At this point in your diet, you may feel a little weaker and uninspired during your workouts. You likely can’t lift as much weight as you could before you began Operation Aesthetic. On the other hand, you may be stronger because you’re working harder during workouts even though you’re shedding body fat.
Regardless, your goal is not to lift more or less weight. Continue to emphasize the exercises, sets, and reps over the amount of weight you lifted in the previous workout.
Also focus on my nutrition and supplement recommendations to get you through these workouts. We’re approaching the end of Phase One, and everything is going to change in the second half of Operation Aesthetic.
OPERATION AESTHETIC NOTES
*For compound shoulder moves such as standing dumbbell presses, you should focus much more on form than weight as you continue to strip body fat. Choose the weights that allow you to hit the reps with perfect form.
*Remember that controlling the negative will help you develop more detail in your shoulder muscles.
*When you’re performing burnouts, keep your form perfect. That’s how you target the muscle you’re trying to develop.
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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 before consuming food.
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EXERCISE
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COMMENT
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Standing dumbbell presses
Keep your form solid with this movement so you don’t injure yourself—drop weight if needed.
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6 SETS / 12, 10, 7, 3, 15, 15 REPS
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Dumbbell lateral raises
Hold the weight at the top for just a second, regardless of how heavy.
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5 SETS / 12, 10, 7, 3, 15 REPS
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Dumbbell front raises
I like to lean a little bit forward because I feel my front delts more when I do this.
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4 SETS / 12, 9, 6, 15 REPS
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Standing military presses
You don’t need to go to lockout or even full extension—keep your delts active throughout this move.
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5 SETS / 12, 10, 7, 3, 15 REPS
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Barbell shrugs
SUPERSET: You can also bend at the hips just a bit if you want to hit the part of your traps in the middle of your back.
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4 SETS / Burnout*
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Rear-delt flyes
SUPERSET: I prefer to use a light plate for this move rather than a dumbbell.
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4 SETS / Burnout*
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Post-Workout cardio
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1
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25 minutes
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Immediately after this workout or any time later in the day.
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Choose weights that allow you to get in about 12–15 reps for each set, reaching failure for both exercises in all supersets. Reduce weights as needed.
TIP: Fasted cardio first thing in the morning is one time-tested way to burn body fat. Getting in Micropure® Whey Protein Isolate or a whole-food meal afterward helps drive anabolism while your body is burning stored fat.
