Losing weight and building muscle are never easy. But these five tips will help you get ripped quickly. Lose the belly fat, get muscle definition and have more energy. Here's how:
1. Eat Clean
Wizard Of Oz Lunch Box
What does eating clean mean? It means avoiding processed foods whenever possible. This not only means getting rid of potato chips and cookies, it means taking an active part in your food preparation. Instead of making your meal from a box (think Hamburger Helper), cook healthy meals from scratch. You'll want to focus on lean proteins (chicken, fish, lowfat dairy, lean beef), fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes. Here's an example of a "clean" day of eating.
Breakfast -- egg white vegetable omelet with a whole grain English Muffin
Snack -- apple with 2 tbsp. peanut butter
Lunch -- tossed salad with tuna fish on top, balsamic vinegar used as dressing
Snack -- 1 oz almonds with a peach
Dinner -- sushi with a small salad
2. Lift Heavy Weights
To challenge muscles, you should lift a weight that you find difficult to complete 10-15 reps. Shoot for 3 sets (a set is the number of times you before one group of sets).
You can also try pyramid sets to really make your muscles group quickly. A pyramid set involves doing 3 sets of increasing weight. For example, a pyramid set of bicep curls would look like this:
Set 1 -- 15 reps with 15lbs
Set 2 -- 10 reps with 20lbs
Set 3 -- 8 reps with 25lbs
3. Do Interval Cardio
Many people think that you have to do hours of cardio each week to drop fat. Even to get ripped quickly, you don't need to invest that much time in cardio. Shoot for 20 minutes 4-6 times a week. The key is interval training, which means you vary the intensity of your workout. Here's an example using running:
5 minute warm-up -- level 3-4
2 minute -- level 6
2 minute -- level 8
Repeat 5 times
5 minute cool-down -- level 3-4
4. Drink Lots of Water
Water helps flush out fat and keeps you hydrated during your workouts. Best of all, water has no calories. If you want to add a little flavor, add a splash of juice, squeeze a lemon or add some Crystal Light mix (also no calories).
5. Supplement Your Efforts
Supplements are a whole other article unto themselves. I'll keep it simple. Take a multi-vitamin. There you have it.