Building lean muscle mass takes more than just increasing your protein intake and working out a few days a week. It takes dedication, relentless commitment, and hard work. With our eight-week lean workout program, you'll be able to increase your strength, build more muscle, burn more body fat, and get into the best shape of your life. With a mix of periodized strength and high-intensity functional training, you'll turn into a fat-burning machine and start seeing results in no time.
How To Get Lean
Shredding body fat and getting lean, is really about training intensity and optimizing your nutrition. Whether it’s a few added pounds of baby weight you were never able to shed, or you’ve struggled with nutrition and diet your entire life, there are a few simple rules that you can follow and incorporate into the everyday eating habits that will help you burn body fat and reach your fitness goals and stay ultimately stay there. A common misconception is that going on a diet will help you lose weight, and you’ll finally reach your body goals or image that you’ve been trying so desperately to attain. Granted, you may lose a few pounds before beach season, but for the majority of us, it’s just not sustainable.
10 Tips To Stay Lean
- Eat protein with complex carbohydrates for every meal
- Make a grocery list and when you get to the store, stick to it
- Pay attention to nutrition labels [especially the other ingredients]
- Lower your sodium intake
- Increase your protein intake
- The types of carbohydrates you eat matter [not all carbs are created equal]
- Drink more water
- Balance your diet with supplementation
- Be conscious of what you eat
- Take a fat burning supplement to increase BMR
Consistency Is Key
If you want to build lean muscle mass and burn body fat, consistency is paramount. Your body adapts to changes, but only if those changes are executed with consistency. Getting to the gym, or working out inconsistently, will translate to inconsistent results. Set aside at least 45 minutes of dedicated to your workout program 4-5 days per week.
RELATED ARTICLE How To Burn Body Fat And Stay Lean In 13 Simple Steps
Workout Intensity Matters
Workout tempo and intensity will dictate how much muscle you'll gain and body fat you'll burn. If you're lazy and half-ass your workout, you're going to get half-ass results. Blend your pre-workout, drink your clean carbs, and put your max effort into your training. You'll reap the reward and satisfaction of knowing you gave it your all, in addition to how you look and feel.
Cardio Acceleration
If you really want to turn up your fat-burning results, throw in some high-intensity bodyweight movements in between your exercise sets, to keep your heart rate high, your calories burning, and your metabolism running at an all-time high. This will help optimize your body composition, even further in between your supersets.
RELATED ARTICLE How To Burn Body Fat & Increase Muscle Mass In 4 Simple Steps
Throw In A Fat Burner
Fat burners have many different mechanisms of action or ways that they work physiologically in the body. Most clinically proven fat burning ingredients such as Green Tea Extract, Forskolin, and Garcinia Cambogia, help boost your metabolism, or the energy your body naturally burns at rest. This is also known as increasing your body’s thermal temperature, which is shown to boost the calorie-burning process. This is where the term, “thermogenic” is derived from.
RELATED ARTICLE The Ultimate Guide To Fat Burners
Put simply, calories are just units of energy, and your body’s ability to burn calories is known as your basal metabolic rate. By boosting your body’s metabolism, you’re actually increasing your internal temperature, (also known as the thermal effect). This thermal effect, burns more units of energy (calories), thus resulting in lipolysis or the breakdown of fat cells.
Fat burners won’t burn body fat on their own. Having a solid diet and exercise plan in addition to supplementing with a fat burner is crucial to the fat oxidation process. Exercise increases the oxygen in your body, and without oxygen to transport broken down fat cells, you won’t actually burn more body fat.
Eat More Protein
Protein is the macronutrient that is responsible for building muscle mass. Because it stimulates the biological process of Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS), it's vital to increase the amount of protein in your diet.
According to a study published in The American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, a randomized double-blind trial was conducted to find if a greater intake of protein, during a calorie deficit helps to build lean muscle mass and burn body fat, when combined with high-intensity training. Researchers divided 20 male subjects into two randomized groups and assigned one group to follow a higher-protein diet than the other (2.4 grams per kilogram body weight per day versus 1.2).
During a period of 4 weeks, both groups performed a combination of resistance and high-intensity interval training six days per week. The results indicated, that the higher-protein group lost more body fat than those in the lower-protein group, and also managed to gain muscle, despite eating fewer calories than their bodies required [R].
Keep in mind, not all sources of protein are created equal. Just because you ate a granola bar that said, ‘8 grams of protein’ on the wrapper, does not mean it was a quality source of protein. Eating wholesome, hormone-free, organic, and grass-fed sources of lean protein avoid inflammation and help keep your body running at optimal levels, to help you make real gains.
Eat More Complex Carbs
Carbs are key and the secret to building more body mass. More often than not, people cut their carbs too low, and end up losing lean muscle mass.
RELATED ARTICLE 5 Reasons Why You Need To Eat More Carbs
High-intensity and resistance training requires energy, and carbohydrates are your body's preferred source of energy. Having low glycogen levels, coming from a low carbohydrate diet, would negatively impact your athletic performance and results.
Getting the proper and adequate amounts of essential amino acids from protein and glycogen from carbohydrates is crucial for post-workout nutrition, in order to replenish and initiate the repair process to optimize your training.
Clinical studies have shown that including carbohydrates and protein together into your post-workout nutrition has the greatest benefits on performance optimization and muscle growth. Just remember, if you want that muscle body with the tiny waist, you're going to need some complex carbs in the mix [R].
Lean Muscle Workout Program
Each day has it’s own assigned muscle groups. Cardio acceleration movements should be used between times of supersets, or as a replacement of supersets between workouts.
Week 1-2
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Legs |
Alternating DB Lunge |
65-75 |
4 x 15 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Single leg split squat |
65-75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
|
|
Step up |
65-75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Straight leg deadlift |
65-75 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
|
|
Goblet Squat |
65-75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
KB Deadlift |
65-75 |
4 x 15 |
1 min |
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Back/Biceps |
Lat Pull Down |
65-75 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Landmines |
65-75 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
|
|
EZ Bar Vertical row |
65-75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Bent Over DB row |
65-75 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
|
|
Single Arm KB Row |
65-75 |
4 x 15,15,12,12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Curls |
65-75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
Hammer Curls |
65-75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
Pull Ups |
65-75 |
AMRAP |
1 min |
|
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
HIIT |
Deadlifts |
65 |
15 |
3 Rounds
|
|
|
Burpees |
65 |
10 |
||
|
Wall Balls |
65 |
12 |
||
|
KB Swings |
65 |
12 |
3 Rounds |
|
|
KB Thrusters |
65 |
12 |
||
|
Jumping Jacks |
65 |
10 |
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Chest/Triceps/Shoulders |
Incline Bench Press |
65-75 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Cable Flys |
65-75 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
|
|
Wide Grip DB Pushup |
65-75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Dips |
65-75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
DB Bench Press |
65-75 |
4 x 15,15,12,12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Lateral Raise |
65-75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
Front Raise |
65-75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Tricep Push Down |
65-75 |
AMRAP |
1 min |
|
|
Arnold Press |
65-75 |
4 x 15,15,12,12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Single Arm Tricep Pull Down |
65-75 |
4 x 15 |
1 min |
|
|
Narrow Push Up |
65-75 |
3 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Rope Pull Downs |
65-75 |
4 x 15,15,12,12 |
1 min |
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
HIIT |
Deadlifts |
65 |
15 |
3 Rounds
|
|
|
Burpees |
65 |
10 |
||
|
Wall Balls |
65 |
12 |
||
|
KB Swings |
65 |
12 |
3 Rounds |
|
|
KB Vertical row |
65 |
12 |
||
|
Bicycles |
|
20 |
Week 3-4
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Legs/Shoulders |
Rear Delt DB Flys |
75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Front Squat |
75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
|
|
Lateral Raise |
75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Back Lunge Shoulder Press |
75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
|
|
Goblet Squat |
75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Plate Raises |
75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
|
|
Front Raises |
75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
KB Thruster |
75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Chest/Back |
DB Row |
75 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Bench Press |
75 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
|
|
Seated Cable Row |
75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Incline Press |
75 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
|
|
Cable Chest Fly |
75 |
4 x 15,15,12,12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Pull Ups |
75 |
AMRAP |
1 min |
|
|
DB Push Up |
75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Bent Over Back Fly |
75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
HIIT |
Deadlifts |
65 |
15 |
3 Rounds
|
|
|
Burpees |
65 |
10 |
||
|
Wall Balls |
65 |
12 |
||
|
KB Swings |
65 |
12 |
3 Rounds |
|
|
KB Thrusters |
65 |
12 |
||
|
Jumping Jacks |
65-75 |
4 x 10 |
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Biceps/Triceps/Traps |
Single Arm Tricep Push Down |
75 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Hammer Curls |
75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
Tricep Pull Down |
75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Cable Curl |
75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
Cable Rope Vertical Row |
75 |
4 x 15,15,12,12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Narrow Push Up |
75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
Barbell Vertical Row |
75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Tricep Kickbacks |
75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
|
|
W Curls |
75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Cleans |
75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
HIIT |
Deadlifts |
65 |
15 |
3 Rounds
|
|
|
Burpees |
65 |
10 |
||
|
Wall Balls |
65 |
12 |
||
|
KB Swings |
65 |
12 |
3 Rounds |
|
|
KB Vertical row |
65 |
12 |
||
|
Bicycles |
|
20 |
Week 5-6 Total Body Max Effort
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Total Body Workout |
DB Row |
85 |
4 x 8 |
1 min |
|
|
DB Squat |
85 |
4 x 8 |
1 min |
|
|
DB Chest Press |
85 |
4 x 8 |
1 min |
|
|
Db Shoulder Press |
85 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
|
|
Deadlifts |
85 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
|
|
Pull Ups |
85 |
4 x 15 |
1 min |
|
|
Weighted Dips |
85 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
EZ Bar Curl |
85 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
Tricep Pull Down |
85 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Chest |
Bench |
85-95 |
3 x 4-8 |
2 min |
|
|
Incline Bench |
85-95 |
3 x 4-8 |
2 min |
|
Cardio |
Stair Stepper |
|
45 min |
|
|
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Legs |
Squat |
85-95 |
3 x 4-8 |
2 min |
|
|
Deadllift |
85-95 |
3 x 4-8 |
2 min |
|
Cardio |
Stair Stepper |
|
45 min |
|
|
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Back |
Seated Row |
85-95 |
3 x 4-8 |
2 min |
|
|
Lat Pull Down |
85-95 |
3 x 4-8 |
2 min |
|
Cardio |
Stair Stepper |
|
45 min |
|
|
REST DAY/Active Recovery |
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Total Body Workout |
DB Row |
85 |
4 x 8 |
1 min |
|
|
DB Squat |
85 |
4 x 8 |
1 min |
|
|
DB Chest Press |
85 |
4 x 8 |
1 min |
|
|
Db Shoulder Press |
85 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
|
|
Deadlifts |
85 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
|
|
Pull Ups |
85 |
4 x 15 |
1 min |
|
|
Weighted Dips |
85 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
EZ Bar Curl |
85 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
Tricep Pull Down |
85 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Chest/Triceps/Shoulders |
Incline Bench Press |
65-75 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Cable Flys |
65-75 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
|
|
Wide Grip DB Pushup |
65-75 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Dips |
65-75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
DB Bench Press |
65-75 |
4 x 15,15,12,12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Lateral Raise |
65-75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
Front Raise |
65-75 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Tricep Push Down |
65-75 |
AMRAP |
1 min |
|
|
Arnold Press |
65-75 |
4 x 15,15,12,12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Single Arm Tricep Pull Down |
65-75 |
4 x 15 |
1 min |
|
|
Narrow Push Up |
65-75 |
3 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Rope Pull Downs |
65-75 |
4 x 15,15,12,12 |
1 min |
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
HIIT |
Deadlifts |
65 |
15 |
3 Rounds
|
|
|
Burpees |
65 |
10 |
||
|
Wall Balls |
65 |
12 |
||
|
KB Swings |
65 |
12 |
3 Rounds |
|
|
KB Vertical row |
65 |
12 |
||
|
Bicycles |
|
20 |
Week 7-8
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Legs/Shoulders |
Squats |
75-80 |
4 x 15 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Single leg split squat |
75-80 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
|
|
Step up |
75-80 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Straight leg deadlift |
75-80 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
|
|
Goblet Squat |
75-80 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
KB Deadlift |
75-80 |
4 x 15 |
1 min |
|
|
Plate Raise |
75-80 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
|
|
Combined Front/Lateral Raise |
75-80 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Shoulder Press |
75-80 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
|
|
Seaated KB Press |
75-80 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Back/Biceps |
Lat Pull Down |
75-80 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Landmines |
75-80 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
|
|
EZ Bar Vertical row |
75-80 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Bent Over DB row |
75-80 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
|
|
Single Arm KB Row |
75-80 |
4 x 15,15,12,12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Curls |
75-80 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
Hammer Curls |
75-80 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
Pull Ups |
75-80 |
AMRAP |
1 min |
|
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
HIIT |
Deadlifts |
65 |
15 |
3 Rounds
|
|
|
Burpees |
65 |
10 |
||
|
Wall Balls |
65 |
12 |
||
|
KB Swings |
65 |
12 |
3 Rounds |
|
|
KB Thrusters |
65 |
12 |
||
|
Jumping Jacks |
65-75 |
4 x 10 |
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
Chest/Triceps |
Incline Bench Press |
75-80 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Cable Flys |
75-80 |
4 x 15,12,10,10 |
1 min |
|
|
Wide Grip DB Pushup |
75-80 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Dips |
75-80 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
|
|
DB Bench Press |
75-80 |
4 x 15,15,12,12 |
1 min |
|
|
Tricep Push Down |
75-80 |
A4 x 12 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Single Arm Tricep Pull Down |
75-80 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
|
|
Narrow Push Up |
75-80 |
4 x 10 |
1 min |
Superset |
|
Rope Pull Downs |
75-80 |
4 x 12 |
1 min |
Muscle Group |
WORKOUT |
% Max Effort |
SET/REP |
Rest |
|
HIIT |
Deadlifts |
65 |
15 |
3 Rounds
|
|
|
Burpees |
65 |
10 |
||
|
Wall Balls |
65 |
12 |
||
|
KB Swings |
65 |
12 |
3 Rounds |
|
|
KB Vertical row |
65 |
12 |
||
|
Bicycles |
|
20 |
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