Use this 8-week workout plan to get ripped, lean and super-shredded this summer.

The name of the game right now is single-digit body fat.

You want the tight abs and vascular leanness – and you’re willing to do what it takes to get there.

This 8-week workout plan isn’t about ditching a few excess pounds for the summer – we’re talking full body fat assault.

You’re here because you’re sick of that fluffy look. You’re already kind of lean; but you want to supercharge your physique to show-ready standard.

Who can blame you?

Nothing says alpha like a pumped up shredded physique walking confidently down the beach front.

This 8-week workout program guarantees to get you absolutely ripped. It’s time to build some muscle, burn some fat and turn up the metabolic fire to super-hot temperature.

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The 8-week workout plan to get ripped

In just two months you’ll be unrecognizable.

No more hiding under sweats and hoodies. No more hitting the gym at the quietest times with your head down at the floor.

This 8-week workout plan to get ripped promises maximum shredability.

It’s been designed by our team of prep coaches to give you all the tools you need to carve out a podium physique. It combines brutally-tough strength training with a cardio response that plain annihilates fat stores.

Workout notes: Hints and tips to get ripped

Compound exercises

Any exercise that activates more than one muscle group is called a compound exercise.

Examples include:

• Squats
• Deadlifts
• Bench press
• Rows

Compound exercises are not only time-efficient (they target multiple muscle groups, so less exercises are needed to get a full-body workout), they are also better for getting ripped.

The benefits include:

• Increase calorie burn
• Build muscle mass
• Elevates metabolic rate
• Leads to the release of growth hormone and testosterone
• Increases strength

Naturally, this 8-week workout plan to get ripped is built on large, multi-muscle lifts. To get maximum results you’ve got to start with the best exercises.

Lift heavy

The biggest benefit of compound exercises is that you can lift much more weight than you would with an isolation exercise. For example, the load you can move in a squat should be far more than what you’d shift during a bicep curl (if it isn’t, you’re probably skipping leg day).

Unsurprisingly, heavy lifting results in a larger release of anabolic growth factors that support gains.

Studies show that there’s a significantly higher level of circulating growth factors and testosterone right after a set of weights at 80% 1RM than lighter loads at 60%.

Not only that, lifting heavy builds strength and muscle mass too.

Key Point: Aim to lift as heavy as you can for the rep range you’re given. As the weights get easier, make sure you increase them to maintain progression.

Volume is key

The key to getting single-digit ripped is to build muscle mass and increase energy expenditure – in other words get jacked and shredded.

Volume refers to the total weight lifted per muscle, per workout. Simply put, it’s…

Load x reps x sets

Higher volume workouts burn more fat as they increase energy expenditure and metabolism. They also significantly elevate post-exercise metabolic response – meaning you burn more calories after your workout too.

In this program you’ll be targeting each muscle with multiple sets for the best results.

Reign in the calories

The only way you’ll get ripped this summer is by combining your ripped body program with a calorie-controlled diet plan.

If you eat more than you burn off, you’ll continue storing the excess in those fat cells. But switch that around and you’ll melt fat in no time.

Bottom line – you need to be a calorie deficit to burn fat.

Period.

A deficit of around 20% works well if you don’t like the constant hunger of dieting. But a 40% aggressive cut to calories gives great results but should only be used for a week or two at a time.

For more help with nutrition for muscle building or fat loss check out our guide to bodybuilding diet.

Hit those macros

Once you’ve nailed your calorie intake you need to start filling in the gaps.

There aren’t many rules when it comes to the foods you should eat when getting ripped. Obviously, you need to focus on lean meats and vegetables, but the food choices are down to your own preference.

Here’s a guideline to use to fill out your macros for your diet:

• 3-1.8 g of protein per kilo of body weight
• 1 g of fat per kilo of body weight
• Fill out the rest with carbs. This’ll come to somewhere between 2 – 5 per kilo of body weight

Program overview

As you can see from the overview above, you’ll be hitting up the gym for a total of 4-times per week.

Your workouts are split into twice-weekly upper body workouts, and twice-weekly lower body. The workouts will be progressive, tough and both physically and mentally challenging – but it’ll have to be to support your ripped body goals.

Don’t miss any workouts or you’ll negatively affect the continuity of the plan. However, if you do miss one for a valid reason, try and catch it up as soon as you can.

Having two different workouts for upper and lower body in your plan allows flexibility, variety and a powerful full-body, fat-shredding stimulus.

The rep ranges vary across workouts, which helps with fat burning and muscle building – with an emphasis on creating as much calorie burning as possible.

Supersets

The beauty of splitting workouts into upper body and lower body is that it provides a perfect opportunity to structure your workout into supersets – an intense fat-burning system that’s both time-efficient and effective.

Supersets involve completing 2 exercises back to back without rest.

The two exercises in these supersets involve totally unrelated muscle groups – for example dumbbell bench press (chest) and dumbbell row (back).

For supersets to work optimally, you need to organize each exercise in advance. Placing your row dumbbells next to the bench press helps you reduce unnecessary rest time moving from one exercise to the next – you literally just put one pair down after benching and pick up the dumbbells for your row (even easier if they’re the same weight as you don’t even have to put them down).

Supersets are written in your plan in a specific way. This helps you identify which two are to be completed together. If both exercises start with the same letter and are numbered 1 and 2, they’re a superset.

For example:

• Bench press
• Dumbbell row

Note: Not every exercise in your plan is organised as a superset. Make sure you look carefully at your plan before you make a start.

Rest periods

Recovery between supersets is important for productivity.

Once you’ve completed each pair of superset exercises, you can rest as long as you need to. You don’t need to rush, or you’ll just get fatigued.

But not before.

We suggest a good 3-5 minutes rest at the end of each superset for maximum productivity.

The workouts

Upper body strength 1.

A1. Barbell overhead press – 8-15 reps

A2. Pull-ups – 8-15 reps

B1. Dumbbell bench press – 8-15 reps

B2. Dumbbell bent over row – 8-15 reps

C1. Dips – 8-15 reps

C2. Inverted body weight row – 8-15 reps

D1. Rope pushdown – 8-15 reps

D2. Rope bicep hammer curl – 8-15 reps

Lower body strength 1.

A1. Deadlift – 3 x 8-15 reps

B1. Leg press – 3 x 8-15 reps

B2. Lying leg curl – 3 x 8-15 reps

C1. Dumbbell step-up – 3 x 8-15 reps

C2. Alternate back lunge – 3 x 8-15 reps

D1. Leg extension – 3 x 8-15 reps

D2. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift – 3 x 8-15 reps

Upper body strength 2.

A1. Seated cable row – 3 x 6 – 10 reps

A2. Dumbbell fly – 3 x 6 – 10 reps

B1. Lat pulldown- 3 x 6 – 10 reps

B2. Dumbbell lateral raise- 3 x 6 – 10 reps

C1. Chins- 3 x 6 – 10 reps

C2. Dumbbell front raise – 3 x 6 – 10 reps

D1. Dumbbell incline bicep curl – 3 x 6 – 10 reps

D2. EZ bar skullcrusher – 3 x 6 – 10 reps

Lower body strength 2.

A1. Barbell back squat – 3 x 6 – 10 reps

B1. Lying leg curl – 3 x 6 – 10 reps

B2. Bulgarian split squat – 3 x 6 – 10 reps

C1. Standing calf raise – 3 x 6 – 10 reps

C2. Hyperextension – 3 x 6 – 10 reps

D1. Barbell front squat – 3 x 6 – 10 reps

D2. Floor slides – 3 x 6 – 10 reps

The bottom line

Now you’ve got the tools, all that’s left is to hit up the weights room and put it all into action.

Combine this brutally-effective 8-week program to get ripped with a calorie-controlled diet to see drastic changes to your physique.

This 8-week workout plan for women uses full-body workouts to enhance curves and burn fat in the best way possible.  

Fitness can be intimidating.

With so many ways to work out, it’s difficult to know which program will give you the results you’re after.

But don’t worry.

This program has been designed for beginner women who are ready to take the next steps to a leaner, stronger hourglass figure.

No muscle bulk, no over-the-top super-shredded abs.

Just healthy fat loss, a slimmer waistline and a much more confident outlook on life.

The 8-week total workout program for women

Designed for women that want to be sexy, slim and strong.

Over the last few years more and more women have decided to ditch the endless hours of cardio and invest in fast-paced strength training.

And lots of it!

Many women are frustrated by a lack of results in the gym.

Open any women’s magazine and you’ll see that fat loss is all about restrictive diets, smoothies and starvation.

We’re here to tell you it’s not.

You can completely live the ‘lean life’ while having fun – eating the foods you enjoy, living the lifestyle you want.

It’s all about balance.

Strength training is the answer.

But it’s not just the process of lifting weights that gives you the hourglass figure you’re after. It’s the choice of exercises, the order you perform them and the specific reps and sets you use that determine the results.

Lucky for you, this program has been designed by our female coaches here at Greatest Physiques. Hundreds of hours of research and practice have helped to shape it into its perfect form.

This 8-week workout plan for women is for any female wanting to get toned, lean and slim using weights.

It’s a beginner program with advanced results.

How does the program work?

This simple 8-week total workout plan uses basic weight training techniques to develop functional strength, toned muscle and fast fat loss.

Your goal is to work as hard as you can without pushing too much, too early. It’s a program for beginners who want to build a sustainable fitness journey.

You’ll be in the gym just 3-days per week.

Each of the three workout targets major muscles in a ‘full-body’ approach. This means you’ll be targeting all the areas you see as a problem – your butt, legs, tummy and arms.

We’ve split the 8 weeks into two 4-week blocks.

The first phase focuses on basic movements that aren’t intimidating or need any specialist equipment.

The second phase builds on your increasing levels of confidence and fitness by sliding in some more difficult exercises.

The program

Phase 1

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Phase one is all about technique. There’s a big emphasis on legs and core area, and no doubt you’ll feel some soreness after each workout – that’s completely normal. Give yourself at least a day off between workouts to allow full recovery. Choose weights that are challenging for each set – in other words, if it’s a weight you could perform more than 15 reps with, it’s too light.

Phase 2

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

In this second phase we’ve added an extra exercise and dropped the rep range down slightly, allowing you to lift heavier weights. We’ve given you a longer rest period too, just to make sure those barbells and dumbbells are as heavy as possible. Again, give yourself at least 24-hours recovery between workouts.

A note on nutrition

Combining a solid workout plan with a controlled diet will guarantee results.

“You can’t outrun a bad diet” as the old saying goes.

Technically, that’s not true.

But it is extremely difficult.

Combining this 8-week workout plan for women with a nutrient-dense, calorie-controlled eating plan will supercharge your results.

Calories come first

The success of any training program comes down to nutrition. You could be training like an absolute athlete in the gym, but if don’t fuel your body in the right way you’ll be disappointed with the results.

You can’t lose fat if you aren’t in a calorie deficit.

Calories are a measure of food energy.

Everybody requires a certain number of calories to function – to power their heart and lungs, help with digestion and to preserve muscle mass. More active people tend to require more calories as each time your muscles contract you burn calories for fuel.

If you don’t eat enough calories you lose weight. If you eat too many your body stores what it doesn’t need for a rainy day – a bit like how you put spare cash in the bank when you don’t need it.

Fat is stored in your body in adipose cells.

They’re like water balloons full of fatty acids. The only way you’ll tap into these and force your body to use the energy inside is by taking in less food than you need each day.

In other words, taking in fewer calories than you burn off triggers the release and use of stored fat for energy.

So, how do you calculate total calories on a fat loss program?

Check out our handy calculator here.

This calculator uses a reliable scientific formula to work out exactly how many calories you need to fuel your body for exercise but stay within your daily limits to trigger fat loss.

Portion control

Eating until you feel full will more than likely put you over your calorie count for the day.

You have to stick to your plan… and portion control is the easiest way to do that.

A simple starting point for portions in each meal is:

• Protein should be the size of your hand
• Vegetables should be the size of your balled fist
• A cupped hand can determine the carbs on your plate

Track your meals for better results

Keeping a log of the foods you eat makes it easier to chart your progress – including rethinking when things go wrong.

The more data you have the better.

There are several online apps that tell you how many calories are in each of your meals and how that impacts your daily total calorie consumption.

Restrictive diets don’t work.

Trying to lead a happy life on chicken, rice and broccoli isn’t a sustainable, long-term plan. And research shows that success rates are low in those that cut out the foods they enjoy to lose weight.

You can completely eat the foods you love – even pizzas, cakes, candy.

It’s all about balance.

If you focus on controlling portions and limiting overall calorie intake, you’ll find that you’ve got more flexibility with food choices.

For example, let’s say you’ve got 500 kcal left for the day on your calorie deficit plan and you fancy a nice bowl of frozen yogurt. You can completely fit it into your calorie intake – as long as you don’t go over those 500 kcal!

It’s not something you should do every day as you’re limiting your vitamin and mineral intake… but having that flexibility to treat yourself from time to time is much more motivating than a life forever of bland foods.

Where can you find detailed nutrition plans?

If you’re after a full eating plan to support you during this 8-week workout plan for women you can check out our guide to eating for bodybuilding and fat loss, which gives you a breakdown of not just calories but also the different nutrients that make up the foods you eat.

The bottom line

You’ve got the tools you need to make this your year. With a controlled diet and this 8-week workout plan for women there’s nothing stopping you.

Make sure you give it your all and reward yourself with a complete transformation… all in two short months.

In this ultimate 8-week workout plan we show you how to cut fat, crush your fitness goals and completely transform your body.

It’s transformation season… and in this fat-shredding program you’ll be completely rebooting your relationship with your body.

The next two months are all about metabolism-blasting strength training, stamina-building interval training and complete physique transformation.

Want to burn fat, fast?

These are the tools that pro athletes use… and now they’re yours.

The 8-week workout plan that’ll completely transform your physique

This isn’t your first rodeo.

You’ve been here before.

This time is different though – you’re fully committed and ready to take on a program that guarantees results.

Whether it’s a beach holiday, a special occasion or you’re just sick of your current physique, you’ve decided to make big changes.

This is your time.

You want to build a body that’s as strong as it is lean.

The fact that you’re carrying a few extra pounds right now doesn’t matter. We don’t care that your fitness isn’t what it used to be either.

Because in two-months’ time you’ll be at peak physique once again.

This 8-week workout plan has been designed by our athletic coaches and physical trainers to develop three things:

• Low body fat
• Maximal strength
• Blistering speed and stamina

How is this 8-week workout plan structured?

This workout is designed for those that want to get back in the fast lane but can only commit to three workouts per week. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that – in today’s hectic world, being able to hit the gym for more than a couple of times each week is a bonus.

With 3 fat-shredding workouts you can make drastic changes to your physique.

The plan is split into 2 phases:

• Weeks 1-4
• Weeks 5-8

The program is built around core movement patterns.

Each exercise we’ve added falls into one of the following categories:

• Push exercise: these include overhead pressing and bench press variations
• Pull exercise: anything where you row or pull a weight towards your chest – pulldown, seated row etc.
• Squat: extension of the hip and knee such as back squat, front squat
• Deadlift: hip-dominant lower body work

There are literally millions of exercise variations to choose from.

BUT… it’s about finding the ones that work best for your goals.

If you follow a program using key exercises from the above categories, you’ll target all major muscle groups in a way that develops optimal athleticism. Forget the crazy drills and exercises you see fitness models doing on their social media – that’s just for attention.

This is the stuff that works.

Plain and simple.

8-weeks to build strength, fitness and fat loss

Phase 1: Weeks 1-4

In phase one you’ll be targeting all major muscles with challenging strength workouts. These are supplemented with calorie-shredding high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to give you a double-barreled attack to your fat cells.

Here’s your overview for the month:

Monday: Strength workout and HIIT

Wednesday: Strength workout

Friday: Strength workout and HIIT

You’ll be hitting the ground running in this first phase and need a good base of fitness to get through these sessions intact.

Cycle strength workout 1 and 2 each week. This will a give you a balanced, varied approach to each workout. It’ll ensure you cover all core movements but still stimulate your muscles in a different way each week.

Week 1: A/B/A

Week 2: B/A/B

Week 3: A/B/A

Week 4: B/A/B

Week 1-4 strength workouts

Workout A:

Workout B:

On Mondays and Wednesdays, you’ll be pumping out some high-intensity interval training (HIIT) as well your 3-times per week strength sessions. This leaves no stone unturned in your quest for single-digit body fat gains.

HIIT workout 1

HIIT workout 2:

Phase 2: Weeks 5-8

This second phase builds on what you’ve created in the first month of hard training. You’re much fitter, confident and motivated now than you were, so let’s take advantage of that by upping the fat-burning ante.

Here’s your summary for the month:

Monday: High-intensity interval training

Wednesday: High-intensity interval training

Friday: High-intensity interval training

In phase 2, you’ll be using THE most effective fat-burning workout system on the planet. It’s called high-intensity resistance training (HIRT).

HIRT is a circuit-style workout using strength exercises. It combines cardio and muscle-building techniques that smash through stored fat while building strength, fitness and even muscle.

According to research, high-intensity resistance training is even more effective for calorie burning than traditional strength training [1].

• Maximizes energy expenditure during exercise – blasts through calories at a faster rate
• Increases muscle mitochondria – the cells responsible for burning fat
• Elevates afterburn effect – burns fat for as long as 24 hours after exercise
• Builds muscle mass – muscle boosts metabolic rate. The more you have, the more fat you can burn.

If HIRT is so effective, why wasn’t it in phase 1?

The simple answer to this is that HIRT is tough.

Horribly tough.

Without the right foundation of fitness, it’ll break you. Literally.

It’s an awesome system and the results will speak for themselves… but you have to deserve to use it. That’s why we put phase 1 in – to build the necessary armour you’ll need to use HIRT to full effect.

Week 5-8 HIRT workouts

You’ll complete two out of the three circuits in each weekly workout. Each circuit is 15 minutes long so that adds up to 30 minutes for each workout.

Monday: A/B

Wednesday: C/A

Friday: B/C

No doubt there’ll be some circuits you prefer to others, but it’s important to stick to the plan laid out for you. Often the workouts we don’t like are the ones that’re best for you.

For each workout, set a timer for 15 minutes. Plan your equipment and organize it in a small space where everything is within grasp (the last thing you want is your equipment going missing halfway through a session).

Work through each exercise in the circuit, choosing weights that are challenging for the rep range we’ve given you.

Try not to take a break, and continuously complete one exercise after the other in a circuit-style approach until the timer goes off. Then and only then can you take a 3-5 minute break before setting up for the next circuit.

Workout A:

Workout B:

Workout C:

We’ve taken out the HIIT workouts for phase 2, simply because they’re already integrated into your HIRT workouts. However, if you want to add them in and aren’t at risk of burning out, thrown them in… it’ll only enhance results.

Workout tips

With this 8-week workout plan you’ve got the tools you need to completely transform the way you look and feel.

But there’s more to a great physique than simply hitting the gym and hoping for the best.

To give yourself a real opportunity to make the change you deserve, implement these hints and tips into your training and watch that fat melt faster than frozen yogurt in a sauna.

Be consistent

Patience is a virtue and consistency is king.

You can’t rush a complete body transformation… but what you can do is boost your chances of success by not skipping sessions.

Changing your behaviour is important when it comes to building a positive relationship with exercise. You need to build it into your weekly habits for it to work.

We want you to change your mentality from “can I get to the gym later?”, to “I’m off to the gym, everything else can wait!”.

Ultimately, everyone misses the odd workout from time to time. That’s real life. But the ones that smash their goals are the ones that are willing to do all they can to prioritize their body transformation as much as possible.

Support your workouts with an active lifestyle

Your 8-week workout plan is designed to not only tone up muscle but burn maximum fat too. In just one workout you’ll be racking up hundreds of calories.

But there’s a secret trick to fat burning that you might not have even considered.

Those that take every opportunity to be active are often leaner than their less inactive counterparts. Here are just a few ideas on how to up your energy expenditure:

• Walk to work instead of driving or taking public transport
• Dance while doing the housework
• Park far away from the mall when shopping
• Play with your kids and pets
• Take up a sport
• Make housework an exercise regime

Always warm up

Taking your body from zero to one hundred is a sure-fire way of causing injury.

A warm up is an important part of the game plan as it prepares your body for the intense exercise that’s about to take place.

General pulse raising exercises bathe your muscle cells in oxygen and help to make both muscle and connective tissue more pliable.

Mobility drills such as shoulder circles and hip rotations boost range of motion.

You don’t have to spend too long on your warm up for maximum benefits – just 5-15 minutes of light activity is enough to optimize the way you move during this 8-week workout plan.

Take a day off between workouts

While we’ve planned your workouts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, we understand that these might not be the best days for you. Monday might be your busy office day and Fridays might be date night.

The bottom line is you can choose whichever three days suit your diary the best.

However, given the choice we suggest taking at least 24 hours rest between workouts. This allows your body to repair itself from the previous workout and adapt to the stress placed on it.

Without rest you’ll find that your strength decreases, your motivation disappears, and your goals remain a distant dream.

Don’t get complacent

The reason you’re going to the gym is to stimulate your body to make changes.

It’s important you choose weights that are challenging and push yourself fully during cardio training. What you’ll find is that as your fitness improves, so does your ability to tolerate exercise.

By week 3 for example, the weights you’re using will feel easier than in week 1.

To get the best results, it’s important you increase the intensity each week by pushing harder and lifting heavier. That way you know you’ll always improve.

The bottom line

With this 8-week workout plan you’ve got all you need to make awesome changes to your physique. All you need to bring is motivation, drive and grit to make it work.

When you’re chilling on a beach, sun glistening off your solid abs and toned body in two-months’ time, remember the time and effort you invested… and enjoy.