As we approach spring break and summer vacation, being beach body ready can be top of mind. Maybe you’ve been hitting the gym hard for months putting on strength but haven’t been tracking your macros. Maybe you missed or fell off your new year’s resolution. Regardless of where you are, we're here to help. For many, just getting back into an exercise routine can seem daunting, while for others, just getting past that weight loss or body fat plateau can seem insurmountable. Get started today with a few quick tips.
Hit the Weight Room
When most people think about getting shredded they think it needs to be endless hours on the treadmill, stairs, or bike. This isn’t the case. Strength training helps you to burn calories while you’re working out and extends that burn even after you finish your last set. Building more lean muscle mass also helps you on your cutting cycle since muscle burns more calories than fat while you’re at rest.
Pro Tip: Reduce your rest times between sets to keep your heart rate high and stay in the fat burning zone.
Not sure where to start? There are a ton of great options in our BodyFit fitness tracking app, including Transformed for beginners, Kris Gethin’s 4 Weeks to Shred for intermediate, and Chisled for advanced
Layer in HIIT
You don’t need a ton of fancy equipment or a gym membership to work in more high intensity interval training (HIIT). We were on to something as kids jumping rope in the driveway. A speed rope is the grown-up version and ideal for anybody looking to burn fat. No gym membership? No problem. Adding in just 10-15 minutes of jumping rope aids in your training will burn calories, enhance coordination, and help improve your heart health. Our current favorite is the Sunny Health & Fitness Speed Rope.
There are a number of killer programs to kickstart your shred cycle with our BodyFit fitness tracking app. Short on time? Try Hannah Eden’s FYR: 10 Minute Meltdown . You’ll get a high-intensity session that is perfect to add to the beginning or end of your training sessions. Got a little more time? Try our 20 min HIIT at Home. You can do this anywhere, anytime. No gym membership or fancy equipment needed.
Prioritize Sleep
There’s no debate: what you eat and how you exercise drive your ability to lose unwanted fat. However, it's important to not overlook sleep in the weight loss equation. The amount of sleep each person needs changes based on age. Teenagers need about 9 hours of sleep on average while most adults need 7-8 hours a night. Not getting enough sleep has side effects that will slow down your progress. Without enough sleep you can see increased cortisol levels, the stress hormone that drives your fight or flight response. One study showed that ongoing sleep deprivation can cause increased hunger and appetite.
Having trouble getting enough ZZZs each night? Supplements like EVLUTION Nutrition SleepMode can help support healthy sleep. This formula has 9 proven ingredients to help you relax, fall asleep faster, and experience deeper, better quality sleep.
Stay Hydrated
Proper hydration is key to performance whether you’re doing a long day of cardio or hitting the weights hard. Dehydration is one of the most popular practices for athletes needing to make a weight class to try to shed the last few pounds. While the number might go down temporarily it’s not a permanent fix and can actually hinder your performance. You need water to aid in everything from muscle recovery to digesting your food. It’s reported that more than 40% of regular gym-goers are at least partially dehydrated during their workouts, yet drinking water can increase the number of calories you burn.
Having trouble hitting your water intake? Go ahead and mix in some BCAAs to add a bit of flavor and additional recovery benefits.
Track Your Progress
While weight isn’t the only way to measure progress it’s a great way to keep yourself accountable.
The Escali glass body fat scale is a digital bathroom scale that accurately measures your weight, body fat, body water and muscle mass. It features a large LCD screen that displays your current weight and BMI.
Pro Tip: Weigh yourself first thing in the morning each day. You weight can vary throughout the day by up to 5lbs based on your meals, sodium intake, and other factors.
In addition to tracking your weight, another key to success for burning fat and leaning out is to track your food intake. Most people severely underestimate the number of calories they eat in a day. The only truly accurate way to track your food is to measure precisely how much you are adding to your plate.
Make meal prep Sunday a whole lot easier with Escali’s Primo Food Scale. It’s an accurate kitchen scale that lets you weigh and measure the number of different foods you eat.
Supplement Smarter
Everyone wants to have that perfect body when they get into summer. This is only possible when you work out and follow a healthy diet. If you stay consistent, it won’t be long before people start noticing your new chiseled look. Adding in supplements to your diet and exercise routine will help you achieve this faster. We recommend adding in these tried and true products to kickstart your shred:
EVL LeanMode
EVL LeanMode is a non-stim fat burner from EVLUTION Nutrition. This product helps users lose weight by suppressing appetite and boosting metabolism. The fully dosed ingredients support all the areas critical for effective weight loss – including release of stored fat, fat burning, appetite support, and metabolism support.
This formula helps you to maintain muscle mass while burning fat when used with a healthy diet and exercise program. You can stack this with caffeinated fat burners like ENGN Shred or TRANS4ORM to accelerate your results.
Signature CLA
Signature CLA is another supplement that can help you shed off excess fats. CLA stands for Conjugated Linoleic Acid. According to recent studies, the consumption of CLA during a calorie deficit diet can boost fat loss while preserving lean muscle mass. This means you can cut down unwanted fat without sacrificing your hard-earned muscle.
Dymatize ISO-100
Dymatize ISO-100 is a protein powder that can help you build lean muscle mass. It contains whey isolate protein as its main ingredient. Whey isolate is a fast-absorbing protein that helps you support muscle recovery without added fats or carbohydrates. This protein powder comes in a number of delicious flavors. You can use this immediately after workouts or throughout the day for a protein boost.
Kaged Clean Meal
Kaged Clean Meal is a meal replacement shake that can help you achieve your goal of losing weight. This is a quick and healthy meal replacement for people on the move. Scoop, shake, and, in just 60 seconds, you’ve got a complete meal packed with wholesome, whole-food nutrition. Rich, creamy, and satisfying –use Clean Meal to replace up to two meals per day, or anytime you need a complete meal on the go.
PharmaFreak Ripped Freak
Ripped Freak is a hybrid fat burner and the only one on the market that activates the three, key, rate limiting, fat loss pathways in the body. Olive leaf helps stimulate beta adrenergic receptors and support the release of fat burning hormones while sweet red pepper helps to support the body to disperse energy as heat. Green tea and caffeine help enhance calorie burn, increase fat breakdown, and improve alertness and performance.*
Signature Multivitamin
Multivitamins are nutritional insurance as most people don’t get all of the micronutrients they need from their meals. This is especially true of calorie restricted diets. The Signature Multivitamin provides all the nutrients your body needs with vitamins and minerals, including iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin C. This is an easy one-a-day pill you can take each morning with breakfast to ensure you support your body all day long.
Pro Tip: Vitamin B is essential for energy and metabolism and helps your body convert food to energy to fuel your training