You busted your ass to get ready for the summer. This was finally going to be the year that would the one you spoke about a decade from now. Shredded on the beach and at the gym, pussy galore…you know the deal, bro. But something happened along the way that pushed you back a bit. All of that having fun enjoying your great physique made you slip up and some of those gains have gone away, or you have kind of hit a wall and shown no signs of improvement since Memorial Day.
There’s plenty of time for you to get your shit together but you have to plan it out correctly. You will probably have to live with whatever size you currently have and conditioning at this point in the summer should be your focus. And that is a good thing, actually, as what you are doing is more attainable.
Your goal should be to shape your body and have it give off the perception of being bigger. Certainly not impossible if you work on the right areas. Your waist got a little wider? Then hit your lats and outer thighs (the teardrop) harder to give you that X-frame everyone seeks.
Since the weather is still hot, you will be exposing your arms, shorts and no shirt will be sort of the ‘uniform of the day’ for the most part. So training for cuts will be important. Here are a few tips training and nutrition-wise to make it through Labor Day weekend unscathed:
TRAINING
With a month or so left in the summer, take this time to concentrate on isolation movements for the most part. Heavy deadlifts are great but will not be beneficial in the short term. So implement some exercises that you may not normally perform the rest of the year.
Here’s the deal: If you cap off your side delts, widen your back, hit your obliques a little more and bring out the quad teardrop, you will dominate the two most important letters of the alphabet in bodybuilding: V (as in taper) and X (for frame).
Another part of your workout that you want to make sure to get in is cardio. Even if it’s only 20 minutes a day at the end before you leave the gym. It’s easy to make excuses to blow it off but you have to bang it out each and every time that you are there this month.
NUTRITION
Summer is a bitch when it comes to eating clean. Barbeques, ball games and beach parties all include mass consumption of hot dogs, hamburgers and beer. So just accept that and do the best that you can when you’re not at any of those.
Cut down on your carbs (especially the simple ones) and sugars, especially after dinner. Fill up on lean protein and eat a second chicken breast instead of having French Fries on the side.
Last but not least, drink water as much as you can stand it. You will be pissing your brains out, but it will irrigate your system and also be important for dehydration.