Get Lean With This Science-Backed Weight Loss Workout Plan

This twelve-week weight loss workout plan is designed for fat loss while maintaining or building lean muscle mass. The four-day-per-week routine works all major muscle groups and includes a cardiovascular component. This will improve strength, aerobic fitness, and body composition.

Diet plays a crucial role in weight loss. This plan details a dietary program with low, moderate, and high carbohydrate days. Combining exercise with ideal nutrition can help you maximize your efforts and get results. If you want to decrease body fat and tone up, check out the programming details below.

Weight Loss Workout Plan

The program is divided into two upper-body and two lower-body resistance training days. Start with a weight that leaves the muscle feeling fatigued after about 8–12 reps. When the recommended sets and reps become easily manageable, increase the load.

Day 1: Upper A

This upper-body workout hits all the upper-body major muscle groups for a well-rounded strengthening routine. Completing three sets of 8–12 reps per exercise will help build strength and muscle mass.

Studies showed that programs pairing resistance training with aerobic conditioning decreased body fat and increased lean muscle. Research also found that during periods of calorie reduction for weight loss, resistance training reduced the risk of lean muscle loss.

For more upper-body strengthening exercises try this upper-body workout for women.

Day 2: Lower A

Day two employs a plank to work the rectus abdominis, obliques, and erector spinae of the core. This routine also focuses on strengthening the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.

In a squat, the muscle activation of rectus femoris, one of the quadricep’s muscles, is 50%. This tells us how hard the muscle is working during the exercise.

Resistance training can aid in burning calories due to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC. This refers to the energy the body uses to recover from exercise. 

The EPOC following resistance training burns more calories than after steady-state cardio exercise, like running.
These dumbbell workouts for women can also help you build strength and get EPOC benefits.

Day 3: Upper B

The second upper-body routine strengthens the chest, shoulders, biceps, and triceps. The barbell row targets the rhomboids, while the lat pulldown strengthens the latissimus dorsi.

The muscle activation rate for the latissimus dorsi in the wide grip lat pulldown is approximately 80%.

Building muscle mass can increase metabolism and help with weight management. The resting metabolic rate is the amount of energy your body uses at rest. How much muscle mass you have impacts your resting metabolism.

Increasing muscle mass increases resting metabolism. This results in the body burning more calories, even at rest. A higher calorie burn aids in weight loss. To build muscle mass and strength at home with minimal equipment, consider calisthenics for women.

Day 4: Lower B

Day four works the major muscle groups of the lower body and focuses on the core with deadlifts, Russian twists, and cable crunches. For intensive core workouts, pair these moves with these ab workouts for women.

Crunches have been found to improve abdominal muscular endurance. Studies indicate they may be better for achieving hypertrophy in the rectus abdominis than static core exercises.

The muscle activation rate of the upper rectus abdominis in a regular crunch is 20%. A cable crunch would increase the activation rate.

Cardio Plan 

There is a weekly cardio component that increases in duration each week to build your cardiovascular fitness. You can select any form of cardio you prefer as long as it increases your heart rate.

For the first five weeks, perform cardio on three days with a duration pattern of five, eight, and five minutes. Make weekly increases in cardio of 2–3 minutes per session from weeks 2–6. For example, week two’s pattern would be eight, ten, and eight minutes of cardio over three days.

The goal of week six is to complete three 20-minute cardio workouts. From weeks 7–12, a similar weekly increase scheme continues.

For Weeks 7–11, increase to four weekly cardio workouts. The week seven pattern is 20, 22, 20, and 22 minutes. For week 12, increase cardio by five minutes to reach 30–45 minutes of cardio per session.

Alternate a cardio day and rest day for the initial six weeks. From weeks 7–12, attempt two consecutive days of cardio followed by 1–2 days of rest.

Eating Plan 

Weight loss is simple math. You need to burn more calories than you consume so your body will burn stored fat as fuel. Studies show that combining a slight calorie reduction, cardiovascular exercise, and resistance training can improve body composition.

A weight loss study showed that calorie reduction on a Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity made weight loss more efficient. Since diet is essential to weight management, this weight loss workout plan includes caloric intake recommendations.

This is only a recommendation. It is best to consult with your healthcare professional before commencing any diet plan. 

The dietary aspect of this program is divided into low-, moderate-, and high-carbohydrate days. Each week, there is one high-carb day, three low-carb days, and three moderate-carb days. The organization of these days is up to you, but saving the high-carb day for special celebration days is advised.

When it comes to optimal caloric intake, individual metabolism needs to be considered. However, general caloric adjustment recommendations for this program are divided by gender.

Men 

The high-carb day calorie count remains consistent over the twelve-week program at 2700 calories. Moderate-carb day calories are reduced every four weeks as follows: 2300 (weeks 1–4), 2200 (weeks 5–8), and 2100 (weeks 9–12).

The low-carb day calories decrease by 1000 calories per week for four weeks. Week one begins at 2300 calories, and week four ends with 2000 calories. The calorie count returns to 2300 again in weeks five and nine, following the same four-week reduction pattern each time.

Fat and protein intake are vital aspects to consider, in addition to carbohydrates. Approximately 20%–30% of your daily calories should come from fat.

The recommended protein intake is 180 grams daily for men of average size. Larger men may need to increase their intake up to 200–220 grams daily and decrease their fat intake. After accounting for fat and protein needs, round out the rest of your daily diet with carbohydrates.

Women 

The high-carb day calorie count remains at 1900 calories for the twelve-week program. Moderate-carb day calories decrease every four weeks as follows: 1600 (weeks 1–4), 1500 (weeks 5–8), and 1400 (weeks 9–12). 

The low-carb day calories are reduced by 1000 calories each week for four weeks. Week one begins at 1500 calories, and week four concludes with 1200 calories. In weeks five and nine, the calorie count returns to 1500, and the same 1000-calorie reduction pattern will be repeated. 

For women, the daily percentage of calories from fat should be 20%–30%. For the average woman on this program, consuming 100 grams of protein daily is advised.

It is recommended that women who already have a good amount of muscle mass eat 120 grams of protein daily. In this case, slightly reduce your fat intake to compensate for the increase in protein.

Once the calories from fat and protein sources have been tallied, fill in the rest of the daily calorie allotment with carbohydrates.

A Note About Rest And Recovery 

Giving the body sufficient time to recover from exercise is important both for getting results and avoiding injuries or overtraining. The best practice is to allow 48–72 hours of recovery time between sessions for targeted muscle groups.

In a workout split, some muscles can rest while other muscles are targeted. In this program, it is recommended to train the upper and lower body on back-to-back days followed by 1–2 days of recovery.

For the cardio portion of the program, rest recommendations vary between weeks 1–6 and 7–12. For the initial six weeks, alternate a cardio day with 1–2 rest days. In the final six weeks, perform cardio on two consecutive days followed by 1–2 days of rest.

If you are experiencing excessive soreness or fatigue, adapt the schedule to give your body more rest between workouts.

Conclusion

This twelve-week weight loss workout plan is comprehensive, employing calorie reduction, aerobic exercise, and resistance training. Cardio and calorie reduction help with fat loss. Resistance training supports the growth of lean muscle mass, which can increase metabolism.

This program can reduce body fat and improve body composition. Additionally, the progression of this program can help beginners increase strength and cardiovascular fitness.

For another cardio and strength training workout try this workout routine for women.