IKFF

Friday, October 26, 2007

The Evolution of Cardio


By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

I've been meaning to write this email for a long time. Today I'mgoing 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.
And then I'll end with a sample TT workout for you...
But first, let's take a trip down memory lane to the winter of98-99. I was but a lowly grad student, studying the effects ofandrostenedione (the supplement taken by the might Mark McGwire during his record-breaking home run quest in '98).
In my study (which was published in the Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology for any science nerds like myself out there), we had guys use the supplement and go through a couple of weight training sessions. By February of '99 I was stuck in the lab, analyzing the blood samples using some fancy radio-active isotopes.
And when I say stuck in the lab, I mean STUCK. I'd get there at7am, and record my last data point at 11pm. Sixteen hours ofmad science. And if I wasn't there, I was downstairs in themedical library, studying papers on testosterone and training.
Now coming from a very athletic background, this sedentarylifestyle didn't sit well with me. But there I was, studing for adegree in Exercise Physiology and left with no time for exercise.Or so I thought.
Fortunately, I actually had a 50 minute window once per day of"down-time" while the lab's gamma-counter analyzed 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 fitand to avoid the fat gain that comes with working long hours in asedentary environment. And I also had to stay true to thehigh-school bodybuilder I once was, so there was no way I waswilling to sacrifice my muscle to one of those long-cardio, lowprotein 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 lossthan 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).
So clearly, intervals were (and ARE!) superior to long slow cardio.
I had seen first hand the incredible results of sprint intervals inthe summer and fall, as the athletes made huge fitness improvements and shed winter fat in a short time using my interval programs. I knew that intervals had to be the next step in the evolution of cardio.
The biggest benefit of intervals? A lot of results in a shortamount of time. I knew that I only had 40 minutes to train, andtherefore 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 - I just didn't have time. 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, power 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 for strength training.
At that point, I knew that supersets were the only way to go if Iwanted to maximize the number of sets I could do...so thenon-competing superset of Turbulence Training was put in place.
By non-competing, I mean that the 2 exercises in the superset don't interfere with one another. So you can use upper and lower body exercises together, or pushing and pulling exercises. Just be careful not to use two grip-intensive exercises together in a superset - otherwise, one exercise will suffer, if not both.
And then I followed up the strength training with intervals, as Iknew these had to follow the lifting, otherwise it would not be the correct exercise order. Remember, intervals first leads topremature fatigue. Lift first, cardio later. Forget that old wivestale 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'vebeen able to put it down on paper in all of the TT manuals.
The exact workout I used that day went like this...
Warm-up 1 set of Bodyweight Squats 1 set of pushups1 set of Squats with the empty bar1 set of light dumbbell chest presses1 set of moderate weight barbell squats1 set of moderate weight dumbbell chest presses
Strength Training Superset #1Barbell Squats paired with Dumbbell Chest Presses3 supersets, aiming for 8 reps per side per set
Strength Training Superset #2DB Rows paired with Barbell Forward Lunges3 supersets, aiming for 8 reps per set
Stationary Bike IntervalsAfter a warmup, I did 6 intervals of 45 seconds work and 45 seconds rest, finishing with a cool-down.
And from that point in time, I've tried to share this and all theother Turbulence Training workouts 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 noticed these other men and women weren't around as consistently as before, and then soon enough they would drop out completely - after all, they weren't getting results with their slow cardio and aerobics classes (yep, those were still around in '99!).
And so here we are today...thousands of TT users later, withnational fitness magazines like Men's Health, Men's Fitness, andShape spreading the good word about Turbulence Training.
Thousands of TT users, dozens of personal trainers, and evenseveral national fitness magazines all agree with me, TurbulenceTraining is the #1 way to fast fat loss.
Thanks for being a part of the TT Lifestyle Revolution, and forsharing 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,
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MSAuthor, Turbulence Training
PS - Don't know where to start?
If you are a beginner, start by reading Dr. Mohr's nutritionguidelines...eating properly will be the biggest factor in yourearly success.
Beginners should also start with the Introductory TT workouts to prepare their muscles for the upcoming intense training.
For others, it's best to start with the Intermediate Level TTworkouts. If those aren't enough of a challenge, you can move onto the Original TT workout and follow the 16-week advanced program right through.
If at any time you need a break, try the TT Bodyweight 4-week plan.
And then finish off with the bonus programs to cap off a full 24 weeks of Advanced TT fat loss workouts.
About the AuthorCraig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit Turbulence Training


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Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Joined a Gym

I did something I haven't done in a while, I joined a gym. I actually joined @ June, but it didn't open until last month. I figure I'll go there 2 times a week and my garage gym the same. The reason I joined was to get out of the garage and interact with others, plus with Retro Fitness it is only @$20 a month! There have been a few things to get used to like, some people have no gym etiquette. For example I was doing seated presses on this cool bench [it was low to the ground making it easier to rack the dumbbells] when this guy sits on the bench next to me and starts banging into my elbows. He had a bewildered look on his face when I asked why he couldn't wait or move his bench over. Things I think are common sense just are not. It is a new gym with some people who have never been in a gym, so patience is needed on my behalf. Overall it is a pretty good gym. Good equipment and atmosphere, and I really like the movie room with cardio equipment.
I did have a pet peeve experience the other day. My workout time is normally 35-45 minutes, I don't BS much while I'm working out. If I'm working with someone I'll talk, but overall it isn't social time at that moment. When I started working out, the other day I seen this person who has been in there most of the times I've been in there. We exchanged greetings and I went about my business. I finished my workout and he commented on how ineffective it had to be because I was done in 40 minutes. I snickered and he wanted to know whats so funny, so I pointed out that he would be done just as quickly if he wasn't so busy talking on the phone [why do people need to do this while working out?????????] and socializing. I challenged him to give it a try next time. He seemed upset but also I think he knew I was correct, we will see.
Until next time...
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Fat Burning Zone: Enter The Fat Burning Zone

Interesting info on the "Fat Burning Zone" I found many articles saying the same thing, I felt this was most straight foward
Fat Burning Zone: Enter The Fat Burning Zone

Friday, October 19, 2007

Fat burning info


Fat burning diet plans are tough to figure out for some people. You certainly can't just copy what other people are doing. For example, a 350 pound guy is going to have a different fat burning diet plan than a 140 pound woman. Sure that's an extreme example,but the point is you really have to individualize your fat loss nutrition program.Then there are problems with "calorie estimation equations".For example, a 240 pound woman can't use the rule to "multiply yourbodyweight by 11" to get the number of calories you should eat for fat loss. That would grossly over estimate how many calories she needs to eat. And of course, the 1g per pound of bodyweight protein rule wouldgreatly overestimate how much protein this woman needs perday...(there aren't too many women, if any, that need to eat 140gof protein per day, let alone 240).
So here's my recommended individual approach to choosing how manycalories you should eat for fat burning...and it comes from a q'n'ain the Turbulence Training nutrition forum.(The forum is checked the forum 3 times per day by Craig to make sure all of your questions are answered...and there are some other pretty smart experts who often drop by to help you out as well.)
Q: In the Turbulence Training Fusion Fat Loss Guide, Craig says heeats 2100 calories a day (in the manner described in the guide) forfat burning. I'm planning on doing the fusion fat loss for my workout next month. How many calories would you recommend I target as a5'2", 41 year old female? Thanks!
Answer: I recommend going to fitday.com and finding out how many calories you are eating now. Then do 3 things.
1) Improve the quality of the calories you are eating.
2) Recalculate how many calories you are eating when you starteating as well as possible (you'll probably end up eating fewer calories because quality food is more filling).
3) Then re-evalutating to see if you still need to eat less. It's impossible to just throw out a number for people to eat for fat burning...but a tiny bit of planning is all you need.Get an individualized plan, and you're set for maximum fat burning in minimum time with the Turbulence Training for Fat Loss program.PS - Don't forget...You get 3 months free in the Turbulence Training Membership Club......when you purchase the Turbulence Training program. You'll get workout bonuses, including the TT for Abs program, when you signup...in addition, sign up before the end of October and you'llget the legendary TT Bodyweight 500 workout.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Dragon Door Gift Certificates

I'm on vacation right now but I didn't want anyone to miss out on this, here is a chance to save 10% on a Dragondoor gift certificate. Use it for a gift or for yourself! This offer expires Midnight [PST] 10/9/07

Dragon Door Gift Certificates