A Six-Pack By Summer

The Payoff:

• Faster fat loss: The Traveling Deadlift and Turkish Getup, featured below, force your body to engage more muscles than typical bodybuilding exercises do. And that means you'll burn more calories than ever before.
• Greater stamina: The fast pace of this workout plan not only melts fat, but also improves your overall endurance. So, as you progress, you'll be able to go harder and longer in each subsequent workout. The end result: You'll get leaner, faster.
• Extra muscle: Because this workout plan incorporates power exercises—such as the Hang Clean and Jump Squat—it targets your fast-twitch muscle fibers. And since these fibers have the greatest potential for size and strength, that leads to bigger, stronger muscles.

Your goal: A chiseled body

Your time: 24 minutes

Some beliefs are painfully slow to perish, like the one that declares intense aerobic exercise is the best method for burning fat. "This misconception could be what's keeping you from a lean physique," says Michael Mejia, M.S., C.S.C.S., a Men's Healthexercise advisor. The reason is simple: "Most men invest their energy in exercise that boosts their caloric expenditure only while they're working out," says Mejia, for example, a 45-minute spin on a stationary bike or a moderate jog through a park.

Resistance training, on the other hand, elevates your metabolism for up to 48 hours afterward, so it pays fat-loss dividends long after your workout ends. And, turns out, lifting weights is highly underrated for burning calories during your session, too. A recent study from the University of Southern Maine found that an intense weight-training session burns as many as 71 percent more calories than previously thought—putting it on par with aerobic exercise.

Mejia's workout plan creates an enormous metabolic demand on your body by blending explosive exercises and combination lifts in a fast-paced circuit. Alternate between Workout A and Workout B, performing three workouts a week and resting a day between sessions. In the first two weeks, do three sets of each exercise, resting 60 seconds between sets. In weeks three and four, perform each routine as a circuit. That is, do one set of each exercise without resting between moves, then rest 90 seconds between circuits. Complete a total of three circuits.

Benchmark of success: How do you measure up?

Most men judge weight-loss success by their waistlines. And that's fine, but it doesn't measure your ability to burn fat. In this test, you'll sprint as fast and as far as you can. The farther you can run at your fastest pace, the better prepared your body is to last through high-intensity fat-burning workouts like this one.

Lace up your running shoes and head to an open stretch of road or track. After a 2- to 3-minute warmup jog, sprint at your top speed for as long as possible. Stop as soon as you feel yourself slowing down and record either your time or your distance—whichever is more convenient.

Track your progress: Record your time or distance, then follow the plan and retest yourself every two weeks. Go to MensHealth.com/poster to compare your improvement with that of other Men's Health readers.