Fat Loss
28-Day Shred
Also known as: fat loss · shred · cut · 28 day · 4 week · lose fat · deficit · conditioning · get lean
A sharp four-week cut. Three full-body barbell sessions a week hold onto your muscle while two ramping cardio sessions — a steady Zone-2 run and short HIIT intervals — climb week by week to burn more. Results depend on your diet: run a modest calorie deficit with high protein (~1.6–2.2 g/kg bodyweight). The training preserves muscle; the deficit does the fat loss. Drag the cardio days around your week in the planner to fit your life.
Intermediate
5 days/week
4-week plan
~25–35 min/session
Free during beta · auto progression, rest timers & PR tracking built in
Overview
What is 28-Day Shred?
The 28-Day Shred is a four-week fat-loss program built on one honest premise: the calorie deficit does the fat loss, and the training exists to make sure what you lose is fat and not muscle. Three full-body barbell sessions a week — squats, bench, deadlifts, rows and presses in the 5–12 rep range — give your body a hard reason to keep its muscle while you eat less. Two separate cardio days add the burn on top: a steady Zone 2 run and a short HIIT interval session.
The cardio is where the four weeks actually climb. The run starts at 20 minutes and adds five per week, finishing at 35. The HIIT day starts at 12 minutes of intervals and ends at 18 — and it hardens as it grows, with work intervals stretching from 30 seconds toward 45 while the rests shrink, so week four is genuinely tougher than week one rather than just longer. Every interval session is bracketed by a five-minute easy warm-up and cool-down, so you are never sent cold into all-out efforts. It's a fixed 28-day block, not a repeating routine: it starts, it ramps, it ends.
Who it's for
Is 28-Day Shred right for you?
Run this if you want a short, sharp cut with a visible finish line — four weeks before a holiday, or a quick lean-out between building phases. It assumes you already handle the barbell lifts competently, so it sits at intermediate level; a new lifter is better served building first. And be straight with yourself about the kitchen: without a modest calorie deficit and high protein (1.6–2.2 g per kg of bodyweight), no conditioning schedule will get you lean. If you have more than a few kilos to lose, the 60-Day Cut and 90-Day Transformation extend the same idea over longer blocks with entirely different exercises.
Progression
How progression works
The lifting runs double progression: keep the weight, push every set to the top of its rep range (8–12 on most lifts, 5–8 on the deadlift), then add 2.5 kg and start again — deliberately modest jumps, because in a deficit the reps are where the progress lives. You absolutely can still add weight during a four-week deficit at this level — treat every held or added kilo as proof the muscle is staying. The cardio ramp is pre-baked into each week, so there is nothing to calculate: Durata auto-chains the HIIT rounds work-to-rest in the logger, and its nutrition log keeps the deficit — the part that actually decides the result — visible right next to the training.
Double: reach rep ceiling on all sets → +2.5 kg, deload 10% after 2 missesCardio: 20 min/weekCardio: 12 min/weekCardio: 25 min/week
Durata runs this progression for you — every session's weights are computed automatically from your training maxes and logged AMRAP sets.
The program
28-Day Shred — every set, every session
Percentages are of your training max (TM). AMRAP = as many reps as possible on the final set.
Week 15 sessions
Full Body A
Monday~30–40 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Bent Over Row (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×10–15 | 1:30 |
Full Body B
Wednesday~30–40 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 3×5–8 | 2:30 |
| Overhead Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Lat Pulldown (Cable) | 3×10–15 | 1:30 |
| Leg Press (Machine) | 2×12–20 | 1:30 |
Full Body C
Friday~30–40 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Front Squat | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Incline Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Pendlay Row (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 2×10–15 | 1:15 |
Zone 2 Run
Tuesday~15–25 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Running | 20:00 steady | 1:00 |
HIIT Intervals
Saturday~20–25 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| HIIT | 5:00 Warm-up 12 × 0:30 HIIT intervals · 30s rest 5:00 Cool-down | 30s |
Week 25 sessions
Full Body A
Monday~30–40 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Bent Over Row (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×10–15 | 1:30 |
Full Body B
Wednesday~30–40 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 3×5–8 | 2:30 |
| Overhead Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Lat Pulldown (Cable) | 3×10–15 | 1:30 |
| Leg Press (Machine) | 2×12–20 | 1:30 |
Full Body C
Friday~30–40 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Front Squat | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Incline Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Pendlay Row (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 2×10–15 | 1:15 |
Zone 2 Run
Tuesday~20–30 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Running | 25:00 steady | 1:00 |
HIIT Intervals
Saturday~20–25 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| HIIT | 5:00 Warm-up 14 × 0:35 HIIT intervals · 25s rest 5:00 Cool-down | 25s |
Week 35 sessions
Full Body A
Monday~30–40 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Bent Over Row (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×10–15 | 1:30 |
Full Body B
Wednesday~30–40 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 3×5–8 | 2:30 |
| Overhead Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Lat Pulldown (Cable) | 3×10–15 | 1:30 |
| Leg Press (Machine) | 2×12–20 | 1:30 |
Full Body C
Friday~30–40 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Front Squat | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Incline Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Pendlay Row (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 2×10–15 | 1:15 |
Zone 2 Run
Tuesday~25–35 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Running | 30:00 steady | 1:00 |
HIIT Intervals
Saturday~20–30 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| HIIT | 5:00 Warm-up 16 × 0:40 HIIT intervals · 20s rest 5:00 Cool-down | 20s |
Week 45 sessions
Full Body A
Monday~30–40 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Bent Over Row (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×10–15 | 1:30 |
Full Body B
Wednesday~30–40 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 3×5–8 | 2:30 |
| Overhead Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Lat Pulldown (Cable) | 3×10–15 | 1:30 |
| Leg Press (Machine) | 2×12–20 | 1:30 |
Full Body C
Friday~30–40 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Front Squat | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Incline Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Pendlay Row (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | 2:00 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 2×10–15 | 1:15 |
Zone 2 Run
Tuesday~30–40 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| Running | 35:00 steady | 1:00 |
HIIT Intervals
Saturday~25–30 min
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|
| HIIT | 5:00 Warm-up 18 × 0:45 HIIT intervals · 15s rest 5:00 Cool-down | 15s |
FAQ
28-Day Shred — common questions
Will I lose muscle cutting for four weeks?
Not if you do the three things this program is structured around: keep lifting in the 5–12 rep range at honest weights, hold the deficit moderate (300–500 kcal, not a crash diet), and eat 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of bodyweight. Muscle loss on a short cut is almost always a training or protein failure, not an inevitability.
How much fat can I realistically lose in 28 days?
About 0.5–1% of bodyweight per week from fat, so 2–4 kg for most people — plus a fast kilo or two of water and glycogen in week one that isn't fat and partially returns after. Judge the block by the mirror and the tape measure, not just the scale.
What do the HIIT sessions actually look like?
Week one is roughly twelve rounds of 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy. Each week the work intervals lengthen toward 45 seconds, the rests shrink, and the total grows from 12 to 18 minutes. A 5-minute steady warm-up and cool-down bracket every session, and Durata chains the rounds automatically so you just follow the timer.
Can I move the cardio days?
Yes — the run and the HIIT session are standalone sessions you can drag to any day in the planner. The default spacing (lifting Mon/Wed/Fri, cardio Tue/Sat) exists to keep hard interval work away from your leg-heavy lifting; keep roughly that separation if you rearrange.
What happens after the 28 days?
The block ends — it doesn't repeat. Either return to maintenance calories and a strength or hypertrophy program to consolidate, or, if you have more fat to lose, roll straight into the 60-Day Cut: it's the next step on the same track and deliberately uses a fresh dumbbell-and-machine exercise pool so nothing feels stale.
Source: Durata fat-loss challenge — full-body training + ramping cardio.
This is an original program designed and maintained by the Durata team.
Ready to lift?
Run 28-Day Shred in Durata
Training-max calculation, AMRAP tracking, automatic progression, plate calculator and rest timers — the whole program, ready to log.
