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

The Simple Kettlebell Workout Revolution

By: Chris Lopez, CSCS, Certified Turbulence Trainer

There’s a revolution going on in the training world today.

For the past 10-15 years we have been bombarded with every possible training method, new diet and exercise contraption to try to make things “easier”. To cut the distance traveled so that we can get from A to B faster.

As a result, we’re fatter and more confused than we have ever been.

We try everything and because of that, we’ve accomplished nothing. Each week some new book or shiny new toy is released and we’re told that we must have it because it proclaims to be the new “magic bullet” to get us those 6-pack-abs, or a 300lb bench or slimmer thighs.

The problem isn’t with the programs, it’s with us. We don’t give anything enough time to work because we’re constantly switching from one method to the other.

So because of all this, those “in the know” are going back to the basics. They’re saying “screw the gym” and are attempting to really simplify things. And I’m proud to say that I’m one of them.

I’m training at home (outside in my backyard). I’m using basic bodyweight movements (push-ups, chins, dips & pistols) and I’m using kettlebells.

Why Kettlebells?

Because they’re simple, unrefined and they’ve been around longer than the “pec deck”.

Because you can’t get any more basic than an iron cannon ball with a handle on it.

Its simple design is intimidating to some and unappealing to most.

They were the tool of choice for Russian strongmen and military personnel alike back when they were first conceived over 100 years ago. And they’re slowly gaining popularity again because people are sick of the BS.

My favorite KB is a 24kg all-in-one-gym in the trunk of my VW.

It’s a  weathered piece of metal with bumps and bruises, much like my own, and it looks like it’s been through hell and back. I’ve swung it, snatched it, thrown it and slammed it.

It’s been battered and bruised and, thus far in my 18 years of using myself as a training guinea pig, has given me the most results in the least amount of time.

When I train with kettlebell workouts and combine the most primitive bodyweight movements I get a workout done sometimes in less time than it takes the average person to drive to the gym.

Don’t believe me? Give this circuit a shot and see if you think any different…

1) Snatch x 15 per arm
2) Chin-up x 10
3) Clean & Push Press x 10 per arm
4) Spiderman Push-Ups x 20
5) Turkish Get-Ups x 5 per side
6) 2-Arm Swings x 25

Rest 1-minute and repeat 3 to 5 more times.

Welcome to the revolution,

Chris Lopez, CSCS, CTT

I have a little workout for you today (and these are great for bootcamps, too)…

…it’s a sweet little circuit I did on my balcony yesterday morning, and it’s going to be part of the August TT Workout of the Month…but why not try it a little earlier, right?

I call it the Kettlebell-Bodyweight 555 workout.

Why 555?

Because my math skills are horrendous.

I started the program planning to do a new Kettlebell-Bodyweight 500 workout, similar to the one I did on Sunday morning.

But as I got near the end of yesterday’s workout, I realized my plan was going to take me to 550, not 500.

So what the heck, I thought, why not add another 5 pushups. After all, 555 sounds so much better than 550.

NOTE: This definitely is not a beginner fat loss workout, so I’ve included a modified version below.

Advanced Kettlebell-Bodyweight 555 Workout

1) Kettlebell Swings – 200

I doubt anyone reading this will be able to pull off 200 straight kettlebell swings. Even I can’t…

…but I broke it down like this: 100, 50, 30, 20. The grip really starts to go in the last two sets. Once you’ve hit 200, move on to:

2A) 100 Prisoner Squats (hands locked behind head)

supersetted with:

2B) 50 Stability Ball Rollouts

I did 25 prisoner squats followed by 12 stability ball rollouts (but I did 14 rollouts in the last set to hit 50). Then, onto…

3A) 100 Bodyweight Squats (hands down at sides)

supersetted with:

3B) 105 Pushups

I did 50 squats, 30 pushups, 25 squats, 25 pushups, 25 squats, 25 pushups, and then another 25 pushups to finish the workout.

Workout lasted 25-30 minutes. And thanks to the beautiful weather, I was able to do this all on my 5th floor balcony with a beautiful view of downtown Toronto (that photo of the snow covered city is obviously not from yesterday!).

Alright, so what if you can’t do that full workout? Here’s a beginner Bodyweight 225:

Take as MUCH REST as you need to as you try to do all the reps and between exercises. Train hard but safe with these bodyweight exercises!

1) 25 Jumping Jacks
3) 25 Bodyweight Squats
3) 25 Kneeling Pushups
4) 25 Prisoner Squats
5) 25 second Plank
6) 25 Stability Ball Leg Curls
7) 25 Kneeling Pushups
8] 25 Bodyweight Squats
9) 25 Jumping Jacks

Even if you can only do the exercises 5 reps at a time, that’s fine. You can split up the program however you’d like. If you want to do 5 circuits of 5 reps, then go for it! Stick to that exercise order because like every Turbulence Training fat loss workout program, there is a method to my madness!

Trust me.

The one thing I really hate to see is personal trainers running fat loss bootcamps all “willy nilly” without a plan and just making things up as they go along. That’s not my style, and I hate to see people being ripped off like that. If you do bootcamps, make sure your trainer puts you through a STRUCTURED workout. (Heck, teach them about TT to be safe!)

Enjoy!

Train hard but safe,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS – If you want more TT Bootcamp workouts OR…

…secrets on how to build a 6-figure personal training business by doing TT Bootcamps only a few hours per day, visit this website for a FREE report on how to do it!

Turbulence Training Bootcamp Workouts

You’ll have more freedom and have more fun while making money and by doing bodyweight-only bootcamp workouts anytime, anywhere!