The 4-week Training Plan to Lose Fat and Get Toned

Trying to tighten and firm up all over?  With the help of trainer and nutritionist Kim Oddo—who has worked with some of the world’s top figure and bikini competitors—we’ll show you how to get your buff bod back in only four weeks with this comprehensive crash-course training program.

Coupled with a strategis nutrition plan, it’ll have your body sweating and (at times) your stomach grumbling, but in 28 days, you’ll surprise yourself when you see how far your figure has come.

The 4-week program is divided into a pair of 2-week chunks. Here are the weekly splits:

Weeks 1-2

DAY 1: Upper-body Circuit, Abs

DAY 2: Lower-body Circuit

DAY 3: Cardio, Abs

DAY 4: Upper-body Circuit, Abs

DAY 5: Lower-body Circuit

DAY 6: Cardio, Abs

DAY 7: Rest

Important Points

• Use light weight and higher reps at the beginning of the workout to help enhance blood flow to muscles and burn more calories as you train. 
• With each circuit, you’ll go heavier and use lower reps to stimulate your fast-twitch muscle fibers and keep your body in fat-burning mode after the workout is over. 
  • The reps for each movement are specified separated by commas in the workouts below.
• Focus on compound movements to maximize the amount of work done in this short, full-body routine.
• To keep your heart rate up, you’ll perform five minutes of cardio between each circuit at 70–75% maximum heart rate (MHR).
• Use an average tempo like 2-1-2 (two seconds to lower the weight, one second pause, and two seconds to lift it) to ensure you perform each exercise properly.
• Perform 45–60 minutes of cardio on your cardio days, working at 75% of your MHR.

Weeks 3-4

DAY 1: Upper-body Circuit, Abs

DAY 2: Lower-body Plyometrics Circuit

DAY 3: Cardio, Abs

DAY 4: Upper-body Plyometrics Circuit, Abs

DAY 5: Lower-body Circuit

DAY 6: Cardio, Abs

DAY 7: Rest

Important Points

• Increase the amount of weight for both your upper- and lower-body circuits, and go heavier and use lower reps with each circuit.
• After your body has acclimatized to faster-paced workouts, you’ll start plyometrics—exercises that are quick, powerful movements that help the muscles store energy for more explosive training.
• Plyos give you a total cardio workout, so you won’t have to hit the treadmill afterward unless you feel you need to.
• To keep your heart rate up and calories burning during the workout, you’ll perform five minutes of cardio between each circuit on the treadmill, StepMill, or elliptical at 70–75% of your MHR.
• Make sure to warm up for a minimum of five minutes on the treadmill, StepMill, or elliptical before beginning your first circuit.
• Perform 45–60 minutes of cardio on a treadmill, StepMill, or elliptical on your cardio days at 75% of your MHR.