Shape-Up / Body Tone Routine

Overview

This routine will take about 30-40 minutes, 3 times per week. The workouts should be performed on three non consecutive days of the week (typically Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Each workout contains exercises for each major body part and is performed with a rep range and a workout tempo that will help burn body fat and help tone and maintain muscle tissue. The rep range is such that you will not be able to gain 'muscle bulk'.

Each exercise should be performed in a strict style such that you are in control of the weight when both raising and lowering the weight. Cheating by swinging the weight or throwing the weight up may result in injury, you will also make little if any progress. You can learn more in depth information about this by reading the sections on loading parameters and TUT. To put it simply, make sure that you controlling your weight as you move it from the start position to the end position. And return the weight back to the starting position under strict and steady control. There is no need to rush the movement. In fact the slower that you move, the better. You will have more control and safety and cause more stimulus to the muscle tissue by keeping it under greater tension for longer. Try and perform each rep over about 6 seconds. Maybe two to three seconds up and three to four seconds back down. If you can, try to emphasize the downward eccentric portion of the exercise as this has been shown to produce more stimulus for muscular growth.

During the first week you should perform each exercise with an empty bar to ensure you have the correct movement.

For each exercise a number of reps ( the number of times you repeat the movement) and the number of sets (the number of times you perform the exercise) are indicated, but in general they based around doing each exercise 3 times for 15-25 reps each time. Between each set you should take a 30 second rest to allow lactic acid to be removed from the muscle before the next set.

Each rep should take 1 second to raise the weight and 1 second to lower the weight. There should be no pause at the top or the bottom of the motion.

Once you can perform the exercises with the correct form and feel the movement in the target muscle, you need to select an appropriate weight. The correct weight is one that allows you to perform 20 reps in good form and leaves you feeling a burning sensation in the muscle which lasts for about 15 seconds.

The ideal rep range for each exercise is 15-25 reps, and therefore once you can do the first set for 25 reps you should increase the weight at your next workout.

This workout is best performed on an empty stomach, ideally before breakfast. However this is not suitable for everyone, so performing it later in the day would be fine, so long as you don't eat anything for three hours prior to the workout. This maximises fat burn during and after the workout. Leave around 1 hour after the workout before eating.

Muscles repair and build during rest, not during the workout, and therefore it's important to get adequate rest. In general you should aim for 8-9 hours sleep per day, longer if you have a physically demanding job.

A routine such as this is possible to recover from within 24 hours. However to maximise the metabolic benefits in terms of fat burning, it is recommended that you do not train on two consecutive days.

This form of routine is relatively mild on the nervous system and does not require periodic recovery breaks or easing down periods, rather it can be used for as long as it meets your objectives.

After following this routine for one to two months you should notice a steady buildup in your competency to use and handle high endurance exercises with weights and a mixture of isolation exercises. You will notice a dramatic increase in learning how your unique body is responding to the stimulus that you place upon it. So long as your exercise selection and execution is of good quality and you supply your body with all of the nutrients that it needs to repair itself and grow, you should notice an even and steady increase in energy and endurance at the muscular level. Dont expect any dramatic increases in strength or muscle size, but combined with a good fat loss program you can definitely expect to find your body becoming more detailed, harder and defined. In other words you are going to lose bodyfat and tone up. You will get leaner on this program and feel you have more energy in general if you make good food choices. We would recommend that you follow a diet such as those of the low carbohydrate variety if this suits your metabolic type.