Cardio vs. Weights: Which Gets You Beach Ready Faster?

Here’s how to dial in your training so you can minimize body fat and maximize muscle definition this summer! 

There’s a big event – or maybe just a big season called summer– right over the horizon. And you want to look amazing. It’s not just about being “in shape” this time. You want your hard work to show off to anyone who sees it!

So what’s your go-to? Is it clangin’ and bangin’ in the gym, or binging podcasts on the stairstepper? 

The answer isn’t as easy as one or the other. You need a little of both, with a few special tweaks to really maximize your muscle definition. Here’s your battle plan for the perfect summer shred. 

How to Use Cardio to Get Shredded

A little bit of old-school cardio, where you get your heart rate to around 120-140 beats per minute and keep it there for about 30-45 minutes at least three times per week, is a great idea for both your health and your physique. 

Your cardio of choice can be a treadmill, a stepmill, or bodyweight circuits. That’s up to you. The bigger question is: when do you do it? After lifting or on a separate day? Here’s why you should consider having separate “weights days” and “cardio days”: 

• Improved recovery from your previous workout

• Decreased muscle soreness for your next workout

• Allows you to maximize your energy and focus for each workout

• Shortens your workouts

Those are some big benefits that can lead to more consistent training and better recovery overall. Remember: The key to getting shredded is to stick with an approach consistently. 

Get More Fat Burning and Muscle Definition From Your Cardio With

• Fat-Burning Topicals: Abs of Steel Fat-Burning Cream and Buns of Steel Cellulite Reduction Cream help bring heat and targeted fat-burning to the most common problem areas. Professional physique athletes swear by them for good reason! 

• An Adjustable Waist Trimmer & Adjustable Thigh Trimmers: These simple tools instantly help you sweat more and immediately boost definition. They’re the perfect pairing with topicals. 

• Moderate Caffeine: Caffeine boosts your metabolism, helping you burn more calories. It’s that simple! But you don’t need a lot to take your cardio to the next level. Steel Sweat Thermogenic Pre-Workout hits the stim sweet spot with 100mg alongside sweat-maximizing ingredients. 

How to Use Strength Training to Get Shredded

If you’re eating to lose fat, that means you’re probably in a caloric deficit – in other words, burning more calories than you consume. And the truth is that it’s really, really hard to build muscle in a deficit. So instead, your focus when you’re getting shredded should be holding onto every bit of muscle you can! 

So how do you lift to maintain? Personal trainer and SteelFit athlete Morgan Shapiro’s preferred approach is to lift relatively heavy (think sets of 6-10 rather than 12-15). And don’t overdo volume. Three or four 30-45 minute workouts per week, on an upper/lower or full-body schedule, is plenty! 

“When I’m in a cut I stick to strength training with the goal of maintaining muscle. That means I continue lifting heavy, pushing myself to progressively overload when energy allows,” Shapiro says. “When you’re in a calorie deficit, your body will pull from fat stores, but it can also break down muscle if you’re not strategic.”

Get More Out of Your Strength Training With: 

Creatine Monohydrate: This athlete-beloved compound has been shown in numerous studies to boost strength, muscle growth, and recovery. All of those things can indirectly help you look lean and defined. Take 5g per day, either as Creatine Monohydrate or as Creatine Monohydrate Gummies.

BCAAs: Branched-chain amino acids like Steel Fuel Vegan Branched-Chain Amino Acids can decrease muscle soreness, helping you show up day after day. But they’ve also been shown to help preserve muscle mass when calories are low. 

Pre-Workout: Caffeine helps every workout be a better workout! It can lead directly to more reps and more overall weight getting moved. But a true lifter-focused pre like Steel Pump Peak Performance Pre-Workout also provides vasodilators (blood flow boosters) for unreal muscle pumps. When getting shredded is the goal, that’s huge.