BUT SERIOUSLY...

Serious Cardio Strength breaks down every workout strategically. You kick it off with strength training to fortify your muscles and wrap it up with cardio to torch some serious calories. Look out for a tip in your workout to spice up the cardio challenge! Starting from week 4, a few exercises will have fewer reps. Take that as a nudge to experiment with a bit more weight. Plus, you'll incinerate even more calories. Let's get serious about cardio and strength!

Workout plan highlights

Something that used to work to lose weight, still works of course. Cardio training burns calories more efficiently than strength training. By adding this to your strength session, you increase the calorie burn of every workout. However, do not focus solely on those few hundred extra calories. You only effectively lose weight if you also consume slightly fewer calories...

Featured exercises

At Serious Cardio Strength schedules, serious strength exercises and cardio challenges are of course included. You will get a serious mix of big and well-known exercises, supplemented with isolation exercises and a cardio challenge. Below you will find 2 exercises that you will encounter in this schedule. The rest is ready for you in the app. Good luck!

Leg extension

Denk je dat jouw bovenbeenspieren een complete spierprikkel krijgen als je squats of leg presses doet? Helaas, daarmee krijgen slechts drie van de vier quadriceps spieren een duidelijk signaal om mee te doen. De "vierde spier" (rectus femoris) moet je nog aan het werk zetten en dat doe je in het bijzonder met de leg extension.

1Make sure the rotation point of the device is in line with your knee (which is the rotation point of your leg).
2Perform the exercise in a controlled manner and hold the end position for a second if you want.

Bench dips

Een mooie bodyweight oefening voor je triceps, voorkant schouders en een beetje borst.

1Point your elbows backwards during the exercise.
2Lower down until your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor. Do you feel too much stretch on your shoulders? Then lower less deeply.
3Keep your buttocks close to the bench.
4The more extended your legs, the harder the exercise.

Basic principles of your workout plan: get toned

Your body won't change until you seriously challenge it. This workout schedule certainly does that, but only if you commit to it. All you need to do is commit to the following three things:

Try to perform the exercises to the best of your ability. Technique is more important than weight.
Unless another weight is indicated, choose a weight that allows you to finish the number of repetitions prescribed. Moreover, make sure you can do every final repetition safely on your own. Does it say 10 reps and you find that you can only do 8, or go as high as 12? Then do 8 or 12 reps and adjust the weight for the next set. This sounds trickier than it is. You’ll have found the right weight after a few tries and after that, the app will remember it for you.
When you are losing weight, it will be difficult to add more weight to the bar. In that case, set a goal to lift at least the same weight as the previous work out every week. That way, you are sure to maintain as much muscle mass as possible. If you've only 'weakened' a few kilos by the end of your workout plan, rest assured you've done great! Stay realistic, understand your goal.

Just to eliminate any doubt; when doing exercises with your own body weight, just do the number of reps indicated. Do you see 'max reps'? Then that literally means as many reps as you can do.

How serious are you really?

Let’s be serious. No one loses fat and maintains muscle mass without a strong nutrition plan. If you want to get more toned, you will have to eat a little less than your body requires. Although there is no best ‘diet’ for everyone, the basics are usually the same:

Create a small calorie deficit (250-500 kcal less than maintenance per day).
Try to consume about 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. This will make you feel satiated and will make your muscles happy.
Focus on natural nutrients rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre.
We know this is a toughie but, avoid high-calorie, ultra-processed foods whenever you can. These include candy, cookies, savoury snacks, chips, pizza, chocolate, pastries, sweet dairy drinks, sodas, and sweet breakfast cereals.
Drink plenty of water, black and green tea and reduce your coffee intake.
Make sure that you are able to stick to your diet!

For specific questions, or to create a personal nutrition plan, we always recommend that you contact a qualified (sports) dietitian. Never change your entire nutrition plan by yourself. Seriously.

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