How to Lose 3% Body Fat in a Week

Here is an EXACT meal plan and workout routine that if followed to a T, will have looking and feeling great in just one week (I know this because this is exactly what I did last week… I lost 3% body fat. I went from 14% to 11% following this meal plan and workout routine)…

FIRST THINGS FIRST: ESTABLISH MACROS AND SET UP A MEAL PLAN

1. Establish your macros:

Calories…

Take your weight and multiply it by 14.  This will give you the total amount of calories you should be consuming each day. For example, since I weigh 192 – 195 pounds, my total caloric intake calculation would look like this…

194 x 14 = 2,716

Therefore, I need to consume about 2,716 calories everyday.

2.  Breakdown the daily calories like this:

• 50% from fat (1,358 calories for me)
• 19% from carbs (516 calories for me)
• 31% from protein (842 calories for me)

To figure out the calories for each macronutrient you simply multiply the percentages by your weight.  So, for example, my fat calculation looks like this…

.5 X 194 = 1,358 daily calories from fat

3.  Create a meal plan that consists of 6 – 7 small meals spread out throughout the day

Here is my EXACT meal plan that I use:

MEAL 1: BREAKFAST                                     

½ cup irish oatmeal (dry measure)
1 cup almond milk unsweetened
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup quinoa

MEAL 2: SNACK
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

MEAL 3: LUNCH
6 oz chicken breast
1 cup spinach/arugula
1 cup sliced cucumber
shredded carrots
1/2 large avocado

MEAL 4: PRE WORKOUT
4 oz turkey breast tenderloin
1/2 cup riced broccoli
¼ cup almonds or 2 tbsp almond butter

MEAL 5: POST WORKOUT
5 oz roast turkey breast
8 oz asparagus

MEAL 6: DINNER
6 oz atlantic salmon
1 cup red bell pepper
1/4 large avocado

MEAL 7: BEFORE BED
2 tbsp peanut or almond butter
2 celery sticks

This is just what I use and what works best for me.  There are different ways to mix things up, I’ll discuss that in a future blog entry.

SECOND: EXECUTE A SOLID WORKOUT AND CARDIO PLAN

 1.  The Workout routine:

Details…

• Weight training 6x/week (Each muscle is hit 2x, with arms being hit 3x)
• Pick out 4 exercises to do for each muscle group, each day.  
• On Heavy days (Monday – Wednesday) do everything in sets of 3 x 5, 4, 3
• On Heavy/Light days (Friday – Sunday) do 2 heavy sets and 1 light set for the first 2 exercises for each muscle group.  Rep scheme is 2 x 6, 1 x 12 -15. For the next 2 exercises for each muscle group, do 1 heavy set and 2 light sets.  Rep scheme is 1 x 6, 2 x 12 – 15
• Make rest periods as short as possible between each set.  You want to aim for 30 seconds of rest, but wait up to 1 minute if you have to.  The only rest between exercises is the time it takes to set up the next exercise.

2. The schedule:

DAY 1
MONDAY (Heavy): Legs/Shoulders/Core circuit* + 10 minutes treadmill**

DAY 2
TUESDAY (Heavy): Bi/Tri/Core*** + 10 minutes treadmill**

DAY 3
WEDNESDAY (Heavy): Back/Chest/Core circuit* + 10 minutes treadmill**

DAY 4
THURSDAY: REST

DAY 5
FRIDAY (Heavy/Light): Legs/Bi/Tri/Core circuit*

DAY 6
SATURDAY (double day):
AM Cardio: 50 minutes HIIT cardio/plyo****
PM Workout: (Heavy/Light): Chest/Back/Shoulders

DAY 7
SUNDAY (double day):
AM Cardio: 1 hour steady pace cardio
PM Workout: (Heavy/Light): Bi/Tri/Core*** + 10 minutes PLYO of choice

*Core circuit (example):

Ideally, you want to perform as a giant circuit (all 5 exercises consecutively), with no rest in between.  If a piece of equipment is not available, or all exercises cannot be performed consecutively because of the proximity of the equipment, break the circuit down into super and/or triesets.  I.e. do kneeling rope crunches, kneeling side crunches and crunches as a triset and then do hands over head and bench leg lifts as a superset. In total, this circuit should take about 15 minutes.  Rest 1 minute after each round.

**10 minutes treadmill (instructions)

1. Step on the treadmill and press quick start.
2. Bump up the speed until you are running @ 9.0 pace.
3. Bump up the incline until it is set to 1.5.
4. Run at 9.0/1.5 (speed/incline) for 5 minutes straight.
5. Stop treadmill @ 5 minutes and rest for 1 minute
6. Repeat 1x

***Core (Instructions)

Perform a core superset that addresses one exercise for the mid/lower abs and one for the obliques.  Opposed to the core circuit (Monday/Wednesday/Friday), this is not intended to be an intense core session.  You want to stick to cable static holds, leg flutters, planks, etc. Should take about 5 – 10 minutes to complete.  

****50 minutes HIIT cardio/plyo (routine)

Here is an exact routine for you to follow:

1. 5 minutes bike
2. 10 minutes treadmill
3. 5 minutes elliptical
4. 5 minutes jump rope
5. 5 minutes elliptical
6. 5 minutes treadmill
7. 5 minutes PLYO routine
8. 5 minutes elliptical
9. 5 minutes PLYO routine

TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes

*Rest 1 – 3 minutes between each exercise. You will be huffing and puffing after each 5 minute period (except for the steady pace elliptical), so you will need some time to catch your breath and recuperate for the next exercise.

1.) 5 minutes bike: Press quick start on the bike and immediately bump the level up to 11. Do 5 minutes of fast pedaling @ level 11.  Aim for a constant heart rate @ 120 – 140

2. ) 10 minutes treadmill: Perform in the same fashion as outlined above.

3.) 5 minutes elliptical: Press quick start on the elliptical and immediately bump up to level 11. Move at this brisk pace for 5 minutes. Aim for a constant heart rate @ 100 – 110

4.) 5 minutes of jump rope: Perform jump rope @ 120 – 140 constant heart rate for 5 minutes.  The goal is not to stop at any point throughout the 5 minutes.  Sometimes the jump rope may get caught underneath the feet since you are jumping at such a fast pace…  No biggie… Just readjust and keep moving.

5.) 5 minutes elliptical: Press quick start on the elliptical and immediately bump up to level 11. Move at this brisk pace for 5 minutes. Aim for a constant heart rate @ 100 – 110

6.) 5 minutes treadmill: Get back on the treadmill and do 5 minutes of fast running @ 9.0/1.5 (speed/incline)

7.) 5 minutes PLYO routine: Perform the following PLYO routine (5 total minutes):

1. 1 minute of 15 lb medicine ball slams
2. 1 minute of heavy kettlebell swings
3. 1 minute mountain climbers
4. 1 minute rope slams
5. 1 minute burpees

1 minute of 15 lb medicine ball slams

From a squat stance, hold a heavy kettle bell with both hands, hanging down between the legs. Squat down and explode up with the kettle bell in both hands, as pictured. Come back down to starting position in controlled motion. Repeat for reps.

1 minute mountain climbers

Position yourself as if you are about to perform a push up. Brace core and station hands firmly in place and pump legs up and down as hard and fast as possible, as if you are climbing a mountain.

1 minute rope slams

Wave slams: From a wide stance squat (feet just outside shoulder width), create waves with the ropes; swing arms up and down at the same time, as hard and fast as possible.

1 minute burpees

From a standing position squat down until your hands are on the ground.  Now kick feet back and control your body to the ground so that you are in a push-up position.  Hold the push-up position for a second and then spring your knees to your chest — with hands still on the ground — then immediately explode back up to standing position.  Repeat process for reps

8.) 5 minutes elliptical: Press quick start on the elliptical and immediately bump up to level 11. Move at this brisk pace for 5 minutes. Aim for a constant heart rate @ 100 – 110

9.) 5 minutes PLYO routine. Repeat above PLYO routine from #7.  But feel free to substitute any of the exercises with any of the following from this list (And go ahead and do 5 straight minutes of any of the following activities if you so desire.  Mix things up however you see fit!)

• Box hop jumps
• Squat jumps
• Split squat jumps
• Boxing
• Swimming
• Side box hops

• Box hop jumps: stand in front of a jump box and squat down and explosively jump up onto the box, land firmly on both feet.  Jump back down until both feet hit the ground. Jump back on box, and repeat for reps.

• Squat jumps: Standing in a squat stance, bend knees and keep back arched, until legs are parallel to the ground.   Explosively jump up and down, as pictured.

• Split squat jumps: Standing in a split stance (lunge stance), bend one knee down until it is about a half inch from the ground, as pictured below.  Explosively jump up and switch legs mid air. Land back down on the opposite leg, and repeat for reps.

• Boxing: Some gyms have boxing bags available for use.  If your gym is one of them, I suggest investing in a pair of gloves!  Just slap them on and punch the bag as hard and fast as possible. This is excellent cardiovascular exercise and will have working up a sweat, fast!

• Swimming: If your gym has a swimming pool, then I recommend you take advantage of it! Swimming is an excellent full body fat burning exercise.  Hop in the pool and swim laps at as fast a pace as you can for at least 1 minute. For me, a fast pace is 4 Olympic laps in about a minute.  Of course, everyone’s pace will be different, so just go for it!

• Side box hops: stand parallel to an elevated platform (most gyms have the platforms pictured below, available for use)  that is about 5 or six inches off the ground, and jump onto the box and then immediately onto the other side as quickly as possible.  As soon as your feet touch the opposite side, reverse the motion and go back to the other side. Go back and forth like this until you have completed at least one minute of jumps.

CONCLUSION

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is your road map to weight lifting and eating success! Everything is here for you to successfully lose 3% body fat in one week.  It always comes down to proper nutrition and exercising right.

If you have any questions on how to get started, or would like to know what exercises to do, Leave a comment below!  Or let’s connect on social media. You can find me on instagram @joshrodriguez45. Don’t hesitate to DM me about anything you see here, or just any fitness related questions in general.

I am also a certified personal trainer, so if anyone is interested in one on one coaching, please leave a comment below, or again, DM me on instagram.  

Stay tuned for my next blog entry! It will be exact details on the MONDAY workout from above.  Happy working out and eating everyone!