How to Get Ripped in 5 Simple Steps! (Beginners Guide)

Posted On January 16, 2021

In this article, I will show you 5 Simple Steps to getting ripped and shredded without having to resort to any extreme measures.

While many fitness gurus and experts will tell you how difficult it is, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be. The key is to keep it simple.

Before I go any further, if you have been working out 6-7 times a week, doing hours of cardio, starving yourself on a restrictive diet, or using any other extreme methods, this article is NOT for you. You have most likely hit a plateau and will need to reset your metabolism.

This article is for someone who is either just starting to workout, has not worked out in a while, or has been working out but just not getting the results they have been hoping for.

Step 1: Strength Train

Unless you are one of the very few genetically gifted individuals who just doesn’t have to train to look ripped (and if you are, why are you reading this?), you need to strength train.

This does not mean you have to start bodybuilding or join CrossFit. In fact, you can strength train without any weights at all, although they definitely help.

Strength training can be done with just your own bodyweight, resistance bands, suspension training, stability balls, and other relatively inexpensive equipment you can buy and use at home.

Step 2: Do Full Body Workouts

Keep in mind that your goal is to get ripped as fast as possible, not to bulk up and gain size. Although you can definitely build some muscle doing full body workouts, the primary goal is to lose body fat and increase muscle definition.

This is the reason I recommend full-body workouts versus body part specific training. Bodybuilding and body part specific training programs are simply not effective for fat loss.

The goal is to burn as many calories as possible in one workout session, while working as many muscles as possible. The more muscles you use in a workout, the more calories you burn. It’s that simple, and the easiest, most effective way to do this is through full-body workouts.

Step 3: Use the Most “Bang-for-Buck” Exercises

“Bang-for-Buck” exercises are all the multi-joint, multiple muscle group exercises that will work the largest muscles and burn the most calories.

The goal is to create the most energy demand by recruiting as many muscle groups as possible when choosing exercises.

Choose exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges, push-ups, presses, rows, pull-ups, lat-pulldowns, dips, etc., over isolation type exercises that only focus on working one muscle at a time.

Step 4: Use Supersets and/or Circuits

Using supersets and circuits is the key to creating an efficient and effective workout.

This is because supersets and circuits not only work all your muscle groups but they also place a high demand on your cardiovascular system. It is basically the equivalent of combining strength and cardio workouts.

With traditional straight sets, you do an exercise for however many reps and then rest. Then repeat the same exercise, and rest again until you have completed all your sets. This leads to a lot of time resting and not working.

With supersets and circuits, you perform one exercise that works one muscle group and instead of resting (and wasting time), you perform another exercise that works an entirely different muscle group immediately after.

By doing these exercises immediately after each other without rest, you allow time for the individual muscles that were just used in an exercise to recover while still creating a high energy demand and burning a ton of calories, shortening the length of the workout.

By shortening the length of the workout, you are able to maintain a much higher intensity level creating a metabolic effect which leads to more fat burning.

This metabolic effect not only helps to burn a ton of calories while you exercise, it causes your body to burn calories at an accelerated rate for up to an additional 24-48 hours AFTER your workout.

Check out How to Use Superset Workouts & Circuit Training to Build Muscle & Burn Fat to learn more.

Step 5: Eat to Get Ripped

In order to get ripped, your body needs to lose fat without losing any hard-earned muscle, and nutrition plays a huge part in this. The key is making sure you have enough protein to prevent muscle loss.

Although you will find all kinds of different recommendations, I have found that at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight works best for most people.

Make sure to use protein sources that are as low in fat as possible. Chicken, turkey, white fish, seafood, egg whites, lean meats, and protein powder are all good sources of low-fat protein.

If you are trying to get ripped fast, a 40/40/20 macronutrient ratio works well, as long as it doesn’t lower your fat intake too much. Using an app like Myfitnesspal is a great way to easily keep track of calories and macronutrient ratios.

Although not always possible, you should try and keep your macronutrient ratios the same for every meal. Do your best to get all your carbs from whole food sources like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Try not to have too much fruit and keep your sugar intake as low as possible.

Since most of the foods you probably eat will already have some fat content, you do not need to add any extra fat other than maybe a small amount of olive oil for cooking.

Keep in mind that this plan is meant to get you ripped fast and is not meant to be a permanent eating strategy. Once you’ve achieved your desired results, you can alter your routines and nutrition to focus on maintenance.

Check out How to Eat to Get a Six-Pack to learn more.