While most people can get cut or defined, not everyone will be able get shredded. And if you do manage to get ripped, trying to stay that way won't be a particularly pleasant experience. To go from Hard to Cut will require willpower and hard work.
In general terms, a person at a reasonable level of fitness will start to see changes after two months of serious strength training, and results should be clearly visible after four. For a truly ripped physique, most people need a minimum of one year's hard work.
Getting ripped naturally isn't an easy task and it requires consistent effort and plenty of sacrifices. It CAN be done, but prepare yourself for a challenging journey with a few frustrations along the way.
A Little Goes A Long Way
In reality, all you need to do at this point to start dropping fat is to reduce your calories by 10 percent. That's all. Just 10 percent, focusing on reducing a higher amount of calories from carbs first. So by reducing 10 percent, you're at 2,700 calories per day to start losing weight.
Getting shredded is one of the toughest things you'll do, but the rewards are completely worth it. It'll teach you a lot about yourself and the lessons you learn will carry over to all parts of your life. When you're in real shape, there's no better feeling.
During a bodybuilding cut, your diet centers around eating fewer calories, lowering your fat intake, and cutting down on carbs. The exception to eating less is your protein intake. During energy restriction, like when you're cutting, a high-protein diet becomes increasingly important to prevent muscle loss.
Truth is, high-rep sets increase muscular endurance, but not necessarily fat-burning. You can actually get more ripped training in the 8-12-rep range, as this is what's been identified as the best rep count for adding muscular size. Where muscle mass increases, so does metabolism.
Assuming you're cutting calories and lifting weights three to four days per week (three is the minimum amount that most trainers say you need to see progress), you only need about three cardio days per week to see your abs.
Still, if you have been lifting weights for several months and have begun to build muscle mass, you can start getting ripped in three months through a combination of increased exercise intensity and diet modifications. To develop visible cuts, you must combine high muscle mass with low body fat.
Getting shredded requires a combination of building muscle and losing fat, so depending on where you are in your fitness journey, this can take a while. There is no quick fix for getting defined abs; you cannot spot reduce fat or out-train a crappy diet.
Because getting bigger and stronger is harder to do and takes more time than it does to lose body fat. What's more, having more muscle mass and strength provides a much bigger return on investment than just losing body fat. When you increase muscle mass and strength, losing body fat becomes easier later on.
No matter who you are, the appearance of your abs is largely based on your genetics. “How visible they are, how they're shaped, whether they're aligned or crooked—it boils down to your DNA,” says Mike Israetel, Ph. D., sports physiologist and co-founder of Renaissance Periodization.
That's right – you can cut without doing traditional cardio. There's no denying that sprints or HIIT can really help you melt body fat as it ups your metabolic rate to burn more calories, but for those determined few who want to avoid cardio entirely you can still get a ripped physique.
Do more with less – adopt a routine of more reps with lighter weights. You don't need to work with very heavy weights to develop lean, toned muscle. For example, two sets of bicep curls with a 5 or 8 pound weight will help you tone without bulking up.
Thin and fat men alike fared worse in terms of life expectancy if they had weaker than average muscles, while more burly men had better survival odds even if they were overweight. Over the course of the study, 26,145 (2.3%) of the men died.
While in a growth phase, we typically recommend consuming about 2.2g of protein per kg of bodyweight (1g per pound). However, during a cut, you should actually up your intake slightly, somewhere in the range of 2.3g/kg-3.1g/kg (1.1g/lb-1.5g/lb) (Helms et al. 2014; Ribeiro et al. 2019).
This is a question we get on a daily basis: “Do I need to stop eating carbs to get shredded?” The short answer is no. Carbohydrates are the body's preferred source of energy, particularly during high-intensity bouts of training when energy needs to be supplied quickly to the muscle cells.
9% to 13% Body Fat
You definitely have a six-pack and obvious vascularity—you are totally ripped. Your chest and arms are defined, but bulkier than the body fat group below you.
Having a "ripped" physique should not be equated with being fit and healthy, according to two personal trainers. In fact, the stereotypical "fitness" image of a six-pack and low body fat levels can often be due to bad health.
You may also want to optimize your diet and training to suit your body type. One final point I want to mention is that no matter what your body type you can build a big, ripped, muscular physique. Even the skinniest of guys can bulk up. Yes, it's harder but if you're willing to put in the hard work it can be done.
While the process of getting ripped can take a long time depending on how you workout and what your diet looks like, intense training can certainly produce results in around 2 months. During this time you can expect to see weight loss or gain (depending on your goals) and a basic change in your figure.