Interval Training-The Tune Up For The Calorie Burning Engine

If your muscles were engines, you would have two types of them. Athletes that are in endurance sports, like distance running or cross country skiing would have a diesel engine like a long haul truck or a cargo ship, designed for slow-burning. The diesel engine is your aerobic (fat burning) system. Athletes that play sports that demand sprinting in short bursts like football players would have a gasoline engine.

The gasoline engine is your anerobic (carbohydrate burning) system. Athletes like basketball players or soccer players (my sport) whose sports demand sprinting, and explosive jumping as well as the necessity to traverse the court/field over long periods of time need to be able to switch between both engines/systems.

Let's say that you are a soccer player jogging up the field. Your heart is at a fairly low rate in your exercise range but all of a sudden a long lead pass rolls in front of you to the corner of the open field. You accelerate towards the ball with a defender in pursuit. Your heart rate starts to increase as you race towards the ball. Your muscles make the switch from the aerobic (diesel) system to the anerobic (gasoline) system as you reach the ball and pound a crossing pass across the front of the goal which your teammate heads into the corner of the net.

If you have been doing your interval training you'll be able to recover quickly as you jog back to center of the field for the kick off. If you haven't been doing intervals, you'll have trouble catching your breath and your legs will feel like lead because your muscles will not have the ability to efficiently switch between the two engines/systems. The bottom line is that you need to interval train so that your muscles so that they can efficiently switch between the two systems. You will love the results.

Do I really need to do intervals? See if any of these conditions describes you.

..

1. If your weight loss has leveled off, intervals may help you make a break through. There is no scientific evidence of this but I have seen numerous people that have leveled off in their weight loss doing steady-state cardio start interval training and start losing weight almost immediately.

2. If you are bored with your workouts, intervals may be exactly the thing you need to spice up your workout routine However, the biggest pay off may come from the motivation from seeing the rapid results that come from internal training.

3. The biggest indicator of whether or not you need interval time after strenuous activity. So the next time you climb a hill or a flight of stairs or run down the street or down a field, if it takes you more than two or three minutes to catch your breath, interval training is exactly what you need.  

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Get your Free Turbulence Training Fat Burning Workout, free 10 Minute Workouts and 21 Day Turbulence Training Offers for as low as a $1 at MYCOMMANDFITNESS.COM 

Clint Grimes, is a retired US Navy commander. He is certified by the California Interscholastic  Federation and is currently the strength and conditioning coach for the boys soccer teams at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, CA.

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The Evolution of Fat Loss Cardio

I asked Craig Ballantyne about how fat loss cardio has changed over the years.  This is what he had to say about it:
I've been meaning to write this email for a long time. Today I'm
going to give you the story of how I solved the problem of getting
an efficient and effective fat loss program finished in 45 minutes.
Essentially, how I invented Turbulence Training.

And then I'll end with a sample TT workout for you...

But first, let's take a trip down memory lane to the winter of
98-99. I was but a lowly grad student, studying the effects of
androstenedione (the supplement taken by the might Mark McGwire
during his record-breaking home run quest in '98). 

In my study (which was published in the Canadian Journal of Applied
Physiology for any science nerds like myself out there), we had
guys use the supplement and go through a couple of weight training
sessions. By February of '99 I was stuck in the lab, analyzing the
blood samples using some fancy radio-active isotopes. 

And when I say stuck in the lab, I mean STUCK. I'd get there at
7am, and record my last data point at 11pm. Sixteen hours of
mad science. And if I wasn't there, I was downstairs in the
medical library, studying papers on testosterone and training.

Now coming from a very athletic background, this sedentary
lifestyle didn't sit well with me. But there I was, studying for a
degree in Exercise Physiology and left with no time for exercise.
Or so I thought. 

Fortunately, I actually had a 50 minute window once per day of
"down-time" while the lab's gamma-counter analyzed blood samples. 

That left me 50 minutes to get to the gym (5 minutes across campus)
and get a workout in the remaining 40 or so minutes. I knew that
if I applied my studies to the workout, I could get maximum results
in minimum time.

As a former athlete, I knew that I had to find a way to stay fit
and to avoid the fat gain that comes with working long hours in a
sedentary environment. And I also had to stay true to the
high-school bodybuilder I once was, so there was no way I was
willing to sacrifice my muscle to one of those long-cardio, low
protein fat-loss plans that were popular at the time.

Instead, I had to draw on my academic studies and my experiences
working with athletes as the school's Strength & Conditioning Coach. 

I knew that sprint intervals were associated with more fat loss
than slow cardio, and I knew that you could also increase aerobic
fitness by doing sprints (but you can't increase sprint performance
by doing aerobic training). 

So clearly, intervals were (and ARE!) superior to long slow cardio.

I had seen first hand the incredible results of sprint intervals in
the summer and fall, as the athletes made huge fitness improvements
and shed winter fat in a short time using my interval programs. I
knew that intervals had to be the next step in the evolution of cardio.

The biggest benefit of intervals? A lot of results in a short
amount of time. I knew that I only had 40 minutes to train, and
therefore I could only spend 15-20 minutes doing intervals.

Now onto the strength training portion of the workouts. I knew that
a high-volume bodybuilding program wasn't going to cut it - I just
didn't have time. But in the past year I had read so many lifting
studies, that I knew exactly what exercises I needed to do to
maximize my lifting time in the gym. 

Those exercises were standing, multi-muscle, movements such as
squats, presses, rows, power cleans, and plenty of other standing
single-leg exercises. I knew those exercises would bring me far 
more results than those people sitting on machines would ever achieve.

And I also knew that I had to lift heavier than the average Joe or
Jane Gym-goer lifts. I just knew that doing lighter weights and
high-reps wasn't going to cut it. And a research study from 2001
later showed that I was right - when women did 8 reps per set, they
had a significantly greater increase in post-workout metabolism
than if they did 15 reps per set.

So I had my plan. Bust my tail over to the gym, through the cold,
dreary Canadian winter afternoon, and do a quick but thorough
warm-up (specific to my lifts - none of that 5 minutes on the
treadmill waste of time).

Once I got through the warm-up, I did as many sets as I could in
the remainder of the 20 minutes for strength training. 

At that point, I knew that supersets were the only way to go if I
wanted to maximize the number of sets I could do...so the
non-competing superset of Turbulence Training was put in place.

By non-competing, I mean that the 2 exercises in the superset don't
interfere with one another. So you can use upper and lower body
exercises together, or pushing and pulling exercises. Just be
careful not to use two grip-intensive exercises together in a
superset - otherwise, one exercise will suffer, if not both.

And then I followed up the strength training with intervals, as I
knew these had to follow the lifting, otherwise it would not be the
correct exercise order. Remember, intervals first leads to
premature fatigue. Lift first, cardio later. Forget that old wives
tale about doing cardio first to burn more fat. That's junk.

You know, I remember the exact day and exact workout that this all
came together into the Turbulence Training program. It hit me as I
was finishing my intervals. I knew I had found something that was
like fat loss magic. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a way to put it in a pill. But I've
been able to put it down on paper in all of the TT manuals. 

The exact workout I used that day went like this...

Warm-up 
1 set of Bodyweight Squats 
1 set of pushups
1 set of Squats with the empty bar
1 set of light dumbbell chest presses
1 set of moderate weight barbell squats
1 set of moderate weight dumbbell chest presses

Strength Training Superset #1
Barbell Squats paired with Dumbbell Chest Presses
3 supersets, aiming for 8 reps per side per set

Strength Training Superset #2
DB Rows paired with Barbell Forward Lunges
3 supersets, aiming for 8 reps per set

Stationary Bike Intervals
After a warm-up, I did 6 intervals of 45 seconds work and 45 seconds
rest, finishing with a cool-down.

And from that point in time, I've tried to share this and all the
other Turbulence Training workouts with as many men and women as
possible. The same men and women that I would see day-in and
day-out performing the same ineffective slow-cardio fat loss
programs, and not making a darn change month after month. And
every day they would see me, soaked in sweat, feeling great and
looking lean, and finishing another TT workout. 

Eventually I noticed these other men and women weren't around as
consistently as before, and then soon enough they would drop out
completely - after all, they weren't getting results with their
slow cardio and aerobics classes (yep, those were still around in
'99!).

And so here we are today...thousands of TT users later, with
national fitness magazines like Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and
Shape spreading the good word about Turbulence Training.

Thousands of TT users, dozens of personal trainers, and even
several national fitness magazines all agree with me, Turbulence
Training is the #1 way to fast fat loss.

Thanks for being a part of the TT Lifestyle Revolution, and for
sharing this new and improved fat loss training and cardio system
with the world. 

If you haven't already, get your own copy of the TT workouts and
nutrition guidelines here: 

=> http://commandfit.turbulence.hop.clickbank.net/?page=trialoffer

So when you see someone frustrated with their ineffective fat loss
program, tell them there is a better way. It's research-based,
efficient, and most of all, effective. And yes, it goes against the
crowd. But it works. 

And it's now better than ever.

I hoped you enjoyed this excerpt from Craig.

Clint

Craig Ballantyne asks Do you let these fat loss LIES stop you?

 
Are fat loss lies ruining your chances of success?

Many people's programs suffer from misconceptions about fat
loss - i.e. that cardio must be done everyday - and also false
perceptions about how well they are eating.

I've reviewed hundreds of client evaluations forms in my career,
and just recently I reviewed 5 more for a transformation program we
are working on over at Men's Health magazine. 

And time and time again I see the same problem.

I have one question on my feedback form that asks the client:

"Do you eat lots of fruits and vegetables?"

Almost every time the client's answer is "Yes".

On the next page, I have the client list their food intake.

And guess what rarely shows up?

If you guessed fruits and vegetables, you'd get a prize if I were
giving them away. 

There are too many inconsistencies in our thoughts and actions when
it comes to weight loss.

And the misguided notions that well-meaning fitness articles heap on
us simply adds to the ever-growing confusion.

Here I want to shed some light on some of the most common
misconceptions about training and dieting for fat loss. 

The more I discuss weight loss and read the research, the more I
realize fat loss results come from your nutrition, and that
training is just a relatively small part of the equation. 

But knowing this "truth" allows me to confidently design shorter fat 
loss workouts than most people traditionally use or expect are necessary. 

Listen, you can spend 60 minutes on a cardio machine if you want.
Sure you will burn 500 calories during that session, but your
metabolism won't be significantly elevated after exercise AND
you'll still have to find some time to do the mandatory strength
training that a beautiful and healthy body requires. 

Or you can do what I suggest... 

Scrap the long, slow, excruciatingly boring cardio workouts and
instead stick to a much more manageable approach of... 

A bodyweight movement warm-up (5 minutes) 
Turbulence Training Strength Training Supersets (20 minutes) 
Turbulence Training Interval Training (20 minutes) 

Done only 3 times per week, these 45 minute workouts still burn
plenty of calories during training (300-400 calories), but the
workouts also boost your metabolism for hours and hours (some
research suggests up to a day and a half!), therefore burning far
more NET calories AND fat than slow, mind-numbing cardio. 

All you really need are some short intense training sessions to
boost your metabolism and sculpt your body. And then you really
just have to trust your nutrition to strip the fat. 

Look at it this way...imagine you are carving an ice sculpture out
of a block of ice. Your nutrition would be responsible for lopping
off the big chunks to get down to only the amount of ice you
need...and the Turbulence Training workouts would be responsible
for chiselling in the details of your final sculpture. 

As no matter how much confusing information there is about
exercise, the debate over the best way to eat for fat loss is
always much more ridiculous.

(That's why I went to a credible and sensible source - Dr. Chris
Mohr, Ph.D. - for the TT Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines.)

As far as dieting misconceptions go, I think too many nutritionists
are trading political correctness for results. In my opinion, PC
diets don't work. 

Take a look at the American Diabetes Association...they still make 
room for sugar in a diabetic's diet - because they don't want to
deprive anyone of sugar. 

Well that's not going to work. You have to make sacrifices. You
have to stick to at least a 90% nutrition compliance if you want
big-time results. 

You can't go with the political correct approach of "having a
little bit of your favorite foods everyday so that you don't
deprive yourself".

Think about the person that has your dream body - whether it's a
cover model, your neighbor, a TV star, or the fittest person down
at your gym. Do you think they haven't made sacrifices? Of course
they have. They've done the work to get their reward. 

Now its your turn! You have to get strict and stick to whole, natural 
foods (fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and nuts) if you want to succeed. 

You need to accept that every action has consequences... 

If you want to live a lifestyle where you don't deprive yourself of
daily treats, that's fine. But realize the consequence of this action is 
that you will always remain a few pounds of fat away from your goal.

According to your actions, you value your treats higher than you
value your fat loss success. 

But if you place your desire for fat loss success above your desire
to eat junk, than the consequences will be that you will reach your
body composition goals. It's that simple. We all get what we
deserve and unless someone is holding a fork to your mouth, you are
responsible for your own success. 

And my last "non-PC" tip on dieting...almost all the people that
tell me they are eating very well are lying to themselves and to
me - as I mentioned before based on my client feedback experiences. 

So do what Dr. John Berardi calls a compliance grid. Take a piece of
paper and make a 6x7 grid (6 meals over 7 days). Then check off
each time you eat according to plan and mark an "X" for each time
you miss your goals. 

Realize that you only have 4 mistake meals for an entire week if
you want to stick to the 90% compliance. 

Most of the time this is a bucket-of-cold-water-to-the-face wake up
call to people. They quickly realize their nutrition compliance is
much closer to 75% than 90%...and that explains why they aren't
getting anywhere. 

So the bottom line for fat loss: 

1) Nutrition is where the hard work really is for fat loss. 

2) The workouts don't have to be super-long to get fat loss
results. You just need short, intense, and efficient. And that's
what my workouts are all about. Nothing fancy, no rocket science,
just FUN workouts that are over quickly...and who wouldn't want
that considering today's busy lifestyles. 

Get your very own copy of Turbulence Training & the Nutrition Guide here: 

=> http://commandfit.turbulence.hop.clickbank.net/?page=trialoffer

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

PS - Here are just two of the TT Transformations...

"I am a 48 year old female, with four children, who has always
wanted to have a well-sculpted body and have worked very hard
toward this goal especially the last year or so. While I was able
to get my body fat down to between 18 and 19%, I still could not
get the definition I was looking for until two things happened:
Turbulence Training and eating according to TT's suggestions. I
just thought that since I was 48 years old there was no way I was
going to achieve a sculpted body without hiring a trainer and
working out like a bodybuilder. But I gave TT a try, and after only
one month, the results have been so noticeable that my husband now
wants to get in on it! I plan on doing this for many years to come." 
Susan Siceloff

Get your very own copy of Turbulence Training & the Nutrition Guide here: 

=> http://commandfit.turbulence.hop.clickbank.net/?page=trialoffer
"Your workouts rock. I'm hooked and have been able to convert a lot
of my friends also. I look a ton better than when I would just lift
heavy every other day and jog on off days. At our health fair at
work they were testing body fat and I was under 10% for the first
time since high school, even though I was on the crew team in
college, and I've run two marathons. TT training has given me a
better physique than the training for either."
Joe Dillon