Welcome to the Turbulence Training Beginner Level Workout videos!

I’m going to show you the full workout videos here to help you get started burning fat fast with simple workouts you can do in the comfort of your own home.

Now you might think these workouts are easy, but you MUST know this…

Three of the four most recent TT Transformation Contest Winners (like Robyn, pictured) started with the Beginner program during their 12-week Transformation. So you are in good company with these workouts.

Here’s the Beginner Workout Warm-up Video.

We’ll start with the warm-up, doing 3 bodyweight exercises back-to-back-to back with no rest in between. Once you’ve gone through the exercises once, take a 30 second rest and repeat it one more time. That is the general warm-up for the workout.

Body Transformation Program Special Edition!!!

Are you ready for TT Transformation Contest #5?

This one is going to rock! I don’t know how it can be better than the last 4, but I just have a feeling that you are going to make it super special, and a transformation to remember! After all, we’ve even already had some transformation motivation winners.

I recommend you download and listen to this week’s call because it is one of the most amazing and powerful fat loss coaching calls I’ve ever done.

Click here to listen to the free call

But let’s get started with our top transformation tips.

Monday – May 4th – TT Transformation Contest #5 Starts.

Click here for the contest rules

In this week’s transformation, I’m going to give you 10 tips to transform safely and effectively. Alright, let’s go!

1) Don’t do any exercise that you aren’t sure how to do.

Always get personal instruction from a certified trainer.

2) Don’t do anything that hurts or “doesn’t feel right”.

There are plenty of alternative exercises for every movement. Just ask us on the Turbulence Training forum for substitutions.

3) Whenever you start a NEW program, use lighter weights than normal, and only 1 set per exercise.

You must expect extra soreness when starting a new program just because of the new exercises, so don’t try to set world records in a new program right away.

4) If you need extra recovery within the workout or between workouts, don’t hesitate to take it.

Safety first.

5) Use a spotter if you are training with heavy weights.

If you train alone at home, follow my recommendations in the Turbulence Training programs and do NOT train to failure.

6) Check your ego at the gym door and start with the easier alternative exercises if appropriate, even if you have exercised in the past.

The new exercises, and new style of movements will cause muscle soreness even from workouts you think “look easy”.

7) Do NOT do interval training more than 4 times per week.

Even pro athletes don’t play hard everyday, so why should we?

8] Never skip a warm-up.

Use the general bodyweight warm-ups and the specific warm-up sets in each TT workout.

9) If you want to start TT but think you have an injury…

…get medical attention and have a professional therapist rehabilitate your injury before starting an exercise program.

10) Check with your doctor before starting any new exercise or diet program.

Safety first!

Bonus 11) If you decide to use running as your form of interval training…

…make sure you have good running shoes, always do an extra thorough warm-up, and choose a safe running surface (grass or trails rather than pavement/concrete). If you use a treadmill, please operate it safely.

Workout A – Beginner Turbulence Training (Click here to get this program in your TT trial offer)

Warm-up Circuit
Prisoner Squat
Pushup or Kneeling Pushup
Stability Ball Leg Curl

1A) DB Squat
1B) Pushup or Kneeling Pushup
2 supersets only

2A) DB Row
2B) Stability Ball Leg Curl

3A) Ab Curl-up
3B) Side Plank

Beginner Interval Training Workout A (Details below)

Tuesday
30 minutes of fun activity.

And here’s a nutrition tip…if you find that you are over-eating or binge-eating, one of the things you need to do is to find joy in things beside food. I recommend you listen to the call to hear what I recommend you do to find joy in life aside from food. (I go into great detail on the call and it would take pages to review here).

Click here to listen to this week’s powerful fat loss coaching call

Wednesday
Workout B – Beginner TT

1A) DB Chest Press
1B) DB Step-up

2A) Elevated Pushup or Kneeling Elevated Pushup
2B) 1-Leg Hip Extension

3A) Plank
3B) Bird Dog

Beginner Interval Training Workout B (Details below)

Thursday
30 minutes of fun activity, and another diet tip…

In fact, it’s probably the #1 diet tip I could give you, and it is simply to not keep junk food in the house…so get rid of something this week. Clean out those cupboards for fat loss.

Friday
Let’s review the interval training fat burning workouts from the Turbulence Training Beginner program.

It’s best that you click here to listen to the call for more details.

Beginner Interval Workout A

• Warm-up for 5 minutes using the same mode of exercise you will use for intervals (i.e. if you are going to run for intervals, make sure you warm-up with running, progressing from light to more intense exercise).
• Exercise for 1 minute at a hard pace (at a subjective 8/10 level of effort).
• Follow that with “active rest” for 2 minutes by exercising at a slow pace (at a subjective 3/10 level of effort).
• Repeat for a total of 4 intervals.
• Finish with 5 minutes of very low intensity (3/10) exercise for a cool-down.

Beginner Interval Workout B

• Warm-up for 5 minutes using the same mode of exercise you will use for intervals (i.e. if you are going to run for intervals, make sure you warm-up with running, progressing from light to more intense exercise).
• Perform an interval by exercising for 2 minutes at a hard pace (at a subjective 7/10 level of effort).
• Follow that with “active rest” for 2 minutes by exercising at a slow pace (at a subjective 3/10 level of effort).
• Repeat for a total of 3 intervals.
• Finish with 5 minutes of very low intensity (3/10) exercise for a cool-down.

Social Support Saturday!
Who you associate with is more important than you could ever imagine. Do not accept anything less than the best – otherwise you are cheating yourself.

There are 5 keys to social support…(and again, listen to the call for my in-depth explanation!)

1. Health professional
2. Workout partner who can lose fat
3. Online social support for fat loss
4. Nutrition buddy at work
5. Family/spouse

Sunday – Plan, Shop & Prepare
Get your 30 minutes of activity and then get out there and plan, shop, & prepare!

On this week’s call, I talk about the TT Food Pyramid, where you should eat healthy, high-fiber and low-sugar whole foods such as…

• vegetables (broccoli, peppers, and greens)
• fruit (oranges, apples, strawberries, & blueberries)
• raw nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, and walnuts)
• lean protein (lean beef, chicken, & fish)

And include these other foods at your discretion based on how many extra calories you have each day, and remember, keep your reward calories to 10% each week.

• whole grains (oatmeal and multi-grain bread)
• reward foods

Whew! Big call this week…and I know that will give you a huge head start on your Turbulence Training Transformation.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Next week, we’ll cover the Turbulence Training Buff Dudes-Hot Chicks program, along with more transformation contest questions, extra fat loss social support, and why you should do a “nutrition education intensive” that will keep you lean for life.

Here’s to your fat loss success story,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS – Click here for the Transformation Contest Rules.

No one would believe that 41 year old woman could use a transformation program to completely changer her body from overweight and out-of-shape to lean and fit in just 12 weeks. But Robyn Sutorowski proved everyone wrong.

Before she even heard about the Turbulence Training transformation contest, Robyn was like many people who find themselves overweight and depressed about it. She also had a bad habit of smoking cigarettes, and with all that combined she felt unhealthy and tired all the time.

But then one day she started talking to Jason Davie, one of the previous Turbulence Training transformation success stories, and he told her how all she needed to do was make small baby-step changes in her diet and do three quick workouts each week.

Robyn thought it sounded simple…maybe even “too simple”. But she looked at Jason and was shocked by his results. He had lost over 30 pounds of fat in 12 weeks and looked younger and healthier than he did just 3 months earlier.

It was then that Robyn decided to go for it. To have her chance to get her freedom back, to regain her confidence, and to feel proud about her body, health and fitness. She didn’t want to be tired or depressed anymore, and this was her chance to do something about it.

But wait a minute. Didn’t you say Robyn was 41 years old? What worked for a young guy like Jason surely couldn’t work for her too, could it? Robyn didn’t see it that way. She was so inspired by Jason that she knew this was her chance.

Robyn was also sick and tired of being exhausted. And so she started her transformation program on in January 2009 and immediately fell in love with the Turbulence Training workouts and lifestyle, plus the social support she found on the forums.

Now here’s one simple secret that helped Robyn make her transformation so successful. The secret is that she simply followed the rules! When some beginners start with Turbulence Training, they jump into workouts that are too advanced, and they end up frustrating and even quitting.

However, Robyn followed the instructions to the letter, starting with the beginner workout and then the intermediate workout before graduating to more advanced workouts.

She finished her 12 weeks using the popular Turbulence Training for Buff Dudes and Hot Chicks program, and that is what helped her lose a record 34 pounds of fat in just 12 short weeks. Not only was that a record for female transformation success stories, but it was a record for the entire Turbulence Training transformation program history!

Over time, Robyn gained strength and came to love the “natural high” of exercise, and this replaced her depression and fatigue. She truly found the energy, the freedom, and the confidence that she was so desperately seeking before.

And when Robyn finally combined her new love of exercise with a simple diet of whole natural foods and the social support she discovered on the TT fat loss forums, she was also able to give up smoking for good.

Her new friends on the forums gave her tips for overcoming cigarettes, and she was able to kick a 25 year habit in just weeks. Since she’s stopped smoking and lost body fat, Robyn now breathes easier, thinks clearer, has more energy, has improved her complexion, and dramatically reduced her depression.

She’s lost over 5 inches of fat from each thigh, 9.5 inches from her waist, and even 5.75 inches of fat from her hips. Her before and after photos are stunning. But Robyn says, while the physical differences are amazing, the improvements in confidence and the ability to overcome challenges are just as important.

Robyn is ready to get her life back. She had tried so many other programs in the past to lose weight or quit smoking, but nothing worked as well as the Turbulence Training transformation program. Her life has totally transformed in just 12 weeks, and yours can too.

Looking forward to your transformation program success story,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS – What does transforming mean to you?

Let me know here:

Transformation Program Motivation Contest

Wow, I had a great time this weekend on a road trip. Who else loves road trips? I bet you do too. What’s the best road trip you’ve ever went on?

For me, I had a chance to head to UFC 97 in Montreal this past weekend with one of my best buds, and we had a blast.

It was just like the first road trip we did to Montreal way back in 1994 (although this weekend’s trip didn’t include hitchhikers, an incident with a girl dressed as a cop at the bar, or hanging out with new friends on Mount Royal while the sun came up - but hey, I was only 18 back then and you just don’t get road trips like that anymore…).

This road trip was a little “quieter”, but still fun. And it has a few fat loss tips for traveling that you can use no matter if you are on the road for business or pleasure.

Our trip was a professional road tripper’s road trip. We came, we saw, we conquered. We got in, and got out. Heck, we left Toronto at 1pm on Saturday and were home by 6pm on Sunday.

Here are the top 5 things you should do on your road trip to burn fat and stay lean…

1) Workout Before You Go 

In order to set the stage for a good road trip, I got up early and went to the gym for a “depletion workout”. That’s what I’m calling my new style of workout (you’ll see more examples in the June 2009 workout of the month) that focuses on depleting energy stores in a short amount of time. Very little rest.

I did my workout with a few different variations of the barbell squat. After a 10 minute warmup, I did 20 minutes of squatting and then got back home to get my house in order so I could head out on the road.

And it doesn’t matter how early you have to leave, all you need to do is get up an extra 20 minutes early to cram in a short 10-minute depletion workout, using supersets, circuits, or intervals.

Here’s my latest bodyweight interval workout youtube video with plenty of short workout ideas for you…

2) Eat a Big Meal Stacked with Fruits & Vegetables

When I came home from the gym, I had a big breakfast of a 4-egg omelet (with peppers, broccoli, onions, mushrooms and spinach) plus an apple and 2 oranges. That filled me up and made it easy to pass when my buddy – a guy who doesn’t eat too healthy – stopped along the way for fast food lunch and cookies.

3) Pack Some Good Snacks…and Choose the Rights Ones at the Gas Station

I was traveling with an old high school buddy, and he’s known about my healthy habits for a long, long time. He even packed some apples and trail mix for me. So that’s what I had along the way.

4) Plan Your Reward Meals…So It’s Easy to Look Forward to that Meal & Avoid Other Temptations

Combined with the right snacks, the perfect pre-trip meal, and plenty of jokes to tell along the way, I was never hungry or bored and tempted to eat junk food on the road tour. Plus, I also planned to have a ‘reward’ meal when we got to Montreal, but before we went into the fights.

And it worked out perfect. I had a big burger, and I allowed myself a few beers at the fights. That was easy. Not too much damage. A perfect road tour meal plan for the day.

5) When In Doubt…Choose the Option Offering the Least Damage

I obviously don’t recommend eating at McDonald’s every day, but we did stop at the drive through on the way home. Instead of getting a Big Mac, fries, and a coke like my buddy, I grabbed a couple of chicken fajitas. They were still good, and were enough so I wasn’t hungry for the last three hours of the ride home.

Alternatively, you could use the fasting for fat loss program for your road trip on the way to or from your destination.

So that’s it…easy steps to stay on track. Plan ahead, and you don’t have to worry about gaining weight on the road.

And the next time UFC comes back to Montreal, I’ll probably be on the road again!

Let me know your road tour trip tips below!

Having fun while losing fat,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS – Looking for a hotel room workout to do on the road.

You can do these workouts without any equipment…

The Turbulence Training Bootcamp Workouts

I was part of the record sell-out crowd in Montreal on Saturday night for UFC 97 – Redemption.

It was my first time going to one of these events, and although I just have only a slight interest in the UFC scene, I had a great time. Unfortunately, the fights were not as good as many expected, but there were some fat loss lessons to be learned!

I had a chance to talk to a bunch of coaches, trainers, and “handlers” of fighters, and found out a few tips for fighter fat loss that you can apply to your program immediately.

After all, I’d say 80% of the fighters were less than 9% body fat for their fights. A few guys were 12-13% fat, and a few guys were even as low as 7-8%. The most impressive physique of the night clearly belonged to XavierFoupa-Pokam. He could easily step on stage at a bodybuilding show and place in the top 3.

But more importantly, here’s what the trainers were saying about fighter fat loss tips…

1) Fighters are using interval training more than they are using long, slow cardio training.

Even though I hear some sports like boxing are slow to change, MMA coaches are using all types of interval training methods to burn fat while building match-specific endurance.

But they were not just doing treadmill sprints, and I don’t think anyone mentioned using the elliptical machine. Instead, they were using a wide variety of interval training and circuit training methods to build fitness.

They were using kettlebells, tires, sledgehammers, and a lot of modified grappling and throwing to simulate the fights.

So you should follow their lead and use non-traditional interval training methods to burn fat. Plus, it will help you build life-applicable fitness.

2) They use the toughest exercises.

I always keep notes about each of my clients and the exercises they dislike the most. And guess which exercises I try to put in the programs as often as possible? That’s right!

For example, most clients hate dumbbell rows, split squats, and bulgarian split squats. But that’s why you see those in the workouts so much! (However, I also know a few TT members who LOVE those exercises!)

Turns out that the exercises you dislike the most are the ones most likely to give you the best results.

And in talking to the MMA trainers, they described their fighter’s sessions as brutal and something most of them hated (with the exception of a couple sick-o fighters that loved that stuff!).

So pick the highest quality exercises and you’ll get more results in less time…even if you don’t necessarily love doing the exercises at the time…at least you’ll love the results!

3) Bodyweight exercises

Even though these fighters had tremendous physiques, not a lot of them were doing a lot of weight training. Instead, there was a bigger emphasis on bodyweight training. After all, at the end of the day, these guys don’t care about how much weight they can lift. They only care about having their hand raised in victory at the end of the fight.

The bodyweight training also improves mobility, dynamic flexibility and torso strength better than weight training exercises lying on your back.

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and place for weight training, and sometimes folks use bodyweight training when they should be lifting, but in most cases, you can use bodyweight exercises to help you build the body you want while losing belly fat.

4) Always trying new things

We talked about why some fighters continue to do well as they age and why some eventually just get beaten by all new-comers, and they often said it came down to one thing. The guys who win with age always seem to be open to trying new things…from technical fighting to training and conditioning.

If you only rely on the techniques you used in the past, you might miss out on a way to get faster results.

For example, if you only do long, slow cardio, and insist on ignoring the science and application of interval training, your results will stall.

Or if you don’t change your workout on a frequent basis, you will hit a plateau.

Bottom line: Your workouts always have to change if you want to keep getting more fat loss results.

5) Surprise…Diet is key!

You knew this was coming, right?

Of course, these guys have found out that you can’t out-train a bad diet, know matter how much or how often they train. It was interesting to hear the specific regimens fighters used, and frankly, the plans were all across the board (including a wide variety of supplement use and meal plans).

But the bottom line was consistency.

These guys planned and prepared for all meals during the final weeks coming up to the fight…and it showed.

So take care of your diet, change your programs, use a wide-variety of training methods, and you can dial in your fat loss workout programs and results just like a professional UFC fighter.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS – Want more hardore fat loss workout ideas?

Grab the most popular TT 4-week fat loss program here:

Turbulence Training Hardcore Fat Loss