Getting ripped can be especially challenging especially if you have lost most of your body fat already. This is because after following a strict weight loss plan and burning considerable calories from it, the body sometimes tends to hit a plateau, thus stopping the fat loss altogether.
Of course, if such happens, then your efforts at getting ripped are greatly compromised. But before you go ahead and seek out ways and methods to achieve below 10% body fat levels, let us first discuss the basics.
What is Meant by the Term “Ripped”?
To start off, let us first define what being ripped – your targeted body form – is. It is having an incredibly toned and defined body below 10% body fat.
Think Brad Pitt in Fight Club or Edward Norton in American History X. A body that is not just ripped but equally strong as well is what most men hope for and work religiously to have.
Now, achieving a ripped physique will definitely entail a lot of work and commitment from you. These guidelines should help you get the form that you want in the quickest possible time.
10 Tips For Reaching Ripped Body Fat Levels
1. Start off with a Low Carbohydrate Diet
First and foremost, you need to watch what you eat so that you get to achieve your desired weight in the least amount of time possible. Since carbohydrates, when processed, are stored as fats in the body, it is then crucial that you watch out your intake of this food group.
Men are generally advised to eat as much as 2,500 calories everyday. Any more than this and you’ll end up bulking up on fats and not on muscles.
To make sure that your energy levels are not compromised and you still obtain the nourishment you need, opt to substitute the carbohydrates with proteins instead.
2. Incorporate the Ketogenic Diet as an Interval Diet Plan
Remember the plateau we mentioned about at the first part of the article? This usually happens after you’ve already significantly lost your body’s fat storage. And unfortunately, implementing a low carb diet and strict exercise regimen does not usually help in this case. This is why it is crucial to use the Keto Diet every once in a while.
This diet plan uses fat-rich foods more than protein to trick your body into using the stored fat. The main idea here is that the body needs to work more when it is burning fats. So if that’s what you mostly eat, then your body ultimately is forced to increase the metabolism and thus burn more fats.
To implement this diet, eat about 80% of fatty foods and 20% of protein-rich items for the first two days. The succeeding days should then see you eating 65% of fatty foods, 30% of protein-rich sources, and 5% of carbohydrates.
3. Perform High Intensity Resistance Exercises Frequently
High intensity resistance exercises are crucial to getting ripped. These are routines that help in toning and bulking up your body.
An example would be a round of demanding weight training such as deadlifts, followed by training with lighter weights, and finishing off with intense rounds of cardio with very minimal rests in between.
4. Get Yourself Working on Interval Training Routines
Interval training is simply the merging of high intensity exercises with lighter and less demanding ones. The principle behind this is to introduce new routines periodically. This way, your body won’t get used to the usual exercises so that it continually develops and eventually become ripped.
An example would be two rounds of fast running up and down the sports stadium stairs, followed by a lap of jogging in the track.
5. Substitute Interval Training with High-tempo Routines
The same principle of ensuring your body doesn’t get accustomed to the same exercise difficulty levels is what’s in work with high-tempo training as well.
To get ripped and gain physical staying power, try running with moderate speed for 2 miles, and finish off with faster running rates for the next two to four miles.
6. Reduce Your Intake of Sweets Considerably
Eating sweet foods will cause your body to have insulin spikes. And when insulin spikes happen, your body inevitably goes into fat storage mode. So help your body achieve that ripped state by significantly decreasing your intake of sweets or cut them out altogether.
7. Drink Plenty of Water to Boost Your Metabolic Rate
Water plays a crucial role in fat burning as well. For one, drinking water ensures your kidney functions optimally. This way, the kidneys are no longer assisted by the liver, the main fat processor, so that the latter gets to do its main function of burning fats.
Also, water, specifically cold, has shown to boost metabolism. So consider drinking cold water in between your exercise routines to both quench your thirst and aid you in getting ripped.
8. Get Sufficient Hours of Sleep Every Night
Getting ripped is not all about tough exercise and strict diet programs. Sleep, and sufficient amounts of it, is crucial as well. For one, it ensures your body is given the time to recuperate. Secondly, growth hormones essential to developing a ripped body, are more optimally released during sleeping as well.
9. Consider A Regular Intake of Essential Fatty Acids
Fatty acids such as Omega-3 are crucial in developing and maintaining healthy muscles. However, these fatty acids can’t be produced by the body. So to ensure you get to keep that healthy ripped physique, take Omega-3 supplements daily.
10. Put Some Fun Into Your Workout Programs
Of course, fun is an integral part of an effective workout program. Without it, then you might end up quickly getting bored or overworked and lose your interest in getting that ripped form you’ve been striving for.
Hit that jitter deck whenever you’ve got nothing to do. Perhaps it’s raining outside or it’s just too cold to do your daily run?
Or maybe you’re just too unmotivated to go to the gym and burn some calories?
Competing in dance revolution games with your friends or family is a creative and fun alternative. A mere one minute of the game burns as much 10 calories.
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