At this point in Operation Aesthetic, you know the drill: Get in your cardio when you wake up. I’ve said before that you can check your phone while you’re performing cardio. The main reason I’ve said that is I don’t want you to waste time before you get to this critical cardio session. You need to get your body burning stored fat, and then you need to re-feed ASAP so your body gets out of its catabolic state. Spending 30 extra minutes with your phone only prolongs catabolism.
Here’s how you should break down your morning after you wake up:
1) Get out of bed, and go straight to your kitchen to make a very low-calorie drink that contains plenty of water and supps that will help shift your body from catabolism (muscle burning) to anabolism (muscle building). Check out my recommendations in the supps chart in my Supplement Opener for exactly what I recommend.
2) Begin your cardio with your morning cardio beverage in hand—which is different from the one you just drank. You need to rehydrate as you encourage the shift from catabolism to an anabolic state while you’re calorie deprived. This will help burn body fat while sparing your muscle tissue.
3) Check your phone or social media while you’re performing your cardio, but don’t do it before. The key is to get to this cardio ASAP. Once you’re there, the cardio is easy enough that it doesn’t require your full attention; this cardio session just requires that you complete it.
4) Get in your first whole-food meal of the day.
5) Shower and brush your teeth—man, you really stink at this point. But seriously, the timing of your morning ritual is important for getting the most from the reduced calories you’re consuming while sparing muscle tissue from being burned.
Perform your abs training later in the day with your second cardio session. You can perform abs before or after this cardio session.
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EXERCISE
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SETS
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REPS
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COMMENT
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Early morning cardio
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1
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25 minutes
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Perform this session upon waking on rest days before consuming food.
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Roman chair leg lifts
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4
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15–20
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Force a contraction into your abs with each rep, and rest only 30 seconds between sets.
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Cross-body crunches
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4
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20 per side
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Force a contraction into your upper abs as you bring your elbow to your opposite knee.
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Post-workout cardio
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1
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25 minutes
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You can perform this one at any time of day so long as it’s at least 3 hours or so after your previous session. Make sure you’ve had at least one whole-food meal between these cardio sessions.
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TIP: I think it’s important to engage with social media when you’re following a program like Operation Aesthetic. It helps hold you accountable, and it also provides you with a group with the same goals you have.
FAT-MOBILIZING SUPPS: CLEAN BURN®
This product contains potent ingredients that help support weight loss. These include green tea extract, Gymnema sylvestre extract, capsicum fruit, and chromium complex, all of which can help you achieve incredible results on an advanced diet and training program like Operation Aesthetic. This product works through multiple mechanisms to support weight loss. These include mobilizing fat from storage and increasing thermogenesis.
FOR BEST RESULTS: Get in 3 servings (2 capsules) per day before meals.
