Developing a 3 Month Plan to Get Your Body Summer Ready without the Stress

If there’s one thing which gym goers get wrong again and again, it’s that the numbers on the scale mean everything. In reality, unless you’re doing nothing but intense cardio, the story isn’t always so simple. Every time that you work a muscle, you’re making it bigger and stronger. As muscle weighs more than fat, many people actually gain weight after working out for months. So, if you really want to transform your body, you’ve got to get rid of the obsession with the scales. It’s time to shed fat, pack on lean muscle, and get that dream body. Keep reading to find out how you can go from flabby to fit in just three months, with minimal gym equipment. Month One: Temp and Intensity The first month is all about shocking the body and waking up your nervous system in a big way. There is a focus on high-intensity cardio and interval training. You don’t want to get too attached to the treadmill though because it isn’t the most efficient way to burn calories. Instead, prioritise full body workouts for sessions which tone the whole body. During month one, spend Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on full body sessions. You can spend the other two weekdays doing shorter interval workouts. There is a huge variety of exercises to choose from, but here is a sample for a ‘full body’ day. Start with five minutes of jumping jacks, followed by three or four sets of dumbbell thrusters. Then, dive straight into mountain climbers for five minutes. This should only take around fifteen minutes and, already, you’ve hit almost every part of the body. On interval days, slow it down and spend twenty to forty minutes on your favourite cardio exercise. This could be running, stair climbing, crossfit, or spinning. You can even go jogging around the park. Month Two: Taking it Up a Notch The second month is designed to really challenge the muscle groups, now that your body is energised and ready to work. There will be brand new exercises, but the old ones from Month One are still useful. You should try to increase any weight that you’re using, however, in order to maximise their value. Start to incorporate core specific exercises into your interval days.rnThe best way to achieve this is to split the session up into five or ten-minute blocks. That way, you can keep the old routines and push yourself with some tough tummy work. Think leg lifts, plank holds, crunches, and sit-ups. After a month, you’ll see that your midsection is getting much firmer. Month Three: Refining the Routine The third month is a good opportunity to take a breather and check out your progress.rnDon’t forget that everybody responds differently to exercise. At this point, there may be things that you want to change because you’re not seeing their value. Or, you might want to spend more time on a certain muscle group, because it feels a little underdeveloped. You can trick the muscles into working harder by starting with a heavy weight and switching to a lighter one. The heavy load effectively ‘switches on’ the muscle, so that the lighter loads have more value and make a bigger impact. Ultimately, Month Three is when you decide if you want to drop pounds (low weight, high reps) or build muscle (heavy weight, low reps). Knowing What Gym Equipment to Buy Even if you’re a regular gym goer, it’s worth investing in a few simple bits and pieces for home use. They come in really handy at times when you cannot make it out to the gym or, let’s face it, cannot be bothered with the journey. Something as low-key as a set of dumbbells is a good way to make sure that even lazy days count. You can pick up everything from foam rollers to kettlebells, weight bars, and resistance bands for use at home. They are affordable and they fit neatly behind the couch or under the bed. If you’ve got a lot of storage space, create a dedicated equipment store. It should be dry, away from direct sunlight, and easy to access.