Beginner- Workouts

Here’s an article I like someone calling a spade a spade I used to see people on trainers or exercise bikes at the gym for an hour and I reckon that after a year of that they looked exactly the same, no noticeable changes in body shape or muscle definition, and on top of that they looked bored doing it. Read on and please comment.

cheers Brendan

By Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Just over a year ago I was in Tampa, Florida, at another fitness seminar.

Between sessions, a physician from Georgia stopped me in the hall
and said, “Hey Craig, you were right about those crosstrainer
machines. I’ve had your program for a few months now and I’m getting
better results with metabolic resistance training.”

It’s always great to meet clients, and I was curious to find out
how he heard of me. Turns out, he found me through Google, landing
on an article I wrote about “how elliptical machines
(crosstrainers) suck for fat loss”.

That’s right, I think those crosstrainer-elliptical machine doohickeys
are almost a complete waste of time.

“I was using one of those machines for a long time and wondering why
I wasn’t getting any results,” the physician continued, “I’m so glad
I found your program”, he added.

I told him how I wasn’t surprised.

In fact, I’ve never known anyone to get great results with one of
those crosstrainer machines. Nope, it’s diet and metabolic
resistance training that really gets people results.

Now I know some people will be angry with what I have to say because
they like exercising on the crosstrainer, but the truth is that
they just don’t work as well as metabolic resistance training.

To me, the crosstrainer is just the easy way out.

You’ll get dozens of metabolic resistance training supersets – using
my unique non-competing turbulence method – when you grab your copy
of the Turbulence Training for Fat Loss program.

And you can get Turbulence Training for Fat Loss for less than the
cost of a one month gym membership. That also beats shelling out
$1000 or more for a crappy crosstrainer for your home gym.

Click here to get started with Turbulence Training for less than 5 bucks:

www.TurbulenceTraining.com

An interesting article from Craig, I know that after a workout and then sprint intervals I feel pumped for more than an hour at least, my body knows its exercised hard.

By Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

www.TurbulenceTraining.com

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.

Reading the article has motivated me I’m off for a run see ya!

Hi everyone, how’s your week going are you hitting your targets? Have you drawn up a chart to motivate yourself? If not give it a go, it works now I have mine I love crossing off a workout.

The heading I have on one of mine is- I will do 156 workouts this year and as I do one I cross it off, note its the same amount as if I said I will workout 3 times per week but written differently on purpose, its so if I have a super busy week or one of the kids is sick ,whatever and I don’t do three workouts that week I don’t get down on myself and lose motivation because of it, I know that I have to do 156 workouts during the year total, thats all. I hope that makes a bit of sense, I read about goal setting that way somewhere and thought I’d give it a go, I like it.

Having said that if I do have a busy week or some late nights that make it hard to get up and going I will try and do even 5 minutes  before bed just to fit something in each day, its not much but its something and I find that it helps me get back on track quicker.

Thats all, keep exercising, and get fitter.

Cheers brendan

Hi guys, Craig Ballantyne has put out another great workout that uses only your bodyweight give it a go, and be prepared to sweat!

Turbulence Training Fat Loss Bodyweight Workout

Did you know that you can get an amazing workout from ONLY bodyweight
exercises…

…and that this workout can be done LITERALLY anytime and anywhere?

Check out this workout from Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazines
fitness expert, Craig Ballantyne. It uses his world-famous Turbulence
Training workout secrets to help you lose belly fat without equipment.

Warm-up Circuit – 2 rounds – Spend 15 seconds on each exercise.
1) Jumping Jacks
2) Bodyweight Squat
3) Pushups
4) Mountain Climbers
5) Prisoner Forward Lunges
6) Stickups

Strength Superset

1A) Toughest pushup for 30 seconds
1B) Toughest single leg exercise for 30 seconds per side
- Rest 1 minute before repeating this superset

Water break – 2 minutes

Conditioning Circuit – 20 seconds per exercise
1) Prisoner Squat
2) Pushup Plank
3) 1-leg hip extension
4) Close-grip pushup
5) Side Plank
- Rest 1 minute before repeating this circuit

Water break – 2 minutes

Final Circuit – 20 seconds per exercise
1) Split Squat
2) T-pushup
3) Prone Stick-ups
4) 1-Leg Deadlift
5) Squat thrusts
- Rest 1 minute before repeating this circuit

Water break – 2 minutes

Stretching Circuit – 20 seconds per stretch
1) Hip Flexor Stretch
2) Glute Stretch
3) Chest Stretch
4) Hamstring Stretch
5) Shoulder Stretch
- Rest 1 minute before repeating this stretching circuit

Done!

So much fun, and no equipment needed. You can do this at home, at
the park, in your office (we won’t tell!), and even in a hotel room
at a hotel – it no longer matters how bad the hotel gym is!

For more amazing Turbulence Training workouts, visit this website:

=>

www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Enjoy,
Brendan Wild

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OK so you’ve decided to begin working-out, great you’re all keen and raring to go. What Next?

I’m going to assume that you’ve read my previous post and have decided on you Goals and have Written  them down, and have seen a doctor for advice about beginning an exercise program. The next step is to investigate some programs that will help you achieve Your Goals. Or maybe you’ll join a gym and the gym will provide you with a program to follow but…. you don’t want to join a gym and exercise in front of others…yet.  Perhaps you rushed out and bought some equipment eg dumbbells but don’t know what to do with them, or  maybe you haven’t done anything yet you’re in Analysis Paralysis mode- too many options so you do nothing! Well lets move on from there right now!

Let’s get you onto a Beginners Workout , I’ll show you a few exercises 

Group A  If  you don’t have any equipment yet

Group B  Those of you who have bought a little bit of equipment eg Dumbells

OK some basics here Exercises are done in Sets, in your set you would do 10 Repetitions of the exercise eg Squats 3×10= 3 Sets of squats with 10 repetitions  

Group A- Body Weight Exercises

Are a cheap option- your equipment goes with you everywhere- why not use it. Body weight exercises are a good starting point if you are a bit overweight and can help you gain a bit of confidence and strengthen up before graduating to some equipment, also if you travel with your job you can always fit in a workout.

Ok a simple body weight Beginners Workout would look like this:

Warm-up 10 squats, 30 seconds running on the spot and 20 jumping jacks have no rest between exercises have a 30 second rest and repeat once more then start workout. Please don’t skip Warm-up

Do a set of each exercise with only 30 seconds rest in between when finished all the exercises rest for one minute,  have a sip of your drink, breathe deeply then repeat whole routine 2 more times. Note if you can only do it once or twice don’t worry  work up to three sets of the routine don’t overdo it.

Exercise 1 Squats                                 3×10 (Does all of lower body)

Exercise 2 Push-ups                             3×10 (Does all of upper body) If a full push-up is too hard instead of your toes rest on your knee’s until you’re strong enough to do full push-ups

Exercise 3 Plank                                   3×30 seconds (Does all abdomen) It the same position as a push-up only resting on your fore-arms-hold that position. You’ll feel that one!)

Exercise 4 Step-ups                              3×10 per leg  Start with a step of 6”/150mm work up to a step of 12”/300mm. Place front leg on step-step up using front leg to do most of the work, step down again using front leg to work hardest.

Exercise 5 Lying Hip Extensions            3×10  Lie flat on floor with your knee’s bent and feet flat on floor, Liff your hips off the floor by squeezing your butt (Don’t use your lower back at all)Hold that position for 3 seconds then slowly lower yourself down… almost touch the floor go again

Exercise 6                               3×25 Jumping jacks finish with some cardio

Group B                                  if you have bought some Dumbbells you can do the same exercises but on the Squat andStep-ups hold onto your dumbbells for extra resistance(Start light you can always add more as your strength and co-ordination increases) Plus we’ll add 1 more exercise in before the Jumping jacks, 3×10 bicep curls, so your workout will look like this-

Group B

Warm up 2x

Exercise 1 Squat                                      3×10

Exercise 2 Push-ups                                 3×10

Exercise 3 Plank                                       3×30 seconds

Exercise 4 Step-ups                                  3×10

Exercise 5 Lying Hip Extensions            3×10

Exercise 6 Bicep Curls                            3×10

Exercise 7 Jumping Jacks                        3×25

Ok go and schedule in a workout and do it.

Cheers Brendan

PS Please post any good execises you know as well

PPS Next post for Beginners after Muscle Gain            

Hi there everyone,

Just wanted to get a few tips out there to all you people about to begin an exercise program it’s easy to get all gung-ho and start lifting weights or running long distances without having a plan And I want people to start exercising and stick with it for life not be injured or put off in the first few weeks so here are  some tips, some I’ve learnt the hard way, others I’ve read or seen. In no particular order-

* Have a plan or goal of what you want to achieve and write it down

* Research any program before you buy it has to fit your goals not the other way round

* Decide where you will exercise- gym or home

* Don’t spend a fortune on equipment. Do body weight exercises for a start if you want

* Always warm up before lifting. Eg skip rope, run on the spot, exercise bike

* Don’t lift too much weight for the first month make sure you’re performing the exercise correctly

* Mix in some cardio if you are weight training or some weight training if you are just doing cardio

* Don’t read too many books or magazines they will confuse you, stick to your original program

* Change your routine around after 4 weeks so you don’t get bored

* Plan a time to do your exercise into your schedule- stick to it!

* Don’t listen to negative advice/comments by friends or family it’s your body and your life!

* Allow at least a day between workouts so your body can recover- when beginning two can be better

* Eat good foods to help your body recover

* Work on your diet in combination with exercising it will bring results

* Cool down properly after a workout or run with stretching, your body will thank you tomorrow

* Drink heaps of water daily

* Just start today!!

That’s enough for today I’ll post some more another day reread the list and apply it to yourself it’s worth it at the start.

Cheers Brendan

PS Please post any tips you have for everyone to share

Hi Ladies, no I haven’t forgotten you, good on you for starting!

Women can tone and firm up muscles by using a weight lifting exercise routine.

Before you start throwing weights around, ask yourself what are my goals, become a ‘yummy’ mummy, run a marathon, compete as a fitness model, or just lose a few pounds and get some energy back into your life. Write your goals  down, are they realistic, make sure that they are as nothing sucks enthusiasm out of you more than not hitting your goals, by missing workouts or cheating a bit on the diet, but if your new routine has you up at 5.30 am working out for an hour everymorning and eating like rabbit, chances are you’ll slip up and lose motivation. Start off small and steady, cut out having a treat everynight with your coffee, make some healthy choices in what you eat, fit into your life three 30 minute blocks where you can do your workout, do two 15 minute workouts if you need too, you just have to make it work for you. Try and fit some walking into your lifestyle too,  we all need to be more active daily the health benefits are massive.

Don’t worry about turning into a female version of Arnie, women don’t have the genetics or testostorne for that to happen(well most of them) and even the ones who do still need to train for hours and hours daily, as do male bodybuilders to get huge. If you  start off with light weights and only do 5-8 different exercises and only do 3 sets of that exercise for between 8-12 repetitions that will get you underway. You can buy a set of weights to use, new or 2nd hand it doesn’t matter perhaps for a start use a can of fruit out of the pantry as a weight and work up from there. The good thing about weight training is that its speeds up your metabolism which burns fat up, one pound of muscle burns up to 50 calories per day, and after a workout  your body releases endorphins which make you feel happy and relaxed.

Another plus of working out is that it is great for strengthening your bones and ligaments which can be crucial to good health when you’re older, it helps with your balance and movement in general. When is the best time to do exercise, when you can fit it in, a lot of people try and do it in the morning, to get it out of the road, get the day off to a great start, the kids are still asleep but if you can’t do your routine till night time do it then whatever works. So whether its Fat Loss or muscle building your after, get going. Just get started!

Thats enough info for a start,  I’ll be posting more details later and don’t forget to post comments or questions

cheers Brendan