Importance of Vitamins: Vitamins do you good, and are great for nourishing your body. First speak with your doctor and ask h

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It’s perfectly fine if you do not want to drink. In fact, it is a healthy choice – one that will help you with a better lifestyle

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There are thousands of people across the world, who cannot even afford to eat three square meals. But on the other hand, there are people who have the money and resources to buy so much food that t

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Most people these days love to eat junk food. In the last few decades, these foods have become available all across

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Getting tight, toned abs is not easy! Yes, all the young models in glossy magazines have firm six-packs, and even so

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The truth is that sometimes you just won’t have the equipment, space, or strength to do some exercises in Turbulence Training.

Fortunately, there’s GREAT news about that, which I realized last week while writing up a new exercise column for Men’s Health magazine.

And the GREAT news is this:

Almost every single TT exercise can be substituted by an equally amazing exercise from my repertoire.

So let’s go through a huge list of exercise substitutions. This will be perfect for you to print out and keep with your TT program or in your workout area.

Exercise Substitutions

1) To replace Squats, you can do:

1-leg hip extensions
Step-ups
Deep Step-ups
Split squats
Reverse lunges
Forward lunges
Bulgarian split squats (with back foot elevated on a bench)
Reaching lunges
1-leg deadlifts
1-leg squats (use bands or straps for assistance if necessary)
1-leg squats standing on a bench

By the way, if you are using dumbbells for squats or lunges and you find that the weights are too heavy to hold, you can switch to a barbell if you have access to it.

The only reason you don’t see barbell exercises in the TT programs are because most TT readers exercise at home with dumbbells.

2) To replace Deadlifts:

The only "direct replacement" is dumbbell squats.

Otherwise, just replace deadlifts with a superset pairing of any lower body exercise paired with a row.

For example:

Barbell lunge supersetted with a DB row
Stability Ball Leg Curl supersetted with Inverted Row

3) If you have sore knees and need to replace lunges:

First, see a doctor and have them diagnose the problem. Second, see a therapist and have them treat the issue. Third, see a trainer and have them assess where you need to work on flexibility and how you can include some "knee-friendly" exercises in your workout program.

These exercises include:

Lying Hip Extensions (also known as Lying Hip Bridges)
1-leg Hip Extensions
Lying Hip Extensions with your feet on the ball
Stability Ball Leg Curls

4) To replace Bench Presses or Dumbbell Chest Presses (of any kind), you can do one of these:

Pushups
Close-grip pushups
Decline pushup
Elevated pushups
Off-set pushups
Pushups with your feet on the ball
Pushups with your hands on the ball
Pushups with your feet on the ball and hands on the bench
Suspended strap pushups
Spiderman pushups
Spiderman climb pushups
Pike pushups
Dips
Decline close-grip spiderman pushups

By the way, if you have dumbbells but no bench, you can replace flat dumbbell bench presses by lying on the floor. And you can replace incline dumbbell presses with standing 1-arm dumbbell shoulder presses.

5) To replace any kind of row, here are alternatives:

Dumbbell rows
Dumbbell rows with elbows out
Dumbbell chest supported rows
Barbell rows
Inverted rows
Underhand grip rows
Seated cable rows
Renegade Rows (with flat dumbbells or kettlebells)
Dumbbell rear deltoid raises
Rows with TRX or blast straps
Chin-ups (these are done with an underhand grip)
Eccentric chin-ups
Sternum chin-ups
V-grip chin-ups
Pull-ups (these are done with an overhand grip)
Eccentric pull-ups
Sternum pull-ups

And in place of pull-ups or chin-ups, you can do:

Dumbbell rows
Dumbbell pullovers
Underhand grip pulldowns (kneeling) – replaces chin-ups
Overhand grip pulldowns (kneeling) – replace pull-ups
Assisted chinups/pull-ups using machine

However, if you have absolutely no equipment (i.e. no dumbbells, no barbell, no cables, no straps, and no bar) then unfortunately there is no way to train your upper back. The best you can do is to add a lot of prisoner squats, prisoner lunges, stick-ups, and WYT’s to your bodyweight program.

6) To replace dips, you can do:

Any version of close-grip pushups
Dumbbell floor presses
Dumbbell close-grip presses
Close-grip bench press

7) To replace dumbbell split squats, you can do:

1-leg lying hip extensions
Bulgarian split squats (use higher reps or the 1 & 1/4 rep method)
Split squats with your front foot elevated 4-6 inches
1-leg deadlifts
1-leg squats (holding straps or cables for assistance)
1-leg squats standing on the bench
Step-ups
Deep step-ups
Reaching lunges

(NOTE: For many exercises, including pushing and pulling too, you can play around with the 1&1/2 rep style – lowering to the bottom position, coming halfway back up, and then lowering again, and then coming all the way back up.)

Please forward this list to your friends or print them a copy.

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
http://turbulencetraining.rxsportz.com

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As technology has propelled us forward as a society, we have taken a step backwards as a human machine. Video games, computers, and remote controls have all lead us and our children to a sedentary lifestyle. Obesity is becoming an epidemic.

This is what happens to your muscles when you don’t move your body. Muscle tone begins to slacken. The muscle fibers aren’t used anymore so they forget how to be flexible and stretchable. Injuries, like back pain, are common in people who have been sedentary.  Lack of muscle tone and flexibility are primary reasons sedentary people are injured easily.

Exercise and you

Exercise is a good thing. We may resist, postpone, and complain about having to do it, but these are the reasons we all need exercise whether we like it or not:

Increases blood flow
Strengthens muscles
Increases muscle flexibility
Releases endorphins (feel good substances and natural painkillers)
Increases immunity
Speeds up rehabilitation

Much of the pain reported by back pain sufferers occurs in the lower back. Back pain can be exacerbated as we put our back and muscles further out of alignment trying to find a comfortable position.  You can see where this is a vicious cycle.

Just as important as good exercises to strengthen and stretch the back muscles are exercises to strengthen the abdominals.  Why? The abdominal muscles, or “abs”, do much more than look good in a bikini.  They support the lower back, keeping our posture correct and in proper alignment.  This abdominal support, or “girdle”  protects the back from injury by supporting it.

Proper exercises for the back go hand-in-hand with proper exercises to strengthen other areas of the lower body.  One of the most frequently reported injuries are from improper lifting techniques.  Squatting through your lifts, using your legs, abs, and buttocks reduces the chances of injury to your back while you lift an object.  Exercises used to strengthen these areas of your body also help protect your back.

Exercises for total back health

Aerobic exercises increase endurance, lowers blood pressure and heart rate.  Aerobic exercise also helps in losing weight.  Excess weight is a contributing factor in many back injuries.

Types of aerobic activity:

Walking

Bicycling

Swimming or water aerobics

Along with aerobic exercises, anaerobic activity, also known as strength training, is needed to build up muscle tissue and help prevent injury by having toned, strong muscles. When the muscles that support the back are strong, the spine can move properly, in alignment, without sustaining damage.

Strength training exercises:

Back extensions – Lie flat on your stomach. With hands laced behind the head and the back and buttocks muscles engaged, lift up about an inch or two. Hold the stretch and slowly return to starting position.  Relax your muscles, and repeat.  Do not lift your upper torso so high that your lower back tenses or hurts.  Small motions are perfect.

Back rows – Builds the muscles of the lower back. This will be done in a slightly bent position, standing up and leaning body slightly forward and down with knees slightly bent.  In this position, take dumbbells in each hand and, with elbows bent and at side, raise and lower the dumbbells slowly down and back up.  Be sure to hold in your abdomen as you do this exercise.

Pelvic tilt – Lay flat with knees bent and feet on the floor. Slowly raise the pelvis while squeezing the buttocks. Return to start position, relax, and repeat.  Again, keep your abdominal muscles firm throughout the upward thrust, lower, relax at the start position, retense abdominals, squeeze and lift buttocks off the floor, hold, and return to start position.

Exercise builds stamina, sheds pounds, and tones and strengthens muscles.  All these results can help to eliminate back pain caused by everyday wear or an injury.  When the muscles are strong, they can better handle changes that would hurt a weaker back.  Exercise your back and it won’t let you down!

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Back Pain Relief Guide – Get the latest, cutting-edge information about back pain, what causes it and how to get lasting relief. Millions of people suffer from back pain unnecessarily – don’t continue to be one of them.

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Last Friday I stopped by the house of an ol’ college buddy to meet his fiancé and new baby boy. He’s getting married in 5 months time and we had to have a serious chat.

You see, he’s gained 25 pounds since birth of his son. He really fell off the wagon. But he’s taken the first and most important step by admitting things have to change and so we sat around for over 2 hours in his backyard on a beautiful day and hammered out this plan.

I could have wrote a 5-month plan, but I wanted to fast-track his results – and YOUR results – because research shows people who start losing fat quickly get better long-term fat loss results as well.

So here’s your complete 14-day FAST-TRACK guide to fat loss (if you like it, please forward it to a friend or print them off a copy too):

Day 1 – Stop Everything to Plan, Shop, & Prepare This Meal Plan

I hope you’re reading this on Sunday, because I want you to plan, shop, and prepare today. If it’s Monday, skip your workout and do this instead – its THAT important.

And I don’t just mean planning what you are going to eat for dinner. I mean planning what you are going to eat for every meal for the next 2 weeks.

Don’t tell me that’s too hard. After all, most people with lean physiques stick to a relatively similar diet for 90% of their meals and then enjoy a random cheat/reward meal 10% of the time.

So your schedule might go like this:

Breakfast – 2 eggs, 1 slice rye toast, 1 apple, Green Tea, fish oil

Snack – 1oz raw almonds, 1 pear, Green Tea

Lunch – Grilled chicken/salmon or black bean salad with spinach, onion, peppers, mushrooms, etc., 1 banana or bowl of cherries, 2 cups unsweetened iced tea with lime or lemon

Snack – Unlimited raw vegetables and hummus

Dinner – Protein and vegetables and fruit…so this could be a small piece of steak, chicken, or fish, along with your favorite vegetables, and a bowl of your favorite fruit.

         Or it could be the veggie dinner I had last Monday of quinoa with red pepper-cashew sauce and avocado wrapped in kale leaves.

         Or it could be wild rice with beans and avocado and salsa.

That schedule won’t change much, with the exception of a slight variation in your main course at dinner, right? And then once per week schedule a meal of your favorite food.

Everyone can stick to this plan for 14 days, and this tip alone will help you lose 5-12 pounds of fat in just 2 weeks. And this is also how you’ll need to eat for the rest of your life. It’s not hard, it just requires a little practice. Keep at it and never, EVER give up.

Alright, so to review, here’s your 3-step guide to Day 1.

i) Plan your meals. ii) Shop for the food. iii) Prepare the food (cut everything up, put in the proper trays, cook food if necessary, and get it all packed up for work)

In addition to planning out all of your meals, you must also start keeping a food journal (you could do it online too), because studies show that keeping a food journal will help you lose fat faster.

Next, make sure you do 60 minutes of activity today AND take a "before" photo along with your weight, body fat (if possible), and measurements of your waist, hips, arms, and thighs. Continue to weigh yourself every other day, as research shows that frequent check-ins lead to greater weight loss.

Day 2 – Attend An "Online Turbulence Training Seminar"

You must set EVERY workout and activity session as an appointment with yourself that you must keep – just like a doctor’s visit. Let nothing, except real emergencies, come between you and your workouts.

Today you’re going to do a Turbulence Training workout.

Now if you are currently using long, slow, boring cardio to lose fat, stop that bad habit immediately and switch to Turbulence Training.

If you need to learn more about TT, watch my free videos on YouTube where I explain Turbulence Training and interval workouts. While you are there, look up my "Diet vs. Exercise" video series to see why diet is much more effective for fat loss than cardio.

If you are a beginner, please start conservatively. But if you have been working out for a while, the next 3 weeks are your time to step your workouts up a notch.

Day 3 – Write Your Way to Fat Loss

First, you must schedule 60 minutes of easy to moderate activity. I’ll talk about that in a second, but you can do anything from a 60 minute walk, a yoga session, a light bodyweight and stretching session, an hour of playing with your kids, or playing an easy game of your favorite sport. Don’t go too hard, but stay active.

You must also carve out 30 minutes to sit down and write out 3 short term goals and 3 long term goals. Write down EXACTLY what you want to accomplish in these 14 days. After that, write down what you want to accomplish in the following 90 days.

Once you’ve done that, you’re going to prepare a contract with yourself promising to take the steps necessary to achieve these goals. Sign the contract and review it everyday to keep you on track.

Day 4 – Recruiting Day

Today’s another TT workout. Make sure you are using a professionally designed structured and proven fat loss workout, rather than just "winging it" or using long slow cardio for fat loss.

You’ll also spend time today recruiting for these 3 components of your fat loss social support team:

- Nutrition buddy – Workout partner – Fat loss forum accountability buddies

Research shows that recording your nutrition in a food journal and having someone review your meals increases your chance of losing fat.

Another study found that if you workout with a partner who is losing fat, then you’ll have a greater chance of losing fat as well.

And finally, a third study found that the more often subjects checked in to an online fat loss forum (like the TT Member’s forum), the more likely they were to lose a lot of fat.

Get your team together and you’ll get more results – faster.

Day 5 – The 60 Minute Solution

Why am I telling you to get 60-minutes of activity on your off days from TT?

Well, to be honest, I do NOT expect you to burn massive amounts of fat with easy, off-day activity.

However, every minute you spend moving, you are NOT snacking! I know the biggest problem you will have is your diet. So instead of snacking in front of the computer or TV, spend your free time away from food. That’s the simple secret to the 60 minute solution.

So get 60 minutes of activity on Day 5.

Day 6 – The Challenge

Your 3rd TT workout needs to be a challenge workout so that you can improve your performance each week. In fact, you should set at least one personal best in each workout. If you improve your performance, your physique will improve as well. You can use one of the TT bodyweight, Adrenaline, or Addiction Challenge workouts.

Day 7 – Diet Check-In and Reward Meal

Congratulations, you’ve made it through 7 amazing days of fat burning. Today you’re going to double check your nutrition plan by reviewing your food journal.

If you haven’t already done so, eliminate all liquid calories and replace with water and Green Tea.

If you need to learn more about nutrition, start using the free service called Fitday.com. It will help you track your calories.

And if you’re really struggling to avoid night eating, try this tip. Place a small mirror on your fridge door. Research shows that subjects consumed fewer calories when they did this because it will remind you to make smarter choices.

Finally, as a reward for all of your hard work, you can treat yourself to your favorite meal. But that doesn’t mean gorging. It simply means having a normal meal of your favorite foods to give you a mental break from your plan. When the meal is over, don’t go back for seconds. Get right back on the 14-day plan instead.

Days 7 & 8 are also 60 minute off-day activity days.

Day 8 – Review your goals.

It’s no good to write your goals down and then forget them. Review them at least weekly, if not daily. Heck, carry them around in your pocket and look at them at every meal.

As you workout, visualize yourself reaching your goals. Believe in yourself, keep a positive attitude, stay motivated and you’ll continue to make fast fat loss progress every day.

This will also be another great day to plan, shop, and prepare.

Day 9 – Take It to Another Level

Week one was great, but with only 5 days left it is time for you to step it up again. This time I want you to hire a trainer for just one TT session to make sure you are doing all the exercises correctly and training as hard as you can (safely, of course).

Add this trainer to your support team. And by the way, a good trainer should be able to estimate your body fat better than any of those "fat scales" you can buy at a store…so get them to check that too.

Day 10 – Plan Your Next Shopping Trip

Today is another 60 minutes of off-day activity, and you’ll also work on improving your nutrition even more. What I want you to do is focus on eating more from the Fat Loss Foundation.

The 3 components of my Simple Nutrition Fat Loss Foundation are raw fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Research shows that eating more of these 3 foods will help you lose weight better than a diet that is low in fruits, vegetables and nuts.

Make an effort to eat one new fruit, vegetable, and nut each week during your between meal snacks.

If you aren’t already eating grapefruit, try one today and see how it helps fill you up (because it contains a lot of soluble fiber called pectin). Add a new vegetable – such as broccoli, cauliflower, or asparagus – to your dinner. And try walnuts or pecans instead of almonds at your morning break.

Slowly but surely increase the fiber in your diet until you hit the recommended amount of 35 grams per day.

And I hope this goes without saying, but you should have eliminated all foods that contain added sugar. That is one the simplest yet most effective nutrition changes you can make.

Day 11 – Recruit Again

Add a new member into your social support team, such as a new workout partner or healthy-eating partner. This will add strength to your commitment. If possible, join a transformation contest online, or start one among your friends or co-workers.

But when you do that, keep in mind that you want to help other people succeed. The more you can help others lose fat, the more you will help yourself as you share what’s working with your friends and they show you their fat loss secrets too. Stay positive, and you’ll build a powerful fat loss team.

Today is also another TT fat loss workout day, so give it your best.

Day 12 – Check-In Time

Today you’ll re-measure your weight, body fat, and measurements. Take a look in the mirror to compare yourself against your before photo to see big changes that will motivate you to stay strong.

I also want you to start thinking about getting a tan. Yes, I said getting a tan. Why? Because simply adding a little bit of color to your body can make you look leaner. There’s a reason all those models in supplement ads are tanned, you know.

Finally, if there is a "big day" at the end of the 14-days, make sure you try on the outfit you are going to wear to double-check that it is going to look great on you.

Make sure you do this check-in either before your 60 minutes of activity or a few hours after so that exercise does not mess-up the numbers.

Day 13 – Mental Performance Review

Write down all obstacles that are still in your way of success, and then brainstorm 2 solutions to overcome each. Get some help from your social support team on this. The more you and your team share solutions, the more fat you – and everyone else – will lose.

For example, you might come up with rules like, "No eating in the car" to help cut down on bad food choices. Someone else might suggest "brush your teeth after dinner to avoid night-time snacking". Those are simple yet powerful tips to keep you on the fast-track to fat loss.

Follow up this positive session with your best TT workout yet!

Day 14 – Review, Plan, & Prepare

Congrats on making so many powerful changes in just 2 short weeks.

By now, you’ll probably have lost 5-12 pounds of fat and just as importantly, you’ll have developed proven, life-long fat burning habits that will be easy for you to stick to forever.

Keep this weight loss train moving by reviewing your original goals. Next, do your planning, shopping, and preparing for another week, and get ready for even more fat loss.

Enjoy your 14-day results and celebrate with a reward meal (and show off your firmer, leaner body at the big event too!).

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