How to Tone Up & Build Muscle in 6 Weeks

There are many ways to get in shape quickly. Among the best and most time-efficient ways is to do circuit training. If you have only six weeks to build muscle and tone up, it is what you should be doing. According to the website Fitness-facts.com, "Circuit training is a program in which you move immediately from an exercise for one muscle group to an exercise for a different muscle group until all major muscle groups have been worked." The great thing about circuit training is that you get a cardiovascular workout---burning body fat---while building muscle.

Things You'll Need

  • Gym
  • Free weights
  • Workout gear
Show More

Instructions

  1. Workout Plan

    • 1

      Sign up for a fitness center unless you have access to a well-equipped gym already. It is much easier to do circuit training when you have access to both machines and free weights. If you absolutely hate gyms, you can still do circuit training with free weights only, but results are not likely to be as good.

    • 2

      Design your circuit workout. Make sure it involves exercises for the major muscle groups, which are the back, the chest, the hip muscles, the shoulders, the legs, the arms and the abdominal region. A good routine could be one set of seated rows, one of leg presses, one of push-ups, one of leg extensions, one of shoulder presses, one of dead lifts, one of lat pull downs, one of bench press, one of biceps curls, one of a triceps exercise and one of Roman chair knee lifts. (See resources for plenty of other exercises.) Do 15 to 20 repetitions of every exercise.

    • 3

      Do one set only of everything every other day the first week. Do cardio for 30 minutes on your days off. The next week, you can do two sets of every thing. The third week, do three sets. The fourth to sixth week, do the routine six days per week. Make sure to always take one day per week when you completely rest your body, even in the beginning weeks of this program.