Anyone see Tiger Woods on the weekend? Can you tell he’s been working out?

It’s incredible what he and his trainer have done…Tiger looks significantly more muscular than a year ago. What’s even more incredible is the dynamic flexibility Tiger has maintained during his body transformation.

It’s relatively easy to build a physique like Tiger’s, especially at 31 years old. But to maintain the fluid range of motion on his swing while gaining that strength and mass is impressive.

I’m not sure if Tiger has to be that muscular to succeed in golf, but more importantly, he hasn’t allowed his size to impair his performance – and that’s what happens to most guys that strength train for golf. They use machines, rather than a variety of movements. They end up losing the mobility that a great golf swing demands. That’s why bodyweight exercises and free weight exercises are better than machines (for golf, and for burning fat and gaining muscle).

But going back to Tiger, it was also impressive to see how he dealt with the heat. He didn’t fade. In fact, in the post-game news conference, he went on a pretty good tirade about how great he felt, and how all other golfers should be training hard so the heat would not bother them. Basically, Woodsy “called out” the other golfers on the tour.

And you know what, good for him. As he said, “he busts his butt” to stay in shape. You can’t say that for almost all the other players on the tour. Even the ones that workout probably aren’t busting their butts like Tiger (or like the men and women using Turbulence Training).

Anyways, congratulations to Mr. Woods. He deserves it. He earns it. And it looks like he will be dominating the scene for another 20 years, or as long as he feels like it. Imagine that, Woods in top shape for another TWENTY years.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training for Fat Loss have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Turbulence Training for Fat Loss workouts help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig’s bodyweight workouts for fat loss help you lose fat without any equipment at all.

While most people struggle to lose the last 10 pounds, there are many folks fighter a bigger battle against the bulge. With nearly 119 million Americans overweight or obese (that’s 65% of the entire country!), there are many cases of men and women that need to lose 100 pounds or more.

But can this even be done?

The answer, according to scientists from the University of Kentucky, is yes. One hundred and eighteen people were able to lose over 100 pounds during a 9- year period at the University’s clinic.

Not surprisingly, the program used was intensive and comprehensive, using such methods as meal replacements (shakes and entrées), low-energy diets, weekly classes, and training in record keeping and physical activity. Consistent assessments involving weekly weight measurements also helped to keep the patients on track.

A good place to start is using home based strength training workouts and short cardio sessions.

Everyday, take three 10-minute walks (morning, lunch, and evening) to start. By breaking things up, you’ll avoid overuse injuries.

But most importantly, you are going to see amazing results by changing your nutrition. Stop eating junk food and start making one positive nutrition change each day…add an apple today, an ounce of almonds tomorrow, and green tea the day after that…

Back to the study…There were also huge benefits to the weight loss. The researchers reported medications were discontinued in 66% of patients with a cost savings of $100 per month, and subjects were able to significantly decrease LDL cholesterol (-20%), triacylglycerol (-36%), blood sugar (-17%), and blood pressure (systolic -13% and and diastolic -15%).

Not everything went perfectly according to plan, as the clients gained back a few pounds after 5 years of achieving peak weight loss, however the bottom line is that an intense, multi-discipline weight loss program can work with severely obese men and women. The cost savings and health benefits are worth all of the effort to achieve this weight loss.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 2, 301-307, August 2007
© 2007 American Society for Nutrition

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked weight loss workouts have helped thousands of men and women with rapid fat loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Craig’s fat loss help board shows you how to burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig even has bodyweight workouts for weight loss to help you lose fat without any equipment at all.

Aerobic cardio training is no longer the king of fat burning. There are better ways, such as interval training, strength training, and even circuit training. Let’s look at the latest research on circuit training versus aerobic training…

If you think only aerobic training can improve your cardiovascular fitness, then you’ll be surprised by the latest comparison of circuit weight training and cardiovascular exercise.

Brazilian researchers assigned subjects to a 12-week training program. One group of subjects served as an inactive control group, a second group performed aerobic exercise three times per week (35 minutes at 70% of maximal heart rate), and a third group did circuit training three days per week (lifting at 60% of their 1 repetition maximum for a series of exercises for 35 minutes).

The results showed a similar improvement in peak aerobic exercise performance for both training groups. Shockingly, the aerobic training group did not outperform the lifting group. Both groups improved lower body strength, but only the circuit training group got stronger in the upper body.

This study is a pleasant surprise for men and women who want to strengthen their entire body and improve their aerobic fitness in only three short workouts per week. You don’t have to do slow, boring cardio workouts to improve your health (besides, you’d miss out on the upper body strength gains anyway).

For maximum results in minimum time, perform multi-muscle resistance exercises (such as squats, pushups, and rowing exercises) at a moderate intensity with minimal rest between exercises.

Your best bet is to start with a bodyweight warmup for 5 minutes, doing bodyweight squats and pushups. Then do 2 supersets of strength training exercises, such as dumbell squats and dumbell chest presses, followed by dumbell rows and reverse lunges. Then finish with interval training. That way you get the best of strength training, interval training, circuit training, and cardio training, all in one workout!

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked fat Loss strength and cardio training workouts have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Monthly Turbulence Training workouts help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig’s bodyweight circuit strength workouts help you lose fat without any equipment at all.

Intervals: Efficient & Effective

Intervals are the single most results producing exercise that I‘ve ever found for boosting your metabolism, helping you burn inches off your body, and giving you a tight, lean, strong shape.

Here’s an excerpt from my latest article in Men’s Fitness showing you how to use intervals for fat loss (Men’s Fitness, Page 114, April 2005).

Interval training is the fitness world’s equivalent of a visit to the in-laws. The shorter and more intense the visit, the better.

An interval is a short period of exercise performed at a given intensity for a specific length of time. Each interval is separated from the next interval by a short rest or lighter activity. There are no strict rules on how long or how intense the interval must be, however, changing the interval length or intensity changes the way your body works and responds to exercise.

Never sacrifice the quality of rest between intervals because this will only reduce the benefits. To succeed with intervals, you must first shake the mindset of traditional continuous cardio training.

No matter where you start with intervals, heed this warning. The high-intensity nature of the exercise can cause muscle soreness you’d associate only with weights, and can cause your legs to feel like j-e-l-l-o.

What most people don’t know is that intervals are the best cardio method for fat loss. Most guys in the gym are hung up on doing excessive amounts of work, but shorter, more intense intervals get the job done better.

Intervals continue to burn calories and fat after the training session, and that’s something you won’t get from slower, longer sessions of cardio. When Canadian researchers compared interval training and long, slow cardio training, it was interval training that was shown to be more effective for fat loss.

Use this workout 3-5 times per week to blast fat.

Start with this beginner protocol:

Warm-up for 5-minutes.
Work for 30 seconds at an 8/10 level of intensity.
Follow that with “active rest” for 90 seconds at a 3/10 level of intensity.
Repeat for 3-8 intervals.
Finish with 15 minutes of traditional cardio for “transition” and cool-down.

As you become accustomed to intervals, progress to the experienced protocol:

Warm-up for 5-10 minutes.
Work at a 9/10 level of intensity for 30 seconds.
Follow that with “active rest” for 60 seconds at a 3/10 level of intensity. Repeat for 4-10 intervals.
Finish with 5 minutes of low intensity exercise for a cool-down.

Craig Ballantyne trains athletes and executives in Toronto, and writes for Men’s Fitness magazine. His trademarked Turbulence Training workouts and his comprehensive workout manuals (including “The Ultimate Bodyweight Workout”) are featured on his website Turbulence Training For Fat Loss.

If you are using an elliptical-type machine for intervals, then I believe that you are not getting the results you deserve. In my opinion, the elliptical machines are one of the least effective methods for losing fat – just as bad as spinning classes (which I’ll cover in a future newsletter).

Now you might know someone that is uses the elliptical all the time and is lean. But I will bet the farm that they can thank their genetics, their strength training, and their nutrition for their results. I have yet to see someone transform their physique with the elliptical trainer. In fact, when someone comes to me with a failing program, I often see them using the elliptical for their interval training. And that’s the first things I change.

The elliptical machine is sneaky, and it fools us three ways. First, you can get your heart rate up really high and easily. Second, you can get a big sweat on. And third, the machine tells you that you have burned an awful lot of calories (even though the calorie counter is likely inaccurate, as was shown on a CBS news report).

So why doesn’t the elliptical work? Because you just don’t do as much mechanical work as you do when you run or cycle. Basically, it’s just easier and less effective. Getting your heart rate up is not the key determinant of fat loss.

Your body is a well programmed machine. It’s ‘wired’ to increase heart rate and breathing as soon as it senses motion (that’s why you start to breathe heavily after taking a single flight of stairs – it’s not just because you are unfit).

The key factor in fat loss is the amount of work done. Until you learn to separate the influence of the two, you won’t be using intervals in the best possible manner.

As fat loss expert Alwyn Cosgrove explains, “The problem is not the elliptical itself — it’s just that it tends to allow/promote momentum (as most people have the resistance too low) from bodyweight alone. So unless you crank up the resistance and actually produce some force and/or MOVE your bodyweight – it’s nothing but momentum. So if you’re not actively using your muscles to produce some sort of force you aren’t burning many calories.”

But even then, I still don’t think using a high resistance level on the ellliptical will get you the results you are looking for. Yet despite their ineffectiveness, elliptical machines and the like remain a popular training method. But that’s only due to the human condition – like flowing water, we seek the path of least resistance. We’ll will do anything to get around obstacles rather than doing the real work required to overcome the obstacles. Given the choice, humans always go with the easiest option.

Compare the elliptical to the Stairmaster. Stairmasters are more effective but less popular. Why? Because we’ve found something easier (the elliptical) that still gives us the comfort of a sweat and an elevated heart rate (even if we don’t get the results). And now millions of gym goers pat themselves on the back after flailing around on the elliptical for 30 minutes and thinking they’ve been shedding fat.

Training in your comfort zone is useless. Your metabolic rate will increase when your body is forced to change. The harder and smarter you train, the greater your increase in metabolic rate. That is why you have to do things the right way (the TT way!), to lose fat. As I’ve always said with Turbulence Training, the key to getting results is making your body change. That means using training techniques that demand your body to change. The elliptical will not cause your body to change. It is a waste of time.

So what works better? If you have my TT Reports, you know I recommend the stationary bike. It’s safe, effective, and convenient. You can work at a very high power outage, and that is no illusion. You are doing the work (as long as you are not spinning at a very high RPM – that is another waste of time!).

Of course, you can also use sprinting. But that has a few more risks to it, whether it is done on a treadmill (risk: falling) or outside (risk: muscle pulls – so prepare appropriately).

Some other manly fat loss interval options are sled pulling, Farmer Walks (see photo), pushing heavy objects, wheelbarrow carries, and complexes. I’ll talk more about the exciting fat-shedding potential of lifting complexes in my future reports.

Craig Ballantyne trains athletes and executives in Toronto, and writes for Men’s Fitness magazine. His trademarked Turbulence Training workouts and his comprehensive workout manuals (including “The Ultimate Bodyweight Workout”) are featured on his website Turbulence Training.

Gyms are busy. Too busy. And it is always busiest when you settle in for your fat loss workout with its awesome fat-blasting supersets.

I know it drives you nuts when you are trying to pair lunges and presses while someone is taking up valuable workout space chatting or doing some pointless fluff exercise. Why can’t they just get out of your way and let you finish your super effective TT workout?

Crowded gyms are such a big problem that I designed the following TT workout that helps you perform my trademark “noncompeting” supersets – the most effective way to lift for fat loss – without letting anyone get in your way. This new version of TT lets you get it done right, even in a busy gym.

The secret to this workout is the pairing of two exercises that can be done at the same bench and often with the same weights. So you won’t lose your spot between exercises. Camp out in your little area, work hard, and you’ll get lean and lose fat faster than ever.

NOTE: This workout originally ran in Men’s Fitness magazine, but I’ve actually improved the workout just for you!

Workout Guidelines

· Workout 3 days per week alternating between workouts A & B. Rest 1 day between sessions.

· In week 1, you will follow an A, B, A schedule. In week 2, a B, A, B schedule. In week 3, an A, B, A schedule, and in week 4, a B, A, B schedule.

· Each pair of exercises constitutes a “Superset”. In each Superset, do one set of the first exercise followed immediately by the next (1A & 1B) and then repeat.

· Rest 1 minute after completing the exercises in the Superset (i.e. after 1A & 1B).

· Repeat each Superset until you’ve completed a total of three sets of each exercise in the pair, then move on to the next pair.

· Use a 2-0-1 lifting tempo for all exercises (except for any holding exercises like the plank). Take 2 seconds to lower the weight, pause briefly, and then take 1 second to lift the weight.

· Finish each workout with stretching for the tight muscle groups only.

· For full exercise descriptions and photos, see the Turbulence Training manual.

Warm-up

· If you are limited by time, reduce the number of sets in the workout, but always perform the full warm-up.

· Never skip a warm-up.

o Perform this circuit 2x’s using a 2-0-1 tempo:

- 10 reps of bodyweight squats or step-ups

- 20 seconds for the plank

- 8 reps of kneeling pushups or regular pushups

- 10 reps of inverted bodyweight rowing exercise or band pull

- Perform 2 warm-up sets for each exercise in the first Superset.

- 1 set of 8 reps with 50% of the weight you will use in your “real” sets.

- 1 set of 8 reps with 75% of the weight you will use in your “real” sets.

Turbulence Training Interval Training Guidelines

· Research has shown that interval training is very effective for fat loss.

· It is recommended that the stationary cycle be used for interval training because it allows for an easy transition between work and recovery.

· Finish each interval workout with stretching for the tight muscle groups only.

Beginner Interval Workout:

· Warm-up for 5-minutes.

· Perform an interval by exercising for 30 seconds at a hard pace (at a subjective 7/10 level of intensity) – i.e. fast walking.

· Follow that with “active rest” for 90 seconds by exercising at a slow pace (at a subjective 3/10 level of intensity) – i.e. slow walking.

· Repeat for 3-6 interval repetitions. Finish with 5-10 minutes of moderate intensity exercise for a cool-down at a 4/10 level of intensity.

Advanced Interval Workout

· Warm-up for 5-10 minutes.

· Perform an interval by exercising for 30 seconds at a very hard pace (at a subjective 9/10 level of intensity).

· Follow that with “active rest” for 60 seconds by exercising at a slow pace (at a subjective 3/10 level of intensity).

· Repeat for 3-6 interval repetitions. Finish with 5-10 minutes of moderate intensity exercise for a cool-down at a 4/10 level of intensity.

Workout A

1A) Wide-stance Squat (8 reps)

- Set your feet 4-6 inches wider than shoulder width, your toes pointed forward.

- This superset works best if performed in a squat rack that also has a chin-up bar.

1B) Chin-ups (6 reps)

- If this is too hard, perform a Reverse-grip Lat Pulldown.

- Rest 1 minute and then go back to Squats.

- Do this Superset 3 times and then move on to the next Superset.

2A) Barbell Step-ups (8 reps per leg)

- Use a step that’s high enough so that your knee is bent 90 degrees.

- If you have to use DB’s for the step-ups, take an extra 30 seconds rest when going from the step-ups to the rows.

2B) DB or Barbell Row (8 reps)

- Keep your lower back naturally arched.

- Rest 1 minute and then go back to Step-ups.

- Do this Superset 3 times and then move on to the next Superset.

3A) Side Plank (5 reps per side)

- Contract and brace your abs for 10 seconds per repetition while keeping your body in a straight line.

3B) Stability Ball Jackknife (12 reps)

- Rest 30 seconds and then go back to Side Plank.

- Do this Superset 3 times and then go to the Intervals.

Workout B

1A) Low-Incline DB Chest Press (8 reps)

- Set the incline to one notch above the flat-bench position.

1B) DB or Barbell Romanian Deadlift (8 reps)

- Keep your lower back naturally arched for the entire movement.

- Rest 1 minute and then go back to 1A.

- Do this Superset 3 times and then move on to the next Superset.

2A) DB Close-grip Chest Press (8 reps)

- Push the dumbbells straight up, not together.

2B) DB Rear-deltoid Lateral Raise (8 reps)

- Keep a tight arch in lower back and lean forward as far as possible.

- Perform this exercise extra slowly so that you don’t use momentum.

- Rest 1 minute and then go back to 2A.

- Do this Superset 3 times and then move on to the next Superset.

3A) Elevated Push-up (12 reps per side)

- Place one hand on a 4-inch step or box and lower your body as far as possible.

3B) Stability Ball Rollout (15 reps)

- Keep your body in a straight line at all times–don’t allow your back to round or bend backward.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit Turbulence Training For Fat Loss

I’m not a big fan of long cardio, especially extreme bouts of cardio – i.e. running marathons.

Just this past weekend a 41-year old man died running one of the Toronto marathons. Last year, same thing. These are not the first, nor will they be the last men to die running a marathon.

And for what?

To run an irrelevant distance for no reason at all. I don’t see any logical reason for most people to run a marathon. Particularly when you are a 40-year old father of a young family. You can be fit and healthy with far less exercise time, as long as you train with far better exercise choices.

Sure, you can say you are pushing the boundaries of your human performance…but I doubt that is any consolation for the family of these two men.

No matter how “type A” someone is, or how driven they are to perform in a marathon, simply being able to run a marathon proves nothing. And it can have disastrous consequences. Not too mention the many smaller negative consequences of:

a) A waste of hours of your life spent away from your loved ones while you pound the pavement

b) Sore knees, chronic back pain, and blistered feet

c) Money and time wasted in the physiotherapist’s office

d) An improperly trained body (i.e. weak back of the body, no upper body strength, overuse injuries)

e) A level of fitness that has limited carryover to real world needs (carrying groceries & other objects, outsprinting an attacker, manual labor, etc.)

So please, if you insist on running marathons, do yourself and your family a favor and:

1) Get a full physical from your doctor. This goes without saying for anyone on an exercise program over the age of 30, but running marathons is another reason not to neglect your physical exams.

2) Pay close attention to your body during the race. Wear a heart rate monitor, and exercise conservatively, drink the right amount of fluids (but not too much as that can be the cause of death in long runs), and just plain be careful. A marathon is hardly a reason to risk your life.

Now, here’s more bad news.

Cardio has been killing fat loss programs for decades.

Why?

Because almost all of the exercise science studies performed in the 70’s through the early 90’s were done on distance running.

From there we got the messages that:

i) To lose fat, you had to do long, slow endurance training. Clearly, we know this is false. Nutrition is the most important aspect of fat loss.

ii) That we should eat a high-carbohydrate diet. This message, while generally true for endurance athletes, was broadly applied to fat loss. So we were subjected to that hideous low-fat, high-carb phase in the 90’s where we were urged to eat Snackwell low-fat cookies with no regard to the sugar and calorie content.

iii) Beginners should get out on high-volume, walk-run programs. Now while it is important to get people out and exercising, high-volume activities for underprepared beginner muscles are going to cause injury fast. And that’s what happened to most people that tried to take up running.

iv) Too many cardio enthusiasts had the wrong mentality of, “If I go for a 5 mile run, I can have some juice and cookies as a reward”. Needless to say, that didn’t help anyone lose fat.

The end result?

This high-cardio, high-carb approach to fitness and fat loss left many men and women with thunder thighs, saddle bags, and chronic running injuries.

Fast-forward to this decade, and the mainstream media is finally starting to see the benefits of strength training and interval training for both fat loss and the cardiovascular system.

Not too mention people are finally getting their nutrition right. And it’s so simple:

- lots of fruits and vegetables (rarely does anyone get enough)

- lean protein

- healthy fats

- fiber-rich low-glycemic carbohydrates

So eat right, train right, and be safe.

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit Turbulence Training