Doug's 6 Day Cutting Routine

This intense cutting routine hits each muscle group twice a week on a 3 days on, 1 day off schedule. Use this routine to burn fat and get ripped!

Workout Summary

Main Goal

Lose Fat

Workout Type

Split

Training Level

Advanced

Days Per Week

Equipment Required

Barbell, Bodyweight, Cables, Dumbbells, EZ Bar, Machines

Target Gender Male & Female

Author

Doug Lawrenson

Workout Description

Doug's intense 6 day cutting routine hits each muscle group twice a week on a 3 days on, 1 day off schedule. Use this routine to burn fat and get ripped! Read workout notes fro cardio schedule to go with this workout.

Workout notes:

This routine is performed on a 3 days on and 1 day off per week.
A thorough cardio warm up at start of each day, stretches and cardio cool down at the end of the training session.
Cardio is low intensity for up to an hour twice per day; First thing in the morning before breakfast and evening time, at least 2 hrs before bedtime.
30 Seconds rest only between sets.
Rep timing of 2-1-2 performed on each exercise

Daily Workout Schedule:

Day 1 - Chest and Triceps
Chest
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Incline Dumbbell Press	4	12-15
Flat Dumbbell Press	3	12
Incline Flys	3	12
Pec Deck	3	12
Triceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Skull Crushers	4	12-15
Rope Extensions	3	12
Straight Bar Pushdowns	3	12
Abdominals
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Rope Crunch	4	20-25
Hanging Knee Raise	4	20-25

Day 2 - Back and Biceps
Back
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Wide Grip Chins	4	12-15
Wide Grip Rows	3	12
Narrow Grip Pulldown	4	12-15
Hyper Extensions	3	12
Biceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Concentration Curls	4	12-15
EZ Bar Curl	3	12

Day 3 - Legs and Shoulders
Legs
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Squats	4	12-15
Leg Extensions	3	12
Leg Curl	4	12-15
Stiff Leg Deadlifts	3	12
Seated Calf Raise	3	12
Shoulders
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Dumbbell Shoulders Press	4	12-15
Cable Lateral Raise	3	12
Reverse Cable Fly	3	12
Smith Machine Shrugs	4	12-15
Abdominals
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Rope Crunch	4	20-25
Hanging Knee Raise	4	20-25

Day 4: Rest Day

Day 5 - Chest and Triceps
Chest
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Incline Barbell Press	4	12-15
Flat Barbell Press	3	12
Flat Flys	3	12
Cable Crossovers	3	12
Triceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Reverse Grip Pushdown	4	12-15
Dumbbell Kickbacks	3	12
Dumbbell Extension	3	12
Abdominals
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Weighted Incline Crunches	4	20-25
Hip Thrusts	4	20-25

Day 6 - Back and Biceps
Back
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Wide Grip Pulldowns	4	12-15
Bent Over Dumbbell Rows	3	12
Good Mornings	3	12
One Arm Dumbbell Row	3	12
Biceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Preacher Curl	4	12-15
Dumbbell Curl	3	12

Day 7 - Legs and Shoulders
Legs
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Leg Press	4	12-15
Lunges	3	12
Leg Curl	4	12-15
Straight Leg Deadlifts	3	12
Standing Calf Raises	3	12-15
Shoulders
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Smith Machine Press	4	12-15
Dumbbell Lateral Raises	3	12
Dumbbell Rear Delt Flys	3	12
Upright Rows	3	12
Abdominals
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Weighted Incline Crunches	4	20-25
Hip Thrusts	4	20-25

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About The Author

Doug Lawrenson

Doug is an ex-competitive bodybuilder with over 20 years fitness experience, specifically diet & nutrition, weight management and training techniques.

View all by Doug Lawrenson »

1.1K Comments+ Post Comment

Posted Thu, 05/20/2010 - 09:07 LIKE

Beatriz

Hi Doug, I really like this work out, it would suit me perfectly as I have been training for couple of years now but after having a baby only 4 months ago i am quiet flabby and this work out would help to regain some of the muscle tone i lost. There is only one thing that i don't understand,is the cardio part, I can only do cardio in the evening when i go to the gym, so when you " Cardio is low intensity for up to an hour twice per day; First thing in the morning before breakfast and evening time, at least 2 hrs before bedtime" Do you mean i must do cardio 2 hours 6 days a week?? or 1 hour cardio each day?? Thank you so much. Beatriz.

Posted Thu, 05/20/2010 - 09:36 LIKE

Steven

You can do cardio up to an hour at a time, twice a day. Generally 30 minutes minimum.

Posted Fri, 08/19/2011 - 04:25 LIKE

Gino

Hey steve, I am currently 130lbs, 21 yrs old. Trying to gain some muscle weight. Any supplements I should be taking when I start working out this fall? Trying to go up to 150lbs if possible.

Posted Thu, 09/22/2011 - 08:47 LIKE

Joe

Gino i am about 230 lbs now. i put on about 10 lbs of muscle over the last 6 months. ive used diff stuff in the past. if u are tryin to gain weight i would go with the nitro tech(protein), cell tech (creatine), fish oil (lube for ur joints) and a multi vitamin. Muscle Tech also has a new Isolate 65 that u can use before or after workout. if u push urself on every set i think this is going to work for u. if the workout doesnt work, ITS U!!! O and Nitric Oxide is always fun to add...its just exspensive

Posted Sat, 12/17/2011 - 22:37 LIKE

jacked

Any heavy weight gainer with ammino acids would be ideal. Also try to consume over 3000 calories a day. Think of it this way: If you want to way 150 pounds, you have to eat like a person who weights 150.

Posted Thu, 04/26/2012 - 10:02 LIKE

matt

well what you can do is increas the weight and you will see the inmprovemen in the long run 130 to 150 it will take time but it will work

Posted Sat, 08/11/2012 - 04:13 LIKE

Keith

Just get a 10lb. bag of ON Gold Standard whey for about $100. Use half a scoop before your workout, a full scoop after, and eat a lot of calories. You can also get some Casein Protein and make a shake before bed to keep protein in your system to rebuild while you sleep. You don't need all the other supplements being you are not an advanced lifter, your body is primed to grow very easily if you haven't lifted much or very long. Save your money and do research as you lift longer, don't worry about other supplements until a while down the road. The multi vitamin and fish oil are a good idea just for health reasons.

Posted Mon, 12/31/2012 - 00:38 LIKE

Dennis

if you're just starting out, find a good protein, i reccomend ON Gold Standard, other than that eat healthy, you dont really need to be taking anything else, mass gainers are alright, but pricy,and if you really want you could take a pre workout, but for just starting out, there isnt any need for it.

Posted Sun, 10/02/2011 - 19:15 LIKE

Preston

Hey Doug, I'm 16 years old im at 200 lbs right now 6'0 I play baseball, and I was wandering if this workout plan would be good for me, I've been working out, but not always having a set routine, what do you think is best?

Posted Fri, 07/04/2014 - 14:28 LIKE

Glen Howard

If you take creatine, whey protein, and energy shots (caffeine) - are you a natural lifter? Natural lifters can take supplements?

Posted Fri, 05/21/2010 - 03:18 LIKE

Dusty

Doug, I have been out of the gym for about six years now due to work and a car wreck. I have packed on some serious weight (fat). I am 265 pounds now and I was a hard lean 220 pounds. And I was wondering if this would be the correct work out for me to rapidly loose the extra weight I have accumilated over the past?

Posted Fri, 05/21/2010 - 08:00 LIKE

Steven

Hi Dusty. I'm not sure that jumping in to a 6 day resistance training program right from the get-go is the best approach. I would ease into it for a couple weeks with moderate weight, perhaps 3 days per week. Give yourself a chance to try the combination of cutting fat, cardio and resistance training, and to develop a routine. Once you get on a roll and have a routine developing, you can starting working harder with resistance training.

Posted Fri, 05/21/2010 - 09:20 LIKE

Beatriz

Hi Again, but if you that much cardio will i not loose more muscle tone? is 45 minutes intense cardio, ok?? Thanks again.

Posted Wed, 03/02/2011 - 14:16 LIKE

Slick

Your body starts to breakdown muscle around 45 minutes of cardio. So half hour of high intensity would be more beneficial than an hour of low intensity. Especially trying to loose fat and gain muscle

Posted Sat, 08/11/2012 - 04:17 LIKE

Keith

This all depends on a lot of different factors. If you do low intensity cardio after you lift weights and deplete glycogen stores then you will burn fat for about the first 20-30 minutes before you start attacking muscle proteins. If you do high intensity cardio like sprints or tabata style then you will continue to burn the calories after the workout for a long period of time. Just make sure to keep enough protein in your system. I use low intensity after lifting and HIIT on rest/cardio days when I don't lift.

Posted Sat, 05/22/2010 - 10:20 LIKE

liam

how long should u do this programe for?

Posted Mon, 05/24/2010 - 08:59 LIKE

Steven

Depending on your weight loss needs I would recommend running it for 4 to 12 weeks.

Posted Mon, 08/15/2011 - 14:49 LIKE

Renn

Can you go longer than 12 weeks? And if so do you suggest just increasing weight each month?

Posted Fri, 05/28/2010 - 19:23 LIKE

Mike Hosseini

for this type of workout, what kind of supplements would you suggest? As well, what about food intake? I take protein shakes and I was wondering exactly how many grams i should consume daily and how many times a day.

Posted Sun, 05/30/2010 - 15:05 LIKE

Steven

I recommend fish oil, a multivitamin, whey protein, and a BCAAs/Glutamine supplement like Xtend. You might also want to consider a fat burner and a pre-workout Nitric Oxide supplement. Both will keep your metabolism rocking along. Food intake...at least 30 to 40 grams of protein every 2.5 to 3 hours. Most men will need to eat 2500 calories or less per day to lose weight. I would recommend going under 2000 per day.

Posted Sat, 01/22/2011 - 17:03 LIKE

Ray

Hello Steve from Afghanistan. It is a huge coincidence that I am already using almost all your recommended supplements. For fat burner I am using OXYELYTE PRO, for Vitamins I am using OPTI-MEN, OMEGA COMPLEX (GNCs) and Flaxseed Oil 1,300, I ordered the XTEND watermelon flavor, my protein is Syntha 6. I have a question, do you recommend for me to use Prolab's CREATINE MOHYDRATE POWDER? Will it make me gain to much water, or is it ok to use it for muscle gain? I do not have a Nitride Oxide specific supplement like NO EXPLODE but, I have BSNs EPOZINE-02 and it normally helps me in my resistance and cardio, is it recommended that I still add a Nitride Oxide supplement instead of EPOZINE-02 to get the extra edge? Your thoughts please!! Regards and respectfully Ray

Posted Thu, 02/17/2011 - 01:37 LIKE

singh

30-40g of protein every 2-3 hours !!! .. i eat close to like 150 gms of protein a day.

Posted Thu, 03/24/2011 - 10:57 LIKE

Jacob Pereida

Hey Doug, You mentioned that your protein intake was 30-40g every 2-3 hours. What's the best form to consume protein on that level of intake? Whey protein shakes?

Posted Mon, 11/05/2012 - 11:39 LIKE

robert

no normal person needs that much protein. sure maybe a PROFESSIONAL bodybuilder who gets paid to be huge. but there is no reason for anybody else to consume that much protein. you are more than likely pissing out most of that and in turn pissing away your money. FYI take it or leave it. but ask any personal trainer and will tell you same thing. I recommend about 20-30 grams after a workout. besides that just eat good lean protein in your meals throughout the day. i would say i get max 80-100 grams of protein a day. and i have no problem gaining muscle and weight.

Posted Mon, 05/23/2011 - 00:00 LIKE

vijay kumar

pls help me in this in food intake and im not taking any protein shakes

Posted Sun, 03/25/2012 - 09:07 LIKE

steve2

2 shakes a day will add 500 cals to your diet instantly, a step forward if you are trying to increase in size

Posted Tue, 06/08/2010 - 16:08 LIKE

Mark

Doug, I realy enjoy the workout but I seem to be adding wieght. I have gained 11 pounds since beginning this. Am I using too much wieght when doing this... I do cardio in the morning and night for 40 minutes and also included riding the bike for 20 - 30 minutes after each workout.. I am eating a breakfast bar in the morning, 2 bananas and a apple each day, and then Dinner... Please help.. Thanks

Posted Tue, 06/08/2010 - 17:07 LIKE

Steven

Are you gaining muscle or fat?

Posted Tue, 06/08/2010 - 18:26 LIKE

james H

Mark, how long have you been doing this program? Do you seem more muscular than when you started? can you give a little more details on your diet? are you only eating two meals a day? Snacks?

Posted Tue, 06/08/2010 - 17:29 LIKE

moss

hi can you recomend a good far burner

Posted Tue, 06/08/2010 - 19:37 LIKE

Steven

Here are the top selling fat burners from the store: http://www.muscleandstrength.com/store/category/fat-loss.html

Posted Tue, 02/15/2011 - 12:46 LIKE

Justin

I take OxyElite Pro and I would recommend it to anyone trying to cut and lose some extra weight!

Posted Sat, 12/07/2013 - 06:17 LIKE

Akshay

Hii steve, plz tell me how can i increase my body weight bye the use of a particular powder.?

Posted Tue, 06/08/2010 - 22:18 LIKE

Mark

Muscle , I am still fitting in all my clothes, but I am only seeing moderate toning up. I have been doing the program for 8 weeks My Diet consist of around 2000 - 2200 calories a day.. Fruit,meat or chicken and vegetables.. Drink about 8 glasses of water 3 cups of coffee, and one coke a day.

Posted Wed, 06/09/2010 - 08:46 LIKE

Steven

Hi Mark...A couple questions. What is your age? And how many pounds have you lost during these 8 weeks?

Posted Wed, 06/09/2010 - 09:17 LIKE

Jordan

Hi Doug, My muscle mass has increase dramatically over the past 6 week mass cycle I have done. The only question I have with this routine is, that what weight do you recommend doing the reps with? Should I do 50% of max, 75%, what weight range should I be lifting with? Advice appreciated, Jordan.

Posted Wed, 06/09/2010 - 14:27 LIKE

Steven

Use as much weight as you can for each specified rep range.

Posted Fri, 06/11/2010 - 15:13 LIKE

Nate Morris

So max weight for the rep set...is this designed for muscle maintain/tone or is this for muscle growth? I would like to tone lower body, add slightly to upperbody, and significantly reduce body fat. Would you recommend this workout? Nate 265lb, target 230lb, 10 years of mostly crosstrain/circuit lifting/sports, 2500 calories/day good diet,

Posted Fri, 06/11/2010 - 16:54 LIKE

Steven

This is a cutting program. Max weight is needed during cutting, Without it you are not giving the body a reason to hold on to existing muscle mass, if that makes sense. This workout would serve you well. Stick with that calorie range and you should make very good progress.

Posted Thu, 06/20/2013 - 20:45 LIKE

John

Hi, how are you? I think I made the mistake of using this program with a calorie counter. I regulated my eating to aprox. 1600 calories. I'm absolutely losing weight but I don't want to lose my muscle size. I've done muscle building and strength training for maybe 5 years and this is my first real cutting attempt. I think I started too low on the counter. I started this 3 weeks ago @ 230 lbs. I'm 25. I'm definitely leaner but on the other side of it I've lost a little size. Is it the calories? Thanks, John

Posted Wed, 06/09/2010 - 11:24 LIKE

James H

ok. You say you gained 11lbs since you started (8 weeks ago), but your still fitting your clothes and only seeing moderate toning. Obviously you've gained muscle, you just need to rid more fat. Heres what I suggest if you want fast results. 1. Keep lifting how you been lifting but switch up your routine often. 2. Throw in some high intensity interval sprints instead of long distance runs. For example, Walk for 30 secs at 3.0 pace. Then Jog for 30 secs at 6.3 pace. Keep doing this for 10-15 mins. Burpees (or 8 count body builders) are excellent for burning fat. 3. I've been reading alot on nutrition and found that Sugar plays a big role in all kinds of diseases we suffer. Re-evaluate your diet, especially your sugar intake. Get into a habit of reading nutrition labels and cooking your own food. As a rule of thumb, I tell myself that anything with High fructose corn syrup within the first 5 ingredients SHOULD NOT BE EATEN. And of course you know if its white, it aint right- (Bread, sugar, rice etc etc). Eat More veggies and less fruit. Be careful of starchy veggies like carrots and yams. Stay away from all fruit juice, even freshly squeezed. Protein shakes have sugar in them too, so be careful. Cut out the coke and coffee. Only use vinegar and lemon juice on your salad dressing. Until the end of the month, the only liquids you should drink are Water, low-fat/skim Milk and Green tea (no sugar in green tea). You want fast results in terms of body fat reduction? Do what I said above. Ive done the above and TRUST ME this is the way to do it.. but one disclaimer... In a book I read, Sugar is like crack cocaine. try going 12hrs without sugar and see how your body feels. you need to ween yourself off the sugar slowly. Your gonna be miserable and moody for the first week, but after that you will be fine. If you need to have sugar, let it only be from fruit. No SODA!

Posted Tue, 07/06/2010 - 16:36 LIKE

Jeff H

Sounds like good advice. One more important thing--stay away from the hydrogenated oils. Many foods have them. THey are poison for your body.

Posted Tue, 12/07/2010 - 03:03 LIKE

gary

what about honey & low cal sweetners .i allways have a teaspoon of honey on my oats in the morning b4 i train ,is that wrong then mate???

Posted Sun, 09/04/2011 - 02:01 LIKE

Russ Souza

Hi James H, Can you elaborate on burpees (8 count body builders) please.

Posted Wed, 06/09/2010 - 11:54 LIKE

Mark

Steve, I am 44 and I have not lost wieght but gained 11 ilbs.. My question is am I working with too much weight.

Posted Wed, 06/09/2010 - 14:30 LIKE

Steven

You want to continue to use as much weight as possible. Failure to do so will encourage your body to lose muscle. Are you gaining fat? Because it sounds like there is a good change that you are gaining a fair amount of fat and muscle. If your goal is to lose fat, I would recommend eating about 2500 daily calories for a week, and watch the scale. You would like to lose about 1.5 to 2 pounds per week, and may have to adjust your calorie intake to zero in on this level.

Posted Thu, 06/10/2010 - 05:18 LIKE

Hari

I started this workout today and I am a bit confused about the cardio part. Do you mean to hit the LI Cardio 1 hour twice -- like an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening, and then top it up with the weight training? Also please suggest me whether it is good to do weights in the morning or evening

Posted Thu, 06/10/2010 - 07:21 LIKE

Steven

Cardio is up to one hour, once in the morning and once in the evening at least 2 hours before bed. Weight training can be perform at whatever time is convenient. It can be performed with cardio, but weight training must come first.

Posted Mon, 04/11/2011 - 00:17 LIKE

Ashley

Why is it necessary to do weight training before cardio? Or vice versa what are the effects?

Posted Fri, 10/10/2014 - 08:19 LIKE

mdeep

i m 25 year old i m from india punjab ludhiana i train minimum 3-4 year but i hove not musculer body my body weight is 78 kg plz tell me what i need diet or schedule for gym inform me on my email id sir neo0147@yahoo.in thnx

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Doug's 6 Day Cutting Routine

Workout Summary