Getting shredded is a full-time job!

There’s an infinite amount of fitness advice on the internet. In fact, there’s too much to keep track of and most of the time it’s either untrue or inaccurate. So we’ve done our research to find out what you actually need to do to get shredded. And once you know how it works, we won’t blame you for giving up on that dream of winning a bodybuilding championship! Getting shredded is basically a full-time job:

You’ll hit the gym up to 6 times a week for up to 3 hours per session

Most professional bodybuilders work out at least 6 days per week (most train 7 times), they target a different muscle group every day and focus on cardio every other day.

You’ll never eat ice cream again 

If you want to get shredded, you’ll need to forget about enjoying food. From now on, food will simply be viewed as fuel, which means absolutely no sugar. Plus, in order to build body mass, you’ll need to eat about 120 grams of protein a day. That’s why many bodybuilders will supplement their protein intake with protein shakes.

On a similar note, eating sugar will automatically reverse the efforts of any bodybuilder. Sugar slows down metabolism and causes fat to build up, which means all that hard work at the gym will go to waste. So if you want to get shredded like Arnold Shwarznegger, you better say Hasta la Vista to ice cream, baby.

Discover 7 tips on how to live a sugar-free life here.

You’ll need to eat at all times

For the most die-hard of shredders, that includes setting the alarm for 3 a.m.. For the less committed, you’ll be eating about 6 meals a day. Bodybuilders spread out their calories over the course of the day, as eating 3 big meals will make them feel sluggish and negatively impact their training. 

So what kind of food do they eat? Tons of eggs, cottage cheese, blueberries, turkey, chicken, white rice, salmon, green vegetables, quinoa and avocado. 

You’ll need to know your macros from your micros 

If you’re interested in getting shredded, you’ll need to get interested in science, too. Bodybuilders pay a huge amount of attention to the percentage of fat, protein and carbohydrates they eat, and it isn’t simple. Bodybuilders should aim to get 25-30% of their calories from protein, 50-55% of their calories from carbs and 20-25% of their calories from fat. This is called the macronutrient ratio.

It’s important to note that these foods are very specific — you can’t get your carb calories from a Big Mac, for example. And, depending on your training plan, your macronutrient ratio will change. For example, if you’re building body mass you’ll be eating bigger quantities, compared to your ‘shredding’ phase where you’ll be dropping the calories in order to show off those big, gleaming muscles. 

So, to get shredded you don’t just need discipline — you need a degree in statistics.

We hope this blog post has shed a little light on what it takes to look like those men and women in magazines. It’s a full-time job, and one that you’ll need to dedicate your life to. So what do you think? Washboard stomach or ice cream? We know which one we’d choose… 

Read our blog post about Nadine, the Berlin-based Bodybuilder who lives to get shredded.

Urban Sports Club has tons of fitness partners across Europe. Whether you want to get shredded or just have fun getting fit, we’ve got the perfect partner for you.