Best Abs Exercise

If you walk in to your local fitness club and ask one of their personal trainers what the best abs exercise is they will probably tell you crunches. Though the trend is finally changing to more efficient ab exercises I am still amazed at how little some professionals know. Realistically, how often do you find yourself lying on your back, mustering all of the strength that you can gather, in order to get off of the floor and to a standing position? My guess is that you answered, rarely. Then why do so many personal trainers and magazine experts seem to think that you need to spend your time doing millions of crunches to uncover your cleverly disguised six pack abs? Personally, I think it is ridiculous and a waste of time. So, I am going to give you 4 basic litmus tests you can apply to any exercise to determine whether it is the best abs exercise.

First, in order to understand what the best abs exercise is, we must first understand how the abdominals really work and what they were designed to do. When you look closely at the structure of the abdominals you notice that they are oriented much like a corset. We have muscles that run up and down, diagonal and side to side.

The rectus abdominis runs up and down and is responsible for the six pack look and for preventing excessive hyperextension of the trunk. They are also responsible for flexing the trunk or bending forward. However, this is not that difficult when you are standing upright because gravity helps. The two groups of oblique muscles run diagonally and help with stabilization of the spine and with rotation of the trunk. And finally, the transverse abdominis acts like a belt to stabilize the spine and aid with rotation of the trunk.

So basically, the abdominals stabilize the spine, rotate or prevent rotation of the trunk, flex the spine and prevent hyperextension of the spine.

I am now going to uncover for you 4 ways to determine whether the best abs exercise you like to do is, in fact, the best abs exercise.

1. The best abs exercise works the entire body. Therefore, abdominal exercise should be a total body movement. To ensure that your abs exercise is the most effective you should make sure that you are standing or that your feet are at least on the ground. There are still some quality abdominal exercises where you are not standing straight up, like a push up or mountain climbers. These are effective because your feet and hands are on the floor and you have to stabilize your trunk in order to perform the movement. Most movements that we do with our arms and legs require that we stabilize our trunk with abdominals first. The bottom line is to stick with exercises that put your feet on the floor.

2. The best abs exercise will stabilize the trunk while allowing movements with either the lower body or the upper body. The degree to which the abdominals are worked depends on the intensity of the activity and how many of the roles that the abdominals perform are used. For example, an upper extremity movement that requires stabilization of the trunk is going to be less demanding than an upper extremity movement that requires stabilization and rotation of the trunk.

3. All of the muscles of the abdominals will need to be recruited to work properly – NO isolation (crunches). In order to achieve maximum stabilization and efficiency the abdominal muscles will fire together. Our bodies rarely ever work in isolation, so why would we train in isolation if what we want is a fully functioning body that is ready to take on the stress and challenge of everyday life? The only exception that I see is if you are training in bodybuilding, but realistically that is a very small population.

4. The best abs exercise will require multiple planes of movement. Do you want to know how to increase the intensity of any abdominal exercise? Add another direction of movement to it. That means that it challenges our forward to backward motion (sagittal plane), side to side motion (frontal plane), and rotational motion (transverse plane) all at the same time. I call this 3 dimensional abdominal training.

Now compare your best abs exercise to the 4 qualifications that I just gave you and see how it compares. Just because an exercise doesn’t meet all 4 requirements doesn’t mean that it is a bad exercise, it just means that it can be improved or that there are more effective ones. An exercise that does meet all 4 requirements is going to work you harder. That means better results in less time.

Here are 4 of my best abs exercises:

1. Sprints: I know you are probably thinking that isn’t even an abdominal exercise. I would agree that it typically isn’t thought of as an abdominal exercise. However, how many sprinters do you know that don’t have ripped abs? This is also a great interval training exercise to reduce the amount of fat that is disguising your six pack abs.

2. Push Up Variations: From the most basic to the most advanced version of push ups, this is one of the best for training abdominal stabilization. Add intensity to a push up by introducing a new plane of motion.

3. Mountain Climber (a push up with a twist): This is a variation of a push up that can be a really intense exercise. Not only does this involve a traditional push up but you are adding a transverse movement with your legs while minimizing the width of your base at your feet. Try this one with your feet on a stability ball and tell me you don’t get a good workout. Another variation is called the Spiderman.

4. Kettlebell Swing: This one involves swinging a kettlebell, dumbbell, or weight plate up and down in front of you as if you were going to launch it straight up in the air. Add a diagonal movement to it and you have a woodchopper.

Now for the ultimate abdominal workout – Interval Training Style!

Pick your favorite 4 best abs exercises.

Choose an appropriate work to rest ratio and time.

Rotate from one exercise to the next during your work session.

It’s essential that you give a maximal effort during the work period.

Here’s an example using the above exercises.

Interval training workout protocol

20 second work

40 second rest

8 cycles / reps

Sprint for 20 seconds then active rest for 40 seconds

Push ups for 20 seconds then active rest for 40 seconds

Mountain climber for 20 seconds then active rest for 40 seconds

Kettlebell swing for 20 seconds then active rest for 40 seconds

Repeat this cycle 2x for a total of 8 minutes. I guarantee that if you are working hard you will get an amazing workout. Try changing the work to rest ratio or time and see what results you get.

The fun thing about using interval training as your workout protocol is that you can add enough variety that it seems like you are never doing the same workout.

Fat Loss Secrets Revealed:  Proven Methods to Get Six Pack Abs
by Aaron Ivey ATC, CSCS

Some strategies work better than others for getting rid of belly fat and showing off the six pack abs underneath.  Unveiling the six pack doesn’t need to be a complicated or tricky process.  However, it seems that it has become more complicated as more and more advice is thrown around without sound science to support it.  Here are 3 proven ways to reveal the six pack abs that are waiting to be discovered.

1. Control the diet
The first and most important strategy for gaining a six pack set of abs is to take control over what you put in your body.  Nobody will notice the ripped abdominal muscles you have if you cover them up with unwanted fat.  Exercise is certainly very important, but if have the strongest and most toned abs ever and nobody can see them, it doesn’t help you look good.

There is a lot of confusion in the diet world right now because so many different programs and opinions are out there about losing weight and what a healthy should consist of.  Just pay attention to the headlines of magazines and mainstream media – the newest and greatest method seems to be revealed weekly.

The truth is that a healthy diet is one that comes directly from the ground.  It is best to consume whole fruits and vegetables with as little processing as possible.  Whole grains are a great source of healthy fiber.  Eating good quality meat will give the right types of fat and vitamins in order to produce the hormones and energy that is needed to recover from a workout.

2. Intensity
Focusing on the intensity of the workout is the second most important thing to consider.  Workouts should consist of high intensity, short duration exercises with equal rest periods in between. You should also focus on working the whole body rather than isolated muscles.  This gives you the most metabolic challenge possible and will therefore stimulate your body to make the changes necessary to become more efficient at burning fat and slimming down.

3. Abdominal training
It may come as no surprise that working your abdominal muscles would be the third component.  To train the abdominal muscles correctly and get real results, forget about crunches and situps.  These exercises have their place for those that are deconditioned and need a basic way to get started.  They are not the most effective abdominal exercise.

Effective abdominal training involves exercises that focus on rotation, stabilization, and deceleration of the trunk.  Ideally, if you can combine all three of these into one exercise you will have yourself a great abdominal exercise.  Most of the time, if you are performing a whole body exercise, you are also training your abdominal muscles the way they were intended.

Getting rid of excess body fat is going to be the most effective way to show off definition in the abs and midsection.  The most effective exercises to burn fat are complex, whole body movements such as swings and snatches, combinations of squats or lunges with a push or pull movement.  To look good, focus on these 3 things and you will get the body that you deserve.

interval training

Revealing Your Six Pack Abs:  Mistakes Most People Make
by Aaron Ivey ATC, CSCS

I am a little bit of a people watcher.  I look to observe the techniques and methods that people are using to try and get in shape.  Over the years I have observed some mistakes that many people seem to make that really get them nowhere.  In this article, I discuss 2 of the biggest mistakes that people make and how to fix it.

It is very important to train your abdominal muscles, there is no doubt about it.  However, if they are “cleverly disguised” and nobody can see them, it doesn’t do you much good.  Having a visible six pack of abs is mostly about getting your body fat  percentage to a level that will reveal the hard work that you have put in to strengthening your abdominal muscles.

Getting rid of body fat is a combination of nutrition and the right kind of exercise.  You need to stoke the fat burning furnace in order for the body to want to burn fat.  That just doesn’t happen by working small muscle groups.  You must work the whole body with complex movements rather than focus on bicep curls.  Focus more on using a combination of large muscle groups like the legs, back and chest.  These complex motions create a lot of demand on the body to produce energy and adapt to the overload.  Some researchers suggest that high intensity exercise stimulates hormones that burn more fat and build more muscle.

As far as the diet goes, it should consist of the most natural form of foods possible.  Focus on foods as unprocessed as possible.  Instead of consuming fruit juices, eat the whole fruit.  Whole fruits have a lot of fiber and good sugar that will actually help to regulate your blood sugar correctly.  Additionally, whole fruits and vegetables pack a punch when it comes to vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants necessary to repair damaged cells and create healthy new ones.

Choose whole grains over refined grains.  Whole grains also contain a great supply of fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, and essential fats.  Yes, you need fat in your diet.  Hormones are dependent upon them.  Other good sources of healthy fat are nuts, avocados, fish, eggs, organically grown meat, etc.

There really is nothing complicated about how to show off your six pack.  Don’t be fooled by the latest gimmick or device, diet, etc. claiming to be the newest and best thing.  A balance of ALL of the macronutrients is necessary for a healthy diet.  The combination will provide all of the necessary building blocks your body needs.

interval training

Weight Loss for Women At Home

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

A woman’s workout should consist of leg raises, biceps curls with
soup cans, and triceps kickbacks with water bottles.

Can you believe that silliness?

Neither can I, but that is what passes for “professional fitness
advice for women” these days.

I could see this info being accepted in the 1930’s (maybe?), but in the year 2007? Please…

Does anyone really believe that biceps curls with water bottles is going to prepare women to carry their children to bed, a bag of heavy groceries in from the car, or swing a sledgehammer during home reno’s?

No way. You need real-world workouts and fat loss advice. Not fluff.

Am I the only one that finds those types of recommendations
disrespectful to the physical capabilities of women? You’d think
that Linda Hamilton’s chin-up scene in Terminator 2 would have turned the tide of female fitness, or perhaps Demi Moore’s GI Jane.

I’ve watched women get fit fast at almost any age with Turbulence Training. In fact, we’ve had girls from 18 to 82 years young kickin’ butt with Turbulence Training.

Today, I want to share the story of a classic “supermom”, you know the mom with 3 active kids that has to drive them everywhere, eat on the run, and still find room for workouts. Her name is Brandy Kirton, and she’ll show you how real women train, eat, and find the time to do it all with proper planning.

CB: Brandy, tell us about your past exercise and nutrition experiences. At what point did you find out about Turbulence Training and what persuaded you to start using it?

BK:
I started working out back on high school. I’m 30 now.

I became a personal trainer for a few years in my early 20’s. So I learned a lot about nutrition and weight training. I have been in great shape and not so great shape in the last 10 years. I think I found Turbulence Training just surfing the web and decided to give it a try. I was desperate to lose weight after my 3rd kid.

CB: And how was this a change from what you had done in the past?

BK:
I was doing 30 minutes of cardio and then lifted for 30 mins
3 to 4 times a week. That was if I actually could make time.

I would not work out if I knew I couldnt get it all in. I would
think, “What’s the point of 20 mins?”.

CB: What kind of results have you achieved with Turbulence Training? And is there anything else, besides the results, you love about the Turbulence Training programs?

BK:
I love how it changes every month so I never get bored. I also love that I have no excuse about not having time to fit it in.

My results have been great. I am getting toned up and consistently loosing inches. I also have a lot more energy.

CB: Do you workout at home or in a gym?

BK:
I have to work out at home. No time to get to a gym.

CB: Has Turbulence Training had a positive impact on your lifestyle?

BK:
Turbulence Training has made a huge impact on me. I dont feel like it takes up my whole day or get bored of the same thing day in and day out.

I feel strong and love the daily emails. It helps me stay motivated.

I work full time, have three kids 9, 5, and 11 months, and a
husband. My older two kids play every sports so there really
is no extra time.

I have to get up at 5:30 to work out before they wake up but its
worth it. I feel great after I am done and no matter what happens that day I have already got my work out in which feels great.

CB: Do you have any social support? If so, how has this helped
you?

BK:
My mom comes over in the mornings to work out with me. I need that accountability so that I don’t sleep instead. Its hard to get up but I always feel so much better when I do.

CB: What are your daily obstacles and temptations that you have to avoid with respect to nutrition and training? And what
strategies do you use?

BK:
With all the practices, games and running around I have to do its hard not to grab McDonald’s with the kids.

I try to either bring food with me or wait until I get home. If I
have to eat out I do try and find grilled chicken or subway.

CB: How do you plan your nutrition?

BK:
I have to go shopping on Sunday to stock up on all my healthy
food. Otherwise I will eat whatever I can find which usually is not good for me.

CB: Thanks Brandy, keep up the great work.

****
The message is clear. Plan, prepare, commit, and be consistent.
Brandy didn’t use any magic pills or potions to succeed, she simply found a great workout plan, and did what she had to do.

As a supermom, Brandy practically has to create time out of thin air in order to do her workout, but again, she knows what she has to do and she does it. She’s committed. She has social support. She knows the correct options for eating on the run.

She has made the effort to plan for the obstacles (lack of time,
workout motivation) that we all come across. And by doing that,
she’s cleared a simple path to success.

And she doesn’t waste time in the gym with slow, boring cardio
workouts. Instead, she sculpts her body in half the time with the
Turbulence Training workouts.

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit TurbulenceTraining

3 Functions of the Abdominal Muscles – How They Really Work!
Aaron Ivey ATC, CSCS

With so many gadgets and gismos bombarding our television, internet, and health clubs, how do you know what exercises work the best for abdominal training?  In order to understand which exercises we should do we need to understand how the abdominals really work.  This article outlines the purpose of the abdominals and what they were designed to do.

The abdominal muscles provide 3 basic functions: stabilization, rotation, and deceleration.  Let’s look at each of these individually.

1.  Stabilization:  We all know that in order for a tree to withstand powerful winds it must have a strong trunk.  This allow for the branches to move in the wind and yet the tree stands firm and rooted.  Our abdominals are no different than the trunk of a tree.  It is no wonder that we oftentimes refer to the abdominal muscles as our trunk.

When the abdominals contract it helps to stabilize and stiffen our trunk so that our arms and legs can perform their function.  With weak abdominals we run the risk of injuries to the back and the extremities.  Many times I have seen injuries to athletes that resulted from weak abdominal (core) muscles.  Once good stability was reestablished, the athlete’s injury was able to heal.

2.  Rotation:  I think this is one of the most obvious ones.  Our abdominal muscles rotate our trunk.  Forceful rotation of the trunk, shoulders and arms comes from the hips and abdominal muscles.

3.  Deceleration:  The abdominal muscles slow down rotation, side bending, and most importantly, hyperextension of the back.  For example. you are playing basketball and your team mate throws the ball above your head.  You reach up to grab the ball and are forced to bend backwards.  If your abdominals are strong enough you will be able to avoid doing a back handspring and folding in half.

Abdominal muscles also help to slow down rotation of the legs.  There is some evidence (and my personal opinion) that a strong core can help to prevent ACL injuries.

So remember, don’t waste your time with machines and exercises that don’t train the abdominal muscles the way they were designed.  Now that you have a better understanding of how the abdominal muscles truly function, it will be easier to design a training program that is effective.

Is Your Exercise Routine Keeping You Fat & Unhealthy?

by Rob Poulos, founder of Fat-Burning-Furnace.

The majority of fitness enthusiasts and exercisers today still rely on long duration moderate paced aerobic exercise as their primary routine to attempt to burn fat fast.  But recent studies have shown that this is a big, I mean big mistake.

In fact, you could say that the whole aerobics explosion of a few decades past was one of the biggest mistakes in the health and fitness industry.  Why?

There are several reasons, but I’ll focus on the two main issues here.  When you exercise at a moderate pace for extended periods of time (as in the typically recommended percent of your target heart rate), your body is burning fat during the exercise.

While this may sound good, it’s actually bad news.  This sends a signal to your body to keep a certain amount of stored fat available for your next workout.  You’re essentially telling it that it needs fat available to burn, ‘because you’ll be doing this exercise again.

So while we may be burning some calories during this exercise, after the exercise is over, our body begins storing up some fat for the next workout.  Obviously not what we’re looking for in terms of maximum ability to burn fat fast.

The other big concern with moderately paced aerobic exercise performed several times per week is that it trains your body (heart, lungs, muscles, etc.) to become efficient.  Again, this may sound good, but what is actually happening is bad for long term health.

You are working only within your existing aerobic limits, without improving your aerobic capacity.  This is important because your aerobic capacity is what determines how your body responds in times of physical, emotional, and mental stress.

If you reduce your capacity for work, as you do in this type of exercise, you’re reducing your long term health, no to mention a poor chance of burning fat.

The good news is, you can reverse these effects by instead focusing your workouts on high intensity resistance training, with workouts that last 15-20 minutes on average, and can only be performed 2-3 times per week.  These workouts will burn carbohydrates instead of fat during the workout, and will cause your body to use its fat stores to replenish the burned carbs over the next 24 hours, after the workout is done!

This type of work will also increase your reserve capacity and thus your ability to handle all types of stress, leading to lasting health and fitness…and 24/7 fat burning.  Nice!

But the exercise must be performed correctly to be effective, and that means using sufficient intensity, and keeping your rest periods between exercises and sets down to 60 seconds or less.

The students of my Fat Burning Furnace method know this, and are reaping the benefits.  When you think about how little time you have to spend compared to the typically recommended methods to get these fat burning and health creating results, it’s almost magical.

Thanks Rob for that article.  That about it for today. Hope you’re having a great one!

Stay lean,

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder – TruthAboutAbs.com

Avoid Holiday Weight Gain With These 8 Tricks
by Aaron Ivey ATC, CSCS

Most everyone has concerns about gaining weight during the holiday season.  It’s so easy to eat a couple hundred extra calories with all of the guilty pleasures that we enjoy.  Gifts of candies, cookies, pies, brownies, egg nog…  What do you do to make sure you don’t pack on the extra pounds you have been working so hard to burn?  Here are a few tricks.

1.  Be Fair With Yourself

It’s not realistic to think that you are not going to indulge a little in the holiday sweets.  That would be setting yourself up for failure.  We are supposed to have fun and enjoy family and friends this time of year.  Allow yourself to cheat once in a while.  But remember, moderation is the key.  Don’t over-indulge.

2.  Workout Before Your Gathering

A good interval training workout or circuit training workout the morning of your bash will help to rev up your metabolism for the day and maybe even make up for some of your “small” indulgences.  You will also feel better about having worked out and know that you stuck with your weight loss plan.

3.  Eat Before You Go

That doesn’t mean you get full before leaving the house.  Eat a nutrient rich healthy snack before you leave the house.  That way you won’t arrive starving and will be less tempted to overdue the appetizers, which usually are worst part for your weight loss efforts.

4.  Serving Size Matters

Remember your portion sizes.  Choose a variety of foods but don’t let your Aunt Betsy pressure you into putting more on your plate than you need because she says you are getting too skinny.  Start out small.  You can always go back for more vegetables later.

5.  Start With the Vegetable Tray First

Load your plate up with vegetables,  green salad and an appropriate dressing.  If your plate is at least half full of healthy foods then you will have less room for the pound packing gravy.

6.  Eat Slowly

It takes some time, about 20 minutes, before your stomach will get the signal to your brain that it has had enough.  So don’t rush.  Enjoy the time talking with family and friends that you may not have seen for a while or help  some of your older relatives get their plate.  That will buy you some time for your stomach to catch up.

7.  Drink Plenty of Water

Be sure to drink a large glass of water well before it’s time to dish up your plate.  This will help you start off with the feeling of being full and be less tempted to fill your plate with blood sugar spiking foods that you crave.  You should also drink plenty during your meal.  Take some time every few bites to take a few big swallows.  Again, fill your stomach with water and vegetables and you won’t crave the sweet stuff as much.

8.  Enough is Enough

Know when to say “I’ve had enough.”  Stick to it and don’t let anyone else pressure you into eating more because they need to feel better about how many times they’ve been to the buffet table.

Following these simple but effective tips will help you stay on track and feel good about yourself.  It doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in moderation.  Just make sure that moderation is not out of your control.  Good luck and happy holidays.

5 More Fat Burning Tips for You

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

At this time of year, we can use every last tip to help avoid
holiday weight gain.

So here are 5 more fat loss tips for beginner & advanced readers.

1) No liquid calories (with the exception of a post-workout drink).

Get rid of all the juices, the sodas, and the sports drinks. Liquid
sugar is the last thing you need when you are trying to lose fat.

You must also limit your alcohol intake – especially if you are
adding mix to drinks…that is a double calorie bomb! A single “Jackand Coke” is over 200 calories (100 calories from booze and 100 calories from mix).

2) No fast food.

Do not eat at fast food restaurants. Even if you choose what you
think is healthy, remember this:

Fast food restaurants are all about profit.

And in order to profit while giving you cheap, quick, and easy to
prepare foods, the quality of the food ingredients will be poor -
especially the protein.

Now you might have read that you can still make healthy choices at fast food restaurants. But you know what, that’s just
politically-correct opinion. If it’s fast food, it’s poor food.

Walking into a burger joint and grabbing a chicken breast on a
white bread bun with a piece of old lettuce and a half-green,
half-pink tomato is “barely” healthy eating.

The politically-incorrect truth is that it’s going to take time and
effort to eat properly. You will have to plan, shop, and prepare
healthy meals. You will have to spend time cleaning, cutting, and
cooking your food. That’s the truth.

But believe me, it will taste so much better than fast food, and
healthy eating will make you more alert. Eating fast food will make you feel terrible, and will make you want to have an afternoon nap at your desk.

Make one small improvement to your nutrition everyday for the rest of your life.

3) Eat more fruits and vegetables.

If you are eating 2 servings per day, then go up to 4 servings per day by the end of the week. And even if you think you are doing great by having 5 servings per day, you still need to double that (take 2-3 weeks to work your way up to 10 servings per day).

Stick with fiber-rich fruits and vegetables – organic if possible.

4) Eat 1oz of almonds or walnuts per day (1/2 oz in the AM, and the other half in the afternoon).

Most nuts are roasted in oils (possible source of trans fats), so
stick to natural or dry-roasted nuts.

Don’t panic…this small amount of nuts won’t make you fat, but will fill you up and help you lose weight.

5) Be consistent with your workouts.

Turbulence Training Bodyweight Fusion

And make sure the workouts are efficient and effective. To make it easy for you to follow, stick with the Turbulence Training fat burning workout system.

It doesn’t matter if you train in the morning before or after
breakfast, or at night before or after dinner, or at 1pm on days
when the moon is in line with Saturn…don’t worry about the
details, just train consistently.

6) BONUS TIP: Go for a walk after lunch or dinner (or anytime you eat a big meal). Research shows this will help you control your cholesterol and triglycerides, plus any movement is better than sitting around watching the TV and snacking.

Improve your lifestyle everyday,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

PS – Change your workouts to beat a fat loss plateau.

“The constant shakeup is amazing. I look forward to my workouts. I feel so much better than I did 6 weeks ago. I had almost given up on fitness as I was becoming very frustrated with my plateaus. I started out at 233 lbs and am already heading for 225 in only a few short weeks. Thank you for developing this truly amazing program and for sharing with the rest of us. It’s very refreshing to enjoy working out again!”
Dave Heffernan

“Turbulence Training is AWESOME! I started working out in 2004 first time in gym at 39 yrs. Then I discovered T.T. in 2006 and started receiving unbelievable info on xercises/nutrition. Immediately I started incorporating T.T. in my busy schedule which is improving my strength, definition, flexibility and nutrition. Craig is quick to reply to questions and supportive. My confidence and strength has definitely improved. If I only knew of Turbulence Training in 2004. The gym crowd is really checking me out now.”
Kimmie Clark

“I lost 14 pounds this month and the weight is just falling off me.
My wife says I now look like when we first met and I still have
more to go. I can fit into my old jeans again which is a big deal
for me. I just cut back on starches and bread and do your routine 2-3 times a week. I never thought in a million years that just 10-20 minutes of weight training followed by some cardio would get me such steady results. I even cheat a bit on the weekends.”
Billy Williams

Turn your health around with Turbulence Training:
About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Turbulence Training

Politically Incorrect Holiday Fat Loss Tips

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

I was at a big event last week and was reminded how
important it is to have strategies for this season of high-calorie
parties and busy schedules. But I get ticked off by the tired old
suggestions you find on the Internet or in magazines like Woman’s World.

Often the suggestions are lack any substance, because the writers don’t want to imply you actually have to make a sacrifice to succeed. They make fat loss sound easy, as if all you had to do was park at the far end of the parking lot and you’d burn all the
calories from 5 shortbread cookies.

Well it doesn’t work that way…So here are my politically
incorrect, unique Turbulence Training strategies to help you keep off the holiday pounds.

By the way, I “borrowed” a few ideas from contestants in my
Turbulence Training Transformation Contest. The Transformation is rocking with social support and success stories right now, even while the rest of the world struggles with weight gain, these TT users are losing fat over the holidays.

Click here to get started with Turbulence Training for Fat Loss:
==> http://www.turbulencetraining.com

Strategy #1 – Green Tea & Almonds

One of the most common tips you’ll hear is to “fill up” before you
go to a party where there will be lots of goodies.

Unfortunately, most people I talk to have no luck with this tip.
Most people still go to a party and eat everything in sight.

But recently TT users have told me that having a cup of Green Tea and one ounce of almonds has helped them avoid holiday cravings better than anything ever before.

The fiber from the almonds reduces appetite while the small amount of caffeine from the Green Tea seems to increase mental alertness and keep you “energized” at the party.

Hopefully that might work for you…

Strategy #2 – Don’t waste your time on any fancy cardio programs

Listen, the bottom line over the holiday season is that your success depends almost entirely on your nutrition.

You can’t expect to hit the cardio confessional and burn off last
night’s 2000 calorie smorgasboard. That’s a 4-hour workout. Instead, don’t get into that situation in the first place.

Here are more nutrition tips:

- Focus on portion control (and if you have no discipline, forget
even trying to eat just one)
- Nix all drinks mixed with calorie-containing beverages, or better yet, just stop getting drunk. Period.
- Write down everything you eat to identify your problem spots. Then do whatever you need to do to eliminate your weaknesses. If you don’t record your nutrition, chances are you’ll miss big
opportunities to change your diet and lose fat.

Strategy #3 – Take care of yourself first.

My friend Holly Rigsby (of http://www.fityummymummy.com) is always reminding busy moms to take care of themselves first, and I think that suggestion applies at this time of year to everyone.

So take a deep breath. Ask yourself as you’re running around to
please everyone else, “Have you set aside time for yourself”

Be selfish. Make sure you have had some exercise time, some good nutrition, and some rest before overextending yourself and doing too much for other people when you haven’t taken care of yourself and your goals first.

Strategy #4 – Get on a roll

This one comes from a TT Transformation contestant who is too busy losing fat to get off track over the holidays.

Don’t procrastinate till January 1st. Get started now. Dozens of
men and women are doing their Turbulence Training Transformations right now – through the heart of the holiday season.

They aren’t waiting for Jan. 1st to show up. They are taking
control now, and getting on a roll, and not letting anything (from
work parties to peer pressure) get in their way.

Strategy #5 – Exercise in short bursts whenever you can

Don’t be afraid to dance at your Christmas party. Don’t worry, there is bound to be at least one worse dancer than you out on the floor. Have fun and get down!

On a more serious note, here’s how to avoid falling off the fitness
program during the busy holiday season.

Get your butt out of bed 15 minutes early so you can have 3 minutes to wake up and 12 minutes to do the December 2007 Turbulence Training 12-Minute Workouts.

Get this workout as part of your bonuses when you start using
Turbulence Training today: http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Stay healthy and fit over the holidays,

Order the Turbulence Training Bodyweight 1000

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training
About the Author

Learn about the “Dark Side of Cardio” in the free report from Craig Ballantyne at www.TurbulenceTraining.com. Craig 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 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 www.TurbulenceTraining.com