How to Gain Muscle & Lose Fat

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Are you ready for my famous "gain muscle or lose fat" chart?

I know this is going to make a few people mad, but it's the truth about whether a guy should lose fat or gain muscle. If he doesn't stick to my recommendations, he won't get the ripped abs and muscles he wants.

I often get scrawny guys asking me how to lose fat, when they have no muscle underneath the fat...they think they will look good if they "get ripped", but in reality, will look like they are starving. They should focus on gaining muscle instead.

This is a harsh lesson in reality, but too many guys are trying to lose weight when the focus should be on gaining muscle.

In fact, through my experience in working with athletes and dozens of men in the gym trying to lose fat and gain muscle, I've come up with a height-weight chart that determines whether or not you should lose weight.

Here's the chart identifying the cut-off weight for muscle building, and the rule below.

5'6" - 140 pounds 5'7" - 145 pounds 5'8" - 150 pounds 5'9" - 155 pounds 5'10 - 160 pounds

And so on. For every inch taller, add 5 pounds. For every inch shorter, subtract 5 pounds.

For example, if you are 5'8", 150 pounds, you should NOT be focusing on losing weight. You need to gain muscle if you want to look good on the beach and have muscle. Focusing on weight loss would be the worst thing you could do. If you do, you'll look like crap, and practically anorexic, to be blunt.

Instead, you must focus on gaining muscle. This will improve the appearance of your body, and take you from a stick-figure to a lean, muscular physique with a better chance of seeing your abs.

And don't worry, you're not going to look huge. At 5'8", a guy would have to be at least 180 in order to be considered "jacked" or "huge".

And the best news of all? Because skinny guys are untrained, simply starting a muscle building program will give them maximum fat loss and muscle gain at the same time. They are going to get the best of both worlds.

To use Turbulence Training to gain muscle and lose fat, simply stick to the weight training workouts only. Avoid the hard interval cardio for at least 4 weeks as you gain muscle, and eat extra calories right after your workout (as well as having a bigger breakfast than normal). These two changes will allow you to gain muscle and lose fat.

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS 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

Turbulence Training vs. Body for Life

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Recently I was down in sunny Mesa, Arizona at a seminar that featured both Sir Richard Branson and Bill Phillips, the author of the most popular fat loss book ever, "Body for Life" (BFL).

It looked as though Bill hadn't aged a day since his book came out about 10 years ago, so he's doing something right.

Now I get questions all the time asking what's better, "Turbulence Training or Body for Life"?

Well, I'm going to be frank with you, and tell you that Turbulence Training is better, hands down.

Remember, BFL was written about 10 years ago. And a lot has changed since then. Granted, BFL had interval training in it, but it didn't use bodyweight circuits (like you'll find in your bonus workout, the TT DB-BW Fusion program).

These small changes and improvements we've learned in the last few years are enough to make the TT workouts shorter and better. So if you are stuck for time, you have no choice but to go with the program that is constantly being updated with the latest proven workout methods - and that's the Turbulence Training program.

If you have an old copy of BFL lying around, then that might help you for now. But if you want to beat a fat loss plateau, then you'll need all the help you can get, and that includes getting the latest fat loss info found in Turbulence Training.

(Plus, with Turbulence Training you get a lot more bonuses, and a lot less supplement advertising!)

Click here to get Turbulence Training

Turbulence Training beats BFL, Turbo Jam, and P90X, all hands down,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS 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

5 More Fat Burning Tips for You

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

At this time of year, we can use every last tip to help avoid holiday weight gain.

So here are 5 more fat loss tips for beginner & advanced readers.

1) No liquid calories (with the exception of a post-workout drink).

Get rid of all the juices, the sodas, and the sports drinks. Liquid
sugar is the last thing you need when you are trying to lose fat.

You must also limit your alcohol intake - especially if you are
adding mix to drinks...that is a double calorie bomb! A single "Jack and Coke" is over 200 calories (100 calories from booze and 100 calories from mix).

2) No fast food.

Do not eat at fast food restaurants. Even if you choose what you
think is healthy, remember this:

Fast food restaurants are all about profit.

And in order to profit while giving you cheap, quick, and easy to
prepare foods, the quality of the food ingredients will be poor -
especially the protein.

Now you might have read that you can still make healthy choices at fast food restaurants. But you know what, that's just
politically-correct opinion. If it's fast food, it's poor food.

Walking into a burger joint and grabbing a chicken breast on a
white bread bun with a piece of old lettuce and a half-green,
half-pink tomato is "barely" healthy eating.

The politically-incorrect truth is that it's going to take time and
effort to eat properly. You will have to plan, shop, and prepare
healthy meals. You will have to spend time cleaning, cutting, and
cooking your food. That's the truth.

But believe me, it will taste so much better than fast food, and
healthy eating will make you more alert. Eating fast food will make you feel terrible, and will make you want to have an afternoon nap at your desk.

Make one small improvement to your nutrition everyday for the rest of your life.

3) Eat more fruits and vegetables.

If you are eating 2 servings per day, then go up to 4 servings per day by the end of the week. And even if you think you are doing great by having 5 servings per day, you still need to double that (take 2-3 weeks to work your way up to 10 servings per day).

Stick with fiber-rich fruits and vegetables - organic if possible.

4) Eat 1oz of almonds or walnuts per day (1/2 oz in the AM, and the other half in the afternoon).

Most nuts are roasted in oils (possible source of trans fats), so
stick to natural or dry-roasted nuts.

Don't panic...this small amount of nuts won't make you fat, but will fill you up and help you lose weight.

5) Be consistent with your workouts.

And make sure the workouts are efficient and effective. To make it easy for you to follow, stick with the Turbulence Training fat burning workout system.

It doesn't matter if you train in the morning before or after
breakfast, or at night before or after dinner, or at 1pm on days
when the moon is in line with Saturn...don't worry about the
details, just train consistently.

Click here to get Turbulence Training

6) BONUS TIP: Go for a walk after lunch or dinner (or anytime you eat a big meal). Research shows this will help you control your cholesterol and triglycerides, plus any movement is better than sitting around watching the TV and snacking.

Improve your lifestyle everyday,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

PS - Change your workouts to beat a fat loss plateau.

"The constant shakeup is amazing. I look forward to my workouts. I feel so much better than I did 6 weeks ago. I had almost given up on fitness as I was becoming very frustrated with my plateaus. I started out at 233 lbs and am already heading for 225 in only a few short weeks. Thank you for developing this truly amazing program and for sharing with the rest of us. It's very refreshing to enjoy working out again!"
Dave Heffernan

"Turbulence Training is AWESOME! I started working out in 2004 first time in gym at 39 yrs. Then I discovered T.T. in 2006 and started receiving unbelievable info on xercises/nutrition. Immediately I started incorporating T.T. in my busy schedule which is improving my strength, definition, flexibility and nutrition. Craig is quick to reply to questions and supportive. My confidence and strength has definitely improved. If I only knew of Turbulence Training in 2004. The gym crowd is really checking me out now."
Kimmie Clark

"I lost 14 pounds this month and the weight is just falling off me.
My wife says I now look like when we first met and I still have
more to go. I can fit into my old jeans again which is a big deal
for me. I just cut back on starches and bread and do your routine 2-3 times a week. I never thought in a million years that just 10-20 minutes of weight training followed by some cardio would get me such steady results. I even cheat a bit on the weekends."
Billy Williams

Turn your health around with 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

Aerobics to Target the Abdomen

Aerobics to Target the Abdomen

We all know that working out is something that is very important for us to be doing. You are going to want to get a workout so that you can be healthier, and so that you know what you are doing when it comes to getting a better outlook on life. Most of the people who get depressed and unhealthy aren’t doing aerobics, so no matter what your level of health is, aerobics are going to be good for you.

However, sometimes it is important to target more than one area when it comes to aerobics. You might want to work on something in particular. Often, people have parts of their bodies that they don’t like as much as others, and this can be very stressful. Most of the time, workouts seek to make your whole body stronger, and while this is important, if you have a problem area, you might feel like you want to work out it.

In order to target the abdomen while you are doing aerobics, it is important that you remember what the abdomen is and why it is important. It is not just your tummy area; this is a whole range of muscles that help you move and stretch in every piece of your daily routine. This is why targeting your abdomen during aerobics is very important.

When you are looking at targeting your abdomen, think first of repetitions. The best way to work on your abdomen is to add stretches into whatever you are doing aerobically. If you are walking or running in place, you should be stretching your body and stretching from side to side as you move. You have to be sure that the movement you are making is coming form you abdomen, however. It is all too easy to move your arms and legs and think that you are stretching your abdomen.

Another great thing that you can do while you are doing your aerobics is to kneel down and to then use your abdomen muscles to move up and down into different positions. Remember that you have to keep doing repetitions at a high enough rate of speed to keep your heart rate up. The more that you move, the better in shape you are going to get. This is a great way to target your abdomen. Again though make sure that the movements are coming from your tummy area.

Exercise for a Healthy Body

How Exercise Benefits Your Body

More than a century ago a French scientist, Lamarck, said, "Function makes an organ." This saying is just as true today as it was then. We may also add that lack of function unmakes an organ.

What happens, for example, when one uses his muscles too little? This leads to what has been dubbed, in this country, as a Flabby American. This means more than just flabby muscles. This means "flabby" or debilitated heart, blood vessels, blood, respiratory system, to name a few items. A flabby man suffers from an old sickly state, which has been given a fancy name: hypokinesis.

Hypokinesis creates a vicious circle: little activity brings about greater inability for activity, which leads to even greater restriction of activity, and the person begins to act sick or prematurely aged, avoiding physical exertion which used to be fun and now causes only pains and aches and makes one puff and feel tired.

What can be done about this? This can be remedied in a simple manner—start exercising! Do it gradually, and gradually you will become again what you used to be when you were younger—almost!

The result obtained from exercising may be compared with that obtained during immunization. A doctor injects some substance which may cause a temporary indisposition, but makes you immune against even a deadly disease.

Each time that you exercise until you feel slightly tired is comparable to one immunization shot, only in this case it is immunization against fatigue and not against a disease. After each exercise session, you become more resistant to fatigue and you can do more than before. There is, however, a difference between immunization and training.

During immunization you usually have only a short period of partial mobilization of the body which results in a dramatic production of specific weapons called antibodies. Once immunization is achieved you don't need any more shots, sometimes for a few years, sometimes for life. During training, although the body is mobilized to a greater extent, the immediate results are slight and of a short duration. Thus, one cannot consider himself trained for life, or for a year or for a month, by just exercising on two or three successive days. One has to exercise frequently and continuously. Only in this manner can one obtain a lasting cumulative effect.

Few people realize the tremendous capacities of our internal organs. Let us cite just a few.

1. If all the capillaries of one individual were placed end to end they would form a string long enough to go four times around the earth, or close to 100,000 miles. And the heart which pumps the blood through all these capillaries weighs only ten ounces.
No wonder that, if the heart weakens, sludges may begin to form in the vessels.

2.    If we take from a sedentary man a bundle of muscle fiber equal in thickness to the lead of an ordinary pencil, and cut it across, there will be as many as 2,000 capillaries.

3.    A drop of blood of a man at rest contains 250 million corpuscles. During exercise it is increased by 7.5 million.

4.    At rest, about one gallon of blood per minute is pumped by the heart. During running this may increase to 10 gallons per minute.

5.    If all the blood corpuscles of an individual are placed on the ground they will cover an area of about 5,000 square yards.

6.    The surface area of the capillaries in the lungs equals the area of one-half of a tennis court for singles. Fantastic as these figures are, they may be even greater; and this result can be achieved through the fun of exercise.