I was in California this weekend…Cali always makes me think of great nutrition, and awesome foods like avocado, dates, spinach, asparagus, red onions, spinach salads with strawberries and walnuts, and even Portobella mushroom burgers.

Last summer I visited Kardena Pauza down here in Orange County, and she made me some amazing blender drinks and fed me the most amazing dates I have ever had. Nothing since has compared to them. They were like tiny donuts…so sweet.

Anyways, what most people don’t know is that  I was a very picky eater when I was young. I didn’t eat most of those foods listed above until I was almost 30!

Click here to listen to the call…

Now let’s get into the TT Workout and tips…

Monday – July 12th

Transformation Tip of the Week:
“If you have a problem with _____, do something about it. It doesn’t matter how big the ____ problem is, you can take action on fixing it today. Send an email to a friend asking for help with ___. Search the internet for solutions to _____. Or get off Facebook, and go fix your ____ problem in the real world. No matter what, there is no excuse to not work on fixing your ____ problem today.”

TT Workout A – Kettlebell Workouts
1) KB Clean (5 x 5)
2a) KB Side Press (3 x 5)
2b) Chin-Ups (3 x AMAP)
3) Turkish Get-Up (3 x 5 per side)
4) 2-Arm KB Swings x 100 (in as minimal sets as possible, rest 1min btwn sets)

And here’s something else to try, from the latest Men’s Health magazine.

Trainer Martin Rooney gives us his 3-minute chinup test and scores.

For men, if you get ___, you are ____.

<19 = below average
20-29 = average
30-39 = good
40-49 = excellent
50+ = extraordinary

In the magazine, Martin gives tips on how to improve by doing sets 2-reps short of failure with 1 minute rest.

Tuesday
Get 30 minutes of fun activity – now grab a Green Tea and do this week’s research review.

Reference:
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: July 2010 – Volume 42 – Issue 7 – pp 1286-1295. Resistance Training Predicts 6-yr Body Composition Change in Postmenopausal Women. Bea, J., et al.

Previously, sedentary women (n = 122, age = 56.3 ± 4.3 yr) were randomly assigned to resistance training or control.

The training group did eight core exercises for two sets of eight repetitions at 70%-80% of one-repetition maximum, three times weekly, plus progressive weight bearing, stretching, and balance

Results showed that resistance training is a viable long-term method to prevent weight gain and deleterious changes in body composition in postmenopausal women.

So no matter what your age, you need to be lifting for a better body!

Stay strong!

Wednesday

TT Workout B – Kettlebell Workout

Jumping Jacks x 25
1-Arm KB Swings x 15 per arm
KB Overhead Walking Lunges x 10
Push-Ups x 15
Double KB Row x 15
Prisoner Squats x 15
Burpees x 10

Thursday
Do 30 minutes of fun activity. Now a common question I get about these off days is…

“Can you do intervals and weights on alternate days?”

The answer is yes. It seems to be fine. We are still looking to see if this gives more results or less. But so far, so good.

Friday

TT Workout C – Kettlebell Workout

KB Snatch (5 x 5 per side)
2a) Hindu Push-Ups (3 x AMAP)
2b) Renegade Rows (3 x 10 per side)
KB Windmill (3 x 8 per side)
Double KB Front Squat (1 x 20)

Social Support Saturday!
30 minutes of fun activity…and now for a support tip from the latest Men’s Health magazine (July or August, 2010).

Research shows you need to get on the email list of fitness experts, because signing up for weight loss advice emails can help you lose weight because you’ll eat smarter & increase your activity.

Sunday – Plan, Shop & Prepare
30 minutes activity and plan, shop, & prepare

Another tip from that issue of Men’s Health…

Men should consume < 150 calories of added sugar per day.

However, good ol’ Men’s Health is always contradicting itself, and 2 pages later, MH recommends drinking 200 calorie slushies before your endurance workout.

Confusing messages…what they should have done was been more specific that the slushie recommendation was for ENDURANCE athletes.

Oh, and why do slushies help? Because the cold temperature slows the absorption of sugar…giving you time released energy.

It’s also worth mentioning again this info about deadly transfats.

Foods can claim to be trans-fat if they have < 0.5g per serving! But a package of food might have 2-4 servings, and therefore, you if you eat the entire bag, you could get a heart-crushing 1-2 grams of transfats. And you should eat LESS than a gram per day.

Research – quoted in MH – shows that for every 2% increase in your daily trans fat intake, your risk of heart disease increases 23% – transfats are nasty!

Avoid all foods with hydrogenated oil in the ingredient list…even if the package says “trans fat free”.

Next week!
TT Contest Results!
TT Workout – Program that helped contest winners
Research Review – High Protein Diet Study

I’m a lucky man because I’m off to the SuperBowl this weekend…and I’ll be creating a special report on my fitness and nutrition while on the road. In fact, I’m creating an entire new site “Turbulence Training Travels”. Watch for that in March.

Speaking of the SuperBowl, this week’s fat burning coaching call has a SuperBowl theme with lots of sports analogies.

Click here to download the call – its a good one

But first, I want to tell you about an email I got this week.

For some reason, my email address has been put on a “free publicity” list, and every day I get 3-5 lame Press Releases about fitness.

One of them was about the “120 Calorie Half-Time Workout” that went on to outline a boring circuit that you could do at half-time during the game to burn off some of the football munchie calories.

But this mindset bugs me.

Why?

Because you’ll never win the “calorie battle” by trying to out-exercise a bad diet. It just won’t work with “120 calorie circuits”.

Instead, stick to the “7 Word Diet” 90% of the time, and follow my 3 cheat rules (listed below) for big events.

Now let’s move on to our Superbowl tips…

Monday – Feb 8th

Transformation Tip of the Week: Superbowl Style

Kekich Credo #73. Nothing wins more often than superior preparation.

For Fat Loss, you must…

1) Plan, shop, and prepare.

2) Come up with two solutions for every obstacle in your life.

3) Use a structured, professionally designed workout

4) Get social support

5) And have a positive and determined mindset that …you are going to DO this, not that you are going to “try” and do this.

That’s how you win.

Workout A – TT KB-DB-BW Fusion Program – August 2007

Superset #1
1A) 1-Leg Squat with KB’s or DB’s [if possible] – 6 reps per leg (2-0-1)
30 seconds rest.
1B) DB Incline Press – 8 reps (3-0-1)
Rest 1 minute before repeating the superset 2 more times.

Superset #2
2A) 1-Leg RDL with KB or DB – 10 reps per leg (2-1-1)
No rest.
2B) DB or KB Row – 8 to 12 reps per arm (2-0-1)
Rest 1 minute before repeating 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Superset #3
3A) DB or KB Squat – 20 reps (1-0-1)
No rest.
3B) Decline Pushup – 20 reps (1-0-1)
Rest 1 minute before repeating 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Intervals

• Warm-up for 5 minutes.
• Work for 45 seconds at a hard pace (at a subjective 9/10 level of intensity).
• Follow that with “active rest” for 90 seconds by exercising at a slow pace (at a subjective 2/10 level of intensity).
• Repeat for 5 intervals.
• Finish with 5 minutes of a cool-down at a 3/10 level of intensity.

Tuesday
Get 30 minutes of fun activity – and let’s do this week’s research review about “The Diet of Death”.

Reference:
International Journal of Obesity (2009) 33, 1419–1426. Associations between dietary patterns and obesity phenotypes. A-M Paradis1,2,3, G Godin4, L Pérusse2,5 and M-C Vohl. Laval.

In this study, researchers reviewed the diets of 664 participants aged between 18 and 55 years.

They found that people generally fell into 2 categories:

1. The Western Diet (refined grains, French fries, red meat, processed meats, & regular soft drinks)
2. The Prudent Diet (eggs, fish, seafood, vegetables, and non-hydrogenated fat)

Unfortunately, the researchers found that subjects who ate the Western Diet had a larger BMI, heavier weight, bigger waist and a lot more fat. They were much more likely to be obese.

But people on the Prudent diet were the opposite.

********************************************
Listen, nutrition is pretty simple. In fact, I just finished reading an entertaining little book called,  “Food Rules” by Michael Pollan. It tells you what to eat, and what not to eat.

And it can all be summed up in this 7 word diet:

“Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Heck, eat ANYTHING but the Western diet. That is the diet of death.

Wednesday

I know I’m going to get the question, “Can I just use dumbbells for these exercises?”.

The answer is “yes and no”. Kettlebells allow for a better movement in the swing exercise. For that one, you’ll want a kettlebell.

Workout B – TT KB-DB-BW Fusion Program – August 2007

1A) 1-Arm KB or DB Swing – 12 reps per arm (2-0-1)
No rest.
1B) Spiderman Pushup – 10 reps per side (1-0-1)
Rest 1 minute before repeating the superset 2 more times.

Superset #2
2A) 1-Arm, 1-Leg DB or KB Overhead Press – 6 reps per side (2-0-1)
No rest.
2B) Waiter’s Bow – 15 reps (2-0-1)
Rest 1 minute before repeating 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Superset #3
3A) 1-Arm DB or KB Squat & Press – 10 reps per arm (2-0-1)
No rest.
3B) X-Body Mountain Climber – 10 reps per side (1-0-1)
Rest 1 minute before repeating 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Triset #4
4A) Turkish Get-up – 5 reps per side
No rest.
4B) Pushup Hold – 2 reps (15 second hold at top & 5 second hold at bottom)
No rest.
4C) Side Plank – 20 seconds per side
Rest 30 seconds before repeating 2 more times for a total of 3 trisets.

Thursday
Do 30 minutes of fun activity and then let’s look at your planning again…

If you watch football, you know that every play is scripted…and you might even know that teams come in with their game already planned out. They know what plays they are going to run.

The teams that plan the best, often have the best results…even against greater talent.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is not having a plan. That leads to wasted time (“what should I do today”) and no results.

Spend time planning your workouts to save you time when you go to do you workouts.

Get as much control as you can by planning, shopping, and preparing, but don’t get upset by things you can’t control. Go with flow. Breathe. Work on improving everything else that you CAN control.

Friday

5 supersets in today’s workout!

Workout B – TT KB-DB-BW Fusion Program – August 2007

1A) DB Split Squat – 8 reps per side (2-0-1)
No rest.
1B) Block Pushup – 15 reps (2-0-1)
Rest 1 minute before repeating the superset 2 more times.

Superset #2
2A) DB Chest Press – 8 reps (2-0-1)
No rest.
2B) 1-Leg Deadlift – 8 reps per side (3-0-1)
Rest 1 minute before repeating 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Superset #3
3A) DB Deep Step-up – 12 reps per side (2-0-1)
No rest.
3B) T-Pushup – 10 reps per side (1-0-1)
Rest 1 minute before repeating 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Superset #4
4A) DB Rear Deltoid Raise – 12 reps (2-0-1)
No rest.
4B) 1-Leg Calf Raise – 10 reps per side (2-0-1)
Rest 1 minute before repeating 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Superset #5
5A) DB Curl – 10 reps (2-0-1)
No rest.
5B) Close-Grip Elevated Pushup – 10 reps per side (1-0-1)
Rest 1 minute before repeating 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

If you want, you can finish with kettlebell swings, but the 5 pairs of exercises should be enough.

Social Support Saturday!
Get 30 minutes of fun activity, and then think about this sports analogy for social support:

In sports, the home field is almost always thought of as an advantage because of the support from the fans.

You too must create support from the “fans” in your life.

Its tough to do this on your own. Get help from positive people, and don’t let negative ones into your life.

******************
And there’s one more workout for this program:

Day 6 – Interval Training Circuit

Warm-up – 5 minutes at a moderate pace

Interval #1 (60 seconds at 8/10 intensity level)
Without rest, do 20 prisoner squats
Rest 1 minute before moving to Interval #2.

Interval #2 (45 seconds at 8/10 intensity level).
Without rest, do 15 pushups
Rest 1 minute before moving to Interval #3.

Interval #3 (60 seconds at 8/10 intensity level).
Rest 1 minute before repeat Intervals #1-#3 one more time each.

Cool-down for 5 minutes.

Sunday – Plan, Shop & Prepare
30 minutes activity and then plan, shop, & prepare.

If you are eating big today, use these 3 Cheat Meal Rules

1) Enjoy the meal WITHOUT guilt. It’s just one meal.

2) But NO “gorging” or going back for 2nds. You just get one round of food to enjoy – so eat and drink slowly. No gluttony allowed. Eat slow so you feel full faster.

3) Once it’s over, get right back on track. No feeling bad. In fact, you should feel good – after all, you just REWARDED yourself.

BONUS: Be prepared in advance that you don’t “relapse” after the meal. Make sure you have plenty of healthy alternatives for snacking if you still are hungry later in the evening so that you don’t go back to the leftover wings.

Also, with respect to rule 2, everyone needs to make sure they haven’t “bottled up their desires” so that they end up going on a binge fest. Its not about binging, its about rewarding.

That’s why I like the term “reward meal” rather “cheat meal”, even though it sounds totally dorky.

Okay, that’s it. Hope it helps.

Have a great week,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

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

Next week!

• TT Workout – Beginner Total Torso Training
• Weekly Research Review – An interesting fiber & weight loss study
• Endurance athlete strength training tip
• Protein intake tips from Men’s health

Last week I posted 3 more fitness predictions, but those aren’t the only trends I see going big-time in 2010…

More fitness predictions:

4. Kettlebell-friendly gyms will become more popular

Without a doubt, kettlebells continue to get more popular every year, since they were first introduced. But the first decade of Kettlebell popularity was spent creating a hardcore mentality about kettlebells that slowed their acceptance into mainstream fitness.

In my opinion, KB’s could be 20x’s more popular than they are now. So in 2010, you’ll start to see a more family friendly version of Kettlebell Workouts and training areas at your local gym.

Since they are already being sold on infomercials, it’s time for kettlebells to explode in popularity and to be given the space they deserve in your neighborhood gym.

5. Trainers and fitness authors are going to create more age-group targeted programs

Whether or not this is necessary, we’ll see more and more books and trainers specializing in helping “women over 40”, “men over 65”, etc. Now to be honest, with the exception of individual injury considerations – which applies to all ages – there really isn’t much difference in training someone for fat loss over 50 or at age 30 or age 60.

However, on the bright side, every age group will now have access to more specific role models, tighter communities, and peer-delivered messages that hit home stronger than ever.

6. More trainers will create 5, 6, and even 7-day per week programs – even me!

Whoa, whoa, whoa! 7-day per week programs? How could I ever create a 7-day per week Turbulence Training program? Let me explain…

First, these programs won’t include 7 hard workouts per week. Rather, folks just want to be told what to do on their off days as well as during their workouts.

So instead of creating articles, books, and programs that just give you three workouts per week and leave you to your own devices for the rest of the days, trainers will now be giving you the exact stretching, recovery, and off-day activity plans for a complete 7-day program.

Talking with P90X creator, Tony Horton, really gave me a lot of ideas for this new system.

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

Okay, that’s it for today, but I still have about 6-10 more predictions coming your way soon.

Let me know if you have any predictions,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

Today’s workout was quick and awesome.

Split Lunge Jumps – 4 sets of 6 reps per side

Short sprints – 8 reps of 5 seconds

Long Intervals – Just 2 long (90 second runs)

I have these new kick-butt adidas running shoes…liking them a lot. And I did all of this in the park beside my house.

If you’ve ever wondered what you can do in place of intervals – because you don’t have a treadmill or bike at home – then you’ll love this fat burning workout replacement.

The perfect alternative is the simple Kettlebell.

Here are just a few exercises you can use to replace intervals:

- 2-hand kettlebell swings
- KB Front Squat
- 1-hand kettlebell swings
- Kettlebell snatches

(NOTE: Of course, all exercises must be done with good form, and you should take a few sessions to ease your way into these movements.)

But kettlebells are perfect to burn fat and transform your body WITHOUT using traditional intervals – such as sprinting, biking, ellipticals, or treadmills.

Plus, you can store a kettlebell in even the tiniest of closets, and you don’t need to devote an entire room in your house – or apartment – to cumbersome workout machines.

I’ve lived in 460 square foot apartments and still been able to do full kettlebell workouts.

Yep, until just last February I was living in a 460 square foot apartment in downtown Toronto – total bachelor pad. Nothing like having your stove, bed, desk, and TV all in one room.====>

But there was still enough room for snatches, swings, and squats.

Plus, kettlebells are perfect for the backyard. I’ll be doing a kettlebell
workout this weekend at my mom’s house in the backyard. I keep two
kettlebells there (53 and 70 pounds) and two here in the city (35 and 53 pounds).

That allows me to never miss a day of exercise, no matter what the weather – even when the Canadian roads are covered in a foot of snow and ice from a blizzard.

Kettlebells. It doesn’t get much better than that for a fast fat burning workout.

And Chris Lopez, the first Certified Turbulence Trainer, has put together a full 20 weeks of Kettlebell Workouts PLUS exciting new Kettlebell Challenge Workouts using the TT System.

=> Click here for the Turbulence Training Fat Loss Workouts

If you’ve ever wanted to see how the Turbulence Training System would work when paired with the single best piece of exercise equipment that you can easily keep in your house, then this is your chance to do one of the best anytime, anywhere programs.

Let the Kettlebell Revolution begin,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

PS – Look for more kettlebell workouts and videos coming soon.

6 Reasons Why I Stopped Running Sprints and Started Swinging a Kettlebell

By: Chris Lopez, CSCS, CTT

You’ve probably never heard this before, but…

I dumped sprints and took up kettlebell swings for my post-weight training, fat loss interval work.

Here are 6 reasons why…

1. It takes up too much time.

With my regular training sessions, after I lifted weights, I used to head out to the track to do my intervals.  That usually took up an extra 30 to 40 minutes to get the right shoes on (I’d switch from my Converse All-Stars to my Nike Frees), walk over to the track, get a good warm-up in and then run.

Sometimes, even though my workouts were efficient, it would take me 1.5 hours to get a full workout in (warm-up, weights, warm-up, intervals, cool-down, stretch).  Not good when you have a wife & 5 kids at home and 2 businesses to run.

With swings, I hop on them right after my last set of weights and go to town.  I can do Tabatas, I can do 30s on – 30s off, or I can work hard for 45s, do a plank while I’m resting and pick that KB up for another round right after.  It shaves my workout time by at least 15 minutes.

2. I get hurt.

Sprinting on a track, as cool as it looks, is a little risky for a guy like me.

If you don’t sprint on a track on a regular basis, then the unfamiliar range of motion of sprinting “all out” could leave you hobbled.  I can remember a couple of times when I’ve pulled a hamstring or strained a quad because of sprinting.

My body just wasn’t used to high leg turn over and the extended range of motion that sprinting presents.  Hill sprinting (as an alternative), I find, is a lot safer because of the reduced range of motion.  But again, you need access to a hill and if you don’t have a lot of time (see above), then getting to one may be out of the question.

3. It takes up too much room.

To do sprints, you need about 100 to 200m of open space.  I can do KB Swings in an 8 x 8 elevator.

4. You use the RIGHT muscles.

Everyone is obsessed about what they see in the mirror.  People say they workout for health, which I’m sure is true, but at the end of the day most of us workout to look better.

The problem is that on a subconscious level, we’re always trying to improve what we see in the mirror – our abs, chest & arms.  However, what most don’t realize is that our most important muscles – the ones that give us balance, posture, power & strength – are located behind us.

Our posterior chain (our upper & lower back, glutes, hamstrings & calves), although we can’t see it, is our most critical group of muscles.  KB swings work our posterior chain like no exercise can.

5. KB Swings are – dare I say it – “FUNCTIONAL”.

Think about the motion when you swing a kettlebell – your back is straight, your hips are pushed back, your abs are tight and then in one forceful motion, you thrust your hips forward, your body goes upright and you explode up.

Doing this “triple extension” – the explosive extension of your hips, knees & ankles – is a movement that’s used in every sport, in any physical activity that involves picking something up off the ground or lifting something from a low to high position (like throwing your kid up in the air).

6. Sprinting on a treadmill sucks.

I tried sprinting on a treadmill and came to the realization that I’m only getting 50% of a workout.  Why?  Because the treadmill pulls me along.  All I have to do is lift my leg.

When you sprint, you lift a leg, plant it on the ground and then pull yourself forward and then you repeat with the other leg.

When you sprint on a treadmill, the machine/belt does the pulling for you thus making a treadmill sprint a full quad-dominant exercise.  You only get 1/2 of the motion, the treadmill does the other 1/2.  No wonder people who use treadmills have underdeveloped butts & hamstrings.

KB Swings, as I said above in point #4, works all those muscles neglected with treadmill sprinting and if done right, will relieve your over-developed and tight quads & hip-flexors.

Get ready for the TT Kettlebell Workout Revolution,

Chris Lopez, CSCS, CTT