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Train insane 4 days a week. Combine your resistance training sessions with short bursts of cardio to maximize fat loss while maintaining existing muscle mass.
Workout Summary

Workout Description

This workout combines your resistance training and cardio into one intense workout session. You will be at the gym 4 times per week, in and out in about one hour. Make sure to stretch or properly warm up before beginning each day.

I recommend the following split. Feel free to move the days around to fit your schedule, as long as you keep several days of rest between your pressing day (chest and shoulders).

Exercises are performed in pairs. These pairs consist of:

You will start each exercise pattern with a single rep for the barbell, machine or dumbbell exercise. After this rep immediately perform 15 seconds of moderate cardio. This could include kettlebell swings, treadmill, stepper, skipping rope or anything similar. Next perform 10 reps of the bodyweight exercise followed by another 15 seconds of moderate cardio.

Each time through this sequence you will add a rep to the barbell/dumbbell/machine exercise while taking one away from the bodyweight exercise. Some rest between each of these stations is acceptable, but try to keep it to a minimum.

The complete sequence for each exercise pattern looks like the following:

Shred Cycle
Example Pattern
Exercise Reps
Barbell/Dumbbell 1
Cardio 15 seconds
Bodyweight 10
Cardio 15 seconds
Barbell/Dumbbell 2
Cardio 15 seconds
Bodyweight 9
Cardio 15 seconds
Barbell/Dumbbell 3
Cardio 15 seconds
Bodyweight 8
Cardio 15 seconds
Barbell/Dumbbell 4
Cardio 15 seconds
Bodyweight 7
Cardio 15 seconds
Barbell/Dumbbell 5
Cardio 15 seconds
Bodyweight 6
Cardio 15 seconds
Barbell/Dumbbell 6
Cardio 15 seconds
Bodyweight 5
Cardio 15 seconds
Barbell/Dumbbell 7
Cardio 15 seconds
Bodyweight 4
Cardio 15 seconds
Barbell/Dumbbell 8
Cardio 15 seconds
Bodyweight 3
Cardio 15 seconds
Barbell/Dumbbell 9
Cardio 15 seconds
Bodyweight 2
Cardio 15 seconds
Barbell/Dumbbell 10
Cardio 15 seconds
Bodyweight 1
Cardio 15 seconds

As your conditioning improves week in and week out your workout time will decrease. Initially you want to start with a weight that allows you to complete the entire circuit without making an adjustment. If a weight becomes too manageable add 5 pounds then next time you lift.

Here are the recommended exercise pairings. Feel free to make adjustments based on needs or available equipment.

Chest and Triceps

Legs

Shoulders and Traps

* For the side plank alternate left and right arms. Instead of reps count out seconds using "one thousand one, one thousand two, etc."

Back and Biceps

20 Comments
Post Comment
Lou Delloso
Posted on: Sun, 12/24/2017 - 15:05

Looks like a great workout. Only question is for instance am I doing bench press- pushups, and then flies and dips for day 1 or just 2 exercises- not 4 ??? Thanks much !!

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JoshEngland
Posted on: Wed, 12/27/2017 - 09:11

Hi Lou,

This is an older workout and it is unclear, but I believe the author intended for both pairings (all 4 exercises) to be performed on the suggested workout day.

Hope this helps!

Henry Staggs
Posted on: Sun, 02/05/2017 - 16:08

This looks like a very challenging program, I look forward to working it.

When I go from barbell/dumbbell to cardio and then body weight. Should I be focused on the same muscle, or the other muscle ... for example Monday is chest and triceps. Should I do a barbell, dumbbell for chest and then a body weight triceps ... and then after I finished that cycle, switch and do a weight triceps and body weight chest? Or do weight and body weight on the same muscle ... then do it all over again focusing on the second muscle?

TJ
Posted on: Mon, 06/02/2014 - 22:05

Do you do just one pair or both in one day?

Mike G
Posted on: Mon, 03/17/2014 - 12:55

Is there any meal program or guidelines I should follow when doing this. My mom always cooks at home good healthy home made food but I was wondering if there should be certain foods I should avoid in order to shed fat while doi g this workout.

Justin
Posted on: Fri, 02/07/2014 - 01:59

So you do pair 1 with the cardio after each set, then when you finish 1-10 and 10-1, you do the 2nd pair through correct?! Just trying to clarify....

Luis
Posted on: Fri, 03/14/2014 - 00:59

WRONG, you do the cardio after every exercise for example you do the 1 barbell rep then 15 sec cardio then the 10 reps bodiweight then 15 sec cardio then 2 barbell reps then 15 sec cardio then 9 rep barbell, and that is how the routine goes till you finish it.

Jonathan
Posted on: Fri, 11/29/2013 - 06:51

Brianna, if you can hold yourself in a chin up or pull up position for the allotted time then try that. This is the USMC sub for pull ups for women. Or lay on the floor under a rack with a bar resting on the safety bars (set to where you can reach them from the floor) and do body weight rows. Just mho.

Nick Hickman
Posted on: Thu, 11/14/2013 - 15:48

Im getting this workout done in just under 30 minutes. Am i doing it right? I do a barbell exercise, then a dumbbell exercise, cardio, then 2 bodyweight exercises, and then cardio again, and repeat until I'm done. Am i missing something here?

Gabe L
Posted on: Mon, 01/06/2014 - 14:59

From what I understand, you are only completing half the cardio. The progression is barbell/dumbell excercise, cardio, body weight exercise, cardio. This is to be done twice. Once for each set of excersies. Hope this helps.

Brianna
Posted on: Wed, 11/06/2013 - 02:28

For those of us who aren't there yet, what alternatives to you suggest for chin ups and pulls?

Ace Wilde
Posted on: Tue, 10/01/2013 - 10:02

Both pairings are supposed to be done in one day, correct? Or are they for alternate weeks?

Sweet Rhi
Posted on: Wed, 09/04/2013 - 22:56

What are hand walkouts?

Daz
Posted on: Wed, 08/07/2013 - 21:24

what cardio exercises are recommended for the 15 secs burst? Mountain climbers? Jumping Jacks? High-Knee kicks?

Bruno
Posted on: Sat, 08/03/2013 - 02:01

Dear Thomas,

I know Rome wasn’t built in one day but I need your advises.
I’m 29 and my height is 179cm.
I started to train again 3 months ago (early May 2013) and dropped my body weight from 88kg to 80kg today but I’m stagnating at this weight (80kg) for almost 3 weeks even though I do provide the same efforts. I barely get rid of this fatty tissue layer I have been carrying for the past 6 years.

In order to better understand my training, here is the detail of a typical day:
5:00 am----------1 cup of Dymatize Elite Whey (with water) + 1 cup of oatmeal with milk + 1 caps of Dymaburn + 1 caps of Fish oil + 1 caps vitamin C 500mg + 1 caps vitamen E 400mg.
5:50 am----------14km bicycle ride to the gym (35min, avg. of 140bpm)
6:30 am----------50min Workout + 2 cups of Dymatize Elite Whey (with water) right after
9:00 am----------1 cup of oatmeal with milk
12:00 am-------- White rice with meat or noodles with meat + 1 egg always + 1 yogurt
4:00 pm---------- Glass of soy milk
6:00 pm----------16km bicycle ride back home (35 to 40min avg. of 150bpm)
8:00 pm---------- White rice or noodles with meat (always as I leave in Asia)
9:30 pm---------- Bed time (avg. of 7h sleep/night)

I perform the following routine 4 days a week (Mon-Tue-Thu-Fri)
+ Cycling = avg of 30km/day with bpm ranging from 130 to 160 (70 to 90% of max heart rate) as I need fair accelerations to flow in Bangkok’s mad traffic.

Monday
Morning: -Cycling –Chest –Biceps -Abs
Evening: -Cycling

Tuesday
Morning: -Cycling –Shoulders-Triceps-Abs
Evening: -Cycling

Wednesday
REST

Thursday
Morning: -Cycling –Back -Abs
Evening: -Cycling

Friday
Morning: -Cycling –Legs -Abs
Evening: -Cycling

Saturday & Sunday
REST (maybe a ride on some Sunday)

Do you think your workout could be used in my particular case? Btw, Saturday is usually my cheat day but nothing crazy and no alcohol.
My goal is to become lean but not too bulky. Square & flat chest with good shoulder proportions.

Thank you in advance for your help!
Best regards,
Bruno

Princess
Posted on: Fri, 08/09/2013 - 01:27

Hi Bruno, I think that you may benefit from 1) calculating and manipulating you macronutrients and 2)cutting down some of the cardio. Also, you may want to incorporate some HIIT style cardio, such as interval sprinting. And don't forget that our bodies adapt to rountines so it would be wise to switch up every 4-6 weeks to avoid stagnation. Hope this helps :)

John H
Posted on: Mon, 07/08/2013 - 19:31

Quick question: use pair 1 through the entire sequence then start pair 2 through the entire sequence?

James
Posted on: Tue, 06/11/2013 - 16:34

This looks like a good work out form me as I'm getting back into working out from an injury.

Rich
Posted on: Wed, 06/05/2013 - 08:43

I like this workout plan a lot and plan to try it. :) Just to clarify, we do 2 pairs of exercises per session right?

Geoff
Posted on: Fri, 05/31/2013 - 12:43

suggested weights or percentages of weights?