After three months of hard work, you’re ready to show off the results—and enjoy raves. Here’s the conclusion to our Buff for Summer makeover.
Bigger and tighter. More muscle, less body fat. Wider shoulders, thinner waist. Bulging biceps, deeply etched abs.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? If you’ve been following our Buff for Summer transformation, you see these changes happening to you. Now it’s time to stick the landing.
“No matter what level you’re on or what goal you’ve set out for yourself, it’s a fine balancing act,” says former IFBB pro bodybuilder Dave Hawk, creator of the Muscle & Body Buff for Summer program. “It’s very difficult not only to set the time aside to do a program like this—let alone not losing muscle when you’re losing a lot of body fat—but also to maintain a consistent and challenging training and dieting regimen.”
Here’s how to finish strong.
Construct The Ideal Diet—For You
The key to your meal plan lies in finding the exact calorie balance that allows you to maintain your gains while dropping any extra fat that might be clinging to your body. Your report card doesn’t just come from the scale; it also comes from before-and-after photos.
“Naturally, you see greater results when you lose a decent amount of body fat and gain muscle,” Hawk explains. “This is why I’d like to draw attention to a few guys who really changed their dimensions.”
• James shredded 13 lb and took 4 inches off his waist while adding muscle to his chest, back and arms.
• Joshua dropped 12 lb, took 3.75 inches off his waist and added 4.5 inches across his chest and back.
• Curt lost 12 lb, reduced 5 inches off his waist and added 4.5 inches to his chest.
• Jim, our oldest participant at 51 years of age, lost an incredible 66 lb and took 7 inches off his waist, while adding plenty of lean muscle to his upper body. Jim said it took 22 years for him to get out of shape, and this past 90 days is only the beginning. “I love this program and the supplements,” he says. “I had to work through some hip and shoulder injuries and illness, but I plan to go further and show I can do more beyond the program.”
“Honestly, every one of our guys got in great shape, and you can see in the pictures that they all made stunning progress,” boasts Hawk.
The changes may look incredible, but there’s no reason why you can’t do the same with your physique.
Rules Of The Third Month
1) Stay motivated. Keep the end in sight. Take it a day at a time. When your motivation lags, break out some of those old photos of yourself to see how far you’ve already come. Or try on a pair of old pants to see how badly they fit now.
“Some of our guys got inspired looking at bodybuilding magazines, while others got it from seeing themselves in Muscle & Body as they leafed through their Day 1 photos,” reports Hawk. “But most of it came from family and friends, as they received positive feedback on how well they were doing.”
2) Reduce calories, but don’t make it painful. In the final weeks of a transformation program, you’re going to be required to reduce your caloric intake in order to look as tight and taut as possible. But you can’t just cut out entire meals or foods without recourse. The two things that can’t be touched is your supplemental protein and fiber intake. One tip: Take BarnDad’s FiberDX during the day and evening to curb your hunger. Another tip: Increase protein intake to 1.2 g to almost 2 g per pound of lean body weight (depending on your body type), using Dymatize Elite Gourmet, ISO•100 or Elite Casein XT.
3) Increase healthy fats for energy. “A low-fat diet is fine for a general exercise program, but when you’re trying to manage and maintain rock-hard muscle, healthy fats (flaxseed, olive oil, natural peanut butter) become an important component,” says Hawk. “In addition, use LIPO Stricton and the preworkout Cellucor C4 Extreme to keep you pumped up and pushing hard, while amplifying your metabolism.”
Training To Get Chiseled
“For the last 30 days, I increased everyone’s training intensity for each body part,” says Hawk. Here’s what to do.
• Kick up the cardio. Everyone was doing at least 45 minutes a day, six days a week, with some of the mesomorphs and endomorphs doing closer to an hour.
“I had all the guys aim to do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach so that they could burn more fat and calories faster,” explains Hawk.
The routine consisted of 45 minutes on a treadmill at a brisk walk while using light dumbbells: While walking on the treadmill, the guys performed 4 sets of 20 reps of curls, front and lateral shoulder raises and pec flyes with 8–12-lb dumbbells.
• Cut rest time between sets. This increases fat burning. “The intense pace not only helped condition our guys and burned fat deep in the muscle tissue and between muscles, but it also left the guys soaked and gasping at the end of each workout,” grins Hawk.
• Increase volume training. This means higher reps and more giant sets and supersets. “Although they would still start off with a few heavier sets just to maintain as much mass as possible, they would then run big giant sets and supersets,” according to Hawk.
• Train each body part once every six days, except for abs. The last month is a four-day-on/one-day-off program.
Numbers To Eat By
Here are this month’s nutrition details in cold, hard digits, with macronutrient breakdown by body type.
| Body Type | Month 1 Protein to Carbs to Fats | Month 2 | Month 3 |
| Ectomorph | 35%, 40%, 25% | 30%, 40%, 30% | 40%, 30%, 30% |
| Mesomorph | 35%, 35%, 30% | 34%, 33%, 33% | 42%, 28%, 30% |
| Endomorph | 40%, 30%, 30% | 35%, 30%, 35% | 45%, 25%, 30% |
“BUFF FOR SUMMER” SUPPLEMENT SUPPORT
Follow for dosing and timing info. Check with your doctor before using supplements.
 |
 |
 |
| PROTEINS (pre- and postworkout, MRP) Dymatize ISO•100 This upgraded version provides 25 g of super-fast- absorbing 100% whey protein isolate and has been hydrolyzed for even faster absorption and digestion. Each serving of ISO•100 has 5.5 g of BCAAs, including 2.7 g of leucine. Dymatize Elite Gourmet is a whey-and-casein blend with an award-winning taste profile. Perfect for any time of the day, but especially postworkout and nighttime, Elite Gourmet contains high levels of glutamine, glutamine peptides, and substantial amounts of essential and nonessential amino acids, including the BCAAs. | PROBIOTICS BarnDad’s RISE Instant Coffee with Probiotics is a smooth and delicious instant morning Colombian coffee blend that contains an optimal dose of GanedenBC30, a patented probiotic that’s backed by 17 published studies. Each serving provides five times the amount of active probiotic cultures found in a single serving of the leading yogurt. | |
 |
 |
 |
| DIGESTION/WEIGHT MANAGEMENT BarnDad’s FiberDX is a timed-release, eight-layer fiber matrix that reduces hunger and supports lean muscle and a healthy digestive system. It slows the digestion and absorption of sugars and carbs while reducing insulin spikes, allowing glucose to be metabolized more effectively. One serving provides 44% of your daily fiber needs. | TESTOSTERONE BOOSTER iSatori ISA-TEST is a natural testosterone stimulator equipped with “Rapid Bio-Diffusion” technology, an exclusive delivery system that allows for 200% faster absorption. ISA-TEST helps increase testosterone and other potent anabolic hormones, while helping to reduce estrogen. Its fast-acting effects will help you increase muscle mass and strength gains, while supporting sex drive. | NUTRITION BAR Quest Bars are great-tasting, convenient nutrition bars for any occasion. These low-carb bars have plenty of protein (20 g) and fiber to help keep you feeling fuller longer, while also satisfying your cravings for tasty, sweet treats—a perfect snack for between meals and when you’re on the road. |
 |
 |
 |
| THERMOGENIC/FAT BURNER Rightway Nutrition LIPO Stricton is a groundbreaking thermogenic equipped with a separate daytime and nighttime formula to help you burn fat 24 hours a day. This one-two punch helps you increase metabolism while improving your sleep cycle, so your body doesn’t take a minute off from shedding body fat. | JOINT SUPPORT/PAIN MANAGEMENT GNC TriFlex Comfort is a revolutionary joint supplement that allows active individuals to exercise hard while supporting comfort and health for joints and other connective tissue. TriFlex Comfort provides UC-II, a patented ingredient shown to help joints stay flexible, while helping to reduce pain and inflammation. | PREWORKOUT Cellucor C4 Extreme helps jack up your workout intensity by boosting ATP and nitric-oxide levels with its powerful formula that includes beta-alanine, creatine nitrate, arginine AKG and an explosive energy blend designed to create unbelievable pumps and intensity. It also enhances your mental focus to give you the best workout possible. |
 |
 |
|
| MULTIVITAMIN/MINERAL GNC Mega Men Sport is a full spectrum of “activated” vitamins, amino-acid-chelated minerals and powerful antioxidants that satisfy all of the micronutrient needs of hard-training men. It’s specially designed to support bodybuilders and other athletes. | SAFE TANNING Pro Tan The natural exfoliating action of this safe and advanced solution strips away your skin’s natural oils, thus allowing the deepest, darkest, longest-lasting tan possible. Simply apply in the evening before bed and wake up with a natural-looking tan that lasts several days. It will neither run or streak with oils nor interfere with natural or sun-bed tanning. | |
Share Your Results—Get In The Magazine!
If you followed the program, we want to see how you did. We’ll put the best submissions in a future issue. Go to our Facebook page, “Like” us and post your photos and a short description of your results. We’ll also have some of Hawk’s participants online to tell you about their experiences. Now, have an awesome summer!