Get Beach Body Ready In 4 Weeks

EXPERT: Chassidy Smothers - Personal trainer, IFBB pro and US army vet.

Summer is right around the corner so don’t wait for June 1st to decide it’s time to get in shape. Whether you’ve been steadfast with your training program throughout the winter, or putting off your workouts telling yourself ‘tomorrow will do,’ now is the perfect time to start sculpting your beach body.

Phase A of this program is a four-week, full-body workout designed to jump-start your journey to rocking your summer tanks, shorts and suits with confidence. As the weeks progress, be sure to challenge yourself by continuously increasing the weight you lift during exercises and decreasing rest breaks between sets.

Keep a log of your workouts so you are able to look back and celebrate your progression and noted PBs. The end result is a swimsuit-ready physique that’ll let you capitalize on every sun-soaked moment this summer. 

WORKOUT SCHEDULE

Day 1: Lower body

Day 2: Upper body

Day 3: Core

Day 4: Lower body

Day 5: Upper body

Day 6 & 7: Rest 

CARDIO SCHEDULE

• Day 1, 3, 5:
• Add 20 mins’ high-intensity interval training (HIIT cardio)

HIIT example:

• Sprint for 30 sec, walk for 30 sec, repeat for 20 mins
• Jump rope for 1 min, rest for 30 sec, repeat for 20 min

Your workouts start here...

DAY 1 - LOWER BODY WORKOUT

Start the week off right with an intense lower-body burn. Begin this workout with a 10-minute walk, jog or bike ride to warm up your legs, then stretch your legs and begin. While maintaining proper form, choose as heavy a weight as you can in order to burn maximum calories.

EXERCISE

1) Leg extension:

Using a leg extension machines, extend your legs up and forward until they're straight in front of you. Pause, then slowly bend your knees until your legs are lowered back down. Sets 3, Reps 12-15

2) Barbell squat:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your hips and knees simultaneously to lower yourself towards the ground until the bottoms of your thighs become parallel to the floor. Rise to the start along the same path. Sets 4, Reps 8-12

3) Leg press:

Seated in a leg-press machine, press the weight up until legs are straight with knees unlocked, then slowly lower the weight back to start. Sets 3, Reps 15

4) Hamstring curl:

Lie on the hamstring machine and bend your legs to curl the pad up until it touches your glutes, then slowly lower back to start. Sets 3, Reps 12-15

5) Calf raise:

Rest the balls of your feet on the edge of a step or raised platform. Lower your heels to the ground and just before they touch, rise up onto your toes and pause. Sets 4, Reps 15.

6) 20 mins HIIT cardio

DAY 2 - UPPER BODY WORKOUT

For day two we are focusing on chest, shoulders, and triceps. We will incorporate all sides of the shoulders, and, since this is a sensitive muscle and easily injured, be sure to stretch prior to beginning.

Using proper form, lift as heavy as possible. Remember, ladies, a nice set of shoulders doesn’t only look great in a bikini or tank-top, it also helps present the illusion of a smaller waist.

1) Push-up (assisted okay):

Get into the press-up position. With back flat, lower your body while keeping your elbows tucked to your sides. Your chest should fall between your hands but shouldn't touch the floor. Rise to the start. Sets 3, Reps 10.

2) Standing military press:

While standing, lift dumbbells up over your head and hold at about shoulder level and slightly in front of your head. Lower the dumbbells back down slowly near collarbones, pause and then press back up. Sets 4, Reps 10.

3) Dumbbell one-arm lateral raise:

Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand by your side with your palms facing each other. Raise one arm straight out to your side until parallel with the ground. Slowly lower the dumbbell to start and switch sides. Sets 3, Reps 10-12

4) Dumbbell front raise:

Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand. Raise the weights directly in front of you until they're parallel with the ground. Slowly lower them to the start. Sets 3, Reps 10-12

5) Dumbbell reverse fly:

Lie face down on an incline bench set to 45 degrees and hold the dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other. Raise the dumbbells until they are level with your shoulders. Hold for a second, then slowly lower to the starting position.

DAY 3 - CORE BODY WORKOUT

Day three is all about creating those sleek summer tummies. To enhance results, breathe out during the contraction of exercises, such as crunches, sit-ups, mountain climbers and spider climbers.

*Complete each exercise in a circuit continuously for duration specified. Repeat each circuit three times.

CIRCUIT 1 EXERCISES

1) Standard crunch. Time 30 secs

Lie down on the floor with knees bent. Contracting your stomach muscles, lift your chin towards the ceiling until your shoulder blades have left the ground and return to start.

2) Standard sit-up. Time 30 secs

Lie down on the floor with knees bent. Contracting your stomach muscles, lift your chin first towards the ceiling and then toward your knees until your torso is perpendicular to the floor, and then return to start

3) Flutter kick. Time 30 secs

Lie flat on your back with your arms by your sides, extend your legs out about six inches off the floor. Keeping your abs contracted, make small, rapid up and down scissor-like motions with your legs. Moving both feet up and down once equals one repetition. 

Rest. 30-60 secs

CIRCUIT 2 EXERCISES

1) Standard plank. Time 30 secs

Get in a push-up position with your elbows on the ground, and hold position while keeping abs tight and back flat.

2) Mountain climber. Time 30 secs

Assume a push-up position and raise your right knee toward your chest. Return to the starting position and repeat with your left leg. That equals one repetition.

3) Spider climber. Time 30 secs

Begin in a push-up position with arms bent to 90º. Raise one foot off of the ground, externally rotate the leg and bring the knee toward your elbow. Return this leg to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side.

Rest. Time 30-60

20-min HIIT cardio

DAY 4 - LOWER BODY WORKOUT

Day four is dedicated to the lower body with a large emphasis on glutes. To optimize glute activation during this workout, try implementing these two simple tips:

1. While performing lunges, step ups, and squats drive through your heels.

2. During your hip thrusts and cable kickbacks, pause and squeeze the muscle at the top of the exercise.

1) Lunge. Sets 4, Reps 10

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Step forward with your left foot and bend your left knee until your left thigh is parallel to the floor and your knee form is at 90º. Reverse the motion, stepping back to start. Now swap legs.

2) Barbell hip thrust. Sets 4, Reps 8-12

Lean against a bench with your shoulder blades near the top with a barbell directly above your hips. Drive through your feet, extending your hips vertically through the bar – your weight should be supported by your shoulder blades and your feet – and then reverse the motion to return to the start.

3) Cable Kickback. Sets 3, Reps 12

Place one foot through an attachment at the bottom of a cable machine. Keeping your leg straight, smoothly kick your heel backward. Squeeze and slowly lower. Now swap legs.

4) Step-up. Sets 3, Reps 12

Stand facing a bench, or flat platform. Place your food on the bench and push down to straighten your leg stepping up on to the bench. Step back down to the start position. Now swap legs.

5) Bodyweight. Sets 3, Reps till failure

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your hips and knees simultaneously to lower yourself towards the ground until the bottoms of your thighs become parallel to the floor. Rise to the start along the same path. 

DAY 5 - UPPER BODY WORKOUT

Ending the week with a bang by strengthening and toning your back and biceps. While completing your back exercises, be sure to maintain proper posture by keeping your shoulders back and chest up, naturally creating an arch in your back. This will help keep the primary focus of the exercise exactly where you want it.

1) Pull-up (assisted okay). Sets 4, Reps 10

Grab the pull-up bar and hang with elbows completely extended. Pull yourself up until your chin crosses the plane of the bar. Pause then slowly lower yourself to start. 

2) Wide-grip pull-down. Sets 4, Reps 12-15

Grab a lat-pulldown bar and slowly pull the bar to the top of your chest. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom, and then let the bar slowly return to start. 

3) Barbell bent-over row. Sets 3, Reps 12-15

Stand, and with your back flat, bend forward until almost parallel to the floor. With your arms straight beneath your shoulders, draw the weight up until it reaches your chest. Pause, and then slowly lower the weight to the start.

4) Seated cable row. Sets 4, Reps 10

Grip the double-D handle at the seated cable machine. Pull the handle just below your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Pause, and then slowly return to start. 

5) 20 min HIIT cardio