A Fat Loss Mystery Can You Solve It?

The Case Of The Missing Excess Body Fat

It was 3a.m. I was working late, when a call came into the office. Mrs Joan Saggy Butt was frantic "you have to help me" she screamed into the phone. After getting her to calm down she explained what happened. Her body fat was missing. It was a call that I didn't want to get.

Once Mrs. Saggy Butt calmed down some she explained someone has stolen her excess body fat. I've been dreading this call. Until lately here in Excess Body Fat, USA we pride ourselves on our saggy arm fat, big butts and thunder thighs. But we have started getting calls like this at an alarming rate. And I know what the answer is the terror we have tried to keep out of our town.

He who shall not be named

As Mrs. Saggy Butt talked I was pretty much oblivious to her words instead chosing to fixate on my half eaten jelly donut. Then regaining my concentration I heard Mrs. Saggy Butt say it was unreal how fast "he who shall not be named works". She rambled on about in 20 minutes her love handles disappeared, her saggy arm fat was shrinking "and my Butt" is so firm you can bounce a quarter on it. I thought she's bats.

It was now as plain as the rolls of fat around my stomach. Mrs. Saggy Butt was taken in by the Dark Side. It is a growing culture all over the country that was now hitting here in my home town. But I wondered how can these people be taken in by this. The benefits of having excess body fat are so plentiful.

Isn't having excess body fat a beautiful site not to mention being incredibly sexy? And Heart disease oh wow what having that body fat does for putting added pressure on your heart. well I'm sure your well aware of all the benefits. So what the heck are these people thinking?

It is becoming very disturbing these lean, trim athletic looking physiques starting to creep into my town. But what can I do? He who shall not be named has been very elusive. So I asked Mrs. Saggy Butt to explain what happened she was still pretty panicky at this point not believing the dramatic changes to not only her body but her health.

What I got out of her ramblings was that "he who shall not be named" came into her home 3 times a week for she thinks only 20 minute intervals and in what seems like no time at all her body was completely changing. She was experiencing high energy levels, low body fat, her thighs weren't rubbing together anymore and her butt wasn't dragging on the ground. This was frightening.

The Dark Side is here and it's real. People losing their excess body fat, getting healthier, having a firm butt, slender thighs and tight abs and all in 20 minute intervals 3 times a week. How do I fight such EVIL!!

After hanging up the with Mrs. Saggy Butt I returned to my jelly donut to contemplate my next move. Someone needed to stop this mass loss of excess body fat , the move to a (ugh I can't say it) healthier life style. But for now My couch was calling me and another box of donuts was just delivered.

As I looked at my new box of donuts (trying to decide which to have first bavarian cream or glazed) I thought about why anyone would invade my peaceful, slow moving town to steal body fat and why would anyone here be taken in by "He Who Is Not Named" and want to live (it really makes me ill to say it) a healthier lifestyle.

Well I can think about it tomorrow. I have donuts to eat and TV to watch.

A Fat Loss Mystery

How Busy Women Loses Excess Body Fat Fast

How Busy Women Loses Excess Body Fat Fast


The answer to the question of "How Does A Busy Women Loses Excess Body Fat?" is...

1 - Stop thinking doing hundreds of crunches and other ab specific exercises just doing ab specific exercises are not going to create enough of a metabolic response in your body for you to lose belly fat.

So what are the best types of exercises and workouts are for losing belly fat in order to get six pack abs. The problem is that most people who need to lose belly fat looking to try to uncover their abs are searching for some "miracle six pack ab workout that is going to slash the fat off their abs in no time.

The thing is... they are going about the problem entirely the wrong way! The truth is that you don't lose excess body fat by doing ab workouts.

The problem is that focusing most of your time and effort on abdominal exercises and abs workouts to try to flatten your stomach, lose belly fat and bring out 6-pack abs is simply wasting your time from doing the correct workout programs that will acutally reduce your belly fat and total body fat for good.

If I were to choose an answer as to what the best exercises are for losing body fat, my answer would include total body exercises such as the following:

2 - Various forms of squats, lunges, deadlifts, clean & presses, snatches, swings, presses and pulls, mountain climbers, sprinting, etc.

These types of total body conditioning exercises would encompass a much higher percentage of the workouts I would design instead of abs exercises directly targeting the midsection. The way you combine those full body exercises into a strategic workout that maximizes your metabolism is also very important.

Don't get me wrong... I do recommend a certain amount of exercises that directly target the abs and core, but these are only a small fraction of the programs I design for my clients as your time is better spent focusing on the total body conditioning exercises that stimulate the greatest hormonal and metabolic changes within the body. In addition, a side-effect of working out using mostly total body conditioning multi-joint exercises are that you indirectly work your entire midsection even though you are not specifically targeting the abs.

Keep in mind that the most important factor for losing belly fat to get that six pack abs look is actually in your healthy eating and nutrition plan. No matter how hard you workout, if your diet is full of junk, then your abdominals will be covered with ugly fat. Nutrition is without a doubt the "king of getting a six pack".

So let's clear this up for good...

Stop wasting so much of your time focusing on situps, crunches, leg raises, and all those silly worthless "ab contraptions" in your efforts to try to develop 6-pack abs. Instead focus on high intensity total body conditioning lifts using combination multi-joint exercises all strategically combined into highly effective fat loss workouts.

Couple that with a healthy diet full of natural unprocessed whole foods as close to their natural state as possible, and those elusive six-pack abdominals will yours in no time!

Check out below for more of my key strategies for getting flat sexy 6-pack abs for life.

Learn more about my strategies to lose excess body fat for Getting Flat Six Pack Abs

Interval Training Killed The Cardio Workout

Thankfully we have a better way for fat burning than spending hours on a treadmill. RIP old cardio. Welcome Interval Training.

Stop doing the slow boring cardio workouts for fat burning and switch to shorter, more effective interval training for fat burning and weight loss. This will help you get more fat burning results in less workout time.

Research proves that interval training is better than cardio workouts for fat burning, weight loss and fitness.

* But what is Interval Training? *

Interval training is when you do a period of hard work followed by a period of easy work. Although I do prefer weight training, bodyweight exercises or kettlebells for interval training, you can also use the treadmill to do interval training/ fat burning workouts.

A good time to do your interval training is immediately after your strength training session. That way you only have 3 full training days per week.

Interval training can also be done on your off days of strength training.

After you've finished your strength training workout, you'll move into the interval training workout. Start by warming up for 5 minutes at a progressive pace and then you are going to go 45 seconds at a hard 8.5-9/10 intensity level, followed by 90 seconds at an easy 3/10 intensity level.

For another interval training workout, you'll again start with your 5-minute warm-up, but instead of 45 seconds, you will do 60 seconds of hard work followed by 90 seconds of recovery. This time your hard interval training will not be as difficult at it was in the first fat burning workout I described, but still at a pretty good pace that allows you to do 60 seconds of hard work.

As a side note, you always want to be able to finish your interval training and fat burning workout. If you can't, then you need to bring the intensity down.

When you come down to your recovery interval, it should always be at the same intensity, and always be very easy. So, no matter which interval training/ fat burning workout you are going to be doing, you will always come back to the same easy level intensity for your recovery period. Again, you are going to repeat the intervals in the workout up to six times and then finish off with a cool down.

Interval Training better results for fat burning, lean muscle and fitness. Let's see shorter workouts better results? Sounds pretty much like a no brainer.

Circuit Training For Fast Fat Loss

Last Wednesday I put myself through a tough total body fat burning circuit exercise workout in High Park near my place in Toronto.

Afterwards I headed right back to the office and went straight to my computer to answer questions about fat loss, interval training, bodyweight exercises, and fat burning from men and women all over the world.

Then I stumbled across an unusual post from a fellow Canadian and new member, Mike Cheliak. He and I had been discussing off-day bodyweight circuit training, and he wrote in this inspirational story to share with you...

"I did the Total Body Ten Bodyweight Circuit today as my day off 'activity'. When I got to the gym there were a couple guys and a girl beginning their usual Eliptical routines...

...but I convinced them to join me in the Aerobics room and we gutted out 3 circuits of the Total Body Ten program. It was great!

What a perfect way to get some good intense activity in without tiring yourself out on a day off! We may all start a "club" on Wednesdays to do this. I think it was a great motivator doing it with other people. We all pushed each other and had fun doing it.

I highly recommend this to anyone looking for some fun activity. You could easily do it at home but I have to say that it was a LOT more fun doing it with a group!"

Mike's right, and the Total Body Ten is a great fat burning circuit exercises workout to give the "go-getters" something to do on their off-days from regular strength training and interval training.

You can also use this circuit in place of regular interval training, if you don't have access to a cardio machine. The general format of the circuit goes like this...

1) Easy lower body exercise for warm-up

This could be some type of bodyweight squat or hip extension.

2) Moderate upper body pushing exercise for warm-up

A pushup or kneeling pushup works best.

3) Single-leg exercise

Lunges or stepups are great for moderate fitness levels.

4) High-rep upper body pushing exercise

A moderately difficult pushup exercise here.

5) High-rep Squat

This is used for conditioning purposes.

6) High-rep total body ab exercise

I like mountain climbers here.

7) Single-leg exercise

Another lunge would work or a single leg deadlift.

8] Tough upper body pushing exercise

Your most challenging pushup.

9) Lower body posterior chain exercise

Stability ball leg curls or 1-leg RDL's.

10) Tough upper body pulling exercise

Inverted rows work great!

This completes your fat burning circuit exercises workout. Go through the circuit up to 3 times, resting 1 minute at the end of each circuit, but rest only as little as possible between exercises.

Do this workout in place of regular cardio or interval training as many as two times per week. Make sure to have a rest day in between.

These are the ten best movements for fat burning bodyweight circuits!

Thanks to Craig Ballantyne of Turbulence Training for this great article.

Cardio Is A Joke

Cardio Is A Joke
By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS Turbulence Training

Strong statement, I know, cardio is a joke, but I really believe that cardio for fat loss is a joke.

Although, not a very funny one... One woman wrote, "I started out doing 5 hours of cardio per week. No results. So I upped it to 7 hours per week. Still nothing. Do you suggest I do more?

I'm worried if I use your program, I won't get any results because you don't even have an hour of interval cardio per week. Please help!"

And from a gentleman on the Men's Health forum, "I took up running and didn't take up stretching until it was almost to late and almost destroyed a knee. What happened was that my IT bands got really tight and my inner quads didn't gain any strength so my knee cap got pulled out of place. I had an MRI done on my knee and have found that my knee cap has bruised my femur. "

Cardio horror stories are a dime-a-dozen.

So here's the bottom line on cardio... Long slow aerobic training remains the biggest practical joke in fitness. Marathon running for the average overweight person? Why don't you just tell someone to go play in traffic...oh wait, that's exactly what they are doing - all while crushing their joints with excess weight and repetitive pounding.

If you do long, slow cardio, its only a matter of time before you end up in a physiotherapist's office with all the others that do too much of the same thing...whether its running or spin classes, overuse injuries are far too common in the cardio world. After all, what's easier to overdo, total body strength training done 3 times per week for 20 minutes, or the same cardio activity done for 6-9 hours per week?

Heck, I once knew a physiotherapist who was so addicted to spin classes that she had overuse injuries that prevented her from walking normally! Physio, heal thyself! Cardio is a joke... But cardio fits our "more is better" mentality, doesn't it? We go right from a 3000 calorie meal at the Outback Steakhouse to our 60 minute cardio confessional sessions on the elliptical. More, more, more, more. And yet get less results?

There is a better way. Take a peek at the weight room when you are in a gym. Then compare the bodies there to the bodies on the elliptical. You'll find the sculpted, toned physiques lifting dumbells and doing pushups, and the plump, "never changing physiques" spinning their tires over on the cardio equipment. No matter what the city, no matter where the gym, its the same old story.

Burn fat, get lean, and boost your metabolism with resistance training. Finish with short interval training or even bodyweight circuits (described in my DB-BW Fusion TT Workout Bonus from Turbulence Training and you are off to the fat burning races.

Or get left behind on the cardio equipment that is getting you nowhere, CB PS - Turbulence Training is Guaranteed. If you aren't thrilled with the decreased workout time and increased fat loss and energy from the Turbulence Training system in 8 weeks, let us know and we'll refund your order. Your satisfaction is guaranteed. Turbulence Training has already been trusted by the biggest fitness magazines in the world (Men's Health & Shape), and I guarantee it will work for you too! About the AuthorCraig 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

Weight Loss Fitness And Bodybuilding The Busy Woman Workout

Busy Woman Workout

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS Turbulence Training

You can get an incredible weight loss workout at home without any equipment. That's right, you can burn fat and lose weight in the comfort of your own home.

Your a busy woman, you don't need fancy machines or expensive mega-gym memberships, and you don't have to deal with line-ups or sweaty, stinky bodybuilding gym-members. Ewww!

Okay, here's the first thing you need. About a 8x8 open area. And your bodyweight. That's it. Your going to do some bodybuilding(no not the huge muscle type), we are aiming for weight loss and fitness.

Don't rest between any of these exercises.

First exercise: Prisoner Squat

Place your hands behind your head, keep your elbows back, and squat down halfway to the ground. Keep your shoulder blades together to work your upper back and push your hips back as you squat to work your back of your legs.
Do that 10-20 times depending on your strength levels.

Second exercise: Push-up Plus

Do a regular pushup, but at the top, add a little extra push to round your upper back and make your shoulder blades move away from one another. Do 4-12 reps depending on your strength.

Third exercise: Plank

Support yourself on your forearms and toes and keep your body in a straight line from ankles to shoulders. You'll be "hovering" just above the ground. Keep your abs braced and hold for 10-60 seconds depending on your endurance.

Fourth exercise: Split squat

Stand with one foot 2 feet in front of your body and the other foot 1 foot behind your body. This is a stationary lunge position. Bend your back knee and drop your hips to the floor. Then push up using the muscles of the lead leg. Use a wall for balance or support if needed. Do 5-12 reps per side depending on strength.

Rest 1 minute then repeat the circuit up to 4 times.

Have fun, burn fat and lose weight.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MSAuthor, Turbulence Training

About the AuthorCraig 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 weight, 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