If you find it too easy to skip the gym and postpone losing those few extra pounds, you’d better think again. The summer sizzle is nearly upon us and everywhere guys are looking leaner, meaner and hotter than ever. If you’re going to make the grade, you’ve got to have a plan.

Here’s a few training strategies that will pump up and lean out that hot body and help you to leave your jealous competition in the dust. Eat your hearts out, bitches!

Shake up your routine and shock those muscle fibers into growing bigger – now! Never rely on only one type of free weight equipment during a workout. In every workout, combine dumbbells, barbells and cables. Your muscles need a variety of forms and movements in order to be challenged, breakdown and grow. For example, when blasting chest, you may want to do barbell flat bench presses, dumbbell incline presses and cable crossovers.

Often when my schedule is very busy, I like to workout twice a day. “What’s that?” you say! Sometimes in the morning I may have only half an hour or forty five minutes between clients. That’s not sufficient time for a full workout, but it is enough time to really work a particular muscle group, or do a dynamite cardio routine. Make good use of your time. Be consistent with your workouts and keep track of what you do and when you do it.

Stretching your muscles is great for injury prevention and it can actually help you build muscle. Like any muscle movement, stretching helps in its own way to break down stubborn muscle fiber and build new muscle. Remember to stretch and tightly flex after each set of exercises the muscle group you have just worked. A light overall stretching session before and after your workout, is a must.

Turn the heat up on your cardio by adding a burst of power and speed at brief intervals. This is basically what interval training is all about. If you’re on a treadmill or precor, for example, this will mean bumping up to a minute of intense activity at a higher speed every 10 minutes or so according to your ability. These high intensity intervals interspersed into your already challenging routine will help you reach a higher level of cardiovascular fitness.

As with any form of hard work, it is good to reward yourself as you see progress happening. Therefore, go shopping! Replace those tired, baggy, sweat stained, workout clothes with gear that shows off that tight toned frame of yours. Replace that old jock strap you hang in your locker or toss in the hamper with something that doubles as evening wear on a Saturday night.

Make the most of your workouts. Enjoy the beautiful body you’ve worked so hard to create.