Train With Intervals A 15 Minute Express Fat Burning Workout

This is the Turbulence Training 15 Minute Express Workout. Hopefully since my previous post A Fat Burning Circuit Training Workout you have realized what waste the old marathon workouts are.

But yet people that read these posts and my other articles still tell me about the hour long treadmill workouts they are doing. WHY? I don't get it. If you get a better more productive workout in less time wouldn't you want that? I know I would.

These are 15 minutes circuits (A, B & C). In each circuit, you will do 30 seconds of each exercise. If you are doing an exercise like dumbbell rows, you would perform 30 seconds on each side.

The first circuit will take you about 4-1/2 minutes to go through all 6 exercises. Then I want you to do that as many as you can in 15 minutes.

If you are new to this workout, just go through the circuit 1 or 2 times for the first week. After that, you can go really hard.



The first exercise is a dumbbell squat. You will need dumbbells and a bench for this first workout.

Hold the dumbells in each hand and squat for 30 seconds. You will work your upper back by holding the weights.

Next will be 30 seconds of decline pushups. Put your feet on the bench and lower down for a 2 second count and power back up.

Move immediately into dumbbell rows. You will probably use the same weights as you did for the squats. Put one knee and hand on then bench, keeping your back flat, back knee is slightly bent and row up for 30 seconds. Switch sides and do rows for another 30 seconds.

Next up are Bulgarian split squats for 30 seconds, but you'll do these at 1-1/2 reps. Lower down and only come half way up, lower back down and then drive all the way up. Switch legs and do 30 seconds on that side as well.

You won't have much time in between exercises, so move immediately into stability ball rollouts for 30 seconds. Place your hands on the ball and roll out for 3 counts and 1 count back while keeping it controlled and abs strong.

Make sure you have your kettlebell handy because we're going to do either kettlebell swings or dumbbell swings for 30 seconds.

You'll want to have a timer such as the kind I use called the Gymboss. You can set it for multiple rounds of 30 second intervals and you just listen for the beep to tell you when to switch exercises.

Then go back from the beginning and go through that circuit as many times as you can in 15 minutes.

Visit my review of Turbulence Training and check out the video for the Fat Burning Circuit Training Article that I mentioned earlier.

And to get access to the #1 weight loss secret of social support and to ask Craig Ballantyne your weight loss questions, visit the Turbulence Training Membership site

Train With Intervals A Fat Burning Circuit Training Workout

This is Workout A from the Turbulence Training (click the link for my review and to see this workout on video) 2K10 Program. We are going to start out with 3 mini bodyweight circuits and perform them 8 times each with 1 minute of rest in-between each exercise

1) Jump Squats - Legs are hip with apart, squat down and jump up as high as possible, keeping your hands behind your head. As soon as you land, jump up again. Repeat 15 times.

2) Pushups - Place the hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and you feet on a bench. Lower down and to return to the start position. Keep your body in a straight line at all times. Do as many times as you can 1 time short of failure. For example, if you normally do 15 then you will only do 14 in that set.

3) Satiability Ball W,Y,T.- Lie on your chest on the ball and stick your arms out in front of you. Squeeze the muscles between your shoulder blades and tuck the elbows back into your sides in a W position. Then, stick your arms out in a Y-position with thumbs up. Squeeze the muscles between your shoulder blades and raise your arms a few inches. Slowly return to the start position. Then, stick your arms out in a T-position with thumbs up. Squeeze the muscles between your shoulder blades and raise your arms a few inches. Slowly return to the start position.

Next exercise is a superset using a barbell squat or a dumbbell split squat going nice and slow on the way down for 3 second of eccentric movement. Followed with 3 supersets add a crash set or a drop set. Decreasing your weight by 25%, for 8 more reps.

1) Barbell Squats. Set the bar up at chest level rack. Step under the bar take it off and take 2 small steps back. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart in a narrow stance. Push your butt backward and sit back into a chair count to 3 as you squat down. Return by pushing through your heels to start position.

2) Dumbbell Split Squats. Hold a light dumbbell in each hand. Step forward with one leg, taking a slightly larger than normal step. The back knee should be bent. Counting to 3 lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the ground. Drive back up to the upright position. Perform all reps for one leg and then switch.

3) Stability Ball Ab Pike. Start in a Jack Knife position feet on the ball body is in a straight line with abs braced. Roll the ball as close to your chest as possible by contracting your abs . Pause and then return the ball to the starting position by rolling it backward. Counting 2 seconds on the way up and 2 seconds as you roll the ball back. For 8 repetitions.


For the next mini exercise circuits - You will complete 3 rounds with 1 minute of rest in-between.

1) 1-Leg Hip Extension, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift one leg off the floor and hold it. Slowly lower your hips down until they are an inch above the ground driving through your heel. Perform all reps for one leg and then switch sides. 15 reps on each side.

2) 1-Leg Stability Ball Leg Curl. If you cant perform a 1-legged, then perform a 2-legged ball curl. Lie on your back with your feet on a Stability Ball. Bridge your hips up by contracting your glutes. Keep your abs braced and contract your hamstrings and slowly curl the ball back towards your hips with only one leg while keeping your hips bridged. Pause and slowly return the ball to the start position while keeping the hips bridged. Complete 10 reps each side.


3) Stability Ball Plank. In a plank position put your elbows on the ball. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. Hold the plank position for 45 sec. According to Mens Health Magazine this is 30% harder than a regular plank for abdominal.


To finish off Workout A with kettelbell swing. If the is the first time you do this exercise, perform this only 5 times and work your way up to 10. You will perform this exercise for 40 seconds with 20 seconds for recovery for 10 repetitions


Kettel Bell Swing - Stand with your feet shoulder width apart holding the kettle bell in two hands. Squat and swing the weight between your legs. Explode up thrusting your hips forward. Swing the kettlebell to shoulder height. Brace your abs and control the descent. That is it for Workout A. Do a little stretching and come for Workout B.

Visit Turbulence Training to get my review and the video for this workout.

And to get access to the #1 weight loss secret of social support and to ask Craig Ballantyne your weight loss questions, visit the Turbulence Training  Membership site here:

5 Cardio Workouts To Burn Fat

Good Morning,

This morning I have an article for you from Craig Ballantyne of Turbulence Training.

Everything you know about cardio is about to change. You're about to discover the truth about 5 cardio workouts to burn fat and lose more belly fat in less workout time. Let's start by looking at the old, outdated way of burning fat.


Cardio Workout #1 to burn fat: Slow cardio

The first cardio workout to burn fat is "Old School Cardio". For years, we've been fooled into thinking that we need long, slow, boring cardio workouts to burn fat. However, too many men and women slave away on the cardio machines for 40, 60 and even 90 minutes per workout without burning fat. How is this possible?

To be honest, I don't know exactly why it doesn't work, but two recent research studies found that women doing 40-60 minutes of low intensity cardio, 3-5 days per week, did not lose belly fat after at least 12 weeks of cardio. Based on those results, slow cardio is not one of the best cardio workouts to burn fat.

In fact, in one of those studies, researchers tested high-intensity cardio, and found that high-intensity cardio was able to burn fat.

Cardio Workout #2 to Burn Fat: High-intensity cardio

The only problem is that high-intensity cardio requires you to work as hard as you can until you burn at least 400 calories in a workout. That will take you at least 40 minutes - so while this is one of the better cardio workouts to burn fat, it's still not the best.

A better approach is to use interval training. This is the third cardio workout to burn fat.

Cardio Workout #3 to Burn Fat: Interval training cardio

In a study from Australia that compared 2 cardio workouts to burn fat, subjects doing 3 interval training workouts per week lost a significant amount of belly fat while another group doing 40 minutes of slow cardio per week did not burn belly fat.

So interval training is a much better workout choice for fat loss. To do interval training, you do a normal warm-up, and then you alternate between hard exercise and easy exercise, then you follow with a cool down. This routine only takes twenty minutes.

Here's a sample of the interval cardio workouts to burn fat. Do a 5 minute warm-up, and then exercise for 1 minute at a pace that is 10-20% harder than your normal cardio intensity. After that 1 minute, decrease your exercise pace all the way down to cool-down level. Repeat that hard-easy cycle 5 more times. Finish with 3 minutes of cool-down.

Cardio Workout #4 to burn fat: Tabata Interval cardio

Since interval training became popular, personal trainers have been looking for other short cardio workouts to burn fat. A study from Japan used something that is known as the "Tabata Protocol", and many trainers believe this is even better than cardio and regular intervals. The fourth cardio workout to burn fat is the Tabata Interval program.

I'm not convinced it is better than regular intervals, but it is a heck of a hard way to do a fat burning workout. After a warm-up, you 20 seconds of hard work followed by 10 seconds of recovery. Repeat that 8 times. This fat burning workout takes only 4 minutes!

Cardio Workout #5 to Burn Fat: Bodyweight circuit cardio

Finally, the fifth cardio workout for fat burning is bodyweight circuit training. Like intervals and the Tabata workouts, bodyweight circuit training is not really "cardio", however, these are the three better cardio workouts to burn fat.

Whatever you want to call bodyweight cardio, here's how it works.

First, you start with a quick, easy bodyweight exercise, such as Jumping Jacks.

After that, alternate between 3 lower-body and 3 upper-body bodyweight exercises, using squats, pushups, lunges, pulling exercises like rows or chinups, split squats, and total body ab exercises like mountain climbers.

Finally, finish off the 8 exercise circuit with a tough total body exercise like jumps, burpees, or running in place. Now that's fat burning cardio!

Those are 5 cardio workouts to burn fat. Only two are "traditional", but those 2 are the longest, and least effective. The shorter fat burning cardio workouts are the best way to burn belly fat fast.

Click here for a sample interval cardio fat burning program that has helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning.

The Turbulence Training Fat Burning workouts help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment.

Craig Ballantyne is an expert trainer for Men's Health magazine and Oxygen magazine, and his fat burning bodyweight workouts help you lose fat without any equipment at all.

Turbulence Training For Abs At Home

What kind of fat burning do you think you could do with step by step training at home from your own personall trainer? Pretty good I would think. Well now you can get the fat burning workouts, simple nutrition plan that will lead to you having rock hard abs and low body fat.

For the first time ever, you can now get follow-along-at-home Turbulence Training For Abs Workout DVDs!

That's right, you finally have the chance to workout with, Craig Ballantyne, doing every exercise and every repetition TOGETHER. Just Craig and you!

You'll get to see how EVERY exercise is done and Craig will walk you through it and coach you for the entire workout.

It's just like having Craig there - without the expensive price tag of a personal trainer or gym fees.
Turbulence Training for Abs is a revolutionary fat burning system guaranteed to help you burn belly fat and sculpt your body in the comfort of your own home in less than 90 days.

You’ll also receive the Simple Nutrition System diet plan DVD that promises to remove all confusion from eating for fat loss.

Your personal coach, world-famous trainer Craig Ballantyne, will be with you every step and rep of the way, working out with you and guiding you to maximum fat burning results.

It will be just like having Craig training you in your home gym and taking you through every set and rep of every exercise of the Turbulence Training for Abs Workouts.

Check out Some of what you can get:

What do you get in the Turbulence Training for Abs Home Personal Training Package?



1) The TT for Abs DVD Workouts (12 individual workouts @ $39.95 each) – Total Value: $599.25

2) The TT Total Torso Training DVD (3 individual workouts @ $39.95 each) – Total Value: $119.85

3) TT Express Workout DVD (6 individual workouts @ $29.95 each) – Total Value: $179.70

4) The TT Simple Nutrition DVD – $39.95 value


I won't go through the whole package you will get just click the link to go to Craigs site and read for yourself. While you are there get 3 Turbulence Training for Abs workouts for FREE.

Kettlebell Training And Interval Workouts

I love training outside with kettlebells. In fact, I go almost all
winter long without using kettlebells because I just don't like
using them inside.

But this weekend it was about 50 degrees out on Saturday (about 10
degrees Celcius) and that was warm enough for me and my dog to head
outside for a kettlebell-bodyweight circuit.

And I have one each of the 35, 44, 53, and 70lb kettlebells out at
the farm that I was able to use...although to be honest I didn't
even bring out the 70 from it's hiding spot...soon, but not yet.

My first circuit was a combo of bodyweight and kettlebells and I
built the specific warm-up into the circuit:

1) Prisoner Squat
2) Kettlebell Swing
3) Decline Pushup
4) Kettlebell Snatch
5) Kettlebell Lunge
6) Grasshopper Pushup
7) Kettlebell 1-arm Swing
Rest 1 minute and repeat 2 more times.

(NOTE: I tried doing some sprints but when I'm working out with the
dog he always tries to jump on me when I'm running and it breaks out
into a 5-minute dog wrestling match...so I stuck to the kettlebells
while he barked at another dog a mile away...)

Then I moved into a kettlebells-only circuit:

1) Kettlebell Snatch
2) Kettlebell Renegade Row
3) Kettlebell 1-arm Overhead Press
4) Kettlebell Row
5) Kettlebell Swing
Rest 1 minute and repeat 2 more times.

That was all I did...a tough workout for me, but I'm no Marine...so
for all those advanced readers, you can probably do more...but I'm
just getting the "rust off" right now. I should be snatching that
70lb kettlebell for 15-20 reps by early June.

NOTE: If you are a beginner or intermediate, please start with an
easier workout from Chris Lopez's Kettlebell fat loss workouts here:

=> Kettlebell Workouts

Interval Training A Fat Burning Frenzy

Having trouble losing that excess body fat? Or have you lost some of that fat weight but can't seem to lose anymore? or is it after losing that excess fat your problem is how to keep it off. There are two main reasons after losing weight that you tend to regain the weight. Nutrition and Your Exercise program.

In this article we are going to talk about your exercise program. Or what you should be doing to not only lose that excess body fat but to keep it off permanently.

Without a doubt the most efficient and effective workouts we have today for losing excess body fat is Interval training.

Instead of spending money and falling for all the infomercial hype and Oprah recomendations( there is a reason her weight goes up and down) and trying the next miracle exercise gadget or worthless pill that promise overnight results, save yourself some frustration and money and use a scientifically proven workout that get's permanent results.

If you once and for all are ready to get rid of that excess body fat and keep it off you should start using interval training. So how does interval training work? interval training means taking an exercise as an example jumping rope after a good warm-up jump as fast as you can for say 1 minute then jup at half speed for 1 minute and repeat. What you do with interval training is vary your intensity levels. This is an example of one type of interval training in which your exercise intensity levels switch back and forth from slow to fast.

You can add interval training to many exercise routines like swimming, running, biking, elliptical, to name just a few. Whatever exercise you use can be interval training as long as you rotate the intensity levels from slow to intense. To make it interval training effective you have to make sure that when you are doing the high level intensity part of the training that you are really pushing yourself to the limit.

Working at these varied intensity levels with interval training really gives your metabolism a real kick. After a good interval training workout your bodies metabolism will continue to remain elevated even when your body is at rest long after your workout is over. Now you are doing some serious fat burning and can practically watch that excess body fat melt away.

That is provided your nutrition doesn't revolve around Burger King and M & M's (the peanut one's are my favorite), when you combine interval training plus solid nutrition to your overall plan to lose that excess body fat, you are on your way to getting that six pack abs look. You know the lean muscle, trim, toned body you have dreamed about. Firm Butt, tight abs, slender thighs and more energy than you thought possible.

So if someone tries to tell you that the long marathon cardio workouts will get rid of that excess body fat tell them you have found a better way. Once you give interval training a try 3 workouts a week at 20 minutes a workout is all it takes.

Let's check this out hour long (at least) on a treadmill or jogging or in an aerobics class 5-6 times a week or 20 minutes 3 times a week doing Interval training? I could be wrong (but I'm not) seems to be a no brainer to me.

I know which one I'm chosing to get rid of that excess body fat Do You?

Turbulence Training 2010 Burn Fat Add Muscle Faster

Hi,

Yesterday I told you about the Turbulence Training $1,000 transformation contest by Craig Ballantyne. Today I wanted to give you a sample of what Craig has in store for all the turbulence training members for 2010. It will be the year for permanently getting rid of that excess bodyfat.

That all being said here is what Craig has in store for his turbulence training members.

2010 is going to be a big year for you…partly because of the amazing 24 Turbulence Training fat burning and body sculpting programs coming your way.

These workouts - like TT Addiction and TT Adrenaline - are going to be so cool, so fun, and so effective that you’ll have your best year ever.

Two programs will be released each month - and the tentative schedule is below…

Sit back and check out my calendar for 2010…I’ve got a few trips planned I wanted to tell you about, but mostly I couldn’t wait to get you pumped up for these amazing workouts that are on the way…

And if you aren’t already a Turbulence Training Member click the link

Now for all the cool stuff you’ll experience with me in 2010…

January 2010

We’re going to kick-off the New Year with a special audio program…I’m recording it this week, and it will be one of the most powerful motivation and inspirational fat burning audio programs you’ve ever heard.
To go along with the motivation, TT Members also have access to the January programs already. You can now download “TT 2K10″ and the “TT Beginner Total Torso Training” programs in the member’s area.




Then on January 15th, that’s the last day to enter the 7th Turbulence Training Transformation Contest. That’s your chance to win up to $1000 just for losing your belly fat.

And right after that I’ll be in Tampa Bay, Florida for Joel Marion’s first ever Transformation Domination Live event. I’ll be leading a TT workout on the Saturday morning. See you there.

Speaking of Transformations, you’re going to get a bonus 3rd workout this month called “TT Transformation“. Based on the most popular programs used by our contest winners (including TT for Buff Dudes & Hot Chicks), this is going to be an instant classic.




Finally, to finish off a busy month, I hope to launch the TT-TV program. We’ve filmed a few really cool episodes, but we have so much going on they haven’t been edited yet…but soon, I promise.
February

Look out Miami, because I’ll be there for the Super Bowl and back again two weeks later…The Super Bowl weekend is going to be insane, and I’ll be filing workout and video reports from South Beach. Look for me on TV - you never know.

Then on February 14th, we’re going to celebrate Ballantyne’s Day with some type of crazy Turbulence Training promotion…I’ve got 6 weeks to come up with something good…

And then there are the Turbulence Training Workouts of the Month:


1) TT Adrenaline
2) TT 15-minute KB Express

What’s TT Adrenaline all about? Well, it’s about skyrocketing your adrenaline of course, and that is just one hormone in the body that helps the fat burning process…you’re going to love Adrenaline.

March

I’ll star the month in Washington, D.C. - at my friend Yanik’s seminar - and finish the month with a quick work trip to Vegas (low-key, I’m sure). After all, I have to prepare for some big news happening in April…

But first, big workout news for March:

1) I hope we’ll release the first “follow along” Turbulence Training DVD workout set. We’re just finishing up filming the TT for Abs Follow Along programs, and it should be ready for you sometime in March. Hopefully earlier.

2) The first TT workout of the month will be the follow up to another TT classic, so look for the “The Big 6 Circuit” to help you burn fat with a fast circuit workout - featuring a new, explosive 6th component.
3) The TT Bootcamp 2K10 Program will feature all new NO-equipment bootcamp workouts and more tips to help personal trainers help more clients achieve maximum body transformations and fat burning.

April

So my big plans for April are to move to New York City for 3 months…I found a real good deal on a sublet in the Upper West Side so it will be a fun little adventure.
Maybe Bally the Dog can get a role on Broadway.

Again, I’ll be filing lots of video and workout reports from the Big Apple, plus researching what the gyms and fitness experts there have to offer…and of course, commuting out to Wachtung, New Jersey to train at The Renegade Gym with Jay Ferruggia.

And to add to the excitement, the 7th TT Transformation Contest will be finishing in mid-April, so we’ll be crowing a Men’s and Women’s Champion.

Nothing in the TT world is more rewarding than reading the essays that come in with your entries. I just want to thank you for all the effort you put into your Transformations - it’s really cool to see how hard you work and the powerful changes you go through. So thank YOU!

And to give back, you’ll be getting two awesome workouts in April:
1) TT Addiction (trust me, it’s healthier than it sounds)

2) TT Booty for Life 2K10




May

Well, for everyone in the Northern Hemisphere, we’ll all have Spring Fever and be ready to kick-off the “unofficial” start to the summer with big holiday weekends?

So will you be ready? I hope so, especially with all of the great workouts on the way…

Plus, the 8th TT Transformation Contest SHOULD be a go for May…unless something changes, we’ll keep rocking 3 contests per year…stay tuned for details.
I’m not sure how I’ll be rocking out my first Memorial Day Weekend in the USA, but I know you’ll be rocking these two workouts:

1) TT Hardcore 2K10 - The sequel to one of the top 3 most popular - if not THE most popular - TT workout of all time…can I top the original? I guess we’ll find out…

2) TT Bodyweight Cardio 3.o

June


Well, my little NYC adventure will be coming to an end, and hopefully I worked enough to create the TT Certification…that’s the plan…so keep kicking my butt to get this done.

I even had this cool logo made, so I better use it for something.

When I finally get back to Toronto, I’ll be heading to my good friend Vince Del Monte’s wedding…should be a great time…lots of fitness experts there celebrating, and I’m sure we’ll be filing some (embarrassing) wedding videos for everyone to enjoy. Congrats to Vince and Flavia, looking forward to your big day.

And don’t worry, you’ll be getting some good gifts in June as well:


1) TT Bodyweight Bodybuilding 2.0

2) TT Hybrid Trisets Fat Burning Workout

July
Well, I’m not sure if I’ll be doing much in July, just relaxing back in Canada and enjoying the finals of the World Cup. You’ll be getting…

1) TT for Runners

2) TT for Meatheads “Old School”

Wow, could these programs be any different? But both are in high-demand…so I know you’ll be looking forward to them.

August

I am officially out of ideas as to what I’m going to be doing for the rest of the year, so I’m just going to pump you up with the names of the coming workouts…For August, you’ll get…

1) TT 2K10 Abs

2) TT 3-Day Depletion Workouts

September

1) TT Gain Muscle Lose Fat 2K10

2) TT Female Bodyweight Bodysculpting 2K10

October

I might be taking a Secret Agent Trip this month, I’ll let you know - if I’m allowed - when I confirm…but the workouts should be:

1) The TT Bodyweight 500 2K10
2) DB Mass at Home 2K10

November

1) TT Yoga (I’ve been trying to do this for over 8 months…hopefully I get this one done by November…or sometime in 2K10)

2) TT Tempo Training
December

1) TT 15-Minute Express 2K10




2) TT Christmas Circuits (I have no idea what these will be, but it sounds cool, right?)

Whew…

And that brings us back to planning for 2011…(I’ve already got 7 programs listed out for 2011).

BUT…

Is there anything that you’d like to see this year or next?

Please let me know in the comments section below.

Looking forward to your best year ever in 2010,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
PS - Don’t forget…

…the Half Price TT sale ends this week.

Click Here to Get Turbulence Training for 50% off

You’ll also get the January TT member’s programs too!

And for those of you who like kettlebell training don't forget The Kettlebell Revolution where Kettlebell training and Turbulence Training meet.

Interval Training- Today's 20 Minute Workout

Whatever your fitness goals are muscle building, fat loss, cardio or all of the above keep your workouts short. There really is no need to do hour long marathon workouts. There is a better way.

If you have read any of my other articles you know I believe in doing total body workouts. Weight training, kettlebell training and bodyweight exercises are use3d in my workouts for adding variety.

Let's face facts sticking to an exercise program is not easy. after a hard day at work sometimes the thought of going home to workout isn't that appealing. That's why I like to and always tell people to use variety in thier workouts.

By combining weight training, kettlebell training, bodyweight exercises whether you use all 3 in a workout or a combination of them really does stop the boredom of doing the same old workout all the time.

As an example I wanted to show you the workout I did yesterday. In this workout I used weight training exercises and bodyweight exercises in a modified complex workout. I often will structure my workouts to be done in comlexes.

What is a complex?

Complexes are pairing 2 or more exercises and doing a set of each before taking a rest. Normally I don't use more than 2 exercises per complex. That's my personal choice you may want to do more.

My 20 minute workout.

Complex #1

1A - Dumbbell Clean and Press - 4 sets of 5 reps 1 set of 4 reps - this is done with 2 dumbbells doing a clean before each press. This is one of my favorite exercises it is really a total body workout on it's own.

1B - Mountain Climbers - 1 set of 18 3 sets of 16 1 set of 14 - as soon as I put down the dumbbells I go right into mountain climbers.

Stand Alone Exercise:

2 - Deadlifts - 4 sets of 5 1 set of 4 - deads are another of my favorites and really get your whole body working. So I normally do these as a stand alone exercise.

Complex #2

3A - Dumbbell Rows - 4 sets of 6 reps - these are single arm rows a good lat exercise

3B - Pushups - 4 sets of 12 reps - yep plain old push-ups a very effective and neglected exercise (as are most bodyweight exercises

Well that was my 20 minute total body workout yesterday. Muscle building, fat loss and cardio work. remember on the complexes no rest in between exercises. Try to cut down on your rest periods as your conditioning increases.

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

Turbulence Training and Kettlebell Training Fat Loss Extreme

Monday, September 7, 2009

Turbulence Training And Kettlebell Training Fat Loss Extreme


I have some really exciting news today. It is as they say a match made in heaven. Turbulence training and Kettlebell training together. If you read my posts you know I am a big believer in both Interval training (turbulence training and kettlebell training.

But what happens when you combine this revolutionary piece of fat burning exercise equipment with the world’s most powerful and popular home workout fat loss system – Turbulence Training?

The answer is rapid fat loss at any age using the Turbulence Training and Kettlebell training Revolution Workouts.

You’ll be able to workout ANYTIME, ANYWHERE with the NEW Turbulence Training Kettlebell training Revolution Fat Loss System in your favorite location wearing your favorite clothes while listening to your favorite workout tunes…and you’ll still get better results than any machine could ever give you - GUARANTEED.


As you know, Turbulence Training has been used by thousands of men and women through Craig Ballantyne’s website and online videos, plus millions of men and women who have read about Craig’s programs in Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Women’s Health, Oxygen, and even Prevention magazine.

Well now Craig Ballantyne and Chris Lopez have brought them both together. So without further babbling from me I'll let Craig take it from here.( and check out the video of Chris and Craig at the bottom of the page)


Why a Turbulence Training Kettlebell Training Workout?

I got this question a lot last week, 53 times to be exact, but folks want to know...

"Why are you putting together a Turbulence Training and Kettlebell training workout program?"

And the answer is simple.

I just didn't like what was out there for my Turbulence Training members.

Every program seemed to be competing about how "hard-core" it couldbe...but I don't care how hard it is, I just want it to work and be appropriate for TT readers.

So all those other guys bragging about how their program will make"you sick" and "so sore you'll want to go to the hospital" can keep their programs.

Instead, I decided to certify the first Turbulence Trainer, Chris Lopez, and I went to him for Kettlebell Workouts because I know he has been using them for years with his clients.

So today, I want you to meet Chris Lopez, creator of the TurbulenceTraining Kettlebell Workout Revolution.

Check it out
=> Chris Lopez & the Kettlebell Workouts






And don't forget you'll be able to use his workouts in the 6th TT Transformation Contest that starts today!

Welcome to the Revolution,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS - Can you believe Chris is younger than me and...

...already has 4 kids with a 5th on the way (his first boy!).

Find out why Kettlebells are so great for busy folks like you and him:

=> http://kettlebellworkouts.com/meetchrislopez



http://kettlebellworkouts.com/meetchrislopez

Train With Intervals: 3 Things You Must Do

3 Things You MUST Do This Week for Inspiration and Motivation

I want you to start it off "Leading by example." I want you to be
LOUD and PROUD of your decision to live a healthier life.

Step 1) If you don't have social support, take charge as the leader.

Lead by example. Bring in healthy food to work. Tell everyone that
you are starting a new exercise program. Ask others if they want
help or support.

Eventually, a lot of people will come to you for advice and support.
And you'll have built a powerful network of social support to help
keep you and everyone around you on track.

2) Be confident in your choices.

Don't be ashamed or embarrassed when you say "no" to donuts or pizza
at work. If it's not in your diet plan, stay strong and say no thanks
and then eat what you prepared.

NO ONE has the right to make you feel bad for eating healthy.

3) People will respect your decisions, even if it seems at first
that they don't.

Often, the folks who are most resistant to your changes are the ones
who want to make those changes themselves!

So stay strong, and lead by example.

YOU are the one making the right decision. Never forget that!

I'm very proud of your hard work.

Weight Loss Fitness And Bodybuilding success is based on making the right choices for you. Never let the negativity of others control what you do.

Train With Intervals here is a fat loss bodyweight workout for you.



Weight Loss Fitness Bodybuilding.com

Lose Weight Eating Almonds And Cashews?

Yes, You Can Eat This Much-Loved Snack and Keep the Weight Off
By Craig Ballantyne

My clients often question me when I tell them they can eat more almonds and cashews. “Don’t you know that nuts are full of fat?” they ask.

Well, I tell them, you can have your nuts and eat them too… even if you are trying to lose weight. In fact, nuts could be an important part of your fat-fighting strategy.

Researchers from Harvard completed an eight-year study on 51,188 women aged 20-45. After adjusting for lifestyle and dietary factors, they found that the women who rarely ate nuts were heavier than those who ate nuts twice per week. Their conclusion: Though it may be counterintuitive, incorporating nuts into a diet may help with weight control.

[Ed. Note: Eating the right foods is just one aspect of slimming down and firming up. To burn fat and build muscle, check out fitness expert Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training program right here.



Get the rundown on Turbulence Training here

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

How To Build Your Chest Muscles: Train With Intervals

Since the beginning of bodybuilding time, men have wanted to build a chest that enters the room a good 2 seconds before the rest of their body. They want a chest that stands out and commands attention, a chest that steps up and sticks out. A broad chest that women seek to lay their head upon.

And ladies too, seek a beautiful chest, one that accents their natural assets. But they also want their chest to be sleek and feminine like the rest of their physique at the same time.

Well, achieving either of those goals is easily attainable with a thorough chest routine. And add a few expert tips and tricks into your overall plan, and you’ll have the chest of your dreams without the shoulder injuries of your nightmares.

Shoulder injuries have always been the rain on the chest training parade.
Injuries are often due to overtraining, improper form, or simply not applying a back training ying to the chest training yang.

So when you do this routine, it will train your entire upper, upper body. By that I mean your chest, your rear delts, the rhomboids between your shoulder blades, your traps, and your rotator cuff muscles. From your ribs to your collarbone, at both the front and back of your body, your muscles will be exhausted, but trained to just the right level of exhaustion.

With just the right volume, but without overloading the shoulder joint, we are going to use basic chest exercises, but with a twist in a few cases, to make the most of the least. By training with supersets, you’ll get in and out of the gym if you do only the 6 exercises below. Talk about a beautiful chest fast.

While the full program offers the optimal volume for mega-chest-mass, I’ve included some substitutions for women that are a little concerned with adding too much mass too fast to their chests. So make sure to read training substitutions, included below the workout, so you can customize the program to your goals.

I’ve also included a summary of the methods, and a bonus instant chest building technique you probably never think of, after the workout. As well, a complete set of exercise descriptions is included at the end of the article.

THE UGN STANDOUT-IN-THE-CROWD CHEST Workout

Superset 1:

Rest 60 seconds between exercises. Rest 90 seconds before repeating the superset.

A1) DB Flat Chest Press (4 sets x 6 reps) Tempo: 3-0-1

A2) Barbell Row or Seated Wide-grip Row (4x8) 2-0-1

Superset 2:

Do not rest between exercises. Rest 60 seconds before repeating the superset.

B1) DB Incline Press (3x8) 2-0-1

B2) DB Chest Fly (3x10) 3-0-1

Superset 3:

Do not rest between exercises. Rest 60 seconds before repeating the superset.

C1) Medium-grip Bench Press (3x12) 2-0-1

C2) DB External Rotation (3x10) 2-0-1

Female exercise substitutions:

Do only 2 sets of each exercise.

For exercise A1), substitute the maximum number of pushups you can do in place of the DB Flat Chest Press.



How to Instantly Increase Your Chest Size

This is something that everyone should be doing, several times per day. If you work at a computer, you should be trying to hold this position all of the time.

Here’s what to do:

In a seated or standing position, hold your arms down by your side.
Externally rotate your shoulders so that your palms are now facing forward.
Use the muscles between your shoulder blades to bring your shoulder blades together.
Squeeze extra hard and pull your shoulders back by contracting your rear delts.
At the same time, try to pull your shoulders down (you might feel a stretch running along your neck between your shoulders and your ears – the more stretch you feel, the more you need to work on holding this position).

This should pull your shoulders back and pop your chest out at least two inches.
You should feel tension between your shoulder blades as your muscles work to hold that position. You might also feel a stretch in your chest.
Now hold this proud posture as much as you can all day and when standing around in the clubs or in line at the grocery store.


Trust me, someone will notice!

Interval Training is not only about fat loss. Interval training can also help you to strengthen and build lean quality muscle.

Interval Fat Loss Training vs Cardio Workouts

Cardio Workout Routines

Breaking News! Doing long slow cardio workout routines Does NOT work for fat loss!

Researchers from North America and Australia agree that you can get faster fat burning and fitness building results from interval training. So stop your long cardio workouts now and switch to shorter burst exercise.

The story of interval training begins back in the early 1980's when Drs. MacDougall and Sale were studying sport specific training adaptations to different types of cardio workout routines. They were shocked to find long sessions were not always best.

In fact, they discovered that interval training is better for short power sports like basketball, hockey, and football, and interval training even had a major role in getting fit for sports like soccer and running 5k races.

But it wasn't until the mid 1990's that the first fat loss study was done on interval training. At that time, Canadian researchers compared interval training to long cardio workouts and found that interval training was able to burn fat faster.

Men and women were able to do shorter workouts and get more results. But surprisingly, it wasn't until 7 years later that the first American interval training study was done, and unfortunately it has never been published.

Only a few elite trainers know about this study that found interval training worked better than slow cardio workout routines for fat loss. The subjects were middle-aged women, and they lost more fat with interval training compared to slow cardio.

Finally, in 2007, almost 30 years after MacDougall and Sale first brought interval training to the spotlight, another study was done in Australia that confirmed intervals work better than cardio exercise for female fat loss.

This study compared 20 minutes of intervals against 40 minutes of steady state cardio, and only the interval training group lost belly fat.

If your program uses long slow cardio workout routines, you need to switch to interval training. But don't worry, its not hard. Interval training simply means working hard for a short interval and then recovery for a short interval.

Here's a really good interval workout routine you can use to start getting more fat loss results from your exercise program immediately. First, you need to start with a regular warm-up. Never skip this.

After you've done that 5-minute warm-up that gradually increases in intensity, its time for your first work interval. You will need to increase the intensity to a "slightly harder than cardio pace". That's a good level to start with.

For example, if we say that your regular cardio workout is a 6/10 intensity level, then I want you to go to a 7/10 intensity level for a 1 minute interval. That should be no problem, and eventually we'll increase that to 8/10.

But once you are done that minute, I want you to drop all the way back to a 3/10 intensity level - basically a cool-down level. You'll do that to recover between intervals so that you can work hard when its time to work hard.


Alternate for a total of 6 intervals and then finish with a cool down. For more interval training cardio workout routines, grab your copy of the Turbulence Training for Fat Loss manual.

Fat Loss Workouts In 20 Minutes

20-Minute Fat Loss Workout Ideas

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
TurbulenceTraining.com

If you're sick of fluffy weight loss workouts that aren't giving
you any results, then you will love this interview where Underground Strength Coach!Zach Even-Esh grills me on advanced Turbulence Training for Fat Loss methods.

Zach Even-Esh: Craig, thanks for taking the time out of your insane schedule to talk with us. Tell us a little bit about yourself, your clientele and your overall training philosophy.

CB:
Zach, I'm a Strength & Conditioning coach in Toronto and I write for Men's Health and Oxygen magazine.

I work extensively with clients on advanced fat loss for busy
people. I'm also the training director at grrlathlete.com where we provide advanced female exercise info.

ZEE: We have a growing number of hard core men and women leading busy lives but still love to train hard. How do you train individuals like this and still get kick butt results?

CB:
I use supersets, moderately heavy weights (allowing 6-10 reps per set), limited rest interval periods, advanced bodyweight exercises, and interval training. These efficient and effective principles are the foundation of my Turbulence Training philosophy.

Turbulence Training workouts are designed to crank up the body's metabolism because of the intense demands imposed during the workouts.

After the workout, your body has to work hard (i.e. burn calories and repair muscle) to fully recover and return to a normal, resting state (that is why I compare my Turbulence Training workouts to the Turbulence encountered in an airplane - a neat little analogy that people really like and find easy to understand).

I tend to stick with traditional weight training exercises,
however, it is easy to adapt the Turbulence Training principles
when using strongman implements and advanced bodyweight exercises.

For intervals, I tend to stick with 30 seconds of work and 90
seconds of active recovery, although it will vary between workout phases and for athletes of different sports.

The great thing about heavy weights and intervals is efficiency.
You don't have to do either for more than 20 minutes to get a great response. So if you are a busy executive looking to get lean, build muscle, and lose fat, you can get a great workout and shower in less than 30 minutes per day.

Combine Turbulence Training with the right nutrition, and you are well on your way to success.

By the way, we've got a secret bonus for everyone that invests in Turbulence Training - although I guess it's not so secret anymore!

Anyways, you'll see what it is when you start your Turbulence
Training journey with the fat loss program.

ZEE: If you were limited to a 20 minute fat loss workout, what would that work out look like?

CB:
Providing the individual is injury free, we will move through a
general warm-up circuit of bodyweight exercises (3 minutes), and then into specific warm-up sets for the first superset of exercises (2 minutes).

Then we will spend 5 minutes on the first superset pair of
exercises, and then 4-5 minutes on another superset pair. We might finish with a third superset pair or some ab work, and a 2 minute cool-down if it is necessary based on the individual's fitness level.

On non-weight training days, we would do intervals. It would look like this:

5-minute warmup
12-minutes on intervals
3-minute cooldown

The point is, you can get a lot done in a short amount of time.

ZEE: What nutrition approach do you use?

CB:
I had Dr. Chris Mohr, Ph.D., put together the Turbulence Training Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines.

I strongly agree with Dr. Mohr's common sense, easy to follow
principles. There is nothing extreme about his plan. It is very
healthy and effective for fat loss.

I don't think that people need to exclude fruit from their eating
(in fact we should aim to eat at least 3 servings, and preferably
berries, grapefruits, apples, and oranges), but instead we should
avoid white, processed carbohydrates from a bag or a box.

Foods that should be in every healthy person's nutrition plan:
Green Tea
Almonds
Broccoli
Berries
A variety of lean protein sources

Basically, for nutrition, just choose healthy, whole natural food.

ZEE: Last question Craig. What is the greatest misconception that you find people to have when it comes to performing better and looking better when they come to you. In other words, they tell you everything they have been doing in hopes of getting results but the results simply aren't there. Are there any common mistakes going on here?

CB:
Most of the time I try and get people to be honest with themselves and realize they have to change things if they want to improve.

A lot of people really just want me to approve their current
workout (when it is clearly not working). But in reality, they have to change their workouts drastically to finally get results.

And most people think they are eating better and using a better
program than they really are.

Even when most people they list out their food intake (as I have
them all do on fitday.com), some people (including some trainers
that I train) still don't see the obvious problems in their diet.

I suppose it is human nature not to see our own shortcomings, so it is helpful to have a professional review your training and
nutrition or even an honest, knowledgeable friend.

ZEE: Craig, I can't thank you enough for letting me grill you with questions.

Always happy to help,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training


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, Turbulence Training

Interval Fat Loss Training: Lose Fat And Gain Lean Muscle

Burn Fat Gain Muscle with Interval Fat Loss training

Can you burn fat and gain muscle at the same time? Despite what many scientists say, the answer is yes. In fact, in 1999 I designed a resistance training program for a research study where the average subject gained muscle and lost body fat – at the same time.

This was one of the first Turbulence Training style workouts I ever created, and some of the top muscle building subjects added 15 pounds of mass in just 8 weeks of training. It was amazing to watch them burn fat and gain muscle without cardio.

The subjects trained six days per week – which is more than I usually recommend, but research studies always have to get maximum results in a short amount of time. The problem with lifting that frequently is the risk of overuse injury. Fortunately, the subjects could take time off after the 8 weeks to recover.

You’ll get your best results, burn fat, and gain muscle if you train four times per week, alternating between upper and lower body workouts. In the research study program, subjects did a lower body day, a push-pull day, and a third day of shoulders and arms. They repeated each day twice per week.

But again, that is too much training…I recommend you cut back to just 4 days per week. You could do legs on one day, and push-pull-arms on the other day. You could then repeat those workouts once more later in the week, or you could do different lower and upper body workouts.

You might be thinking, how can you train your entire upper body in one workout? The answer is supersets and choosing the right exercises. For example, in the research study, we would pair chest presses with a rowing exercise in a superset, so the chest muscles could rest while the back muscles worked, and vice-versa.

We could also pair shoulder presses with chin-ups, and biceps with triceps. Those 3 supersets would give you a complete upper body workout. You could also put more emphasis on chest and back exercises in one workout of the week, if you want to build more muscle in those areas.

On the lower body days, you could pair leg exercises with ab exercises. Sometimes I will even put shoulder training on leg day, so you would squat and then do shoulder presses. I also like to use single leg exercises like split squats or lunges with abdominal exercises.

Over the years I’ve perfected these upper-body lower-body superset workouts and I’ve packaged them together in my programs like Turbulence Training for Meatheads. Those are fun, fast, effective workouts to burn fat and gain muscle on a 4-day per schedule.

But now you are thinking, what about cardio? The truth is you don’t need to do a lot – or any – cardio to burn fat and gain muscle. After all, in the research study, we didn’t allow guys to do cardio, and yet they built a LOT of muscle and decreased their body fat percentage in 8 weeks.

Heck, we didn’t even show them how to improve their diet, and they were all students eating a lot of processed foods. If we added just 1-2 interval training sessions and had them eat whole, natural foods, they would have been able to burn fat and gain muscle faster.

Thanks to Craig Ballantyne for this article

See Also

Interval Fat Loss Training for complete exercises, workouts and nutrition information on interval fat loss training

Interval Training Fat Loss Workout For Men And Women

300 Movie Workout Fat Loss For Men & Women

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Turbulence Training for Fat Loss

The 300 movie workout is the talk of the fitness world. It's helped actors chisel Greek Statue bodies while causing weight loss and calorie burning for the rest of us.

The 300 workout is legendary, having been featured in Men's Health and on ESPN. Everyone's looking for the 300 workout on the 'Net. So I made mini-version of the workout for the average guy and gal, see those below.

But first, here's how the original 300 Workout goes...but don't try this at home...

a) Pullups - 25 reps
b) Deadlifts with 135lbs - 50 reps
c) Pushups - 50 reps
d) 24-inch Box jumps - 50 reps
e) Floor wipers - 50 reps
f) 1-arm Clean & Press with 36lbs Kettlebell - 50 reps
g) Pullups - 25 reps

And remember, there is NO scheduled rest between exercises.
Although eventually, you'll slow down.

I tried this workout last week and managed to get 'er done in only 19 minutes and 7 seconds. But what about a 300 workout for you?

Fortunately, this workout can easily be changed. Appropriate
exercises can be subbed in, and we can drop the number of reps down to 100, 150, or 200 - still making for a total body challenge.

For example, you might do this 200-repetition workout - this is
great for a man with moderate fitness:

5 Chinups
20 prisoner squats
20 pushups
100 Jumping Jacks
30 Bicycle Crunches
10 decline pushups
15 bodyweight inverted rows

Optionally, you could do 100 reps of rope jumping to finish off 300 total reps.

An intermediate woman could do a 150 rep workout:

5 Bodyweight Inverted Rows
10 Bodyweight Sumo Squats
15 bodyweight squats
15 Pushups (doing as many regular pushups, followed by kneeling)
50 jumping jacks
10 spiderman climbs
20 reverse lunges
25 bicycle crunches

Add in 50 rope skips for 200 total repetitions - or 150 skips for a full 300.

Tough, but fair. So you can do your own version of the 300 workout and build your own Greek God or Greek Goddess body. Work with a trainer to come up with other ideas. And always, train safe.

Don't train like this everyday. Just use one of these workouts once every other month as an extra challenge.

For your regular fat burning workouts, stick to the Turbulence
Training workouts for men and women. You'll boost your metabolism, burn fat, and maximize your fitness so that you'll be ready for your very own 300 test day.


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 for Fat Loss

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.

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

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