The Dad Bod Workout to Get You Lean and Muscular
Are you struggling with your physique and looking for a dad bod workout to whip you back in shape? There are things you can do to get lean and muscular once again. You are here to fix an issue, so let’s get right to it so you can start making changes.
What is a Dad Bod?
A lot of overweight or unfit men that lose a little weight assume they have a dad bod. That’s not how it works. A dad bod is NOT someone who has been overweight, lost weight, and is working out to get in shape. A dad bod is dedicated to those who put in the hard work early but had to retire their extra-curricular activities due to life changes. Wikipedia tells us that a dad bod is a middle-aged man who was once lean, fit, and in shape. However, overtime he has gained body fat in the midsection. The dad bod usually has a belly with toned chest, arms and legs.
Often times, when men get married and settle down, priorities change and he is not able to put 100% dedication into himself and his physique. His time is spent working, family life, and probably exhausted after that and spends more time on the couch. So, a dad bod can be seen as slightly overweight and not extremely as muscular as it once was. Even so, you can engage in a dad bod workout to get it back to where it was.
The Dad Bod Workout
You have a dad bod if you are fit, but not too fit. It’s someone who was formally really fit and now just has a higher overall body fat. Since a dad bod is usually a result of increased belly fat, your nutrition is going to play a huge part. But we will get to that in just a bit.
First, you are going to have to make yourself a priority once again. If you can’t get a workout in during the evening after work, then you are going to have to get up early to catch some training. Some even like to workout on their lunch break. Regardless, it doesn’t matter the time of day you workout, just get in the gym at least 4 days a week or more.
Next, find a training split you can live with. There are several different training splits you can adopt. Here are just a few:
2 Days on / 1 Day off
- Monday – Legs and Calves
- Tuesday – Chest, Biceps, and Abs
- Thursday – Back, Triceps, and Calves
- Friday – Shoulders, Traps, and Abs
Mon / Wed / Fri
- Monday – Legs and Calves
- Wednesday – Back, Chest, and Abs
- Friday – Arms and Calves
3 Days a Week
- Tuesday – Legs and Abs
- Thursday – Back, Chest, and Calves
- Saturday – Arms and Abs
Push / Pull
- Monday – Push
- Wednesday – Pull
- Friday – Legs
Upper Body/ Lower Body
- Monday – Upper body
- Tuesday – Lower body
- Thursday – Upper body
- Friday – Lower body
These are just a few of the various training splits you can choose from. But it doesn’t stop there. You can do push / pull splits, 2 days of strength and 2 days of hypertrophy splits, or upper body / lower body splits. Just ensure that you are hitting every muscle group each week, and not overtraininig. With either training split you choose, choose 1-2 compound exercises and 1-2 isolations. Do 3-4 sets in the 10-12 rep range. This will get things going and start a metabolic boost.
The Dad Bod Diet
Yeah, I went there. If you want that physique back, you are going to have to take you nutrition seriously again. That fat you’ve gained around your waist can potentially lead to health risks down the road. Excess fat in the stomach area, even for people with a healthy BMI, raises heart risks. Too much fat around the midsection and vital organs puts you at increased risk for heart disease, according to a new scientific report.
It shouldn’t take too long for your dad bod diet to take effect. You might try some intermittent fasting combined with a ketogenic diet for a short amount of time. Once you knock off about 10-15 pounds you can probably transition your eating to add in a few more carbs and lower the fat. The idea is to eventually get on a normal eating pattern, yet still maintain muscle building macros such as P/F/C – 40%/30%/3o%. You are going to want something your family can relate to in order to make life easier.
Final Thoughts
While it’s not personal preference, having a dad bod is a balance between working out and keeping a beer gut. If that’s what you like, go for it. Make the goal, stay dedicated, and watch you snap back into your former fit physique in record time. Now, see below for some more natural bodybuilding information…
