When it comes to losing weight, burning fat, and building muscle [1] there are a two styles of training I always recommend. The first style of training I tell people to begin with is strength training. It helps you lower your body fat percentage [2] and build lean muscle, and it can be modified for all levels. "The benefits of strength training [3] for both men and women include an increase in bone mass and lean mass, improved body composition (due to decreased fat mass), cardiovascular fitness, strength, and an enhanced sense of well-being," the British Journal of Sports Medicine reported.
The second style of training I recommend for fat lass is cardio. I like cardio because it's been proven to help you burn fat [4], and it gives you variety in your workouts. You're probably either like, "Yes, I love running!" or "Nope, I'll pass." But here's the thing: running isn't the only form of cardio. You can also get your cardio in by doing workouts like Spinning and swimming. There's an option for everyone.
To help you reach your goal — burn fat, build muscle, lose weight, or all of the above — I created this four-week workout plan. It's pretty straightforward, you'll do the following workouts consistently for four weeks. You'll repeat each workout four times over a four-week span. This will help you learn the movement patterns and really be able to see your improvement.
If on week two, three, and four, you feel like the the weights you're lifting are too easy, you can always increase the weight! Here are a few signs your weights are too light [6]. For an added challenge, you can also decrease your rest time. Finally, I recommend tracking how heavy you're lifting in order to see your progression over the four-week period. You can do this with a notes app on your phone or simply write it down in a notebook.
If you're ready to get started, keep reading.
How to Follow the 4-Week Weight Loss Workout Plan
All the strength workouts should be performed as supersets [8]. A superset is when you do two exercises back-to-back taking little to no rest in between moves. An example of this would be doing 10 reps of barbell squats [9] immediately followed by 10 reps of push-ups [10].
I've also included compound exercises [11], exercises that work multiple groups of muscle like deadlifts [12], into each workout. I do this because they give you the most bang for your buck and help you burn more calories and fat because they require more energy to perform.
The 4-Week Workout Plan
Before every workout, be sure to warm up and cool down. Here are a dynamic warmup [13] and a cooldown [14] I like.
Use this handy guide to figure out how much weight you should be lifting [15]. You may need to use different weights depending on the exercise, but that's normal. Try not to take more than 60 seconds of rest in between each superset.
Monday: Strength Training
Superset 1: Do four sets
- Exercise 1: Goblet squat [16]: 12 reps
- Exercise 2: Lat pulldown [17] or pull-up [18] (you can use the machine or a band): 12 reps for lat pulldown or five reps for pull-up
Superset 2: Do four sets
- Exercise 1: Step-up [19]: 10 reps each leg (to make this more challenging, hold two five- to 10-pound dumbbells by your sides)
- Exercise 2: Single-arm row [20]: 12 reps each arm
Superset 3: Do four sets
- Exercise 1: Single-leg glute bridge [21]: 10 reps each leg
- Exercise 2: Bicep curl [22]: 10 reps
Core: Elbow plank [23]: 15-second hold
Tuesday: Cardio
It's day two, and I hope you're feeling good after yesterday's strength workout. Today, you're doing cardio. Lace up your running shoes [24] and go for a 20-minute run. The pace is up to you; just make sure that you're challenging yourself. If you can't run for whatever reason, you can swim, do the StairMaster [25], spin, row [26], or hop on the elliptical [27]; you've got lots of options. Once you've completed your cardio it's time for abs.
Ab Workout: Complete two rounds of the following workout. If necessary, feel free to modify the amount of time you do each exercise for.
- Left side plank [28]: 20 seconds
- Russian twist [29]: 20 seconds
- Right side plank [30]: 20 seconds
Wednesday: Strength Training
Superset 1: Do four sets
- Exercise 1: Romanian deadlift [31]: 12 reps
- Exercise 2: Bench press [32]: 10 reps
Superset 2: Do four sets
- Exercise 1: Back extension [33]: 12 reps with a one second hold at the top
- Exercise 2: Shoulder press [34]: 10 reps (for back support do this seated on a bench)
Superset 3: Do three sets
- Exercise 1: Dumbbell walking lunge [35]: 10 reps each leg (20 total)
- Exercise 2: Push-up [36]: 10 reps
Thursday: Cardio
You're almost through the week, so stay strong! You may be feeling slightly sore, and that's absolutely normal. For today, you've got 10 to 20 minutes of cardio. Remember, running isn't the only form of cardio. You can do a walking workout [37], sprint intervals [38], ride your bike, or swim — it's up to you. Most importantly, work hard.
Friday: Conditioning
It's time to finish the week strong! Today's workout is going to feel a little more challenging than the other strength workouts you did earlier in the week. Since this is conditioning day, you're going to be doing more intense moves with less rest. Don't worry! You're going to do just fine.
Superset 1: Do three sets
- Exercise 1: Squat to overhead press [39]: 10 reps
- Exercise 2: Jump rope: 30 seconds
Superset 2: Do four sets
- Exercise 1: Weighted glute bridge [40] or a barbell hip thrust [41]: 12 reps
- Exercise 2: Dumbbell bench press [42]: 12 reps
Superset 3: Do three sets
- Exercise 1: Plank with row [43] or reverse grip bent-over row [44]: 10 reps on each arm
- Exercise 2: Seated knee tuck [45]: 15 reps
Saturday
Today will be a light active recovery day. Take a yoga class or you can do one of the following flows:
- Yoga flow for weightlifters [46]
- Beginner yoga flow [47]
- 16-minute sequence for tight hips [48]
Sunday
Week one is officially over, and you should be proud of yourself. One of the most crucial things you can do to achieve your goals is to be consistent. Today, all you have to do is rest. Walk around, stretch, ride your bike, do something that makes you feel good and will prepare you for next week.
Remaining Weeks
Repeat this exact plan for weeks two, three, and four. Remember, you can always increase the weight and/or decrease wait time between supersets for an added challenge!
What to Do After You Finish the 4-Week Program
Way to crush these last four weeks. You're a badass but we're sure you already knew that! If you're feeling great and want to keep going, you can start back up from the top. I recommend increasing the weight you're using, decreasing your rest time, and increasing the number of sets and reps of each exercise. This is called progressive overload [49]. For example, if you did three sets of 10 goblets squats with 10 pounds, try doing four sets of 12 reps with 15 pounds.
Another option is to do a more advanced variation of the exercise. Instead of goblet squats, you could progress to a barbell back squat [50] and also increase the weight and sets and rep range.
Congratulations on completing the four-week program!