Going for that real summer body!

Summer is coming again and in the past few weeks it was immediately noticeable in the temperature! The terraces were immediately full and finding a spot in the park was difficult. How are you preparing your body for this summer? Are you going for a real summer body or are you going for muscle preservation this year? It's a choice you have to make every summer. With 2/3 months to go, now is the ideal time to give it some thought.

What is the summer body phenomenon anyway?

It is a real American term summer body, for ladies also called hot girl summer. It is a collect to for in the months before summer ensure that you lose body fat and, as a result, your muscles that you have built up over the winter become visible. Losing body fat is often also accompanied by losing muscle mass. Therefore, it is not something everyone chooses to do every year. Besides, you have to consciously maintain a calorie deficit to achieve this loss. This takes a lot of effort for most people. 

Maintaining a calorie deficit

In the phenomenon of cutting, you go for a calorie deficit. Example: Your body consumes 3,000 calories daily, but while cutting, you eat only 2,800. As a result, your body has to tap into your fat reserve to make up this deficit. As a result, you therefore start with lose weight. 

This takes time, because you have a small energy deficit every day. Then I hear you think I'll eat almost nothing for a few days. Unfortunately, that won't work because then your body will also break down your muscles. Of course, that is not what you want. In addition, after a large calorie deficit, you can suffer from binge eating, which is when you gain the lost calories back. This does not happen to everyone, but most do.

You can also supplement a meal with a protein shake. This allows you to keep a precise track of how many calories you’re consuming.  

Cardio or strength training

When training for a summer body, the question often arises as to whether to focus on cardio or strength. During the bulking season, you want to build as much strength as possible. This means aiming for lots of reps and heavy weights. Ideally, you’ll add a few kilos to your workout each time. You do burn calories during strength training, but nowhere near as many as you might expect. Go for a tough workout.

Cardio is precisely about building fitness and burning calories. For burning your fat faster, it is therefore more interesting to do cardio while cutting than a strength workout. But in the longer term, following a schedule of strength training interesting. By building muscle your daily consumption of calories goes up. So if you don't start eating more you are also going to lose weight. Purely because your body needs more nutrients to sustain itself. Read all about it prevention of running injuries here! 

We are looking forward to summer and warm weather! You too?