Bulldog Weight Loss Creating a Safe Exercise Plan

A Trainers 4-Week Workout Plan to Jump-Start Weight Loss

I build my program around three types of training:

• upper and lower body strength training
• interval training/conditioning
• low intensity cardio

The strength training will help you build muscle and strength that you can apply to your interval training.

Furthermore, the added muscle will increase your metabolism over time, meaning youll burn more calories at rest just to sustain yourself, which can contribute to the calorie deficit required for weight loss (3, 4).

Interval training will provide a massive metabolic boost immediately after your workout. Interval training involves brief periods of high intensity exercise followed by relatively short rest periods.

This method keeps your heart rate elevated throughout the workout, giving you aerobic benefits while maintaining sufficient intensity to stoke your metabolic fire.

Finally, low intensity cardio, such as walking, jogging, swimming, or cycling, gives you a slight bump in your daily calorie burn and allows you to exercise while recovering from the more intense strength and interval training.

You can perform an hour or more of cardio, but even just 20 minutes is sufficient.

Each workout should take roughly 2022 minutes, allowing you to fit the program into a busy schedule.

Over the course of 4 weeks, this workout structure helps target weight loss on all fronts, through both daily calorie burn and increasing your metabolism over time.

Start with a lighter weight and increase the weight each set until you find the point where the final repetition gets really hard.

Week 1

Day 1: Lower body strength

Equipment: dumbbells or kettlebells, barbell and plates, leg curl and/or leg extension machines

1. 312 dumbbell/kettlebell goblet squat
2. 312 barbell or kettlebell deadlift
3. 320 walking lunge with dumbbells (10 each side)
4. Optional: 312 leg curl and extension in the gym

Day 2: Low intensity cardio for at least 20 minutes

• Choose walking, light jogging, or your preferred method of cardio even better if you can do it outside!

Day 3: Upper body strength

Equipment: pullup bar or lat pulldown machine, dumbbells

1. 312 pullup or lat pulldown
2. 312 dumbbell overhead press
3. 312 dumbbell row
4. 312 dumbbell bench press
5. Optional: 312 biceps curl and triceps extension

Day 4: Low intensity cardio for at least 20 minutes

Day 5: Interval conditioning

Equipment: plyometric box, slam ball

Perform the following exercises for 15 seconds at a hard pace, then rest for 15 seconds and move to the next exercise. Ive included two options you can choose between, depending on your current level.

Exercises focus on lower body movements performed at a moderate to high pace.

The large muscle groups in this area help get your heart pumping much more effectively than exercises using smaller muscle groups.

For Week 1, perform 3 rounds of the following as discussed above:

1. Squat or jump squat
2. Box stepup or power stepup
3. Alternating lunge or jumping lunge
4. Lateral box stepup or ice skater
5. Burpee

Week 2

Week 2 involves the same exercises as Week 1. However, you should be performing 1 warmup set and then switching to the weight you finished with last week and, if possible, increasing the weight each set.

Bump up the intensity or duration of your cardio sessions by 510%. Be sure to keep it light enough that you can perform the minimum 20 minutes without stopping.

For the conditioning, perform 4 total rounds instead of 3.

Day 1: Lower body strength

Equipment: dumbbells or kettlebells, barbell and plates, leg curl/extension machines

1. 312 dumbbell/kettlebell goblet squat
2. 312 barbell or kettlebell deadlift
3. 320 walking lunge with dumbbells (10 each side)
4. Optional: 312 leg curl and extension

Perform 1 warmup set with body weight or light weight before starting the 3 working sets.

Day 2: Low intensity cardio for at least 20 minutes

• Bump up time or intensity by 510% from Week 1.

Day 3: Upper body strength

Equipment: pullup bar or lat pulldown, dumbbells

1. 312 pullup or lat pulldown
2. 312 dumbbell overhead press
3. 312 dumbbell row
4. 312 dumbbell bench press
5. Optional: 312 biceps curl and triceps extension

Perform 1 warmup set with body weight or light weight before starting the 3 working sets.

Day 4: Low intensity cardio for at least 20 minutes

Day 5: Conditioning

Equipment: plyometric box, slam ball

Perform the following exercises for 15 seconds at a hard pace, then rest for 15 seconds and move to the next exercise.

For Week 2, perform 4 rounds of the following as discussed above:

1. Squat or jump squat
2. Box stepup or power stepup
3. Alternating lunge or jumping lunge
4. Lateral box stepup or ice skater
5. Burpee

Week 3

In Week 3, I reduce the repetitions on the resistance training to 8 per set, which should allow you to increase the weight relative to your 12-rep sets.

If you can, begin performing barbell movements instead of using dumbbells, but either one is OK.

This takes the muscular endurance and movement proficiency from Weeks 1 and 2 and triggers more strength and muscle growth.

Bump up your cardio another 510% and perform 5 total cycles of your interval training.

Day 1: Lower body strength

Equipment: dumbbells or kettlebells, barbell and plates, leg curl/extension machines

1. 38 barbell back squat or dumbbell/kettlebell goblet squat
2. 38 barbell or kettlebell deadlift
3. 316 walking lunge with barbell or dumbbells (8 each side)
4. Optional: 310 leg curl and leg extension (keep reps higher on these isolation movements)

Perform 1 warmup set with body weight or light weight before starting the 3 working sets.

Day 2: Low intensity cardio for at least 20 minutes

• Bump up time or intensity by 510% from Week 2.

Day 3: Upper body strength

Equipment: pullup bar or lat pulldown, dumbbells

1. 38 pullup or lat pulldown
2. 38 barbell or dumbbell overhead press
3. 38 barbell or dumbbell row
4. 38 barbell or dumbbell bench press
5. Optional: 310 biceps curl and triceps extension (keep reps higher on these isolation movements)

Perform 1 warmup set with body weight or light weight before starting the 3 working sets.

Day 4: Low intensity cardio for at least 20 minutes

Day 5: Interval training/conditioning

Equipment: plyometric box, slam ball

Perform the following exercises for 15 seconds at a hard pace, then rest for 15 seconds and move to the next exercise.

For Week 3, perform 5 rounds of the following:

1. Squat or jump squat
2. Box stepup or power stepup
3. Alternating lunge or jumping lunge
4. Lateral box stepup or ice skater
5. Burpee

Week 4

There is nothing particularly special about Week 4.

You will continue increasing the weight on the strength exercises, bumping up your aerobic intensity, and performing a full 6 rounds of conditioning. If this is too intense, you can dial back as needed.

Day 1: Lower body strength

Equipment: dumbbells or kettlebells, barbell and plates, leg curl/extension machines

1. 38 barbell back squat or dumbbell/kettlebell goblet squat
2. 38 barbell or kettlebell deadlift
3. 316 walking lunge with barbell or dumbbells (8 each side)
4. Optional: 310 leg curl and extension (keep reps higher on these isolation movements)

Perform 1 warmup set with body weight or light weight before starting the 3 working sets.

Day 2: Low intensity cardio for at least 20 minutes

• Bump up time or intensity by 510% from Week 3.

Day 3: Upper body strength

Equipment: pullup bar or lat pulldown, dumbbells

1. 38 pullup or lat pulldown
2. 38 barbell or dumbbell overhead press
3. 38 barbell or dumbbell rows
4. 38 barbell or dumbbell bench press
5. Optional: 310 biceps curl and triceps extension (keep reps higher on these isolation movements)

Perform 1 warmup set with body weight or light weight before starting the 3 working sets.

Day 4: Low intensity cardio for at least 20 minutes

Day 5: Interval training/conditioning

Equipment: plyometric box, slam ball

Perform the following exercises for 15 seconds at a hard pace, then rest for 15 seconds and move to the next exercise.

For Week 4, perform 6 rounds of the following:

1. Squat or jump squat
2. Box stepup or power stepup
3. Alternating lunge or jumping lunge
4. Lateral box stepup or ice skater
5. Burpee

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