Finished Power Shred? Here’s what to do next

You’ve cut fat, built power and uncovered serious definition with Power Shred. But how do you follow up one of your biggest training achievements yet?

Perhaps you have questions about upping your calorie intake, or need help troubleshooting your results. You may have even caught the cardio bug (we hear it’s going around). We’re here to help.

We turned to resident sports dietitian Angie Asche to answer your post-Shred questions, and we’ll tackle perhaps the biggest question of all: what next?

Your post-shred training options

Pick the option that best describes your goal to find the next step that works for you.

You want more cardio, but don’t want to lose strength…
Power Shred showed that strength and cardio can coexist – it doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition. Here’s how to continue to get the best of both worlds:

• Stay full-body strong while mixing up the workout styles and cranking up the cardio with Centr Ignite. Choose from Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced.
• Choose the dumbbell-only Centr Circuit: Elevate or add a variety of equipment for Elevate+ to increase functional strength and continue to burn fat with fat with high-intensity moves.

For all of these programs, be sure to choose a dumbbell weight that continues to challenge your muscles so you don’t lose your hard-earned strength.

You want to add as much muscle mass as possible…
If you’re ready to maximize your strength and size, Centr Power At Home or In Gym is your definitive bulking program. And yes, you can safely switch from shredding to bulking – keep reading for Angie’s advice.

You want to zoom in on particular body parts…
Think you can get more out of your glutes, arms or shoulders? Try these targeted strength training options at the training level that’s right for you:

• Strengthen and seriously tone your lower body over 8 weeks with Glute Builder At Home or In Gym.
• Pump up your chest, back, arm and shoulder definition with Upper-Body Builder in 8 progressive weeks At Home or In Gym.

Your post-shred questions answered

To ensure your next step after Power Shred is safe and gets results, we asked Angie to answer the big questions.

I want to lose more body fat. Can I repeat Power Shred right away?
“I would recommend a rest period in between, to allow your body to recover and adjust to your new weight and strength levels. This helps to prevent overtraining, and can actually be helpful for maintaining and building muscle,” Angie says.

“So if you enjoyed the program and still have a significant amount of fat to lose, at least take advantage of another deload week before starting up again.”

Tip: To add an extra deload week or two, depending on how your body is feeling, you could repeat week 14 of Power Shred or give your body a complete break from weight training.

Is it safe to cycle between shredding and bulking?
“This is a very common tactic, especially if your goal is to build muscle and get stronger. So yes, you absolutely can transition from Power Shred to Centr Power and vice versa. From a nutrition standpoint, the best way to do this safely and effectively is to slowly progress your calorie intake from a deficit to a surplus, prioritizing nutrient-dense foods, and increasing your calories from carbohydrates,” Angie says.

“Just make sure you allow your body a recovery period (see the answer above) and educate yourself on the different nutrition requirements in the program handbooks.”

Tip: Get across the Centr Power Nutrition Handbook before you switch to bulking mode. Remember, you’ll need to change your Centr goal to Build Muscle.

I lost a good amount of body fat during Power Shred – how do I make sure I don’t put it straight back on?
“The best way to reduce your chances of putting on fat is to maintain a strength training routine and increase your calories slowly. Start with an increase of 100 calories per week, until you’re in enough of a surplus that you begin to see slow and steady muscle gain,” Angie says.

“This will help manage your hunger levels and ensure you don’t overdo your portion sizes.”

Tip: Angie recommends logging your food intake during this time to keep track of your calorie increases and results.

I want to bulk next – how fast do I build my calorie intake back up?
Angie’s advice here is the same as it is for people who don’t want to gain too much fat: keep up your strength training and bump up your calorie intake from a small deficit to maintenance levels, then by roughly 100 calories per week until you’re in enough of a surplus to see steady muscle gain.

Tip: Angie points out that, whether you take it slow or jump straight into a calorie surplus, you will likely see a temporary weight gain at the beginning – because more carbohydrates equal more water retention.

I lost too much muscle during Power Shred. What should I do?
“If you’ve lost too much muscle and want to put some back on, continue your training and steadily increase your calories until you are in a small calorie surplus,” Angie says.

“Also make sure you’re consuming adequate amounts of protein at each meal and snack – you should be eating at least 1.6g of protein per kg of body weight daily.”