Get Shredded for Spring

The Four Week Spring Shred Workout Breakdown

This four-week dumbbell only training program doesn’t use your standard pick-up weights; put them down, rest, and check your social media. When maximum calorie burn and muscle retention are the focus, metabolic resistance training (MRT) should be your go-to. MRT is a training method that combines strength training with high-intensity conditioning.

It involves circuits, supersets, or trisets using compound exercises to keep the heart rate elevated, promoting fat loss and building muscle. MRT workouts are typically shorter but more intense than standard pick-it-and-put-it-down workouts. They use minimal rest periods between exercises to maintain intensity.

4 Day Training Split

Day 1: Full-Body Strength

Focus: Heavy dumbbell work to maintain lean muscle.

Day 2: Upper Body & Core Circuit

Focus: High-rep push and pull movements for a muscle pump.

Core Finisher: Dedicated ab work to tighten up the midsection

Day 3: Rest or Low-Intensity Cardio

Focus: 20-30 minutes of steady-state cardio or mobility work.

Day 4: Lower Body Conditioning

Focus: Strength and power movements combined with unilateral work to improve balance, fix muscle imbalances, and build endurance.

Day 5: Rest & Recovery

Focus: Mobility work or 20-30 minutes of steady-state cardio.

Day 6: Full-Body Dumbbell Complex

Focus: Fast-paced complex training with short rest periods to keep heart rate elevated and turn you into a fat-burning machine.

Day 7: Rest & Recovery

Focus: Mobility work, outdoor walk, or complete rest.

4-Week Dumbbell Only Training Plan For a Spring Time Shred

Now, here is how to implement the four-week plan. Each workout follows a triset or circuit format, meaning you’ll move from one exercise to the next to keep your heart rate up and your muscles working hard.

Day 1: Full-Body Strength

Goal: Maintain lean muscle while burning calories.

Format: 2 trisets (3 exercises back-to-back); do as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of each triset. After the 10-minute triset, rest three minutes before triset two. Within the 10-minute triset, rest when needed.

1A. Romanian Deadlift 8 reps

1b. Dumbbell Squat to Press 8 reps

1C. Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows: 8 reps

2A. Goblet Alternating Cossack Squat 8 reps per leg

2B. Unilateral Floor Press 8 reps per side

2C. Tall-Kneeling Dumbbell Halo – 8 reps per side

Optional Finisher: Add Light Goblet Squats to this dumbbell only training plan. Perform for 20 seconds on/40-second rest for three to five rounds.

Day 2: Upper Body & Core

Goal: Build upper-body strength and strengthen the core.

Format: Four-move circuit, three rounds.

Rest: 90-120 seconds between rounds.

1A. Seated Arnold Press 12 reps

1b. Single Arm Row Variation 12-15 reps per side

1C. Pause Push-Up (hands on dumbbells) 10-15 reps using a 3 to 5 second pause

1D. Half Kneeling Woodchopper 12 reps per side

Non-Negotiable Core Finisher: Dumbbell Hollow Hold 30 seconds/30 seconds off two to three times.

Day 4: Lower Body Conditioning for This Dumbbell Only Training Program

Goal: Lower body strength and endurance.

Format: 2 trisets, three rounds each.

Rest: 120 seconds between trisets.

1A. Jump Squats 6-12 reps

1b. Alternating Goblet Reverse Lunge 12 reps per leg

1C. Step-Ups 8-12 reps per leg

2A. One-In-A-Half Rep Goblet Squat 8-15 reps

2B. Contralateral Kickstand RDL 8-12 reps per leg

2C. Farmers Carry 40 to 100 Steps

How to Progress Each Week

• Week 1: Focus on form and get comfortable with all the exercises.
• Week 2: Increase weight by 5- 10 pounds
• Week 3: Reduce rest time by 10 seconds for each circuit and triset while maintaining the weight from week 2.
• Week 4: Increase the reps to all the upper ranges while maintaining the weight from week 2 and the rest periods from Week 3.
• You now have the plan, and it’s time to put on your hard hat and get to work. Happy shredding.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the goal of this training program?

The goal of this training program is to maximize fat loss, retain muscle, and improve conditioning.

What is MRT, and how does it work?

MRT is a training method that combines strength training with high-intensity conditioning. It involves circuits, supersets, or trisets using compound exercises to keep the heart rate elevated, promoting fat loss and building muscle.

How do I progress each week?

You can progress each week by increasing the weight by 5-10 pounds, reducing rest time by 10 seconds for each circuit and triset, and increasing the reps to all the upper ranges while maintaining the weight and rest periods from the previous week.