How To Get Your Summer Body In 8 Weeks
Hot Take: Summer Kind of Sucks
It’s hot all the time. There are no great holidays. Sports are in a weird lull. The food is mostly cold pasta salads and hot dogs. And I’m sweating constantly.
Don’t get me wrong—I love life, and every season has its beauty. But of the four, summer is easily the worst.
And worst of all?
The “summer body” nonsense.
Every year as the temperature climbs, the fitness industry kicks into panic-pitch mode:
“Drop 20 pounds in 6 weeks!”
“Flatten your belly fast!”
“Get shredded by Memorial Day!”
And while these headlines might get clicks, let’s be honest—they’re mostly nonsense.
And they definitely don’t help people feel better in their bodies.
Here’s What Actually Matters
The truth: it takes way longer than eight weeks to make meaningful, lasting changes to your body. It’s not something you crash diet your way into just because summer’s around the corner.
And even more importantly—your body doesn’t need to change just because it’s getting warmer outside. You don’t owe anyone a six-pack to enjoy the beach, take off your shirt at the pool, or feel confident in your own skin.
The whole “summer body” narrative can feel more like pressure than empowerment.
What does matter is fueling your body to feel strong, energized, and healthy. Prioritizing habits that improve your sleep, movement, strength, and mindset. Building muscle, losing fat, and reshaping your physique in a sustainable way is a long game.
That said—if you’ve got eight weeks and you’re ready to dial things in, I’m all for it.
Here are six steps you can take over the next two months to feel better, look stronger, and move with more confidence—without wrecking your health or falling for a crash diet.
6 Steps to Look, Feel, and Perform Better in 8 Weeks
1. Prioritize Protein & Portion Control
Forget crash diets. Start with the two habits that move the needle: more protein and reasonable portions.
Protein keeps you full, supports muscle, and helps control cravings
Aim for 0.7–1g per pound of goal bodyweight
Hit that target with lean meats, fish, Greek yogurt, eggs, tofu, or protein shakes
Build meals around protein + fiber + a carb or fat—keeps you satisfied and steady all day
Want to lose fat? Eat in a slight deficit.
Watch for steady weight loss (0.5–2 lbs/week, depending on many factors), looser clothes, or visual progress over time. Don’t panic about the scale day-to-day—zoom out and trust the trend.
2. Strength Train 3–4x a Week
Want to look “toned”? You need to build muscle. Period.
Strength training:
Builds the muscle that gives your body shape
Raises your metabolism
Helps preserve muscle when you're losing fat
Improves joint health, posture, and long-term resilience
Your move:
3–4 sessions per week
Keep it simple: squats, rows, presses, hinges
Train your full body or use an upper/lower split
Track your lifts and push to lift a little more over time (progressive overload)
You won’t get bulky by accident. You will get stronger, leaner, and more capable.
3. Walk More, Stress Less
You don’t need to grind cardio for hours. Just walk more.
Daily steps are underrated. They help you:
Burn calories without beating up your joints
Improve recovery between workouts
Manage stress and clear your head
Target: 7,000–10,000 steps/day (but even 5K > 2K). Move more than you are now.
Pair that with:
7+ hours of sleep most nights
10 minutes a day to unplug—walk, stretch, sit in the sun, breathe
Stress and sleep impact hunger, energy, and recovery way more than people realize. Start treating recovery like training.
4. Clean Up Evenings (Booze & Snacking)
If you want to see faster results without changing everything:
Dial in your evenings.
Alcohol:
Lowers sleep quality
Increases next-day cravings
Adds empty calories that don’t fill you up
Limit to 1–2x/week. Skip sugary mixers when you can. Hydrate.
Late-night snacking:
Usually driven by boredom or stress
Often high-calorie, low-protein
Disrupts digestion and sleep
Try this:
Eat more earlier—especially protein
Set a “kitchen closed” time
Build a nighttime routine that isn’t food-based (walk, shower, stretch, read)
5. Track Something
You don’t have to track every calorie. But tracking anything makes a huge difference.
Because what you measure, you can manage.
Start with 1–2:
Protein intake (daily goal met = huge win)
Workouts (what you did, so you can beat it next time)
Weight or waistline (track trends, not one-off spikes)
Awareness leads to better choices. You don’t need to be perfect—just intentional.
6. Train for Performance, Not Just Aesthetics
Here’s the mindset shift that changes everything:
Stop training to look a certain way. Start training to perform a certain way.
When you focus on:
Lifting heavier
Improving form
Doing more reps
Moving faster, smoother, more confidently
…you start building a body that feels good to live in. And ironically? That’s when you start looking better, too.
Muscle is earned. It makes everyday life easier, supports long-term health, and keeps you confident year-round.
Why This Matters Beyond Summer
Fat loss is fine. But muscle is the long-term play.
It gives you shape. Boosts your metabolism. Protects your bones. Helps you age better. And unlike crash dieting, building muscle doesn’t leave you feeling drained and weak.
Muscle = freedom.
Freedom to eat more. Move more. Do more.
It just makes life better.
What You Can Actually Do in 8 Weeks
You’re not going to reinvent your body in 8 weeks. But you can:
✅ Drop a few pounds of fat
✅ Build visible strength
✅ Wake up with more energy
✅ Feel more confident in your skin
✅ Create momentum that lasts into fall, winter, and beyond
All without starving. Without overtraining. Without gimmicks.
Just smart habits, done well and done consistently.
Ready to Build a Body That Lasts?
If you’re tired of the crash-diet cycle and want expert guidance to do things the right way—I’ve got you.
👉 Apply for coaching here and let’s build something sustainable.
Forget quick fixes. Let’s make this your strongest summer yet.
Best,
John
P.S. I’ll share more details next week, but I’ll be taking a break from these articles during the month of May. My time will be limited—and it needs to go to my fiancée, my family, and my active coaching clients. Thanks for understanding!
P.P.S. The smartest thing and cutest thing I saw last week (the smartest thing is from Jonathan Goodman)
3 Steps You Can Take
Apply for coaching - If you’re ready to start, you can fill out a coaching application here (it takes 90 seconds or less). Best case, you change your life. Worst case, I’ll help you draw up a road map to get closer to your goals.
Sign up for my newsletter - If you’d like to hear more, sign up for my mailing list here.
Keep learning - You can check out my other articles here. Nobody asked me to, but I’ve spent a ton of time researching everything from artificial sweeteners to saturated fat to testosterone and more, so you don’t have to.
