Many people that focus on fitness consider the summer a peak time of the year. All of that hard work is dedicated to revealing how you look at the beach, get-together, or just being out and about. Some of you reading this may not feel like you’re ready to show off those results just yet. Perhaps something later on in the year is coming up for you.
Fear not, because once again, we got you covered. What follows is a six-week program that will help you get in shape, look great, and feel better overall. The mindset will be improved, the body will be better, and after 42 days, you’re going to be ready for whatever it is you have coming up. You in? Good. Let’s get to work!
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6 Week Summer Workout Challenge Training Schedule
Here is the weekly split that will serve as your schedule for the next six weeks. You will notice two things about this split. First, there is no Monday through Sunday. Some people have days off during the week and like to train after work. Others may be free to get it in on a Saturday night. Make this split work for you, as long as the workouts get done.
Second, there is no certain time arranged for you to train. Some of you reading this may have that perfect 9 to 5 job while others don’t know when they’re going to get called into work. Some people may have to work overtime. When you have 45 minutes available, get to the weight room and smash it. The effort can be just as hard at 7 a.m. as it can be at 7 p.m. You just have to be willing to do the work.
- Day 1 – Upper Body Superset Workout
- Day 2 – Lower Body Superset Workout
- Day 3 – Cardio and Abs
- Day 4 – Upper Body Superset Workout
- Day 5 – Lower Body Superset Workout
- Day 6 – Cardio and Abs
- Day 7 – Complete Rest Day
Related: Summer Burn: 12 Week Fat Melting Workout
About the Workouts
The workouts that follow are going to be based on hard work and making the most out of the time you have to train. The rep range is 10-15, depending on the training day. This isn’t a strength-based program, so the reps aren’t very low. That said, don’t just go through the motions with these exercises. You should be pushing yourself to work with challenging weight. If you get to the point that you can do 12 reps without reaching failure, bump the weight up if possible. If you’re limited on the weight you can use, then slow down the speed of each rep.
The setup of these workouts is based on supersets. For those that don’t know, you will do two exercises in a row before taking a break. So exercise “1a” will be done, and you then immediately move over to do exercise “1b”. Then you get to rest.
Supersets can save you time in the gym because you can get more work done. These supersets in particular are paired up so opposite body parts are being worked. The Upper Body Superset Workout pairs chest and back in two supersets, shoulders in one, and arms in one. The Lower Body Superset Workout focuses on hamstrings and glutes to start with, followed by quadriceps, then the legs and abs together, and calves at the end.
Here is the challenge with this. The goal isn’t to save time, it’s to do more work in the same time. You will see that the sets are listed as “3-4”. You can start by doing three supersets of each pairing. If you’re able to rest for 30 seconds between supersets, then I want you to add the fourth superset. Those extra reps and effort may not seem like much, but all of the small increments piled on top of each other can lead to big differences. In this case, it means a difference in workload, effort, and results.
All of the exercises here can be found in the . They are focused on barbells and dumbbells so people that can’t train in gyms are able to perform the workouts. If you can go to the gym, or if you have a better option to substitute a movement with, that’s fine. Just make sure it would perform a similar action and that you give the best effort possible.
Upper Body Superset Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1a. Flat Barbell Bench Press | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
| 1b. Dumbbell Pullover | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
| 2a. Incline Dumbbell Press | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
| 2b.Pendlay Barbell Row | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
| 3a. Lateral Raise | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
| 3b. Rear Lateral Raise | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
| 4a. Barbell Curl | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
| 4b. Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extension | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
Lower Body Superset Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1a. Stiff-Leg Deadlift | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
| 1b. Walking Lunge | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
| 2a. Goblet Squat | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
| 2b. Dumbbell Leg Extension | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
| 3a. Squat Jumps | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
| 3b. Mountain Climbers | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
| 4a. Seated Calf Raise | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
| 4b.Standing Calf Raise | 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-60 sec |
Cardio and Abs
Cardio can be done once a day on the days you train. The session that everyone should do is a 15-20 minute walk first thing in the morning. Sip some water, take your morning supplements if that is a part of your routine, and go walk. Try to keep a moderate pace, but don’t run.
The second session would take place on two of the days off from working out. This one will be a High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) type of program. It can be done on an elliptical, treadmill, bike, or even by running. The type of workout you prefer is the one you should do. What is required here is effort. After a 60 second warm-up, you will go all-out for 30 seconds. Give yourself everything you got. After 30 seconds, scale the effort back to about 60%. You will repeat this cycle 10 times; 30 seconds high and 60 seconds low. After the 10th cycle, you will perform low effort work for one minute. By the time you’re done, this is 17 minutes of cardio that will wear you out. The good news is it will also help you get leaner. For those that need it, below is how the times would look while you’re doing this program.
HIIT Cardio Workout
| Time | Effort |
|---|---|
| 0:00 – 1:00 | 1 minute of low-to-moderate effort |
| 1:01 – 2:30 | 30 seconds of high effort, 60 seconds of moderate effort |
| 2:31 – 4:00 | 30 seconds of high effort, 60 seconds of moderate effort |
| 4:01 – 5:30 | 30 seconds of high effort, 60 seconds of moderate effort |
| 5:31 – 7:00 | 30 seconds of high effort, 60 seconds of moderate effort |
| 7:01 – 8:30 | 30 seconds of high effort, 60 seconds of moderate effort |
| 8:31 – 10:00 | 30 seconds of high effort, 60 seconds of moderate effort |
| 10:01 – 11:30 | 30 seconds of high effort, 60 seconds of moderate effort |
| 11:31 – 13:00 | 30 seconds of high effort, 60 seconds of moderate effort |
| 13:01 – 14:30 | 30 seconds of high effort, 60 seconds of moderate effort |
| 14:31 – 16:00 | 30 seconds of high effort, 60 seconds of moderate effort |
| 16:01 – 17:00 | 1 minute of low effort |
As for abs, you can perform ab work after the HIIT cardio session. There are several great workouts to choose from here on M&S, such as the Core Destroyer: 8 Week At Home Ab Workout.
Rest & Recovery
There is one complete day off a week on this program, and you should make the most out of it. Get quality sleep, relax as much as you can, get your head right for the week to come, and pay attention to recovery. If you feel you need a massage therapy session, get it in. Percussive therapy is a good way to help the muscles recover as well. Don’t neglect this. That recovery from the week before doubles as preparation for the week to come. Your success will be much greater if you take this seriously.
