Workout Summary
- Main GoalLose Fat
- Workout TypeSplit
- Training LevelAdvanced
- Program Duration12 weeks
- Days Per Week4
- Time Per Workout45-70 minutes
- Equipment RequiredBarbell, Bodyweight, Cables, Dumbbells, EZ Bar, Machines
- Target Gender Male & Female
- Recommended Supps
- Workout PDF Download Workout
Workout Description
Cold Open.
As warmer weather approaches, people look to get ripped. That's where the staff at Muscle & Strength comes in. This is your workout.
*dun* *dun*
And if you didn’t understand that Law and Order reference, you're probably a little confused right now.
It's a little dated, so I don't blame you (also don't blame you if you cringed reading it).
However, it is a nice segue into what this workout is all about.
You want to lose fat. And this workout is an intense program that combines several different strategies into helping you maximize calorie expenditure over the next 12 weeks.
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Total Fat Annihilation Workout Overview
The following workout is an intense fat loss workout that utilizes somewhat advanced training techniques to increase the total amount of work you’re doing in a given workout.
These techniques will also ramp up the tempo of your workouts, which encourages an additional cardiovascular element.
The split itself incorporates one upper workout, one lower workout, and two full body workouts. The workouts are listed in the subheaders to come, however it is recommended to set up your week as follows:
- Monday: Upper Workout (Workout 1)
- Tuesday: Lower Workout (Workout 2)
- Wednesday: 1 Hour Walk
- Thursday: Full Body Workout (Workout 3)
- Friday: 1 Hour Walk
- Saturday: Full Body Workout (Workout 4)
- Sunday: 1 Hour Walk
The techniques used in this workout to promote fat burning are called complexes and alternating sets. The complexes are circuit like sets and will be used on upper/lower days. The alternating sets are like supersets, but with 30-45 seconds of rest in between exercises, and will be prescribed on full body days.
On top of utilizing these strategies, you’ll also be performing loaded carries, a full body exercise, after training sessions as a form of cardio. Not to mention, we’ll be throwing in a couple of ab exercises to round out your workout and make sure you sport a nice midsection once the 12 weeks are over.
Lastly, it is also recommended that you perform 45-60 minutes of walking each morning or evening depending on when you weight train. This low impact cardio won’t affect your ability to recover and will increase you overall daily calorie expenditure to boost fat loss.
Fat Loss (Upper Body) Workout 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| A1. Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 | 8-10 |
| A2. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press | 4 | 8-10 |
| A3. Push Up | 4 | Mechanical Failure |
| B1. Dumbbell Row | 4 | 8-12 |
| B2. Seated Cable Row | 4 | 8-12 |
| B3. Pull Up | 4 | Mechanical Failure |
| C1. Lateral Raise | 2 | 10-12 |
| C2. Front Raise | 2 | 10-12 |
| C3. Rear Delt Raise | 2 | 10-12 |
| Farmers Carry | 5 | 20 Yards |
| Oblique Crunch | 2 | 15 Each |
| Hanging Knee Raise | 2 | 12 |
Fat Loss (Lower Body) Workout 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| A1. Front Squat | 4 | 8-10 |
| A2. Goblet Squat | 4 | 8-10 |
| A3. Rear Bodyweight Lunge | 4 | Mechanical Failure |
| B1. Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift | 4 | 8-10 |
| B2. Leg Curl | 4 | 8-10 |
| B3. Bodyweight Glute Bridge | 4 | Mechanical Failure |
| C1. Standing Calf Raise | 4 | 20 |
| C2. Seated Calf Raise | 4 | 10 |
| Farmers Carry | 5 | 20 Yards |
| Ab Crunch | 2 | 20 |
| Reverse Crunch | 2 | 20 |
Fat Loss (Full Body) Workout 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| A1. Dumbbell Squat | 3 | 10 |
| A2. Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 10 |
| B1. Goblet Squat | 3 | 12 Each |
| B2. Lat Pull Down | 3 | 12 |
| C1. Landmine Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 12 |
| C2. Landmine T-Bar Row | 3 | 12 |
| D1. EZ Bar Curl | 3 | 10 |
| D2. Skullcrushers | 3 | 10 |
| Farmers Walk | 4 | 60 Secs |
| Plank | 3 | 30 Secs |
| Side Plank | 3 | 30 Secs Each |
Fat Loss (Full Body) Workout 4
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| A1. Conventional Deadlift | 3 | 10 |
| A2. Push Up | 3 | 12 |
| B1. Leg Press | 3 | 12 |
| B2. Pull Up | 3 | 12 |
| C1. Hack Squat | 3 | 12 |
| C2. Inverted Row | 3 | 12 |
| D1. Cable Curl | 3 | 12 |
| D2. Tricep Extension | 3 | 12 |
| Farmers Walk | 4 | 60 Secs |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 2 | 12 |
| Russian Twist | 2 | 12 Each |
Additional Fat Loss Tips
Fat loss workouts are great, but they’ll only get you so far if you don’t pair it with an appropriate lifestyle.
That all starts with getting your diet in check. You’re going to need to know how many calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight. Utilizing a bmr calculator can be very helpful to figuring out this information.
From there, you’ll need to put yourself in a calorie deficit. And you’ll need to eat in a deficit consistently during the 8 weeks you perform this workout. A solid deficit to start off with is ~500 calories. Simply subtract 500 calories from the total you get using the bmr calculator.
Food quality is of extreme importance to maintain a level of satiety while in a calorie deficit. Ensure you are consuming the majority of your calories from whole food sources. These can include lean proteins, whole grains, oats, rice, vegetables, fruits, low fat dairy, nuts, and seeds.
Lastly, ensure you are getting enough sleep at night. Having adequate sleep will help improve your decision making during your dieting phase and keep your intensity high in the gym. All of these factors, when combine will also help reduce stress – which can also be a killer in terms of fat loss efforts.
If you have any questions regarding the workout, please feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below!
148 Comments
Hi there. This looks a great programme and I thought it would be great as I want to train muscle groups twice a week. However, apart from day 1 there doesn’t see, to be another chest day? Have I missed something?
Great work by the way.
Hi Ian, I can't answer this for Josh, but if you wanted to add another chest exercise to each of the full body workouts, you could. Pushups are already on the last workout, but flyes would be a solid addition. I hope this helps.
Hello. Love the program.
Question though…. What is the weights size we are using. Meaning are we using half our max, max or a percentage of it during the upper body and lower body days since we are super setting 3 exercises in a row
Hi Ade, as long as you are within two reps of failure, you're good. If you can do three more or can't do even three less, you need to adjust accordingly. I hope this helps!
Hi Josh
I workout 5-6 times a week. With this plan, it would mean several of the workouts 1, 2, 3 and 4 on days next to each other. Is this recommendable?
Hi Thomas, we recommend following this one as is. If you insist on doing more workouts, then you would need to monitor your recovery carefully.
if it says A1, A2, A3 are those all 3 supersets? do we do dumbbell bench press, dumbbell incline bench press and then push-ups right after each other?
That is correct, Abilaash. If you see letters with numbers, those are supersets.
Hi, I mix up a few exercises here and there, but I love this program. Do you rest 30-45 in two exercises(such as day two legs), or can you go without rest through all three and then rest a minute? Which would you prefer, or which is essentially the best way or the way the program is designed? After each body part of 3 "supertypesets", should I rest a minute before conquering the next movements? Thank you so much. I do all the 1 hr walks outside, and what I do...a bit ocd; on weight days, I flip a coin, so I may do 8 songs of bike say, with some sprints in there(I like using the songs, again, ocd, and I have to do whatever amount of songs I choose. Lol. I know. lol, try living in this head!! Thanks, darren
Hi Darren, if you see letters next to numbers, then you do all the exercises in a row then rest. A minute rest would be fine. If you don't see letters, do a set, rest, and repeat.
Best of luck, and I hope this helps!
Hi Josh,
Can I replicate some DB workouts with machines?
for example,
Chest press machine instead of DB Chest press
Row machine instead of DB row
Thanks
Hey there, Jehad. You can certainly do this. If you do, let us know how you like the program. Hope this helps!
I walk a lot at work would cycling be a good low impact alternative? I have had hip replacement surgery could any of theses movements cause a problem?
Cycling would be low impact, but I would suggest running this program by your doctor or a PT before going ahead with it. Several of the lower body movements may be a little more difficult with a hip replacement. I don't see any issues with the upper body movements, but again, your doctor overrides me as a random dude on the internet. :)
To the muscleandstrength.com administrator, Keep sharing your knowledge!
Could the order of this workout be
Uppper
full body
lower
full body
You can do that if you like, Gerard.
Would this workout or the 3 day full body strength and Hypertrophy be better for fat loss around the belly
This one would be better.
Thank you
Hi Josh,
I would like to ask that in this workout routine it's already mentioned to take 1 hr walk on non-lifting days and again you recommending to do 45-60 mins of a walk either in the morning or in the evening time every day to increase FAT LOSS. So, on non-lifting days do we have to walk twice? Or suggest.
Thanks.
Hey there. Walk only once a day.
Hello!
How do you recommend selecting the amount of wieght to lift for each exercise? Also, do you increase weight throughout the 12 weeks?
Hi, Kris. Choose weight that allows you to finish the set while feeling challenged. You shouldn't reach failure. As your strength increases, add weight. If you feel the same weight is sufficient, keep using it.
Hi Josh,
Is it ok to replace an hour walk with a 15 minutes high intensity jog, sprint or rope jump post work-out on training days? I can only spare an hour to train and wants to make best of it.
Thanks
Hi Josh,
Is it ok to replace 45 to one hour walk on weight training days with sprint or other form of cardio performed after weight training. I can only manage to spare 1 hour for workout each day; therefore, was wondering if I can replace walk with 15 minutes sprint or say rope skip or rowing etc.
Thanks
What's up, Moiz? If you need to do HIIT or sprints due to time restraints, go for it. As long as you don't skip out on cardio completely, you should still see positive results.
Thanks for your reply Roger. Just last question. There are some suggestions by online gurus that doing High Intensity Cardio after lifting may impact your gains. Is it ok if I restrict my HIIT for 15 minutes post workouts? Will it affect my muscle mass?
It shouldn't affect your muscle mass negatively at all. If you were within a month of a bodybuilding competition, that may be a different story. Otherwise, you'll be fine.
Hi, Moiz. If you have the ability to walk for an hour on another day, consider that as well as your 15 minute choices. The ideas you offered would work for you and anyone else that is restricted on time.
Maybe someone already asked this but on day 3 it says goblet squat 12 each. Is this supposed to be lunges? What does it mean 12 each
Hi, Thomas. I believe it's supposed to be lunges, but if you prefer to do goblet squats on this day as well, go for it.
Hey where can we get the without videos of this program?
I am 52 and just started this program. I’ve been working out for about 8 years now and have a pretty nice home gym minus the hack machine. For about 5 years now I’ve been doing body part workouts with circuit though six to eight exercises. However, been looking for a good upper / lower or full body work out. So I loved your that has both. Thank you and will try it for the twelve weeks.
Hi Josh, I really like the look of this course but what is concerning me is i have been out the gym for a couple of months. Im not a beginner and would probably say im intermediate to advance but i know that after the first upper and lower days ill be aching for a week, even when i have stretched. What do you suggest would be better? Starting with the beginner course or writing off the first week and start again the week after? Doing less weight or exercises? Help!
Thank you
Hi Jon,
I would start with a beginner workout. Slow and steady wins the race and there's no harm that'll come from it. The alternative though, may put you at risk for injury and will not speed your progress up any faster than a beginner program would coming off a layover.
Hey so how important is it to not rest in between exercises. In my gym it can be hard to have 3 exercises lined up at a time. Also I weigh 175lbs and I’m about 5foot 11 and eating about 2200 calories per day. Is this the correct about or should I eat less. The calorie calculator said to eat 3000 a day
Hi TG,
You can perform them as straight sets if needed. If your maintenance is 3000, then 2200 is a fine deficit. Be patient and give consistent effort. You'll get there.
Hello Josh,
Can I do the full body workout two days in row and then rest for two days?
For example:
Sunday lower
Monday upper
Tuesday rest
Wednesday full body 1
Thursday full body 2
Friday and Saturday rest
Thanks in advance
Hi Ali,
Yes, that would be ok.
Hi Josh,
Thanks for designing and sharing such a fantastic plan. I intend to start this from coming Monday i.e. 04.11.2019.
I am weighing 110 Kgs at present. I find it extremely difficult to do the Push-Ups and Pull-Ups. Can you please suggest any alternate exercises till the time I lose atleast 10 Kgs.
Hi Raj,
That's awesome! Congrats on starting!
For pushups, I'd recommend performing Wall Push ups, then progressing to bench push ups when you're ready, eccentric only (lowering to the ground) push ups after, and then eventually floor push ups.
For pull ups, I'd suggest using an assistant pull up machine if one is available. If one is not available, pull downs at this point would be appropriate until you're at a weight you feel comfortable performing eccentric only (lowering phase) pull ups and band assisted pull ups.
I am using this program, in week 2 of it. This is the 3rd program that I have started. I started working out 3 months ago with the intention of losing fat. I started at 217, am now at 184. The most important aspect of my weight loss was the diet. I maintain a calorie deficit, eating around 1100 calories per day and eating 100+ grams of protein. I am now showing muscle definition as well as my strength has increased. Eating clean works wonders and really helps shredding weight. When I started I couldn't do a pull up with out a band, now I am knocking out 10 in a row. I like this work out program a lot, as it incorporates full body workouts allowing me to hit my muscle groups several times a week, versus the 4 day work out with alternating muscle groups. I also do no extra cardio, I walk on Wednesdays when I play disc golf, thats about the extent of my cardio, but I bust ass on gym days. This is a great program to follow, just make sure your body is ready for it. Wouldn't recommend it to people who just decided to pick up weights after several years of nothing.
just to clear it goes as one set of A1, then one set of A2 and then one set of A3. then repeat right?
If so what should be the rest time in between? Like After one set of A1 or the rest is after one set of each A1+A2+A3?
Hi doodoo,
No rest in between. You complete all 3 exercises without a rest period and then rest.
Did you mention that along with this workout everyday 45-60 mins of cardio??
Because if that is so the actual workout time is like 2 hours approx.
I am not a fat guy but I have a belly fat. Not in a need of abs but yeah flat stomach.
Hi doodoo,
You don't need the cardio to achieve results with this program. Your approach to nutrition will have a bigger effect than 45 mins of light cardio. Some people just enjoy cardio and can fit it into their schedule. If you cant, it won't make or break your progress so long as youre doing the right things inside and outside of the weight room.
Hi doodoo,
Fat loss takes time and there's many ways to get there. There is no one best way because everyone is different.
Fat loss requires a calorie deficit, and as mentioned, takes time. Depending on your starting point, it could take months or it can take years.
I personally like incorporating low intensity cardio bc I find it enjoyable. Like I said everyone is different. Theoretically, If you are crushin it in the gym, it isn't necessary so long as you are in a calorie deficit.
you have said somewhere that with both of your programs add daily cardio.
I have belly fat.
I am up for this program but obviously when I do gym for like 1 hour including abs I get fatigued.
My question: is cardio daily necessary? Because if it is then one has no way out other than going for it. I thought it would 4 day regular weight training and 3 days cardio as your program mentions please give your best advice :)
Also weight training excluding cardio also reduces fats right?
Amazing program. I have a question tho: There´s no hack squat machine at my gym so, should I just try low bar squats? or what exercise would you recommend?