5 Weird Flat Abdominal Fitness Tips

By Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
FIGHT FAT HERE!

If you've been struggling to get flat, sexy abs and burn belly fat
with traditional workouts, then you are going to love these 5 weird
abdominal exercise and diet tips.

Over the last 13 years as a trainer and athlete, I've been studying
every expert and research study I can find about the best way to get
flat abs.

Today, you'll discover 5 weird tips you might not know when it comes
to getting a flat stomach and firm abs.

#1 - The best interval training work-to-rest ratio for losing belly
fat might be 1-to-1.5.

In an Australian study, researchers found that doing intervals for
8 seconds followed by 12 seconds of rest resulted in significantly
more belly fat burning than long slow cardio.

Now I know that 8 seconds on and 12 seconds off sounds a little
annoying (just try doing that on a machine), but the good news is
that these researchers found that going for 24 seconds followed by a
36 second rest works just as well for boosting fat burning hormones.

#2 - Dr. Chris Mohr's #1 weird diet tip is...

I just finished up a fat loss nutrition interview with Dr.
Mohr and he told me that his simple, yet slightly weird #1 diet tip
for fat loss is...

"Get almost all of your carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables."

I really liked that tip because I've been telling people this for
years, and it's part of the Fat Loss Foundation you'll discover in
my Simple Nutrition manual & DVD.

#3 - You need to be able to do a Plank exercise for 2 minutes.

Dr. Stuart McGill, the world's leading expert on low back health,
says in his book that a person with fit abs should be able to do a
plank exercise for 2 minutes straight.

If you can't do the plank for 2 minutes, then you need to lose belly
fat and you need to get an abdominal workout DVD program that works
your abs properly.

Here are the best abdominal exercises DVDs you can get:

GET YOUR DVD HERE!


#4 - New research shows that supersets training burns more calories
than traditional straight set resistance training.

And that's exactly what you'll get in every short, burst exercise
workout.

The short, burst superset programs save you time (getting you done
in half the time of a traditional resistance workout) while helping
you burn more fat.

#5 - To see your abs, a man will need to be close to 10% fat and a
woman will need to be at about 16% fat.

Of course, the more muscle you have, the easier it will be too see
your abs, so you'll still be able to see a 4-pack on muscular guys
when they have 12-13% fat.

But the bottom line is that you need to use the Simple Nutrition
plan combined with the short, burst exercise workouts to burn
belly fat to see your sexy abs.

BONUS Tip - A great way to work your abs harder than normal planks
is the Stability Ball Plank.

Research reported in Men's Health magazine reported this exercise to
be 30% harder on your abs than a regular plank.

And last Friday I used an interesting technique with this exercise
that caused my abs to be sore for days. But that's another story for
another weird abdominal exercise article - coming soon!

Remember, for the best flat abdominal exercises and belly fat burning
circuits, you need the TT for Abs Home Exercise DVDs & Simple
Nutrition plan from this website:

FIGHT FAT HERE!

The TT Abs Bootcamp Workout (and Big 7 Fat Burning Circuit)

This is just 1 of the new 31 TT Bootcamps workouts, and specifically,
this is Part 2 of 3 for the TT Abs Bootcamps series by Craig Ballantyne.

It's called "Abs Endurance" because of the endurance nature of the
abs circuit at the end of the program, but like all TT workouts, it
is a total body fat blasting program.

REMEMBER - Train at your fitness level...take extra breaks if you
need them. Do only one round of each circuit if you are have not
been exercising recently.

Train safe, train smart, and have fun.

Enjoy!

TT Bootcamps Workout #8 - Abs Endurance: Part 2 of the Abs Bootcamps

Warm-up (20 seconds per exercise) - 10 minutes
- Bodyweight Squat
- Stick-up
- Kneeling Pushup or Pushup Plus
- 1-Leg Hip Extension (20 seconds per side)
- Plank (40 seconds)
- Side Plank (20 seconds per side)
- Run in Place
- Rest 1 minute and repeat 1 more time.

TT Strength Circuit (30 seconds per exercise) - 5 minutes
- Bulgarian Split Squat or Forward Lunge or 1-Leg Deadlift (30 seconds per side)
- 1-Arm KB or DB Press OR Elevated Push-ups (30 seconds per side)
- Optional if you have equipment: DB Row or Bodyweight Row
- Rest 2 minutes before repeating 1 more time.

Water Break - 2 minutes

TT Big 7 Circuit (20 seconds per exercise) - 10 minutes
- Jumping Jacks
- Prisoner Squat
- Spiderman Climb Pushup or Close-grip Pushup
- Band Row or KB Row or Cross Crawl
- Diagonal Lunge (20 seconds per side)
- Inchworm
- Rest 2 minutes before repeating 1 more time.

Water Break - 2 minutes

TT Depletion Circuit (30 seconds per exercise) - 10 minutes
- Total Body Extension or Jump Rope
- Cross-Body Mountain Climber
- Reaching Lunge (30 seconds per side)
- Squat Thrusts
- Shuttle Run or Run in Place
- Rest 2 minutes before repeating 1 more time.

Water Break - 2 minutes

TT Total Body Abs Endurance Circuit (30 seconds per exercise) - 5 minutes
- Pushup Plank
- Get-up (30 seconds per side)
- Optional: Stability Ball Plank
- Rest 1 minute before repeating 1 more time.

Cool-down, Stretching & Water Break - 10 minutes

Hope you enjoy that workout.

And if you want Parts 1 & 3 of the TT Abs Bootcamp series plus all
31 new TT Bootcamps workouts, Just click here to visit this website



You'll get 31 total body workouts - including the 3-part TT Booty
Bootcamps program - that you can do with minimal equipment (and even
use in your own bootcamps if you are a trainer).

How Many Calories Do You Need to Burn for Fat Loss?

By Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training In a Hurry? Click Here

If you depend on classic aerobic cardio for fat loss, you
probably spend 30 minutes on a machine trying to burn a set number
of calories.

But does that work?

Does burning 500 calories per day cause you to lose 1 pound of fat
per week?

Well, according to science, it should. But if it did, you probably
wouldn't still be reading this article.

Back in the day, I used to write a column on fat loss myths for
Men's Fitness magazine. Here's a classic weight loss topic I covered.

Myth: I need to burn 500 calories each workout to lose fat.

Truth:
Possibly one of the worst inventions for fat loss was the
calorie-counting monitor on treadmills, elliptical machines, and
stairmasters.

Because of these, millions of men and women now obsess about the
number of calories burned per session. You've probably even been
one of those people, watching it creep up ever so slowly during a
slow-cardio session. All the while knowing that you can wipe out a
30-minute, 300-calorie treadmill session with one fell swoop of the
Krispy Kreme hand.

Too many people are brainwashed into thinking that if they don't
burn 300-500 calories per session, then they won't lose fat. After
all, that is what you've been told time and time again in those
fluffy fitness/fashion magazines.

The problems with this approach to fat loss are numerous. First
off, it's difficult to say if the calorie counters are even
accurate. A story on CBS news showed that cardio machines
overestimate calorie burning by up to 20%.

Next, depending on slow cardio for advanced fat loss is relatively
useless and at the very least, inefficient. It takes a long time
for you to burn a lot of calories and one study showed that men who
only used cardio training for weight loss ended up with a reduced
resting metabolism. You are basically undoing the calorie burning
by depending only on cardio. On the other hand, guys in the same
study that used strength training didn't suffer a reduced metabolic
rate.

So what is the solution to burning fat in a faster, more efficient
method? The answer is to use strength and interval training to burn
fewer calories in less exercise time, but with a more intense form
of exercise.

Your body will burn more calories after exercise (when you use
intervals) than it does after you do slow cardio and your
metabolism will stay high. Some experts refer to this as the
afterburn effect. How do you do intervals? Well, you could sprint
for 30 seconds and rest for 90 seconds and repeat that for 6 sets -
using the bike preferably or treadmill if you are experienced with
it.

Within that short time frame the intervals will cause your muscles
to go crazy with activity (I call it a metabolic turbulence). This
crazy metabolism boost causes lots of calorie burning after
exercise to get your body back to normal. The result is you would
end up burning more fat and more calories in the post-exercise
period as your body tries to get things under control.

Now there is one time where you'd want to count calories, but that
is when you are counting up and determining how many calories you
eat per day. Again, you can wipe out an entire workout's work in
less than a minute simply by eating garbage. Without some structure
and discipline to your nutrition, there is nothing that even my
programs can do to help you lose fat.

So exercise nutrition control and interval training. These are the
two anti-calorie counting methods that will help you lose fat and
get lean.

For Further Information and an exciting opportunity, Click Here

7 Step Detox Diet

Hi,
It's about that time of year.
This is when folks slowly start dropping off from their workout
program, or cheating on their diet.
And for a lot of folks, weekend eating - particularly SuperBowl
weekend eating - is to blame.
When some folks binge eat, they go looking for a "detox diet",
thinking that will reverse all their mistakes.
But I'm not here to recommend that...no way.
Instead, I have an amazing article - perhaps his best article ever -
from fitness expert Craig Ballantyne about a simple 7-Step Detox
Diet that you can easily follow everyday...
...so that you never need to do an extreme 7-day or 2-week cleanse.

Here's Craig to tell it like it is:

I just got back from the SuperBowl and got a chance to sit in the
front row right in the endzone. It was really cool, and I also got
a chance to see "The Who" live in concert at half-time.
But, while I was there, I had a few extra "non-compliance" meals
than normal, so it got me thinking about detox diets.
I have a pretty strong opinion about detoxing, and I put together a
simple 7-step detox diet plan that you can easily follow so that you
never have to do a 16-day detox ever.
You see, my biggest "beef" with the entire theory of "detoxing" is this...
It is simply NOT possible to EVER detox your body.
Why?
Because it's such a vague statement.
What does "detox" mean?
How do you measure "detoxification"?
What do you even define as toxins?
And when do you officially become "detoxed"?
The answer is, "You don't."
It's impossible.
After all, every single second of every day your body produces
carbon dioxide, which is a toxin.
And if you have deep belly fat, research shows that this "visceral
fat" is constantly releasing inflammatory toxins into your blood.
Every second. The more fat you have, the more toxic you are.
Plus, every breath you take includes pollutants.
And even the water that you drink may contain "toxins".
So....what's the real deal on detoxing?
Listen, while every "expert" is out there arguing about tiny little
details and "gurus" are trying to sell you on detoxing so they can
sell supplements, the TRUTH is that you really just need to know a
few steps to avoid getting toxic in the first place.

In my opinion, the #1 factor in living a "low toxin life" is simply
to keep as much garbage out of your body in the first place, rather
than depending on a 3-day, 7-day or even 16-day detox to be healthy.

So what do I do to prevent "toxin build-up" in the first place?
Well, I live the Turbulence Training Lifestyle of course, including
my "7 Step Detox Nutrition Plan":
1) Start each day with a blender drink of berries, spinach or other
greens, raw nuts (such as walnuts - rich in healthy fats), and other
ingredients packed with antioxidants and healthy fats.

2) For lunch, have a large green salad with spinach, beans, broccoli,
peppers, avocado, onions, etc.

3) Eat an organic apple a day. Certain fruits (i.e. apples, peaches,
cherries, and strawberries) and vegetables have a higher exposure to
pesticides, and you should choose organic when possible.

4) Eat RAW snacks only - of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Try using
this one simple rule and limit all of your between meal snacks to
raw fruit, raw vegetables, and/or raw nuts and I promise you'll drop
the pounds because you'll be full on a smaller number of calories.

5) Drink Green Tea (2-3 cups) and filtered water (3 liters) instead
of beverages that contain calories or chemicals.

6) Limit animal protein intake to only 2 servings per day. On most
days, I'll one of the following: an "after workout" chocolate milk,
organic eggs in the morning, or occasionally I'll have high quality
meat at dinner.
You don't need to be a full vegetarian to live a longer life, but
you should probably avoid eating meat 5 times per day, like people
in Chicago.
(Hey Chicago, don't get mad at me for that...it was a born-and-raised
Chicago native who told me 5 servings of meat per day was the
average Chicago meat consumption.)

7) Minimize or completely eliminate alcohol intake.

While research does show that for men, up to 2 drinks per day may
help cardiovascular health (and for women, up to one drink per day),
I'm not about to recommend you start drinking.

After all, if you go above those limits, you start to destroy your
health...and you risk addiction. Alcohol killed my father, and I
don't want to see the same thing happen to you. Tread cautiously
with the booze.

So that's it. A simple 7-Step Detox Diet Plan.
By the way, it goes without saying that you should avoid:
- cigarettes
- trans-fats
- excessive amounts of sugar
- refined grains
- and 7-11 nacho cheese
Right?
Of course.
And you should be exercising to lose the belly fat...using proven
methods, such as interval training - which is proven to beat long,
slow cardio when it comes to burning dangerous belly fat.
Plus, you should be using Turbulence Training resistance supersets
to burn more calories and sculpt your body.
If you've never used Turbulence Training, you can try it out today
for less than the cost of a Superbowl hot dog.

Click here to get Turbulence Training for less than 5 bucks


Simply follow those 7 nutrition guidelines and use the short TT
workouts to cut out as many toxins from your body - without detoxing.

Stay strong,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

PS - I also believe you should avoid toxic relationships...

...so you need to take a hard look at the people you surround
yourself with in life.

Do you have the right work friends?
Are you in the right relationships?
Do you spend enough time with the right family members?

Or are they toxic too?

Remember - you need social support for success in life and in fat
loss...so surround yourself with positive people, like the good
folks on the TT Member's forum.

If you need to dump the toxic folks and get positive social support,
we'd love to see you on the forum and help you out.

You will get a free 3-month TT membership access to the forum when
you try out Turbulence Training for only $4.95 today:

Click here!

Please click that link to get started losing fat & getting rid of
the toxic baggage in your life.

Top 5 Holiday Fat Burning Gifts

With Christmas gifts and New Year's Resolutions only a few weeks
away, fitness and fat loss expert Craig Ballantyne sent me his top
5 gift suggestions to share with you.

It doesn't matter if you're buying for someone or if you want to
know the best fitness gifts to ask for, Craig has the 5 best fitness
present suggestions.

#5 - A kettlebell

With a kettlebell, you can burn calories, do intervals, work your
abs, build strength, and completely sculpt your body. Beginner women
should start with a 12-18 pound kettlebell while beginner men can
start with an 18 or 35 pound bell.

GET YOUR KETTLEBELL WORKOUT PROGRAM HERE!


#4 - A blender to create delicious blender drinks and meals

For about $60-$100 you can get a machine to blend up fruits, veggies,
nuts, protein powder, and seeds to create a nutrient dense complete
meal to overcome busy mornings or to create the perfect snack or
dessert. Once you get started "blending your nutrition", you'll be
amazed at what you can create.

#3 - A Gymboss Timer

This little timer allows you to set two different intervals and will
alert you when each interval is up. It's a cheap - $20 - tool that
will help you organize your workouts and maximize your results.

#2 - A Stability Ball

The stability ball is one of the most versatile fitness tools, and
it allows you to exercise your abs and back of your legs better than
any bodyweight only exercises.

#1 - The Turbulence Training Fat Loss System

With Turbulence Training for Fat Loss you can lose fat and sculpt
your body in the comfort of your own home, without doing long, slow,
boring cardio. It is a proven, guaranteed program that will help you
lose belly fat and get a lean, hard, flat stomach.

This is the #1 home workout and perfect for your New Year's fat loss
program, especially if you hate going to busy gyms.

Plus, you can even try out Turbulence Training for less than the
price of a giant, fancy coffee at Starbucks.

Click here to give Turbulence Training a 21-day try-out for less
than 5 bucks

And remember: This program is guaranteed to work for you. You have
nothing to lose - and it is the perfect program for anyone in your
family or group of friends who loves to workout.

So those are the 5 best fitness presents you can give - or receive -
this year.

Don't miss out on your chance to use Turbulence Training to win
up to $1000 cash in the 7th Turbulence Training Transformation
Contest that starts on Sunday, December 27th.

Click here to get ready to get started with Turbulence Training

More details on the 7th Transformation Contest coming soon!

Top 5 Fat Loss Tips

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Learn About Craig Here

Men's Fitness magazine recently asked me for 3 of my best fat loss
secrets. Since most times the magazines just don't have enough space
to run my full tips, I thought I'd give you a more detailed
explanation of my secrets here (plus a few extra bonus tips that I
didn't send to the magazine).

Secret #1 - Focus on burning carbohydrate, not fat, during your
fat-loss workouts.

Sounds backwards, right? But not when you look at how I structure
my workouts.

Remember that Turbulence Training focuses on resistance training
and interval training. Both of these use carbohydrate as the main
source of energy. So it's obvious the workout is designed to burn
carbohydrates during the training session.

I have no interest in you trying to train in your "target heart
rate zone" for fat burning (aka - the fat burning zone). The whole
idea of a fat-burning zone is an over-simplified idea of how the
body works during exercise.

Leave the inefficient fat burning zone to the mis-educated trainers
in the commercial gyms (that not surprisingly, also want to sell you
a heart rate monitor so you can stay in your "fat burning heart
rate zone").

If you want to get the most results in the least amount of time,
focus on burning carbohydrates, not fat.

Why do my fat loss workouts focus on burning carbohydrate rather
than fat?

In order to burn more calories after the workout, that's why. When
you exercise with intervals and heavy resistance training, your body
uses more calories in the hours after exercise than it would if you
did traditional cardio and lifted lighter weights.

I call this 'Turbulence'. By any name it gives you the same results
- maximum improvements in your body composition (helping you lose
fat while gaining muscle).

Secret #2 - Use a range of repetitions in your strength training
workouts.

In order to train more muscle fibers and burn more carbohydrates, I
have clients use a range of repetitions within the same workout.

The Turbulence Training workouts now use 6, 8, and 12 reps per set
in order to work the muscle the most effectively.

This will burn more carbohydrates and promote as much muscle growth
as possible when you are keeping the calories low.

Secret #3 - Use the stationary cycle for interval training.

I choose the stationary bike for intervals whenever possible
because cycling against a resistance can help maintain muscle mass.

Cycling against a resistance also allows you to perform a large
amount of mechanical work, and that is a key determinant of the
Turbulence in my training.

But please note: I don't use low-intensity, fast pedaling 'spinning'
intervals as I'm convinced that the hard, resistance based
intervals are more effective for fat loss. My clients only cycle
against a strong resistance in their intervals.

And while I really like the bike, but there are many other ways to
do intervals. Use what works for you, but if you are at a plateau,
try the bike.

Secret #4 - Increase meal frequency

Okay, so this isn't really a secret to anyone that has read about
fat loss.

But a 2005 study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
showed that eating 6 times per day was associated with eating fewer
calories per day, lowering cholesterol levels, and lowering
post-meal insulin levels.

Combine an increased meal frequency with an increased protein and
fiber intake, and you'll see your body composition improve rapidly.

If you need more nutrition help, then you'll love the new
Turbulence Training Nutrition Guide for Men & Women - written by
Dr. Chris Mohr, Ph.D.

See below for more details...

Secret #5 - My Synergistic Turbulence Training Workouts

My Turbulence Training Fat Loss workouts are fast becoming the most
effective way to burn fat, build muscle, and get lean. The
synergistic strength training-interval training workouts are
efficient and effective - getting you in and out of the gym in
under an hour.

Here are some tips that you can use for an advanced training phase.
Use these advanced secrets for 2 weeks then return to your normal
training schedule:

a) Add 10 seconds to each interval but maintain the intensity

b) Add in some bodyweight circuits (10-20 minutes per day) done in
the morning or evening (if you do your regular workout in the AM, do
your bodyweight circuits after dinner; otherwise, do the bw circuits
first thing in the AM, and then do your regular workout at lunch or
later in the afternoon or evening)

If you are advanced, you can use squats, pushups, and bodyweight
rows for your circuit.

If you are a beginner, you could use lying hip extensions, modified
pushups, and stick-ups.

c) Add an extra set to each exercise in the first superset you do
in each workout.

Again, use these three tips for an advanced fat loss period of two
weeks, then return to a normal training schedule.

But always stick to the best fat loss nutrition plan possible.

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

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne
Author, Turbulence Training

P.S. Big Nutrition Announcement!

The Turbulence Training Nutrition Guide for Men & Women - written
by Dr. Chris Mohr, Ph.D., is ready for you.

Here are just some of the things you'll learn from Dr. Mohr...

1) How to calculate your calorie needs (p. 6)

2) Calorie recommendations for obese individuals (p.7)

3) The 23 types of sugar (many hidden!) to avoid (p. 9)

4) The 20 whole-grain sources to fuel your fat loss program (p9)

5) Over 60 fruits and vegetables that should be added to your diet
(p. 10)

6) The 16 protein sources you should select most often (p. 13)

7) Shocking trans-fat content of 18 common foods - find out which
food is the deadliest in terms of fat content (p. 16)

8] The 9 Fat Sources you should select most often (p. 17)

9) Dr. Mohr's 12 Rules for Fat Loss (p. 18)

10) The TT Nutrition Plan for Men (p. 19)

11) The TT Nutrition Plan for Women (p. 23)

12) Bonus Supplement Report: The Truth About Fat Loss Pills (p. 27)

Try Turbulence Training today

The Big Awakening

I went for my usual blood donation at the local blood bank. My blood pressure was unusually high,(160/100) but not too high to give blood. The nurse said I should have it checked with my doctor. I've never had blood pressure that high. I made an appointment with my doctor for a physical. This was in Feb. 2009. Before my physical, I looked into lowering my blood pressure with diet, rather than pills. I found the D.A.S.H. diet (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension). It is based on 1600 calories per day and 1500 mg of sodium per day. I was also overweight, too. I started the D.A.S.H. diet before seeing my doctor. When I saw my doctor, she said that the DASH diet was okay, but I also need to do 45 minutes of exercise every day. Well, I belong to a gym and was going a few times a week. But the doctor wanted me to diet and exercise often. This would bring my blood pressure down, I would lose weight, and be more healthy overall. She wanted me to do this rather than go on medication for the rest of my life. She also wanted to see my blood pressure in 3 weeks.

So I made a commitment to myself to get to the gym every day. I didn't have enough time to do 45 minutes every day, but can do 30 minutes. Sometimes I do get 45 minutes in. I enjoy cardio workouts on the treadmill, so I stick to that for most of my workouts. In 3 weeks, I lost 8 pounds and my blood pressure came down to 141/90. I'm trying to bring my blood pressure down more. It's been hovering around 140/90 for the last several months.

Since February, I've lost 32 pounds, and at last check, my blood pressure is still around 140/85-90. I still need to lose around 80 more pounds to be what I consider ideal. A long way to go, but I'm motivated. My diet allows me to eat the foods I like, and now since I've been dieting, I can't eat as much. I also drink more water than I did before.

This wake up call was for the better. I'm eating better, feeling better and feel in control of my eating and exercise habits. I will keep this up as long as I can. I'll check back here now and then to record my progress. If you have any tips or things that worked for you, please leave your comments.