Challenge yourself to get your best-ever bikini body this year! Our four-week program is designed to blast fat, boost metabolism and build muscle, getting you in knockout bikini body shape in record time. Ready? Set? Get after it.
1. HIGH AND LOW
Studies show that combining heavy and light weights in a weekly training split helps transform the body more effectively than relying solely on one or the other for weeks at a time. High-rep workouts done with lighter weights burn tons of calories during the session, while low-rep workouts with heavier weights increase calorie burning for 24 to 48 hours afterward.
2. TURN UP THE HEAT
This program employs both a weekly heavy-weight/low-rep workout and a light-weight/high-rep workout—as well as a third workout using moderate weights for good measure—to give you a completely new full-body workout every other day of the week. You’ll turn up the heat on your fat cells even more by adding 20–30 minutes of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) immediately after each training session. It’s not for the faint of heart—but then, neither is that bikini.
3. REST
Fatigued? That’s what recovery days are for. On the days between each lifting session, all you have to worry about is one 45-minute session of cardio, staying between 65 and 75 percent of your maximum heart rate. That, and getting ready for the next day’s workout.
4. SWITCH IT UP
Using a different method every time you hit the gym and different exercises in each workout will keep your body in a near-constant state of shock for the entire four weeks. If you find the workouts becoming slightly easier from one week to the next, however, just increase weights on your superset and triset days, or increase the reps in the circuit.
This workout uses heavy weight and low volume to increase overall strength while adding a little size. By either pairing an upper-body move with a lower-body one, or a pushing muscle group with a pulling muscle group, one muscle will rest while the other is working. Excess post exercise oxygen consumption will be at its highest with this workout, burning additional calories for 24–48 hours afterward.
Intensity Technique: Supersets.
What it is: Two exercises are performed back-to-back with no rest between.
Cardio: 20-30 minutes of HIIT (1:3 work/rest ratio; 30 seconds all-out effort, 90 seconds recovery). To be performed after the workout.
Day 2
Steady-State Cardio
--
--
No
Steady-State Cardio
Perform 45 minutes of steady-state cardio at 65%-75% of your heart rate.
The high volume and low intensity of this circuit is all about burning calories. Sandwiched between the two more intense workouts of the split, it serves as an active recovery from the first workout that still allows you to prepare for the third.
Intensity Technique: Circuit Training
What it is: A series of exercises performed consecutively with minimal to no rest between exercises. One set of each exercise performed constitutes one circuit.
Perform the circuit 3 times, with 60 seconds rest between each circuit.
Cardio: 20-30 minutes of HIIT (1:3 work/rest ratio; 30 seconds all-out effort, 90 seconds recovery).
Day 4
Steady-State Cardio
--
--
No
Steady-State Cardio
Perform 45 minutes of steady-state cardio at 65%-75% of your heart rate.
This workout is geared to build muscle through high volume and moderate intensity. The exercises in each triset hit the same muscle in different ways or an assisting muscle group to bring you to fatigue.
Intensity Technique: Trisets
What it is: Three exercises performed back-to-back-to-back with no rest.
Cardio: 20-30 minutes of HIIT (1:3 work/rest ratio; 30 seconds all-out effort, 90 seconds recovery). To be performed after the workout.
Day 6
Steady-State Cardio
--
--
No
Steady-State Cardio
Perform 45 minutes of steady-state cardio at 65%-75% of your heart rate.
This workout uses heavy weight and low volume to increase overall strength while adding a little size. By either pairing an upper-body move with a lower-body one, or a pushing muscle group with a pulling muscle group, one muscle will rest while the other is working. Excess post exercise oxygen consumption will be at its highest with this workout, burning additional calories for 24–48 hours afterward.
Intensity Technique: Supersets.
What it is: Two exercises are performed back-to-back with no rest between.
Cardio: 20-30 minutes of HIIT (1:3 work/rest ratio; 30 seconds all-out effort, 90 seconds recovery). To be performed after the workout.
Day 2
Steady-State Cardio
--
--
No
Steady-State Cardio
Perform 45 minutes of steady-state cardio at 65%-75% of your heart rate.
The high volume and low intensity of this circuit is all about burning calories. Sandwiched between the two more intense workouts of the split, it serves as an active recovery from the first workout that still allows you to prepare for the third.
Intensity Technique: Circuit Training
What it is: A series of exercises performed consecutively with minimal to no rest between exercises. One set of each exercise performed constitutes one circuit.
Perform the circuit 3 times, with 60 seconds rest between each circuit.
Cardio: 20-30 minutes of HIIT (1:3 work/rest ratio; 30 seconds all-out effort, 90 seconds recovery).
Day 4
Steady-State Cardio
--
--
No
Steady-State Cardio
Perform 45 minutes of steady-state cardio at 65%-75% of your heart rate.
This workout is geared to build muscle through high volume and moderate intensity. The exercises in each triset hit the same muscle in different ways or an assisting muscle group to bring you to fatigue.
Intensity Technique: Trisets
What it is: Three exercises performed back-to-back-to-back with no rest.
Cardio: 20-30 minutes of HIIT (1:3 work/rest ratio; 30 seconds all-out effort, 90 seconds recovery). To be performed after the workout.
Day 6
Steady-State Cardio
--
--
No
Steady-State Cardio
Perform 45 minutes of steady-state cardio at 65%-75% of your heart rate.
This workout uses heavy weight and low volume to increase overall strength while adding a little size. By either pairing an upper-body move with a lower-body one, or a pushing muscle group with a pulling muscle group, one muscle will rest while the other is working. Excess post exercise oxygen consumption will be at its highest with this workout, burning additional calories for 24–48 hours afterward.
Intensity Technique: Supersets.
What it is: Two exercises are performed back-to-back with no rest between.
Cardio: 20-30 minutes of HIIT (1:3 work/rest ratio; 30 seconds all-out effort, 90 seconds recovery). To be performed after the workout.
Day 2
Steady-State Cardio
--
--
No
Steady-State Cardio
Perform 45 minutes of steady-state cardio at 65%-75% of your heart rate.
The high volume and low intensity of this circuit is all about burning calories. Sandwiched between the two more intense workouts of the split, it serves as an active recovery from the first workout that still allows you to prepare for the third.
Intensity Technique: Circuit Training
What it is: A series of exercises performed consecutively with minimal to no rest between exercises. One set of each exercise performed constitutes one circuit.
Perform the circuit 3 times, with 60 seconds rest between each circuit.
Cardio: 20-30 minutes of HIIT (1:3 work/rest ratio; 30 seconds all-out effort, 90 seconds recovery).
Day 4
Steady-State Cardio
--
--
No
Steady-State Cardio
Perform 45 minutes of steady-state cardio at 65%-75% of your heart rate.
This workout is geared to build muscle through high volume and moderate intensity. The exercises in each triset hit the same muscle in different ways or an assisting muscle group to bring you to fatigue.
Intensity Technique: Trisets
What it is: Three exercises performed back-to-back-to-back with no rest.
Cardio: 20-30 minutes of HIIT (1:3 work/rest ratio; 30 seconds all-out effort, 90 seconds recovery). To be performed after the workout.
Day 6
Steady-State Cardio
--
--
No
Steady-State Cardio
Perform 45 minutes of steady-state cardio at 65%-75% of your heart rate.
This workout uses heavy weight and low volume to increase overall strength while adding a little size. By either pairing an upper-body move with a lower-body one, or a pushing muscle group with a pulling muscle group, one muscle will rest while the other is working. Excess post exercise oxygen consumption will be at its highest with this workout, burning additional calories for 24–48 hours afterward.
Intensity Technique: Supersets.
What it is: Two exercises are performed back-to-back with no rest between.
Cardio: 20-30 minutes of HIIT (1:3 work/rest ratio; 30 seconds all-out effort, 90 seconds recovery). To be performed after the workout.
Day 2
Steady-State Cardio
--
--
No
Steady-State Cardio
Perform 45 minutes of steady-state cardio at 65%-75% of your heart rate.
The high volume and low intensity of this circuit is all about burning calories. Sandwiched between the two more intense workouts of the split, it serves as an active recovery from the first workout that still allows you to prepare for the third.
Intensity Technique: Circuit Training
What it is: A series of exercises performed consecutively with minimal to no rest between exercises. One set of each exercise performed constitutes one circuit.
Perform the circuit 3 times, with 60 seconds rest between each circuit.
Cardio: 20-30 minutes of HIIT (1:3 work/rest ratio; 30 seconds all-out effort, 90 seconds recovery).
Day 4
Steady-State Cardio
--
--
No
Steady-State Cardio
Perform 45 minutes of steady-state cardio at 65%-75% of your heart rate.
This workout is geared to build muscle through high volume and moderate intensity. The exercises in each triset hit the same muscle in different ways or an assisting muscle group to bring you to fatigue.
Intensity Technique: Trisets
What it is: Three exercises performed back-to-back-to-back with no rest.
Cardio: 20-30 minutes of HIIT (1:3 work/rest ratio; 30 seconds all-out effort, 90 seconds recovery). To be performed after the workout.
Day 6
Steady-State Cardio
--
--
No
Steady-State Cardio
Perform 45 minutes of steady-state cardio at 65%-75% of your heart rate.
