Workout Summary
- Main GoalLose Fat
- Workout TypeSplit
- Training LevelIntermediate
- Program Duration8 weeks
- Days Per Week5
- Time Per Workout45-70 minutes
- Equipment RequiredBarbell, Bodyweight, Cables, Dumbbells, EZ Bar, Machines, Other
- Target Gender Male & Female
- Workout PDF Download 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.
Summary
By adopting the workout routine listed above and the other recommended strategies within the article, you should be well on your way to achieving your fat loss goals.
If anything is unclear, or if you have any questions that aren’t addressed in the article, feel free to drop us a comment below.
We’re always happy to help!
81 Comments
Would this program be okay to do Monday through Friday, 5 days in a row?
Hey Felix, we usually don't recommend five days in a row due to the lack of recovery time after that much work. You could try it on your own, but if you notice strength, stamina, or endurance decreasing, you should pull back.
You mention there is no cardio listed for this program. Could you add some? For example 30 minutes on elliptical, stair climber or treadmill.
Hi Mubrarak, I see no issues with doing this. Go for it!
Hey I would like to lose 18 kg from 94 to 77 is this a good program to follow up and what’s my daily calorie should be also I’m looking for good diet that will go with this program
Hi Ayoub, this would be a solid starting point for you. Info about how to set up a fat loss nutrition plan can be found below.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/expert-guides/fat-loss
I was wondering if you could lose a good 15 pounds with this workout routine. I wanna give it a try wasn't doing right with my calorie intake and gained a few pounds so I'm gonna get on track and go with this routine.
I think 15 would be a realistic goal, Quincy. Hope this helps. Keep us posted on your progress, and thanks for reading M&S!
Great workout plan! Im trying to understand why the shorter rest periods as the sets progress. Are we aiming to keep the weight the same for all sets or decrease the weight with each successive set due to the lower rest time, with the aim to not hit muscular failure? Thx
Goal is to keep the weight the same. If you need to decrease the weight, do it, but make it a goal to be able to sustain the weight in the future. Hope this helps!
Hello,
What is the recommended rest period in between exercises?
60-90 seconds.
Hi Josh How would you do this routine. If you can’t train on the weekends due to your schedule. ? Thanks
Hey Steve, you can do the Saturday workout on Friday. If Friday isn't available either, just skip the last workout.
Really enjoy your informative articles and workout discussions.
Keep up the great work!!!
Have difficulty at the age of 66 maintaining muscle mass while trying to lose body fat.
I use a FitBit Scale to measure weight and that gives %age of muscle mass and body fat.
At 70”, I eat at 2k calories, with most from protein. Try to get a 50/25/25 of protein, fat, carbs. Dropped from 262 to 240 and stalled.
Workout 3x week using a full body workout each day M/W/F weekend off
What’s the best workout to drop fat, while building/maintaining muscle mass for us older folks?
I think this is a great one for you, TBar. Just keep your protein high so you can protect that muscle. Consider doing 60/20/20 going forward. Props for staying after it in your 60's. Hopefully I can do the same.
Hi again
I just did body check and I have lost muscle mass and body fat. Is there never a balance? I guess I am not eating enough for muscle gain which is fine as I want to lose body fat but I don’t want to lose too much muscle mass you know? What should I do?
How did you test your muscle and fat and how much have you lost? Eating more protein can help you retain muscle mass. That is one sure fire way to deal with this.
Going forward, up the protein and pay closer attention to your training. If you feel like you need to back off a set or two to prevent further muscle breakdown, do so. Hopefully this will help you preserve muscle mass while keeping that bodyfat dropping.
I tested using the machine at gym. I lost 2kg muscle mass and 2% body fat overall 2kg in weight
A 30 minute jog on the treadmill after the workout all good?
Sure. As long as it is super challenging, you should be fine, David. Hope this helps!
Can it be used to build muscle instead of fat loss
So long as your nutrition and recovery are supporting that muscle building effort, then yes, it will work.
Good luck!
Calorie deficit……. I have done bmi calculator I have done calories a day and it doesn’t seem to work. They say I should eat 2,600 kcal a day to lose weight and 3,100 to stay sane weight. Seems a lout to me
Any thoughts?
What do you weigh now, and what is your goal weight, David?
I weigh 98kg and want to be 94 or 93. I know it’s muscle so I’m looking at body fat % for a more accurate reading. Currently at 35% body fat
2200-2400 would be a good range to work with, then.
Great thank you!
Sorry my body fat is 27% oops!!!!!!
I've noticed that there are no ab-focused workouts in this routine. Is there a reason for that?
Can't speak for the author on that, Samien, but I do got a solution. Give this a go.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/27-home-based-ab-workout.html
It looks to me that this plan doesn't have any ab-focused workouts on it. Is there a reason for that?
Can't speak to why there isn't any ab workouts, Samien. But, I can offer one for you to do in conjunction with this.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/core-destroyer-8-week-home-ab...
My BCA score is 79/100
Total weight 80.2 kg
Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM) 35.2 kg
Percent Body Fat (PBF) 23.3 kg
Which of the fat loss program should i follow??
My guess is that the BCA means the Navy BCA test score. How much experience do you have training, A?
Should there be any warm up sets, or is the rpe low enough that you can straight in to a work set safely?
Hi, Chris. You can do the first set or two of the first exercise with lighter weights to help you warm-up. After that and a few minutes of stretching, you should be good to go.
One more thing, instead of trap bar Deadlift (don't have it on my gym), can I do normal Deadlift? And the Decline Hammer Machine Press, can I do decline dumbbell press or decline press on smith machine? And what about the cardio, is it ok to do or it becomes to much due to the energy utilized on the workout?
Keep up the good work?
Hi, Cesar. Your substitutions would work if you prefer to make those switches. Yes, doing cardio won't affect your results or recovery from the training.
Hey, this workout looks great but I have one question about the days of training of this plan.
Can I do this workout from monday to friday instead of monday to thursday, one day of rest and saturday and I'm asking that because of my work and gym schedule that makes it very difficult to work out on saturday.
Congrats on your work, keep it up!
Hey Cesar, if that schedule works best for you, then go for it. Just make sure you recover properly between workouts. Get adequate sleep, eat enough to support the training, and focus on other activities such as stretching or foam rolling and percussive guns if possible.
What are the recommended supplements for this plan?
Hi, EJay. The author didn't include supplements for this program, but if fat loss is your goal, then the sure bets are a multivitamin, whey protein isolate, pre-workout for energy, and l-carnitine or CLA for fat loss. Hope this helps!
Hello, what's the difference between the Decline Hammer Machine Press, and the normal hammer machine press. Is it the same except you put the seat higher so the handles come lower, and if there isn't a hammer machine in my gym with what can I substitute it?
Thanks in advance
Hey Martin - the decline press better targets the lower chest. For alternatives, you can do a high to low cable fly or a decline dumbbell/barbell bench press.
Thanks for the response
hello, Bro as mentioned ( Weight selection should be within a 7-8 RPE on most of the exercises listed) but still there are sets mentioned as 8-12what is the meaning of that, and shall we work the 3 sets with the same weight, or shall we increase and from week to week we increase? plz advice
Hey Amr - RPE stands for rate of perceived exertion. The higher the number, the harder you're exerting yourself. Weight should remain the same until you can safely move up to the next weight.
Hello Josh , i am 81.7 KG and 178 cm , thank you for the workout , i wanted to ask can this work out make me lose fat and gain muscles in the same time ? Or just keeps my muscles intact ? Also i have 20% fat so do you reckon this program can make me reach 15% of fat in 2 months ?
Thank you again Josh