Summer Body Bible

Lose the gut

Phase one of our three-part plan to get you in shape. We start by burning off the belly Listen up mate. The damage is done. You’ve gone hard on the comfort food lately and now you’re wondering if the pale pork pie you see in the mirror will ever grace the great outdoors again.
The answer is “yes”. But only because, for three straight months, you’re going to flinch at the crack of our whip. Melanie Harris is a registered dietitian with an eye for the boys – fit boys. Your exercise taskmaster, biokineticist Wayne Viljoen, doesn’t take any bull and is used to cutting tall poppies down to size. You’re going to eat as they say and train as they say. Stick to the plan and we guarantee you’ll be sporting a body to brag about.

Workout The focus of this phase is to lose body fat and start activating and preparing those long-forgotten muscles for what is still to come. It’s mainly composed of circuit and cardiovascular training, the prime purpose of which is to burn off excess kilos and develop an endurance base for your muscles to build upon in the next two phases.
Download: summer body bible phrase one workout Nutrition To promote weight loss, it’s important that your overall energy intake is controlled. If your kilojoule input is greater than your output, your body stores this excess as fat – and you put on weight. By following this program, you’ll lower your kilojoule intake and increase your energy output.
Download: summer body bible phrase one food plan

Lean for life

Phrase two of our three-part plan to you in shape. Now you get fit and firm up Good man. You followed the expert advice dispensed in Phase One to the letter and you now stand on the threshold of streamlined greyhound status. The gut is going and congratulations are in order, but celebration is still a bit further from that newly acquired notch in your belt. You’re going to tighten up some of that lost tension and you’ve got the momentum now, so use it.

Workout After shedding some of that excess insulation, it’s time to firm up and tone your muscles. We’re still going to focus on a total-body routine, but in this phase we use mainly free-weight exercises performed on three alternate days of the week. The intensity and difficulty of the resistance-training exercises is increased.
Download: summer body bible phrase two workout Nutrition The more you exercise the greater your dietary carbohydrate needs will be. The body burns carbohydrates most efficiently and turns to them first as a fuel source. You need to adequately restock your carb tank before the next training session to promote complete recovery between sessions and to prevent heavy and tired muscles.
Download: summer body bible phrase two food plan

Take your shirt off

Phrase three of our three-part plan to get you in shape. In our final instalment, you build muscle You’re the man. Nice job. We know you’ve worked hard over the last two months and now… well, now you’re looking lean. But you need to focus – it’s not over yet.

Workout: This is the final phase of three months of hard work and effort; it’s time to gain some functional strength, so you look and feel strong. We progress to a two-day upper-body/lower-body split routine performed twice a week.
Download: summer body bible phrase three workout Nutrition: You’ve lost the bulge and increased your fitness level. To gain muscle and not fat, you need to follow a high-energy, high-protein, low-fat meal plan. Your body’s protein requirements are increased by exercise but it is still vital to have a high-carb intake for maximum output and recovery. Additional protein has automatically been incorporated into the meal plan, so you don’t have to take supplements.
Download: summer body bible phrase three food plan