Ahhh…you have hit the sweet spot. You made it through the beginner plan, turned it up a notch with the intermediate schedule, and now you are ready to go full force with some heavy workouts. Be warned, following a schedule like this is tough and takes committment. For a recreational exerciser, this schedule will work you and provide some great physique changes.
Advanced: You have been working out for a few months and used to interval style training, weights both machines and free weights, and truly enjoy working hard.
M - 45 min. strength training Back and Shoulders followed by 20 min. High Intensity Interval Training or 30 min. of regular interval training at a seperate point in the day
T - 60 min. of Cardio at 75-85% of your target HR
W - 45 min. strength training Chest and Arms followed by 30 min. of interval training or 30 min. at a seperate point in the day
T - 60 min. of Cardio at 75-85% of your target HR
F - 45 min. strength training Legs followed by 30 min. of 65-75% cardio
S - 60 min. Cardio at 75-85% of your target HR
S - Off
You will notice that you now have one day of recovery versus two and that your cardio has jumped up nicely. You also will strength train three days a week. Some advanced exercises strength train more than this, but our focus is burning fat so you want to allow for fair amounts of cardio with your strength training.
My recommendation is to circuit or superset your strength training for added fat burning and time saving. Tomorrow we will discuss the various forms of cardio and how to mix up your cardio program. Next week you can look forward to discussions on strength training.