How to dry properly for muscle definition for men

Drying muscles at home is a completely understandable task, because the main condition for reducing body fat mass is nutrition - you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. In second place will be training, they will help guys quickly dry out the body of fat and make their muscles sculpted by increasing calorie consumption per day.

We have already told you what drying is and why it is needed, and in this article we will tell you how to properly dry for muscle relief for men at home or in the gym. Below you will find several training programs and choose the one that best suits your conditions and capabilities.

With the right diet, strength and frame training, you can lose up to 10 kg in 2 months, but this depends on the characteristics of the body, age, hormonal levels, lifestyle and nutrition.

The drying period can last up to 4 months, but it is better to do shorter cycles. As for training, of course, you can achieve results faster in the gym, but sports fans can get by with a well-chosen complex for terrain.

Where to begin?

To dry out a man’s body, first you need to cut down all simple carbohydrates, primarily sugar (including milk), flour products, sweet fruits and vegetables with a high glycemic index. It is not advisable to remove salt so as not to disturb the water-salt balance and not lose water, so you will clearly see how much fat you are losing.

Before you start drying your body, train yourself to drink a lot; you will need a large amount of clean water to remove ammonia, into which protein breaks down, since the diet will be high in protein. Toxins will also be eliminated and the blood will not thicken during exercise. Water is a transporter of nutrients into cells. Drinking liquid will dull your hunger; if you want to snack prematurely, extinguish your hunger with a glass of water.

Your diet will be dominated by proteins in large quantities, and carbohydrates will be reduced to an acceptable minimum. Fats, as an additional intake, are removed altogether, since lipids will significantly increase the calorie content of the diet, which is not good for you. You will get fats in small quantities from meat, fish and seafood.

Cutting diet for men

Drying the body for men at home is associated with a decrease in the amount of glycogen in the muscles, which provokes a decrease in the amount of energy in the body. Therefore, it is important that its reserves are restored. To achieve this, reduce the time between meals. The norm of carbohydrates for daily consumption is also determined. To calculate it, as well as the calorie content of your diet, you need to take into account your cutting goals and the number of kilograms you want to get rid of.

You can’t completely give up carbohydrates, but you need to limit them - that’s the point of drying. Porridge, vegetables, herbs, unsweetened fruits, and nuts are healthy. Protein products are the basis of the diet. They are used to build muscles and prevent them from breaking down during weight loss. The amount of protein when drying should be at least 2-3 g per kilogram of your weight. Some of it enters the body with food, and some with protein sports nutrition.

In the first days of drying, you may notice that a little excess weight has appeared. This is due to an increase in the amount of water consumed, and goes away in 1-2 days. If a body drying program for men at home is carried out before some important event, for example, a photo shoot or competition, then the day before, try to drink a minimum of water - this will provide an even more pronounced effect.

The basis of the diet when drying at home should be the following products:

White chicken or turkey meat without skin. It can be boiled, stewed, steamed, but not fried.
Egg whites.
Seafood, for example, boiled squid fillet.
Low-fat fish, ideally sea fish. The cooking methods are the same as for meat.
Cottage cheese and kefir with low fat content.
Buckwheat and oatmeal on water.
Greens, green vegetables, zucchini, grapefruits, green apples.

The caloric content of the diet when drying is very important, since you need to spend more energy than you consume. Try to strictly count calories and weigh yourself regularly to monitor your results.

A program on how to dry a man at home is compiled individually. Its average duration is 8 weeks, although it can also vary: it is better for beginners to start with 4-6 weeks, and professionals can increase the duration to 10 weeks, but no more, otherwise negative consequences are possible.

An eight-week program on how to dry a man at home, in a generalized version, looks like this:

First week. We limit the amount of carbohydrates - no more than 2 grams per kilogram of weight. You need to eat six times a day. The diet will include egg whites, cottage cheese, lean meat and fish, cheese, unsweetened fruits and vegetables, and vegetable oils.
Second week. Our diet is becoming more rigid. The amount of carbohydrates is halved and is now 1 gram per kilogram of body weight. The maximum serving size of food is 120 grams. You can have porridge in the first half of the day.
Third week. Carbohydrates are reduced by another half - 0.5 g per kg of weight. The frequency of meals remains the same, but cheese and fruit are excluded from the diet.
Fourth week. Carrots, radishes and other root vegetables are prohibited. A serving of porridge should not be more than six spoons. At this stage, it is very important to prevent blood oxidation, which makes itself felt by weakness, drowsiness and dry mouth. If these symptoms are experienced, increase the amount of carbohydrates.
Fifth week. The daily carbohydrate intake is up to 50 grams. Porridges are now prohibited. You can have fresh vegetables, salads, herbs. Remember that the lack of plant-based fiber can cause ketone poisoning.
Sixth week. This week the diet will be very meager. Now you can’t eat dairy products either, since they contain sugar, which is strictly prohibited at this stage.
Seventh week. From this time on, a gradual exit from drying begins. The amount of carbohydrates increases to 0.5 grams per kilogram of weight, as in the fifth stage. You can eat seafood and fresh vegetables.
Eighth week. We move in the opposite direction, repeating the first stages. The amount of carbohydrates gradually increases, and sources of carbohydrates return to the diet.

How to correctly calculate calories and nutritional supplements

To reduce body fat, you need to consume 21 to 26 calories per kilogram of weight. This will provide an energy deficit, and the body will begin to release fats. Start calculating with more - 26 calories, when a plateau occurs, gradually reduce calories to 21 per kg of weight.

So, let's take as an example the total weight - 80 kg.

Multiply your weight by 26 calories = 2080 calories per day that you need to consume.

Let's calculate the amount of carbohydrates: 80 multiplied by 1 g = 80 g of net carbohydrates that you need to consume. If we convert it into calories, knowing in advance that 1 g of carbohydrate contains 4 calories, we get (80x4) = 320 calories from carbohydrates.

Proteins: subtract 320 from the total calories, we get 1760 calories from protein. 1 g of protein also contains 4 calories, (1760 divided by 4), we get 440 g of pure protein that you need daily. For every kilogram of body weight there will be (440 g/80 kg) = 5.5 g of protein.

BZHU during the drying period

On the day of training, carbohydrates should be present in the athlete's diet. But these, as already mentioned, must be complex carbohydrates.

Complex (also called complex) carbohydrates are black bread, cereals, pasta and fruits and vegetables. Sweets (i.e., simple carbohydrates) can be consumed by ectomorphic athletes, but in small quantities, and in no case should they be consumed before training. After training, eating sweet foods is acceptable - insofar as during this period the body needs glucose. The second meal after training should consist of complex carbohydrates with a small amount of protein. Let's calculate the required amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

For example, let's assume that your body weight is 85 kg. Proteins - 2 g per 1 kg of body weight (85 x 2 = 170 g).

It is advisable to consume proteins throughout the day in equal portions of about 30 g, but if there is more in some portion, it’s okay: proteins take quite a long time to digest.

Carbohydrates - from 2 to 7 g per 1 kg of body weight for normal nutrition, when cutting we reduce it to a minimum - 2 g (85 x 2 = 170 g)

Fats - they are definitely needed, the golden rule is 0.5 g per 1 kg of body (85 x 0.5 = 42.5 g of fat per day)

The number of calories (of course, we are talking about kilocalories, Kcal) is calculated based on the amount of proteins, carbohydrates, fats:

· Carbohydrates – 4 Kcal/g,

· Proteins – 4 Kcal/g,

· Fats – 9 Kcal/g.

Example: for our diet, the number of calories (we take carbohydrates to the maximum) is as follows: 170*4+170*4+42.5*9 = 1742.5 Kcal

Diet plan

Below is an example of an approximate daily menu for a man weighing 80 kg. Products can be alternated and swapped. The last carbohydrate intake can be made after training, but in the evening protein should predominate. You can break it down from 6 to 8 doses per day, the main thing is to get the right amount of nutrients.

30 g brown rice, 1 cucumber + 6 egg white omelette
60 g buckwheat, 1 apple + chicken fillet 200 g
30 g brown rice, 1 cucumber + veal 200 g
60 g buckwheat, 1 cucumber + 200 g chicken fillet
30 g brown rice, boiled cauliflower 100 g + tuna 150 g
30 g brown rice, broccoli 100 g + chicken fillet 200 g
hake or pollock 300 g + vegetable salad 100 g
chicken fillet 200 g + 1 cucumber

A diet that replenishes the daily need for protein - 440 g, and 80 g of carbohydrates, for an athlete weighing 80 kg. At first it will seem that it is impossible to eat so much meat, but believe me, a hungry body on a low-carb diet will experience hunger every 2-2.5 hours. Protein does not fill you for long, and a small amount of carbohydrates will lead to an energy deficit, due to which fat will burn quickly.

Example menu

Unfortunately, the list of products is very meager, and it will not be possible to create a varied menu for a month without repeating products. We present menu options that can be alternated with each other to dry out. The ideal nutrition program for drying the body for men is an individually selected nutrition plan, which is based on personal experience of fat burning and an understanding of how the body reacts to changes in calorie content and proportions of fatty acids in the diet.

Example 1

Protein omelet with cabbage.
1 apple.
Rice with boiled meat.
Chicken baked with vegetables.
Orange.
Vegetable salad with seafood.

Power scheme 2

Meat with vegetables.
Grapefruit.
Buckwheat with fish.
Boiled squid with fresh cucumbers.
Mussels with greens.
Shrimp omelette without oil.

Alternate days, changing dishes only to those allowed from the list.

Effective workout

Experts will confirm that proper drying of the body for men should take place under the supervision of a trainer in the gym. However, with the right approach, you can fully exercise and perform all the necessary strength exercises at home.

Drying the body at home contains a special training program, which should include cardio training . This type of exercise promotes accelerated burning of subcutaneous fat.

Medium-intensity strength exercises, the duration of which should be periodically increased, will help maintain muscle tone

You need to monitor the scales very carefully and choose loads that will strengthen the muscles and not “burn” them - therefore, high loads while drying the body are not suitable for men.

Sports nutrition supplements

BCAAs

Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) make up 14-18% of the amino acids in skeletal muscle proteins. This is an essential supplement during cutting that will prevent muscle breakdown, preserving muscle mass, helping to burn fat, without losing your own protein. BCAAs should be taken half an hour before training and immediately after sleep.

Full cycle amino acids

When not consumed in full from food, non-essential amino acids also interfere with the catabolic effect. Take after training and before bed.

Whey isolate

Whey isolate is the purest drying supplement that does not contain sugar and replaces a full protein meal, providing the required amount of protein (1 serving – 25 g of protein).

L-carnitine

This supplement is indispensable before cutting workouts, but only in dry or capsule form. L-carnitine transports free fat as energy to the muscles, where it is most needed. L-carnitine acts more as an energy drink for training, with a slight fat burning effect. The supplement improves the strength and endurance needed for high-intensity exercise.

Fat burners

For faster drying results, you can connect fat burners with a thermogenic effect. They increase body temperature, enhancing lipolysis. Another benefit is appetite suppression. Such drugs may include: ephedra extract, yohibin, caffeine, aspirin. But such supplements have contraindications, for example, increased blood pressure and nervous system disorders, so we do not recommend taking them on your own, especially if your weight does not stay the same for a long time.

Pharmacy drugs

Vitamins and minerals

The body especially needs these nutrients during the drying period and when there is a deficiency of calories and vitamins in permitted foods. The complexes will also increase working capacity and speed up the recovery period, calming the nervous system. Any complexes that are available and that you like will do, just avoid taking additional vitamins or minerals to avoid hypervitaminosis.

Complexes for joints

During the drying period, the joints become depleted and lose fluid; at the first pain in the joints, start taking complexes with glucosamine and chondroitin. Such drugs can be found not only in pharmacies, but also in sports nutrition stores.

Melatonin

It is not a mandatory supplement, but perhaps melatonin will be useful for those whose nervous system cannot withstand heavy loads on the muscles and the nervous system as a whole. For insomnia and anxiety, take the drug as directed.

How not to cause harm when drying your body?

Drying the body involves drawing up a special diet and performing certain exercises aimed at developing muscle relief.
Under no circumstances should you go on a ketone (low-carbohydrate) diet. This is very dangerous for the body. This is explained by a chain of several factors. With a deficiency of carbohydrates and glucose, the body begins to consume glycogen, and then fats.
Complex nutrients are burned rather slowly, but the main problem is that as a result of a lack of glucose, ketone bodies (remnants of complex substances that the body did not have time to break down) remain. They make the blood acidic and poison the body. This can lead to ketosis or ketoacidosis. Their symptoms are: drowsiness, weakness, dry lips and a feeling of acetone odor. After severe poisoning, a diabetic coma can occur.
To avoid this unpleasant phenomenon, a man must reduce the amount of carbohydrates consumed gradually; they cannot be eliminated completely at once. Therefore, the first requirement for proper nutrition during the period of drying the body is to reduce the volume of portions while maintaining multiple meals.
The daily number of meals is from 4 to 6 times, portions should be small, protein levels must be maintained at the proper level.

Body drying training program for men at home

The main condition for your workouts, regardless of whether they are circuit training or split training by day, is that the workouts should be high-intensity, high-repetition, with short rest breaks between exercises, and include cardio, both in the warm-up and cool-down. No matter how you train, you should have two rest days a week, no matter what. Recovery is also important for drying; a tired body will not give up fat for melting into energy.

Strength training program for burning fat with barbell and dumbbells

Day 1 (rear deltoid, back, biceps)

Bent-over dumbbell swings 4x15-25.
Bent-over barbell row for deltas 4x15-25.
Barbell row to the belt 4x15-25.
Bent-over dumbbell row 4x15-25.
Barbell curl for biceps 4x15-25.
Bending with dumbbells alternately 4x15-25.
Press:

twisting the body 4x15-25.
diagonal twists 4x15-25.

Day 2 (legs, deltoids)

Lifting the barbell from the chest with a narrow grip 4x15-25.
Swing dumbbells in front of you 4x15-25.
Barbell row to the chin 4x15-25.
Dumbbell press 4x15-25.
Squats with a barbell on the shoulders 4x15-25.
Lunges 4x15-25.
Press: same as day 1.

Day 3 (legs, chest, triceps)

Body tilts with a barbell on the shoulders 4x15-25
Deadlift with dumbbells 4x15-25.
Horizontal barbell press 4x15-25.
Lying dumbbell fly 4x15-25.
French bench press 4x15-25.
Extension of one dumbbell from behind the head 4x15-25.
Press: the same.

Cardio training program

For home workouts, you will have access to a variety of drying exercises - jumping rope, jogging outside. If you have a treadmill at home, do the running interval routine below. Cardio training should be performed on a separate day from strength training. Also, do not forget about rest days, restore your cardiovascular system.

Walk for 5 minutes to warm up.
Acceleration 2 minutes.
Jumping rope 1 minute.
Walk at a calm pace for 2 minutes.
Acceleration 2 minutes.
Jumping rope 1 minute.
Walk at a calm pace for 2 minutes.
Acceleration 2 minutes.
Jumping rope 1 minute.
Walk at a calm pace for 2 minutes.

This complex of effective high-intensity cardio exercise takes 20 minutes. If you wish, you can increase the workout time to 40 minutes.

Circuit training plan

This workout for beginners will help you work all muscle groups in one workout and burn a sufficient amount of calories.

Warm up. Jumping rope – 7 minutes.
Sumo squats with dumbbells 20-25 times.
Lifting the bench alternately 20-25 times.
Bent-over dumbbell rows with both hands 20-25 times.
Dumbbell bench press 20-25 times.
Swing dumbbells to the sides 20-25 times.
Reverse triceps push-ups 20-25 times.
Hammer dumbbell curls 20-25 times.
Twisting 20-25 times.

Repeat the complex for 3-4 cycles, at the end of the circle rest for 1 minute.

Exercise technique for drying the body

You can dry out the fat layer only by performing special exercises, which should be performed in the gym according to the principle of circuit training, the meaning of which is to perform exercises in a sequential manner, one after another. The standard number of repetitions of each cycle is 3-4 times, and repetitions of exercises in each of them are at least 15, while the mass of the weighting material should be 20% less than in standard training conditions.

Video

Basic rules for training during drying:

all workouts during drying should not be exhausting;
under no circumstances should the body be allowed to become overtired;
If your health suddenly deteriorates, you must stop training or take a break.

If your strength is completely exhausted, it is recommended to take a break from training for at least 24-48 hours before returning to training again. Next, we’ll take a closer look at how to dry out a man’s body using various exercises.

Leg exercises

Exercises such as:

bench press;
various lunges;
bending and straightening the legs from a sitting position or from a standing position;
squats with weights.

It is also recommended to lift the calf muscles from a sitting position.

Video

Exercises for the back, arms, chest and abs

It is recommended to do:

traction down;
rowing;
Incline press;
twisting in the opposite direction;
lifting weights in an inclined position while sitting on a support;
weighted shoulder presses;
performing weight lifting exercises from a supine position;
presses with a narrow grip;
pull the weighting material (barbell) towards the chin.

In combination with these exercises, cardio training is also recommended, which will help saturate blood cells with oxygen. The most effective cardio workouts during the drying period are swimming and cycling. The regularity of training is from 3 to 5 per week, duration is from 30 to 50 minutes.

How to identify and overcome a plateau

If for more than a week you have not seen a decrease in weight or centimeters either on the scales or in volume, then you have definitely stopped losing weight. With normal fat burning, you will lose about 30-35 grams per day, or about 250 grams per week. If this does not happen, firstly, reduce the number of calories consumed from 26 per 1 kg of weight, lower and lower, up to 21 calories, until you see the result. Remove fruits from your diet. Secondly, increase the intensity of your training by adding weights or increasing the duration of cardio; you can also perform a cardio complex daily for 20-30 minutes in the morning and on days of strength training.

Main principles of drying

Rules for drying the body for men - four main components: intense physical activity, proper nutrition, taking special nutritional supplements, calorie consumption should be greater than the amount consumed.

Prepare yourself and prepare your loved ones for the fact that your character may deteriorate for some time. Even for such a man as the most stress-resistant bodybuilder, drying is an extremely serious test. Often, men who start drying experience causeless mood swings, irritability, short temper and even aggression. This is due to increased stress and dietary restrictions.

To avoid the negative consequences of the drying program, it is recommended to have a planned diet violation (cheat meal). Thanks to this technique, guys doing drying do not subject their psyche to such severe pressure.

The instructor at the gym will tell you where to start properly drying your body. Together with a fitness trainer, develop a set of exercises for drying, a personal nutrition program, only after that you can start exercising.

Training program

A training program for drying the body must certainly consist of strength training, supplemented by intense cardio training (exercises on an exercise bike or treadmill) for 15–20 minutes. At the same time, the training should not be long or exhausting. When performing exercises, the emphasis is on intensity rather than duration.

Drying exercises must be performed according to the following scheme: 8 – 20 repetitions depending on the exercise performed, rest between sets from 45 to 90 seconds. Cardio training in the gym on simulators can be replaced by training in the fresh air. Aerobic training provides the cells of the male body with better oxygen saturation, which promotes effective fat burning.

The second fundamental thing when drying the body for men is nutrition. Compliance with the developed nutrition program is strictly necessary. You will have to completely remove fast carbohydrates from your diet, replacing them with slow carbohydrates, and greatly reduce your consumption of animal fats. Some trainers believe that when drying the body, carbohydrates should be completely removed from the menu for men. Here you need to keep your own feelings a priority.

An important condition for drying muscles for men: at home and in the gym, drink large amounts of drinking water without gas. The recommended intake is at least 2.5 liters per day, even more on training days.

Drying the body for men is possible at home, provided that the necessary exercise equipment is available at home or near it. Otherwise, you definitely can’t do without visiting the gym.

How long the drying lasts is determined by the athlete together with the coach. In a month, a man should lose about 5 kg of weight. Hard drying, if everything happens as it should, with strict adherence to all the rules, should reduce weight by approximately 1 kg weekly. At the same time, it is important to remain with maximum muscle mass, significantly reducing the layer of subcutaneous fat.