Today you’re going to get a gluten-free banana bread recipe. It uses almond flour, a truly gluten-free flour (not like rice flour).

But first, a story…

There we we were, me and my best buddy of more than 30 years, sitting at a Toronto Blue Jays game on Tuesday night.

Ten years ago we would have been drinking beer and eating hot dogs and pizza.

Five years ago we would have been drinking beer and eating pizza.

One year ago we would have been drinking soda and eating pizza.

This year, having committed to improving our nutrition better than ever, we had water and peanuts.

After all, he’s my #1 client, having gone from 210 pounds at 5’10″ to 9% body fat and 175 pounds.

Here we are 21 years ago! Can you even tell which one I am?

Ten years ago, when we were roommates, my best buddy and #1 client used to come home from work (where he had consumed 2 liters of soda) and go straight into a nap. Then he’d get up and make chicken fingers and fries and have more soda.

Sometimes he had a nap BEFORE his pre-dinner nap. He was tired all the time. And then…something changed…

He decided to eat better…to train harder…and get back in shape.

And he did. He consistently outplayed guys 10 years younger than him on his soccer team. He would lift, sprint, and do hard-core conditioning, using Turbulence Training workouts.

Last year he and I crushed a Tough Mudder race in just over 2 hours. We were among the first 10 to finish the race. We were done before thousands of people even got into the parking lot!

These days he’s also cooking amazing and healthy meals and gave me the Banana Bread recipe below.

If he can do it, so can YOU!

Here’s the recipe. I tried it out this morning. It was good and moist, but it didn’t have enough chocolate chunks in it! I’d also add some walnuts or pecans next time around. Still, it was hard not to eat too much – and so I did.

Enjoy!

Almond Flour Banana Bread

bowl 1.

3 cups of almond flour
1/2 cup of ground flax seeds
1 tblsp sea salt
1 tblsp of baking powder (optional)

bowl 2

3 well done bananas. (mash them up real good)

bowl 3.

1/4 cup of honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup of coconut oil
1/4 cup of water (optional)

mix bowl 2 and 3 together and mix up really well.

then mix into bowl 1 and mix it up really well.

you can then smash up some dark chocolate and blueberries into the mixture and mix up really well.

pre heat oven to 350.

grease up a bread type baking pan with coconut oil.

mould the mixture into bread shape and put in pan.

cook for about 45 min or so.

***
Let me know what you think.

Even better, let me know your favorite gluten-free recipes below, and I’ll try them out.

Greatly appreciated,

Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer

The Truth About Your Struggles by
Mike Whitfield, CTT

A woman, clearly older than everyone else in a singing contest but still wanting a shot to start her career claimed to the world that she wanted to be a professional singer.

As the cameras turned to the audience, you can see everyone rolling their eyes and some were even laughing at the woman in her 40′s who didn’t have that “professional singer” look about to take the stage.

In fact, she even had horrible hair and was considered chubby.

But that didn’t phase this woman’s mind. All she knew was that she wanted to claim to the world that she could sing, even with all the doubters in the room, including the judges.

Then the moment came…

… and everyone, including the audience and the judges and millions of people watching on TV were absolutely blown away and in shock.

People experienced goosebumps. Jaws were dropped. Tears were even shed during the performance.

She sang “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables and it was a wake-up call to everyone. That wake-up call was to never judge a book by its cover and to NEVER doubt anyone who has determination and perseverance.

Her name is Susan Boyle and because of that moment, she went on to sell a best-selling album in the UK. Her amazing performance on Britain’s Got Talent has been viewed on YouTube millions of times.

So really… what it came down to was that Susan was the only one who believed in what she could do. She stood up and told the world about it, too.

And what a lot of people don’t know about Susan is that she actually submitted an album in 1999 and only sold 1,000 copies.

But yet, she didn’t give up on herself.

Do you ever feel like you’re the only one who believes you can accomplish something? Perhaps it’s losing 17 pounds…. or maybe performing your first chin-up…. or even blasting through a stubborn plateau.

I bet you sometimes feel like you’re all alone. After all, that’s how I sometimes felt when I was losing my weight. Everyone at the office was celebrating something just about every day with cake, cupcakes, pizza and other things I  knew would hold me back.

I politely said, “No thank you” as I sipped on my bottled water and still helped celebrate whatever occasion was happening. Many times, I was the only one that didn’t indulge… and I sometimes felt alone on an island.

You know, I bet Susan felt the same way when she started her music career only selling those 1,000 copies.

Hey, perhaps you started your fitness regimen and you haven’t seen much progress? Hang in there; I have some encouragement for you.

After Boyle won several local singing competitions, her mother urged her to enter Britain’s Got Talent and take the risk of singing in front of an audience larger than her parish church where she was comfortable. Former voice coach O’Neil said Boyle abandoned an audition for The X Factor because she believed people were being chosen for their looks.

She almost abandoned her plan to enter Britain’s Got Talent believing she was too old, but O’Neil persuaded her to audition anyway. Boyle said that she was motivated to seek a musical career to pay tribute to her mother.

Her performance on the show was the first time she had sung in public since her mother died.

“Yeah, but what does Susan’s story have to do with me?” is what you might be thinking.

Perhaps you’ve stalled on your progress. I’m sure Susan wanted to share with the world more than 1,000 copies in 1999. Maybe you wanted to lose 10 pounds and not only 3 and you think you’re “stuck” and you won’t make any more progress.

You’re at a crossroad now. You can either throw in the towel or you can tell the world what you’re capable of doing and you find a way to make it happen.

Start a blog.

Tell you friends.

Tell your family.

Sometimes, you just need a confirmation from an audience like your friends and family that you CAN do this. Believe me, if a stubborn guy like me can lose 105 pounds, you can do anything you want.

Nail that first chin-up. Destroy a new push-up record.

Try a tough exercise that you’ve been thinking about doing but never had the courage.

Tell the world…

… and don’t be afraid to share your struggles. We all struggle, including ME.

Just because I’m a finisher freak doesn’t mean I still don’t have cravings. And you know what? Sometimes, I goof up and I goof BIG.

But l lean on the support of my friends and other trainers because I’m not afraid of admitting I need support. Heck, I even check out the progress from other folks in the TT membership site so I stay inspired.

For example, I was in Michigan a while back filming workout videos. Brian Kalakay, Shawna Kaminski and I had Red Velvet Cake French Toast after our last day of filming.

I was staying at the Holiday Inn Express, where you can have pancakes made on the spot. It was this cool machine where you just hit a button and BAM!… a hot pancake comes out. It’s one of the best inventions of all time (in my opinion).

But knowing I chowed down on the French toast the day before, I wanted to keep myself in check. So the night before, I told Brian Kalakay, “Ask me tomorrow if I had pancakes so that I’ll be able to tell you I didn’t. If I don’t have you check on me, I’ll eat 5. I know me.”

Sure enough, because I knew I had to report to Brian, I skipped the pancakes. That’s right, I said no to pancakes. It’s almost blasphemy. But I did the right thing… and that felt good.

The bottom line? We all struggle. We all have our doubts but the truth is that nothing can stop us…

Not a plateau

Not an office gathering

Not the haters

Shift your mindset to believing in yourself. Tell the world. You have more support than you think.

Embrace your struggles. It will make each victory that much sweeter…

Mikey “Pancakes” Whitfield, CTT

Check out Mikey’s blog here:
www.trainwithfinishers.com

Everyone wants to burn more fat, right? By Shawna Kaminski

Everywhere you look, you’ll find a ‘flavor of the month’ fitness or diet gimmick. It gets overwhelming to sift through it all to separate the facts from the fiction. Sometimes you’re delivered up half-truths and unless you have experience in the fields of nutrition and fitness, you just never know what to believe.

That’s why you follow Craig and Turbulence Training.

He knows what he’s talking about and more importantly: he ‘walks the walk’. I know Craig personally and he lives what he preaches. Which makes him all the more credible.

Hi, I’m Shawna K. I’m a friend and colleague to Craig. I’m also in the fitness trenches with him. I’m a Turbulence Trainer as well because I respect what Craig knows and stands for.  We’re always trying and testing things out on our own body and our willing clients. I have a few years on Craig though. I just turned 50 so I have over 25 years under my belt in this game.

I’ve tried it all and I know what works.

I don’t want to brag, but I’m as strong and probably leaner than I’ve ever been. I get asked all the time if I’m getting ready or just finished a physique contest. My response is, ‘Yes, back in 1990..’

What I’m trying to say is that I’ve got a formula for fat loss that isn’t a gimmick. It stands the test of time and I’m living proof. My clients are living proof. It’s based on scientific principles and it’s livable. I don’t train for six hours a day and I don’t follow a starvation type diet. I have a busy life, just like you, just like Craig. We’re the same.

If you think you can ‘out train’ poor eating, then you’re mistaken. (And if you think training longer is going to do the trick, then you’re doubly mistaken, more on that in a bit). Nutrition is as important as training. Let’s talk about a few of the tactics you can employ to support your workouts. These are just a few from my Challenge Fat Loss Nutrition Tactics Guide:

Eat Protein.  Protein is key to leanness. Upping your protein intake will help protect your muscles from breakdown when your calories are down. Protein also stimulates glucagon secretion which will help liberate stored energy.  I don’t mean that you have to sit down to a steak every time you open your mouth, there are plenty of ways to increase protein intake.

You can take a look at some of my favorite choices below:

-Greek yogurt (this is creamy, low fat, low carb goodness!)
-fish, fish, fish (cold water fish!)
-egg whites, hard boiled eggs
-beans and legumes
-quinoa
-low fat or no fat dairy, like skim milk
-skim or low fat cheese
-high quality, low carb protein powder

Eat Less than 30g of Sugar per day. The sugars you don’t need to worry about which occur naturally in foods include: fresh fruit, frozen fruit, veggies, and low fat milk. The BAD sugars: soda, cereal, candy, ketchup, syrup, juice, and many more. Check Labels.

No heavily restricted calories. It may seem logical to only eat a cup of salad a day; in fact anyone would lose weight doing so. But the body hates severe calorie restrictions and will lower metabolism by 30% or more. It basically goes into starvation mode and it will hold onto fat more than ever under starvation conditions.

Limit caffeine. If you’re going to consume coffee or caffeine in general, it’s best consumed at times when you’re not consuming substantial carbohydrate.  Caffeine causes decreased insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, this means more insulin, less fat burning, and more fat storage; three things you DON’T want if you’re looking to shed those unwanted pounds. My suggestion is to ditch caffeinated coffee with high carb breakfast in favour of decaf. Also avoid energy drinks and other caffeine boosters during workouts in which a carbohydrate recovery beverage is being consumed.

Write it down. Studies show that food journaling can be very effective in managing a healthy eating plan. If it goes in your mouth, write it down BEFORE you eat it. You’re less likely to eat ‘junk’ when you have to quantify it.

I have 25 more tips in the Challenge Fat Loss Nutrition Tactics guide for you along with home workouts that are the most effective and least time consuming around.

You can get an incredible workout DONE in 20 minutes or less. You see, it’s the INTENSITY you bring to your workout that really counts, not the time you spend. Often times folks think they’re training hard until they train with me, then when they do, they get an idea of the level of intensity necessary to facilitate a transformational body change. I have a solution so we can actually train side by side.

I’ll take you through my M2A (muscle metabolism acceleration) workouts. You can follow along with me in the workout videos. You’ll up your workout intensity to up your fitness game. aYou’ll finlly lose that fat that you’ve wanted to dump, just in time for summer.

Paired with solid nutrition, these workouts are what you need to get the body you desire. Look, I’m 50 and they work for me, they’ll work for you too.

Craig will have more information on how you and I can be training partners with my Challenge Fat Loss program.

About Shawna Kaminski

Shawna Kaminski is a retired schoolteacher of 20 years who’s found her passion in the fitness industry. She’s parlayed her ability to teach and her love of training into programs that you can directly benefit from. Shawna just turned 50, is a mother of two teenagers and understands how busy life can be. Her workouts are short and intense and often can be done anywhere.

She’s always up for a challenge and shares her fitness challenges with you. Currently she runs her own fitness boot camps and coaches clients in person and online with her amazing result getting programs.

This workout is famous in the fitness world and has been watched tens of thousands of times online.

It’s called The Punisher, and it’s an incredibly simple way to exhaust your legs in fat-burning interval style with NO-equipment.

You simply do narrow-stance bodyweight squats for 20 seconds (you should get about 15-17 reps) and then you hold the bottom position for 10 seconds. Repeat that for 8 rounds with no rest. <= So much fun…when you’re done!

(NOTE: If you are a beginner, do only 2 rounds. If you are “intermediate”, do 4 rounds. Even if you’re advanced, good luck getting 6 rounds!

After a couple of workouts, you’ll improve quickly.)

It’s brutal. It’s punishing. It depletes your quadriceps of glycogen and dramatically boosts fat burning and fitness (yes, you’ll even improve sport-specific performance with The Punisher).

But it doesn’t cost you anything in money or much in time (you don’t have to drive to a gym, park, wait for machines, etc., etc.).

Think of how much time and money you will save if you have dozens of NO-equipment bodyweight workouts just like this.

That’s the proven power of simple workout solutions that you’ll find in The Punisher and the 13 other 4-minute miracle workouts that I’ve put together for you.

If you want to try a couple more four minute sessions, then just watch the replay of yesterday’s amazing Livecast here:

In this professionally-produced video, you’ll get a complete 5-step blueprint on how to create the body of your dreams with Joel Marion’s simple – yet advanced – fat burning nutrition tips and my 4-Minute Miracle workouts. The tips he gives on Carb-Cycling are brilliant for rapid fat burning results.

Click here to get the body of your dreams in just 4 minutes

Here’s what viewers are saying about it…

“Good stuff Craig and Catherine!! You guys did a great job of conveying the message in a way that made sense to the general audience. Also was fun to watch you both sweat a bit!” – Dani Woodrum

“I really enjoyed what I watched. A great way to get the word out about the great things being done with your HWR program!” – Jim Talbert

Your punished Punisher,

Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer

PS – You MUST act now…

…I’m offering this workout and nutrition replay for a special discounted price but the price will never be this low again.

Get three 4-Minute workouts and your 5-step nutrition plan for only $7

Totally worth it just to watch Catherine Gordon, Certified Turbulence Trainer, kick my butt in those workouts.

Yep, I worked out hard in this video. Don’t miss it!

This is perfect for your weekend. Yesterday I mentioned a 7-minute workout that Women’s Health magazine wanted me to review.

The workout was truly terrible, using exercises like crunches (even if you had two hours to workout, you shouldn’t be doing crunches.)

A much better 7-minute workout would be this:

1) Total Body Extensions – 30 seconds
2) Pushups – 30 seconds
3) TRX Rows or Band Pulls – 30 seconds
4) Prisoner Forward Lunges (alternating) – 30 seconds
5) Spiderman Climb Pushups – 30 seconds
6) Prisoner Squats – 30 seconds
7) X-Body Mountain Climbers – 30 seconds
Repeat that circuit twice. And then…
BOOM goes the Home Workout Dynamite. Perfect way to start the day.

But listen, if this is still too “long” for you (and wow, are you ever busy if it is!), then I have something even better for you.

It’s a free 4-minute, follow along fat burning workout video that also targets your abs. Get it here:

- www.HomeWorkoutRevolution.com/ultimatefatloss/

But hurry, it’s your last chance to get this free workout video before my darned dog takes it down and goes out and buries it in the backyard with his bones. Seriously, he will!

So let’s train together this weekend. It’ll be fun.

Start with the four minute abs workout at this link, and then join me for 3 more free workouts on Sunday (just don’t have a weekend cheat meal before any weekend workout, because that could end badly – LOLz).

Get your free 4-minute workouts here

No on works out in 7 minutes,

Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer

PS – Seriously, you’re running out of…

…time to score this free deal.

Get your free workouts with Craig here

And find out why I’ll be over to your house on Sunday at 5pm EST.

Make sure we have some room for a great NO-equipment workout.

Why We Fail
By Craig Ballantyne, MS, CTT
with Jason Klein, CTT

It was another one of those days.

Stuck in traffic, with places to be and people to see.

I was running late for my workout, and beings I only allot so much time for each activity during the week, I ended up having to miss my workout!

Talk about starting the week “off the tracks.”

If you’ve ever missed something like a workout, it can really throw you off if you are used to a certain schedule. It doesn’t just throw your schedule off though. It will mess up other things like energy level, mood, motivation, immunity, and sleep quality.

Ever experience this?

I was mad because deep down I knew how essential my workouts were in order to achieve my best body. What started as one missed opportunity to boost my metabolism and burn fat, turned in to a common occurrence…
——

That was several years back, when I didn’t have a strategy for overcoming the time factor and life’s unexpected events.

I sought a system to cure this issue. (It Was NOT Long, Slow, Boring, Cardio)

As a matter of fact, that is the #1 reason why people fail at both general “every-day” goals, as well health and fitness goals. When we find a system to keep us on track, things start to fall into place.

I want to let you in on a little secret within the fitness world. There’s a NEW and revolutionized method out there that is helping other people pack on lean athletic muscle, and lose fat at a much faster rate than traditional cardio workouts.

A Done-For-You System. A blueprint to lean, athletic muscle.

Isn’t it easier when you have a map of where you are going?

This method is not for people who want a “magic bullet. It is for those who love reaping true, long-term benefits from enjoyable challenges.

Imagine getting some of the most effective workouts in 15 minutes or less without having to feel guilty about “not making time” to work out.

This method is called the 15 Minute Body™ method, and has already impacted hundreds of people.

This 15 Minute Body method uses a new form of training called Interval Cardio-Resistance Training™ (ICRT ™).

ICRT ™ combines a metabolically demanding form of strength training with cardio training sets, which in-turn builds lean, athletic muscle and burns fat at a way faster rate than you’re used to.

I had literally stumbled upon the 15 Minute Body method about two years ago, as I was personal training in college. I have spent the past year digging up the scientific evidence behind this new method called Interval Cardio-Resistance Training™.

You see, this is not your AVERAGE type of training method!

Below is just one scientifically proven reason for why people see big results with the 15 Minute Body™ method.

A 2012 study from the European Journal of Applied Physiology tested two groups of males; one group participating in long 45-90 minute cardio and one group participating in FAST, SPECIFIC resistance and cardio intervals.

RESULTS: The group that participated in short, higher intensity cardio-resistance workouts achieved exponentially greater results, in far less time.

(European Journal of Applied Physiology. Vol. 112 (5). MAY 2012. 1907-1915)

I don’t know about you but that seems pretty awesome to me!

The other awesome fact about this workout is that it stimulates fast lean muscle growth AND fat loss more effectively than most traditional (boring) 60 minute cardio workouts! Plus, did I mention that is 100% bodyweight? I didn’t spend a dime on useless equipment!

You see, the main goal here is fat loss through lean muscle growth. Now keep in mind, these workouts don’t produce bulky muscle. It’s the lean, athletic physique that Jason’s 15 Minute Body™ method produces. Are you ready for this?

So if you are sick n’ tired of boring 60 minute workouts that leave you empty handed, you probably want to give THIS FREE WORKOUT A SHOT!

As a matter of fact, there are two Action taker bonuses available until midnight tonight…

How to Defeat the Cardio LIE
By Craig Ballantyne, MS, CTT With Jason Klein, CTT

Mile marker number 23 of the Disney World Marathon was where the magic happened.  I had been a very serious endurance athlete until this strange turn of events.

It somehow hit me all at once.

The thought that cardio was keeping me from looking like Captain America. It was also causing my body to deteriorate (by way of degenerative disk disease in the spine).

Now I had been studying kinesiology for four years at that point, and we don’t need to get in to the science behind how the body adapts to long, slow cardio.   Just know that I was over it. I was over not having the body I wanted to have.

The ENTIRE package.

I decided to set out to destroy the lie of cardio, and free people like myself that are still held down.

I want to let you in on a little secret within the fitness world. There’s a NEW and revolutionized method out there that is helping other people pack on lean athletic muscle, and lose fat at a much faster rate than traditional cardio workouts.

A Done-For-You System. A blueprint to lean athletic muscle. Isn’t it easier when you have a map of where you are going?

This method is not for people who want a “magic bullet. It is for those who love reaping true, long-term benefits from enjoyable challenges.

Imagine getting some of the most effective workouts in 15 minutes or less without having to feel guilty about “not making time” to work out.

This method is called the 15 Minute Body™ method, and has already impacted hundreds of people.

This 15 Minute Body™ method uses a new form of training called Interval Cardio-Resistance Training™ (ICRT ™). ICRT ™ combines a metabolically demanding form of strength training with cardio training sets, which in-turn builds lean, athletic muscle and burns fat at a way faster rate than you’re used to.

I had literally stumbled upon the 15 Minute Body™ method about two years ago, as I was personal training in college. I have spent the past year digging up the scientific evidence behind this new method called Interval Cardio-Resistance Training™.

You see, this is not your AVERAGE type of training method!

Below is just one scientifically proven reason for why people see big results with the 15 Minute Body™ method.

A 2012 study from the European Journal of Applied Physiology tested two groups of males; one group participating in long 45-90 minute cardio and one group participating in FAST, SPECIFIC resistance and cardio intervals.

RESULTS: The group that participated in short, higher intensity cardio-resistance workouts achieved exponentially greater results, in far less time.

(European Journal of Applied Physiology. Vol. 112 (5). MAY 2012. 1907-1915)  I don’t know about you but that seems pretty awesome to me!

The other awesome fact about this workout is that it stimulates fast lean muscle growth AND fat loss more effectively than most traditional (boring) 60 minute cardio workouts! Plus, did I mention that is 100% bodyweight? I didn’t spend a dime on useless equipment!

You see, the main goal here is fat loss through lean muscle growth. Now keep in mind, these workouts don’t produce bulky muscle. It’s the lean, athletic physique that Jason’s 15 Minute Body™ method produces. Are you ready for this?

So if you are sick n’ tired of boring 60 minute workouts that leave you empty handed, you probably want to give THIS FREE WORKOUT A SHOT!  <<<<<<CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT<<<<

Jason Klein,
Certified Personal Trainer

P.S.  There is no doubt in my mind that the 15 Minute Body™ method is going to become very popular this year!