Force Factor

Even if it doesn’t look or feel like it where you live, spring is officially here. At Force Factor HQ in Massachusetts, it’s still freezing outside, but we’re all gearing up for the hot weather, beach vacations, and body-baring clothes of summer. Before you hit the gym, we wanted to share our diet advice and favorite workouts, lifts, and supplements for the beach-ready body.

Diet and Supplements
Ready to lose the winter weight? It starts with your diet and supplementation now! Before you start, take stock of what you’ve been eating normally over the past few weeks. Write down everything for two or three days to serve as a benchmark. The strictest diets are often the least successful. Try to figure out many smaller ways to improve your current diet by cutting fat and carbs and adding in protein and fiber where possible. You’ll create a diet for yourself that is easier to stick to, allowing you more success in the long run.

To start, you’ll be working out more often, so you’re going to need to increase your intake of protein. It’s time to stock up on canned tuna and chicken breast. For best results, you’ll be eating more frequently. Try having 5 smaller meals daily. Split your caloric needs (depending on your fat-loss/mass-gaining goals) as evenly as possible and try to get a solid amount of protein in every meal. A whey protein shake can serve as part of at least one of these daily meals.

Your supplement routine can also depend on your current state and your goals. For most of us, losing the winter weight and cranking up the energy in the gym is a must. Our thermogenic fat burner, Ramp Up, is the solution to both desires. This is also the first spring that we’re training with Body Rush. If you’re serious about getting in shape for summer, Body Rush is a must this year. Drink it 30 minutes before a lift or before cardio. Body Rush not only energizes and focuses you in the gym but it’s got carnitines for increased fat conversion for energy and BCAAs in order to preserve muscle gains.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Cardio is tough and it can get really boring, really quickly, especially if you’re trapped inside on the treadmill on a rainy day. Instead, focus on hitting your highest intensity in cardio for shorter blasts of time. HIIT can be a great way to break through plateaus and help your body get rid of winter’s stubborn fat. It’s not easy, but the results are awesome.

Try it this way: Choose your cardio machine (treadmill, bike, elliptical trainer, etc). Warm up for 4 minutes to get your heart rate up and your muscles warm and ready. Then, hit it as hard/fast/intense as you can for the next 30 seconds. Then back off for 30 seconds. Repeat this 30 sec. on, 30 sec . off pattern over and over for 8 minutes. Then cool down for a final 3 minutes (total of 15 minutes). If you can take more, switch machines (e.g. from the treadmill to the bike) and repeat it. Choose HIIT instead of your regular cardio routine 2x a week.

Core Training
For many, when it comes to a perfect beach body, it’s all about the abs. To get the defined, ripped look, you need to start with diet, drink plenty of water every day, and work the core muscles. All three pieces are essential for the best results.

To start with the basics, do your crunches and do them properly. To get the most out of crunches and sit-ups, you need to be flexing your ab muscles at the top of the movement. To get results, you should not be speeding through sets using your momentum. Slow it down and focus on truly “crunching” your abs on each rep. You may not be able to do as many, but quality beats quantity.

Moving along, add hanging knee raises, lying down leg raises, planks, bicycles, supermans, and bridges to your routine. Do all of these exercises slowly and make sure you’re feeling the burn in your abs on each and every rep. Rotate through your routine often and replace exercises that no longer provide you with the same “burn” over time. From time to time, performing the exercises on a fitness/stability ball can also aid in adding a challenge factor.

Focused Lifting: Arms
It’s time to get your arms t-shirts and tank-top ready. For the best results in the least amount of time, clearly define your routine and schedule and pay close attention to form always. To keep your focus on form, perform lifts slowly and in front of the mirror to keep yourself in check. Get a spotter to help you at the bench and ask for a critique of your form. Create a lifting schedule that will challenge your biceps, triceps, and forearms on a regular basis. Update your max frequently in the coming weeks as you gain strength. Work your arms completely, but be careful that you’re working them no more than 2x per week. Here are some of our favorite lifts for each muscle group:

Biceps: Hammer Curls, straight barbell curls, pull-ups (and weighted pull-ups), preacher curls, cheat curls, and incline dumbbell curls.

Triceps: Dips (and weighted dips), close-grip benches, pressdowns, lying tricep extensions, reverse pulldowns, and seated skull-crushers.

Forearms: Wrist curls, reverse wrist curls, and reverse curls.