Your bulk is still ongoing, yes, and you still have plenty of mass to gain before summer rolls along, but now is also the perfect moment to start thinking about the cutting cycle looming in the distance. If you’re a devoted warrior of the iron jungle, hell-bent on sculpting the body of your dreams, then you are bound to be making plans and preparations to safely bring your body fat down to single digits.
However, for most men, this is easier said than done, as cutting to reveal a six-pack and every subsequent vein on your body doesn’t only require time and dedication, but also flawless execution. Here to help you sculpt a chiseled physique worthy of a Greek statue is the foolproof guide on how to shred down in just five effective steps.
1. Skip the Popular Diet Fads
If you are serious about blasting the fat off your body to reveal those hard-earned gains, you will pay no attention to popular diet fads and instead, you will stick to creating your own weight loss routine based on your body type and goals. It might seem like a lot of work, but in reality, it only requires a bit of prudent planning.
Every weight loss diet plan ever, no matter the name and premise, is based on creating a caloric deficit. On average, you’ll need to burn 3,000 calories relative to your maintenance calories on a weekly basis to lose one pound of body weight. With that in mind, you want to assess your maintenance calories and simply eat 500 calories less on a daily basis to see steady results.
2. Up Your Water Intake
If there is one thing shredded people do better than you, it’s sticking to a strict hydration schedule on a daily basis. Water is the essential constituent of life, and wouldn’t you know it, it plays a vital role in elevating your energy levels, supplying your muscles with nutrients, and helping regulate your metabolism.
And we’re not just talking about the eight glasses of water a day nonsense; no, as a serious lifter looking to cut fat, you need to be hydrating copiously, drinking anywhere from three to six liters of pure aqua relative to your body weight. Heftier lifters weighing more than 200lbs shouldn’t go below five liters a day.
3. Make Training Fun and Challenging
The next step is to switch up your training routine and present your body with new challenges based on cardio, strength, and functional training that it will need to overcome. And overcoming new obstacles requires you to expend more energy than before, leading to a greater fat loss.
So, how do you challenge your body in new and exciting ways? Easy, if you were pounding the weights until now, you want to introduce HIIT cardio into your routine. If you want to train for strength, it would be a great idea to attend some challenging group fitness classes where you can work in a group of like-minded individuals looking to shed fat and preserve their muscle mass at the same time. Remember, shocking your body with an unexpected routine is bound to speed up the process.
4. Eliminate All Unhealthy Temptations
Photo Credit: Tom Sodoge
The world around you is tailored to entice you to spend your money on flashy products, buy the things you only think are good for you, and ultimately fail to recognize that you have been played by the marketing industry. In the modern world, succumbing to unhealthy temptations such as junk food, sugary delights, or overindulging in starchy carbs can be all too easy.
Instead, you want to develop a healthy eating regime, consisting of proteins, healthy fats, and light carbs. Remember, not all calories are created equal, so a calorie in a cheeseburger is far different from a calorie in lean meats, eggs, or spinach. Choose your food sources carefully, and be sure to eliminate unhealthy substitutes from your life altogether.
5. Keep Moving No Matter What
Finally, if you want to keep your metabolism fired up at all times, you need to keep active, even on your off days. Now, that doesn’t mean pounding the weights and sweating over a treadmill seven days a week, but it does mean refraining from slouching on the couch when you’re not exercising, and instead of going for a long walk with the dog, or even a jog.
Staying active every day will help your muscles recover faster from your workouts, but more importantly, it will keep your metabolism revving for days. If you’re exercising every other day, then light physical activity in between training sessions will prove to be just the thing you need to burn fat more efficiently and reach that single-digit body fat percentage.
In the pursuit of a sculpted physique, other men will envy and women will want to lay their hands on, you needn’t starve yourself or resort to unhealthy fat loss products. Instead, be sure to follow these five essential steps, and you will be in the fast lane to Six-pack Town in no time.
About Peter Minkoff
Peter is a men's lifestyle writer at The Beard Mag (http://www.thebeardmag.com/) and Men-Ual magazine (http://www.men-ual.eu/) from the UK. Besides writing he worked as a men's grooming consultant for many fashion events. Follow Peter on Twitter (https://twitter.com/MinkoffPeter) for more tips.