February: Classic Cutting - 4 days

Classic cutting for fat loss and muscle mass retention

We're serious and, with that, seriously realistic. In 6 weeks, you can certainly shed a few pounds of fat, but depending on your ultimate goal, you'll likely need more than 6 weeks to get there. In fact, for a fitter and more enjoyable life, you should always keep up with strength training. Luckily, we have another 100 fitness plans ready for weight loss and hundreds more for every other goal in the gym. Let's start with your first plan today.

Losing Weight and Maintaining Muscle Mass

Losing weight can be challenging, but with the right approach and motivation, you can achieve any goal. I see it as a game against your body. Your body doesn’t want to lose weight, but your mind does. "Bet I can win?" It's important to remember that losing weight isn't just about eating less or extreme exercising; it's about finding a healthy balance between eating, exercising, sleeping, and seriously enjoying life. A combination of cardio, strength training, and nutrition is the key to success. Patience and consistency are crucial. Celebrate every kilo you lose on your weight loss timeline, and if you're losing 0.5 to 1% of your body weight every 2 weeks, then you're seriously doing great.

Also read: why losing weight is hard and maintaining weight is even harder.

Train 4 Days, Eat 7 Days

Training while losing weight has two major benefits. The first is that you directly burn calories. The second is indirect, but potentially even more impactful. When you exercise, you're less likely to indulge in bad and calorie-dense food sources. Every calorie not consumed doesn't need to be burned. Therefore, try to spread out the 4 training days of this weight loss fitness plan for the strongest effect. Every workout begins and ends with cardio. It's nice to spread the total of 250 to 300 calories per session. In between, you'll do serious exercises aimed at muscle growth. Not that your muscles will necessarily grow, but you want to send them a clear signal not to go away. Every muscle group is worked twice a week. The goal is to lose as much fat as possible while losing as little muscle mass as possible!

How This Weight Loss and Muscle Maintenance Plan Makes a Difference

Classic Cutting is, on paper, a highly effective fitness plan for losing weight and maintaining muscle mass. Science has shown that focusing on muscle building helps you maintain as much muscle mass as possible. That's why you aim for this with every exercise in the plan. Additionally, you'll burn serious extra calories to increase your calorie deficit through training. Research indicates that this combination of eating and training offers the best chance for lasting results. Nutrition guidelines can be found later on.

Tips for This Fitness Plan

Your body only changes when you challenge it. This workout plan will certainly do that, but it counts on your commitment. You only need to do the following two things:

• Perform exercises where you choose a weight with about 1-2 repetitions left in reserve, unless otherwise specified. This is crucial. If it says 10 repetitions, that means you could do 11-12 but stop at 10. However, if you're at 10 and could do exactly 4 more repetitions if your life depended on it, then do that set for 12-13 repetitions. For the next set, adjust the weight. This way, every set remains effective.

• When losing weight, it's hard to add more weight to the bar. Therefore, aim to lift at least the same weight as your previous workout every week. This ensures you maintain as much muscle mass as possible. If you've only become slightly 'softer' by the end of your training plan, then you've done incredibly well! Stay realistic, understand your goal.

The Plan to Maintain Muscle Mass and Lose Fat – Classic Cutting

As mentioned, the plan spans 4 days and lasts 6 weeks. On days 1 and 3, you train your chest, back, and biceps, and on the other days, legs, shoulders, and triceps. You can add abdominal exercises as desired. It's a serious training plan, and each session includes methods for increasing intensity (you'll find these tips in the app with the plan). Each workout lasts about 75 minutes since you'll burn a total of 250 to 300 calories per session. If you want to accelerate weight loss through exercise, you'll need to burn a significant amount of calories.

WARM-UP

Every day you get serious about working out, start with a warm-up and your first part of the cardio work. Begin each workout with a cardio exercise of your choice and burn your first 125 calories, followed by 1 or 2 warm-up sets for the first exercise of a new muscle group. This reduces the risk of injury and allows you to lift the most weight. After the warm-up, you've already burned the initial calories to speed up your weight loss goal.

DAY 1 – CHEST – BACK – BICEPS

After the first 125 calories on a cardio machine, continue with:

1. Bench press – 3 sets of 8 reps

2. Superset: standing cable fly (high to low) – 3 sets of 12 reps & push-ups (max reps)

3. Lat pulldown – 3 sets of 12, 10, 8 reps

4. Seated cable row – 3 sets of 10 reps

5. Incline dumbbell curl – 3 sets of 10 reps

6. Barbell curl – 8 sets of 10 reps (see app for explanation of the game)

You finish this day, like every day, with 125 calories on a cardio machine. The app includes various games to make this more enjoyable.

DAY 2 – LEGS – SHOULDERS – TRICEPS

A really intense training day:

1. Deadlift – 3 sets of 12, 10, 8 reps

2. Barbell squat – 3 sets of 15 reps

3. Single leg leg extension – 4 sets of 15 reps per leg (see app for game explanation)

4. Smith machine shoulder press – 3 sets of 12, 10, 8 reps

5. Superset: Dumbbell front raise and dumbbell side raise – both 3 sets of 10 reps (see app)

6. Lying EZ-bar triceps extension – 3 sets of 12 reps

7. Single arm dumbbell overhead extension – 5 sets of 10 reps per arm (see app for superburner)

DAY 3 – CHEST – BACK – BICEPS

1. Flat dumbbell press – 3 sets of 10 reps

2. Superset: incline cable fly (3 sets of 12 reps) & incline cable press (3 sets max reps; see app)

3. Barbell bent over row – 3 sets of 12 reps

4. Close grip lat pulldown – 3 sets of 10 reps

5. EZ-barbell preacher curl – 3 sets of 10 reps

6. Single arm cable curl – 5 sets of 10 reps per arm (see app for superburner)

DAY 4 – LEGS – SHOULDERS – TRICEPS

1. Leg press – 3 sets of 12 reps

2. Dumbbell reverse lunge – 3 sets of 8 reps per leg

3. Seated dumbbell shoulder press – 3 sets of 12 reps

4. Cable upright row – 3 sets of 12 reps

5. TRX reverse fly – 3 sets of 15 reps

6. Triceps dips – 3 sets of max reps

7. Single arm pushdown – 5 sets of 10 reps (see app for superburner)

Don't feel like writing down this plan for losing weight and maintaining muscle? It's all set up for you in our app. Including all the methods to make your training more intense and enjoyable, adjustments from week 4, technique videos, and your weights are remembered, so you can try to outdo yourself each training session. Besides Classic Cutting, there are over 100 more cutting plans waiting for you. All aimed at maintaining as much muscle mass and losing as much fat mass as possible. Let’s get serious!

What to Eat to Lose Weight?

Nobody loses fat and maintains muscle mass without a strong nutrition plan. If you want to get leaner, you'll need to eat slightly less than your body demands. Although there's no one-size-fits-all diet, the basics are often the same:

• Create a small calorie deficit (daily 250-500 kcal less than maintenance)

• Aim to consume about 1.6 grams of protein per kilo of body weight daily. This provides a feeling of fullness and your muscles will thank you.

• Focus on natural food sources rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibers.

• Eat as few calorie-dense ultra-processed foods as possible. Think candy, cookies, savory snacks, chips, pizza, chocolate, pastries, sweet dairy variants, soda, and sweetened breakfast cereals.

• Drink plenty of water, black and green tea, and, to a lesser extent, coffee.

• Ensure you can stick to your diet.

For specific questions or to create a personalized nutrition plan, we always advise you to contact a qualified (sports) dietitian. Never change your entire nutrition plan on your own.

Also read: the effects of alcohol on your body

THE IMPORTANCE OF REST DAYS: MORE THAN YOU THINK!

In a 4-day workout schedule, rest days are crucial. They are essential for muscle recovery and minimizing the risk of injury. Moreover, by spreading out your workout days, you stay in a positive spiral longer and lose more fat mass.

Supplements for Weight Loss?

As the name suggests, supplements are an addition to your regular diet, not a replacement. Supplements do not lead to more weight loss. However, particularly for achieving your protein intake, a protein shake or protein bar is a convenient addition. Proteins provide a longer feeling of satiety, making weight loss a bit easier. Essentially, there are only 2 supplements that can be beneficial for weight loss.

1. Protein Powder: Whether it's whey, casein, a mix, isolate, or whatever, doesn't matter. Your body thinks in totals. The speed of absorption has been shown to be irrelevant in scientific studies.

2. Protein Bar: this is naturally an ultra-processed product. Therefore, be a bit careful with the amount of sugar.

In general, the above supplements are safe. However, before starting a supplement regimen, it's wise to consult a (sports) dietitian or medical expert. This is especially important if you are already taking medication or have underlying health problems.

Also read: which supplements work and which don't?

Classic Cutting Is Ready for You

Now it's time to get started with this serious weight loss plan. Don't feel like writing down this fitness plan? Good, because it's ready for you in our app: Serious Fitness Lab. Including extra tips. We take that "serious" very seriously, by the way. Log all your weights, effortlessly switch between alternative exercises, and let the plan automatically increase the difficulty after 4 weeks. Say goodbye to endlessly searching for exercises: we've got the best videos for every exercise in the plan. And let's be serious, if you want more, we have over 100 additional cutting plans in the app.

So, are you ready to get seriously toned? Download Serious Fitness Lab now and dominate your fitness goals, seriously.

Most Frequently Asked Questions About Weight Loss Fitness Plans

What exercises should you do at the gym to lose weight?
To lose weight at the gym, focus on maintaining muscle mass to keep your metabolism high. Combine this with cardio or interval circuits for optimal fat burning. Stay motivated and regularly switch up your routine to keep enjoying your workouts. In our app, you'll find a new weight loss fitness plan every 6 weeks!

How much exercise to lose 10 kilos?
To lose 10 kilos, consistency is key. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous cardio per week, supplemented with strength training. Nutrition also plays a significant role. A healthy, balanced diet combined with regular physical activity is the key to success. Don't forget to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, as insufficient sleep almost stops fat loss.

What strength training is good for weight loss?
Full-body strength training is ideal for weight loss. Exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses stimulate large muscle groups. This boosts your metabolism and fat burning. Strength training also builds muscle mass, which helps burn more calories, even at rest. However, it's a misconception that you can build muscle while losing weight.

What's better for weight loss: cardio or strength training?
Both cardio and strength training are essential for weight loss. Cardio directly burns calories and improves your fitness, while strength training builds/maintains muscle mass and increases your metabolism. A combination of both in your fitness plan offers the best results for healthy and effective weight loss. It's also proven that adding exercise to your nutrition plan results in more substantial weight loss.

What to train for belly fat?
To reduce belly fat, combine cardio with strength training. Focus on exercises that strengthen the core, such as planks and crunches. However, spot reduction is a myth. Overall fat burning through a mix of cardio, strength training, and a healthy diet is necessary to effectively target belly fat.