By: Richard Chan

It's now time to put away those cookies, pastries and junk food stashed in your cupboards unless you are looking to do a documentary similar to "Supersize Me"!

We all want to look great at the beach and also show off those 6-pack abs. Now, I can certainly help you get back into shape with 20 key exercises that will certainly transform your body sooner than you think!

There is no way to specifically burn fat from one part of the body when we want to get rid of that body fat. For example, doing sit-ups won't burn the fat that is covering your abs and doing tricep extensions won't get rid of the fat that is covering your triceps.

An effective way to burn fat would be on a monitored calorie diet in conjunction with your workout routine. In addition, performing activities such as jogging, biking, or any other high intensity activities will help you burn calories. Now, I will only be focusing on the training portion and if you have any questions regarding nutrition, calorie intake, or calorie deficit I would highly recommend going to the Bodybuilding archives or the knowledgeable brothers and sisters at our forum!

Calorie Articles:

• All About Calories! - By David Galanis
• The Limbo On Calories - By Mike Murphy
• The Truth About Calories - By Bryan Locke
• Other Calorie Articles...

Before I begin, not only will I include the 20 top exercises to get ready for the beach but a training program that conveniently works well for most people. Let's face it, some of us can't go to the gym everyday and we have a busy lifestyle. Of course we all want to look and feel great so the program I am introducing will do wonders for that individual.

What I'm introducing is nothing new and is a split routine that can be used by all levels. There are various combinations that will impact your body and muscles differently. One thing to remember: have a large muscle group and small group together instead of all large muscle groups combined. You will be exhausted if you did it this way; combining large muscles together.

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Transformation Workout:
Exercises To Transform Your Body!

Now let me unfold the 20 key exercises that will transform your body! I'll later discuss how it will be integrated into your training routine.

So let's begin with the routine and I'll mention some key points for each exercise. Also, all exercises will be 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps since our objective is to get a lean body and we aren't aiming to get bigger. So choose a weight that gives enough difficulty for you (say about 70% of your strength).

Monday: Chest & Triceps	Printable Log.
Wednesday: Shoulders & Legs	Printable Log.
Friday: Back & Biceps	Printable Log.

Monday: Chest & Triceps

Chest:

Alright everyone wants a great chest. Here are important exercises to work and shape your overall chest.

Bench Press:

A key exercise that really works the mass of the chest, shoulders and triceps all at the same time. A common exercise that you need and can't live without. Remember to squeeze your chest muscles at the top. Concentrate and keep the weight on the pecs. Keep the movement controlled and do not lock out. Try to add another 1-2 reps extra at the end of your set if you are approaching 10-12 reps upon fatigue.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Barbell Bench Press.

Incline Dumbbell Press:
With dumbbells I usually make sure my feet are firm on the ground. Ensuring your feet are secure so you can generate additional reps using a transfer effect from your feet. I use this practice with all my exercises whether that is building muscle, strength and conditioning, sports performance, etc.

Power can come from feet up towards your core and helping you push additional reps. The dumbbells should be held directly over your chest area, squeeze and hold at the top for 1 second and lower the weight. Do not cheat and bounce the weight from the chest, keep your elbows out and away from the body.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press.

Dumbbell Flyes:
By this time you are probably pumped if you are exercising intensely. This next exercise is a good finisher. Remember to isolate the chest and keep the movement slow. Extend elbows down as far as possible. The longer you are on the muscle, more stimulation is induced.

Continue with a constant controlled motion, contract and squeeze at the top. This is similar to the bench and creates great depth and separation in your chest. This builds that line in the middle of your chest giving your pecs height and depth. For all you ladies it will take care of gravity for the ones looking to improve in this area!

Click To Enlarge.
Flat Dumbbell Fly.
Video Guides: Windows Media - Real Player

Additional Notes:
Also, another good finisher for your chest can be 2 benches aligned parallel to one another. The benches to be apart enough so you can get that stretch when you are doing a bench press. Don't go down below the bench and don't go all the way up.

Remember to keep on the muscle for stimulation. These finishers will promote muscle separation, definition, getting ripped. It can be done on light days or at the end of a chest routine. By this time your chest is extremely pump and stretching it is always good anyhow.

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Triceps:

As we all know triceps make up about 2/3 of our arms. Let's see how we can add some definition to them.

Triceps Pushdown:

Remember to go at a slow gradual rate let the weight up by bending your elbows so arms at a 90 degree angle. Always keep your elbows close to your body. Squeeze the triceps at the downward movement. Do not cheat and swing your body. Also leaning forward will give you additional leverage.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Triceps Pushdown.

Lying Triceps Press:
Great for developing muscles in upper arms. Do not lock your elbows when they reach the top of the exercise; they should remain slightly bent. This is a muscle definition stimulating it. Longate the muscle and contract. Don't let your arms drop and maintain that extension at the top to get a full stretch on triceps as it will stimulate from exertion to origin. We are not using heavy weights so no need to bomb them.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Lying Triceps Press.

Dips:
As you notice, I implement finishing exercises at the end of the routine so you can really get that additional pump. Make sure when you put your thumbs around the bar to squeeze hard. The more force applied to the bar, the stronger you are. Chest is up and shoulders back. You can bend your legs crossing your feet. Squeeze your glutes on the way up.

The dips build lockout strength when you straighten your elbows. This will help your bench press and overhead tricep press. Bench dips is an alternative if you don't have 2 supports that will allow you to lock out elbows.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Dips.

Sit-Ups:

Now you and I have seen those magazines, commercials and advertisement everywhere displaying fitness models and their 6-pack abs. Well, you can achieve that if you perform full intense reps in your sit-ups keeping constant tension on the muscles. Ensure you do a variety of sit-ups that will target all angles and aiming 15-20 reps in each of them with no rest.

What works for me is doing 3 different sit-up exercises one after another with no rest. Go at a nice slow rate when doing your abs contracting and squeezing every rep. You can also call this tri-sets to get those ultimate abs you've wanted.

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Once you are done with the ab circuit you can rest for about 1 minute. Perform 2-3 more sets of this circuit. Include other exercises such as oblique crunches or reverse crunches; once this becomes easy for you add another 10 more reps. Progressively adding another ab exercise when ready, change your rest periods in between sets, or mixing the order of exercises will keep your body guessing. Have fun and you will definitely feel the burn!

Hanging Leg Raises:

This is a great core exercise as well. Isolate your body going up and squeeze both legs at the top and control going back down keeping your legs together.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Hanging Leg Raise.

Lying Leg Raise:
Lay on the bench or floor and have your hips extended up. You will now proceed with how you normally do a crunch.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Lying Leg Raise.

Leg Pull-In:
At the edge of the bench with hands to the side supporting yourself. Bring in both knees close to your chest and then extend legs fully out.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Leg Pull-In.

Additional Notes:
Another ab exercise you may want to try, and something most people are missing (an integral part of their abs), is the transverse muscle that prevents your stomach from sticking out or protruding. It is often called the vacuum.

Begin lying on your back and exhale all air out of your lungs. Instead of inhaling, I want you to now suck in your stomach and visualize your abs touching your spine. Hold for about 10 seconds at that position and slowly release. Repeat this procedure 3 times.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Stomach Vacuum.

Tuesday: Light Cardio Jog (30 Minutes)

Bodybuilding.com: Cardio Super Feature. Here you will have easy access to the best cardio methods for fat loss, general health, endurance and how to make this boring activity fun! [ Check Out The Cardio Super Feature Here! ]

Wednesday: Shoulders & Legs

Shoulders:

Everybody wants to get that nice separation in their shoulders. So how do we achieve that? We have to target the different heads in our shoulders which is the front, side, and rear deltoids.

Military Press:

This is a great exercise to start off that works the overall area of your shoulders. This exercise works the entire deltoid area and the triceps. But you still have to hit the various angles of your shoulders because if you only do this exercise your shoulders will look like a log with no separation. Now do you want that?

Click Image To Enlarge.
Military Press.

Upright Barbell Row:
You can use the straight bar or v-bar with this exercise. Using the v-bar will be better off than the straight bar since we really want to see our shoulder girdle, traps and deltoids.

Again our intention is to get ripped and cut in all parts of our body. Also, using a v-bar bar is a lot more comfortable on the wrists compared to using a straight barbell. Try to remember to squeeze and flex your traps at the top and when you lower the weight to get a nice stretch or extension at the bottom.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Military Press.

Side Lateral Raise:
Guys do you want to have those nice shoulder caps coming out of your shirt? Ladies you will look great in a nice strapless evening gown enhancing your shoulder and neck line giving the additional illusion of a smaller waist. Well, this is a great definition exercise for your shoulders.

This exercise works the medial (side) deltoids. You really want to squeeze every rep when raising the dumbbells to the side at chin level.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise.

Lying Delt Raise:
At this point you should definitely be feeling your shoulders! This exercise works the entire upper back, rear deltoids, and traps. Developed rear delts will balance out your shoulder development and help prevent many shoulder injuries or rotator cuff issues.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Lying Delt Raise.

Feeling Lucky:
If you want to see great results in your shoulder development and are up to the challenge you can perform this shoulder circuit in the following format.

During the Arnold days came the popular Arnold press - one of my favorite exercises and you don't really have to go heavy. Be careful on the Arnold press because if done incorrectly you will have rotator cuff issues.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Arnold Dumbbell Press.

So to begin with the Arnold press, ensure when you rotate at the top your shoulders, contract and don't let momentum carry. In the same motion you will next do the lateral raise, followed by front raise, and then bent over. Right there is 1 rep and you will still do 3 sets of about 12 reps if possible. After doing this your shoulders will be burning and remember giving up is for the weak!

Additional Exercises:

You can also add or alter some exercises that I haven't listed since I am only giving 20 exercises. Some other exercises to consider are shrugs and dumbbell front raises as you can add them in later on.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Dumbbell Front Raise.

Legs:

Onto everyone's favorite exercise! Most people I know hate working the legs. It's like a love and hate relationship or for those who can relate to the relationship they have with their spouse! Was I allowed to say that? Well, no wonder I am still single! Anyhow, I am not here to discuss my personal life and back to legs.

We hate working the legs, but people love it when they see those results on their thighs. It does look weird when you see some people with a huge upper body with skinny legs. I found once you begin to see results or become consistent with your legs it will be a regular routine making it easier.

Barbell Squat:
This is a critical exercise and we must include it in our leg program. Try doing a full range squat and go down slow and squeeze every part of your legs at the top activating all the muscles. Try to aim for 15 reps at a reasonable weight you can handle.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Barbell Squat.

Dumbbell Lunge:
I enjoy performing a multi-directional lunge moving forward, back, and sideways. Begin by lunging forward and bring your leg back to the starting position. Now try the lunge at a different angle and go to the side. Alternate legs once you complete a movement with your one leg. It creates a great pump and also works out different parts of the muscle group for a good thorough workout.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Dumbbell Lunge.

Calves:
By now your legs should have felt like jelly! Calves can be a stubborn muscle for most people and we constantly use that muscle daily. I would recommend more of a higher rep scheme when doing your calves and performing it very slow squeezing at the top.

Aim at about 15 good quality reps to get that burn. You can perform a standing or sitting calve raises by having toes pointed straight as one angle. After that is done, immediately point your toes outwards working your inner calves, and last pointing your toes inward working the outside muscles. You've just completed 45 reps for this one set. Did I mention you have 2 more sets to go!

Click Image To Enlarge.
Standing Calf Raise.

Feeling Lucky:
If you really want to feel that burn in your quadriceps perform a good basic body squat to get those ripped thighs. Do this after your squat routine and immediately perform a basic body squat for about 30 reps. Immediately finishing that you will do another 30 reps pointing your toes outwards working your inner thighs (adductor). Remember to push off with your heels and stay within the tight range.

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Challenge yourself and build up to 100 reps or more per angle. You should be on the floor by now and did anybody say TEARDROP here? Now was that teardrop coming from your eyes or was I referring to your thighs?!

Sit-Ups:

Perform ab circuit similar to Monday.

Thursday: Off

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Friday: Back & Biceps

Back:

The largest muscle in our body or should I say with the most surface area. The back provides muscle balance to chest and shoulder exercises.

Stiff-Legged Deadlift:

This is a great exercise for your hamstrings. For some this can be one of the hardest exercises to perform properly.

A tip is to place some weighted plates on the ground and half of your feet will be positioned on top of it which will be your toes. You will perform this the same way you would do the deadlift. By doing this, the plates target most tension on your hamstrings and stretch it further. This literally forces your hamstrings to be activated and results definitely show.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Barbell Stiff-Legged Deadlift.

Lat Pulldowns:
This exercise can help you get that nice V-shape look that we want. Perform a lat pulldown by bringing the weight to the front and remember to not pull the bar down past your chest to your mid-section.

Now, grab the bar with a "false" overhand grip meaning you place your thumb on top of the bar alongside your index finger putting more emphasis on your lats. You can also change the grip keep it further apart or closer for variation. Add in some partial reps at the end of the routine when you can't do any more creating a longer time and stimulation. Your back should be blasting by now!

Click Image To Enlarge.
Lat Pulldown.

Seated Cable Rows:
Excellent exercise that works middle of your back. Really retract your muscles as you bring in the weight to your chest.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Seated Cable Row.

Dumbbell Rows:
It doesn't really matter if your elbow is going back real high as long as you are engaging on that muscle area. Make sure your elbows are close in to your body as well.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Dumbbell Row.

Additional Notes:
With the lat pulldown try to attempt to do as many reps as you can with strict form on your first set and do about 4 sets afterwards.

On this exercise try not to focus too much on how many reps you'll do but how many sets you'll be doing. The reason is that I found if you put a limit on yourself especially with lat pulldowns, you won't be able to do that many so do more sets if you fatigue quicker. Obviously, if doing correct form you won't be doing as many reps on your second set anyhow.

Biceps:

The body part most men enjoy showing off by wearing a tank top. Let me give you a few techniques that will really focus on your arms without involving other body parts. When isolating the movements you can really carve out the separation in your biceps to your shoulders and so on.

Barbell Curls:

To really focus on the biceps, your back will be against the wall using a straight bar or v-bar. There will be 3 points to remember when performing this and ensure your head, butt, and feet are against the wall. Perform it slowly and you will have all your biceps involved!

Click Image To Enlarge.
Barbell Curl.
Video Guide: Windows Media - Real Player

Preacher Curls:
This is an isolation exercise that is great for peaking your biceps. Again focus on your form, contraction, and intensity. Remember to really sit securely, arms extended and relaxed at the same time. Curl up at about 75-80% to the top so you are really engaging the muscle. Any higher and you are resting the weight. Pull with the biceps and not with the shoulders.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Preacher Dumbbell Curl.

Incline Dumbbell Curls:
By this time you should be maxed out. Performing this routine on an incline at about 30 degrees can take your bicep exercise to a new level. Keep your elbows set and don't move your elbow forward. Optional if you want to add in a rotation or twist at the top. This exercise will help eliminate any body swing or momentum really focusing on your biceps. Enjoy!

Click Image To Enlarge.
Incline Dumbbell Curls.

Sit-Ups:

Perform ab circuit similar to Monday.

Additional Notes:

Always remember to keep hands relaxed, pulling with your biceps and engaging the muscles. Your elbows should be close to your body and when curling up do not rest at the top and the motion is continuous.

Saturday: Cardio Interval Running (20 Minutes)

Here you will do interval running starting off with a brisk walk and then begin to sprint. You will sprint for 30 seconds to a minute and then walk for about 3 minutes. Follow this routine until you reach about 20 minutes and you will be totally exhausted if you gave a total effort!

Interval Training Articles:

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Sunday: Off

I know it can definitely be confusing for most people on deciding how to split your training into workable muscle groups. From my experience, I'll often see amateur or professional athletes work the split routine into their training, but their athletic demands need a totally different approach to strength training and conditioning. But of course that is a totally different topic and look out for that article possibly down the road.

The split program is excellent for either attaining size or getting in shape. There is no right or wrong answer to splitting your routine and it is based on your goals and objectives. This a basic push and pull routine with excellent results.

Now, I also wanted to add in that your muscle responds to stress or when it is taxed. Remember the last 1-2 reps of each set is when you are triggering your body's muscle building mechanisms by promoting muscular failure.

However, anytime you feel the pump going away there is a point you should stop and it's time to either move onto the next exercise or pretty much walk away since you really taxed your muscles at this point. You don't want to beat them down, you just want to stimulate the muscles. Now, what are you waiting for, it's time to train hard if you want to show off your beach body!

Related Summer Articles:

• Build Big Arms For Summer, Pro Style! - By David Robson
• Getting A Summer Six-Pack! - By Linda Cusmano
• Great Tips For Summer Weight Loss. - By Matt Weik
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