Workout Summary
- Main GoalLose Fat
- Workout TypeSplit
- Training LevelIntermediate
- Program Duration6 weeks
- Days Per Week5
- Time Per Workout45-70 minutes
- Equipment RequiredBarbell, Bodyweight, Cables, Dumbbells, Machines, Other
- Target Gender Male & Female
- Recommended Supps
- Workout PDF Download Workout
Workout Description
The definition of an inferno is a large fire that is dangerously out of control.
The other definition is hell – which, often times during our fat loss phases, feels exactly like what we’re going through.
However, this program is aimed to be different. The workouts are intended to be a little more fun with a focus on volume to help increase the amount of calories you burn each workout.
A lot of the fat loss workouts we create on Muscle & Strength are focused on compound exercises to maximize time in the gym. This one, while similar, is different.
There’s a lot more isolation worked into this 5 day fat loss workout routine. Pump work if you will.
The way the split is structured is also unique. It prioritizes the two largest (and often neglected) muscle groups in the body to help you burn more calories throughout the week.
So, let’s dive deeper into the program and give you an idea of what the next 6-8 weeks will look like.
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Fat Loss Inferno Program Overview
The Fat Loss Inferno workout consists of 5 total weight lifting days. Two of the days will focus on legs, two of the days will focus on back, and the week as a whole will prioritize hitting each muscle group with the optimal training frequency given the volume.
The final day of the week is a back and chest superset workout (a pairing made famous by Arnold himself) to help you burn even more calories while getting a nice upper body pump for the weekend.
Ab work isn’t included into the program design. But, including core work and cardio into the program can prove to be beneficial depending on your individual goals. If you wish to do so, you can include core and cardio training into your morning routine on whichever training days you prefer or on your rest days.
Rest periods during the workouts should be approximately 60-90 seconds in between each exercise. I’d recommend resting for 90 seconds for the first lift of each workout, 75ish seconds for the next exercise, and 60ish seconds for the remainder of the exercises.
All exercises should be performed at an RPE of between 7-9, with the majority of your working sets using a weight in which you have 1 rep in reserve after each set. If you’re unsure of what weight to use, you may want to experiment for the first couple of weeks until your body gets used to the program and you have a better understanding of your individual strength levels.
Adding additional workouts or exercises to the program, outside of core and cardio training, is not recommended.
Monday: Legs (Quad Dominant)
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Back Squat | 5 | 8 |
Leg Press | 4 | 10-12 |
Bulgarian Split Squat | 3 | 10-12 Each |
Leg Curl | 3 | 10-15 |
Seated Calf Raise | 3 | 20-25 |
Tuesday: Pull Workout (Mid/Upper Back Focused)
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
T Bar Row | 5 | 8 |
Close Grip Lat Pull Down | 4 | 8-12 |
Cable Row | 3 | 10-12 |
Preacher Curls | 3 | 10-12 |
Incline Dumbbell Curls | 3 | 10-12 |
Wednesday: Push Workout (Shoulder Focused)
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Standing Dumbbell Press | 5 | 8 |
Leaning Lateral Raise | 4 | 8-12 |
Machine Shoulder Press | 3 | 8-12 |
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press | 3 | 12 |
Rope Tricep Extension | 3 | 10-12 |
Overhead Dumbbell Extension | 3 | 10-12 |
Friday: Leg Workout (Hamstring Focused)
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift | 5 | 8 |
Reverse Hack Squat | 4 | 8-12 |
Walking Lunge | 3 | 12-15 Each |
Leg Curl | 3 | 10-12 |
Seated Calf Raise | 3 | 20-25 |
Saturday: Chest/Back Supersets
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
A1. Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 | 8 |
A2. Dumbbell Row | 4 | 8 |
B1. Lat Pull Down | 4 | 8-12 |
B2. Push Up | 4 | 12-15 |
C1. Machine Fly | 3 | 12 |
C2. Reverse Machine Fly | 3 | 12 |
Creating a Fat Loss Environment
Weight lifting and working out is an excellent way to burn calories and build lean muscle.
However, you really need to continue to foster a fat loss environment outside of the gym to see the results you are hoping for.
Doing so requires paying attention to your nutrition, sleep, and stress levels.
If you optimize those 3 things outside of the gym, you’ll be able to maximize your results from this particular program.
To optimize your diet, ensure you’re eating in a calorie deficit. This is necessary to lose body fat. You may want to use a daily calorie calculator to determine your calorie needs to maintain your current weight. From there, subtract ~250-500 calories to create a slight deficit.
Once you’ve put yourself in a calorie deficit, you’ll want to eat enough protein to preserve lean muscle tissue during your fat loss phase. This number can range from 0.7g-2g of protein per lb of bodyweight. Although, 0.7-1g seems to work just perfectly.
For convenience sake and easy calculating, it’s recommended to start off with 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight and experiment with protein intake from there.
Once you’ve mastered the nutrition portion of your fat loss phase, you’ll want to optimize your sleep. Getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep is extremely important when it comes to accomplishing your fitness goals and leading an overall healthy life.
If you struggle with getting optimal sleep, you might find the following resources helpful to read:
- Science Tells All: Get Shredded While You Sleep
- Sleep Science: Nature's Most Effective Performance Enhancer
- Sleep Science: Nature's Most Effective Performance Enhancer (Part 2)
- Straight Z's: Sleep Science for College Students
Lastly, and this one is more difficult to make recommendations on, but you’ll want to regulate your stress levels as best as possible. Now, while you can’t control what’s going on with others, at work, or at school, you can take a little bit of time each day for yourself.
Try meditative apps such as Calm or Headspace. They’re simple to use and allow you to really get in tune with your mind and overall well-being.
If you choose you don’t want to spend money on an app subscription, you could try journaling. Taking a couple minutes each day to put your thoughts on paper is a really helpful strategy to assist you in managing your stress.
Summary
Getting shredded isn’t easy. But, with the Fat Loss Inferno and lifestyle tips, you’ll be well on your way to getting nice and diced.
The routine is pretty straightforward. Modifying your life to fit a fat loss program isn’t. It’ll take time to figure out what does and doesn’t work for you, but so long as you give a good consistent effort, you’ll reach your goals in no time.
If you have any question regarding the program itself or any of the tips mentioned in the article, feel free to leave a comment in the comment’s section below. We’re always happy to help you throughout your fitness journey!
62 Comments
My gym does not have the machine for the reverse Hack squat. Any suggestions as a replacement?
Go with a leg press with the feet high and wide on the platform. This will help you target more hamstrings and glutes.
Hello is there a similar workout to this except to help with bulking/ muscle mass? I like the way the days are split.
You might find that here, Adam. If not, let me know and I will see what I can find.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-next-train...
Would sprinkling some arms on the upper body days be ok? Or is that too much.
You could add one biceps and one triceps movement, and you'd be fine, Logan. Check out our Exercises section if you need ideas of what to add. Thanks for reading M&S!
I noticed there are only 4-5 chest exercises throughout the 5 days.
Just wondering if there was a purpose for that? Seems like it is being under utilized.
This one is more about fat loss than physique development.
I really like hip thrusts and cable kicks. Can I work those into the hamstring focused day as my focus right now is to lift and shred down my gutes/hips?
Hi, Kelly. That's a good idea. Let us know how it works for you. Your experience may help others that have similar goals. Thanks!
Can I do this workout five days in a row? It is easier for me to work M-F.
Make sure that nutrition is absolutely on point, and that you're sleeping well, Jose. If you can do that, then you can go five in a row. Once you start feeling sluggish, exhausted, or you aren't recovering properly, it's time to make a switch.
Hi is the suggested RPE out of 10 or 20
Out of 10, Adam!
How should the weight progress between each set? Also should I increase or decrease weight between sets? Thanks!
Hey Ryan, that is up to you. If you want to focus on strength, add weight each set, but do it gradually. If you want to focus on execution, keep the weight the same.
How much cardio is recommended for optimal weight loss with this program? I currently have over 50lbs I’d like to drop.
Hey Steve - there is no recommended cardio for this program. You can do 2-3 days of cardio per week if you fell necessary. Remember, diet is the most important factor in losing fat.
Hi, thanks for this workout! I'm starting this week. I have to have Wednesday as a rest day as I work late, so can I do the workout in the same order as stated but on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday instead? Thanks!
Hey Victoria - yes you can do that
It's ok to change monday leg workout for tuesday push workout? Since I do hill sprints on sunday
Hey Bruno - yes you can do that.
Great program! Cant wait to try it, but can we change the workout days layout!?!
Hey Michel - it's best to follow the workout days in the order that they're written. What are you looking to change?
I was think of starting with chest/back, and then follow the rest!
Yes you can do that!
Hello, I wanted to ask, will this program help me build muscles while losing fat if i take enough protein?
Hey Mohamad - If you're eating in a slight caloric deficit with adequate protein intake, you can minimize muscle loss while losing weight.
Hi,
Do you have a version of this where the only equipment available is a barbell and dumbbells? (no cables or.machines). I want to follow it during the upcoming lockdown.
Many thanks
Hey Craig - check out this one: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-barbell-mass-workout...
Hi Guys,
This looks to be a very nice workout. Can this be used for gaining muscle bulk? if so any changes to the rep range?
Secondly, Can I add a shoulder, biceps and triceps exercise on the last day?
Thanks
Hey Khaled - try this workout for bulking: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/10-week-mass-building-program...
My gym doesn't have a hack squat machine. What would be a good substitute for the reverse hack squat? Thanks. Looking forward to trying this one.
Hey Scott - any squatting exercise will do the job... squat, smith machine squat, dumbbell squat etc. You could also do leg press
Hi Guys
Could I add a booty building day to this program? I'm currently following your P.H.U.L program with a booty building day and it's going really well. I need to continue the booty build..what would you recommend? And could I substitute the Hack Squat with front squat? My gym does not have the Hack machine.
Hi Sabrina - you can add/exchange exercises on the hamstring-focused leg day for more glute-focused exercises. Yes, you can substitute the hack squat with a front squat.
Overall great workout but, 2 leg days both end the same way Leg curls + Seated calf rises (while chest for example is kind of out of focus). Is it really intentional and good for some reason?
Hey guys,
How much rest do you recommend between the supersets on day 5?
So for instance you execute a1 + a2 set 1, what is the recommended resting period before starting set 2 of a1+a2?
Hi Artur,
60-75 second rest periods should do the trick for that specific day. However, rest is highly individualized. If you need more - take more.
Hola buenas días
+ Ejercicios SESION planificación entrenamiento cuero completo home me da regala papel calidad nivel 1 hasta ?
+ Quiero Afiliar Operar me recompensada Únete me dar Guiar Video si o no puede ?
+ Disculpe no tiene celular daño si verdad se como Hizo ?
On the last day it’s broken down into six parts. A1 A2 B1 B 2 and C1 C2 what is that for?
Hi Aadal,
Those are supersets. You perform both exercises before taking a rest period.
Just curious if there are any nutritional suggestions for this routine?
Hi Rob,
Give the "Creating a Fat Loss Enviroment" section a read.
Hi can i workout mon-fri instead? Or do i need to have a rest day
Hi Ahin,
That'll work.
Can i replace machine shoulder press with barb. Upright row..or suggest me where i fit this ?
Hi Arpit,
Barbell shoulder press will do the trick if you want to substitute the exercise.
Can i switch lat pull down to underhand pull down.my upper chest is week so what can i do ...and last one when i do cardio and abs
Hi Arpit,
That substitution is fine. Upper chest is targeted plenty with this program. Do cardio and abs as you feel it is needed (not everyone needs to depending on their goals)