By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
TurbulenceTraining
Ab exercises aren't the only thing you have to do in order to get your 6-pack. You also have to work hard on your diet as well, sticking to a fat-burning, muscle-building diet all year round.
Here's a list of 5 common ab myths.
Myth 1) You don't need to watch what you eat
Diet is first and foremost the key factor when trying to get 6-pack abs. Plan your nutrition in advance, to avoid dietary downfalls.
Myth 2) As long as you do a lot of ab exercises and repetitions, it doesn't matter how well you do them
It is important to do all repetitions with good form. Focus on quality, not quantity. Avoid sit-ups and an excessive number of crunches. Both exercises can damage the lumbar spine in your low back, and crunches are rarely effective anyways.
Myth 3) You can "Spot reduce" the fat on your abs with crunches
No matter how many crunches you do, you won't be able to get rid of your ab fat with crunches alone. You need a good diet and an increase in your calorie burning from strength training and interval training.
Myth 4) Infomercial products will help you get a 6-pack
You've probably seen dozens of ab gadgets on TV, but none are magic bullets. You can't expect anything you order from TV to help you get a 6-pack. You have to do the hard work with nutrition and training to get results.
Myth 5) You must do abs every day
You don't need to do abs every day. Instead, train them twice per week and use non-conventional exercises such as Mountain Climbers and Stability Ball Jackknives to reduce the stress on your low back.
About the Author
Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit TurbulenceTraining
Friday, February 13, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Interval Training Fast fat Loss Workouts
Fat Loss Workouts That Are Better Than Cardio Exercise
Despite common belief by fitness enthusiasts, cardio workouts are NOT effective for fat loss or losing weight long term.
by Craig Ballantyne, Men's Health Fitness Advisor, Expert Fitness Author
One of the most frustrating sights in the world is watching men and women do the same so-called “fat loss cardio workouts” for months and months without results. It happens more often than it should. In fact, there’s rarely anyone in most gyms who is able to lose weight with long, slow cardio.
Even research from the scientific journal, “Obesity” showed that even when men and women do up to 300 hours of cardio exercise per year, they only lose 4-6 pounds of weight. That just isn’t worth it! No one has time to do 50 hours of cardio in order to lose one pound of weight.
That’s why you need fat loss workouts that are better than cardio. Research and experience proves that interval training (and even high intensity weight training) is better for burning belly fat than long, slow cardio. Plus, interval training workouts are fun, fast, and more enjoyable. You’ll save time, lose more weight, and build a fit, functional body with these fat loss workouts.
Cardio exercise machines are NOT optimal, but if you must...
First, if you are stuck exercising inside a commercial gym for your workout, you can use traditional cardio machines for interval training.
An easy to do interval training program is to do a 5-minute warm-up followed by six intervals of 30-60 seconds of hard exercise, alternated with 60 seconds of easy exercise. Then you cool down for 5 minutes and you’re done. That’s less than half the time that most people spend on machines doing long, slow cardio.
After a warm-up, do a one minute “work interval” where you will exercise harder than normal cardio. After one minute, decrease the intensity all the way down to a cool-down level for one minute. Repeat the hard-easy combo up to 6 times and then finish with a cool down. That is the simplest way to do interval training.
If you normally run at 6 miles per hour on the treadmill for 30 minutes, you can do your first interval workout by running at 7 miles per hour for 1 minute and then walking at 3.5 miles per hour for 2 minutes. That’s a conservative place to start with interval training. You’d repeat that “hard-easy” protocol 6 times in an interval training workout (after a warm-up and followed by a cool-down).
The best cardio machines (if you must use indoor cardio machines) for fast interval training fat loss workouts are the treadmill and stationary cycle. Rowing machines and elliptical (cross-trainers) are ok, but in my experience, the treadmill and bike are best.
Best Alternative Workouts to Traditional Cardio Exercise
Most people enjoy getting out of the gym or doing alternative fat loss interval training workouts (instead of boring cardio workouts inside a stuffy gym). You can use a kettlebell, your bodyweight, a skipping rope, or medicine ball for interval workouts in just a small space in your home or garage. You don’t need to go to a big, fancy, expensive commercial gym to burn fat or get long term weight loss success.
Plus, it’s easier to experiment with different interval training workout programs when you don’t have to deal with intensity settings on cardio machines. After all, it’s next to impossible to do the popular Tabata interval workouts on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical machine.
In the Tabata intervals, you work hard for 20 seconds and then recover for 10 seconds, and you repeat that 8 times. That makes for a fast and effective 4-minute tabata workout, not including warm-up and cool-down. You just can’t do that on a cardio machine, but it works perfectly for kettlebells and medicine ball exercises, as well as bodyweight circuits.
Bodyweight training is the most underappreciated fat loss workout option. Most folks are drawn to fancy equipment, but mostly because the equipment often makes the workout easier. Moving your own bodyweight is tough, and keeps you honest!
In the Turbulence Training bodyweight cardio circuits, you’ll use 6-8 bodyweight exercises, alternating between a lower body exercise and an upper body exercise, before finishing the circuit with a fast total body exercise such as running in place, burpees, or jumps.
In the circuits, you’ll do 6-20 repetitions per exercise depending on your fitness level. Once you complete the circuit, rest for one minute, and then repeat the circuit 1-3 more times. If you are new to bodyweight circuits, just do two total circuits.
The great news is that in most cases, you don’t need a single piece of equipment to do these fat burning bodyweight workouts, so you can do them in a hotel room, your garage, or even in front of the TV.
Now you have lots of fun, fast, effective fat loss workouts that are better than cardio!
Click to learn more about the patented Turbulence Training Fat Loss System of Workouts
Despite common belief by fitness enthusiasts, cardio workouts are NOT effective for fat loss or losing weight long term.
by Craig Ballantyne, Men's Health Fitness Advisor, Expert Fitness Author
One of the most frustrating sights in the world is watching men and women do the same so-called “fat loss cardio workouts” for months and months without results. It happens more often than it should. In fact, there’s rarely anyone in most gyms who is able to lose weight with long, slow cardio.
Even research from the scientific journal, “Obesity” showed that even when men and women do up to 300 hours of cardio exercise per year, they only lose 4-6 pounds of weight. That just isn’t worth it! No one has time to do 50 hours of cardio in order to lose one pound of weight.
That’s why you need fat loss workouts that are better than cardio. Research and experience proves that interval training (and even high intensity weight training) is better for burning belly fat than long, slow cardio. Plus, interval training workouts are fun, fast, and more enjoyable. You’ll save time, lose more weight, and build a fit, functional body with these fat loss workouts.
Cardio exercise machines are NOT optimal, but if you must...
First, if you are stuck exercising inside a commercial gym for your workout, you can use traditional cardio machines for interval training.
An easy to do interval training program is to do a 5-minute warm-up followed by six intervals of 30-60 seconds of hard exercise, alternated with 60 seconds of easy exercise. Then you cool down for 5 minutes and you’re done. That’s less than half the time that most people spend on machines doing long, slow cardio.
After a warm-up, do a one minute “work interval” where you will exercise harder than normal cardio. After one minute, decrease the intensity all the way down to a cool-down level for one minute. Repeat the hard-easy combo up to 6 times and then finish with a cool down. That is the simplest way to do interval training.
If you normally run at 6 miles per hour on the treadmill for 30 minutes, you can do your first interval workout by running at 7 miles per hour for 1 minute and then walking at 3.5 miles per hour for 2 minutes. That’s a conservative place to start with interval training. You’d repeat that “hard-easy” protocol 6 times in an interval training workout (after a warm-up and followed by a cool-down).
The best cardio machines (if you must use indoor cardio machines) for fast interval training fat loss workouts are the treadmill and stationary cycle. Rowing machines and elliptical (cross-trainers) are ok, but in my experience, the treadmill and bike are best.
Best Alternative Workouts to Traditional Cardio Exercise
Most people enjoy getting out of the gym or doing alternative fat loss interval training workouts (instead of boring cardio workouts inside a stuffy gym). You can use a kettlebell, your bodyweight, a skipping rope, or medicine ball for interval workouts in just a small space in your home or garage. You don’t need to go to a big, fancy, expensive commercial gym to burn fat or get long term weight loss success.
Plus, it’s easier to experiment with different interval training workout programs when you don’t have to deal with intensity settings on cardio machines. After all, it’s next to impossible to do the popular Tabata interval workouts on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical machine.
In the Tabata intervals, you work hard for 20 seconds and then recover for 10 seconds, and you repeat that 8 times. That makes for a fast and effective 4-minute tabata workout, not including warm-up and cool-down. You just can’t do that on a cardio machine, but it works perfectly for kettlebells and medicine ball exercises, as well as bodyweight circuits.
Bodyweight training is the most underappreciated fat loss workout option. Most folks are drawn to fancy equipment, but mostly because the equipment often makes the workout easier. Moving your own bodyweight is tough, and keeps you honest!
In the Turbulence Training bodyweight cardio circuits, you’ll use 6-8 bodyweight exercises, alternating between a lower body exercise and an upper body exercise, before finishing the circuit with a fast total body exercise such as running in place, burpees, or jumps.
In the circuits, you’ll do 6-20 repetitions per exercise depending on your fitness level. Once you complete the circuit, rest for one minute, and then repeat the circuit 1-3 more times. If you are new to bodyweight circuits, just do two total circuits.
The great news is that in most cases, you don’t need a single piece of equipment to do these fat burning bodyweight workouts, so you can do them in a hotel room, your garage, or even in front of the TV.
Now you have lots of fun, fast, effective fat loss workouts that are better than cardio!
Click to learn more about the patented Turbulence Training Fat Loss System of Workouts
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Six Pack Ab Exercises
Six Pack Abs are easy to attain with easy exercises. Understanding how we can achieve six pack abs is important so that we can plan the proper exercises, and get quicker results. Six pack abs can be accomplished by training smart.
To have the appearance of six-pack abs, we need to focus on exercises that lower our overall body fat, so our six-pack abs will become more visible.
The following exercises are easy six-pack ab training methods that will increase overall strength as well as develop the abdominal core.
Warm up: we should start with an activity that is of light to medium intensity for 5-10 minutes, followed by some light stretching of the muscles involved in the exercise. We want to make sure that our muscles are flexible and ready for the activity.
Exercises: We will emphasize multi-joint exercises like squats, lunges, chin-ups, rows, split-squats, deadlifts, and step-ups. The sets will be 3 sets of 8 repetitions for each exercise. Utilizing stability sit-ups and bridging can be incorporated into the exercise program, which will help tone and strengthen the muscles of the core and also give variation to training.
Post Exercise: We want to emphasize proper cool down and stretching to make sure we maintain our flexibility and movement of the areas trained.
The frequency of the exercises should be done three times per week and can be done in any order, this will allow for variety and train our body at different angles. In doing so, this allows our bodies to strengthen and progress at a greater rate and achieve our six-pack abs.
These exercises are easy guides that will help you achieve six-pack abs. Exercising correctly and efficiently will help our body to burn the fat and give you the six pack abs that you have been wanting.
To have the appearance of six-pack abs, we need to focus on exercises that lower our overall body fat, so our six-pack abs will become more visible.
The following exercises are easy six-pack ab training methods that will increase overall strength as well as develop the abdominal core.
Warm up: we should start with an activity that is of light to medium intensity for 5-10 minutes, followed by some light stretching of the muscles involved in the exercise. We want to make sure that our muscles are flexible and ready for the activity.
Exercises: We will emphasize multi-joint exercises like squats, lunges, chin-ups, rows, split-squats, deadlifts, and step-ups. The sets will be 3 sets of 8 repetitions for each exercise. Utilizing stability sit-ups and bridging can be incorporated into the exercise program, which will help tone and strengthen the muscles of the core and also give variation to training.
Post Exercise: We want to emphasize proper cool down and stretching to make sure we maintain our flexibility and movement of the areas trained.
The frequency of the exercises should be done three times per week and can be done in any order, this will allow for variety and train our body at different angles. In doing so, this allows our bodies to strengthen and progress at a greater rate and achieve our six-pack abs.
These exercises are easy guides that will help you achieve six-pack abs. Exercising correctly and efficiently will help our body to burn the fat and give you the six pack abs that you have been wanting.
Six Pack Ab Exercises
Six Pack Abs are easy to attain with easy exercises. Understanding how we can achieve six pack abs is important so that we can plan the proper exercises, and get quicker results. Six pack abs can be accomplished by training smart.
To have the appearance of six-pack abs, we need to focus on exercises that lower our overall body fat, so our six-pack abs will become more visible.
The following exercises are easy six-pack ab training methods that will increase overall strength as well as develop the abdominal core.
Warm up: we should start with an activity that is of light to medium intensity for 5-10 minutes, followed by some light stretching of the muscles involved in the exercise. We want to make sure that our muscles are flexible and ready for the activity.
Exercises: We will emphasize multi-joint exercises like squats, lunges, chin-ups, rows, split-squats, deadlifts, and step-ups. The sets will be 3 sets of 8 repetitions for each exercise. Utilizing stability sit-ups and bridging can be incorporated into the exercise program, which will help tone and strengthen the muscles of the core and also give variation to training.
Post Exercise: We want to emphasize proper cool down and stretching to make sure we maintain our flexibility and movement of the areas trained.
The frequency of the exercises should be done three times per week and can be done in any order, this will allow for variety and train our body at different angles. In doing so, this allows our bodies to strengthen and progress at a greater rate and achieve our six-pack abs.
These exercises are easy guides that will help you achieve six-pack abs. Exercising correctly and efficiently will help our body to burn the fat and give you the six pack abs that you have been wanting.
To have the appearance of six-pack abs, we need to focus on exercises that lower our overall body fat, so our six-pack abs will become more visible.
The following exercises are easy six-pack ab training methods that will increase overall strength as well as develop the abdominal core.
Warm up: we should start with an activity that is of light to medium intensity for 5-10 minutes, followed by some light stretching of the muscles involved in the exercise. We want to make sure that our muscles are flexible and ready for the activity.
Exercises: We will emphasize multi-joint exercises like squats, lunges, chin-ups, rows, split-squats, deadlifts, and step-ups. The sets will be 3 sets of 8 repetitions for each exercise. Utilizing stability sit-ups and bridging can be incorporated into the exercise program, which will help tone and strengthen the muscles of the core and also give variation to training.
Post Exercise: We want to emphasize proper cool down and stretching to make sure we maintain our flexibility and movement of the areas trained.
The frequency of the exercises should be done three times per week and can be done in any order, this will allow for variety and train our body at different angles. In doing so, this allows our bodies to strengthen and progress at a greater rate and achieve our six-pack abs.
These exercises are easy guides that will help you achieve six-pack abs. Exercising correctly and efficiently will help our body to burn the fat and give you the six pack abs that you have been wanting.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Quick Fat Loss? Maximize Your Metabolism
How to Maximize your Metabolism
By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Turbulence Training.com
You cut calories and you exercise. You do exactly what the articles say - Your calories out are greater than your calories in. You should be losing fat. But if you aren’t, perhaps you’re still not paying attention to an often forgotten factor of fat loss - your metabolism.
Your metabolism is a measure of how many calories you are burning each day. But did you know that the food, exercise, and lifestyle choices you make every day have a significant impact on your metabolism? For example, if you starve yourself (instead of following a sensible fat-loss eating plan) your metabolism will slow down. If your metabolism slows down, it means your calories out will be less. And that means no more fat loss, and possibly even continued fat gain.
So for every day that you continue to slow your metabolism with unhealthy lifestyle choices, you get further and further away from fat loss. To help, I’ve put together a list of the top 10 ways to maximize your metabolism, so that you’ll burn as many calories as possible each day so that you can finally lose the fat. For the exact workouts and nutrition plan to help you lose the maximum amount of fat in as little time as possible, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com
1. Don’t starve yourself! Cutting calories too much is one of the worst things you can do to your body. Starving yourself actually causes you to lose much more water weight and muscle than fat. Use fitday.com to find out your daily calorie intake.
2. Eat 6-8 small meals per day with an emphasis on lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables. You have to have a nutrition plan, so spend a couple hours on a day off preparing as much food as you can for the upcoming week.
3. Eat breakfast. You have to make this meal part of your daily metabolism-boosting plan. At the very least, eat a lean protein, drink some Green Tea, and consume a fiber-rich fruit to get your fat loss day started right.
4. Eat healthy fats. Sources of healthy fats included nuts, fish, olive oil, and flax oil. I consume 10 grams of fish oil per day. Replace all processed carbohydrates in your diet with almonds. For example, if you currently eat a small bag of pretzels as a mid-afternoon snack, eat almonds instead (eating the same number of total calories).
5. Eat high quality foods that will help you control your blood sugar levels, insulin levels, and energy levels. Insulin management will help you lose fat and prevent you form gaining fat. Controlling your hormone levels is the #1 neglected factor in fat loss programs.
6. Eat 1.14g of protein per pound of lean body mass. If you don’t know your lean body mass, then simply eat 1g of protein per pound of body weight. But if possible, stick to the lean body mass recommendation, as that eliminates excess fat mass when calculating protein needs.
7. Don’t drink alcohol. Alcohol intake can quickly add hundreds of calories and alcohol prevents fat burning. Alcohol intake can also reduce testosterone levels, a big no-no for men looking to get lean.
8. Drink Green Tea and water. While I don’t believe that either of these will increase your metabolism, I do believe that they help prevent decreases in metabolism. Not too mention, these are your 2 healthiest beverage options.
9. Stick to a consistent sleep schedule. Don’t stay up all night, and if possible, avoid working afternoon and overnight shifts. If you must work shiftwork, stick to the rest of these principles as strongly as possible.
10. Use the strength training with moderately heavy weights (that allow you to complete 8 perfect reps per set) and interval training for the most efficient and effective metabolism boosting workout.
If your metabolism has slowed down due to improper dieting or lifestyle, then follow these tips to help you get back on track to lose fat and gain muscle. Once you correct your metabolism, you will be on the road to losing the fat for good. Just in time for summer.
About the Author:
Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit Turbulence Training
By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Turbulence Training.com
You cut calories and you exercise. You do exactly what the articles say - Your calories out are greater than your calories in. You should be losing fat. But if you aren’t, perhaps you’re still not paying attention to an often forgotten factor of fat loss - your metabolism.
Your metabolism is a measure of how many calories you are burning each day. But did you know that the food, exercise, and lifestyle choices you make every day have a significant impact on your metabolism? For example, if you starve yourself (instead of following a sensible fat-loss eating plan) your metabolism will slow down. If your metabolism slows down, it means your calories out will be less. And that means no more fat loss, and possibly even continued fat gain.
So for every day that you continue to slow your metabolism with unhealthy lifestyle choices, you get further and further away from fat loss. To help, I’ve put together a list of the top 10 ways to maximize your metabolism, so that you’ll burn as many calories as possible each day so that you can finally lose the fat. For the exact workouts and nutrition plan to help you lose the maximum amount of fat in as little time as possible, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com
1. Don’t starve yourself! Cutting calories too much is one of the worst things you can do to your body. Starving yourself actually causes you to lose much more water weight and muscle than fat. Use fitday.com to find out your daily calorie intake.
2. Eat 6-8 small meals per day with an emphasis on lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables. You have to have a nutrition plan, so spend a couple hours on a day off preparing as much food as you can for the upcoming week.
3. Eat breakfast. You have to make this meal part of your daily metabolism-boosting plan. At the very least, eat a lean protein, drink some Green Tea, and consume a fiber-rich fruit to get your fat loss day started right.
4. Eat healthy fats. Sources of healthy fats included nuts, fish, olive oil, and flax oil. I consume 10 grams of fish oil per day. Replace all processed carbohydrates in your diet with almonds. For example, if you currently eat a small bag of pretzels as a mid-afternoon snack, eat almonds instead (eating the same number of total calories).
5. Eat high quality foods that will help you control your blood sugar levels, insulin levels, and energy levels. Insulin management will help you lose fat and prevent you form gaining fat. Controlling your hormone levels is the #1 neglected factor in fat loss programs.
6. Eat 1.14g of protein per pound of lean body mass. If you don’t know your lean body mass, then simply eat 1g of protein per pound of body weight. But if possible, stick to the lean body mass recommendation, as that eliminates excess fat mass when calculating protein needs.
7. Don’t drink alcohol. Alcohol intake can quickly add hundreds of calories and alcohol prevents fat burning. Alcohol intake can also reduce testosterone levels, a big no-no for men looking to get lean.
8. Drink Green Tea and water. While I don’t believe that either of these will increase your metabolism, I do believe that they help prevent decreases in metabolism. Not too mention, these are your 2 healthiest beverage options.
9. Stick to a consistent sleep schedule. Don’t stay up all night, and if possible, avoid working afternoon and overnight shifts. If you must work shiftwork, stick to the rest of these principles as strongly as possible.
10. Use the strength training with moderately heavy weights (that allow you to complete 8 perfect reps per set) and interval training for the most efficient and effective metabolism boosting workout.
If your metabolism has slowed down due to improper dieting or lifestyle, then follow these tips to help you get back on track to lose fat and gain muscle. Once you correct your metabolism, you will be on the road to losing the fat for good. Just in time for summer.
About the Author:
Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit Turbulence Training
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
