What I Ate Today

Ooops...a few folks think that all I eat is blender drinks, because that is all that I write down...but that's not the case. I'm just too lazy to write down everything.

So here's what I had today.

After a dog walk and stretching session (no workout yesterday), I had:

Breakfast
1 apple
2 big bowls of Mini-wheats with almond milk (hey, I like Mini-wheats, what can I say)

Snack
1 toasted cashew butter and banana sandwich

Lunch
1 big boy salad (spinach, peppers, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 can kidney beans, salsa) 
2 slices flax bread
1 glass of blender drink (1 banana, blueberries, strawberries, almond milk, almond butter, cacao nibs, sunflower seeds, Vega powder)

Snack
The rest of the blender drink poured over oatmeal, almonds, and raisins
1 orange, 1/2 grapefruit

Dinner
Vegetable stir-fry + 3 servings of Kamut pasta
2 bananas, 2 tablespoons of almond butter

Then TT filming. It wasn't really strenuous...about a 4/10 intensity level.

After filming:
Slice of vegetarian pizza from the new pizza joint in my neighborhood.

So there you go...

2010 Fitness Predictions

2009 was a breakout year for...

- kettlebells
- short burst workouts
- bodyweight exercises
- and "counter-intuitive" nutrition programs

But what does 2010 hold for fitness and nutrition?

Well, you're about to discover my 2010 Top Ten fitness predictions.

Click here to get your copy of the report:

=> 2010 Fitness Predictions

You'll also hear from experts like Jay Ferruggia, Isabel De Los Rios, Vince Del Monte, and Brad Pilon about...

- The Return of Bodybuilding
- The Revenge of Cardio
- The Coming of 7-Day Workout Programs
- The Battle Over Training for Health vs. Training for Looks
- The Latest Cutting-Edge Nutrition & Supplement Techniques
- The Truth About Group Training
- The Hottest New Types of Unique Training

...and much, much more.

Don't be surprised to see your favorite fitness experts disagreeing and even contradicting one another...there's some strong opinions in these predictions.

=> Click here to get the 2010 Fitness Predictions

So sit back, grab yourself a Green Tea, and join us as we predict the future of fitness AND give you dozens of new workout and diet tips to help you sculpt your body faster than ever in 2010.

To your success!

Your friend,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

PS - Feel free to pass this report on to everyone.

Click this link for the free report:

=> The 2010 Predictions

Please help me get this into as many hands as possible so that we can help them get more results in 2010. Thank you!

Off-Day Today

Today's off-day activity was 40 minutes of stretching and torso training. I'm filming January 2K10 programs tonight, and that could take about an hour or two, but just doing some demo reps, not filming follow along.

Today's blender drink looks like a "Purple Jesus Blizzard". Mega-Blueberries, strawbrries, 1 banana, spinach, almond milk, almond butter, cacao nibs, and sunflower seeds. Poured some over oatmeal, almonds, and raisins. Also had an apple and green tea.

While today is slow on the activity side, I do have some resources for you:

More tips have been added to the sugar craving blog post here:

=> http://www.ttfatloss.com/diet/sugar-cravings/

And here's a link to the video of one of my most popular ab workout programs - TT AAA Abs

=> AAA Abs Workout

That's a solid 4 week program, and what you need to do is make sure you are sticking to a program for 3-4 weeks.

• Plan your program. Don't jump around from one to the next. Pick a good program and stick with it for 4 weeks.
• But if something isn't working, why continue with it? Trust your gut about when it is time to change.
• Get to know your body by monitoring everything you do and how you exercise. That is the key to making good judgments.
Stay strong,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Turbulence Training

Upper Body, Abs, & Sugar Cravings

Heading off to NYC this week to train at www.TheRenegadeGym.com in Jersey with Jay Ferruggia, so today was my last real workout of the week.

1) Hang Clean

2A) Close-Grip Bench
2B) BB Row

3A) DB Press
3B) Seated Row

4A) Dips
4B) DB Curls

And today's resources for you:

1) Over 21 tips to overcome sugar cravings posted to the TTFL blog:

=> Reduce Sugar Cravings

2) Ab workout exercises in a "pre-fatigue" circuit

=> The Abs Exercises video

Enjoy,

Craig B.

PS - New Turbulence Training Fanpage update...

..."Why do you hate cardio" over on the Turbulence Training Fanpage here:

=> http://www.Facebook.com/TurbulenceTrainingFanPage

Find out the truth...

Medicine Ball & Bodyweight Mini-Circuits

If you are looking to cut down on the amount of time you spend in the gym without jeopardizing your fat loss goals, then including interval training alongside your strength training program is the only way to go.

Just imagine spending half the time in the gym - if not more - and getting way better results.  Isn't that what you deserve?

I thought so.

And to make the notion of ditching long, slow, boring cardio even more convincing is the fact that you will be far less susceptible to sustaining an overuse injury with interval training.  

For some of you, however, the thought of giving up your daily cardio machine routine is too much to bear.  But not to worry because you can still use your favourite machine, but we'll just tweak things a bit so that you get more out of your workout in half the time.

For example, try incorporating intervals on the treadmill by running hard for 30 seconds, at an 8 out of 10 intensity level, followed by 60 seconds of light recovery at a 3 out of 10 intensity level.  That is one interval, and so you will repeat this process up to 6 times, while using a five minute warm-up and a 5 minute cool down.

However, for those of you who are tired of the same ol' thing day after day, then here is a great medicine ball and bodyweight interval training circuit to give a try.  A couple instructions beforehand; do not rest in between exercises and go through the circuit only one time.

1)     Medicine Ball Woodchoppers
a.     (20 seconds woodchoppers + 10 second hold with ball overhead x 8 rounds)
2)     Squat Thrusts
a.     (20 seconds thrusts + 10 second hold in top pushup position x 2 rounds)
3)     Running "High Knees" in Place plus Plank
a.     (20 seconds sprinting + 10 second plank x 8 rounds)
4)     Squat Thrusts
a.     (20 seconds thrusts + 10 second hold in top pushup position x 2 rounds)

So there are two great ways to replace your ineffective cardio workout and help you reach your fat loss goals in just a short amount of time.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

Say NO to Cardio, Do These Bodyweight Intervals

If you're spending 30-45 minutes a day on the treadmill, or gauging the quality of your workout by how many calories the elliptical machine states that you've burned, then I have bad news for you…you are slowing your fat loss results considerably. Just say NO to cardio.

The quickest and most efficient way to burning fat is not to work out in the "fat burning" zone or to do endless amounts of long, slow, boring cardio, but instead to ramp up your workout intensity.

And the most proven way to do that is with short burst exercise in the form of interval training.

Now some of you may be familiar with traditional forms of interval training where you train on a bike or a treadmill following a 30/60 or 45/90 second ratio.  

In the case of 30/60 for example, you would do 30 seconds of hard activity followed by 60 seconds of light activity and repeat that up to six times.

This type of interval training is perfectly okay and when added to your strength training workout, you will see some incredible results.  

However, some of you may like to vary things up a little bit and so I'd like to share with you 2 alternative forms of interval training that are just as wickedly effective, can be done in your home, and will keep you motivated to come back for more.

1.     5-Minute Bodyweight Squats

Here you will do as many bodyweight squats as you possibly can in 5 minutes.  Feel free to break this up into however many sets and reps you need.  For example, you can do sets of 10 reps, 20 reps, or simply until you cannot go anymore. Then take a rest and repeat.  

Each week try to do more squats in the same amount of time.  This may sound easy, but trust me; it can be as difficult as you make it!

2.     Short Burst Squats

I personally recommend a Gymboss timer for this type of training, but it isn't essential.  

So, for the bodyweight interval training you will do as many bodyweight squats as you can for 20 seconds and then hold the bottom position for 10 seconds, then repeat your squats for 20 seconds, and then hold at the bottom for 10 etc. Repeat these intervals for 8 rounds.

Alright, so those are just two of the countless ways in which you can include interval training into your workouts that will burn fat faster and help you avoid spending more time than necessary in the gym.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

Saturday Morning Workout

Okay workout this morning. Unfortunately the aerobics room was booked for aerobics (I didn't know people actually still did that stuff), so I had to skip the jumps at the start of the workout...

1A) Squat
1B) Chinups

2) BB Split Squat

3A) Back Extension
3B) Plank on Ball

4) 1-Leg Stability Ball Leg Curl

And my friend Kardena Pauza just posted a new vegetarian recipe, wheat-free cranberry scones (!).

You'll love them. Check out:

=> Vegetarian Recipes

Have a Christmas-y day,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

Fusion Fat Loss Program

Cool new workout for you this week in this week's fat loss coaching call...

 

The TT Fusion Fat Loss 2K9 version.

  

You'll also discover...

 

- Where I'll be working out this week

- How success leaves clues...

- When the 7th Turbulence Training Transformation Contest starts

- The ONE food you should eat BEFORE a party

- How beginners are guaranteed to get more results

- A website that helps you find organic farmers

- Cool bodyweight intervals using the 20:10 system

- A research-proven kettlebell workout idea

- Where to get kettlebells

- The best way to identify your protein intake

- And how to calculate your calorie needs

 

Whew! Big call this week.

 

Click here for the call:

=> Weight Loss Workout

Enjoy.

 

Your friend,

 

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS - This week's workout is the...

...plateau-busting:

 

=> Turbulence Training Fusion Fat Loss 2K9 workout

 

It includes bodyweight intervals, kettlebells, and dumbbell HIGH-REP rows.

 

If you want to burst through your plateau, you need this workout!

Workouts, Sugar, and Chinups

Got back into Toronto about 9:30pm last night...was in Chicago for 2 days, and I flew on Porter Air out of Toronto for the first time...it was a great experience, and you just don't hear that about airlines much these days, but I give it the thumbs up.

When I got home, I made a blender drink of 1 banana, frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, frozen spinach, walnuts, almond butter, and almond milk. Had one of those for breakfast too.

But then on Facebook we started a good conversation on how to cut out sugar in your diet...

Please share your tips.

I suggested

1) Choose fruit in place of sweets.

2) Keep the sweets out of the house.

3) Put in routines to replace sweets binging (i.e. go for a walk instead, chew sugar-free gum etc.).

4) Change your mindset so that you are now, "not the kind the person that binges on sweets". Read Psycho-Cybernetics for more details on changing your mindset.

What else did I miss?

After that, I hit the gym in the AM for today's workout:

1A) push press
1B) medium grip pullups

2A) 1-arm bodyweight row
2B) pushups

3) db rows

4) some arm exercises for fun.

It was a quick workout, requiring only 30 minutes or so.

Now for a couple of good resources:

Article #1: How to improve your chin-ups by Jason Farueggia

=> How to do more Chin-ups

And

Article #2: Tony Horton's 4-letter word for fat loss

=> http://www.ttfatloss.com/fat-loss/horton-fat-loss/

Looking forward to your tips,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

Back Exercises at Home

Here are the best ways to train your back at home with dumbbells. You can't neglect training the upper back because it is one of the hot zones of fat burning in your body. Since there is so much muscle mass found in your upper back, you can really burn a lot of calories by training that area.

Click here to watch the back exercises video

However, a lot of people have problems training that area at home because they dont have access to a chin-up bar or an adjustable bar where they can do inverted bodyweight rows lying on the ground.

So, this leaves us with a bench, dumbbells, and a ball. Fortunately, there are still quite a few different exercises we can do that will add variation to our workouts and help us enjoy them a lot more.

The first exercise is the Dumbbell Pullover and it is going to train your abs, chest, and your lats. This exercise is a classic Arnold Era exercise. However, it is important to be conservative when performing this one, as you can really injure yourself if you try to do too much weight.

There are a couple of different ways to do this exercise. One way is to do it lying regularly on a bench. Hold the dumbbell over your chest with a slight bend in your arms, and lowering the DB back over your head. You will begin to feel a stretch and using your lats, pull the DB back up over your chest. As the DB gets closer to your chest, then the chest muscles begin to do most of the work.

An alternative method of performing the DB Pullover is lying across a bench. In this position you will feel a greater stretch in the lats at the bottom position; however, you will want to use extra caution in the amount of weight you select. The more stretch, the more risk. So, in this position, keep your hips up, glutes contracted, abs braced and lower DB, and then pull back up.

A second exercise you can do is the Dumbbell Row. Like the DB Pullover, there are a few different ways in which this exercise can be performed.

Starting with the basic DB Row, place your left hand and knee on the bench, right leg slightly bent, butt back, abs braced, and back flat. Next, row the DB up from full extension up to your hip, keep elbow close and into your side.

To add a twist and target your lats and upper back differently, place your body in the same position, place your hand so that the palm is now facing towards your foot, with your elbow out. This is what is known as an elbow out DB Row. You will more than likely be a little bit weaker in this
position.

Also, using your hand and knee for support on the bench allows you to lift more weight, but you can also remove the support system and do these exercises one arm at a time or with both arms.

Instead of using a bench, you will use less weight with this exercise, but you will recruit more effort from your abdominals as well as the muscles in your legs to support your position. You can still perform the regular DB Row or the elbow out DB Row just as you would with a bench, but now you will be standing with a slight bend in the knees, leaning over slightly with your back flat.

The last exercise works your posterior delts and is known as side lateral raises in a bent over position. So, standing with two dumbbells, bring them out to the side, squeezing your shoulder blades together, and back down. You will feel a strong contraction in the posterior delts in this exercise.

The more bent over you are, the more you move stress to the back of the shoulder, and even between the shoulder blades. The more of a standing position that you are in, the more you recruit the medial delts. And when in a standing upright position, you will be working the medial and anterior delts mostly.

So those are some of the dumbbell exercises you can do for variety in training your upper back and lats at home without the need for fancy equipment.

Craig

12-Minute Kettlebell Workout

Craig Ballantyne here, with a quick Kettlebell Workout update.

I was flipping through the December 2009 of Men's Health issue, and a little exercise brief caught my eye.

The magazine reports on a study done by a guy named A. Koch, who reported that doing a 12-minute kettlebell workout helped subjects increase their VO2 max.

Now to be honest, I haven't been able to track down the study, and I think it hasn't been published yet, but here's what Men's Health recommended, and you can easily do this at home.

For your 12-minute Kettlebell workout, the magazine suggested doing as many kettlebell swings as you can in 12 minutes.

Obviously you won't be able to go 12-minutes straight, so you might do 20-30 reps in a row, then rest 15-30 seconds, and repeat as many times as you can in 12 minutes.

********************

NOTE: If you are a beginner, I recommend starting with 6 minutes, rather than 12 minutes, otherwise you will be way too sore the next day and you'll be pissed at me.

So be conservative.

********************

Anyways, in each subsequent workout, you want to do more reps in 12 minutes than you did in your last workout.

You always want to be improving your performance, hitting a personal best, and by doing that, you will improve your physique.

In addition, you can also do this 12-minute workout with Kettlebell Squats (for beginners), or Kettlebell Snatches (advanced).

What a great way to do interval training at home without fancy equipment.

And while the magazine did not report on fat loss, I'm willing to bet those subjects burned a lot of belly fat.

So...

there you go. Simple. Fast. Effective.

That's the power of the kettlebell,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Creator, Turbulence Training  

PS - If you want a complete done-for-you Kettlebell Workout program...

...then I recommend you check out the program created by Kettlebell expert and Certified Turbulence Trainer, Chris Lopez:

=> Kettlebell Fat Loss Workouts

And check out his video of how he uses kettlebell workouts at home where he trains with his kids.

Dubai Beach Body Workout

I got such a great response to my article about "how I got my abs" that I wanted to write another story about my past...

...this one involves my trip to Dubai and the workouts I used to get my Persian Gulf beach body.

=> Click here to read the story & Dubai beach body workout

You'll get a good laugh at one of my dorky photos.

 

I'd also love to hear from you, either by email or on the blog, on what you'd like me to write about.

 

Nutrition?

 

Workouts?

 

Fat burning tips for specific body parts?

 

Please let me know so I can help you better,

 

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Bodyweight Bodybuilding

 

PS - Please don't miss out on your last chance to get my latest workout.

I wrote this workout just for you to help you burn fat and sculpt your muscles. This is the program you deserve.

 

Click here to get this new workout

 

You're going to love the new Bodyweight 501 circuit and bodyweight ab exercises. Looking forward to your success story.

How to Burn Fat Video

Deadlift Workout

Happy December 1st to you.

Something to think about...

Why wait till January 1st to change your life and start adding healthy habits?

We have a perfectly good Tuesday, December 1st TODAY to start taking action. Today is the Day to take action - Start now.

I'm on workout C of my new 4-day program, and todays workout was:

1) jumps

2A) deadlifts
2B) ball rollouts

3A) RDL's
3B) cable abs

4) 1-leg calf raise

Long time since I've done those...

Speaking of long time...here's a look back at my 2006 workouts and my trip to Dubai:

=> Build Muscle for a Beach Body

After the workout I had chocolate milk and then lunch of Amys chili with wild rice, tomato, avocado, and 2 slices flax bread. Off to chicago tomorrow for 2 days.

Stay strong,

Craig

PS - Great quote for today...

Kekich Credo 27 - "The choice to exert integrated effort or to default to camouflaged laziness is the key choice that determines your character, competence and future. That critical choice must be made continually – throughout life. The most meaningful thing to live for is reaching your full potential.

Workouts From Canada

This is the week that Canada attacks!

More about the "attack" in a second...but first, I have 3 secrets on how to use bodyweight exercises to build more muscle and burn fat that I used in the new TT Bodyweight Bodybuilding program...

1) Alter the repetition speed

Instead of going up and down as fast as you can with little or no control, in the Bodyweight Bodybuilding workouts you'll see that some exercises are done fast and others are done slow to maximize the fat burning, muscle building response you get from each movement.

2) Alter the repetition style to increase the amount of tension on the muscle

By incorporating movements like "one and one-half reps", we can take a good leg exercise and turn it into one of the most effective leg exercises available - with or without weights. You'll be shocked by how this one little change can at least double your results.

3) Maximize the tension through biomechanical changes in traditional exercises

By leaning forward, using one limb instead of two, slightly altering the body's position from a traditional exercise, and by strategically arranging exercises in "secret combinations", we can "trick" the body into giving you more results without piling on the weights.

That means you can transform your body anywhere, anytime.

I use all three of these secrets to get you MORE results with less time - and NO weights - in the new Bodyweight Bodybuilding program.

NOTE:

You can only get Bodyweight Bodybuilding as part of an exclusive collection of workouts from Canadian trainers that are being given away for Vince Del Monte's Birthday Bash here:

=> http://www.WorkoutsFromCanada.com

In addition to Bodyweight Bodybuilding created by yours truly, you'll also get 4 other workout programs from Canada's top fitness experts, including:

1) "No-Nonsense Muscle Building" DVD's from "Canada's Cover Model" Vince Del Monte

2) "No-Nonsense 6-Pack Abs" DVD's from "Canada's Cover Model" Vinny D

3) "Classified Muscle Building: Biceps, Triceps, Forearms" from "The Undercover Canadian & Mad Scientist" Nick Nilsson (former Canuck now living in the USA & inventing crazy new exercises every week!)

4) "Hard-core Muscle Building" from the "Canadian Colossus", Lee Hayward, a soft-spoken muscle building giant from Newfoundland

That's right, it's time for us four Canadians to invade the fitness world with our workouts and exercise secrets...

Click here to get all of these workouts PLUS some NUTRITION bonuses from our American friends:

=> http://www.WorkoutsFromCanada.com

In case you're wondering why Canada is "attacking" this week, the answer is that it's all Vince's fault.

You see, it's Vince's 30th birthday this week, and for the last 7 months he's been asked over and over again about when he is going to make his cover model workout DVD's available again.

(After all, the first 500 copies sold out in less than 4 days when he released them in April...Plus, he's giving an extra $50 discount this week only...so they'll probably SELL OUT faster.)

With our "Canadian Workouts" and American nutrition plans, you'll get a jump-start on your fitness results in 2010 by getting a proven system for building muscle and burning fat.

That is my Canadian-strength promise to you.

Oh Canada,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
"Captain Canada" and Author, TT Bodyweight Bodybuilding

PS - I even convinced Vince to create a special DVD for you...

...called, "A Day in the Life of Vince Del Monte".

You won't want to miss this. Trust me. I've had the chance to hang out with Vince in California, Las Vegas, Toronto, and Orlando, and I've even met his girlfriend and his amazing parents.

Vince is a lot of fun and a class act. You'll get a kick out of this bonus video showing you how to live the fitness lifestyle to the fullest.

This will be the most fun you've had with a fitness expert ever, I promise...

Click here to get Vince's bonus video, all the crazy Canadian workouts, and special nutrition bonuses:

=> http://www.WorkoutsFromCanada.com

And remember, you have Vince's Canadian-strength 60-day guarantee that you will totally love these workouts and nutrition information.

TT 2010 Workout

Went through Workout A from TT 2K10 with a friend today, and it finished up with a different spin on using Kettlebells for intervals. That workout will be out right after Christmas.

Got home and made today's blender drink:

1 banana, raspberries, cashew butter, walnuts, almond milk, cacao nibs, and Vanilla Chai Vega Whole Food powder. I was surprised you could still taste the chai after all that. I actually dislike chai. It's lame. But I wanted to try this stuff out.

I think also got the chocolate flavor, so I'll try that tomorrow.

And here's today's Kekich Credo...#36:

"Religiously nourish your body with proper nutrition, exercise, recreation, sleep and relaxation techniques."

Simple, yet effective. Throw in social support and you have all the tools you need to succeed.

Craig

PS - Don't miss part 5 of Tony Horton's interview featuring...

7 Powerful words for healthy eating

Upper Body Workout

Lazy day today...a sleep-in, a dog walk, a workout, and then more dog walking, reading, and football. I'll probably even watch the Grey Cup tonight.

On my facebook page today, I was talking about a fitness fraud...

"Calorie counters on cardio machines are the biggest fraud in fat loss exercise today. Avoid the cardio confessional...pointless! You can't "burn off" Thanksgiving feasts and calorie binges with 30 min of cardio. Stop living that mindset & free yourself from the guilt. Focus on whole, natural foods and short burst work...outs 90% of the time and enjoy yourself the other 10% - Guilt-free and boring cardio-free."

And then I went for an upper body workout...

1A) Close-Grip Bench
1B) Barbell Row

2A) DB Incline Press
2B) Rope Row

3A) Dips
3B) Incline Hammer Curls

I was going to do some jump training as well, but the room for that was in use...I'll slip it in tomorrow instead.

Traveling to Chicago this week for a few days, so I had to move up my workouts. New program too, so I am testing the waters this week.

Stay strong,

craig

PS - Watch for Bodyweight Bodybuilding - available Tuesday.

 

Losing Fat Advice & Today's Workout

Here's something I just posted on the TT Facebook Fanpage

"Losing fat is a game between you and the outside world.

Everyone, from family to friends to co-workers to restaurant owners to TV advertisers are conspiring against you to make you eat more and exercise less.

Like it or not, it's true.

They might not be doing it on purpose, or with bad intentions, but they are happier when you are fed, full, and flat out on the couch.

You must always know your options.

You must have Plans A, B, C, D, and E. You must be prepared to counter-attack.

When they say pizza, you say sushi.

When they say take-out, you say, "I've already prepared my lunch".

When they say, "Happy Hour", you say, "Workout first."

Surround yourself with people who are fitter and healthier than you.

The power of social support and POSITIVE peer pressure will help you take your health and fitness to the next level.

Stay strong!

**************************

Today, I hit a dog walk and then a workout...

1) hang cleans

2A) squats
2B) chins

3A) Back Extensions
3B) Plank on Ball
3C) 1-Leg Stability Ball Leg Curl

Now time for another dog walk.

By the way, thanks to my stomach issues this week, I lost 7 pounds but have only gained 2 back. Time for more food. Send me your leftover Thanksgiving food and pumpkin pies!!!

Craig

PS - 3 resources for you...

Video => Evolution of Pullups

Tony Horton's advice for personal trainers
=> http://www.ttfatloss.com/fat-loss/5-tony-hortons-advice-for-trainers/

3 muscle tips, bodyweight bodybuilding, & 6 questions you MUST ask yourself
for happiness => Bodyweight Bodybuilding

Enjoy!

Bodyweight Workout Challenges for You!

I have a new program coming out this week called, "Bodyweight Bodybuilding"...more details on Tuesday...

But first, a review of another classic bodyweight program:

=> Click here to get 3 bodyweight workouts

Plus, you'll also discover...

- More info on fish oil supplementation
- One thing I want you to do next Saturday
- The harsh reality about other people and your success
- 3 muscle building tips from Vince Del Monte
- How much lifting it takes to burn 500 calories
- 6 Questions you MUST ask yourself if you want TRUE happiness
- The TRUTH about fruit and fat loss

All this and lots of cool exercises.

=> Click here to get 3 bodyweight workouts

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MSAuthor, TT Bodyweight Bodybuilding

PS - You'll love the new Bodyweight Bodybuilding because...

...it features a powerful new Bodyweight 501 circuit.

Of course, if you go crazy for bodyweight workouts, I've even included instructions on how to turn the Bodyweight 501 into the INSANE Bodyweight 666 circuit - if you dare!

That program comes out on Tuesday...watch your email for details!

Recovery Workout

Did a mini workout today...feeling a lot better...just some deadlifts - unfortunately I lost 7 pounds in 2 days.

Going to start a new 4-day per week program tomorrow. I have some big plans for this program and expect big results.

Big expectations are the theme today...Here's another one of my favorite Kekich Credo's, #40:

"No dream is too big. It takes almost the same amount of time and energy to manage tiny projects or businesses as it does to manage massive ones...and the massive ones carry with them - proportional rewards."

I say...

Your long term goals must include massive dreams. The same steps will be taken to lose 50 lbs as will for 5 lbs. Do the right things & never give up.

Now for some fun:

How I got my abs - fun post (best ever?) => Click here to read how I got my abs

Have a great weekend,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS - Get your pre-workout/post-Thanksgiving "mental spanking" here:

Renegade Style!

=> http://therenegadegym.com/media/videos/

Training there in a few weeks!

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you're doing amazing today...I spent almost all day Wednesday in bed with a headache and stomachache...I think I'm a little better today...had a fever last night, but headache is gone today...but now my stomach hurts more. Weird, because I'm not having too much trouble eating.

Anwyways...

I plan on getting well soon, because I call this weekend the "Kick-Off to the Holiday Season" and I want to be out and aboot!

Plus, I want to take this time to wish you an amazing jump-start to the holidays.

However, there is ONE mistake you must NOT make...

Last week on the TT Member's forum one girl was really upset because she binged and overate carbs.

But she didn't have to feel that way...she didn't need to feel that guilt. In fact, it can be OKAY to blow it!

What if blowing it actually HELPED you lose fat?

That's pretty powerful stuff. A huge change in mindset.

No more guilt. Only better results. If you do it the RIGHT way.

All you have to do is follow this simple blueprint to the holidays that Joel Marion put together. 

It's a cheat day on Thanksgiving (today), followed by a specific way of eating till the next day of cheating. You even get a semi-cheat day on Christmas eve followed by another full cheat day on Christmas.

It's all laid out for you.

Heck, it's so worth it just to have the guilt removed from eating your favorite holiday meals - the fact that it will work and is easy to follow is just a bonus.

To be honest, I think the #1 benefit to this whole "cheat" thing is psychological...it just allows you to indulge without guilt.

That is 100x's more important in my mind than any hormone changes.

So if you're ready to say goodbye to guilt, while getting back your freedom and control over your diet and fat loss, then please hurry, because today is the last day to get Joel's Holiday Eating Blueprint.

=> Click here for Joel's guilt free holiday diet

Stay strong and have a wonderful weekend,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS - I have a cool article for you tomorrow about how I got my abs...

...and it involves some travel back in time through all of my workout and music phases. It will be perfect Friday reading.

No Workout Today

Weird - felt terrible all morning...skipped my workout and had a nap instead.

I'm still only about 80% right now, plus my legs and glutes are really sore from filming TT Abs beginner workouts last night and from squats on Monday.

Should be 100% tomorrow...

This might be helpful for folks on Thanksgiving...

=> How to Stop Binge Eating

And here's a possible Thanksgiving workout for you...

=> 10x10 Circuit Workout

Safe travels to all my American friends going home for Turkey Day,

Craig

PS - Just posted a 15-Minute, 4 upper body exercise circuit...

...that will hit your abs hard without doing a traditional ab exercise

=> http://www.Facebook.com/TurbulenceTrainingFanpage

Join the TT Fan Page to get that today!

Peer Pressure & Your Fat Loss Diet

Without a doubt, one of the most difficult things about losing fat is eating in social situations. The peer-pressure (from both the ignorant and immature) is the toughest test of your commitment.

BUT...

If you want to succeed, you have to lay the ground rules. There is no room for debate. You are either in or you are out.

And you might just surprise some folks when you show them that life can go on if you don't eat chicken wings with them.

So...

Be loud and proud of what you are doing. There are more folks secretly wishing someone will take charge and be a healthy role model for them.

It might not happen overnight, but if you continue to lead by healthy example - without preaching or being condescending - you can build an entourage of social support and people who want to be
healthy like you.

This will build powerful relationships that will take your health to the next level.

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training
TTMembers.com

Back to the Weights

Had fun with last week's bodyweight training, but to be honest I just missed the weights...so it was back to lifting, albeit conservatively in the first week of a new program...

Todays workout: hang cleans, squats, handstand pushups, rope rows, db presses, glute-ham raises, chinups.

And today's inspiration/motivation:

"To live an extraordinary life, you must resist an ordinary approach." - Frank McKinney, from "Make It Big". Great book...written about his real estate adventures, but still great.

Translating Frank's thoughts into fat loss application...

That means sticking to your plan, not giving in to peer pressure, and being immune to criticism. Work on these daily. This week should be an excellent test for everyone - especially my American friends.

And today's "video of the day": I filmed a couple of Bootcamp video tips for my buddy Chris McCombs last week in Orlando, and here's an 86 second video on why and how we set up the TT Bootcamps the way we do...

=> TT Bootcamp Video Tip

Stay strong and enjoy this important week,

Craig

PS - Supercharge your week by downloading your copy of the Kekich Credo's here...

=> Kekich Credos

I recommend you review one everyday.

First Study to Support 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight when dieting?

Here's a study I came across today...looks like it might be the first study I've ever seen to support 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight when dieting...very interesting...I'll need to buy this one and review it...

One thing to note, they cut calories big-time, by 40%. So that would be taking a guy on 2000 calories all the way down to 1200 calories. That's a big drop.

Anyways, here's the abstract...

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Nov 13. [Epub ahead of print]

Increased Protein Intake Reduces Lean Body Mass Loss during Weight Loss in Athletes.

Mettler S, Mitchell N, Tipton KD.

1School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom 2Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland 3English Institute of Sport, Sheffield, United Kingdom.

PURPOSE:: To examine the influence of dietary protein on lean body mass loss and performance during short-term hypoenergetic weight loss in athletes. METHODS:: In a parallel design, 20 healthy, young resistance trained athletes were examined for energy expenditure for one week and fed a mixed diet (15% protein, 100% energy) in the second week, followed by a hypoenergetic diet (60% of the habitual energy intake), containing either 15% (~1.0g.kg) protein (control group, n=10; CP) or 35% (~2.3 g.kg) protein (high protein group, n=10; HP) for two weeks. Subjects continued their habitual training throughout the study. Total, lean body and fat mass, performance (squat jump, maximal isometric leg extension, one repetition maximum bench press, muscle endurance bench press and 30 sec wingate test) and fasting blood samples (glucose, non esterified fatty acids (NEFA), glycerol, urea, cortisol, free testosterone, free IGF-1 and growth hormone) and psychological measures were examined at the end of each of the four weeks. RESULTS:: Total (-3.0 +/- 0.4 kg and -1.5 +/- 0.3 kg for the CP and HP, respectively, p=0.036) and lean body mass loss (-1.6 +/- 0.3 kg and -0.3 +/- 0.3 kg, p=0.006) were significantly larger in the CP compared to the HP. Fat loss, performance and most blood parameters were not influenced by the diet. Urea was higher in HP and NEFA and urea showed a group*time interaction. Fatigue ratings and 'worse than normal' scores on the DALDA were higher in HP. CONCLUSION:: These results indicate that ~2.3 g.kg-1 or ~35% protein was significantly superior to ~1.0 g.kg-1 or ~15% energy protein for maintenance of lean body mass in healthy young athletes during short-term, hypoenergetic weight loss.

Bodyweight Workout Out Behind the Barn

Looks like i made the right decision to go to bed early and skip the UFC fight...anyone watch it? I wanted Tito to win - oh well.

Started the day with an apple and a peanut butter sandwich, and then a quick bodyweight and kettlebell workout.

My workout was pushups (hands elevated on two stones), bodyweight squats, hill sprints (all done behind my dad's old barn), then back inside for kb rows.

Hope you are having a healthy start to your week. Stay strong, even over the holidays, and make sure you plan out your reward meals so you stay guilt-free this Thanksgiving weekend (for my American friends).

Heading back to Toronto now,

Craig

PS - Supercharge your week by downloading your copy of the Kekich Credo's here...

...and review one everyday:

=> Kekich Credos

They will inspire you to success. For example, here's the one I reviewed yesterday...

"Find out what works, and then do more of it. Focus on first doing the right things, and then on doing things right by mastering details. A few basic moves produce most results" - Kekich Credo #18

Thanksgiving Week Fat Loss

Happy Thanksgiving week to my American friends.

 

This week, I'm giving you a new bodyweight workout program that you can do WITHOUT any equipment.

 

Anytime, anywhere. 

Perfect for the holiday season.

 

Click here for the bodyweight abs workout

 

Plus, you'll get...

 

- The 300 Abs Workout (Intermediate level)

- Surprising research on how money can motivate you to transform your body

- The TRUTH about fish oil and fat loss

- The best blender to use for making smoothies

- A powerful, motivational, and inspirational quote from Lance Armstrong 

 

Have a great week,

 

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

 

PS - Don't forget...

 

...if you "fall off the wagon", just cut your losses and move on. 

 

Don't dwell on nutrition mistakes. It's not that big of a deal.

 

But if you want to prepare in advance to avoid blowing your diet, check out these amazing vegetarian holiday recipes:

 

=> Click here for the holiday Veggie recipes

 

Hurry, they are only available until Wednesday, Nov 25th!

Bodyweight Workout & Simple Nutrition Tip

Had dinner with a good buddy of mine last night and he said, like most people, that he was getting way off track with his nutrition on the weekend...

...so make sure you plan ahead to have the right food available for meal times, plan out your "cheat/reward" meals, and remember this:

The harsh TRUTH is...

"If its in your house, you're going to eat it."

So get rid of the junk, and don't let it get there in the first place!

Here are a couple of meals I had today...

Breakfast blender drink: lots of raspberries, blueberries, spinach, 1 banana, almonds, almond milk, almond butter, sunflower seeds, cacao nibs

Early lunch salad: spinach, black beans, 1/2 avocado, broccoli, peppers (red, green, orange), onion, salsa.

Then I had my bodyweight workout - a circuit of basic exercises in perfect order for a combo of conditioning and perhaps even muscle building. Workout C in the new Bodyweight Bodybuilding coming out in December for TT Platinum Members. Will also be releasing TT 15-Minute Express workouts for all members...maybe even in time for Turkey Day.

And a real great quote from a TT Facebook Friend:

" I hit 3 personal bests this morning - thanks for posting about trying for PB's during every workout. Thank you for all you do and know that it makes a difference for me!" Jen Russell

Make sure to hit a personal best in each of your workouts,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

PS - Here's a great line from my buddy Jay Ferruggia...

When you do what you love and live according to your own rules Fridays should be no more exciting than Mondays. Every day's a great one.

PPS - Here's the latest fat burning coaching call...

...where you'll learn abou the TT Abs workout, more fat loss research (about money), and grasshopper pushups here:

=> Abdominal Exercises & Fat Loss Tips

Have a great weekend!

Get Lean and Jacked Workout B

I love putting together the TT Meathead programs and here's:

Get Lean and Jacked Workout B

If you get bored following traditional workouts, but hate to sacrifice results just for the sake of variety, then this is one workout you will want to follow. In this workout you will use kettlebells, bodyweight, and barbells fused together into supersets and circuits to deliver a super fast and ultra effective workout.

The first exercise is a forward lunge, but instead of alternating sides, you will do all reps for one side and then switch to the other side. Do 8 reps per side. Then take a minute rest and repeat this exercise 2 more times for a total of 3 sets.

Next up you'll mix in a superset pairing of barbell squats and back extensions.

Your legs will inevitably be a little tired from the lunges, so you won't be able to use your maximum weight for the barbell squats.

So, with the bar positioned at chest height, step underneath of it, taking a relatively close grip (unless you have shoulder mobility problems). Then, take the bar off the rack and step back with a medium stance with feet slightly wider than your shoulders. Keep your chest up, head forward and drop your hips down and back, then drive back up.

For the back extensions, start by lying down on the ball, with your feet shoulder-width apart and firmly planted on the floor for good support. Position your hands behind your head and keep your chest up as you raise your body up. You can also use a back extension chair if you have access to one.

Rest for 1 minute and repeat that set 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Next, for the interval portion of the workout you will do a kettlebell circuit, following 3 exercises for a total of 500 total repetitions.

First, start with kettlebell swings for 200 reps with as few sets and as few rests as possible. If you are a woman, using a KB that is less than 18 pounds is a good place to start. If you are a man, and haven't been training, you can start out with the 18 pound KB. If you are more advanced, however, you can use a heavier weight, but be conservative with it if you are starting out.

Start with the kettlebell down in front at arms length. Next, push your hips back and drive the kettlebell up to shoulder height using the power of your hips. Your arms should not be doing any of the work and are simply along for the ride. Mental fatigue and your grip may slow you down, but make sure you finish the 200 swings.



From there you will move into a superset of bodyweight squats for 200 and stability ball jackknives for 100 reps.

For Bodyweight Squats, place your feet just wider than hip-width apart, arms straight out in front of you. Push your hips back as you squat down. Do 200 reps in total, breaking them up as needed. You can also break these exercises up into a superset by combining this exercise with the Stability Ball Jackknives and doing as many reps as you can.

For the Stability Ball Jackknives, put your hands on the floor with your feet balanced straight out on the ball. Pull your knees into your chest and back out. You will do a total of 100 reps.

Enjoy,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

Bodyweight Workout & Filming

Last around midnight we finished up 3 hours of filming the beginner portion of the Turbulence Training Express workouts...3 more hours tonight...dang! We'll be filming the advanced portion. I earned my cashew butter and blueberry sandwich on flax bread midnight snack.

Earlier today, I had a blender drink: 1 banana, blueberries, raspberries, almond milk, pumpkin seed butter, walnuts, spinach. poured over oatmeal, raisins, almonds

And then hit the gym for another bodyweight workout featuring hops, jumps, (no skips), handstand pushups, bw rows, chins, decline pushups, 1-leg ball curls, and more. Legs are feeling it already.

But of course, no quitting allowed. In fact, most people quit too early...just before success.

A facebook friend of mine, Natasha Petra Sara Blackmore, sent me this inspiration yesterday...

"The line between failure and success is so fine that we are often on the line and do not know it. How many times has a man thrown up his hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience, would have achieved success? Just a little more effort and what seemed hopeless failure may turn into glorious success."
Elbert Hubbard

Great stuff. And before I go film tonight, I'm going to go read...Just finished "New Empire of Debt" and now reading "Mad
Cowboy". Also read "High Raw" by Kevin Gianni last week. The best of the 36 books I've read this year have been "Emergency", "The Go-Giver", "The Choice" (Eli Goldratt), and "Crush It".

What are you reading?

Craig

Nutrition Challenge

Just did a short interval training workout outside in the fresh fall air. having a bowl of dorset cereals "nutty muesli" with almond milk. Big TT filming session tonight - putting together the December workout of the month - a 15-minute workout program (beginner and advanced versions).

Earlier today I had a big salad: spinach, onion, orange and green peppers, broccoli, salsa, tomato, avocado and kidney beans.

Sad statistic: My dog eats more fruits and vegetables each day than the average person - "The average American eats one and one-half servings of vegetables and one serving of fruit per day."

(And they count ketchup as a vegetable!)

So don't be another statistic.

Bally the Dog just ate some peppers, avocado, and broccoli from my salad, and then we shared an apple. He also had 1/5 of a banana and some blueberries today.

So get started on making improvements in your nutrition today. Every day add another 1/2 serving of fruits or vegetables until you are getting at least 5 total. But you can do even better than that...work your way up to 10.

But don't forget to celebrate your successes.

You must set goals (outcome and process), and upon reaching them, reward your performance. Do not reward yourself unless you reach your goal. You have to be tough on yourself. It is not easy to succeed. (An outcome goal is a result, such as losing 5 pounds. A process goal is action oriented, such as committing to working out 3x's per week.)

Do the best you can and you will succeed,

Craig

15-Minute Workouts & Metabolic Circuits

Been working hard on some tough new bodyweight programs, 15-minute workouts, and metabolic circuits. Tuesday night we'll be filming the December program - TT Express Workouts. So today I put a client through a couple of them just to make sure they were perfect. 

My buddy Nate Green also posted an interview with me on his site.

Check it out:

=> Nate Green Interview

And then I posted some bodyweight exercises and my grocery list on my blog:

=> Bodyweight Exercises

Finally, my motivational quote of the day...

"Ignore the gimmicks, such as, "cold water burns calories", or "adding lemon to your water burns fat", and "negative calorie foods". These are all a joke when it comes to fat loss. Instead, focus on the 2 things that get results - a diet of whole, natural foods and short, burst intense exercise. Most people get caught up in the tiny things but ignore the real deal."

Craig

PS - Do you know what the world's most dangerous animal is?

A hungry Balligator.

Click here to see the terrifying animal known as a Balligator

You don't want to be caught out in the wild around one of those things.

Intense Bodyweight Workout

This week I'm taking a break from heavy barbell work to plan out a bunch of TT programs. And today ended up being a killer intense bodyweight workout - possibly harder than anything in my last 4-week program.

I actually felt a little sick after this...

Bodyweight Bodybuilding Workout A...lots of jumps, pullups, rows, bulgarian splits squats, dips, bodyweight triceps presses, 1 and 1/2 reps, and Vinny D. crash sets. 50 minutes of bodyweight insanity. TT Platinum Members will get this in December.

NOTE: Feeling sick/nauseous is not necessary in order to have a productive workout. And part of my nausea was due to eating/drinkiing too much before training...but mostly from a higher rep, higher volume bodyweight workout.

Here's the morning blender drink I over-consumed before training: 1 banana, raspberries, blueberries, spinach, almond milk, almond butter, walnuts, cacao nibs. poured some over oatmeal and almonds.

Overall, great workout and learning experience, you're going to love this one.

Of course, another reason to be a part of TT members is the social support.

In my experience, social support is the #1 key for success in sticking to a fitness program.

While the support can come from your spouse, sibling, child, parent, friend, neighbor, or co-worker, individuals have a better chance of sticking to an exercise program when they hold themselves accountable to a personal trainer or lifestyle coach. Don't try and do this on your own. Social support is important in your quest for fitness and fat loss.

I actually posted that quote on the Turbulence Training Facebook Fanpage last week, and I received this awesome reply from a TT user.

"Your training programs r the best. I needed to lose a few lbs and thought I would try it out. it was incredible. I lost 10 lbs in a month and did not really change my diet except to cut back on the sugar( which was hard to do for coffee) , It worked. No more 6 day per week workouts for me."
Don Held

That's pretty darn cool, I love getting feedback like that.

And here's something else I posted on the Fanpage today...

"Figure yourself out; spend some time in introspection" - Frank McKinney.

Brilliant idea for today...take 10-15 minutes for yourself to write down where you're headed for the rest of the year, and what plans you want you to accomplish in 2010 and then put in some action steps you need to follow to reach those goals.

Keep it simple and clear.

Is the life you're living worth what you are giving up to have it?

Are you doing what you want in life?

Are living the personal life that you want?

Are you doing enough of the little things that make you happy?

Are you spending enough time with the people that make you happy?

Are you making the best use of the limited time you have in your one lifetime?

Simple questions. Simple answers.

Make a simple plan.

Develop simple solutions.

To your success,

Craig

PS -  If you fall "off the wagon"...

...cut your losses, don't worry about it, and get right back on track. Immediately. It's minor damage that can be dealt with. Stay STRONG!

Click here to get Turbulence Training and become a TT Member

Gain Muscle and Lose Fat with this TT workout

Here's one of my old workouts that will give you 3 supersets to to gain muscle and lose fat in jsut 30 minutes.

This workout is tailored for those looking to build muscle and boost their metabolism in a hurry. With classic dumbbell and barbell exercises, along with a couple of bodyweight exercises, one with a unique twist, this fusion workout is sure to keep you motivated and coming back for more.

Make sure you warm up with two sets of three to four bodyweight exercises in circuit-like fashion, including a 30 second rest in between. Once you've gotten that out of the way, you're ready to start your workout.



To begin, you'll pair dumbbell Presses with dumbbell Squats, or alternatively you can do barbell Chest Presses and Snatch Grip Deadlifts. Just be sure to use either of the presses and either of the lower body exercises in this superset.

For the flat chest press, simply lean back on the bench and press the DBs up and out and down and in.

Immediately following all your reps for the press, hold the DBs at your sides, push your hips back, while keeping your back flat, and then squat down and drive up.

For the barbell press, place your hands just inside of the rings and tuck your elbows into your sides as you lower the bar to your chest and then pushing the bar back up. With your hands slightly narrower and tucking your elbows in, you are effectively taking a lot of the stress off of your shoulder joint, and placing more stress on your shoulder muscles and tricep muscles.

Make sure that when you do deadlift, that you are using full sized plates, otherwise it requires you to go down further and most likely lose your form. In this exercise, you will place your hands outside of the main rings on the bar. Squat down and keep your back flat and chin up, bring the bar up while keeping the bar close to your body.

With the wide hand position, it will be a little more difficult for you to hold a lot of weight, so you won't be able to lift as much as you normally would, but it will also remove some of the risk of injury.

In the second superset of this muscle building workout you will pair dumbbell incline press with dumbbell rows.

Once you've completed all your reps for the incline press, then immediately go into the rows.

With your knee and hand on the bench, place the dumbbell in your other hand at arm's length below you. Next, with your back flat, row the DB up to your abdomen, squeezing you’re your shoulder blade at the top position. Do all reps for one side and then switch.

In this final superset of the workout, you will pair two bodyweight exercises; push ups and inverted rows.

With the push ups, we're adding a slight twist to make them a little more difficult. So, perform a regular push up, however, when you are in the bottom position, pause for one second and then push up and repeat.

This is a great way for beginners to improve their push up strength.

For the inverted rows, you will use an underhand grip. So, with the bar at hip height, row your chest up to the bar, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top position and slowly lower yourself back down. Repeat.

That's it for this short muscle gaining, metabolism boosting strength portion of the workout. And by the end you should be feeling an incredible arm pump. From here, you'll finish off your workout with interval training.

Booty Workout - part 2

I just posted the 2nd part of the Booty For Life Better Butt Workout.

 

Click here for the butt workout program

 

You'll also discover...

 

1) A Men's Health nutrition secret to drop 3.5 pounds

2) An ab exercise that works 30% harder than the plank

3) A sad fact about the health and fitness of dogs!

4) The 1 thing that motivates one of my best friends to workout

5) One thing you need to do in every workout to get results

6) 3-step method to figure out how many calories you need

 

Enjoy!

 

To your success,

 

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

Author, Booty for Life

PS - Want all 8 weeks of the Booty for Life program?

 

It is a proven booty-building 3-day per week workout.

 

Click here for Booty for Life

Last Workout on this program

Last week of this workout - designed with help from Vince Del Monte...

1) Deadlift - 4x8-10

2A) Good Morning
2B) DB 1-Arm Shoulder press

Uh, obviously I cut the workout short. Had a flight to catch to Orlando for the weekend.

Festivities will resume on monday with a new 4-week program

Craig

Night Eating

On Monday I was talking to Tony Horton about night eating, and how setting a cut-off time for your last meal is an excellent way to cut calories and transform your body.

Now there's nothing magical about stopping eating at 7 or 8pm, but it does help you avoid dreaded night binging.

So during the holidays, if you aren't going to a party or holiday dinner, set a cut-off time each night for your food intake.

Set a rule that you can't eat after 7:30pm, and you'll avoid taking in too many calories.

(Of course, it doesn't have to be 7:30, that was just as an example.)

That's a simple powerful tip that will help you get through the holiday eating season - WITHOUT GUILT!

And if you want 14 more SIMPLEways to easily cut calories over the holidays, then grab Joel Marion's new report.

=> Click here for his holiday fat loss nutrition tips

Say goodbye to too many holiday calories,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS - Hurry, today is the last day he is giving it away.

Female Fitness & Disrespectful Personal Trainers

One of my biggest pet peeves is getting female personal training clients who have never done a pushup or bodyweight row.

Now I'm not talking about beginners...but about women who have been training with other personal trainers and who have decided to train with me instead.

Time after time I would ask my new clients to do pushups or even eccentric chinups, and they would say...

"Oh, my old trainer never had me do those exercises."

That always pissed me off.

Why?

Because it means their "old trainers" didn't respect their strength, fitness, and ability.

Instead, like most of the fitness industry, they were just out to get their client's money.

And that's how it remains today. Most personal trainers just like to talk to their female clients and give them a few fluff exercises, rather than respecting their client's time.

So that's why I'm excited to see one of the first "respectful" fitness books written for women is now available.

It's from Rachel Cosgrove, an amazing trainer, who has worked with triathletes, fitness competitors, obese women, beginners, and even female powerlifters.

She is a true female fitness expert, and her new book includes:

1) The ultimate guide to strength training for sustainable fat-loss, increased energy, and healthy body image for women who want to be in great shape, look amazing, and feel sexy and empowered

2) A 16-week program

3) A 2-week Bodyweight-Only Jumpstart Phase that will help women adjust to strength training while seeing results in just days

4) Over 100 fully illustrated warm-up moves and innovative strength-training exercises using everything from dumbbells and barbells to bands and straps

5) A comprehensive nutrition plan including nutrient-timing strategies that work with workouts, satisfying foods that promote optimum health and energy, and even an indulgent snack every day 

Grab your copy of her book here:

=> Click here for your copy of Rachel's book - Female Body Breakthrough

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

Vegan Muscle Building

Making some decent progress with the current vegan muscle building diet and workout.

1) Jumps

2A) BB Row - 3x12
2B) DB Press - 2x8-10

3A) BB Lunge - 2x12
3B) Pullups with Kneeups - 3x8

4A) Ball Rollout - 3x12
4B) DB Triceps Extensions
4C) DB Curls

(Also included some of Vince Del Monte's "crash sets".)

Hope you had a great workout today. And if you are thinking about "slacking off" or worse, "quitting", then read this...a classic quote from a classic movie:

"Quit? You know, once I was thinking about quitting when I was diagnosed with brain, lung and testicular cancer, all at the same time. But with the love and support of my friends and family, I got back on the bike and I won the Tour de France five times in a row. But I'm sure you have a good reason to quit." - Lance Armstrong, from the movie, "Dodgeball"

Now to finish off the work day with a giant meal of wild rice, black beans, avocado, tomato, and salsa.

Craig

PS - Just posted an entertaining "sexy body" blog post over at TT Fat Loss...

...from John Romaniello.

"5 muscle building, fat burning tips for guys" - (also includes pictures of hot girls and a killer squirrel!)

Visit the blog here:

=> Muscle Building Beach Body Tips

John is a funny guy!

Tony Horton P90X Interview

After an early dog walk, I did this 25 minute workout:

Kettlebell swings and pushup circuit, then outside for sprints+mountain climber circuit. All with my trainer, Ballythedog. Perfect fall weather.

Some of this was inspired by my interview with Tony Horton yesterday. And I've put the Tony Horton interview up on my blog...(pass it on)...you'll discover his favorite workouts, his thoughts on intervals, cardio, and yoga, even 3 powerful business lesson for personal trainers

=> Tony Horton P90X Interview

Download that to your Ipod for your workouts or drive to work. Very inspiring.

And as I mentioned earlier, I love this time of year (the weather is great for training outside), but I hate to see how many people get stressed out by holiday eating and the fear of gaining fat.

But I have good news...

For the next 3 days Body Transformation Grand Champion Joel Marion is giving away his brand new "Holiday Fat Loss Black Book" report to help you keep off the pounds.

In fact, when you check out this free holiday nutrition guide it will help you lose 10-15 pounds over the next 6 weeks - BEFORE New Year's Eve.

So get your copy here today:

=> http://www.HolidayFatLossDiet.com

And if you want to see what I ate on my travel weekend while doing the vegan diet experiment, check it out here (I made one mistake)

=> Vegan Diet

Say goodbye to holiday belly fat,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS - Always surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed - Gurbaksh Chahal

Back to the Gym

Back in the gym after a nice trip to Atlanta...here's today's workout:

1A) Vertical Jumps
1B) Shrugs

2A) Squats
2B) DB Incline Presses

3A) Rope Seated Rows
3B) Planks

4) Chinups

I was pretty crushed by the end.

In the morning I went to my chiropractor for ART on a bunch of bodyparts and an upper back adjustment. My chiro, Dr. Michael Sommers of Evolve Chiropractic, is one smart dude. He puts me back together after I beat myself up in the gym, or after sports, or after any of my other random accidents.

This weekend he went to a shoulder therapy seminar and came back with a bunch of recommendations for my training...one of which was the incorporation of the rope rows into my program - using a rope allows for a greater and better range of motion in a seated row than using a fixed V-grip handle. Definitely something worth adding to your program.

That exercise made my upper back work really hard even though I used 50% of my regular seated row weight.

I'll be trying out more of his recommendations and passing them on to you soon.

I also had a really great workout because I had a lot of rest on the weekend...I didn't train, and only did a few 30 minute walks around Atlanta. In fact, on Saturday I did something very uncharacteristic of me.

I was getting sick of being in the seminar I was attending, so I went back to my hotel room and watched 7 straight hours of TV, including:

- College Football
- The Breeders Cup (caught a once in a lifetime race - I bet they make a ton of movies about the winning horse)
- Then I rented Inglourious Basterds (slow start, awesome ending)
- Then I watch Strikeforce (the Fedor-Rogers fight - probably the most exciting MMA fight I've ever watched)

On Sunday, I got lucky and caught an early flight home.

And now I'm back on track with workouts.

Stay strong,

Craig Ballantyne

Booty for Life program review

Back in 2005, I created one of my most infamous programs...

 

...one that wasn't available to the general public.

Until now...

 

Here's your chance to get the first 4-weeks of the TT Booty for Life Workout program that will put curves in all the right spots.

 

Click here for the 3-day Booty workout

 

You'll also discover...

 

- The Truth About Junk Food
- The Best Creatine to Use

- The Facts About Lifting While Sitting on a Stability Ball
- Who Sticks to Their Nutrition Better - Men vs Women?
- #1 Most Irresistible Food on a Diet
- The 90% Solution To Sticking to Your Workouts
- 3 Reasons You Need to Eat This Meal

 

All that, and more in this week's program review.

 

To your booty for life,

 

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Booty for Life

 

Personal Best Workout at Gold's Gym

Today's instruction for you:

"Always hit a personal best in each workout. This guarantees progress. And focus on quality workouts, not quantity. Focus on planning ahead to overcome obstacles, rather than trying to "out-cardio" your bad diet. That never works."

After I posted that on the TT Facebook Page I went and trained at Gold's Gym on Peachtree St. in Atlanta - solid.

1A) Pullups
1B) BB Lunges

2A) Hammer Chest Press (for the fun of it)
2B) RDL's

3A) UH bodyweight rows
3B) DB Triceps Extensions
3C) DB Biceps Curls

Good times.

Now for the ladies - and guys too, to be honest - I've just posted the Booty for Life program - check out the 3-day workout (weeks 1-4) here:
=> Booty for Life Workout

Enjoy,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS - Still looking for a new program?

GM and LF with TT for BD and HC

=> Click here to decipher the code and watch the workout

Circuits, Cardio, and Success

Success tip of the day comes from Kekich Credo #4:

"Real regrets only come from not doing your best. All else is out of your control. You're measured by results only. Trade excuses and "trying" for results, and expect half-hearted results from half-hearted efforts. Do MORE than is expected of you. Life's easy when you live it the hard way…and hard if you try to live it the easy way."

So do your best with everything you have control over. Most people fail to control themselves, and end up only with regrets. They trade minutes of pleasure (i.e. fast food) for days, weeks, months, and years of regret. Don't be like that!

Now for some training info...yesterday I was interviewed by Men's Health about how guys could
replace cardio in their workouts and I thought you'd like the sample workouts I provided so that
you could use in your bootcamps.

Check them out here:

=> Circuit Workouts to replace cardio exercise

Let me know your favorite circuits as well,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, TT Bootcamp Workouts

PS - Check out this feedback on the TT Bootcamps program...

"hey, this is Travis Stoetzel, i'm a bootcamp instructor and fitness pro from omaha, ne. i just wanted to let you know that your TT bootcamps program is the bomb! Thanks a ton for being such a giving person and sharing your ideas and knowledge!"
Travis Stoetzel

Fat Loss Interview with Alwyn Cosgrove

One of the few trainers I "listen to" in the fitness industry is Alwyn Cosgrove.

Most other trainers just repeat what he says anyways, so when I go looking for the latest fat loss info, I interview Alwyn.

And here are the latest innovations in fat loss that he's seen work at his facility in California.

1) The New Way to Do Interval Training

For someone who wants to lose a lot of fat quickly interval training is the key.

But you run into a problem.

Running a mile burns about 100 calories, however did you know that running a mile is equal to doing 1000-1500 reps with impact forces of double to triple bodyweight?

So a 180lb person will do 1500 x 360lbs to burn 100 calories.

It's just a massive amount of load and volume and stress on the body.

Switching to the bike makes it less joint load - but the volume of exercise has to go up.

So what's the solution?

At our gym in California, we switched to doing non-traditional interval training using bodyweight, kettlebells etc.  

A 5 exercise circuit performed at 30s on; 30s off for 3 rounds will take 15 minutes, but it will burn way more calories during and after the workout, with way less reps and load - plus that load can be spread over the entire body.

We experimented and hoped it would be a good substitute for traditional intervals and we found it's actually a SUPERIOR choice.

=>Click here for more of Alwyn's Workouts

 

2) Social support is absolutely key to success.

It's the reason why weight watchers meetings and their entire program of just "Eat less" continues to work (and beat the results of a lot of gyms).

It's not the program - it's the social support factor in their group meetings.

I think it's one of the reasons why semi-private training appears to generate better results than one-on -one and one-on-one training outperforms training on your own. Social support rules.

If you have to train alone, make sure your friends and significant others support you in your efforts outside of the gym.

If they won't - its' going to be tough so consider hiring a trainer, getting a training partner or joining an accountability forum such as the Turbulence Training Member's area.

3) Nutrition: Multiple Meals Work Best

Every time I stray away from multiple meals with our clients, results go down.

I think 3 meals and 3 snacks always works. I've seen results with carb cycling, intermittent fasting and other methods - but as the complexity goes up, the results never go up with it.

I think simple principle based nutrition of:

- eating multiple meals
- eating some protein at each meal
- eating a serving of fruit or vegetables with each meal
- and just keeping refined carbs low always ALWAYS works for fat loss

If you're dieting for a show then maybe you need to count calories - but for most people that's a level TEN approach.

And we're starting at level one: nutritional free-styling.

Just following some simple principles is a massive forward step.

Stop looking for a perfect system and just follow ONE.
********************************************************************

Thanks Alwyn.

Oh, I forgot to mention, Alwyn doesn't sugar-coat anything and is pretty blunt - just like me...

...but that's why our clients get results.

Alwyn is also the author of the workout program in this book:

=> Fast Speed Fat Loss

With that program, you can lose fat over the holiday season.

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

Metabolism Myths and Muscle Building

Lame articles about "boosting your metabolism" are all over the internet...so I want to talk about two of the bigger myths today.

1) "Eating breakfast boosts metabolism" = myth.

Just another one of those things that trainers repeat all day long without data. Show me the research. (I know research shows that folks who eat breakfast keep the weight off, but where's the "breakfast boosts metabolism" study?)

And what does that mean anyways - eating breakfast boosts your metabolism by 10 calories, 100 calories or 1000 calories? Does anyone stop and think before they repeat this stuff all day long? 

2) Another "metabolism" myth - One pound of muscle burns 50 calories per day.

Sounds good when you're talking about one pound, but would i really burn an extra 1000 calories per day if I gained 20 pounds? No, of course not.

Bodybuilders that have over 100 pounds of muscle on their bodies would have metabolic rates of over 5000 calories per day if this was true. Again, another myth spreads because we don't take time to stop and think...

Fitness "journalists" need to show a little critical thinking when they write their articles.

*************

Alright, now on to my workout for the day. Since I'm traveling to Atlanta today and not sure if I'd get to a "real gym" with barbells, I moved up some of my barbell exercises to today that otherwise would be done on Friday.

1) Jumps - doing well with these...need to test out on a basketball court, but pretty sure I can touch the rim again.

2A) Deadlift - 3x6, 2x10
2B) Military Press - 3x6 (little weak on these today)

3A) BB Row - 2x12
3B) DB Press - 2x10
3C) BB Curl - 2x10

I'll save lunges, pullups, and some other DB and ab exercises for the hotel gym workout on Friday.

Train safe, train hard, stick to the basics, and forget about boosting your metabolism with "tricks". All that matters is that you eat enough for your goals, and you workout with intensity.

Craig

PS - Consistency is key...

According to the October issue of Men's Health magazine, "People who workout in the morning are 90% more likely to stick to their workout than folks who try to workout later."

12-minute tri-set workout

Vegan Diet, Iron Workout

Continuing my experiment of a vegan diet combined with a modified meathead's workout for November.

Will be experimenting with some new foods, but I went with a huge meal of Amy's chili and wild rice yesterday while watching the Packers-Vikings game.

Also kept it simple with today's after workout meal of 3 almond butter sandwiches on flax bread with 2 glasses of chocolate almond milk.

Today's workout was...

1) Power Clean - 2x5

2A) Squat - 2x5, 2x8
2B) DB Incline Press - 2x8

3A) Seated Row - 2x15
3B) Plank - 2x90 seconds

4) Chinups

So far, so good.

Oh, and one more thing...I was re-reading Kekich Credo #1 today, and here's what it said:

"If you want to accomplish anything, get out of your comfort zone and increase order and discipline in your life. Discipline usually means doing the opposite of what you feel like."

And here are my thoughts on that, you need to... 

• Set deadlines

• Discover & do what you do best & what's important & enjoyable to you

• Replace your bad habits and thought patterns, one-by-one, over time, with good habits and positive thought patterns

That's how you'll succeed!

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

PS - Did you know...

You are 6 times more likely to lose weight if you weigh yourself at least once per week (Men's Health, Nov 2009).

And...

You are also much more likely to lose weight if you throw the extra Halloween candy in the garbage rather than in your mouth (CB, Nov 2009).

Stay strong!