​Are you pumped for summer? Ready to bid winter farewell and feel the sand beneath your feet? Let’s get your muscles pumped for summer, too! Whether you want to get ripped before summer or learn the perfect summer muscle workout for those warmer months, we have all the tips to sculpt your summer body.

1. Don’t Let Summer Sneak Up on You

We’ve all been there before. Indulged a little too much over the holidays or took a few days off from the gym during winter, and then, oops! It’s suddenly May! Summer creeps up on us if we don’t plan for it. So, the best time to start your summer muscle workout is, yep… today. Whether you’re trying to reach your goals before summer or devise a summertime workout, there’s no better time than the present. If you reach your goals a bit early, then hey, there’s nothing wrong with a beach body for spring break, either!

2. Keep Your Bulk and Cut Clean

If you want to bulk up before a summer cut, start bulking up by the winter. And no, eating many holiday cookies and Thanksgiving leftovers doesn’t count. Bulk smartly and cleanly with lean proteins like fish, chicken, eggs, turkey, and protein supplements, and keep your carbs clean, too, with oats, potatoes, and brown rice. You want to build muscle mass, not simply pack on weight. Reduce processed foods and refined carbs to make cutting easier by summer.

3. Use Water to Your Advantage

No one likes the annoyance of “water weight.” Why does what we require to hydrate and exercise sometimes result in temporary excess weight? Often, it’s because of how much you’re taking in relative to how much you’re sweating out. In the summer, you’ll need more water to prevent heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and even minor symptoms like nausea or headache– particularly if you exercise outside.

And while some athletes try to limit water to avoid water weight, this is counterproductive. The extra fiber you consume to keep you fuller and provide low-cal nutrition requires water to prevent bloat. And the protein powders you use to increase muscle mass also require water to do their job without binding you up. In addition, water actually helps flush out fat and aid digestion. It’s also a natural appetite suppressant. So, don’t skimp on the water; just join a gym so you don’t have to guzzle it by the gallons exercising in the sun.

Summer is a critical time to join a climate-controlled gym so you don’t have to hydrate excessively or worry that you’re not hydrating enough. Gyms like SWEAT440 are designed to help you shed weight quickly, through HIIT sessions led by expert trainers. If you don’t belong to SWEAT440 yet, try a class for free. We don’t use contracts or require minimum purchases, and we offer both indoor and outdoor workouts so you can get ripped in any weather.

4. Start a Building Workout to Bulk Up or Lean Out

Some gym goers think they should only do cardio to lose weight. Others think they should only lift weights if they want to build muscle. The truth is, both are important and when they’re fused together, they’re most effective. Compound cardio, like running with sleds, throwing battle ropes, or pedaling Assault Bikes, generates fat loss while you build muscle. No matter how much muscle growth you obtain, you must blast fat for it to show.

And a building workout is not just for those who want to get bigger. Increasing muscle mass enables your body to burn more calories at rest and amps up your metabolism. Cardio and resistance work together to create a synergy in your body. With increased endurance, you can lift more for longer. And with increased strength, you can go faster and farther.

5. Stick With Interval Training

Some athletes aiming for muscle growth fear that cardio will diminish their muscle gains. It’s true that if you simply run on a treadmill for hours during your cutting phase, your muscles might diminish. But cardio is essential to eliminate any excess fat and calories you obtain during your bulking phase. The key is using high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for weight loss without losing muscle. In SWEAT440’s interval training sessions, each cardio exercise is paired with resistance so you retain your muscle mass.

Interval training uses different levels of intensity interspersed with rest periods so you can max out your lift for the duration of the workout. It’s these 15-second rest periods that allow you to catch your breath and regroup without slowing your heart rate, which is the trick to preventing muscle failure. These rest periods also kick your anaerobic system into gear, so you aren’t stuck in an aerobic state that doesn’t promote fat loss.

6. Join the #1 Summer Body Gym

If there’s a gym that knows how to do a summer muscle workout, it’s SWEAT440. Our gym started in Miami Beach, where a summer body is essential year-round. Our founders are renowned trainers who designed SWEAT440 to produce the quickest results in weight loss and muscle growth. Our unique HIIT method burns twice the calories in half the time of other gyms.

SWEAT440’s HIIT classes are all led by expert trainers who know how to expedite fat loss while you build muscle. We emphasize a different body part each day while delivering a full-body workout. Our interval training creates a summer body in a hurry, but the results last all year long. Try a class for free and see why SWEAT440’s summer muscle workout is the key to your best summer body.