On Saturday morning at my local YMCA, I watched two guys do "vomit inducing conditioning workouts".  I call them "vomit-inducing" because I wanted to vomit from watching their form.

One guy was doing explosive reverse curls (meant to be hang cleans) while another did flippity flop DB snatches followed by one of the worst planks I’ve ever witnessed.

Injure your rotator cuffs and lower back much, boys?

And this is why we are going to see the Death of Hard-core Circuit Training in the next few years. Between the injuries and the vomiting, these home-made hard-core trainers are making a mockery of serious, professional personal trainers.

I mean, listen, I’ve watched two 15-year old boys make each other puke at the gym, but would you want THEM to be your trainer?

Of course not.

You want results. That’s all that matters. You don’t want to – or need to – vomit when you exercise. And you don’t want to be injured all the time either. Or am I just that out of touch with what the cool kids are doing these days?

I don’t know…maybe it’s just the grizzled ol’ veteran trainer in me that gets frustrated with the way things are in the fitness industry.

After all, I’ve been through…

"The Endless Amount of Cardio Phase"

"The Situps and Crunches Phase"

"The Dangerous Standing on the Stability Ball Phase"

and now…

"The Do Circuit Training Until Your Puke With No Regard to Form Phase".

But this too shall pass.

Of course, it won’t disappear overnight, but you and I will still be here when these "hard-core" trainers shiftily disappear and fly-by-night after their clients come in with sore backs, cricks in their necks, and ruined rotators.

You see, they don’t understand that it’s not about destroying clients.

Just the opposite.

It’s about TRANSFORMING clients. About making them better people. Challenging them to change their bodies and their lives. And yes, working through physical challenges is a part of that, but not at the expense of their overall health and safety.

After all, there’s no point in being able to do a "killer workout" if it puts you on the disabled list for 6 weeks or makes you vomit up that $4 protein shake and $5 chicken breast. Sounds a little counter- productive to me.

Listen, there will always be room for tough workouts, for trainers to take their clients to their limits, but only when done safely and under the guidelines of proven scientific research and years of experience.

In fact, I spent an hour this weekend going through an article on Metabolic Finishers that Certified Turbulence Trainer Mike Whitfield submitted for a new TT program for our members.

Now THAT is how you should do advanced, intense workouts.

Thank goodness for trainers like Mike, and I’ll be sharing some of these workouts with 91,500 TT readers very soon.

But those home-made hard-core trainers and their circuit death workouts "finished at all costs" are not going to last.

And that’s a good thing.

That will leave more room for our Turbulence Training 1 Million Mission of helping 1 Million Men and Women transform their bodies and their lives.

More room for you and I to make a difference and leave a legacy that remains long after we’re working out in the old trainers home down in Florida

So I’m calling a peak in the market. The bubble is bursting. The stock of hard-core circuit training is going down, and will be replaced – starting today – with better solutions, by trainers who care about results, not locker room boasting of how many people vomited in their class today.

It’s time to change the way the fitness industry thinks about exercise. It’s time to move away from sacrificing form and function and shift back to what matters – helping you transform and redesign your body so that you get the results you want.

Not the results that some hard-core, sadistic, home-made trainer wants.

Circuit training is dead. Long live smart training.

To your safety and success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

www.TurbulenceTraining.com

>> Click here to download the Turbulence Training 4-week ebook  or  Click here to download the Turbulence Training Sample Fat Burning Workout.

Copyright © by Supertraining blog.com. All Rights Reserved.

If you don’t have variety in your program, you are more than likely to end up at a fat loss plateau soon rather than later. Variety is one of the keys to keeping that fat loss coming.

So not only should you have variety within your training week (i.e. alternate between two different interval training workouts, rather than just doing the same interval workout each time), but you should also change these workouts every 4 weeks.

So you need to change your training program every 4 weeks. To modify your interval training workouts, you can…

1. switch exercise methods (and even use bodyweight exercises for intervals)
2. increase or decrease the length of the interval (while decreasing or increasing the intensity, respectively)
3. increase or decrease the number of intervals per workout
4. increase or decrease the rest time between intervals

First, let’s take a look at the interval methods. Here is my list of preferred ways to do your intervals, ranked in order from best to worst, based on my experiences…

1. Sprinting outdoors (and hills might be the absolute best)
2. Strongman movements (Farmer’s walks, tire flips, car pushing)
3. Bodyweight interval circuits
4. Treadmill running
5. Stationary cycle (upright preferred)
6. Stairclimber
7. Rower
8. Swimming (only works for competent swimmers)
9. Elliptical & Crosstrainer machines

Okay, so how long should you do intervals and how the heck do you do bodyweight exercises as interval training?

First, I stand by what I said in Part 1. There does not seem to be a “best” interval training program. But that is good because it allows us to use variety in our approach. (So perhaps the best interval training method is simply the one that changes every 4 weeks.)

Interval recommendations have ranged from 15 seconds (from Muscle Media waaaay back in the late 90’s), to 5 minutes (these are known as aerobic intervals). So let’s take a look at each interval recommendation and all those in between.

15 seconds

The great thing about 15 second intervals is that you’ll be able to work at a very high rate (almost near your maximum power output), as long as you get adequate recovery between work intervals. The downside is that it is very difficult to do 15 second intervals on machines, because it takes a long time to “build up” and “bring down” the machine settings to the correct speed.

If you decide to use these short, high-intensity intervals, you should do so only if you already have an above average level of fitness. Your rest interval should be at least 15 seconds long, and can be as long as 60 seconds. The longer you rest, the harder you will be able to exercise in each interval.

20 seconds on, 10 seconds off

This method is known as the Tabata protocol, after the Japanese scientist that published a study on this routine. It is very demanding (obviously), and while some trainers have suggested this is the best method for interval training, I don’t think there is any proof that you will get better results.

Clearly, the pro’s with this method (as well as the 15 second intervals) is that you’ll get your workout done faster (provided you do the same number of intervals as any other workout). Again, it would be very difficult to perform this type of interval training on a machine, due to the time lag as you increase or decrease the settings. And finally, these too should only be performed by above average fitness levels.

30 seconds

The Turbulence Training workouts tend to use a lot of 30 second intervals. Beginners will rest up to 90 seconds between intervals, while advanced fitness levels will rest 30-60 seconds. The longer (relative) rest allows you to work harder in each successive interval (i.e. you’ll almost be able to match your performance in the first interval with each following interval). Short rest intervals (as in the Tabata protocol) will lead to a dramatic drop-off in performance with each interval. You can easily do the 3-second intervals on any machine.

45 seconds

These intervals are proven for fat loss, in addition to being effective for many team sports (such as hockey, soccer, basketball, and rugby). I have used 45 second intervals extensively in both areas of training. Not only will these tax your muscles, they will also tax your will to complete each interval (if done at the right intensity). Use 45-90 seconds of recovery between intervals. Do 3-6 intervals per workout. Your fitness and fat loss will skyrocket.

60 second intervals

Similar to the 45 second intervals in benefits and toughness. Use 60-120 seconds of recovery between each.

120 second intervals

These are now officially aerobic intervals, and can be used for both fat loss and improving aerobic capacity for sports and running. A great way to achieve two fitness goals at once. Exercise for 2 minutes and then recover for 2 minutes. Repeat 6 times. These workouts take longer (obviously), but can have a role in changing your body and improving your performance.

5 minute intervals

Same strategy as with the two minute intervals. This really increases your workout time, so these are only used with serious endurance athletes.

Beginner vs. Advanced

If you are thinking that these intervals all sound “too intense” for you, please don’t worry. Interval training is all relative. You don’t have to sprint for your life in each type of interval. Instead, just work at a slightly harder than normal pace. By the end of the interval, you should be getting tired, but you shouldn’t be gasping for air. Start conservatively and you will get the hang of it.

For example, if you regularly use level 5 on the stationary bike for 30 minutes continuously, you might try doing a 1 minute interval at level 7. Try that for an interval workout and let me know how it goes.

My favorite intervals for fat loss are between 30-60 seconds. These have been the staple intervals in my Turbulence Training workouts since the first workout was designed back in 2001. But again, I think you will get your best fat loss results if you vary your interval training workouts – just like you must vary your strength training workouts.

Intervals are the secret to success!

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, 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 www.TurbulenceTraining.com

>> Click here to download the Turbulence Training 4-week ebook  or  Click here to download the Turbulence Training Sample Fat Burning Workout.

Copyright © by Supertraining blog.com. All Rights Reserved.

Is there really a best interval training system for fat loss?

Do intervals really work as well as regular cardio for fat loss?

I’m going to cover these, and many more questions in Part 1 of your lessons on interval training.

But this is not just interval training 101. Today, you’re going to leave this email with a graduate degree in interval training for fat loss.

I’ll answer both questions upfront before the lesson begins, and I’ll give more details on each as we go along:

1. Conservatively, intervals are at least as effective as regular aerobic training for fat loss. Personally, I believe intervals are far superior. And there is no denying that intervals allow you to get your workouts done a lot faster than slow, boring cardio workouts.
2. I have to admit, there is no best interval training program for fat loss. But that is a good thing, because there are so many ways that you can change your interval training to keep your fat loss results coming week in and week out.

By changing your training program every three to four weeks, you are using one of the key principles of Turbulence Training –
variety. It is essential to change your workouts this frequently, otherwise you might suffer from a dreaded fat loss plateau.

And if that is the case for you now, I’ll show you dozens of alternative interval training workouts you can use to kick-start your metabolism and fat loss.

Now what many people don’t know, or perhaps just fail to recognize, is that interval training is not just for advanced fitness superstars. No way. In fact, intervals are an effective and perhaps even the most effective method for beginners to get fit and lose fat.

First you have to understand that interval training is based on relative performance. While my intervals would be much too hard for a beginner, my intervals would be a joke for Lance Armstrong.

So even for those men and women that are just dipping their toe into the fitness waters for the first time in months, years, or dare I say, decades, they too can do interval training.

If you are a beginner and you can walk at 3.3mph for 20 minutes, then your intervals will start at a walk at 3.6mph for 30 seconds to a minute. That is interval training.

It doesn’t have to be high-intensity, sprint-to-the-death activity.

Instead, just increase the intensity slightly more than you can normally handle, and do so for a short time, and intersperse that with periods of easier exercise for twice the duration.

So if you did 1 minute at 3.6mph, drop down to 3.0mph for 2 minutes. Do that up to 6 times, and you’ve had yourself an interval session.

Now for those of you that have been doing only slow, traditional cardio, switching over to interval training 2-3 times per week is going to be the fat loss equivalent of throwing a lit, gasoline soaked rag on a pile of dry kindling.

Here’s why…research has given us a lot of evidence that intervals are superior to traditional cardio. First, a study from Laval University in 1994 compared interval training to aerobic training – straight up – over a 12 week training period. Subjects that used interval training had better results. They lost more fat. You can’t argue with that.

And second, interval training causes metabolic turbulence – also known as boost in your metabolism. Due to the high-intensity nature of intervals, there is more "turbulence" applied to the muscle. That means more muscle breakdown and more adaptations in the muscle.

Now I know that sounds very technical, but all you need to understand is that when all this extra activity goes on at the muscle level, it requires a lot more energy to return your muscle back to normal (i.e. to get out of turbulence and back to a normal resting state).

And when your body uses more energy, it means, in laymen’s terms, that you are burning more calories.

So it’s important for men and women not too get hung up on the calorie counters in the gym. First, because the calorie count of the workout is not the only factor in determining fat loss (intervals burn far more calories after the workout – more on that later).

And second, a report on CBS showed that the calorie counters on some machines are often significantly inaccurate.

Doesn’t that boil your blood when you think back to all those times you did slow, boring cardio and patiently watched the calorie counter creep up to your goal of 250, 300, or even 400 calories? And who knows if that was even accurate?

With intervals, you can forget about the calories on the machine.  Just work hard, do the intervals, then leave the gym and let your muscles continue burning calories on its own while it recovers from exercise.

OK, time is up, so I’m going to leave off here for Part 1.

I apologize, you don’t have your Master’s of Science Degree in Interval Training yet, but you will after Part 2.

So your homework between now and next week’s class is to start incorporating interval training into your fat loss program. For beginners, see the outline above. Make sure to include a 5-minute specific warm-up and cool-down.

And if you truly did just peel yourself off the couch last week and you have not exercised in years, I insist that you see a doctor before you take up any exercise program. Believe me, you’ll thank yourself for it.

For more advanced fitness levels, let’s start with 60 second intervals.

Do a 5-minute specific warm-up, then exercise for 60 seconds at a slightly harder than normal cardio pace.

Follow that with 90 seconds of exercise at a very easy pace. (Don’t exercise too hard in the recovery period – that is one of the biggest mistakes people make with interval training!). Repeat this sequence for 3 more intervals (let’s just do 4 intervals for your first session).

Through trial and error, find an intensity that allows you to work to near fatigue – but not complete fatigue, there should still be some "gas" left in the tank – by the end of the 60 second interval.

In the next newsletter, I’ll discuss at least 6 different interval durations and when you should use them, as well as the best interval training methods – and don’t miss when I expose the most ineffective machine in the gym.

Hint – It is also the most common machine these days, yet I’ve yet to see a single person change their body by using this machine for their cardio and intervals.

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, 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 www.TurbulenceTraining.com

>> Click here to download the Turbulence Training 4-week ebook  or  Click here to download the Turbulence Training Sample Fat Burning Workout.

Copyright © by Supertraining blog.com. All Rights Reserved.

Gyms are busy. Too busy. And it is always busiest when you settle in for your TT 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! Always looking out for my TurbulenceTraining.com subscribers.

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.

Let me know how this workout goes for you and email me your results. Better yet, take a before and after picture and some measurements to monitor your progress.

If you have any other questions, just let me know.

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne
Author, Turbulence Training

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, 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 www.TurbulenceTraining.com

>> Click here to download the Turbulence Training 4-week ebook  or  Click here to download the Turbulence Training Sample Fat Burning Workout.

This is one of my biggest pet peeves in the fitness industry… So many men and women “think” they need to work out drastically different from one another.

For example, many women think they need to do 20 or 30 reps per set of every exercise with little pink 3 or 5 lb barbie weights, because if they actually lift heavier weights, they falsely believe they will “bulk up”.

Also, many men think they need to do 1-rep maxes to build muscle… this is simply not true… overall training volume and a caloric surplus builds more muscle than does 1-rep maxes… although I’m not saying there isn’t a time and place for 1-rep maxes.

One of my biggest frustrations over the years when I was training lots of females and I would show them the workout I wanted to take them through… they would say something like…

“I don’t want to do those exercises. That looks like a man’s workout!”

And they would go back to their little pink 5 lb dumbbells and endless cardio routines and keep getting NO RESULTS at all for months or years.

However, the females I trained that were open-minded enough to trust me that if they used heavier weights they would not “bulk up” (as long as their caloric intake was in the correct range), always got tremendous results.

As a matter of fact, some of the leanest females I’ve trained over the years were the ones that actually trained with the heaviest weights. I had a few female athletes that could deadlift 175 lbs and they were VERY lean, and NOT overly-muscular. In fact, they had very feminine, but lean bodies.

Another example is that almost every female I ever trained thought they couldn’t use more than 5 or 8 lb dumbbells for an overhead dumbbell press or a dumbbell chest press. However, when they were open-minded enough to actually try to train their body under more resistance (and thereby create a REAL stimulis for change), most women were almost always able to press 20 or 30 lb dumbbells instead of the 5′s or 8′s they were used to using.

So my rant in this article is for us all to please stop with the insanity of thinking that we all need to train so radically different whether we’re a man or a woman, but rather realize that we are all HUMAN BEINGS.

I don’t care if you’re a man or a woman… the laws of exercise physiology will always show that variations of squats, lunges, deadlifts, presses, and rows are some of the best exercises for humans, regardless of gender.

And this applies whether your goal is fat loss or muscle building!

Yes, even if your goal is just fat loss and not muscle building, you still need to train your body under progressively heavier resistance (relative to your current strength) to stimulate your body to actually want to change over time.

*Note – when I say “heavy training”, I mean heavy resistance in relation to your individual strength level. For example, a heavy resistance in a particular exercise such as a deadlift or squat may be 300 lbs for one person, and only 70 lbs for another person. All that matters is if the weight that you use is challenging for you.

Now I will concede that I use slightly different styles of training whether the goal is fat loss or muscle building (notice I said different styles, not different exercises), but the bigger factor is actually your caloric balance…

Creating a caloric deficit for fat loss or creating a caloric surplus for muscle gain, while still training intensely for either goal.

So I say let’s all stop training like men or training like women, and let’s all start training like human beings in order to get RESULTS!

>> Click here to download the Training & Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean Body free ebook

Copyright © by Supertraining blog.com. All Rights Reserved.

by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist

In a recent article, I gave you some great ideas for ways to eat healthier while traveling.

Today, I want to show you how easy it is to get short but super effective workouts at home or while traveling (if you happen to be in hotels often for business).

The most frequent excuse I get as to why people don’t workout is PERCEIVED lack of time. I emphasize “perceived” because it is just that… it is a false sense of lack of time.

If your body and health is important to you, there is no such thing as lack of time… you will find a way to incorporate a few minutes here and a few minutes there for full body exercises.

I don’t care how busy you are, how many family or work obligations you have, there are always ways to schedule time for yourself to fit in workouts. For years, I used to work 70-hr+ work-weeks and still always fit in regular workouts at least 3-4x a week.

If you think about it, working out hard for 20 minutes, 5 days per week is only 100 minutes… but realize that you have 10,080 minutes of time in every week, so 100 minutes is only 1% of your given time! When you think about it that way, it’s almost ridiculous not to be able to dedicate 1% of your time to your health and fitness.

Remember I’ve said many times that a good workout doesn’t have to be the traditional 60 minute workout that is so common. It’s all about using the max amount of full body movements with a high enough intensity in any given time period… even if that time period for the workout is only 5 or 10 minutes a day.

Like I mentioned the other day, my good friend Ryan Lee has developed a unique software that even designs super-efficient 4-minute workouts for your specific needs that actually get results… You can see what he’s come up with at…

www.WorkoutRobot.com

Now back to workouts while traveling…

I know that it can be a challenge sometimes if you travel for business to be able to get decent workouts in at some hotels.

Many hotels don’t even have a gym. Some hotels only have a treadmill in a room the size of a broom closet… And other hotels might have a reasonable gym, but a little lacking on equipment.

In any case, there’s still always ways to get in a good workout. Here are a few options:

•Bodyweight exercises — even if the hotel has no gym at all, you can alternate lunges, bw squats, pushups, and ab exercises in your hotel room. Try 15 minutes of alternating circuits between those and if done with enough intensity, this will do the trick to keep you in great shape even while traveling.
•Exercise bands — These can come in handy while traveling because they’re light and portable, and can add a whole slew of exercises into the mix beyond just bodyweight exercises. You can find exercise bands at amazon
•Stairs — most hotels have flights of stairs. You can actually take 10 or 15 minutes to purposely go to the stairs and do nothing but go up/down the stairs to get a great workout… mix up walking/running the stairs, taking double steps… you can even mix in stairs lunges and other similar things for variety.
•Get outside — even if the hotel has a gym, many times it’s small and stuffy. Instead, get outside! It might be possible to find a park or field nearby, and do 20-30 minutes of wind sprints or hill sprints mixed with bodyweight exercises.
•Maybe even bring a jump rope with you and find a smooth surface to jump rope. Jumping rope is one of the best forms of exercise known to man, but so few people actually do it.
•The hotel gym dumbbells — I’ve noticed that a lot of hotels do have a small set of dumbbells, but they usually only go up to a max of 50 lbs. Even if you’re strong enough to use more than 50 lbs for many exercises, this gives you an opportunity to mix up your routines and do versions of dumbbell exercises that maybe you don’t usually do or different rep ranges with slightly lighter weights. One of my favorite dumbbell exercises – the dumbbell squat & press… works almost every muscle in your entire body with this one combination move… a big time fat burner!
Well, I think that’s enough ideas for today… as you can see, there’s no excuse for letting yourself get out of shape just because you travel a lot on business or have a perceived lack of time.

>> Click here to download the Training & Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean Body free ebook

Copyright © by Supertraining blog.com. All Rights Reserved.

by Craig Ballantyne, Men’s Health Fitness Advisor, Expert Fitness Author – Beyond Cardio Workouts .com

One of the most frustrating sights in the world is watching men and women do the same so-called “fat loss cardio workouts” for months and months without results. It happens more often than it should. In fact, there’s rarely anyone in most gyms who is able to lose weight with long, slow cardio.

Even research from the scientific journal, “Obesity” showed that even when men and women do up to 300 hours of cardio exercise per year, they only lose 4-6 pounds of weight. That just isn’t worth it! No one has time to do 50 hours of cardio in order to lose one pound of weight.

That’s why you need fat loss workouts that are better than cardio. Research and experience proves that interval training (and even high intensity weight training) is better for burning belly fat than long, slow cardio. Plus, interval training workouts are fun, fast, and more enjoyable. You’ll save time, lose more weight, and build a fit, functional body with these fat loss workouts.

Cardio exercise machines are NOT optimal, but if you must…

First, if you are stuck exercising inside a commercial gym for your workout, you can use traditional cardio machines for interval training.

An easy to do interval training program is to do a 5-minute warm-up followed by six intervals of 30-60 seconds of hard exercise, alternated with 60 seconds of easy exercise. Then you cool down for 5 minutes and you’re done. That’s less than half the time that most people spend on machines doing long, slow cardio.

After a warm-up, do a one minute “work interval” where you will exercise harder than normal cardio. After one minute, decrease the intensity all the way down to a cool-down level for one minute. Repeat the hard-easy combo up to 6 times and then finish with a cool down. That is the simplest way to do interval training.

If you normally run at 6 miles per hour on the treadmill for 30 minutes, you can do your first interval workout by running at 7 miles per hour for 1 minute and then walking at 3.5 miles per hour for 2 minutes. That’s a conservative place to start with interval training. You’d repeat that “hard-easy” protocol 6 times in an interval training workout (after a warm-up and followed by a cool-down).

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The best cardio machines (if you must use indoor cardio machines) for fast interval training fat loss workouts are the treadmill and stationary cycle. Rowing machines and elliptical (cross-trainers) are ok, but in my experience, the treadmill and bike are best.

Best Alternative Workouts to Traditional Cardio Exercise

Most people enjoy getting out of the gym or doing alternative fat loss interval training workouts (instead of boring cardio workouts inside a stuffy gym). You can use a kettlebell, your bodyweight, a skipping rope, or medicine ball for interval workouts in just a small space in your home or garage. You don’t need to go to a big, fancy, expensive commercial gym to burn fat or get long term weight loss success.

Plus, it’s easier to experiment with different interval training workout programs when you don’t have to deal with intensity settings on cardio machines. After all, it’s next to impossible to do the popular Tabata interval workouts on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical machine.

In the Tabata intervals, you work hard for 20 seconds and then recover for 10 seconds, and you repeat that 8 times. That makes for a fast and effective 4-minute tabata workout, not including warm-up and cool-down. You just can’t do that on a cardio machine, but it works perfectly for kettlebells and medicine ball exercises, as well as bodyweight circuits.

Bodyweight training is the most underappreciated fat loss workout option. Most folks are drawn to fancy equipment, but mostly because the equipment often makes the workout easier. Moving your own bodyweight is tough, and keeps you honest!

In the Turbulence Training bodyweight cardio circuits, you’ll use 6-8 bodyweight exercises, alternating between a lower body exercise and an upper body exercise, before finishing the circuit with a fast total body exercise such as running in place, burpees, or jumps.

In the circuits, you’ll do 6-20 repetitions per exercise depending on your fitness level. Once you complete the circuit, rest for one minute, and then repeat the circuit 1-3 more times. If you are new to bodyweight circuits, just do two total circuits.

The great news is that in most cases, you don’t need a single piece of equipment to do these fat burning bodyweight workouts, so you can do them in a hotel room, your garage, or even in front of the TV.

Now you have lots of fun, fast, effective fat loss workouts that are better than cardio!

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by Zach Even-Esh, Certified Trainer, Author – Real Man Muscle Building System

A lot of effort and thought is placed into ab exercises that isolate and work the abs. But, the good news is that there are many exercises that work your entire body AND your abs intensely at the same time.

This workout is perfect if you’re busy as well as economical. I like to call this training economics: do only what works very effectively and gives you the most bang for your buck.

Check out some of my favorite exercises that will work your entire body AND your abs intensely. On the flip side, this does NOT mean to skip exercises that target your abs deeply.

All you need is 1 or 2 dumbbells for the exercises below. These exercises can be performed at the beginning of a workout or at the end. You’ll see at the bottom that we added a sample workout for how to incorporate these tough full body and ab training drills into a great workout.

The #1 Rated Abs Program on the Internet
(As Ranked by Clickbank.com).

The Honest Source on Abdominals
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A Full Body Workout that Shreds Your Abs Without Ab Isolation Exercises

Try this workout below to get a killer full body workout at the same time that you indirectly work your abs hard.

by Zach Even-Esh, Certified Trainer, Author – Real Man Muscle Building System

A lot of effort and thought is placed into ab exercises that isolate and work the abs. But, the good news is that there are many exercises that work your entire body AND your abs intensely at the same time.

This workout is perfect if you’re busy as well as economical. I like to call this training economics: do only what works very effectively and gives you the most bang for your buck.

Check out some of my favorite exercises that will work your entire body AND your abs intensely. On the flip side, this does NOT mean to skip exercises that target your abs deeply.

All you need is 1 or 2 dumbbells for the exercises below. These exercises can be performed at the beginning of a workout or at the end. You’ll see at the bottom that we added a sample workout for how to incorporate these tough full body and ab training drills into a great workout.

Free Tips for Losing Stomach Fat & Eating Healthier
•Discover the top 12 fat burning foods you didn’t know
•Exercises that burn more fat than cardio
•Also get a free metabolic rate calculator to determine your personal metabolism
Thanks for your request. The fat loss tips and metabolism calculator will be emailed to you within the next 20 minutes.
In the meantime, please continue reading this page.

Exercise 1: 1-Arm Overhead Dumbbell Walk:

Press 1 dumbbell overhead and lock out your arm. Keep your arm close to your ear, tighten your entire core, shoulder and back. This exercise is to be performed slowly and under complete control.

Walk for distance, anywhere from 100 – 200 feet with the dumbbell overhead. A heavier dumbbell will cut down on the distance you can walk and should be reserved for those who are experienced under heavy weights. Start light and be smart. Switch hands mid way through the walk to ensure equal work is done for each side.

Your arm should be perfectly vertical when carrying the dumbbell overhead. Often times people will allow the dumbbell to sway slightly forward which will NOT strain the abs intensely.

Try 2 sets for each arm, 100 – 200 feet for distance in total for each set.

Exercise 2: Dumbbell Farmer Walks:

Stand in between two moderately heavy dumbbells and deadlift them up. Grip the dumbbells tightly, brace your abs and lower back and squeeze the weights all the way up. This intense squeezing forces the abs to contract intensely. Not only will your abs become very strong and tight from all this squeezing, but it also strengthens the back and reduces your chances of lower back injuries.

Once you have the dumbbells at your sides, make sure your posture is tall and your shoulders and tight. Speed walk the dumbbells 100 – 200 feet in distance, come to a complete stop and slowly deadlift the weights down.

You can carry the dumbbells in a straight line or in a zig zag fashion which can also strain the obliques very intensely.

2 sets of 100 – 200 feet per set is great. You can perform these exercises at the beginning or end of a workout. Or, begin your workout with 1 arm overhead dumbbell walks, then perform your regular workout, and finish the workout with 2 hard sets of dumbbell farmer walks.

Try this workout with the two exercises I just explained:

1) Arm Overhead Dumbbell carry 2 x 100 feet each hand

Superset all 3 below:
2A) Pull Ups 3 x max reps
2B) Walking Bodyweight Lunges 3 x 10 each Leg
2C) Push Ups w/Feet Elevated 3 x max reps

3) Dumbbell Farmer Walks 2 x 200 feet

Superset both exercises below:
4A) Plank 1 x 30 seconds
4B) side plank 1 x 30 seconds each Side

Enjoy the killer workout!

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Well, first of all, there ARE some sleezebags out there that all they want to do is sell you some crappy gimmick and make off with their quick buck.

In fact, more and more marketers with no fitness background or experience are getting involved in selling fitness and health products these days. Unfortunately, many of these pure marketers don’t know the first thing about fitness and are just putting out total junk just to make sales (hmm, can anybody say hoodia or the parasite scare-tactic scam artists).

On the other hand, the good thing is that most fitness and health professionals are well intentioned and do actually want to help you legitimately. Although being well-intentioned, many times these professionals have been misinformed over the years and led to believe certain health and fitness myths (that they think are factual) that are not always accurate.

I think the subject heading with the term “clueless” is a little harsh and I want to clearly state that even if a fitness professional or trainer is misinformed on a couple of topics here or there, it’s still likely that 90% or more of their information is actually very helpful.

As a matter of fact, you’ll almost never find 2 fitness professionals or trainers that completely agree with one another. However, usually most fitness pros will agree on about 80 or 90% of topics. There are probably even a couple topics that I may be misinformed about (after all, nobody is perfect), but I’ll always do my best to provide you with the most up-to-date and legitimate information I can find.

With that said, whenever I’m reading fitness publications, there are 4 key things I look for to see if the author or fitness “expert” really understands true nutrition and training principles. This can help you in your readings and dealings with trainers to decipher good info from bad info.

Here are 4 of the main aspects I look for to determine is a fitness pro or trainer is “in the know” or not:

1. If the resistance training portions of their workout routines are mostly comprised of machines and single-joint exercises such as leg extensions, leg curls, bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, pec decks, leg press machines, shoulder raises, etc… then they probably have some misconceptions about training and you should beware.

I’ll admit that there’s a time and a place for just about any type of exercise (including the occasional use of machines and single joint exercises), but if these are what makes up the majority of their routines, then you should reconsider taking advice from them.

The fitness pros and trainers “in the know” will give you routines that are comprised of a balanced approach using free weight multi-joint exercises (and bodyweight exercises) for the majority of the exercises with only very limited machine or single-joint exercise use.

Here’s another article I did on this topic:

Why Body Part Isolation Workouts Get Weak Training Results

2. The 2nd thing I look for in a knowledgeable or mislead fitness trainer is whether they think that cardio is the “only way” to lose body fat. For anybody that understands human physiology, the assertion that cardio is the only way to lose body fat is ludicrous.

After all, you can lose body fat without any exercise at all for that matter if you have a caloric deficit (although I don’t recommend that route, because a non-exerciser is still flabby and unhealthy even with low body fat %).

In addition, you can lose plenty of body fat with resistance-only training routines without any cardio at all… it simply depends on the intensity of your workouts as a whole (whether they contain cardio, resistance training only, or a mixture of both), your resting metabolic rate, and the overall balance of your calorie intake vs calorie expenditure over time.

Here’s another article I wrote about the myths on cardio training and better alternate workouts

3. The 3rd thing I look for in a knowledgeable or mislead fitness trainer or health professional is whether they falsely believe that saturated fat and dietary cholesterol are bad for us.

I’ve beaten this issue into the ground, but I’ll say it again… If there’s one fact you must understand about nutrition, it’s that saturated fat and dietary cholesterol are essential parts of the natural human diet (and have been for thousands of years) and are not unhealthy for us depending on the source of the food (organic, etc).

The most unhealthy foods in our food supply are actually processed foods such as processed refined vegetable oils, hydrogenated oils (trans fats), deep fried foods, refined grains, refined sugars, and other boxed packaged “mutilated” foods.

Here’s an article that explains the myth about saturated fat more clearly for you:

and if you’re a scientific type that wants to understand the biochemistry of why saturated fat is not bad for you, this is a must read article by a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry

4. The 4th thing I look for in a knowledgeable or mislead fitness pro or health “expert” is whether they falsely think that artificial sweeteners are healthy. I see so many fitness pros promoting the use of artificial sweeteners just so that they can save on sugar intake. Well, the truth is that even though refined sugar is horrible for us, artificial sweeteners are “franken-foods” that are even worse for us!

Here’s an article that explains more details about the dangers of artificial sweeteners and other “diet” foods / drinks:

One thing I’d like to ask you is that if you found these articles beneficial, please email this link on to your friends, family, and co-workers that you think can benefit from these topics.

>> Click here to download the Training & Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean Body free ebook

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In this interview, I questioned fat loss expert Todd Scott on his opinions on drinking and fat loss. Todd manages to drink and party every week and still stay at 7-8% bodyfat with ripped six pack abs.

MG: Todd, I know that you and I share similar opinions on fat loss techniques and how to get a six pack. One thing I’ve seen over the years is that a lot of our readers don’t want to give up drinking alcohol altogether, but they still want to get six pack abs. What is your opinion on this? Obviously, most people are not going to be willing to give up drinking entirely, so how can they best balance this aspect of their lives in order to still stay as lean as possible.

TS: I’ve seen the same thing. To be quite honest, it’s one of the first questions I’d hear when working with a new client. Generally speaking, alcohol can make people fat. And often times it does. Especially if people drink too much too often, and aren’t careful in how they incorporate alcohol consumption into their overall program.

I will admit, years ago, I would tell clients they had to give up alcohol if they want to drop fat. But I knew deep down it wasn’t entirely true, because, at the time, I drank alcohol on a weekly basis and still had below 7% to 8% body fat levels and six pack abs.

So the whole notion that you have to give up alcohol altogether in order to get a flat stomach and six pack abs is absolutely false – regardless of what most ‘experts’ say.

Now don’t get me wrong, the experts who say we have to give up alcohol to lose fat, aren’t “misinformed”, they’re simply just looking out for the effectiveness of the program they give their clients and the clients themselves. In their defense, if they told a client “Oh yeah, you can drink alcohol and still get ripped abs, go for it”… the client could take this information and think they can drink as much and as often as they like on top of their planned food consumption. If this were to happen, then yeah, chances are the fat loss would not happen.

So, there are best practices when it comes to alcohol consumption and fat loss, and obviously regular heavy drinkers are going to have a difficult time losing fat and getting six pack abs. There’s really no way to sugar coat it. But if someone wants to have a few drinks here and there (or even a lot of drinks), the best thing to do is formulate a plan. Just as if you were planning your weekly workout and nutrition schedule.

People who drink “light to moderate” and have a plan in place to account for the additional calories from alcohol will have the best success in losing fat and developing flat sexy abs without giving up their drink of choice.

In terms of calories, each light beer will contain about 100 calories each, and each regular beer, at least 150 calories each (sometimes more), so this can add up fast if you binge drink. Be sure to factor all of these calories into your diet. A sugary mixed drink can have 200 – 300 calories in 1 drink!

The best tip I can give is to try to limit your drinking to only one night a week, and make sure to avoid fruity syrupy drinks or drinks that use colas mixed in… there’s just too much sugar and excess calories in those. If you decide to drink mixed drinks, choose mixers that use club soda instead of tonic water… tonic water contains lots of sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup, while club soda is calorie free. Try to avoid diet drinks mixers as we all know the dangers with artificial sweeteners.

Even if you’re drinking one (or even 2) nights a week, as long as your weekly caloric intake is where it needs to be, and all of your other days of the week are filled with healthy nutrient rich foods, you can still lose body fat while drinking once or twice a week. Of course, make sure that you’re working out intensely throughout the week as well.

MG: When it comes to parties, barbeques, and going out on weekends, another issue is that it can be easier for many people to overeat once they’ve had a few drinks. What do you think is a good way to handle this without packing on the pounds?

TS: Overeating after a few drinks, in my opinion, is the number 1 reason alcohol is deemed the enemy of losing fat. Drinking alcohol isn’t directly what makes most people fat… many times it’s the eating that follows a night of drinking & partying, whether it be a night out on the town or at a small barbeque with friends.

First, to get a better understanding of what we’re dealing with you have to understand alcohol, how it works, and what it does. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, whereas carbs and protein have approximately 4 calories per gram, and fats have approximately 9 calories per gram. Although alcohol is dense in calories, it is basically void of nutrition. Also a certain portion of the alcohol ingested is absorbed into your bloodstream straight through the walls of your stomach. That’s why only 1-2 shots of alcohol cause you to feel its effects within minutes – because you can absorb a portion of it into your bloodstream quickly.

One aspect of drinking alcohol that can increase your appetite is that while alcohol is being processed by the liver, the liver halts its release of glucose and blood sugar levels can drop. This is one reason why you can get wild hunger cravings after a night of drinking. Also keep in mind that you’re more likely to make poor choices and choose more junk foods in your intoxicated state.

So, in order to beat the cravings and avoid packing on the pounds that come after a night of drinking, you’ll need a plan, you’ll need to be prepared, and you’ll have to have a lot of willpower.

Generally, the best thing to do if you’ve been out drinking is to be prepared, and fight off the carb cravings for as long as you can. One of the keys to my success with being able to drink on a weekly basis and still lose fat is planning ahead.

I’d recommend cooking in advance or having something ready for you when you get in from the party. Generally, I’ll have a few chicken breasts (any protein can be substituted) waiting in the refrigerator. So, if I was starving when I got in, I’ve got some healthy chicken breasts to fill my hunger instead of junk foods.

Another thing you can do is plan your cheat day immediately following your “party” day. That way, you’ll have more will power to keep you from eating after a night of drinking. It’s a lot easier to go to bed with cravings when you know as soon as you wake up you’ll be able to eat whatever you want.

Also, make sure to get a relatively high intensity workout done the day after drinking in order to help burn off a lot of the excess calories you may have consumed the night before and get your body back in a healthier state.

>> Click here to download the Training & Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean Body free ebook

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