Transform your body in only 21 days with three workouts designed to torch fat and pack on muscle with this 3 week functional bodybuilding plan.
Who can use this bodybuilding workout plan? This is for functional athletes who want to pack on muscle and torch fat in three weeks. Coupled with effective hydration and food intake plan you can shift serious weight and lift heavy too!
Need to lost weight in 3 weeks? These functional bodybuilding sessions mix three advanced training techniques that shock your metabolism and burn fat at an accelerated rate.
All you need to do is perform these three workouts every week for three weeks and take note of the weights you've used for each move to track your improvements in every session.
Workout 1 - Total Body Transformer Workout
Time: 35 minutes
Equipment Needed: Barbell, Bench, Pull-up Bar, Dumbbells, Kettlebell, Wall Ball
01 - Zercher Squat
3 sets of 10 reps
this squat variation is a stealthy six-pack builder, as it challenges your abs to keep your body upright. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, your arms bent, your hands clasped infront of your chest and a barbell in the crooks of your elbows. Take care not to arch your spine as you push your hips backwards and lower until your elbows touch your thighs. Drive your heels into the floor to push yourself back up.
02 - Wide-Grip Bench Press
3 cluster sets of 5 reps
Low reps help build muscle in a short space of time. Lie on a bench with a bar in an overhand grip, hands wider than your shoulders to activate the maximum muscle fibres. Breathe in and slowly lower the bar. Squeeze your chest as you push it back up. Re-rack, rest for 10 seconds, then go again.
What is a Cluster Set?
A cluster set is where after one rep, re-rack the bar, rest for 10 seconds then perform the next rep, aim to lift at least 85% of your one rep max for each set.
03 - Regular Chin Ups
3 sets of 6 reps
If you want to build T-shirt muscle for beach season, look no further. Grab a bar with your palms facing you and a grip at shoulder width or narrower. Ensure that your entire body is hanging, arms fully stretched, before pulling yourself up until your chin is above the bar. Slowly lower yourself back to the start. After your sixth rep, rest for 15 seconds.
04a - Arnold Press
3 sets of 8 reps
A set of bulging shoulders is pending: the standing position engages your abs more than a seated press. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your shoulders as if you've just finished a biceps curl. Push the dumbbells overhead, rotating your palms to face away from you. Straighten your arms, pause, then reverse the move. Perform eight reps, then go straight into the farmer's walk.
04b - Farmers Walk
3 sets of 20 metres
To fire up your traps, triceps and abs all at once, take your weights on the move. Keep the
same weights or grab heavier dumbbells, and hold them by your mid-thighs. Pin back your shoulder blades and lift your chest as you walk forward. Make sure you keep your core tensed throughout the 20m walk to help you maintain your balance.
05 - Dumbbell Goblet Squat
3 sets of 12 reps
Stand with your legs just wider than shoulder width, clasping a heavy dumbbell to your chest with your palms facing each other. Bend your knees and lower yourself into a squat, ensuring the weight stays in position and you maintain a straight back. Drive yourself back up and repeat. Once your 12 reps are done, take a quick breather, then start the next set.
Kettlebell Drag
20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 4 rounds
In a high plank, propped on your toes, position a heavy kettlebell on the outside of one hand. With your other arm, reach under your body to pull the weight to the other side at arm's length. Maintain a straight spine to keep tension in your abs. Now, swap sides.
Kneeling Wall Ball
20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 4 rounds
Fire up your core's fast-twitch fibres for a six-pack short cut. With a wall to your left side, hold a medicine ball to your abs and adopt a lunge position, your left leg in front. Twist from your right, throw the ball at the wall and catch it. Switch legs each round.
Workout 2 - Pumped Up Workout
Time: 25 minutes
Equipment Needed: Box, Dumbbells, Yoga Mat
4 movements every minute on the minute. Aim to perform your reps in around 45 seconds and rest 15 seconds to prepare for your next movement.
01 Dumbbell Thruster
10 reps
Start your workout with thrusters to spike your metabolism and kick off 20 minutes of non-stop fat burn. Hold a dumbbell to each shoulder with your feet hip width apart. Drop into a squat, then, when your thighs are parallel to the floor, drive upward, using the momentum to press the dumbbells off your shoulders and above your head. Return the dumbbells to your shoulders and repeat.
02 Hand-Release Press-ups
10 reps
For the second minute, you'll raise the intensity of your standard press-up Set up in a high-plank position, your hands on the floor beneath your shoulders, arms and legs straight and core tensed. Lower yourself all the way down, then quickly release your hands and tap the floor, before bringing them back in to push up to the starting position. This one's a handy move.
03 Dumbbell Renegade Row
10 reps
Stay on the ground for minute three, starting at the top of a press-up position, but gripping a dumbbell in each hand. From here, row the dumbbells up to your stomach, alternating sides and keeping your elbows close to your body and high in the air as you bring each weight to your abs. Perform five reps on each arm before the clock hits the 45-second mark.
04 Box Jump
10 reps
This move will have you jumping high to elevate your heart rate and slash fat. Stand a step away from a box, your feet shoulder width apart. Hinge your hips and lower into a slight squat, before leaping onto the box, landing with knees slightly bent. Stand tall, then step off, ready for the next jump. When the minute is over, go back to dumbbell thrusters. Continue until your 20 minutes are up.
Tabata finisher = Use the same structure as the abs finisher in workout 1; Four rounds of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off.
05 Dead Bug
20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 4 rounds
EMOM over, now lie flat on the floor, lifting both knees towards you until they reach a 45-degree angle. Extend both arms straight in the air so they are in line with your shoulders. From here, slowly move one arm backward as you extend your opposite leg out in front of you, keeping your back flat on the floor. Return to the start on the other side and repeat.
06 Shoulder Taps
20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 4 rounds
Start in a high plank, your hands directly beneath your shoulders. Every second, take one hand off the floor to tap the opposite shoulder, lower, and swap sides. This move makes your abs work twice as hard to balance your bodyweight. Tense your core and focus on keeping your head still to prevent swaying - you're guaranteed beach-ready definition.
Workout 3 - Functional Conditioning Workout
Time: 60 minutes
Equipment Needed: Rowing Machine, Treadmill, Assault Bike
Tackle these three intense cardio workouts in one 60 minute session; it will be tough, you have been warned!
01a Rowing
2kms in 10 minutes
Simple in its aim, yet brutal in its execution. You have 10 minutes to get to 2km on the rower. Don't pull too early with your arms, as you'll wear them out. Keep them straight and initiate the row with your legs. Once your legs are almost at full extension, pull the handle hard towards your sternum. Don't waste energy on your return: push the handle back and let the momentum glide you in.
[Want to find the best rowing machine? Check out our review of the best rowing machines for CrossFit here.]
01b Burpee
10 sets of 1-10 reps
Match the number you perform to the minute you're on, so for minute one do one burpee and so on until minute 10 you do 10 burpees.
Here's the catch: at the start of each minute of rowing, get off the machine and perform a set of burpees corresponding to the time (see protocol below). Drop down into a high plank position. lower your chest to the floor, push back up, then jump up and clap your hands behind your head. Get back on the rower as fast as you can - those metres won't row themselves.
Sprint Session
Complete five rounds of this superset to slash body fat in just 15 minutes
02a Treadmill run
400m every 3 minutes for 5 rounds
At the start of every three minutes, run 400m on the treadmill. This distance will test you - begin too fast and you'll burn out, but go too slow and you won't do any damage to belly fat
before the hotel buffet takes hold. As you run, remember to drive your arms and bring your knees high, pushing off from your toes. Kowalenko has set you the goal of completing your sprints in no more than two minutes.
02b Hollow Body rock
As Many Reps As you Can
In the time you have left after your 400m run, complete as many rocks as possible before your three minutes are up. Lie with your lower back touching the floor, arms extended and biceps to your ears. Keep your toes pointed, your legs together and your shoulders just off the ground. With your abs and glutes tight, rock back and forth. Aim for at least 20 rocks at the end of every 400m. Jump back on the treadmill.
Bike Work Out - Start with 50 calories goal then drop to 10 calories and 10 reps of v-sits er round. Finish with 10 calories and 10 reps of pain!
03a Assault Bike
50, 40, 30, 20, 10 Calories
We won't lie: this will be tough, but push through and you'll earn yourself a lean body to be proud of at the beach bar. In your first round on the bike, burn 50kcal as fast as you can, down to 10kcal in the last round. Pump your arms (A) and legs (B), while keeping your chest up to stop your torso from slumping over the bars and your strokes from becoming sluggish. Put the pedal to the metal to get it finished quickly.
03b V-Sit Kick-Out
50, 40, 30, 20, 10 Reps
How long it takes you to finish your bike round determines how long you have to get through your kick-outs. Assume a V-sit position with your torso raised, knees bent, feet just above the floor and hands on the floor. Straighten your legs and lower your torso (A). Pause when your legs are straight, then reverse, lifting your knees to your chest (B). Fit in a few extra reps if you hit your target!
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