I am traveling to Vegas this week and one of the first things I typically do is check out the gym of wherever I’m staying at.  I can know within seconds my workout plans.  But before I even decide on how I want to dominate the evils of the Whitfield genes (in other words, us Whitfields have genes that literally enjoy belly fat), I like to jack with the people at the gym’s front desk.

You see, I still have my old driver’s license from when I was 300 lbs.  So when they ask for my ID, I hand it to them and wait for a response.   If I get a second look, I’m in.  The games will ensue.  Sometimes, I’ll just say something like, “Yep.  Boom.”, or if I’m in a playful mood, I’ll just tell them, “I ate a lot of salt yesterday.”  Ohhhh man, it’s good times.

Anyway, back to the workout decision.  If I go through the doors and see a few machines and no free weights or at least a chin-up or pull-up bar, I know that my exercise plans will be bodyweight workouts.  If there is a bar but no free weights, I can hang around the gym and incorporate chin-ups, pull-ups and body squats, among other good-time moves.  It will still be a bodyweight workout, but I like the chin-up and pull-up options.  It will also allow me to perform a metabolic resistance training program.

Is Bodyweight MRT Possible?

Here’s the thing though – how do you incorporate metabolic resistance training using just bodyweight, and can you have a solid MRT workout using just your own body?  The cool, hip answer is “yeah mang”.  Don’t think I added a “g” at the end by mistake.  That’s slang for “yeah man”.  It’s a new trend I’m trying.  Anyway…

There is a lot of debate of what exactly is MRT, but by now you know that it incorporates non-competing supersets or circuits with short rest periods.  That’s the overall theme.  A MRT program can involve:

• Non-competing strength training (chin-ups supersetted with Bulgarian squats for example)
• Metabolic conditioning exercises (mountain climbers, jumping  jacks, Spiderman climbs)
• Shorter rest periods  (like 20 secs)
• Longer rest periods (but still challenging enough to not allow full recovery – like 1 minute)

So do you take all of these components, toss them in a blender and then get to work?  No, mang.  Ha-ha, who started that slang?  I like it.  Anyway, of course you wouldn’t just throw these things together and hope for a solid MRT workout.  When I put together a bodyweight MRT workout program, I do like to use everything above, but there’s typically a template I put together and it looks like this:

Warm-up

2-3 Supersets of strength exercises using 1 minute of rest between supersets

1 Metabolic conditioning circuit using 3-5 conditioning exercises using 30 seconds to 1 minute of rest (depending on my mood)

Metabolic Workout Finisher (this really varies, but the principles remain the same – high intensity and short rest periods

A basic bodyweight program is great – for example, a circuit of pull-ups, squats and planks.  But I also think that protein shakes are great.  But if you incorporate strength exercises, metabolic conditioning and a metabolic finisher, then it’s fantastic… like a protein shake blended with peanut butter, almond milk and cinnamon.  Analogies are fun.

The art behind the program design is important.  You should perform the strength exercises at the beginning of the program when you are fresh and your muscles haven’t been fatigued.  That way, you will give each strength exercise your best effort, allowing you the maximum benefits… like smoking belly fat.  Then, you follow that with metabolic conditioning and/or a metabolic finisher.

Putting a Bodyweight MRT Workout Together

Alright, let’s do this.

Warm-up

Do the following circuit twice, resting for 30 seconds between circuits:

• Jumping Jacks (15)
• Arm Crosses (15)
• Prisoner Squats (15)
• Pushups (10)
• Plank (30 secs)
• Leg Swings (15 ea)
• Close Grip Pushups (8)

Superset 1

1A) Pull-ups or Wide Overhand Grip Inverted Rows (1 rep short of failure)

1B) Split Squat or Bulgarian Squat (1-1/2 rep style) (8 ea) (1-1/2 rep style is done when you go down, come halfway back up, back down and finally all the way up (that’s one rep)

Rest 1 minute and repeat 2 more times

Superset 2

2A) 1-Legged Deadlift (12 ea leg)

2B) Decline Pushups (1 rep short of failure)

Rest 1 minute and repeat 2 more times

Metabolic Conditioning Circuit

Do the following circuit 3 times, resting for 45 seconds between circuits

3A) Jump Squats (5)

3B) Cross-Body Mountain Climbers (8 ea)

3C) Total Body Extensions (15)

3D) Spiderman Climb (10 ea)

Finisher

Do the following circuit resting only when needed.  In the first circuit, you will perform 6 reps of each exercise.  In the next circuit, you will perform 5 reps.  Continue in this fashion until you complete 1 rep of each exercise.  Time yourself.  The next time you perform this finisher, see if you can beat your previous time.  Remember, form takes precedence.

4A) Burpees (6, 5, etc., down to 1)

4B) Lunge Jumps (6 ea leg, 5 ea leg, etc. down to 1 ea leg)

4C) Spiderman Pushups (6 ea side, 5 ea side, etc. down to 1 ea side)

Now that’s a tasty bodyweight metabolic resistance training smoothie.  Yeah, mang?

Now for the first superset, you may not have access to a pull-up bar or a way to do inverted rows.  While there is no perfect bodyweight move to replace that, you can certainly do the split squat “prisoner style”, by keeping your hands behind your head and squeezing your shoulder blades together during the movement.  That will work your upper back while you work your legs.  You can also incorporate this style with the jump squats.  They are brilliantly called “Prisoner Jump Squats”.

With this type of program, you get the best of all the worlds – you incorporate metabolic resistance training, metabolic conditioning and with the finisher, even an interval element.  Yeah mang, I said “element”.  I can be hip or sophisticated.

So can metabolic resistance training involve just bodyweight exercises?  Yeeeaaaahhhh, mang.  Ha-ha, so fun.

Finish strong,

Mike Whitfield

Yesterday, while babysitting lil’ Lily Marion (yes, I canz babysitz), it hit me.

The next 72 hours are CRITICAL for your success. This is the exact time of year when forward momentum stops. Plans are scrapped. Dreams are put on hold.

SuperBowl weekend (for North Americans), and the “February Fat Loss Plateau Curse” for everyone around the world, can be frustrating and deadly for your goals.

I know. I’ve been there.

My first year of college (or University as we call it up in Canadia) completely put me out of my routine. I ate poorly, drank too much, and just couldn’t get into the habit of my workout routine which I had built up for three strong years in high school.

It was embarrassing. I was ashamed of the 10 pounds I had gained and muscle I had lost.

It’s not your fault that you might be suffering from a dip in motivation. It happens to all of us. I wasn’t always a GQ fitness model with abs.

Fitness companies weren’t always stealing my image to put on their T-shirts and equipment boxes.

You see, back in the day, during my first year at college, I became downright disappointed with my belly fat situation.

But something happened in that 2nd term…

…I re-gained my commitment to my goals.

Like you, I felt “enough was enough”.

I was tired of looking like crap…but you know what was worse? How I felt. I hated being tired all afternoon. I hated getting sucked into an hour of TV after classes and then trying to find energy to study at night.

One day I decided it had to stop and I had to change.

And with the help of the fitness advice I was learning each day in my classes, plus from my personal studies of every fitness magazine I could get my hands on, I began the journey towards the creation of Turbulence Training.

Towards “Turbulence Forever“.

You see, I’m not only the President (as the old TV ad goes), I’m also a client.

I’m the original TT Success Story.

The first, but far from the last.

And I hope you’ll be the next.

This quote came into my life this week – at the perfect time – and it will help you:

“It’s perfectly okay to want to quit – as long as you don’t.” – Fran Tarkenton

So whatever I can do for you, please let me know.

There’s nothing that can be done about the past – you can only improve the way you do things in the future.

If you need help, just drop by the TT Facebook page and ask your question here

If you are struggling with motivation today and are thinking of skipping your workout, then just do me one tiny little favor?

Just go to your workout space and do your warm-up.

Just 5 minutes, that’s all you need.

And once you get through the warm-up, promise me you’ll do just one set, okay?

Oh, and do me one last favor, just do a couple of intervals for me too, pretty please?

If you do that, I promise you’ll end up doing the whole workout, and probably having an amazing session too.

That’s “Forward Progress” as they say in the NFL.

Keep your forward progress going for the next 72 hours.

Kill the curse.

Get that all important small victory.

The one that delivers the momentum that keeps you going.

Listen, my friend Roman got into town last night, and we’re going to be hanging out and working on Kickbutt Mindset Tips to help you beat ‘the curse’.

No matter how you are doing going into February, it is our promise to you that you’ll leave this month kicking the fat loss curse to the curb – forever.

Everything we do this month is about giving you the tools, workouts, and nutrition tips to make everything EASIER.

Fat loss will come simpler and quicker if you can make it through the critical next 72 hours.

Stay strong until Monday. If you can do it, celebrating each small little victory along the way, you’ll be on the path to achieving your biggest goals in 2012. I promise you that.

It’s our mission to show you the way. To show you what Roman and I have been lucky enough to achieve.

Like you and I, Roman struggled too. Everyone struggles. But there’s a solution for all of us.

Stay strong – and give us a chance to show you the way to fat loss forever.

We’ll be working on a plan for you all weekend long. Stay tuned for your step-by-step solution next week.

NOTE: If you are rocking along and don’t need a good kickbutt mindset email, you can jump right over to this SuperBowl
Sunday workout QnA I’ve prepared for you with an awesome plan:   ttfatloss workouts-exposed

Either way, you are awesome.

More awesome than a cheat meal pizza on SuperBowl Sunday with your bestest friendz in the whole world.

I’m lucky enough to be kicking back with Lily Marionz, Roman, Kim Lyons, and a few other fitness folks this weekend to
watch the game. Oh yeah, and Joel will be here too.

Giving thanks, thinking up new workouts (my new “Turbulence Forever” comes out next week for you), and getting motivated
with the best fitness minds on the planet is my plan for Sunday.

I’ll be back next week with the exact plan to help you get through the “February Fat Loss Plateau Curse“.

Stay strong my friend,

Craig Ballantyne
Certified Turbulence Trainer

PS – “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right”. – Napoleon Hill

The tough mudder is a brutal, extreme sport challenge that will test both physical and mental limitations and push you past what you ever imagined you could possibly accomplish. This hardcore challenge was designed by the British Special Forces with the purpose of testing a persons mental and physical abilities, strength, stamina, fellowship and morale.

The tough mudder is an obstacle course comprised of 10 to 12 miles of running, climbing, pulling and pushing through mud, ice, fire and electric volts. It is not for the faint of heart and is a true test of what a human being is really capable of.

As you can imagine, the training required of any competitor that hopes to survive through the bitter end, needs to be extensive and thorough. In addition to ensuring your own behind crosses the finish line, this challenge expects you to help your fellow man or woman cross as well, putting your character to the test as much as your endurance.

You’ll need a true, full body workout program that is well put together and thought out in order to do your best at this challenge. Training for strength and endurance through all kinds of elements and conditions should all be priority one factors in your program.

When to Start Your Tough Mudder Training

The amount of time you’ll need to give yourself to train for an event like this really depends on your starting point. If you’re currently a couch potato, you’ll need a lot more time than someone that’s already putting in the work at the gym everyday.

Typically if you’re a fitness enthusiast, working out at least three to four times a week with an honest effort, you’ll likely want to schedule about 10 weeks to get ready for this challenge. If you’re brand new to fitness you may want to double that. Whatever your current level of fitness may be, the more time you have to prepare, the better off you’ll be, but six to ten weeks is the minimum recommended even for those true fitness buffs.

All-Terrain Running is Key

The tough mudder races normally include as many hills as possible and the steeper the better so you will need to spend a lot of time running hill repeats. Each event is somewhat different in terms of terrain so you will need to check out the particular race you are interested in to really appreciate how many hills are involved and just how steep they are.

It is recommended that before entering the competition, you are already running at least a couple times a week for a distance of 5 miles. You certainly don’t need to be a seasoned marathoner, but a good solid base will provide the starting point that will be required to train for the additional mileage.

It should be noted that the terrain you’ll be running on during the event will be nothing like the smooth pavement rolling through your subdivision. During the race you will be subject to steep hills, over long distances of mud and sludge. If you have a steep, muddy trail nearby, that will be your new gym for the meat of your training. Training on the treadmill, track or asphalt just isn’t going to cut it.

Uphill running demands a huge effort from the hamstrings and calves and nothing will train those muscles more sport specifically than uphill running itself. Leave the calf raises for the bodybuilders.

Since the running within the competition is broken up with intermittent physical and mental strength challenges it’s best to break up your training runs in a similar fashion. Try using interval or fartlek training on your runs. Sprint for a pre determined amount of time or landmark distance and then ease off again, repeating the process over and over.

Full Body Strength Training

Swinging from bars, climbing ropes, pulling other humans up over obstacles, crawling through the mud, running through tires and carrying logs or other heavy objects over long distances are all obstacles you will face that will require a great deal of physical strength. Keep in mind that once again, you are not doing these things in the cozy comfort of your gym, you are faced with elements that may be uncomfortable and unpredictable.

Every muscle is involved in the obstacles you will be subject to during a Tough Mudder. It is imperative that you train each muscle in a variety of ways, in all types of motions to really be prepared for the types of challenges that will be asked of you.

Since the obstacles are placed sporadically throughout the event, it makes sense to train with numerous exercises set up in a circuit format. This will keep the heart rate up, the muscles moving and guessing and will mimic the course as closely as possible.

Full body exercises are the key to your success. You will not be prepared to complete this event by doing barbell curls or crunches. You need exercises that mimic real life and real movements, involving as many muscle groups and body parts as possible. Power, explosiveness, strength and endurance will all be required of your body.

Exercises like squats, push presses, kettlebell swings, windmills, rows, pull ups, push ups, snatches and lateral lunges are all high energy, demanding movements that will create the effect on the muscular and endurance systems that you will so desperately need.

Be creative when setting up your circuits, involving as many planes of motion as possible. Try a circuit of one arm kettlebell snatches, pull ups, lateral lunge jumps, explosive push ups and dips or superset certain exercises like deadlifts and pull ups or kettlebell swings with weighted dips. These are the types of compound, dynamic moves that will prepare you for what’s to come.

Pay close attention to form and range of motion during your workouts. Poor form will only lead to injury and the failure to progress while a lack of range of motion will simply deny the full potential of a great workout. Alternate your running days with your strength training days and make sure to take at least one rest day to recover, This system will get you over the finish line and have you looking like a million bucks at the same time.

The Mental Component of Tough Mudder Training

While the physical requirements of a Tough Mudder are certainly challenging, the mental requirements may be even more so.

Completing any physical competition requires a mind over matter type of attitude but when you add in mud, fire, ice water, cold and/or hot humid temperatures, mud, rain, smoke and then electric shocks, you’ll need much more focus than simply an “I think I can” attitude. The Tough Mudder is a true test of human will and perseverance.

Even though you may enter a Tough Mudder challenge as an individual, it is somewhat a team sport as well. The event is designed with the purpose of proving your skills for camaraderie as much as your strength and stamina capabilities.

During the event you may be asked numerous times to help your fellow competitor over a climbing wall, under the mesh or through the water. You may have to carry an injured participant or help a panicked participant through the swim or the electric shock component.

While there may not be a specific training program for this particular element, keep it in mind during your training. If you’re training with a partner, take turns being the hero as part of your preparation. It’s not just a fun, tough physical challenge; it’s also a test of the human spirit.

Try to mimic the elements you will encounter as much as possible in your training. Run in the pouring rain, the mud, the muck, cold or hot weather, depending on the time of year you’ll be competing and expect to be bumped, bruised and scraped.

Eating for Fuel

Don’t underestimate the importance of a well fed body. Nutrition is one of the most important things when it comes to all aspects of living well and is even more crucial when you’re beating up your body with consistent, hardcore training.

You will need lots of fresh fruit and vegetables to provide your system with the proper vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Lean sources of protein will be necessary in order to replenish and repair beaten down muscle tissue. Carbohydrates in the form of whole grains, beans and vegetables will offer the energy you need to conquer the 10 to 12 miles that you’re faced with.

Make sure your diet is rich in whole, real foods and void of processed, sugary snacks and treats during your training for optimum performance.

Enjoying the Fruits of your Labour

If you train for a tough mudder properly, with the physical and mental determination that will be required from you during competition time, you’ll have no problem crossing the finish line.  Your hard work will pay off and you will enjoy the pride and satisfaction that comes with achieving what may seem an insurmountable goal.

Just one week left to enter the 13th TT Transformation Contest, using either your favorite TT workout or the new 24-7 Fat Loss Workouts.

Discover the ONE simple thing you need to do today to get started in the contest here.

We have a couple of questions on the contest plus the TRUTH about ab exercises and fat loss today.

Question: In your rules you wrote: “This mini-contest runs until Saturday, February 25th, 2012. All entries into the 6-week  mini contest must be submitted before midnight, EST, on Saturday, Feb. 25th, 2012.”

But if I started on Dec 26th, then I’ll be done on Feb. 5th, so are you simply giving contestants a few  weeks to submit  their entry? – Greg

Answer: Hi Greg, sorry for the confusion.

The 6-week contest ends 6 weeks from last day to enter, which is next Friday, Jan 13th. Some people finish up to 3 weeks earlier than others because TT readers are allowed to enter any time between Dec. 26th and Jan. 13th.

Question: Thanks for the clarification. I now understand. I thought everyone started on Dec 26th. Could I restart IF I wanted to  or am I stuck with Dec 26th? – Greg

Answer: You can restart. All that matters is contestants send in their  before and after photos that are clearly 6 weeks (for the  6-week mini-contest) or 12-weeks (for the main contest) apart  by the given date…and please include your 300 word transformation ‘essay’ describing your changes.

Thanks Greg, wishing you success with it.

Question: I’ve been doing abs every day for 30 minutes and I’m stuck. My waist isn’t getting smaller and I hate these long workouts.

Answer: Well, I have good news for you.

Here’s the TRUTH about abs…

As reported in the latest Men’s Health magazine (the one with Ashton Kutcher on the cover), a research study found that doing 6 weeks of ab training did absolutely NOTHING for dropping belly fat.  And these folks were doing 14 sets of abs, 5 days per week.

Brutal.

What a waste of life for no reduction in belly fat. Skip that and use the TT Metabolic Resistance Training program instead. You’ll get more results from less time in the gym.

Question: When I do a pushup, how much weight am I lifting? – Ronny

Answer: Great question, and Men’s Health just reported on a research study that looked at this. Here’s the ‘percent of your body weight‘ that you are lifting when doing various pushups:

a) Kneeling pushup = 49% bodyweight
b) Regular pushup = 64% bodyweight
c) Decline pushup = 74% bodyweight

Of course, both b and c are much harder when you do your pushups in the TT Spiderman style. Check out 101 bodyweight exercises here.

Question: I trained a “fatloss” client today. We did mobility, interval treadmill work for 20-minutes and then supersetted with weights. My  question is: Does it really matter if I do  weights first then intervals? I normally do weights first but just wanted to switch it up with her.Thanks. – Doug

Answer: Doug – If strength gains are not a priority, then no, it doesn’t really matter for fat loss if you do intervals before resistance training or after.

As an aside, doing intervals first is a good way to ‘trick’  clients into thinking they are working harder than normal.

But again, when it comes to fat loss, it likely doesn’t matter either way. But you’ll never see me doing intervals before my resistance training because I know my lifting would suffer.

Question: Is it ok to strength-train my lower body one day then do  intense cardio like spin for an hour or run 6k the next day? – Bernadette

Answer: Bernadette – Please be careful of overuse injuries. Getting a chronic, nagging injury is your biggest risk when you start training more than recommended. Your muscles, Achilles tendon, knees, hips, low back, etc., are all at risk. Make sure you  are doing a thorough warm-up that includes foam rolling. And  also get some complete rest days in there somewhere.

Question: Can you explain MRT, MCT, and MFF?

Answer: You bet, I did that in a QnA for you.

Learn about MRT, MCT, and MFF here.

Alright, that’s it for this week…but a bit of motivation before you go…always remember:

Chip away at good behaviors. Not everything is going to change  overnight…but if you’re a little better today, and a little  better tomorrow, then you’ll be a whole lot better next month.

Stay strong. Get stronger.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Certified Turbulence Trainer

PS – TT Trainer Ray Ortiz was on…

…Canada’s national morning show yesterday…

…check out his clip here

Well done, Ray. All the TT Trainers are proud of you.

My yearly 2012 fitness predictions report is the highlight of my December project list. It’s always fun to look into my crystal ball and try to predict the future.

I’ve actually been right in the past about some big trends, and today, we’re going to focus on the hottest fitness trends for 2012. You’ll want to know the truth about these – in advance – so you know how to incorporate them into your workouts.

1) Metabolic Resistance Training will be the training term of the year

Weight training circuits, Turbulence Training, Afterburn Training – all of these have been known for years, but more and more we’ll see the phrase, Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT) used to describe this broad field of training.

Of course, that also means that MRT will be defined differently by almost every trainer…leading to some confusion among fitness readers (almost as much as the term, ‘clean eating’).

As the originator of this MRT programs however, you’ll get the most accurate MRT programs here through Turbulence Training – and therefore, the very best results.

Even celebrities are getting in on the MRT craze. Recent reports state that the rap legend, 50 Cent, is releasing a book based on MRT training. That will be the hot new buzzword in Hollywood this year and you’ll likely see articles in Men’s Health magazine about how a celebrity trainer got one of his clients into superhero action movie character shape with MRT workouts.

Fortunately, this is good news for all Certified TT Trainers because MRT will catch on with folks in your neighborhoods, and you’ll be the go-to expert for this type of training as long as you continue to learn from my TT workouts.

2) The M-MRT Explosion will be the next level in MRT

Alwyn Cosgrove helped me bring the terms MRT and MCT to the training world, and we explicitly defined those as different types of workouts.

Recently, with the help of a bodybuilder (of all people), I’ve been able to create a new form of MRT called Muscle-MRT. This makes MRT not just about total body movements like Kettlebell Swings and Burpees, but also about massacring the muscles through deep glycogen depletion in muscle-focused movements like close-stance barbell squats.

All will be revealed – in terms of how to use M-MRT – in an upcoming TT workout of the month.

3) Bodybuilding Training Will Start Getting More Respect

Now I’m not saying that everyone is going to go back to bodybuilding 6 days per week (that would ruin too many shoulder joints), but I am saying that bodybuilding methods are going to become popular again.

For example, just in the last couple of weeks I’ve had my Toronto TT guinea pig clients trying out Ben Pakulski’s squeezing techniques in the gym with great results.

If you don’t know Ben, he is one of the top 10 bodybuilders in the world. In fact, back when I lived on the west side of Toronto I used to train side-by-side with Ben in the dungeon of a gym called System Fitness.

Funny thing though, we never spoke. And we still haven’t had an offline conversation, but he and I have been going back and forth on how we can make TT MRT workouts even better. And one of the biggest changes was to use his squeeze techniques – which again, you’ll learn all about in the January 2012 TT Workout of the Month and next month’s issue of this newsletter.

As trainers get better and better, your workouts will become more intelligent as we sift through the junk of old-school training and polish off the hidden gems, and that’s what we’ll see in 2012 as bodybuilding training will get more respect.

In the past 5-10 years, bodybuilders have been like Rodney Dangerfield – they ain’t been gettin’ no respect. So this should be the year it all changes. On the bright side here, these new programs will satisfy our metabolic needs for pump-type workouts – there’s a time and place for everything!

4) The Old-Man Warm-up and Workout approach will be known as the best way

Earlier this year I popularized the old-man warm-up, and with great minds thinking alike, guys like Jim Wendler have been using a similar expression for his pre-lifting preparation. Ironically though, when you use an old-man warm-up you can actually transport your body back to its youthful health, mobility, and physicality.

The more time you spend in an old-man warm-up, the better off your body will be. My chiropractor continues to be amazed at the stress of my workouts and the response of my body. Just over two years ago I was going to him for a painful low-back condition, but he’s been amazed at how I’ve ‘worked’ my way out of the problem due to diligent old-man warm-ups (and a little help from his treatment).

Next, the word ‘recovery’ is going to become almost as popular as training amongst serious fitness folks in 2012. Of course, as with anything in fitness, people will now become competitive with their recovery workouts, bragging about how long they spent doing foam rolling or the fact that they use PVC pipe now instead of regular foam rollers that are for “wussies”. (But seriously, once you try a PVC pipe you won’t want to go back to foam.)

5) Trainers 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 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 TT

Whoa, whoa, whoa! 7-day per week programs? How could you 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.

7) Backlash on Hard-Core Workouts

Everything goes in cycles, and it’s probably going to be the year that experts and clients start going against crazy hard-core workouts. In fact, we’re beginning to see that already in magazines like Men’s Health and newspapers like the NY Times calling out the hardcore cults for their lack of preparation in workout design.

The hardcore workout backlash will reach a tipping point as official injury numbers are recorded and brought to light in the new year. Be warned that this will be the year you don’t want to be known as “Hardcore”.

8] MMA Class-Bootcamp Hybrids become more popular

This will be an interesting marriage in the fitness industry, one of convenience and economics. Many MMA gyms will realize that they can get more clients and members into bootcamps, and for better or for worse, many Hardcore MMA gyms will water down their specific training methods in exchange for clients and money.

That’s not a judgement, just an observation on what to expect.

At the same time, many bootcamp classes, seeking to differentiate themselves, will start claiming to be more hardcore. However, if I had to choose one workout as being more effective, it would be the bootcamp-in-the-MMA studio rather than the MMA-added-to-the-bootcamp approach.

This could turn out to be a very interesting battle for clients in 2012. May the best coaches win.

9) The Rise of Urban Adventure Racing

It seems everyone is doing the “Tough Mudder” race these days. If you don’t know about it, you soon will. It’s a 10 mile run that also involves a muddy obstacle course and allows accountant-types to express their inner wildside on the weekends. It sounds like fun, maybe I’ll give it a try one day. And if you get really excited by these, I truly believe it’s a new fitness niche where you could carve out an online business – or even a new group training class format.

10) Advanced Fat Loss Trainers seek better certification opportunities

Never satisfied in their quest to set themselves apart from the rest of the pack, more elite trainers will be looking for advanced fat loss certifications to expand their skills and increase their ability to get more clients, make more money, and design the lifestyle of their dreams.

Now is the time to replace their current approach with a Certification that is radically different, entirely new, and infinitely superior to the old-school generic certification program that so many trainers have saddled themselves with in the past.

Advanced trainers know that nothing short of re-invention will carry them to their loftiest goal of being the best, most in-demand, and well-known trainer in their town. Generic certifications are fine for generic trainers, but not for next-level trainers who want more for their clients (and for their own business and lives as well).

The advanced fat loss certification is superior in that not only is it more effective for their client’s results, but also more profitable for their own business. It opens up many, many more chances to associate with bigger names and opportunities in the fitness industry.

The future of the personal trainer industry is here. And we’re proud to offer an incredible opportunity through the advanced fat loss Turbulence Training Certification to replace the generic, less-than-average beginner personal trainer certification.

If you’re a trainer, then without a doubt, you’ve chosen the right industry to be involved in for your career. Despite the tough economy in retail, manufacturing, and food services, the fitness industry will continue to grow in 2012.

To your fitness success in 2012,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Certified Turbulence Trainer