Thursday, August 31, 2006

Female Fitness Workout Routines


Female Fitness Workout Routines

Some of you have asked about one of my other projects, www.grrlathlete.com. It is a site for female fitness and workout routine info. We cover not only female athletes, but female fat loss. Both Brad Pilon (The Muscle-Insider) and I write for grrlAthlete.com - as well as other people we interview, such as Mike Boyle, Rachel Cosgrove, and pro female athletes.

Here's more info...

What is a grrlAthlete?

Strength through knowledge. This is our motto and we really like it, but sometimes we feel that we have to explain the concept of grrlAthlete in a little more depth than just a simple motto. To personify the typical grrlathlete is simple.

A grrlAthlete is any woman who feels a need to further their understanding of training so that they can reach their goals. They don't have to be the next starter on the Olympic hockey team and they don't have to be the strongest girl in the gym. In fact, the true grrlathlete is the girl who looks at the chin up bar and thinks, " I'm going to do a chin up", and then develops a plan to accomplish her goal.

We also want to ask you, "who is your favorite female athlete?"…Go ahead, think about it, maybe she is an Olympic medallist, a WNBA star or maybe a girl on your team. Got her name in your head? Good. Now here's another question for you, "did you notice anything odd about that question?" Probably not, but you should have.

Did you notice we didn't ask you who your favorite athlete was? While it seemed like a simple question, it implied that female athletics is still a sub-category of athleticism in general. Female athletes, whether they are recreational or elite athletes, seem to be classified with lower expectations.

The most glaring example of this is the "girl push-up". When the boys in your high-school gym class were tested on their ability to do regular push-ups, the girls were asked to do push-ups on their knees! Let's look at another example - magazine articles in female fitness magazines that totally ignore the benefits of strength!

The average workout in any mainstream women's fitness publication calls for 2-3 sets of 20-25 reps of any given exercise, with ultra light weights. While this type of exercise can increase muscular endurance, it isn't the best program for the goals of an athlete.

Athletes, whether they are male or female, also need strength & power! These articles also ignore females who are working out simply for strength, and not just for sport performance. All of these readers are still being swayed to the side of 'toning' by the mainstream media.

This is why we created grrlathlete.com. Our goal is to create an online source of training information, research articles and interviews with women who are positive role models for the female athlete who is looking to improve and develop a deeper understanding of training. These readers are the grrlAthletes of the world.

With this in mind, feel free to search through our archives of different exercise programs, exercise illustrations and research articles. Hopefully, you will find information that will assist you in the development of your goals, whether they are for strength, sport performance, or simply just for the sake of knowledge, because knowledge is strength, and strength is good.

Click here to sign up for the free grrlAthlete.com newsletter

CB



female fitness workout routines

Outdoor Workout Routines

Workout Routines

Today a reader emailed and asked about outdoor workout routines. There is a lot of stuff you can do outdoors, including bodyweight workouts. Check those out at www.workoutmanuals.com


There is so much bodyweight stuff you can do outside. If you have a backyard, you might also get some tires to flip, sledgehammers to hit the tire, etc.

Check out my buddy Zach's site:
www.realmanfitness

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, M.Sc.
Men's Fitness Training Adviser
Maximum Fitness Training Adviser
PresidentCB Athletic Consulting, Inc.

Signup for the free newsletters at:
http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com
http://WorkoutManuals.com
http://grrlAthlete.com
http://cbathletics.com

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines and all over the Internet, 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 information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com



workout routines

Fat Loss Success Secrets

Fat Loss

Last Christmas I started working with 2 online clients, JM & GB with their fat. Both guys had to do a lot of fat loss, as they were both over 350 pounds. Each needed my help badly. But it was quickly apparent which guy would succeed and which would fail.

And there was nothing I could do to help the failure.

Can you pick the success story?

JM filled out his feedback form immediately.

I had to ask GB twice to send his back.

JM started providing daily feedback on his workouts and nutrition, just as I asked. And he continued to fill in his fitday.com eating plan everyday for the last month.

The last time I heard from GB was 7 days after we started emailing...and he still had not started the workout plan yet.

It's not surprising that JM lost 7 pounds in one month, and GB, well, who knows how much more weight he gained last month? I don't hear from him anymore...

As frustrating as GB's failure was, JM's success highlights the importance of one often forgotten aspect of a successful program.

Accountability.

Research from Stanford University has shown that being accountable to a health professional increases the success rate in a fat loss program.

And I see this all the time with online clients and TT manual users. I encourage people to keep me up to date on the progress. And who succeeds? The people I hear from on a consistent basis.

The people I don't hear from? Well, they come back a couple months later and tell me how they fell off the wagon, stopped working out, started eating poorly, etc. Why does this happen?
Because they are not accountable to anyone. They set their standards too low.

So I know that if I don't hear from you, then most oftentimes you are in fat loss trouble.

Now in a perfect world, we'd all have an expert trainer to report to in person. If you can't do that, you can at least get your Turbulence Training workouts and report back to me. Heck, you can even do what the good folks at www.jpfitness.com have done and start posting your workouts for me to review.

And then there is the next best thing. Get a workout partner, or group of friends and have them hold you accountable - commit to them that you will train and eat according to your goals.

Why not take time over get togethers to connect with a family member or friend that has the same goals...and you can be accountable to each other.

Start with www.TurbulenceTraining.com ...it's the best program for fat loss.

And you know what, go ahead and share it with a friend - as long as you promise to use it from start to finish and stay accountable to each other. Share this knowledge and reach your goals in 2006.

You don't have to go it alone,

CB

Don't forget!
Previous customer's currently receive $100 off the price for a 1-Year TT Membership. What a deal.

Email me - cb@cbathletics.com - for your preferred customer's discount link for the TT Membership.

http://www.workoutmanuals.com/Turbulence-Training-Membership

"Just got the TT Membership today and it's just what I needed, inspirational and educational as well. Literally tonnes of info I'm at a loss as to where to start. Anyhow many many thanks for the assistance it is much appreciated"
Mike Varrell, Toronto, Ontario

"I've been doing Craig's workouts for the past four years, and they've helped me make some of the biggest gains in my 35+ years of lifting. His all-access pass is an incredible deal, giving you some of the best strength, hypertrophy, and fat-loss programs you'll find anywhere. I know they work because I've tried them."
Lou Schuler, author or co-author of The New Rules of Lifting, The Book of Muscle, and The Testosterone Advantage Plan, and former fitness director of Men's Health magazine.

Ab Exercises & Weight Belts

Ab Exercises & Weight Belts

Weight belts are not needed. In fact, they can short-change you by making your abs work less, and you know what that means! The less your abs work, the lower your chance of a lean, mean 6-pack set of abs.

So make every exercise an ab exercise by bracing your abs and using your muscles at your own weight belt. This will help build a tight tummy and protect your abs and low back in daily activities when you can't rely on a weight belt (i.e. picking groceries out of the car).

In the unlikely event you are trying for a 1RM or 3RM, you might want to use a belt. But this should only be done by experienced lifters.

CB



ab exercises weight belts

How to Stop Binge Eating


Binge Eating

I've recently received some questions on a very serious fat loss subject, "Binge eating". We went to female fitness expert, Rachel Cosgrove (http://www.rachelcosgrove.com/) for her help...and here's what she said might help with binge eating.

(NOTE: If you or someone you know suffers from binge eating, please see your medical doctor as well.)

Binge eating is closely linked with psychology and emotions. Many times there are deep seated psychological issues creating a self destructive habit. Otherwise, it can just be a like a drug addiction. I truly believe sugar has many of the same qualities as an addictive drug. It will give you a high and then crash you down so you need more.

People may be addicted and just need to get through a detox period before cravings will go away. This will be a hard detox period of withdrawals, etc. My suggestion for this person would be that when they feel the urge to binge come on they needs to stop and write in a journal about what is going through their mind.

Find out what is creating this desctructive behaviour and then try to replace it with something constructive- going for a walk, listening to music, etc.

For a woman, she needs to decide that she wants to be lean and sexy more than she wants to binge. Nothing tastes as good as lean and sexy feels!

Hope this helps!
Rachel Cosgrove
www.RachelCosgrove.com

Thanks Rachel,

CB

P.S. You can read some more of Rachel's wisdom HERE.

P.P.S. Today is the last day...
For you to order the
4-Week TT for Women workout. Click HERE to get started
After midnight tonight, this one is only available to
TT Members.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Football Training


Football Training

If you are a strength coach, a personal trainer, or a football player, you MUST visit Mike Gough's football training blog.

Click HERE to learn more about NFL Combine Training and how to improve your 40-yard time

Get fast,

CB



football training

Keep Muscle While Dieting

Workout Routine to Keep Muscle While Dieting

Here's a great post by Brad Pilon over at his Supplement Secrets blog...

"Back in early August, I wrote about the "secret" to preventing muscle loss while dieting.

My point was this- based on the hundreds of measurements I made back when I had access to a body composition lab, I am convinced that if you are lifting weights while you are dieting, you will not lose any muscle.

After writing that post, I started thinking - I wonder if this still true for VERY low calories diets."

Read Brad's conclusions HERE.

CB



muscle dieting

Ab Exercise Fitness Tip

Ab Exercise Fitness Tip

The truth is, any good efficient and effective compound exercise will work your abs. So you don't have to lie on the floor and bang out hundreds of crunches to get a washboard stomach. Heck, that's not effective at all.

The 3 keys to abs are:
1) Fat loss through fat loss nutrition
2) Fat loss through interval training
3) Ab strength through efficient and effective exercises - even if they not considered traditional ab exercies.

Remember - every exercise is an ab exercise - because you have to brace your abs in every movement.

For more ab exercise tips visit: www.amazingabdominals.com
or
get Turbulence Training for Fat Loss here: www.TurbulenceTraining.com


Cb


ab exercise fitness tip

Lou Schuler Interview: Men's Health Workout Routines

Men's Health Workout Routines

Continuing on with "Lou Schuler" day here, this is a link to an interview I did with Lou way back in 2001-ish.

Click HERE to learn some fat loss secrets from Lou

CB

USA Obesity Rates 2005

USA Obesity Rates 2005

Lou Schuler has a good summary of the obesity rates in the United States (by state and region).

Click HERE to read the stats and commentary

cb

Fun Workouts for Fat Loss

Why My Workouts Are "No Fun"

First, let me just say that I'm having a devil of a time trying to return emails to AOL accounts.

They are all getting returned...so if you are waiting for a reply from me, now you know why...try me with another address if you have one or email me at cb_athletic@Hotmail.com.

Now, onto why ol' CB is no fun.

Apparently, according to the workouts and training methods described by other trainers, I'm just not offering enough "fun" exercises, like standing on BOSU balls or wobble boards or balalncing on stability balls.

I guess I'm too busy and too concerned with putting efficient and effective exercises into my training programs.

Heck, I'm surprised anyone still trains with me anymore, considering all the fun they could be having standing on one leg for 30 seconds to "improve" their balance.

So if you don't want a serious, fat-blasting workout, then run, don't walk, as fast as you can away from me and my Turbulence Training workouts. Because, silly me, I've designed my workouts to get results, not smiles.

Why just yesterday I had a client go through the following no-fun workout routine. Surprisingly, she didn't quit halfway through, or fire me on the spot. Maybe she's just as serious about results as I am.

Warm-up:
Overhead Squats with Broomstick
Incline Pushups
Beginner Bodyweight Rows

Followed by Supersets, 3 sets of each:

1A) 1-Leg Deadlift (8-10 reps)
1B) Eccentric Chinups (3 reps of 5-seconds on the lowering phase)

2A) Good Morning (8 reps)
2B) Full Pushups (5 reps - that's her max with good form - although that is pretty good, considering she had never done push-ups in her training prior to starting with me 3 weeks ago)

3A) Step-ups (15 per side)
3B) Stability Ball Ab Curl holding Med Ball Behind Head (12 reps)

4A) Back Extension on Ball (12 reps)
4B) Spiderman Lunge (8 reps per side)

A perfect 45-minute bodysculpting workout,

CB

P.S. This your idea of fun?

Then grab the 4-Week TT for Women program HERE

You only have until the end of August to get the Turbulence Training for Women 4-Week Workout Report.

On September 1, its gone.

Click HERE to get this combination bodyweight-dumbbell home based workout for women

Or better, upgrade to your TT Membership.

"I have to say that it is one of the best workout plan I ever come across. I have many exercise dvds ranging from walking, dancing, weights to kickboxing stuff but none as good as this one even without any dvd visual. I can feel the whole body being worked out. The most obvious is the tummy being worked out without even me realising it and the workouts are not that tedious or real difficult.However, the best is yet to come. I have knee joint problem for some time due to kickboxing routine exercises i have done in the past. Just before I started the TT exercises, my knees were so sore and I could not squat down without pain and stiffness. I thought I would not be able to do the TT exercises but surprise!
After the first workout, my knee stiffness was not so severe and after the 4th workout, I could squat down and get up fairly easily now. Although the knees are not completely flexible yet, I am sure if I continue with the exercises, it would help them tremendously.
I guess the weight bearing exercises do wonders to the knee joints. I hope this information could be shared with people who read your forum so that they can benefit from the exercises too.Thank you so much Craig for coming up with these wonderful workout."
Shelly

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Tuesday Bench Press Workout Routine

Bench Press Workout Routine

This bench workout really left me drained. Not sure why. I feel pretty good though now, a few hours after the workout.


1A) 2-Board Bench Press (3x5) Worked up to a 5 RM
1B) Y & T & Rear Delt (3x10)
2A) Standing Cable Press (3x8)
2B) Snatch-grip BB Row (3x12)
3A) Pushup (1xMax)
3B) Face Pull (3x10)

Not bad, should have a good result by the end of 3 weeks on this routine.


CB


bench workout routine

Sport Nutrition Supplements

Sport Nutrition Supplements

I'm reviewing Brad Pilon's ebook, Muscle Myths, about the sport nutrition industry and the myths about muscle building. It's a great book, full of the history of bodybuilding and supplement use, as well as the science that tells the real story behind bodybuilding supplements.

The history is fascinating, especially when you learn why whey protein was chosen to be the "star" of the bodybuilding world.

Read more about post-workout supplements here on his blog:
http://www.muscle-insider.blogspot.com/


CB



sports nutrition

Evolution of Cardio for Fat Loss

Cardio for Fat Loss

I've been meaning to write this email for a long time. Today I'm going to give you the story of how I solved the problem of getting an efficient and effective fat loss program finished in 45 minutes. Essentially, how I invented Turbulence Training.

Let's take a trip down memory lane to the winter of 98-99. I was but a lowly grad student, studying the effects of androstenedione (the supplement taken by the might Mark McGwire during his record-breaking home run quest in '98).

In my study, we had subjects use Andro and go through a couple of weight training sessions.

After the workouts we collected blood samples, and by February of '99 I was stuck in the lab, analyzing these blood samples using some fancy radio-active isotopes.

And when I say stuck in the lab, I mean STUCK. I'd get there at 7am, and record my last data point at 11pm. Sixteen hours of labby-goodness. And if I wasn't there, I was downstairs in the medical library, studying papers on testosterone and training.

Now coming from a very athletic background, this sedentary lifestyle didn't sit well with me. But there I was, studing for a degree in Exercise Physiology and left with no time for exercise. Or so I thought. I was actually left with a 50 minute window once per day of "down-time" while the lab's gamma-counter analyzed my study's blood samples.

That left me 50 minutes to get to the gym (5 minutes across campus) and get a workout in the remaining 40 or so minutes. I knew that if I applied my studies to the workout, I could get maximum results in minimum time.

As a former athlete, I knew that I had to find a way to stay fit and to avoid the fat gain that comes with working long hours in a sedentary environment. And I also had to stay true to the high-school bodybuilder I once was, so there was no way I was willing to sacrifice my muscle to one of those long-cardio, low protein fat loss plans that were popular at the time.

Instead, I had to draw on my academic studies and my experiences working with athletes as the school's Strength & Conditioning Coach.

I knew that sprint intervals were associated with more fat loss than slow cardio, and I knew that you could also increase aerobic fitness by doing sprints (but you can't increase sprint performance by doing aerobic training).

I had seen the incredible results of sprint interval first hand in the summer and fall, as the athletes made huge fitness improvements in a short time using my interval programs. I knew that intervals had to be the next step in the evolution of cardio.

And the biggest benefit of intervals? A lot of results in a short amount of time. I knew that I only had 40 minutes to train, and therefore I could only spend 15-20 minutes doing intervals.

Now onto the strength training portion of the workouts. I knew that a high-volume bodybuilding program wasn't going to cut it. But in the past year I had read so many lifting studies, that I knew exactly what exercises I needed to do to maximize my lifting time in the gym.

Those exercises were standing, multi-muscle, movements such as squats, presses, rows, cleans, and plenty of other standing single-leg exercises. I knew that those exercises would bring me far more results than those people sitting on machines would ever achieve.

And I also knew that I had to lift heavier than the average Joe or Jane Gym-goer lifts. I just knew that doing lighter weights and high-reps wasn't going to cut it. And a research study from 2001 later showed that I was right - when women did 8 reps per set, they had a significantly greater increase in post-workout metabolism than if they did 15 reps per set.

So I had my plan. Bust my tail over to the gym, through the cold, dreary Canadian winter afternoon, and do a quick but thorough warmup (specific to my lifts - none of that 5 minutes on the treadmill waste of time).

Once I got through the warm-up, I did as many sets as I could in the remainder of the 20 minutes alotted to strength training.

At that point, I knew that supersets were the only way to go if I wanted to maximize the number of sets I could do...so the non-competing superset of Turbulence Training was put in place.

And then I followed up the strength training with intervals, as I knew these had to follow the lifting, otherwise it would not be the correct exercise order. Remember, intervals first leads to premature fatigue. Lift first, cardio later. Forget that old wives tale about doing cardio first to burn more fat. That's junk.

You know, I remember the exact day and exact workout that this all came together into the Turbulence Training program. It hit me as I was finishing my intervals. I knew I had found something that was like fat loss magic.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a way to put it in a pill. But I've been able to put it down on paper in all of the TT manuals.

And from that point in time, I've tried to share it with as many men and women as possible. The same men and women that I would see day-in and day-out performing the same ineffective slow-cardio fat loss programs, and not making a darn change month after month.

And every day they would see me, soaked in sweat, feeling great and looking lean, and finishing another TT workout. Eventually I'd notice that they weren't around as consistently as before, and then soon enough they would drop out.

And so here we are today...thousands of TT users later, with national fitness magazines like Men's Fitness spreading the good word about Turbulence Training.

Thanks for being a part of the TT Lifestyle Revolution, and for sharing this new and improved fat loss training and cardio system with the world.

So when you see someone frustrated with their ineffective fat loss program, tell them there is a better way. It's research-based, efficient, and most of all, effective. And yes, it goes against the crowd. But it works.

And it's now better than ever,

CB

P.S. You also get Nutrition from one of the top Fat Loss Nutrition experts in the United States...

I've added another bonus to the TT for Fat Loss Manual, The Turbulence Training Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines.

Key things you'll learn include...

How to calculate your calorie needs (p. 6)

Calorie recommendations for obese individuals (p.7)

23 types of sugar (many hidden!) to avoid (p. 9)

20 whole-grain sources to fuel your fat loss program (p9)

Over 60 fruits and vegetables that should be added to your diet (p. 10)

16 protein sources you should select most often (p. 13)

Shocking trans-fat content of 18 common foods - find out which food is the deadliest in terms of fat content (p. 16)

9 Fat Sources you should select most often (p. 17)

Dr. Mohr's 12 Rules for Fat Loss (p. 18)

The TT Nutrition Plan for Men (p. 19)

The TT Nutrition Plan for Women (p. 23)

Bonus Supplement Report: The Truth About Fat Loss Pills (p. 27)

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

Monday, August 28, 2006

The Paleolithic Diet - Should We Eat Like Our "Cave Man" Ancestors

Title: The Paleolithic Diet - Should We Eat Like Our "Cave Man" Ancestors?
By Tom Venuto, CSCS, NSCA-CPT

QUESTION: Hi Tom: Your Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle ebook was an eye-opener for me. I am following your advice closely with very good results. I'm a semi professional windsurfer and a mountain biker, and especially for the latter I need to be as lean as possible. Thanks in large part to your program, I'm well into single digit body fat and dropping. Just recently I came across a book called the paleolithic diet and I was wondering if you ever heard about it? What's your opinion on this book? Is it worth reading if I already have your book? Is the program any good?
Mariusz, Poland

ANSWER:
The "paleolithic," "stone age," "cave man," or "neanderthal" eating plans have been around for a while and there are quite a few books that have been written on the subject.

In general, with a only few minor constructive criticisms, I think they are right on point, and will benefit your health and definitely your fat loss efforts.

A "Paleo Diet" is actually quite similar to my BurnTheFat.com, only with the starches and grains (and dairy products) removed completely.

In fact, a "paleo" or "cave man" diet is very, very similar to the "contest" (bodybuilding or physique) diets I recommend in BurnTheFat.com and this is most definitely a great way get very lean, very fast.

On physique competition diets (bodybuilding, fitness, figure, etc), you leave the lean proteins, lean meats, nuts and seeds, the green veggies (fibrous carbs), and some fruit in the diet, while reducing or removing ALL processed foods and SOME of the grains and starches. (usually the dairy products go too).

When it comes to MAXIMUM FAT LOSS, the removal or reduction of grains and calorie dense starchy carbs in favor of lean protein and veggies will definitely help speed the process - even if that's only because it reduces caloric density of the food intake, although there are other reasons.

Lean protein (fish and meat) + good fats & nuts + lots of green veggies + some fruit = LEAN!

And thats basically what the "paleolithic" diets recommend, because the principle there is to eat like our "stone age" ancestors did - before there was McDonalds, Coca Cola and other junk food.

The premise is that since our genetic code (the human genome) has changed less than 0.02 percent in 40,000 years, this means that our bodies are still expecting to get the same foods and nutrition they were getting 40,000 years ago.

By eating what our "stone age" hunter and gatherer ancestors ate, say the paleo diets, we will rid ourselves of the health problems and the obesity problem that has only recently begun to plague us as a result of modern lifestyle and processed manmade foods.

Forty thousand years ago, you had to eat nature-made food. There was no food in cans, boxes or packages was there? The packaging was peel, a skin or a shell!

There were no TV dinners. There was no drive in fast food. There were no convenience stores.

There was no corn syrup. There was no white sugar. There were no hydrogenated oils. No chemicals. No preservatives. No artificial anything.

There was only what could be hunted and gathered: Meat, fish, nuts, seeds, plants, vegetables, fruits.

My only real constructive criticism is that some of these programs not only recommend removal of all grains and starches (and even dairy), they outright condemn them - sometimes unfairly, I believe.

They say that agriculture arrived on the scence only 10,000 years ago so foods produced as a result of agriculture should also be on the "banned" list and that includes 100% whole grain products and even rice, potatoes and other starches which are not manmade.

The truth is there are some starchy carbohydrates and grains which are very minimally processed or completely unproceseed (the only processing being cooking).

Also, some people can metabolically handle starches and grains just fine, while others cannot.

The same can be said for dairy products.

This is known as metabolic individuality. Because this individuality exists from person to person, I don't believe it's necessary to recommend that "EVERYONE" cut out "ALL" the starches and grains "ALL" the time.

I do believe that many people are getting an overdose of refined carbs and sugar and that moderating intake of concentrated carbs almost always accelerates fat loss.

However, the nutrition program you choose should depend on your metabolic/body type, your current body composition and state of health as well as your goals (maximum fat loss vs. muscle growth vs. maintenance, vs. endurance athleticperformance).

I don't believe that "agriculture" and everything that came with it is "evil."

I believe that highly processed and refined and packaged foods are the "nutritional evils" we should be aware of.

To remove brown rice, 100% whole grains, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, legumes and so on for healthy carb tolerant people, especially those who are highly active and or already at a normal body fat level doesnt make a lot of sense to me.

In particular, for athletes with a high energy expenditure, eating the concentrated complex, starchy carbs and grains - from natural sources - can be quite important.

Sure, there are some "renegade' nutritionists who prescribe high fat diets for endurance athletes and claim that will provide high energy and high performance, but that is controversial.

Also, an explanation for athletes successful on such plans may be that they are metabolically suited for more fat and protein to begin with, so that conclusion shouldn't be generalized to everyone.

Thats the trouble with so many programs -- the creators might say, "It worked for me and for some of my clients, so this is the way EVERYONE should do it."

Everyone is different, so the true inquiring minds will inquire about what is best for THEM, not the other guy... In the case of highly active healthy people and athletes, I would lean towards a decent amount of natural carbs forperformance goals (and pull back on starches and grains when goals change to maximum fat loss).

The key word here is NATURAL!

There is a HUGE difference between natural starches and grains and refined starches and grains.

For example, look at old fashioned unsweetened oatmeal versus sugary, white flour cereal grains. How can you throw those together into the same category??? They are no where near the same, but often they get lumped together by those who are adamantly "no-grain" or "no-cereal" allowed.

What about sweet potatoes? why cut something like that out of your diet? They are not processed or man made at all are they?

Aside from that minor quibble I have with some of these programs being too strict with their "Absolutely no grains or starch allowed," there is a lot anyone can learn from the "paleolithic" eating concept.

The questions raised from these programs and books are good ones:

"What were we eating tens of thousands of years ago?"

"What are we genetically and environmentally predisposed to eat?"

"what has gone wrong with the modern day diet that has led to so much disease and obesity which didn't exist thousands of years ago?"

I believe that too many people get caught up in low fats or low carbs or whatever the trend of the month is, but the real source of our problem is neither fat nor carbs, it is an excess of processed, refined man-made food! (combined with a serious shortage of exercise)

If you study and understand the concept of eating according to your personal goals and your unique body/metabolic type first, which I discuss in chapter 5 of my book, BurnTheFat.com, then I believe you will get even more benefit from the further study of the "paleo" eating concept, as you will be informed and flexible enough to adapt it to your personal situation.

Loren Cordain and Ray Audette have written two of the more notable works on the subject (the Paleo diet and Neanderthin). You can get either of these at almost any bookstore or Amazon.com. You can get my Burn The Fat program at BurnTheFat.com

ANY good nutrition program - for health or for fat loss - is going to be focused on natural foods and it will teach you how to get the processed food OUT and the natural food IN

When you analyze ANY diet or nutrition program, keep in mind what ageless Fitness Icon Jack Lalanne has always said,

"If man made it, dont eat it!"

THAT is the essence of eating how we're supposed to eat!

About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder and author of the #1 best selling e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to burn fat without drugs or supplements using the little-known secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and turbo-charge your metabolism by visiting: BurnTheFat.com

Squat Workout Routine

Squat Workout Routine

Surprisingly, before today's workout, I was still sore in the abs, obliques, low back, upper back, delts, and forearms all from Sundays' chainsaw massacre.

Trained around 4 pm today, and did the following:

1A) Wide Squat (3x6) - worked up to a 6RM
1B) Shrug (3x6)
2A) Wide-Stance GM (3x5)
2B) Cable Chop (3x10)
3A) Ball GHR (3x8)
3B) Plank


Good workout. Just under an hour.

Feeling stronger,

CB



squat workout routine

Sundays Outdoors Workout Routine

Sundays Unusual Workout Routine

Instead of hitting the weights, I used a chainsaw to cut down a couple of dead trees. Surprisingly, I'm a little sore today, although I'm sure the dull teeth of the chainsaw didn't help.

Holding the saw steady at awkward angles have left my abs, upper back, and arms fatigued and a little sore.

Not a problem though, because today is squat day. The upper body should be fine by tomorrows bench workout.

CB

5 Top Fat Loss Tips

Men's Fitness magazine recently asked me for 3 of my best fat loss secrets. Since most times the magazines just don't have enough space to run my full tips, I thought I'd give you a more detailed explanation of my secrets here (plus two bonus tips that I didn'tsend to the magazine - just another reason to be a TurbulenceTraining.com newsletter subscriber).

Secret #1 - Focus on burning carbohydrate, not fat, during yourfat-loss workouts.

Sounds backwards, right? But not when you look at how I structuremy workouts. Remember that Turbulence Training focuses onresistance training and interval training. Both of these usecarbohydrate as the main source of energy. So it's obvious theworkout is designed to burn carbohydrates during the trainingsession.

I have no interest in you trying to train in your "target heartrate zone" for fat burning (aka - the fat burning zone). The wholeidea of a fat-burning zone is an over-simplified idea of how thebody works during exercise.

Leave the inefficient fat burning zone to the mis-educatedtrainers in the commercial gyms (that not surprisingly, also wantto sell you a heart rate monitor so you can stay in your "fatburning heart rate zone").

If you want to get the most results in the least amount of time,focus on burning carbohydrates, not fat.

Why do my fat loss workouts focus on burning carbohydrate ratherthan fat? In order to burn more calories after the workout, that'swhy. When you exercise with intervals and heavy resistancetraining, your body uses more calories in the hours after exercisethan it would if you did traditional cardio and lifted lighterweights.

Alwyn Cosgrove calls this 'afterburn', and I call it 'Turbulence'.By any name it gives you the same results - maximumimprovements in your body composition (helping you lose fat while gaining muscle).

Secret #2 - Use a range of repetitions in your strength trainingworkouts.

In order to train more muscle fibers and burn more carbohydrates, Ihave clients use a range of repetitions within the same workout. Myworkouts now use 6, 8, and 12 reps per set in order to work themuscle the most effectively.

This will burn more carbohydrates and promote as much muscle growthas possible when you are keeping the calories low.

Secret #3 - Use the stationary cycle for interval training.

I choose the stationary bike for intervals whenever possiblebecause cycling against a resistance can help maintain muscle mass.Cycling against a resistance also allows you to perform a largeamount of mechanical work, and that is a key determinant of theTurbulence in my training.
But please note: I don't use low-intensity, fast pedaling'spinning' intervals as I'm convinced that the hard, resistancebased intervals are more effective for fat loss. My clients onlycycle against a strong resistance in their intervals.

I really like the bike, but there are many other ways to dointervals. Use what works for you, but if you are at a plateau, trythe bike.

Secret #4 - Increase meal frequency

Okay, so this isn't really a secret to anyone that has read aboutfat loss. But a 2005 study from the American Journal of ClinicalNutrition showed that eating 6 times per day was associated witheating fewer calories per day, lowering cholesterol levels, andlowering post-meal insulin levels.

Combine an increased meal frequency with an increased protein andfiber intake, and you'll see your body composition improve rapidly.

If you need more nutrition help, then you'll love the newTurbulence Training Nutrition Guide for Men & Women - written byDr. Chris Mohr, Ph.D.

It's now available to anyone that orders Turbulence Training or hasordered in the past.

(Previous customers - you should have received an email with a linkto download the new report. If you haven't, please let me know.)

Secret #5 - My Synergistic Turbulence Training Workouts

My Turbulence Training Fat Loss workouts are fast becoming the mosteffective way to burn fat, build muscle, and get lean. Thesynergistic strength training-interval training workouts areefficient and effective - getting you in and out of the gym inunder an hour.

Here are some tips that you can use for an advanced training phase- use these tips for 2 weeks then return to your normal trainingschedule:

a) Add 10 seconds to each interval but maintain the intensity

b) Add in some bodyweight circuits (10-20 minutes per day) done inthe morning or evening (if you do your regular workout in the AM,do your bodyweight circuits after dinner; otherwise, do the bwcircuits first thing in the AM, and then do your regular workout atlunch or later in the afternoon or evening)

If you are advanced, you can use squats, pushups, and bodyweightrows for your circuit.

If you are a beginner, you could use lying hip extensions, modifiedpushups, and stick-ups.

c) Add an extra set to each exercise in the first superset you doin each workout.

Again, use these three tips for an advanced fat loss period of twoweeks, then return to a normal training schedule.

But always stick to the best fat loss nutrition plan possible.

If you have any other questions, just let me know.

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne
Author, Turbulence Training
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

P.S. Big Nutrition Announcement!
The Turbulence Training Nutrition Guide for Men & Women - written byDr. Chris Mohr, Ph.D., is ready for you.

It's available to anyone that orders Turbulence Training and allprevious customers (Previous customers - you should have receivedan email with a link to download the new report. If you haven't,please let me know.)

Here are just some of the things you'll learn from Dr. Mohr...

1) How to calculate your calorie needs (p. 6)
2) Calorie recommendations for obese individuals (p.7)
3) The 23 types of sugar (many hidden!) to avoid (p. 9)
4) The 20 whole-grain sources to fuel your fat loss program (p9)
5) Over 60 fruits and vegetables that should be added to your diet(p.10)
6) The 16 protein sources you should select most often (p. 13)
7) Shocking trans-fat content of 18 common foods - find out whichfoodis the deadliest in terms of fat content (p. 16)
8 ) The 9 Fat Sources you should select most often (p. 17)
9) Dr. Mohr's 12 Rules for Fat Loss (p. 18)
10) The TT Nutrition Plan for Men (p. 19)
11) The TT Nutrition Plan for Women (p. 23)
12) Bonus Supplement Report: The Truth About Fat Loss Pills (p. 27)

Visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com to get your TT Workouts and the NEW Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines.

How to Repair a Damaged Metabolism


Increase Metabolism

How To Repair A Damaged Metabolism
By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
BurnTheFat.com

If you've caused metabolic damage as a result of following starvation diets or losing weight too rapidly in the past, it can be extremely difficult to achieve any further fat loss at all.

The good news is, metabolic damage can be repaired. All it takes is the right combination of metabolism stimulating exercise and metabolism stimulating nutrition (NOT just a diet), all done consistently over time.

The big irony is that most of the diet programs that claim to help you get rid of excess weight, only end up making it harder for you in the long run because they use harsh metabolism-decreasing diets and not enough exercise (almost never any weight training).

It may take a little longer if you have really messed things up with severe starvation dieting in the past, especially if you've lost a lot of lean body mass, but it is never hopeless. Anyone can increase their metabolism.

Most people get an almost immediate boost in metabolic rate when they start the Burn The Fat program. However, the results are not going to be "overnight." Give it a little time...

Within 3 weeks your metabolism will already be more efficient. Within 6-8 weeks, it's burning hot. Give me 12 weeks of consistent diligent effort, sticking with all the metabolism boosting strategies I teach, and your metabolism really will become like a turbo charged engine, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that.

What’s most important for upping your metabolism is CONSISTENCY in applying the Burn The Fat nutrition and training principles every single day.

That includes:

Meal frequency: eat 5-6 small meals per day

Meal timing: eat approximately every 3 hours, with a substantial breakfast and a substantial post workout meal.

Sufficient Caloric Intake: maintain a small calorie deficit and avoid starvation-level diets (suggested safe levels for fat loss: 2100-2500 calories per day for men, 1400-1800 calories per day for women; adjust as needed)

Food choices: Select natural, unprocessed foods with high thermic effect (lean proteins like chicken, turkey, egg whites and fish are highly thermic, as are all green vegetables, salad vegetables and other fibrous carbs)

Cardio training: Push up the intensity a bit if you really want to get a metabolic boost. Walking and low intensity cardio is fine, but higher intensity is more metabolism-stimulating

Weight training: The basic exercises that include the largest muscle groups or even call into play the entire body as a unit (squats, front squats, split squats, deadlifts, stiff legged deadlifts, overhead presses, all kinds of rows and core-activation exercises) will have a much greater metabolism stimulating effect than isolation exercises (concentration curls, calf raises, etc)

The weight training is extremely important in cases of "metabolic damage" because this is the stimulus to keep the muscle you have and begin rebuilding new muscle tissue, which is the engine that drives your metabolism.

The men don't usually have a problem with the weight training, but I still hear women say they don't want to lift weights as part of their fat loss programs. Well, people who wont lift weights can expect a very, very long metabolism "repair process" if they achieve it at all.

Consistency is the key.

Nothing will undermine the "re-building" of your metabolism like inconsistency. If you stop and start, or skip meals and workouts often, you will not even get off the ground.

After your metabolism is back up where it should be, it takes continued "stoking" of the metabolic furnace to keep it there. Once you get your metabolic engine running, you've got to keep feeding it fuel or the fire will die down.

Picture an old fashioned wood burning stove...

Imagine you're in a cabin up in the mountains in the winter. It's cold in there and you want to keep the cabin warm. Can you achieve this by feeding the fire once or twice per day? Nope. Not enough fuel to burn, so not much heat is generated.

What if you just toss an entire pile of wood in the stove all at once? Will that work? Nope. Lots of fuel, but can't all be used at once... it just smothers the fire and the excess just sits there.

How about if you throw some tissue paper or crumpled newspaper in the stove, will that work?

Nope - too quickly burning.

You have to keep putting small amounts of wood (the right type of fuel) on the fire at regular intervals or the fire burns out.

It's also difficult to get the fire lit again. In the case of metabolism, it's like going through that initial few weeks of overcoming inertia all over again.

Your goal is to get your metabolism burning hot and keep it burning and this cannot be achieved by missing meals, missing workouts or with sporadic, infrequent training.

I have only seen a handful of cases where all these things were done properly and there was still a longer "repair" process.

For example, one case was former ballet dancer. At 5' 5", she was previously 110 lbs and had increased to about 145 or so. She didn’t want to reach her previous 110, but find a happy medium of about 125 lbs.

I figured with 20 lbs to cut, this would be a simple and predictable process, but she had a challenging time (and I didn't know why at first).

I later found out that she had been anorexic and bulimic for many years. This had caused a lot of damage, and although she did reach her goal, it took about twice as long as we had anticipated.

The good news is, even in this extreme case, the same nutrition and training principles worked!

It just took a little longer. And by the way her program included some serious training with free weights and she ate a lot more (clean) food than she had ever eaten before. No "starvation!"

That’s the power of burning the fat and feeding the muscles... Trying to starve the fat with crash diets is what causes the metabolic damage in the first place!

If you’re interested in the healthy, sensible way to take off the fat, while keeping all your muscle and actually increasing your metabolism in the process, then my Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle program can teach you how. No gimmicks or false promises. Just the truth - you have to work at it and you have to be patient. BurnTheFat.com

About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder and author of the #1 best selling e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to burn fat without drugs or supplements using the little-known secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and turbo-charge your metabolism by visiting: BurnTheFat.com.



increase metabolism

Nutrition for Fat Loss


Nutrition for Fat Loss

Every week that goes by I realize that nutrition is more important than training for fat loss.

But overall, that's a good thing. Because in my opinion, eating healthy tastes just as good as the garbage most people eat...and more importantly, you will feel 10x's better when you eat healthy.

Last week while visiting my family, my dad asked me to pick up some chinese food for old time's sakes. My family used to eat this once every other month or so when I was a kid.

But now, I have no desire to eat any of it...far too greasy, deep-fried, and downright disgusting. And it leaves you feeling like crap for hours after. Heck, I felt like crap just thinking about eating it!

Recently, another strength coach and I were talking about a well-known powerlifter's transformation (he lost a lot of fat and started eating healthy again).

My colleague believes once the powerlifter knows how amazing he can feel when he eats healthy, there's no way he can go back to his old lifestyle of fast food for each meal.

Do you feel the same way? Have you been able to eat healthy consistently enough so that you know what it feels like to be alert (without an I.V. drip of caffeine)?

Have you been able to notice the difference in your mental energy from eating properly? Once you do, you'll have less and less desire to return to your poor eating habits of old.

If you need more nutrition help, then you'll love the new Turbulence Training Nutrition Guide for Men & Women - written by Dr. Chris Mohr, Ph.D.

It's now available to anyone that orders Turbulence Training for Fat Loss, Turbulence Training for Women (the full manual), or the 6-Month Bodyweight Manual.

(Previous customers - you should have received an email with a link to download the new report. If you haven't, please let me know.)

Key things you'll learn...
  • How to calculate your calorie needs (p. 6)
  • Calorie recommendations for obese individuals (p.7)
  • 23 types of sugar (many hidden!) to avoid (p. 9)
  • 20 whole-grain sources to fuel your fat loss program (p9)
  • Over 60 fruits and vegetables that should be added to your diet (p. 10)
  • 16 protein sources you should select most often (p. 13)
  • Shocking trans-fat content of 18 common foods - find out which food is the deadliest in terms of fat content (p. 16)
  • 9 Fat Sources you should select most often (p. 17)
  • Dr. Mohr's 12 Rules for Fat Loss (p. 18)
  • The TT Nutrition Plan for Men (p. 19)
  • The TT Nutrition Plan for Women (p. 23)
  • Bonus Supplement Report: The Truth About Fat Loss Pills (p. 27)
The latest step in the ultimate guide to get more results in less time,


CB

P.S. Dr. Mohr doesn't come cheap...

I had to twist his arm to make him free up some time and I had to shell out a pretty penny for him to write this report. Between consulting with Gatorade, the Washington Redskins, and University of Louisville, Dr. Mohr is a very busy man.

But you get his advice at no cost. I could easily charge $27 for this report, if not more. (Heck that would still be less than 20 times what I paid for Dr. Mohr to put it together...).

But you get this report for nothing! The Turbulence Training Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines e-book is a bonus for you available when you order one of these 3 Turbulence Training e-book packages:

1) Turbulence Training for Fat Loss

2) Turbulence Training for Women (full program)

3) The 6-Month Bodyweight Manual

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Alwyn Cosgrove's Fat Loss Secrets

Alwyn Cosgrove's Fat Loss Secrets

Every once in a while you come across a person in their field that is so well-respected, so "on-target" with their work, and so engaging that you can't help but consider them the best in their business.

And right now, in the fitness industry, that person is none other than Alwyn Cosgrove.

In comparison to other personal trainers, Alwyn is at the level of 8th degree black belt, while most of the trainers you'd find in large commercial gyms barely deserve a yellow belt.

Alwyn has an endless list of certifications, but more importantly, he has boiled down complex fitness information into only what is necessary for you to know to succeed.

The Transformation King has written 2 excellent fat loss e-books ('Afterburn' and 'Human Inferno'), and perhaps more importantly, has shared his training methods and know-how in his Professional Program Design Manual and his bodyweight exercise DVD (where I learned some nifty tricks for my bodyweight manual workouts).

Check out Alwyn's books here

And in the meantime, let's hear what the top dog has to say...

CB: So, what's new Alwyn?

AC:
We just released Human Inferno - which is a 99 day fat loss program that I co-authored with Chris Mohr - Chris did all the nutrition stuff, whereas I did all the training programs.Other than that I've been on the road a lot.

I was in DC mid January, La Jolla at the end of January, did a seminar in LA last week, and am off to Vegas this week. March I'm in Hilton Head, SC. April I'm in Little Rock, AK I'm also booked through June, July and September doing multiple day events in Long Beach. Rhode Island and Connecticut.

CB: Hey, tell us more about Human Inferno.

AC:
Basically it's a day planner for fat loss. 99 days of everything you would need to know to achieve your goals. Literally one page tells you the exercise program for the day, and the other page tells you exactly what to eat. It's a no-brainer step-by-step guide to fat loss.

CB: Your program design manual is getting rave reviews. Why do personal trainers need something like this?

AC:
My program design manual I believe is the first product on the market to actually establish a SYSTEM for trainers to use to design programs. Most of the time trainers write essentially exercise "menus".

It also covers the similarities between great programs and how to extract them - instead of focusing on the differences as most people do.

CB: What is the most practical tip you've come across in recent weeks?

AC:
I really liked John Berardi's "Compliance Grid" that he wrote about recently.

Basically for 14 days you track everything you eat: six meals per day, plus a workout shake.
The idea is that if you miss a meal, or eat a non supportive meal - you still track it. It's a great tool to track how consistent you are.

A lot of people tell me that they are on a plateau and need a change in their program, yet when we go over the compliance grid, we see that they are only following their plan 60% of the time.
This is the most valuable tool I've seen recently.

CB: Cool, I think that would help a lot of TT readers. What about your book, The New Rules of Lifting, what's it all about? New rules?

AC:
The New Rules of Lifting is essentially a beginners guide to fitness training.
However, there hasn't been a beginner's guide to training that covers the latest findings and research until now. Most fitness books of this type are still based on hyperbole and outdated methods.

CB: Oh, I get it...nice. I've only made it through the first couple of chapters, but you and Lou have made it a great read so far. Lou definitely has a way with words to make any topic an easy, enjoyable read.

Strongly recommending Alwyn Cosgrove as your fitness mentor,

CB

Click here for more Cosgrove


alwyn cosgrove fat loss

My Blood Tests

Last year, when I turned 30, I decided to take my own advice.

What I mean is, I took my own advice that I give to all men over 30, and that is to have my blood tested for cholesterol and other health indicators.

And check it I did. Not only did I have the generic tests done, but I also had my C-Reactive Protein, Testosterone, and Hemoglobin-A1C levels analyzed so that I could get as much information about my health as I could. And that's what I recommend to you as well.

Visit this link for my tests:
http://workoutmanuals.com/how-to-lower-cholesterol

If you're an overworked, overweight, under-exercised parent of a young family, or even if your kids are in college but you want to see them get married and have kids and live happily ever after, then I urge you to check out this article and then take the necessary steps to determine your health status.

Take care of yourself,

CB

P.S.
Dont' miss this article

You're never too old or too young to start taking care of your health.

7-Day Guide: Exercise of the Week

Use this week's tips to guide you to better eating, faster fat loss, improved health, and more energy.

Monday
Do your regularly scheduled TT workout.

Remember, it's very important for you to train the back of the body. The glutes, hamstrings, and upper back contain a lot of your body's muscle, and that means these areas can burn a lot of calories.

Modify your seated rows to this exercise - The Wide-grip Seated Row to get more results in less time.

Tuesday
30 minutes of activity. If you have a child, please get them active and on the road to a healthy lifestyle ASAP.

I just realized last week that I'm likely to outlive half of the people TWO generations younger than me...for more on my trip to the doctor and child obesity, click HERE

Wednesday
TT workout. I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating now.

If you have only 10 minutes for your workout, and you want to build strength, burn fat, and boost your metabolism, the absolute best two simple exercises you can do would be:

1A) Dumbbell Squat
1B) DB Press or Pushup

Start with light weights and just go back and forth, building up the intensity, for 10 minutes. No rest between exercises. You'll be able to do 2 warm-up sets and 3 regular sets in only 10 minutes.

Thursday
30 minutes of activity. When I visited my Doctor last week, he mentioned that blood pressure is one of the most ignored health measures among his patients. He encourages everyone, even you, to have your blood pressure tested. If it's high, ask for help.

Friday
TT workout. It's Friday, have a little fun with this workout. Throw in a superset of your two favorite exercises to finish off the week.

Saturday
30 minutes of activity, check in with your social support group. Have everyone bring a food log detailing exactly what they have eaten for the last 7 days. Review them with the group to identify everyone's problem points, then come up with solutions to these healthy eating obstacles.

You should also do this on your own. Critique your food intake.

Sunday
Plan, shop, and prepare.

If you don't have junk food in the house, you're not going to eat it. Unfortunately, the opposite is almost always true. If you have junk in the house, no matter how hard you try, you're likely going to give in.

So do your best to keep it out.

If it's treats for the kids, keep only a small amount on hand and make sure that you put these off-limits for yourself.

Fat loss starts at home,

CB

P.S. It's here!
The updated TT Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines for Men & Women report is done.

Written by Dr. Chris Mohr, Ph.D., this 25 page report details eating guidelines for fat loss, but also addresses modifications for obese individuals who can't, and shouldn't, follow the 1gram of protein per pound of bodyweight rule.

The Nutrition Report is now available to anyone that orders Turbulence Training for Fat Loss, Turbulence Training for Women (the full manual), or the 6-Month Bodyweight Manual.

Click here to order your TT Manual today and get the TT Nutrition Guidelines as a bonus at no extra cost.

(Previous customers - you should have received an email with a link to download the new report. If you haven't, please let me know.)

Of course, you can also be the first to get any of my new reports and manuals by becoming a Turbulence Training Member. Check out the TT Membership area here.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Friday's Arm Workout Routine

arm workout routine

Traveled back to Stratford to train at the Y. That's the gym where I first started training 15 years ago...and even back then I was trying to figure out how to get the most results in the least amount of time.

But back then I made some mistakes. Training too often for the shoulder joint, by using the traditional, but un-necessary 5-day bodybuilder split. Sometimes 6 days a week. That pounds your shoulders doing body parts on a daily basis...

A much better way to go is to use the 4-day splits I use now...which you can find in the Turbulence Training for Mass program.

Click HERE to get Turbulence Training for Mass

There were some good things and some bad things about the ol' gym.

Good: There was a 65 yr old woman pumping some serious iron.

Bad: There were 2 guys doing behind the neck pulldowns. The Y never ceases to have a few guys that are stuck in a time warp.

My workout was good overall...

1A) DB Shoulder Press (4x8)
1B) Neutral Grip Chin (3x10)

2A) Incline DB Curl (3x8)
2B) Tri Pressdown (3x12)

3) DB Preacher Curl (3x8)

New program starts next week, time to get serious about getting strong,

CB



arm workout routine

Nutrition for Fat Loss...Coming Soon!


Nutrition for Fat Loss

Here's the cover for the new TT Fat Loss Nutrition Guide, by Dr. Chris Mohr, Ph.D.

It will be released on Monday, but TT Members will get it this weekend...hopefully today!


CB



nutrition, fat loss

Personal Trainer Business

Personal Trainer Business

If you are a personal trainer and want to figure out how to make more money, then you absolute must read Alwyn Cosgrove's chapter in the e-book, Fitness Riches.

The e-book is a steal at only $37. The tips in Alwyn's book alone will make you thousands of dollars over the course of this year, let alone what it means to you for your lifetime earnings. Just applying one of his tips today will pay for the book alone.

"Guess what, I loved the book! I have to tell you each chapter is worth the price of the book. Just implementing some of the concepts from the different chapters have set me leaps and bounds above the competition. I charge nearly double what most trainers charge in my area. There is so much information in the book, for only $37, what else can you buy for that price that will put you on the fast track to success by learning all the strategies and secrets that other trainers use. Thanks so much for the great product."
Zach Hunt

Click HERE to get Fitness Riches and start earning what you deserve today!

CB



personal trainer

How to Avoid Bulking Up


How to Avoid Bulking Up with Workout Routines

On Monday, while doing my squat workout, I heard a guy say to his workout partner, "I don't want to bulk up".

I also hear that, and I'm sure you do to, from many women that strength train.

Please realize one workout is not going to give you muscles the size of Arnold.

If you are really concerned about adding size to your body, just make sure to monitor your limb circumference on a weekly basis. It's that simple.

And you also better be sure that your bulking up isn't coming from eating too much. But nutrition isn't our topic of the day...exercise is...

The other week I was in the gym training a female client. And we just happened to start our workout at the exact same time another woman climbed on an elliptical machine to start her regular 45-minute low-intensity cardio workout.

Here's what our female client did in 45 minutes:

Warm-up circuit (3 rounds):
  • Sumo squat (10 reps)
  • Stability Ball Leg Curl (12 reps)
  • Incline Push-up (6 reps) ===> pictured above
  • Beginner Bodyweight Row (5 reps)

Superset #1 (3 sets for each superset)

  • Assisted Chin-up (Worked up to a 3 rep maximum)
  • Bulgarian Split Squat with Medicine Ball (10 reps)
Superset #2
  • Full Pushups (5 reps)
  • 1-leg RDL (8 reps)

Superset #3

  • Plank with Arms on Ball (20 seconds - Needs improvement!)
  • Back Extension on Ball (12 reps)

Superset #4

  • DB Row (10 reps)
  • Cable Chop (12 reps)

Now take a guess. Which young lady do you think has a better body?

You better believe it was the girl doing the bodyweight and free-weight strength training.

Still not convinced that strength training helps give women a better body without bulking up?

Here are more tips on how females (and males) should train so that the risk of bulking up is minimal.

1) Reduce the volume of weight training.

Do only one work set instead of 3. So if it says 3 sets of 8, do only 1 set of 8. This will still put your body in some turbulence, allowing you to burn calories during and after exercise, as well as improving your strength and bone mineral density.

(In healthy people, higher intensity exercise almost ALWAYS means greater increases in health measures.)

Gaining mass is a function of intensity and volume. So if a woman reduces the volume, but keeps the intensity, she will get all the strength benefits and a lot of the metabolism boosting benefits without the paranoia of getting bulky.

NOTE: Gaining mass is also a function of FOOD volume. If you are over-eating, you will bulk up. You can't blame strength training if you are eating too much.

2) Use more bodyweight exercises.

And I'm not just talking about lunges.

I used 10 bodysculpting bodyweight exercises in the workout above. These put "turbulence" on the muscle and help men and women get lean.

More and more women are experiencing the benefits of strength training and finding out that "bulking up" has nothing to do with lifting weights,

CB

P.S. Time is running out...
To get this month's Turbulence Training for Women 4-Week Bodyweight Workout.

Get started using the right combination of bodyweight and free weight exercises.

Click HERE to get your TT for Women 4-week plan today!

All workouts can be done at home with a bench, a ball, and dumbbells.

And honestly, your best bet is to upgrade to the TT Membership so that you don't have to pay again for all the future TT workouts I design.

bulk up workout routine

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Thursday Deadlift Workout Routine


Deadlift Workout Routine

For todays' workout, I traveled to Burlington, Ontario to train in Canada's best sports training facility, SST.

If you are interested in properly preparing athletes, you have to check out www.sstcanada.com and the crew headed by former pro football player, Larry Jusdanis and his right hand man Steve Bodanis.

Today's workout was simple, but going out to Larry's place allowed me to use their Trap Bar for deadlifts.

See the picture above for one of the athletes at SST using the Trap Bar for deadlifts.

1) Trap Bar Deadlifts (worked up to a 3 rep max)

2) Front squats (4x8)

Had to split after that,

CB



deadlift workout routine

Trip to the Doctor

Had the best possible doctors visit this morning...Not only did he see me early, but he shipped me out with a bill of perfect health. Although that should be expected, of course, considering what I do.

Of interest, check out the additional blood measures I had done last year:

If you are over 30, you should definitely have a physical examination, and then reschedule every few years.

And get some blood work done too.

So I left the doctor's office feeling pretty good, and as I drove home, an overweight 8-year old boy wandered onto the road about 50 meters in front of me and slowly made his way across the street.

Oddly enough, he was carrying a large coffee.

Let's assume he was taking that home for someone.

Now he was in no danger of getting hit by my car...but I tell ya, he's in a lot of danger healthwise.
He was probalby obese, not just overweight.

Its a shame when a 31-year old man is healthier than most 8-year old kids.

Heck, at this rate, I'll probably outlive that kid. I'll probably outlive most kids 2 generations younger than me.

That kid's parents have given him an early death sentence by allowing him to be so overweight at such a young age.

Here's some of the latest info from the Harvard Public Schoool of Health:

"Over the 22-year study period, the observed prevalence of
overweight increased from 6.3% to 10.0% and at-risk-for-overweight increased
from 11.1% to 14.4%. These increases were evident among all groups of
children including infants. "

Everyone knew that kids were getting fatter, but who knew that babies were getting fatter?

Child obesity is the parent's fault.

Good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle must start from day 1. Or better yet, 9 months before day 1. And even better, years before a parent decides to have children.

CB

Soft Drinks & Obesity: Soda Causes Fat Gain

Soda Increases Obesity

Years ago my friends use to joke whenever they would see a person order a Big Mac Meal and then top it off with a diet coke.

"Like that makes a difference," they thought. After all, the average customer going this route was always overweight.

To be honest, I didn't think it helped their cause after...

But now, research suggests that these people might even be much fatter if they had stuck with the regular soda, instead of subbing in the diet version.

Click HERE to read a summary of the diet soda research from Dr. Mercola

Now I'm not recommending a steady intake of diet soda, heck no. We all know what I recommend for nutrition.

Perhaps its time for you to give all sodas (or "pop" as we call it here in Canada) the heave-ho,

CB


soda obesity

Exercise DVD Survey

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Correct Workout Routine Order

Correct Workout Routine Order

A couple of readers have written in with their own workout designs, asking for a little of my feedback.

Unfortunately, while the intentions were good, the workouts were a little backwards. This leads to this week's Training Tip:

Tip - When designing your program for maximal results, make sure you plan your exercises in the optimal order.

Now that's a vague tip, isn't it? Just what do I mean by the optimal order?

Well, ignoring the warm-up for a second, here's how your training program should be set up in order to have your exercises in the optimal order:

1. Explosive exercises (i.e. Jumping, Olympic Lifts).

Now most TT workouts don't include explosive exercises, but there are three that do...

A) TT Fusion Fat Loss (this comes in the TT for Fat Loss package)

B) TT Fusion Mass (this comes in the TT for Mass package)

C) The New TT for Muscle-Insiders Mass Program - to be released in mid-September

2. Strength exercises

This is generally your main exercise/superset of the workout and this exercise/superset should be performed with heavy weights and low reps - 3 sets of 6 at the most).

3. Repetition exercises (i.e. moderate reps - 4 sets of 8-12, generally used to increase the volume of training in order to cause muscle growth).

4. Endurance exercises (i.e. high-rep pushups/squats/chin-ups to failure; also, intervals).

So why did the reader send in something that I call "a backwards workout"?

Well, let's take a look at the two biggest mistakes in those workouts, and that I often see in many people's workouts:

A) Putting endurance work first.

Doing too many pushups (endurance exercise) at the start of the workout before the strength exercise is a bad idea. When you do endurance work before heavy lifting, your strength will suffer. There's no question your entire workout intensity will suffer if you do endurance work first.

So the take-home message: Make sure you don't fatigue yourself in your warm-up or put a high-rep exercise prior to a heavy strength exercise.

B) Putting explosive lifts at the end of the workout.

Olympic Lifts should not be put in the second or third superset of the workout. These lifts should be done at the start of your workout (after the correct warm-up), yet I see these being done 20-30 minutes into people's workouts all the time.

Do not Squat to fatigue and then expect to have power when you go to do a Clean or a jump exercise or a sprint.

The correct order is to do the Clean (or jump or sprint) and then move onto the Squat.

Remember:If you want to move fast or train with a high-intensity, you have to be fresh, not fatigued.

Following the optimal exercise order will help you do more quality work in each training session...therefore allowing you to get stronger, burn more calories, gain more muscle, and/or lose more fat. Whatever your training goal, it will be made easier by doing things in the right order.

For another example, I recommend taking a look at how I designed Stage 3 of the 6-Month Bodyweight Manual. You'll notice:

a) A sufficient, but not overbearing total body warm-up

b) Supersets starting with the hardest bodyweight exercises first, ones that can be done for only a few repetitions (unless you are an extremely advanced bodyweight exerciser)

c) A gradual decrease in absolute exercise intensity with each subsequent superset, and a simultaneous increase in reps.

(NOTE: Don't confuse intensity with difficulty. When I say intensity, I refer to your absolute strength level. Yes, doing a set of 30 pushups is difficult, but its not intense.)

d) Endurance circuits to complete the workout.

Follow the rules, and you'll succeed,

CB

P.S. You'll also get the TT Fusion Fat Loss, the TT Fusion Mass workout, and the 6-Month Bodyweight Workout in your TT Membership.

Click HERE to become a Member

Here's the complete list (as of Aug 23rd, 2006) of all the manuals, advanced training articles, and e-books that you will get with your 12-Month Turbulence Training Membership (and remember, I'm adding at least 1 new program per month):

My Turbulence Training Reports
? Turbulence Training for Fat Loss
? 1 Hour Turbulence Training Audio Interview
? Turbulence Training 6-Month Bodyweight Manual
? Turbulence Training For Mass
? Turbulence Training for Women
? The Intermediate Turbulence Training Beach Body program
? The Advanced Turbulence Training Beach Body program
? Turbulence Training for Firefighters
? Turbulence Training for Police Officers
? Turbulence Training: Hot Zone Fat Loss Program

Monthly Turbulence Training Workouts
? September 2005: 4-Week Fat Loss Plan
? October 2005: Original 4-Week Bodyweight Workout
? November 2005: Barely Legal 4-Week Mass-Gain Workout
? December 2005: Ultimate Holiday Fat Loss Workout
? January 2006: Fat Loss in a Busy Gym Workout
? February 2006: Fusion Fat Loss Workout
? March 2006: Turbulence Training for Athletes
? April 2006: Fusion Muscle Building Workout
? May 2006: How to Gain 15 lbs of Lean Mass
? June 2006: TT Hardcore Fat Loss Workout

My Workout Manuals
? The Beginner's Guide to Fat Loss
? The Get Lean Manual
? The Executive Lifestyle Manual

Other Female Training Manuals
? The Secrets of Female Strength & Conditioning
? ShapeShift - How to Develop the Athletic Look
? The Simple Way to Lose Weight
? The Executive Lifestyle Manual for Women
? Get Lean for Women

Other Collaborations & Bonus Reports
? Mission: Abdominals ? by Tom Venuto
? Boost Your Testosteron ? by Christian Finn
? Strength Coach Interrogations ? by Alwyn Cosgrove

Advanced Training Articles
? How to Determine Exercise Selection & Exercise Order
? The Best Number of Sets for Muscle Gain, Fat Loss, & Females
? The Science of Repetitions
? Program Design Critique
? Program Design Lesson

Athlete Manuals
? The Rugby Speed Manual
? The Rugby Strength Manual
? The Rugby Pre-Season Speed and Interval Workouts
? Young Male Alpine Ski Strength Program
? Young Beginner Female Basketball Strength Program
? Young Advanced Male Rugby Strength Program
? The New Young Athlete - 8 Week Mass Gain Program

Strength & Bodybuilding Workouts
? 4-Week Advanced Bodybuilding Program
? Weekend Warrior: Get Buff While Becoming a Better Downhill Skier
? How to Bench Without Shoulder Pain
? Max Your Bench Press: Part A (Weeks 1-12 )
? Max Your Bench Press: Part B (Weeks 13-24)

"Dear Craig, Since I ordered the Pass to your products I am working my way through your materials. And what a huge amount of information it is! I am more than impressed and satisfied! Turbulence Training is one of the most time-efficient, comprehensive and practical approaches to training I have come across yet. And I am no newbie to training."
Thomas Brenninger

Click HERE to become a Member

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Wednesday's Bench Workout Routine...

Wednesday's Bench Workout Routine...

was interrupted by an emergency client request...

So I only had time to do the first exercise, but tomorrow's workout plans to be a special one, so it might have been a good idea to take it easy.

1A) 3-board Bench (worked up to 310x4 which is okay)
1B) y's and T's and rear delt raises (3x10-15)

That unfortunately, was it.

CB



workout routine bench press

Unbelieveable Fitness Tip of the Day

Fitness Tip

Sometimes you just have to wonder...who are these people giving fitness advice?

Take for example, this golden nugget from msn.ca today:

"Ease up a bit: Vigorous workouts can rev up your appetite, finds a University of Ottawa study. Thirteen women consumed enough to replace nearly all the calories they burned during high-intensity exercise. When they did lower-intensity walking, they had healthy appetites but still netted a 177-calorie deficit for the day. "


That's right. Don't workout hard. Workout easier. Don't do any hard exercise or you'll eat too many calories.

What a joke.

Is it any wonder why people don't exercise? They hear crap like this and now they have another excuse in their arsenal..."Oh well i heard that if you work out too hard you just eat all the calories back anyway, so I'm not going to exercise today."

Thank you MSN for your ever enlightening fitness information...

These people just don't get it.

They can't see the forest because of the trees that are in the way.

Look at the big picture. Look at what intense exercise does for someone's body. Then compare that to someone that does an easy walk each day.

Now tell me, which method of training is going to help people reach their goals faster, more efficiently, and more effectively?

Politically incorrect fitness and nutrition is the most effective way to success,

CB

Tuesdays' Squat Workout Routine



Squat Workout Routine

(<=== I found this picture beside "useless" in the dictionary, and beside over-priced and over-rated)

Training is all about cause and effect.

And that's where most people go wrong.

They don't focus on the effect (the result of training), they focus on the cause (i.e. they focus on using gimmicky exercises).

People only worry about whether the exercise is "functional", not whether the result is "functional".

Their mistake is choosing the cause before they even think of the effect.

All people care about nowadays, it seems, is picking the most perverse exercise possible.

Take for example the able-bodied, late-twenty something girl in the gym yesterday.

She was doing squats on the bosu ball (pictured), with the inflatable side up.

Now to do that, you have to have your feet pretty close together. And when she was squatting, she would bend her knees first so the load was supported by her quads and knees.

This girl was strong enough that she could have easily completed 25 of these squats before they even got hard...yet she quit after about 10.

So what effect will her training have?

NONE.

Unless you count a "complete and utter waste of her time" as an effect of training.

She would have been better off to skip the gym and go on a hike up a hill in the fresh outdoors. Or climb the stairs in her house a dozen times. Either of these, and many more practical options would have given her a better result for her time.

There is no doubt that she learned this exercise from a trainer, or from another person that learned it from a trainer...

But what could the purpose of this exercise possibly be?

No doubt the word "balance" will come up...but balance for what? Standing on an inflatable ball? Here's a tip. just don't stand on inflatable balls. that will help your balance.

Squatting on a bosu ball with poor squat form is NOT a functional exercise.

Squatting, or split squatting, or lunging, on a flat surface with proper form IS a functional exercise.

Moving on to my workout...

My goal: I want to increase my squat strength. That is the effect that I am going for.

Therefore, I choose exercises that will cause a signficant increase in the strength of the muscles and the movement patterns associated with the squat.

See how easy it is to come up with an exercise program?

Review the goal you want to achieve (i.e. determine the EFFECT you are after), and then choose methods that will CAUSE you to get closer to your goal.

1A) Squat (3x2 reps) -- good result. Getting back to my previous all time levels of strength.
1B) I skipped the plank that I had been doing with this exercise in my previous workouts...as today's focus was on near max squat performance. Also, long (3-5 minute rests were taken between sets).

2A) Good Morning (3x10) -- still a weak exercise for me...I need to use variations of the GM to increase my strength...and this will help CAUSE the EFFECT I am after (increased squat strength).
2B) Kneeling Cable Crunch (3x20-25)

3) Glute-Ham Raise on Ball


People, especially trainers, should put more effort into designing their programs than coming up with foolish exercises,

CB


squat workout routine

Best Time of Day to Workout

Best Time of Day for Workout Routine

Here's part 2 of my interview with physique coach, Mike Zappitelli...

Mike has walked the walk when it comes to being a personal trainer. He's a CSCS, a massage therapist, certified in Acupuncture, and on and on and on.Mike's a champion natural bodybuilder (the best way to be), and he's recently helped a team of men and women from the Niagara Falls area dominate the scene.

Let's find out how...


CB: Mike, let's hit the advanced fat loss scene. You've just worked with a great team that destroyed the competition at FAME (a physique contest in Toronto). Having helped both men and women, what are the major differences for success in each?

MZ: Well Craig, gender was the major difference.

Men were able to develop more muscle mass and get leaner come showtime in comparison to the women. No real breakthrough info there, sorry.

However, we did have a great turnout from the women this year. From 3 weeks up to the show, a lot of changes started to develop.

Aside from the gender, the major differences that I have noticed, not particularly in this group, but just over the years are discipline and attitude. Some just want to achieve more than others and realize the work that has to go into it.

The commitment from this year's group was amazing and their attitude towards the whole approach was excellent.

Negative attitudes were none existent this year. The whole team was surrounded by positive people who all supported one another. It's really amazing how attitude can affect you positively or negatively, when striving for your goals.


CB: I've always said that social support has a huge impact on fat loss success. How much cardio were these people doing? How different is that vs. the off-season? Do you use intervals?

MZ: It is difficult to observe what the team is doing on a daily basis.

Programs were developed with a theoretical approach for the team as a whole and then tweaked for each individual based on there lifestyle and schedules.

Interval training was emphasized more than just straight cardio. We used cardio for recovery days.

Some responded very well to the training regime while others had to put a little more time into it.

For example, we had some members that didn't have to do any cardio, while others were there twice a day!


CB: Have you found that there is a best time of day to train for fat loss?

MZ: I am more of an advocate training in the a.m. (7am-10am). For the average individual, this is a great 'pick-me-up' time and also seems to set a precedent for the rest of the day for most in terms of eating well and having good habits.

If you happen to 'fall off the track' that day, then you can still do a second workout later (if you wanted).

You have to keep in mind that bodybuilding, figure, fitness individuals are of a different mindset that your average person who goes to the gym to just get a workout in. This is their life and they are so fine-tuned that they will do whatever it takes stick with a program and achieve the results they desire.

So, as for the best time?...I guess in the end, Craig, whenever you can get in to complete your session for that particular day.


CB: Awesome info...and finally, what tips do you have for contestants on show day, or just for the general population wanting to look good for one specific day...such as a wedding or even a date?

MZ: This question is so hard to answer for liability reasons. Show preparation is not at every day habit to follow as we manipulate food and water intake.

For the general population, you achieve amazing results with just changing what you put in your body. Having a nutritional habit consisting of unrefined foods can have an impact on you in as little as 1-2 weeks.

People who tend to eat processed/refined foods tend to have more water retention causing the bloated feeling in your lower abdomen. This can be cleared up by cleaning up your nutritional intake.

Hope this helps!


CB: Great stuff Mike. Thanks so much. If readers have any questions they want to ask Mike, feel free to write in and I'll have Mike answer them in a future newsletter.

It's amazing what you can achieve when you put your mind to it and you have the support of others,

CB

P.S. Mike is a mass monster...

And the workouts I've done with Mike helped me formulate my TT for Mass workout plan.
With this plan I've been able to create additional mass monsters...such as these ones HERE.

P.P.S. TT members announcement...
If you joined the TT Member's program last summer, your membership is up for renewal. If you haven't received an email from me, please contact me ASAP before your membership runs out...there's a big addition coming to the member's section in September...
Click here for a sneak-peek of September's program...