The Calorie Destroyer: 12 Week Full Body HIIT Workout and Meal Plan

If you want to achieve great results, you have to make great commitments. That applies in fitness, work, or any other aspect of life. If you’re someone that has decided you want to lose weight and get in better shape, it’s going to take a serious level of dedication and a long-term plan.

The plan that follows will be a three-month journey for anyone that takes it on. If you’re new to the fitness world and want to change the way you look and feel, then this workout program and nutrition strategy can help you make that a reality. Beginners and fitness rookies are the focus of this program but if the iron veterans want to give these workouts a try, go for it.

Calorie Destroyer Workout

Before we dive into the details, let’s talk a little about the philosophy behind it. This will be a High Intensity Interval Training program. So instead of doing moderate effort work over a long period of time, you’ll alternate high efforts of serious work with periods of total rest. This style of training will help you burn more calories, increase endurance, improve overall fitness, and simply put, keep the routine from getting boring and stale.

The Workouts

The program below is made to be done as its own three times a week but if you want to include this as an addition to another beginner style weight training program, you can. You’ll need around 35 minutes to complete these sessions.

For this workout, you’ll need a kettlebell and a pair of dumbbells. It’s designed to be done at home or in a gym. If you want to use a weighted vest, that would be great but it’s not required. Remember, the goal is to burn calories and increase endurance. There is no need to use heavy weights here.

The exercises listed will help you train the entire body. There is no direct work for areas like the side delts or the arms but if you’re adding this to another program, then let that program take care of those areas. If you want guidance on how to do these movements, check out the M&S Exercise Video Database.

12 Week Full Body HIIT Workout

This isn’t only about burning calories – we want to get better and improve performance too. So that is the focus throughout the next three months.

We will start with double the rest time of the time we perform the sets. As we enter each new phase, the work time increases and the rest time decreases. This is gradual so you shouldn’t feel too overwhelmed when the changes take place. The phases and times are below.

• Weeks 1 and 2: 30 seconds of work with 60 seconds of rest.
• Weeks 3 and 4: 35 seconds of work with 55 seconds of rest.
• Weeks 5 and 6: 40 seconds of work with 50 seconds of rest.
• Weeks 7 and 8: 45 seconds of work with 45 seconds of rest.
• Weeks 9 and 10: 50 seconds of work with 40 seconds of rest.
• Week 11: 55 seconds of work with 35 seconds of rest.
• Week 12: 60 seconds of work with 30 seconds of rest.

This doesn’t mean you have to double the reps you do. If you need an extra second or two in between reps as you approach failure, that’s okay. Just don’t quit until the time expires.

Calorie Destroyer: Nutrition

This isn’t going to be a breakthrough revolution in nutrition but if you’re someone who is looking for some guidance on how to eat while trying to get in better shape, then this could help you.

What you eat and how you eat it are more important than the workouts themselves. Food provides the fuel for your body and like a car, the type of fuel you put in can determine how well you perform when it’s necessary to.

Let’s keep this as simple as possible. If you want to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in. If you want to get bigger and stronger, then you need to eat more. If you want to count your macros, then focus on 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and .4 grams of fats per pound of bodyweight.

Related: Expert Fat Loss Guide: Learn To Lose Fat With Diet & Training

As for carbohydrates, if you want to lose weight, then eat 1 gram of carbs per pound of bodyweight. So if you’re a 200 pound person who wants to lose weight, then your macros are below.

200 grams of protein, 200 grams of carbs, 80 grams of fat.

That can be broken up into five or six meals over the course of your day. That’s your three basic meals and two or three others that would be like snacks. Take those total numbers and divide them by five or six, depending on your preference, and that is your amount to eat per meal.

There are debates about whether three or six meals is better for you. My recommendation is six because it is smaller meals and it would be easier for you to meet your calorie goals than eating bigger meals. It also could save you time. That said, there is flexibility here. If you feel three would be better for you, go for it.

Portions

Now if you’re someone who doesn’t like the thought of doing a bunch of math, then you can opt for doing portions. Keep in mind that this may not be as accurate as calorie counting but if you’re more likely to follow this way, then do it.

Food that is the size of your clinched fist is one portion. If you have three meals a day, then eat two portions of protein, one or two portions of carbs, depending on the time of day, and one portion of fats. If you’re going to do six meals, then one portion of each is what you should shoot for.

Sources of Nutrition

These are the most popular suggestions for food sources. They aren’t the only ones out there so if you know of something that you like and it may not be on this list, that doesn’t mean you can’t have it. Just make sure it is a good source.

• Protein: Chicken, Turkey, Eggs, Egg Whites, Steak, Fish, Lean Pork, Whey Protein Isolate, Greek Yogurt, Plant Protein
• Fats: Avocados, Nuts, Fats from Fish, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Egg Yolks, Dark Chocolate, Coconut Oil
• Vegetables: Any of them.
• Carbohydrates: Oats, White Rice, Brown Rice, Barley, Rice, Quinoa, Fruit, Sweet Potato, Couscous, Whole Wheat Pasta

Regardless of the goal and metrics you’re using, protein should be the priority with each meal because the amino acids from protein are what’s going to fuel your muscles to perform and recover. So start your meal by having your protein first. Then focus on your fats if they are separate. Finally, slowly take in the carbs until you’re finished or satisfied. If you get full before finishing, you want the carbs to be what is left behind since they are technically nonessential.

Cheat Meals

If you plan on treating yourself, do it wisely. Make sure you have it earlier in your day and before a training session. The surplus in calories can be fuel for the workouts and you don’t want to go to bed on a full stomach of calories you didn’t need. It can affect your sleep negatively and the unused calories can affect your weight loss.

Related: How to Properly Incorporate Cheat Meals Into Your Diet

Importance of Water

This is also a common denominator across all nutritional principles. Water is absolutely necessary and should be had with or after each meal. You can have other drinks too like teas, coffee, or supplements but make sure you drink water.

One big tip to help you get enough in throughout the day is drinking at least 16 ounces as soon as you wake up. If you can do more, you should. This will help you get hydrated immediately since you’ve been asleep for several hours and can benefit from the water. Also, you will go to the bathroom earlier on in the day and since you won’t be drinking as much by the end of the day, you can minimize the trips before bed or in the middle of the night.