How to Get a Perfect Beach Body for Guys

You can achieve the perfect beach body through preparation, commitment and hard work.

Every guy strives to achieve a lean, muscular physique for the summer sun and beautiful beaches. Unfortunately, the majority of men are having a hard time obtaining a beach-body capable of attracting envious attention. The road to reaching a hardened physique relies on hard-work over a long time period. There are no easy shortcuts. You can obtain a chiseled body ready for the summer through a combination of cardio, total-body weight training and healthy nutrition.

Things You'll Need

• Dumbbells
• Barbells
• Weight plates
• Bike
• Food diary

Instructions

1. Use total-body weight training exercises that target multiple muscles rather than isolation exercises. You can achieve faster results pursuing total-body routines.

   Perform a deadlift exercise. Begin with the barbell on the ground near your body with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing forward. Grab the barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart and slightly bend your knees. Look forward and keep your chest up while you stick your glutes out. Arch your back and retract your shoulders and then lift the bar by pushing through your heels while fully extending your hips and knees. Return and repeat. Perform three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.

   Perform a squat-press exercise. Begin in a neutral position while you hold a barbell at your collar-bone level. Keep your grip shoulder-width apart and your elbows should be underneath the bar. Squat down slowly by bending at your knees and flexing your hips. Keep your chest up and contract your core. Lower your body until your legs are parallel with your thigh before pushing through your heels into a standing position. Press the barbell above your head extending your arms at the top of your leg extension. Lower the barbell back to your collar-bone and repeat. Perform three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.

   Perform a bent row exercise. Stand in a neutral position grasping the barbell. Bend your knees slightly and flex at the hip as you lean forward while keeping your chest up, vision forward and back arched. Retract your shoulder-blades and your abdominals and begin by rowing the barbell to your sternum in a controlled fashion before slowly returning it back to the starting position. Perform three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.

2. Train your cardio to help burn calories and fat while improving your heart health. Perform medium-to-high intensity interval circuits for 15 to 20 minutes on a bike or through running after your workout to help tone your body. Keep your heart rate between 60 percent and 85 percent to facilitate the most benefit towards fat reduction and calorie consumption.

3. Use a food diary to keep track of your food intake and calorie consumption. The journal can allow you to determine what foods you are eating each day, the amount of daily calories and whether to increase or decrease your calorie intake. Make note of each food you consume and the appropriate calorie measurement related to each.

Tips & Warnings

• It takes 3,500 calories to lose or gain one pound past your base metabolism. By decreasing your calorie intake by 500 calories spread over 7 days, you can achieve a loss of one pound of body weight through nutrition alone.

• Use a spotter when lifting weights to make sure your form is perfect and to provide assistance as well as motivation.

References

• NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training: Lippincott, Williams & Williams, 2008
• The Essence of Program Design; Juan Carlos Santana, MEd, CSCS, 2004
• "Manual of Structural Kinesiology"; R.T. Floyd; 2007

Resources

• Pro Trainer Online
• Army Study Guide: Running