Blast fat with these workout, nutrition, and lifestyle recommendations. Commit to it all for the next 8 weeks and reap the benefits by the end of summer!
Workout Summary

Workout Description

The summer time inspires change.

Every year I was in school, I utilized the summer time to transform my body before the next school year started.

And even now, 5 years removed from school, the warmer weather still seems to inspire me to shred.

Sound familiar?

Well, if you’re looking for a solid program to perform this summer, you’ve come to the right place.

Below you’ll find your summer plan.

Let’s get to work and blast some fat!

Editor's Note: Make sure you’re doing all the right things you need to be doing to lose body fat. For those looking for a more in-depth resource to teach them how to lose fat, we’ve created a FREE 5 day Fat Loss Email Course.

The course will teach you how your body loses fat, how to utilize workout plans on our website to maximize fat loss, how to eat for fat loss, how to supplement to lose body fat and how to track your progress.

Sign up below today to learn and ensure you get the most out of this workout program.


Need help losing fat? Take our FREE 5-part email Fat Loss Course!

The Body Fat Blaster 8 Week Overview

In the next three sections I’m going to provide you with an overview to help you get shredded this summer. Let’s be real for a second – if you’re starting this significantly overweight, you’re not going to end the 8 weeks completely shredded.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, if you follow the outline to the best of your ability, you will get results. Great results, in fact.

The subheaders below will begin by covering the workout program itself. This will lay out what you should hope to accomplish each weight training day, what to do for cardio, and how to perform active recovery to maximize your rest days.

After that, we’ll provide a quick and basic overview of how to set up your fat loss diet and food groups you should aim to include into your diet.

Then, we will wrap up with a general lifestyle approach to help you maximize your sleep and minimize your stress for optimal fat loss results.

Obviously most of what will be discussed within the article will be high level stuff. If you’re truly serious about achieving fat loss, dig deep and continue to learn how to manipulate your body fat composition.

The Body Fat Blaster Overview

The Body Fat Blaster 8 Week Workout

Below you will find the 4 weight training workouts you’ll be performing over the next 8 weeks.

These workouts include supersets, drop sets, and other intensity techniques to help you accomplish more during your workouts and increase your calorie expenditure.

Exercises which have a letter next to the number are part of a superset. You should perform all of the exercises within that number prior to taking your rest period.

Keep rest on the lower end. 30-45 seconds should do the trick. Of course, you know your body better than I, if you need additional rest prior to beginning your next set or exercise, feel free to take longer.

Perform the cardio as prescribed on weight training days, and leave your rest days open for active recovery. Active recovery can be done in the form of low intensity walks and/or mobility work.

Do not add more than what is prescribed within this workout routine. You don’t need extra leg days. You don’t need extra arm or shoulder work. Stick to the program, and move up in weight if you feel the need to do more.

Monday: Upper Workout

Exercise Sets Reps
1a. Dumbbell Bench Press 4 8
1b. Dumbbell Row 4 8
2. Overhead Press 4 10*
3a. Chin Up 3 12-15
3b. Dips 3 12-15
4a. Cable Curl 2 10-12
4b. Cable Pressdown 2 10-12

*Perform a drop set on your final set.

Cardio: Perform 30-45 Mins of low intensity steady state cardio of your choice.

Tuesday: Lower Workout

Exercise Sets Reps
1. Squats 5 20, 18, 15, 12, 10
2a. Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift 4 8
2b. Dumbbell Split Squat 4 8 Each
3. Leg Press 3 15, 12, 10*
4a. Leg Curl 3 15
4b. Leg Extension 3 15

*Perform a drop set on your final set.

Cardio: Perform 15-20 Mins of HIIT of your choice. For ideas of HIIT workouts using exercise equipment read this.

Wednesday: Active Recovery

On this day, take the time you’d normally spend in the gym and use it to work on your mobility. If you’re in the later weeks of this program and are in need of some extra calorie expenditure – perform some low intensity steady state cardio.

Thursday: Upper Workout

Exercise Sets Reps
1. Bent Over Row 4 6*
2. Incline Bench Press 4 6*
3a. Seated Cable Row 3 12-15
3b. Push Ups 3 12-15
4. Lat Pull Down 3 6, 8, 10
5a. Lateral Raise 3 10
5b. Band Pull Apart 3 10**

*Perform a drop set on your final set.
**Perform sets using a very slow tempo.

Cardio: Perform 30-45 Mins of low intensity steady state cardio of your choice.

Friday: Lower Workout

Exercise Sets Reps
1. Trap Bar Deadlift 4 12, 10, 8, 6
2. Romanian Deadlift 4 8-10
3. Lateral Lunges 3 15-20 Each
4a. Narrow Leg Press 3 12
4b. Wide Leg Press 3 12
5a. Seated Calf Raise 3 20
5b. Jump Rope 3 3 Mins

Cardio: 15 Mins of HIIT of your choice. For ideas of HIIT workouts using exercise equipment read this.

Saturday: Core & Active Recovery

On this day, take the time you’d normally spend in the gym and use it to work on your mobility. If you’re in the later weeks of this program and are in need of some extra calorie expenditure – perform some low intensity steady state cardio.

In addition, perform the following core workout as a circuit.

Exercise Sets Reps
Ab Crunch 3 20
Bicycle Crunch 3 20
Leg Raise 3 10
Oblique Crunch 3 15 Each
Plank 3 30 Secs

Sunday: Active Recovery

On this day, take the time you’d normally spend in the gym and use it to work on your mobility. If you’re in the later weeks of this program and are in need of some extra calorie expenditure – perform some low intensity steady state cardio.

The 8 Week Fat Blaster Nutrition Guidelines

Your nutrition during the next 8 weeks is going to make or break your process. You can work out all you want, but if you’re still eating in a calorie surplus, you simply will not lose fat.

Because, to lose fat – you need to maintain a consistent calorie deficit during the 8 week period. You don’t need keto. You don’t need intermittent fasting. You don’t need to go gluten free. You don’t need to adopt a paleo or clean eating diet.

Don’t get me wrong, all of those can work, but not without a calorie deficit (which – spoiler alert – is how a lot of those diets work).

To find your calorie needs, use this handy-dandy bmr calculator.

Then, subtract 500 calories from that number (if 500 calories is a bit too aggressive for you go with something within the 300-500 range).

After this you’ll want to calculate your macros – which could be another entire article itself. Which is why I’ve rounded up the following 2 links for you to read. Check them out and begin figure out what your macro breakdown for the next 8 weeks will look like:

After reading those articles, you should have a pretty good understanding of what your diet should look like.

If you need help figuring out how to fill your days’ worth of macros, I’d recommend keeping it simple and nutritious. Stick to veggies, fruits, whole grains and oats, lean protein sources, nuts and seeds, and low fat dairy products.

Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines

The 8 Week Fat Blaster Lifestyle Recommendations

Fat loss is a little more complicated than simply working out and dieting.

And often times it can take a complete lifestyle overhaul. If you’re serious about maximizing your fat loss, then you’ll want to optimize your sleep and manage your stress.

If you haven’t heard of the benefits of sleep for body recomposition yet, you better read up. Luckily for you, we’ve published several articles on how sleep can help you accomplish your goals and ways you can maximize your sleep each night over the years.

Once you’ve got your sleep on point, next you must take care of managing your stress. Fat loss, in general, is a pretty stressful goal to put on your body. So managing your stress to work alongside your body’s fat loss is crucial.

If you’re working out, eating a nutritious diet, and getting enough sleep each night, you’re already partaking in some of the most beneficial forms of stress management. But to give yourself extra fat loss benefits, it’s imperative that you connect with your body and mind.

Two great ways to do this are through yoga (a great active recovery activity) and meditation.

Conclusion

There you have it. The next 8 weeks of your summer break is laid out in front of you.

So, whether you’re home from school for the summer and want get shredded before next semester or you’re working a 9-5 and just want to look better than you did on Memorial Day come Labor Day, give this program a go!

And, as always, if you have any questions regarding the program or anything else mentioned in this article, please feel free to leave us a comment in the comments section below!

Post your post-workout swolfies in M&S gear on IG and tag @muscleandstrength, #muscleandstrength, or DM them to us to get a shoutout on Muscle & Strength stories!

131 Comments
Sumon
Posted on: Mon, 05/08/2023 - 13:21

any alternative of Band Pull Apart

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Roger
Posted on: Thu, 05/11/2023 - 06:49

What equipment do you have access to?

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Roger
Posted on: Mon, 05/15/2023 - 15:56

Kind of hard to make a suggestion based on what you don't have. What do you have?

Sumon
Posted on: Fri, 05/12/2023 - 14:08

Not much

Jose
Posted on: Thu, 05/19/2022 - 11:35

Can you explain to me how you do a drop set on the last set? Thank you

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Roger
Posted on: Wed, 05/25/2022 - 19:19

Hi, Jose. Sure!

Perform the recommended reps with the most weight possible. When you reach that point, reduce weight, and get back to work. When you reach failure with the reduced weight, you're done.

Tom
Posted on: Thu, 05/19/2022 - 09:33

Would be awesome to get some diet ideas?

Day to day menu at least for a few days.

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Roger
Posted on: Wed, 05/25/2022 - 19:18

Hey Tom, we don't have any specific plans, but we do have guides and recipes so you can create one that would work best for you. The recipes link is at the top of this page, and the fat loss guide is below.

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/expert-guides/fat-loss

Mark
Posted on: Thu, 03/03/2022 - 20:14

I am new to this site and this program - when performing the exercises do you do all of one exercise's set then move to the next or do you go down in sequence and drop off exercises with fewer sets as you progress?

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Roger
Posted on: Fri, 03/11/2022 - 21:26

Perform all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next, Mark. Rest for 45-60 seconds between sets. Hope this helps!

Rocky Balboa
Posted on: Fri, 01/21/2022 - 06:45

Hey I have a question that we had to perform total 3 min of rope jump or 3 sets of 3 mins each of jumping rope

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Roger
Posted on: Mon, 01/24/2022 - 17:37

That would be three consecutive minutes for each set, so 9 minutes total.

Faizan
Posted on: Sat, 12/11/2021 - 16:44

Hi Josh,
I just want to ask that, Is the weight on the first set will be maximum according to body strength and get on decreasing on second set and more on third set?

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Roger
Posted on: Tue, 12/14/2021 - 17:45

Hi, Faizan. The first set should be with moderate weight. Add more each set until you're at the heaviest weight that you can use on the final set with the lowest reps. As reps decrease, weight should increase. Hope this helps.

Mansour
Posted on: Sat, 08/07/2021 - 09:59

Hi Josh,
ABSOLUTELY GREAT WORKOUT!! but I just have one question as I noticed there isn't enough emphasis on biceps & triceps. Is this ok ?

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Marina
Posted on: Mon, 08/09/2021 - 11:34

Mansour -

You hit those muscles during your compound upper body lifts.

Bart
Posted on: Thu, 07/15/2021 - 12:34

M&S, for the Lar Pulldown workout on Thursday. Should I be staying at the same weights for all set or starting heavy and going lighter as reps increase?

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Abigail
Posted on: Fri, 07/16/2021 - 09:07

Hey Bart - great question! As the reps increase, you'll decrease the weight you're using.

Brendan
Posted on: Thu, 06/17/2021 - 19:21

Overall I really like this program, but I'm curious what the logic is to the VERY high volume of squats on the first lower body day. Everybody I've spoken with it about it has told me 75 total reps seems like a LOT, so I'm curious what the reasoning is to the high volume programming there compared to the moderate volume in the rest of the plan.

Abdullah
Posted on: Sat, 05/22/2021 - 03:46

How can I ever thank you for this outstanding plan? I have been trying different plans for the past couple of years, none were as effective as this one.

My question is, would it be ok to follow this plan after the 8 recommended weeks? I feel like sticking to it until I reach my goal, which I believe would take more than 8 weeks.

Thanks again

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Abigail
Posted on: Mon, 05/24/2021 - 09:23

Hey Abdullah - you can definitely follow this program for longer than 8 weeks. Glad you're liking the program!

parker
Posted on: Wed, 03/17/2021 - 13:16

this is a great workout, and im 14.
I had a question though.
would it be okay if i did some extra work on abs?
Will this affect things or not?
thanks

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Abigail
Posted on: Thu, 03/18/2021 - 09:24

Hey Parker - you can add in another ab session on your Wednesday active recovery day.

Nate
Posted on: Mon, 03/01/2021 - 00:31

Hi Josh, does this workout help in building some definition?

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Abigail
Posted on: Mon, 03/01/2021 - 10:07

Hey Nate - yes it will.

Louis
Posted on: Thu, 02/25/2021 - 09:55

Can you explain the superset with the number and letter again. 1a and 1b. Do you do 1a and superset with 1b?

Exercises which have a letter next to the number are part of a superset. You should perform all of the exercises within that number prior to taking your rest period.

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Abigail
Posted on: Thu, 02/25/2021 - 10:01

Hey Louis - 1a is supersetted with 1b, 2a would be supersetted with 2b, etc.

Zeyad
Posted on: Sun, 02/21/2021 - 16:38

Hello
It's awesome plan but can I add hiit in cardio days and lf it possible how can I do it perfectly

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Abigail
Posted on: Mon, 02/22/2021 - 09:32

Hey Zeyad - There are HIIT days and cardio days built in on Tuesdays and Fridays. It's not recommended to add additional HIIT days to the program.

Logan
Posted on: Thu, 06/25/2020 - 00:26

Hey man, I am currently finishing up the 3 day split for fat loss as I am just getting back into then gym after awhile. When that program is up should I look more to build mass like this program? Then try for a harder fat loss program? What do you recommend? I am 5’11 male 186 pounds.

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Marina
Posted on: Fri, 09/11/2020 - 13:02

Hey Logan - ultimately it depends on your goals. This program is more of a fat loss program so if your goal is to lose some fat, this would be a pretty solid program to follow. If you're looking for a mass building try this plan: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/10-week-mass-building-program...

Its our most popular muscle building plan.

Micheal
Posted on: Thu, 05/21/2020 - 14:27

Hey!

I am a skinny fat teen at 134 pounds and am trying to be lean and fit within 2 months. If were to follow this entire workout plan exactly and incorporate a healthy diet, will I get an athletic physique?

Thanks

bt
Posted on: Mon, 01/20/2020 - 21:32

How much rest between regular sets and super-sets?

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JoshEngland
Posted on: Tue, 01/21/2020 - 12:27

Hi Bt,

Keep rest on the lower end. 30-45 seconds should do the trick. Of course, you know your body better than I, if you need additional rest prior to beginning your next set or exercise, feel free to take longer.

Vasudevan Krishnan
Posted on: Mon, 01/13/2020 - 13:59

Can I do lesser sets for workouts like rows and leg press (6 instead of 12-15)? I would like to focus on strength than hypertrophy as I don't want to add muscle mass and get bulkier.

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JoshEngland
Posted on: Tue, 01/14/2020 - 11:57

Hi Vasudevan,

Sure - the workout is simply a template. You can modify it in whatever ways to better fit your needs and goals.

Vasudevan Krishnan
Posted on: Fri, 01/17/2020 - 13:07

Thank you for the reply. In that case how much rest would you recommend between sets (planning 4-6 reps per set) and also on duration of steady state cardio during the active recovery sessions.

Neer malhotra
Posted on: Fri, 06/14/2019 - 02:55

Hi
I didn't understand the meaning of drop set.
As I did'nt go to gym. following ur workout plans & exercising at home only with dumbbells.
Difficult 4 me to understand.
Pls.help

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JoshEngland
Posted on: Fri, 06/14/2019 - 09:50

Hi Neer,

With only having dumbbells and your experience level, I'd recommend sticking to the dumbbell only programs: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/3-day-full-body-dumbbell-workout

Neer malhotra
Posted on: Fri, 06/14/2019 - 09:52

Ok.thx

Gene
Posted on: Mon, 05/06/2019 - 23:23

for exercises where you are doing four sets of eight oh, should I use a weight that I fail at at the 8th rep every time? Thank you

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JoshEngland
Posted on: Tue, 05/07/2019 - 10:04

Hi Gene,

Finish each set feeling as though you have 1-2 more reps left in the tank.

gene
Posted on: Thu, 05/30/2019 - 10:03

thank you!

Martin
Posted on: Mon, 04/15/2019 - 15:51

Hi, When i do the drop set i do it only for the last set or at the end of every set?? I mean, if i have to do 3 sets of squat , i use the drop set in all of the 3 sets or only in the last one? Thanks !!!

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JoshEngland
Posted on: Tue, 04/16/2019 - 09:25

Hi Martin,

Perform the drop set on your final sets.

George
Posted on: Mon, 04/01/2019 - 12:54

Hi!
Should i keep the rest on 30-45 seconds also between the exercises? As same as between the sets?

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JoshEngland
Posted on: Tue, 04/02/2019 - 09:30

Hi George,

Yes, that would be fine. Rest in between exercises should be just enough to move to the next station and set up.

Ahmed Selim
Posted on: Wed, 03/27/2019 - 02:03

Hello Josh

is Cardio before or after the workout... and what shall I do for a warm up. I usually run on the treadmill for 5 to 10 mins

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JoshEngland
Posted on: Wed, 03/27/2019 - 16:39

Hi Ahmed,

Perform cardio post workout. For warm ups, start here: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/warming-up-for-dummies

Phil
Posted on: Fri, 02/22/2019 - 01:11

I’m a 26 year old male weighing at 264 pounds (6 feet tall). I have followed this plan and changed my diet to 50% protein (180g+ protein), 20% fat and 30% carbs. I am at the 4 week mark but have not dropped a single pound. I do 25-40 minutes of cardio each day as well (HIIT and elliptical and treadmill). Any tips to possible nudge the scale down moving forward?

Worth noting that it is very clear that I have gotten stronger while following this plan thus far but I would like to lose at least a few lbs as my next goal is 240 lbs.