May: Powerplay Program – 2 Days

Weight Loss Fitness Schedule – Powerplay Program

Each training day focuses on 3 muscle groups, split across 6 strength exercises. Every training day ends with a serious cardio session where you burn at least 250 calories. Train smart and live hard! This program is also available in 3, 4, and 5-day variations…

Read also: cutting down – 6 tips and schedules for serious results

Cutting Down – Maintaining Muscle Mass and Losing Fat

A quick intro. What is cutting down? Since that's the goal of this schedule. Cutting down is, first and foremost, a challenge. You aim to maintain as much muscle mass as possible while losing fat. This can only be done by combining strength training with a slight calorie deficit. Strength training signals your muscles to stay. If you skip it, your body would rather burn muscle than fat.

Add a slight calorie deficit and stay consistent. You can create that deficit by eating a bit less (tips further down) or by burning more calories through exercise. In the Powerplay Program, we combine strength training to keep your muscle mass with serious cardio challenges. Be patient and aim for a maximum weight loss of 0.5% per week, and you'll be doing really well.

Read also: why losing weight is hard and maintaining weight is even harder.

Losing Weight through Training and Nutrition

Training while cutting down has two major benefits. The first is that you obviously burn calories directly. The second is indirect but potentially more powerful. When you exercise, you're less likely to consume unhealthy, high-calorie foods. Every calorie you don’t consume is one you don’t have to burn. Try to spread out the 2 workout days of this weight loss plan for the best results. Each session combines strength exercises to preserve your muscle mass and ends with a serious cardio challenge to burn energy. This way, you lose fat while keeping as much muscle mass as possible. The essence of cutting down.

How These Weight Loss Workouts Make a Difference

The Powerplay Program is an effective schedule on paper for losing fat and maintaining muscle mass. It's scientifically proven that focusing on muscle building helps you keep as much muscle as possible. You do this in the middle of each workout. Before and after that, you burn plenty of calories with cardio. Research shows that this combination of training gives you the best chance for lasting results. Of course, you won't get results without proper nutrition. Tips for that are further down.

Tips for This Weight Loss Schedule

Your body only changes when you challenge it. This workout schedule definitely does that, but it needs your commitment. You just need to do the following two things:

1. For exercises where you need to choose a weight, aim to have about 1-2 reps in reserve unless otherwise specified. This is crucial. If it says 10 reps, it means you should stop at 10 even if you can do 11-12. However, if you reach 10 and could still do 4 more reps if your life depended on it, then do 12-13 reps for that set. Adjust the weight for the next set accordingly. This way, every set remains effective.

2. When losing weight, it’s tough to add more weight to the bar. So, set a goal to lift at least the same weight as the previous week. This ensures you retain as much muscle mass as possible. If you’re only a few pounds lighter by the end of your training plan, you’ve done an excellent job! Stay realistic and understand your goals.

Powerplay Program – The Schedule

This cutting plan consists of 2 days per week for 6 weeks. It focuses on major muscle groups and calorie-burning cardio tasks. Each workout combines strength exercises and cardio. If you don't chit-chat too much, you’ll complete each session within an hour.

WARMING UP

Every serious workout day starts with a warm-up. In this schedule, begin each session with 50 calories on a cardio machine, followed by 6 strength exercises. Each workout ends with burning at least 250 calories.

DAY 1: CHEST – LEGS – BICEPS – CARDIO

Can you think of a better way to start your training week?

• Rowing – 50 calories warm-up

• High bar squat – 3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps

• Bench press – 3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps

• Superset 1: Bulgarian split squat (3 sets of 10 reps per leg) and Dumbbell curl (3 sets of 12 reps)

• Superset 2: Pull through (3 sets of 12 reps) and Rope curl (3 sets of 10 reps)

• Interval running – 10 sets of 1-minute running alternated with 1-minute jogging or walking.

Exercise Videos Available in the App

Not sure which exercises are in this schedule, or don’t want to search YouTube? Download the app for all the exercises. You can click on them within the schedule, just as you can track weights and adjust reps.

DAY 2: SHOULDERS – BACK – TRICEPS – CARDIO

On this day, we target the remaining muscle groups: shoulders, back, and triceps. Of course, followed by seriously burning 250 calories on a cardio machine.

• Running – 50 calories warm-up

• Pull up – 3 sets of max reps

• Standing barbell shoulder press – 3 sets of 12, 10, 8 reps

• Superset 1: Bench assisted single arm dumbbell row (3 sets of 10 reps per arm) and Kers press (3 sets of 10 reps)

• Superset 2: Dumbbell side raise (3 sets of 12 reps) and Single arm dumbbell overhead extension (3 sets of 10 reps per arm)

• Cross trainer – 250 calories

Powerplay Program – Also in the App

Don’t feel like writing down this serious cutting schedule? It’s ready for you in our app. Including recommended weights for the circuits, adjustments starting from week 4, technique videos, and your weights are saved so you can try to surpass yourself each workout. Besides the Powerplay Program, there are over 100 cutting schedules waiting for you. All with the goal of maintaining as much muscle mass and losing fat. Let’s get serious!

What to Eat While Cutting?

No one loses fat and retains muscle mass without a solid nutrition plan. If you want to get leaner, you’ll need to eat a bit less than your body demands. While there's no perfect ‘diet’ for everyone, the basics are often the same:

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

• Try to consume about 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. This keeps you feeling full and your muscles happy.

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

• Eat as little calorie-dense ultra-processed foods as possible. Think sweets, cookies, savory snacks, chips, pizza, chocolate, pastries, sweetened dairy variants, soft drinks, and sweetened breakfast cereals.

• Drink plenty of water, black and green tea, and coffee in moderation.

• Ensure you can stick to your diet.

For specific questions or creating a personal nutrition plan for cutting, we always advise contacting a certified (sports) dietitian. Never change your entire diet on your own.

Supplements While Cutting?

As the name suggests, supplements are an addition to your regular diet, not a replacement. Supplements do not lead to more weight loss. However, especially to meet your protein goals, a protein shake or protein bar can be a handy addition. Proteins keep you feeling full longer, making weight loss a bit easier. Therefore, there are really only two supplements that might be useful for weight loss.

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

2. Protein Bar: This is, of course, an ultra-processed product. So, be cautious with the amount of sugar.

Read also: which supplements work and which don’t?

Generally, the supplements mentioned above are safe. However, before starting a supplement regimen, it is advisable to consult a (sports) dietitian or medical expert. Especially if you are already on medication or have underlying health issues.

Powerplay Program Is Ready for You

Are you ready to get seriously lean and make the most out of this schedule? Download Serious Fitness Lab now and dominate your cutting goals! It’s also available in a 3, 4, and 5-day variant!