The trick to being summer shredded is getting shredded before summer arrives. Use this 12 week Summer Burn program so you can show off at the pool this year!
Workout Summary
  • Main Goal
    Lose Fat
  • Workout Type
    Split
  • Training Level
    Intermediate
  • Program Duration12 weeks
  • Days Per Week
    4
  • Time Per Workout45-60 minutes
  • Equipment Required
    Barbell, Bodyweight, Cables, Dumbbells, EZ Bar, Machines
  • Target Gender Male & Female
  • Recommended Supps
  • Workout PDF Download Workout

Workout Description

As the days on the calendar pass, and the outside temperatures begin to rise, the amount of clothes we are able to (or wish to) wear slowly starts to diminish.

Whether it be to work, the gym, to the beach, park, or family barbecue it is certainly nice to be able to show off the fruits of your labor – confidently and proudly displaying all of the muscle you work so hard to build.

However, before you go rushing off to your local sportswear store or favorite online shopping spot to purchase some new spring/summer duds, why not take the next 12 weeks to focus on shedding as much body fat as possible?

Because while we all know that thick, dense, defined muscle is totally awesome - you certainly “can’t flex fat!”

Recommended: Need help losing fat? Take our Free Fat Loss Course

Fat Incinerating Tip Sheet

1. Cardio Upon Awaking: While research is conflicting as to whether cardio is more effective done in the fasted state, ensuring you do get your cardio in bright and early will help you burn fat.

2. The Right Supplements: Every morning start your day with a powerful, multi-stage thermogenic fat burner and about 5-10 grams of scientifically formulated BCAA. Doing this prior to your early morning cardio will give you all the energy one needs to power through your early morning grogginess.

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3. Carb Cutting: Each week leading up to summer eliminate about 25 grams of carbs from your daily diet, while adding in ten grams protein. This will help create a calore deficit needed for fat loss, increase the thermic effect of food, maintain muscle, and assist in shedding excess subcutaneous water.

4. Hunger Troubleshooting: Lets face it…existing in a calorie deficit, which is a necessary evil for getting lean, is not always an easy task. There will be many times where your blood sugar will drop, your tummy will cave, and you will begin fantasizing about attacking the cookie aisle of your local supermarket!

However, the result in that case is certainly not very beneficial when the goal is looking like a comic book superhero. I have found the best way to stave off hunger and bring energy back to an adequate level is to consume a huge glass of cold water with 5-10 grams of your favorite flavored BCAA powder mixed in.

5. Cardio Splitting: If your goal is 60 minutes of cardio for the day, for example, you will manifest superior results by splitting that (total) time between two, or even 3 sessions, than doing it all at once. You could wake up and do 30 minutes of cardio fasted, another 15 minutes post workout, and the final 15 before your final meal.

This “splitting” strategy will help keep the metabolism elevated all day long, which effectively makes you into a literal fat-burning machine.

ALLMAX Athlete Varying His Cardio Approach

6. Vary Cardio: Some studies indicate that HIIT cardio is more effective at incinerating adipose than steady state - while others show the opposite. In my experience, I have become convinced that both types of cardio work (each carrying their own advantages/disadvantages), and thus both should be a part of your overall program.

A highly effective strategy is to break cardio up, as suggested earlier (#5), into a 30/15/15 scheme (if the goal is one hour daily) with the first 30-min session being steady state and the following two as HIIT.

7. Get Intense: When the main goal is dropping body fat it is a great idea to make your weight training sessions more productive and intense via the use of supersets and dropsets. These intensity techniques are not only valuable for stimulating muscle growth, but also will raise heart rate, increase metabolism, burn greater calories and push natural GH (a very powerful fat-crushing hormone) through the roof!

8. Compound Pounding: You will burn a heck of a lot more calories, as well as stimulate higher levels of natural hormones that destroy body fat if you make sure to include plenty of basic, multi-joint exercises in each of your workouts. This is not to say that you should shy away completely from more isolated movements, but only that you do not neglect some serious “compound pounding!”

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The 12 Week Summer Burn Workout Program

The following workout is a 12 week program to get you shredded for summer.

Rest as long as needed in between sets to slow your breathing just about back to normal and have your mind ready to push 100% on the next set.

For optimal fat-loss you will do 60 min of cardio per day on off days from training and 20-30 minutes either fasted or post workout on lifting days.

As each week passes you can use the program exactly as is laid out above, or you can tweak by adding/subtracting certain movement and/or simply changing the order in which the exercises are done.

Monday: Chest, Biceps, Forearms, & Abs

Exercise Tempo Sets Reps
1. Incline Bench Press 2/0/1 2* 7-9
2. Dumbbell Bench Press 2/0/1 2* 7-9
3a. Incline Dumbbell Fly 2/0/1 2 10-12
3b. Cable Crossover 1/0/1/1 2 10-12
4. EZ Bar Preacher Curl 2/0/1 1* 7-9
5. Barbell Curl 2/0/1 1* 7-9
6a. High Cable Curl 1/0/1 2 7-9
6b. Standing Alternating Dumbbell Curl 1/1/1 2 7-9
7. Reverse Barbell Curl 2/0/1 1* 10-12
8a. Barbell Reverse Wrist Curl 1/0/1 1 13-15
8b. Barbell Wrist Curl 1/0/1 1 13-15
9. Cable Crunch 1/0/1/1 2 16-20
10a. Hanging Leg Raise 1/0/1 1 Max Reps
10b. Seated Bench Knee Ups 1/0/1 1 Max Reps

*Each set utilzies a drop set. So perform 1 set, drop the weight performing an additional set, rest, and repeat.

Tuesday: Quads, Hamstrings, & Calves

Exercise Tempo Sets Reps
1. Barbell Back Squat 2/0/1 2* 7-9
2. Leg Press 2/0/1 2* 7-9
3a. Leg Extension 2/0/1/1 2 10-12
3b. Walking Barbell Lunge 2/0/1 2 10-12 Each
4. Lying Leg Curl 2/0/1/1 2* 7-9
5a. Adduction Machine 1/0/1/1 2 16-20
5b. Stiff Leg Deadlift 2/0/1 2 10-12
6. Standing Calf Raise 1/1/1/1 1* 7-9
7a. Seated Calf Raise 1/0/1/1 2 7-9
7b. Calf Press 1/1/1 2 10-12

*Each set utilzies a drop set. So perform 1 set, drop the weight performing an additional set, rest, and repeat.

Thursday: Lats, Lower Back, & Abs

Exercise Tempo Sets Reps
1. Seated Cable Row 1/0/1/1 2* 7-9
2. Reverse Grip Bent Over Row 1/0/1/1 2* 7-9
3a. Dumbbell Pullover 1/0/1 2 10-12
3b. T-Bar Row 1/0/1 2 7-9
4. Weighted Hyperextension 1/0/1/1 1* 13-15
5a. Deadlift 1/1/1 1 7-9
5b. Bodyweight Hyperextensions 1/0/1/1 1 Max Reps
6. Weighted Ab Crunch 1/0/1/1 1* 16-20
7a. Lying Leg Raise 1/0/1/1 2 Max Reps
7b. Oblique Crunch 1/0/1 2 16-20 Each

*Each set utilzies a drop set. So perform 1 set, drop the weight performing an additional set, rest, and repeat.

Friday: Shoulders, Traps, Triceps, & Calves

Exercise Tempo Sets Reps
1. Cable Face Pulls 1/0/1/1 2* 10-12
2. Lateral Raises 1/0/1 2* 10-12
3a. Seated Dumbbell Press 2/0/1 2 7-9
3b. Barbell Front Raise 1/0/1 2 7-9
4. Barbell Shrug 1/0/1/1 2* 10-12
5a. Upright Row 1/0/1/1 2 7-9
5b. Seated Dumbbell Shrug 1/0/1/1 2 7-9
6. Straight Bar Pushdown 1/0/1/1 1* 10-12
7. Skullcrusher 2/0/1 2* 7-9
8a. Seated One Arm Dumbbell Extrension 2/0/1 2 7-9
8b. Close Grip Bench Press 3/0/1 2 7-9
9. Seated Calf Raise 1/0/1 2* 10-12
10a. Calf Press 1/0/1/1 1 7-9
10b. Standing Calf Raise 1/0/1/1 1 7-9

*Each set utilzies a drop set. So perform 1 set, drop the weight performing an additional set, rest, and repeat.

145 Comments
Danny McGuire Jr
Posted on: Thu, 08/03/2023 - 12:15

What does exercise a. and b. mean? Superset or week 1 and week 2? Sorry for the ignorance.

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Roger
Posted on: Sun, 08/20/2023 - 21:20

Not ignorant at all. A and B do mean supersets. Do both exercises in a row before resting. You do those each workout. Hope this helps!

Bruno
Posted on: Fri, 06/02/2023 - 10:53

Which cardio is better to do in lifinth days, HIIT or a low intensity cardio?
For exemple, Wich is better to do 20-30 running, 20-30 fast walking or HIIT (exemple: 20 minutes alternating between 1minute jogging/1min30secs walking)?

Thank you!

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Roger
Posted on: Sat, 06/03/2023 - 15:44

I prefer HIIT, Bruno, but Zone 2 (70% max heart rate consistently) has become popular lately. I would say do both and find the best cardio for you. Either will certainly help. Whichever one you enjoy doing and get more out of will be the more productive one.

Sarah
Posted on: Thu, 05/11/2023 - 06:36

What are you supposed to do if equipment is at opposite sides if the gym for supersets...Run between to two! It's going to be very difficult to take ownership of two pieces of equipment in a public gym!

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Roger
Posted on: Thu, 05/11/2023 - 06:38

This is a very good question, Sarah. Find exercises that are closer together in your gym, or find ways to use similar equipment for two exercises. For example, if you can use two cable exercises with minimum trouble, swap them in instead of going back and forth. If you have to train quads and hamstrings, substitute a dumbbell exercise for one so you don't have to run to two machines. I hope this helps.

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Roger
Posted on: Mon, 05/15/2023 - 15:44

For beginners or intermediates, yes. Once you become an advanced trainee or if you have very specific goals, then the specificity of the exercises is more important.

Sarah
Posted on: Thu, 05/11/2023 - 09:19

Ahh I see. Thank you. So as long as you are working the correct muscle, it doesn't matter which exercise you choose to do, the plan will still work? That's great to know.

Leslie
Posted on: Tue, 05/02/2023 - 08:55

Is the AllMax RapidCuts o.k. and safe for women to take? Or is this just a supplement suggested for men?

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Roger
Posted on: Mon, 05/08/2023 - 06:58

In general, it is safe for women. Specifically to you, if you have concerns, talk to your doctor before taking it.

Jane
Posted on: Sat, 04/15/2023 - 09:45

Thank you for the great plan. I will start from today. What does 1/0/1/1 tempo mean? Thank you

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Roger
Posted on: Thu, 04/27/2023 - 11:57

One second to lower weight, no pause, one second to lift, one second to hold at the top.

Nya
Posted on: Wed, 03/15/2023 - 10:33

Thank you for this workout. Today will be day 1 of me trying to do this to lose weight. I am new to this type of structured workout. What does tempo mean and how do I do it? Also I do not understand the drop set. So do I do 7 reps for set 1 then lower my weight for set 2? And then repeat this?

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Roger
Posted on: Fri, 03/24/2023 - 21:02

Tempo refers to the speed of the rep. So, if you see 2/0/1, that means take two seconds to lower the rep, no pause, then lift the weight in one second.

Drop set: do 7 reps, lower the weight, do more reps. Rest and repeat for Set 2.

Nya
Posted on: Sun, 03/26/2023 - 22:38

Thanks so much Roger for your response. Also some workouts have an A and B part. Is it that I do either A or B or do I do both? Was not sure if I had to choose which one I preferred.

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Roger
Posted on: Mon, 03/27/2023 - 20:59

Those are supersets. Do them both in a row before taking your rest break.

Fitness Junkie
Posted on: Wed, 09/06/2023 - 17:23

Thanks for clarifying Roger as I was literally just doing two sets, reps of 7 with no drop sets and wondering why the exercise was easy lol!

YaYa
Posted on: Fri, 02/24/2023 - 05:58

This is what the * means:

*Each set utilzies a drop set. So perform 1 set, drop the weight performing an additional set, rest, and repeat.

However, my question is what's the difference between *1 & *2?
Would I do *1, do one set then do drop set, no repeat & *2 do one set then drop set and repeat?
Just want to make sure I'm doing correctly.

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Roger
Posted on: Fri, 02/24/2023 - 08:15

Do two different drop sets, Yaya. Do the first drop set as you described, rest, then do it again.

menna
Posted on: Mon, 02/20/2023 - 12:47

can i start by this workout to lose wait ?
or start by any workout else
ex. :muscleandstrength.com/workouts/muscle-and-strength-womens-fat-loss-workout ?

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Roger
Posted on: Fri, 02/24/2023 - 08:15

You can start with this one. If you try it, let us know how it works for you.

menna
Posted on: Mon, 02/20/2023 - 12:31

is the 60 min cardio at my off days only ?
and on training days the cardio will be 20-30 min only ?

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Roger
Posted on: Fri, 02/24/2023 - 08:14

That would be it, Menna.

Helya
Posted on: Sun, 01/29/2023 - 09:51

Hi, is this a good workout for losing weight ?

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Roger
Posted on: Sun, 01/29/2023 - 12:14

Sure is, Helya. If you try it, let us know how it goes.

Shannon Harvey
Posted on: Wed, 12/07/2022 - 10:26

I must be an idiot as I am still confused on how this works. I read the article but that didn't help-are there any videos showing an example? I am better at seeing it versus reading it. Thank you!

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Roger
Posted on: Thu, 12/08/2022 - 07:13

I will pass that suggestion on to our editors, Shannon.

Christina Georg...
Posted on: Sun, 10/16/2022 - 15:49

What the star beside the number means?

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Roger
Posted on: Sun, 10/16/2022 - 19:46

Per the comment at the bottom of the workouts.

*Each set utilzies a drop set. So perform 1 set, drop the weight performing an additional set, rest, and repeat.

Pappy
Posted on: Sun, 10/02/2022 - 13:47

Let say i want to add some days like Cardio on those off days and just have 1 rest day would you recommend? i just know that many off days is gonna make me fail cuz when not doing anything i revert back to old habits

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Roger
Posted on: Wed, 10/05/2022 - 20:36

You brought up a great point. If you feel you need those extra sessions to keep you on track, then do them. Just pay attention to how you recover. If the other workouts aren't as productive, you will need to scale back. Hope this helps!

Pappy
Posted on: Thu, 10/06/2022 - 15:07

Active rest days are good too yeah?

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Roger
Posted on: Sun, 10/09/2022 - 15:38

They can be. I definitely recommend one complete day off a week, myself. However, if you feel a walk or low-effort bike ride helps, do it. That is where you will have to make the program your own.

Robert
Posted on: Thu, 09/15/2022 - 08:51

how much weight do you drop for the drop sets?

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Roger
Posted on: Tue, 09/20/2022 - 16:19

Up to you, but 20-30% is a good range to work with for drops.

Rithy
Posted on: Wed, 06/15/2022 - 09:48

Having a cardio day after leg day (Tuesday) is kind of soul sucking. Can I change it so that the day after leg day is an on day?

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Roger
Posted on: Thu, 06/16/2022 - 08:03

If you need it, take it, Rilthy. If I have to do cardio after leg day, I opt for something like the heavy bag or battle rope, which won't tax the legs as much, but recovery is more important. Do what you gotta do.

Monica Garcia
Posted on: Wed, 06/08/2022 - 16:38

What is the best diet to follow on this workout plan?

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Roger
Posted on: Fri, 06/10/2022 - 09:11

This should help you figure out how to set up your nutrition plan, Monica.

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/expert-guides/fat-loss

Varsha Donur
Posted on: Sat, 03/19/2022 - 03:30

Is this a Good workout to follow up to this workout https://www.muscleandstrength.com/sites/default/files/workouts/10weekwom....
Also cardio can be done parellely with this workout?? Hiit n list alternatively?

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Roger
Posted on: Sat, 03/26/2022 - 18:13

Yes to all, Varsha. I like the idea of alternating both types of cardio myself.

palak
Posted on: Sat, 03/12/2022 - 23:27

What does tempo mean? How do I use that ?

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Roger
Posted on: Wed, 03/16/2022 - 21:00

Hi, Palak. Tempo is the speed of the reps. So if you see 2/0/1, that is two seconds to lower the weight, 0 seconds to hold it, and 1 second to lift it.

If you see four numbers, then the fourth is how long you hold the contraction when the weight is lifted. Hope this helps!

Terri
Posted on: Sun, 01/09/2022 - 17:51

What's the benefit of only doing 1 set of somethin surely you need to be doing 2/3 to really work the muscles.

Obviously 1* is 2 sets, second as a drop, but I'm confused by a lot only have 1 set?

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Roger
Posted on: Thu, 01/13/2022 - 16:42

Hi, Terri. You're supposed to do these sets with all-out effort to failure. Doing that means you won't need as many sets to fatigue the muscles as you would a higher volume (3 or more sets) approach.

Pete
Posted on: Tue, 06/15/2021 - 14:33

Why are calves on Tuesday AND Thursday? Surely one day is enough for them

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Abigail
Posted on: Wed, 06/16/2021 - 08:37

Hey Pete - if you're running this program and feel like you don't need the 2nd calf day, you can take out those exercises.

Narvaez
Posted on: Sun, 09/19/2021 - 13:05

Depending on genetics, and other factors, for some people, might be very hard to develop nice and strong calves. And remember, at least 48 hours of rest per muscle group is more than enough to ensure muscle development.

Leah
Posted on: Sun, 06/06/2021 - 16:51

Hi Eric,

Good day! I am 42. 5 feet and 1 inches in height. 60kg. Shoulder is wider than my hips. My goal 50kgs. Any recommended workouts and what to take to increase metabolism and energy specially in the morning. I only have barbels, kettlebells and jumping rope at home. We are on lockdown again so I can’t go to gym. Any tips and recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance and you guys are awesome!

Aksh
Posted on: Mon, 05/10/2021 - 09:04

3a and 3b means I have to do either of the exercises or both?