Mike Simone - The 21-Day Shred: The Simple, Scientific Program to Get Lean Now!

Ive been using the
21-DAY SHRED FOR YEARS.

Ive been in the fitness industry for years, both as an editor for Mens Fitness and as an athlete, but growing up I was told that I didnt have the build for a shredded body.

Chances are, you may have heard, or at least felt, the same thing.

It was my dad who convinced me to look into scientific research for answers in training my non-ideal body, and it was in those countless hours of reading, researching, and the practical application of training and dieting strategies that I found the answer to building my physique. Then, when I joined the team of star writers, researchers, and fitness professionals at Mens Fitness and Muscle & Fitness, I learned that with a little tweaking, the plan that worked for my less than ideal body could actually work for any man.

Thats what Im about to share with you in The 21-Day Shred.

Lets get one thing straight: This 21-day journey is intense; youre going to shred down body fat quickly. This is not the type of routine youll want to follow for more than three consecutive weeks. If youve got long-term goals, consider rotating this routine with your regular workout every four weeks to give your body a chance to recuperate from this program. This is a hardcore plan for hardcore results.

For the next three weeks, youll be moving a lot and resting little. Most of the rest periods, in fact, are active, which means about 95% of the 75 minutes youll spend in the gym each day will have you in motion. I understand a lot of guys find it hard to carve out 75 minutes for training, while others can manage 90 minutes or more. Dont worrythis program packs maximum volume into minimum time for a workout that is as efficient as it is productive, and you can adjust the timing of it by slowing down or speeding up the pace. Youll just need to adjust the weights used. (And remember, youre doing it for only 21 days!)

One other word about this routine: It is designed to elicit muscle hypertrophy, not necessarily strength, although increased strength is a natural by-product of any kind of resistance training.

While those 75 minutes in the gym are important to your success, the time you spend outside of the gym is vital too. The 21-Day Shred includes a comprehensive three-week nutrition program designed for maximum fat loss and minimum muscle waste, leaving you with a shredded body in less than a month. The blueprint to the plan is something that Ive been doing for years because it works for me, and for scores of men whove tried it since. You dont need to start with an ideal bodyI didnt. But if youre willing to do what it takes, youll make it happen.

Mike Simone , Online Director, Mens Fitness

TRAIN WITH MIKE

Every day for the next three weeks youll be either training or recovering from training. That means that a conscious balance of protein, carbs, fat, fiberrather than a wholesale carbohydrate fastis the best bet.

Alternating days of hardcore cardio and intense resistance training will leave you lean and ripped at the end of the three weeks.

Say hello to your muscle-building, fat-burning supplements: Whey protein isolate, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), beta-alanine, and caffeine.

After your 21 days of SHRED, youll be leaner and stronger than youve ever imagined. Youll look great, and youll feel great. But the real proof is in performance. These workouts will test your fitness, push you forward, and help map your progress to a whole new plane.

The SHRED meal plan is Spartan, but you dont have to eat like a monk to look like a god. These recipes are tongue-dazzling enough to make for a dateyet still fit into the strict guidelines of the SHRED program. Discover how easy it is to eat like a king, and still look like a knight.

While diet and exercise will get you 90 percent of the way there, your daily habitsfrom sitting too much to sleeping too littlecan easily undermine even the most rigorous of fitness and nutrition plans. Discover the 5-S Plan for living the shred lifestyle.

The only way you will ever lose fat, shred your physique, and see your abs is if you eat fewer calories than youre eating now.

Nothing elsenot lifting weights, not cardio, not supplements, not sitting in a sauna wearing a polyester burkacan offset failing to adhere to this simple rule. Period. So for the next 21 days, youre going to watch what you eat down to the last little bite.