Advanced Beach Body Workout
The term “Beach Body” has widely escalated throughout all social media channels, TV ads and magazines lately. As a personal trainer, I advise my clients to keep track of their fitness and nutrition habits throughout the whole year, but if you find yourself in the situation where you want to look your best in a short period of time, e.g. the summer season, this article is for you.
Here I will cover the most frequent questions related to the beach body and its goals: what is it, where to start and how to achieve it.
Let’s get started.
What is a ‘Beach Body’?
The definition of ‘Beach Body’ is quite complex as for each individual it probably means a totally different thing.
For those who struggle with a few or more additional kilos, a beach body might be achieved if they just lose a couple of kg and manage to fit into a smaller size than usual. For others, who might already be very fit and quite slim, losing body mass is not really needed - they would only have to reduce their body fat around 10-12%.
When it comes to guys we find that there usually are two types of beach bodies they’d like to achieve: the ones who want to lose their ‘beer belly’ and the ones who want to develop a six pack they can show off at the beach.
Easy to see only you can define the term “beach body” and what it means to you.
Achieving the Beach Body: Where Do I started?
You’ll need to get started by evaluating your current physical state and defining realistic short term goals.
First of all, you should analyse your nutrition and physical activity habits. The Internet can help you here in many of these areas, although, for complete beginners, I advise to book a consultation with a personal trainer and get started at least with a few personal training sessions as and when possible. A nutritionist is also advisable.
In my opinion, magazines and the Internet are full of unreliable information which might harm you instead of helping you out. Having a proper, qualified trainer around you answering all of your questions as well as providing you with all the necessary information will make your beach body goals easily achievable! A personal trainer or nutritionist will clarify where to start and what to do.
How Long Does it Take to Achieve a ‘Beach Body’?
Once again, this highly depends on each individual and his/her expectations. In general it would take around 12 weeks to see visible changes in your body.
I can promise you that in that amount of time you’ll feel your energy levels increase and your mood improve. Overall the body will tone much faster!
Let’s Talk Training
No matter what the beach body goal that you’re trying to achieve is (six pack, enhanced muscle mass or a slimmed down physique), as a female personal trainer I mostly recommend compound moves.
Compound moves are exercises that train several muscle groups at once: squats, lunges, leg press, pull ups, push ups, etc.
Also, these moves play an important role in improving insulin sensitivity to a greater degree. By using up the supply of glycogen stores in the various muscles, compound moves allow your body to keep the insulin levels steady for the rest of the day and as well as allowing the mobilization of fatty acid.
What is more, compound exercises positively affect the hormonal response that is beneficial in building muscle mass and/or burning fat. Production of testosterone and growth hormone can be triggered by an intense set of squats as well.
Another training style that brings phenomenal results and helps to get in shape miraculously (especially if you are trying to lose weight), is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). These training styles are exactly what I would advise you to concentrate on while preparing your body for the beach – combination of compound moves and HIIT would be the best way to get your body in shape in the shortest period of time.
HIIT has many benefits for improving your body composition and helping to prepare your body for the beach season. First, it takes only about 15 minutes a day to achieve visible results in a short period of time. Second, with HIIT training, you will not lose muscle, only fat. Third, HIIT will help you strengthen your heart and increase your metabolism. Last, but not least, you can do it anywhere and no equipment is needed.
Doesn’t it sound just great?
Let’s Talk Nutrition
What are the basics of eating well? Eating 4-5 protein based meals, including a good amount of fruit and vegetables in your diet? Not so simple.
Everything, once again, depends on your body transformation goals: if you want to reduce your body fat percentage to a certain amount and see some serious definition, keeping the principles stated above would simply not suffice.
Counting your macronutrient intake is the key in achieving your goals. This does not mean that you will need to be weighing every meal you prepare, but knowing the essentials is definitely important.
You can get started by calculating you Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) to see how many calories you burn while resting (you can calculate your BMR here: https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bmr_calculator.htm).
One of the most important principles of healthy eating for the goal of reducing body fat percentage is taking protein with each meal with lots and lots of vegetables. Try not to get obsessed with counting calories, better think about portions and healthy snacking options.
Also, getting rid of refined sugars and ready meals (including soups), would be essential.
Workout
The following workout is suitable for all fitness levels. Although, for advanced trainees, some additional guidelines might be given. The warm up part is essential before starting any workout. It prevents your body from soft tissue injuries and prepares the muscles for the effective workout!
Warm up
Start with active drills, such as jog or sprint on the spot. Continue with wide shoulder rolls, neck rolls/twist and end the warm up with a few burpees and star jumps.
Full Body Advanced Beach Body Workout
- SQUATS
Beginners: start with your own body weight 3 sets x 20 reps.
Advanced: start with an empty Olympic bar, followed by challenging weight by 3-4 drop sets. Make sure you have a spotter to help you.
- PRESS UPS
Beginners: 3 sets x 10 reps
Advanced: Use bench press. Start with an empty Olympic bar, followed by challenging weight by 3-4 drop sets. Make sure you have a spotter to help you.
- BURPEES + SPRINT
3 sets of 10 reps.
Beginners: 10 sec sprint after every burpee.
Advanced: 20 sec sprint after every burpee.
- WALKING LUNGES
3 sets of 26 reps.
Beginners: Body weight only.
Advanced: Use kettlebells for extra weight. Add 2-4 pumps on every lunge down or keep weights above your head to involve your back, shoulders and arms.
- SHOULDER PRESS
Beginners: 3 sets of 10-15 reps, using challenging weights. In addition, barbell or dumbbells can be used.
Advanced: 5-6 drop sets plus additional 2 sets of super light weight pump half way. In addition, barbell or dumbbells can be used.
- MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
All levels: 3-6 sets maximum holds for climb.
- HIIT
Choose your favourite machine or go outside:
- Outdoor run or treadmill
- Stationary bike or outdoor bike ride
Warm up: 2 min at moderate speed.
Workout: 15 sec as fast as you can + 15 sec rest (beginners can take 30 sec rest) x 5-10 times. Followed by 2 min moderate speed. You can repeat the workout twice or three times.
For advanced only (indoors): you can increase an incline for resting periods and decrease for sprints.
Rest: Appropriate rest is required for all trainees. Weight training anything between 30-90 sec.
Tempo: Emphasising negative eps (slow lowering).
Summing Up
The process of getting your beach body can be a little complex; achieving great results in a short period of time requires clear goal setting and the right execution plan.
From my professional experience, the most effective way to achieve a beach body is by having a qualified person (fitness instructor, nutritionist, etc.) next to you helping you out. At least try to have a chat with one before taking any actions.
Also, a balanced nutrition and the right choice of exercise play a key role in making this process as quick and easy as possible!
BIO BOX
Justina Triasovaite is a certified female personal trainer and also runs justinatraining.com, a site with useful information for those who are interested in general fitness and body transformation. A committed health and fitness fanatic, Justina is very passionate about helping transform people's lives.
