1) Add a quick cardio session to the end of your workout
Going along with tip #2 this is another great way to burn some extra calories without adding too much mental anguish. A quick 10 minutes of HIIT(high intensity interval training) can burn 150 cals and it’s a real easy thing to incorporate into your workouts. You’re already at the gym. You’re already sweaty. You might as well do a little extra to reach your goals faster.
Some great quick cardio workouts:
- HIIT like I said. Sprint for 30 seconds, walk for 30 seconds, repeat for 10 minutes
- Walk at a 10-15 incline on a treadmill at 3-4 speed for 10 minutes.
- Use an elliptical with a high level of resistance for 10 minutes.
- Bike with a high level of resistance for 10 minutes.
- Jog at a fairly high pace for 10 minutes. You’re only on for 10 minutes, so suck it up!
Over the period of a 90 day cut this can help you shed an extra 2-3% bodyfat. That’s the difference between lean and ripped out of your mind.
2) Chug a liter of water upon waking up in the morning
Staying hydrated is KEY to fat loss, and you’re never more dehydrated than you are upon waking. So if you can immediately hydrate you’ll kick your body’s metabolism into optimal gear that much faster and get a extra hour or so of optimal metabolic function going for you.
There’s a ton more benefits to chugging water in the morning as well. It helps you wake up. Helps flush out your digestive system. And overall just helps you start your day on a great note.
Along the same lines, it’s a no brainer, but keep drinking water throughout the day. A well hydrated person will lose noticeably more bodyfat than a chronically dehydrated individual.
If you’re not peein every half hour you’re not drinking enough water 🙂
The kleen kanteen is an AWESOME water bottle. I’ve had mine for YEARS and it’s seriously my most prized possession. I take it with me everywhere I go(ask my friends). It’s stainless steel. Holds a liter of water. You don’t get that nasty plastic taste and most of all you avoid all the BPAs. Click here to check them out on Amazon. These things are DURABLE too. And in a pinch they make for great weapons. Stainless steel, filled with a liter of water… might as well be a baseball bat 😉
3) Replace one carb heavy meal with a spinach salad, vegetable stir-fry, or other form of low density carbs
Abs are built in the kitchen, not the gym.
By replacing just ONE dense carb source(pasta, breads, etc) from a meal each day you can cut out as much as 300 calories and dramatically lower your intake of carbohydrates. This will greatly speed your cut and help you reach your goal of a six pack quicker. Over the period of 90 days following this one tip and changing nothing else about your diet you could see as much as 8.4lbs lost.
4) Take an early morning walk!
Not only will taking an early morning walk help you to your goal of a six pack, it will also start your days off on the right foot. 😉
If you took a 20 minute brisk stroll in the morning five days a week that can equal 500-700 calories burned per week. Over a 90 day period that’s 8400 extra calories or 2.8lbs. Over a year’s time that’s 11.2 pounds you’ve either taken off or kept from being put on your frame. All from a brisk morning walk.
I like morning walks because let’s be honest. It’s tough to wake up in the mornings knowing that you’re about to do some grueling workout or run five miles. Both of which are GREAT, but do what you can. It’s better to walk in the mornings then say you’re going to run and but never actually follow through. And a brisk walk is a great starting step to transitioning over to a morning run or morning workout.