down | 4 | 8-12 |
| Machine Row | 3 | 8-12 |
| Cable Curl | 3 | 12-15 |
Other Fat Loss Considerations
Some people may look at the program above and be confused. There’s no cardio. No circuits. Nothing to get your heart rate up.However, fat loss is achieved through being in a calorie deficit and there are plenty of ways you can achieve a deficit. If you’re used to working out 4 times per week with an upper/lower split, the extra full body workout might be enough to get you there.
If not, subtracting a few calories from your daily intake is one strategy. Or, increasing your daily energy expenditure through additional cardio is another.
It takes experimenting with what works best for you. Some people struggle with eliminating calories from their diet. Others don’t have time to increase their activity level.
Either strategy works – so long as you maintain an energy deficit, you’ll be on your way to fat loss.
Something else you may want to consider is optimizing your quality and quantity of sleep – and if you haven’t done this already, it should be your first tactic. We have plenty of articles on Muscle & Strength that tackle how important sleep is to both fat loss and muscle growth goals. So, if you’re not getting 7-9 hours of high quality sleep each night, you might be cutting yourself short.
Finally, circling back to diet, you’ll want to ensure you’re eating an adequate amount of protein to prevent/minimize muscle tissue loss while in a calorie deficit. There’s a pretty wide range when it comes to what experts think is most optimal (ranging from 0.7g-1.2g of protein per lb of bodyweight).
Experiment within the range to find what works best for you. Consuming towards the lower end will allow you eat more calories from other macronutrient sources, which might assist in workout performance. Eating towards the higher end might help keep you more satiated while dieting. Everyone is different.