WHAT IS A WORKOUT FOR LEANING OUT?
A Workout for Leaning Out is a targeted training session that aims to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. If you can successfully complete one of these workouts, you will increase your lean body muscle, while building up your aerobic base at the same time. So, how to lean out? With the proper workout.
Try a workout of our favorite Mission Lean lean out moves. You can follow along within this video.
The lean out workout consists of:
- Jump Touches
- Prisoner Squats
- Toe Touches
- Side Shuffle Push-Ups
- 90-Degree Lunges
- Burpee Side Shuffle
Complete the exercises in the order given and don’t rest between them. After you complete the set of six moves, take a 2-minute break and go again. You should aim to complete 3 sets in total.
WHAT IS THE BEST WORKOUT TO BURN FAT AND BUILD LEAN MUSCLE?
If you want to lean out fast while building great muscle at the same time, you should follow a circuit of strength-based exercises combined with dynamic, functional ones. We have many suggested exercises on the Mission Lean app, but if you have your own library of strength and functional moves that you’ve done in the past and that have worked for you, stick to them.
The key is to implement these types of exercises in a methodical way in order to get the most “bang” out of your routine.
Your goal should be to implement your strength-based and functional exercises in a targeted pattern and routine. Ideally, you should move from one exercise to the next without rest. This way, you will benefit from great strength-building and toning while also facilitating an aerobic workout. The traditional term for this type of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), which means that you are pushing your body at intervals of elevated intensity, and then resting between these intervals.
You should aim to create a routine of five or six exercises, that you complete in a row and without rest, with each exercise lasting about 20-30 seconds. After you’ve completed the routine without rest, you should take a 2-minute break before starting the next interval of the same routine of exercises.
Ideally, you should intersperse your dynamic, functional moves with your strength moves. Strength moves build great tone and muscle structure, but usually aren’t as aerobically intense. On the other hand, your functional exercises should be dynamic in nature and movement-based—which will tax your aerobic system to a greater degree.
By switching to a strength move after a dynamic move, you are giving yourself a “break” from aerobically taxing movement. Your heart rate will surely come down slightly, but you haven’t stopped your workout and you’re continuing to burn fat and calories. You’re building up strength and tone while your breath recovers, and then you are ready for another functional exercise.
START YOUR WORKOUT FOR LEANING OUT NOW
If you’ve never done this type of workout before, don’t be intimidated. Mission Lean provides many different levels of workouts, from beginner all the way up to advanced routines. You can use our app to find great exercises or you can get going with moves you’ve done in the past and work to combine them into the type of routine we’ve just described.
The most important thing is to build consistency with your workouts so that they become effortless and a regular part of your day. When you intersperse dynamic exercises with strength moves, you make the workout more manageable both mentally and physically—and you will in turn be more inclined to stick to your daily routine.
FITNESS AND NUTRITION GO HAND IN HAND
The primary way to lean out is to implement a good workout plan and keep to it. Step number 2 is nutrition – it is just as important as a good workout schedule. It won’t only get you the lean body you want faster—only a great workout plan can do that – but it will supplement your efforts and help you maintain it.
However, you have to remember that the goal is not just to lose weight quickly, but to get there methodically so you can stay at your target weight. This can only be achieved with a healthy and balanced diet.
COUNTING CALORIES AND QUICK-FIX DIETARY TIPS IS NOT THE WAY TO GO
While the principle “calories in, calories out” is true in theory, it often doesn’t work in practice. Even professional nutritionists have trouble calculating the exact number of calories each meal has and how much you burn during your workout. Plus, many weight loss models don’t account for how much fat, muscle, or water was lost, and simply give you the gross number. Therefore, you must stick to a great workout plan that is proven to lean you out and make the necessary diet improvements to supplement your efforts.
To lean out quickly and effortlessly, the goal should be to make modifications to your workout and diet routine that are both manageable and sustainable. You should ideally lean out now and stay that way for the long run. HIIT training, when implemented correctly, can be incredibly powerful, and with a few nutritional improvements, you will be well on your way. Counting calories and empty diet tips is never the way to long-term change.
Quick dietary fixes, like smoothie diets or extreme alterations in macronutrient intake, like the keto diet, simply don’t work in the long run. You may see short-term results, but more often than not, it’s not sustainable and usually unhealthy. Your goal is to lean out – that means doing the proper workouts and having a balanced diet. With a plan in place for the long-term, you’ll end up healthier and happier.
START IMPLEMENTING YOUR FITNESS PLANS TODAY
There’s no time like the present, right? So, how to lean out? Full steam ahead – start using HIIT with dynamic and strength-based exercises to start your lean body transition today. Let’s do this! Time to get lean.
Jon Pearlman is a former standout tennis player at Harvard, ATP-ranked touring pro, and author of The Lean Body Manual. He founded Mission Lean to share his unique formula for lean body fitness and nutrition, an approach that took over a decade to develop and perfect. He is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist.
