Short Workouts, Big Fat Loss 
By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

So many questions on TT, so little time. Here's a Q'n'A session all about the benefits of Turbulence Training.

Q: Craig, could you explain to me why long slow cardio doesn't really work for fat loss and how your system of training has helped thousands of people shed fat and gain lean muscle?

CB:
First, let me clarify my opinion of "cardio" and "aerobics". I know slow cardio can work for fat loss, but those who get the most benefit are often young, heavily muscled males with time on their hands and genetics on their sides.

They can workout 6 or 8 hours per week and have lots of muscle so even if they lose a bit, it won't matter.

But for people that only have 2-3 hours total exercise per week and want a buff body, rather than a skinny, weak physique, I have found that slow, traditional cardio is not the way to go.

Slow cardio is just not efficient for overweight women (i.e. those
that use it most!), and slow cardio works less the longer you use
it. You'll hit a plateau pretty fast with a cardio-only approach.

Those are my observations.

And realize that when I talk about training for fat loss, I'm
almost always talking about getting the most results in the least
amount of training time - because that is the population I deal
with. I don't work directly with fitness models that have 8-10
hours per week to train. Things might be different there,
especially the closer you get to the competition.

But for real life, slow cardio is one of the last places I would
turn for fat loss help.

And because there are millions of men and women out there with little time to train but a real need to lose fat. Because there are so many of these people out there that have relied on slow cardio in the past, when they switch to the Turbulence Training approach, it's an almost overnight success story. Hence the high volume of great feedback we have on the program.

Q: We live in a very fast paced society. People don't have the extra time for anything these days, especially long workout sessions. Can people get real results with training programs that only take 10-30 minutes?

CB:
Certainly - as long as their nutrion is correct for 167.5 out of
168 hours per week.

That's right, nutrition is the real key to fat loss. With training,
all you need to do is apply a relatively small amount of
high-intensity exercise to your muscles and you'll sculpt them or build them, whatever your goal.

High-intensity exercise (strength training and interval training)
ramps up your metabolism more than slow, marathon cardio training sessions.

And with training, there is a diminishing return on every set. So
you can't expect 4 sets to be twice as good as 2 sets. As long as
you get in 1 hard set, you are on the way to fat burning and
bodysculpting. Then just add volume as needed and as you have the time.

Q: Can you explain "turbulence" and how it ties into real fat loss and body transformation?

CB:
What happens is this...

During high intensity training, you apply "turbulence" to your
muscles. That causes muscle/protein breakdown and glycogen
depletion (which can be called "cellular disruption").

This increased cellular metabolic activity results in "afterburn" -
that is, the burning of more calories after high-intensity exercise
than you would have burned after low-intensity exercise such as slow cardio.

So even though you might burn more calories during a slow cardio workout (say 500 calories) compared to during an equal length high-intensity Turbulence Training workout (say 350 calories), you will burn a lot more calories after the high-intensity training session.

The net result is more calories burned in the 24 hour period with high-intensity training. Combine that with the muscle-sculpting benefits of strength training, and you'll have a better body in less time. Guaranteed.

Q: I have female clients that struggle with the notion of training with resistance because they think they will get bulky...how does you TT system work with women and what kind of results have you seen?

CB:
There are a couple of simple changes you can make to avoid "bulking up".

First, let me state that generally, muscle growth is the result of
training with enough volume at the right intensity, and eating a
high-volume of calories.

Obviously, the calorie volume should be low on a fat loss program.

Next, we aren't using split routines (i.e. where you train one body part per day), so generally we are using only one exercise per muscle group. That cuts down the volume by 2/3 in most cases (as split routines often use 3 exercises or more per muscle group).

So we've eliminated the volume to avoid excess muscle growth, but kept the intensity high to reap all the benefits of Turbulence.

One other method I use in my workouts to avoid "bulking up" females is bodyweight training. There are many tough bodyweight exercise that provide low-risk Turbulence. Women love the variety in bodyweight training.

Q: Can people do your system in their homes with limited equipment and be just as successful?

CB:
Absolutely. The TT fat loss programs were designed for home gyms equipped with only a bench, an exercise ball, and dumbbells (and a pullup bar for those that are strong enough).

That's it. I designed the workouts for home gyms (as well as to be done in busy gyms) because that is how the real-life clients I deal with have to workout. 

Q: Craig, I have done your workouts and they have kicked my butt, but I also left feeling better and with more energy then I had before I started. Is this a normal response you get from people that use your system?

CB:
Yes, definitely, although it can also be said of exercise in
general.

Regardless of what exercise method you use, simply moving should increase your mood and energy - essential at this time of year as the glow from the holidays recedes and the Northern hemisphere enters its winter dormancy.

Q: What are your recommendations for keeping the fat off during busy times of the year, such as the holidays or vacations?

CB:
Start your day with your workout, so that you don't get pulled into something later on that will cancel it out. Even if all you can do is a bodyweight circuit, do so safely, but with a high intensity.

There is a huge variety of bodyweight exercises you can do...these will boost your metabolism.

Beyond that, stick to your nutrition as much as possible. That
means tossing (yes, literally throwing out the junk that surrounds you) excess calorie sources away when they are not warranted. Don't keep stuff at your work desk.

Enjoy quality food at parties, but not while you go through
a regular workday.

And don't fret if you only have 20 minutes to do a workout. Now
that you know intensity and quality are more important than volume, you can be satisfied with working hard for a short period of time.

Make your workouts fun, enjoy your treats in moderation, and stay active with family activities where appropriate - don't leave a big ol' "butt imprint" on your couch or beach chair.

Do all of this, and you'll be riding a huge wave of motivation into
the new year where you can really kick butt on your fitness goals.

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

P.S. Wait, there's more! Listen to what these success stories haveto say about Turbulence Training. Get twice the results in half the time!

"I am a 44 year old mother of 2. I have been struggling for the
last 8 years (since my youngest child was born) to return to my
toned shape. Nothing has worked for me until giving TT a try.
After spending hours upon hours in a gym and spending way too much time running and doing other things that will eventually wear out my joints, I gave in and decided to accept that I should age gracefully. NO WAY! I decided to try TT and cannot believe the results. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. It can truly change your attitude and life."
Lisa DiDonato

"I purchased the TT training manual about a month ago and have been following it ever since. It makes so much sense and i really enjoy the different workouts so never get bored the body weight workouts are cardio in disguise as i find i burn just as many calories if not more from a BW session as i do with the TT cardio session. I am sore in places i have never been sore and find i push myself just to prove i can do the moves and love it. From an aussie that was looking for something other than just another weight workout with the same old moves this has been a real eye opener for me and i have been telling my friends just how great the TT method is."
Kelli Tomkins, Australia

"I am actually getting twice the results in half the time. As a
serious gym junkie with little imagination finding your workouts
has been a welcome breath of fresh air. I no longer feel bound to
the gym struggling for the smallest result. My body and I are in
this together now. Your workouts are interesting and make me feel strong in practical ways. It's more like a game of testing my
capabilities, not another boring workout. On top of that I can't
praise your customer service highly enough, you have been amazing! I never expected such quick personal responses to my emails. For the price I paid, I have received so much more than I anticipated. Many thanks and all the best."
Heidi Sinclair

"Craig, got my 6-week bodyfat test lost 10lbs of fat and gained 6lb of muscle, im proving you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time with your TT workout system,and nutrition plan."
Desmond Hardison, NV

"Hi Craig, I am enjoying Turbulence Training. I am a personal
trainer, so I've incorporated much of it into my sessions. Though
I used some philosophies from TT, your program has added a world of new ideas, methods, and techniques to my client sessions. And for that, I thank you so very much. Even my wife loves it, ha! So much more to read and implement, so TT reading will keep me busy for many months to come. Make it a great day!"
Loren Salas

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, visitwww.TurbulenceTraining.com

Your 3 Fat Loss Mistakes 
By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Let me solve your workout problem.

I know that you are:

- Eating well
- Exercising regularly
- and TICKED OFF that you aren't making progress.

I've answered dozens of emails from new readers that have said exactly that. And after I get more info from them, here are the 3 mistakes commonly made:

1) Your perception of your nutrition "success" doesn't match the
reality of what, when, and how often you are eating. To learn the rules of fat loss, you need to read (scratch that, you need to
STUDY), Dr. Chris Mohr's Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines.

2) There is no variety in your training.

3) You need to up the intensity of your training.

Let's face it. Human beings like to stick to a routine. We don't
like change. We like our comfort zone - some more than others.

But if there is no change in your workout from month to month, then your body will not change either.

That is why I insist on changing your workouts every 4 weeks as you do in the TT workouts.

You won't succeed by doing the same thing over and over again.
Would you get ahead at work by doing the same tasks you did as the first day on your job? No way. You have to take on more challenges.

With variety in your training, you will continue to apply
"turbulence" to the muscle, and making your body use lots of energy (i.e. calories and fat) during the recovery period to repair the muscle and replenish the energy used. That will "jack up" your metabolism.

If your body is used to the training, the exercises, the sets, and
the reps, it will give a "ho-hum" response and your metabolism will flatline.

And that's why you need to raise the intensity of the workout as
well.

Slow, boring cardio doesn't jack up the metabolism like intervals.

And research has shown that 8 reps boost your post-workout
metabolism more than 12 reps. So you have to safely add a little
weight (try using 5% more weight with perfect form, of course), and decreasing the number of reps per set by 2. That's a good place to start.

So if you've been doing a machine circuit, then stop, and give this sample free weight Turbulence Training workout a try.

Warmup with a bodyweight circuit. 8 reps per exercise, go through it twice.

Sample bodyweight circuit:

i) Bodyweight squat
ii) An easy pushup
iii) A bodyweight row if possible, if not, do stick-ups

Then do 20 minutes of total body strength training done in
supersets.

ie.
1a) DB Squat
1b) DB Press

Do each exercise with a weight that allows only 8 reps. Do not rest between the squat and press. Rest 1 minute after the press. Repeat the superset 2 more times.

Next superset:

2a) DB Split Squat
2b) DB Row

Same as above.

On to intervals:

5 minute warmup.

6 intervals of 60 seconds at a "harder than normal cardio pace"
with 60-90 seconds recovery (at the easiest pace possible).

5 minute cooldown.

Stretch tight muscles only.

Done.

We don't do slow cardio. It does nothing for the man or woman who is short on time.

And of course, always train safe and don't do anything you are not comfortable doing...but if you are fit and healthy, you can
increase the intensity, change the variables, and burst through
your fat loss plateaus.

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne,
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, visitwww.TurbulenceTraining.com

Think Yourself Thin

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

To lose fat, one must think. One must exercise their brain to change their body and reach their weight loss goals. If you have a plan, you'll succeed. But if you go in the gym and "wing it" everytime, you'll make no progress month-in and month-out. If time keeps on passing without any changes in your body, then you have to try something new.

Everytime I workout, I see the same people doing the exact same exercise routine in the gym. They go through the same machines in the same order using the same weight each day. Then they go to the same piece of cardio equipment and use the same level as yesterday and go at that same slow pace as always.

And do you know what I see the next day?

The same old physique on that same person. No change. Next week? No change. Same workout, same body.

Because they aren't thinking. And no one is thinking for them. They don't have a good trainer, or a good program, or a good idea about what they should be doing in the gym. They've heard that "cardio" is good for them so they go to the gym and try out a cardio machine.

But they just get on it and "go", mindlessly. Maybe they throw in some weights. Maybe not. They don't really know how to do weight correctly anyways. And so it goes on and on, week after week. Until they just give up and quit.

And you see the same thing on the street. You see the same people running the same slow route around the neighborhood, getting the same (read: zero) results from their "same old-same old" jogging routine.

I've always believed that beginners to fitness take up jogging because its easy. And I don't mean easy on the body, because we know it takes some effort.

I mean that jogging is easy on the mind. Runners don't have to think. They don't have to plan a program. They don't have to pick the best, efficient strength training exercises and then put them in the proper order in an effective routine. Instead, all they have to do is put one foot in front of the other.

But, and there is always a but, isn't there? That easy, no-thinking approach is not going to get them very far. After ten days, there probably won't be much change in their body.

And the same goes for those high-rep, low weight, machine circuit programs. No thinking required, no results guaranteed.

However, if they had exercised their brain and designed a strength and interval workout, they would have seen some startling changes in 14 days, or 10 days, or even 7 days. (Heck, I've had guys swear that they noticed changes in their bodies after only 2 days of strength and interval training).

Because you see, planning a workout takes effort. And going through an effective workout of efficient strength exercises and interval training takes even more effort.

But you get out what you put in. That saying goes for just about anything in life, especially for workouts.

So the choice is up to the exercisers in the gym I guess. If they stay in their comfort zone, it will be easier on their body and their mind in the short-term. But over the long-term, they'll probably drop out of the fitness scene as they find they never get the results they want.

Or they can put in the short-term effort, researching the best program for their goals. And with this approach, you get the long-term payoff of success.

Look into strength and interval training and see what the extra mental effort can do for you. Using the Turbulence Training plan of an efficient bodyweight warmup, effective structured strength training supersets, and maximum result interval cardio to complete the workout will get you more fat loss results in less workout time. Guaranteed.

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, visitwww.TurbulenceTraining.com

7-Minute Weight Loss Circuit

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

One thing we have to lose from our workout mindsets is the idea of this "60-minute workout". Forget about spending that much time in the gym. Instead, choose better exercises that are more efficient. This will allow you to get your workout done faster, eliminating the "no time" workout excuse.

To do so, you need to eliminate irrelevant exercises. I know you want to do an exercise for shoulders, and one for arms, and one for abs, and one for this and that. But before you do, ask yourself, will these really get me to my goal, or have I just been convinced by bodybuilding magazines that I need 40 sets per workout to get results?

Now, taking those lessons, we can then create some pretty incredible bodyweight workouts as well. And these bodyweight workouts can get finished fast!

In fact, here is a 7-minute bodyweight circuit that can help you lose weight, burn calories, and blast your metabolism. You don't need machines or weights. You can do this anywhere!

Bodyweight squat (10-20 reps)
Pushup (10-20 reps) - do it on your knees if you must
Reverse Lunge (10 reps per leg)
Plank (30 second hold)
Close-grip Pushup (10-20 reps)
Side Plank (20 second hold per side)
Mountain Climber (10 reps per side)

Do this with no rest between exercises. Rest 1 minute at the end of the 7-minute circuit and repeat up to 3 times.

If you are a beginner, do fewer reps and take longer rests.

It's a tough, tough bodyweight circuit, especially the combination of two exercises late in the circuit. This combo literally exhausted me to my knees...twice...before I was able to finish the circuit.You can do the circuit up to 3 times.

Another weapon in your fat loss arsenal. Now you'll know how to train efficiently and eat effectively for fat loss.

Don't wait any longer to get started! Get all of these bodyweight exercises, and more, in the Turbulence Training workouts that you can do in the comfort of your own home. No more annoying drives to the gym, waiting in line for machines in an uncomfortable environment, or being intimidated by the super-buff gym bunnies. Lose fat, get fit, and workout your way - at home with only a bench, a ball, and dumbbells.

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, visitwww.TurbulenceTraining.com

Best Cardio Machines for Weight Loss

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

You don't have to do cardio to lose fat, but cardio machines can be helpful for boosting your metabolism and burning more fat.

And if you use interval training, you can get more results than if
you did traditional aerobic cardio. But that's another story for
another time. Let's take a look at which machines burn the most
calories and which ones are worth your time.

An okay choice: Elliptical Machines.

The biggest reason to choose elliptical machines...
=> you've got a bum knee.

I have worked with clients with extreme osteoarthritis and we
were able to use these machines for a decent workout without pain - but the results didn't compare to clients that used a stationary bike or treadmill for their interval training.

So in general, I'm not overly impressed by the elliptical machine
for fat loss.

If you go into any gym, compare the bodies on the ellipticals to
the ones on other machines...most of the time, the people on the
ellipticals make no progress from month to month.

And having given the elliptical a "go" once or twice on my own, it
just didn't challenge me as a treadmill does.

But if you have bad knees, or if you are an exception to my
experience, feel free to keep rocking the elliptical!

Up next...The Stationary Bike

The bike can be easy on your knees as well, particularly if you are overweight and can't support your bodyweight on the treadmill.

Personally, I like the stationary bikes a lot. The set up allows
you to do a large amount of mechanical work during your interval training - and that is what puts Turbulence on the muscle and allows you to increase your post-exercise metabolism.

In fact, when I first started designing the interval workouts back in 2001, I used stationary bikes exclusively.

I also think that the bike allows you to work very hard with less
risk of injury. Running sprints outside or on a treadmill requires
a much more extensive warm-up due to the explosive nature of
sprinting.

If you don't know your body, running sprints or hills probably
isn't the best place to start. I've met too many people that have
jumped right into hill training and been hurt within 1 week.
sprints.

So I recommend starting with the bike unless you are an experienced runner that knows your body well.

In addition, here are three more key points about the bike.

a) Stick to the upright version if possible. When using a recumbent bike for intervals, your hips tend to rock too much and your body tries to get into awkward positions in order to push hard against the resistance. That's my experience. The upright bikes are set up better for intervals.

b) For intervals, increase the resistance against your pedalling,
and not the speed of your pedalling. I don't like high RPM
spinning. I think you'll get more results and do more work when you keep the RPM between 80-100 and work against a harder resistance.

Forget that high-RPM spinning stuff...I find it is rough on your
hips and knees.

c) When on the upright bike, sit as upright as possible for the
recovery intervals or even stand for some of the work intervals.
Just avoid the "rounded over" posture as that can be hard on your low back.

So the winner is...The Treadmill.

The treadmill can burn 16-20 calories per minute of exercise
during your workout. That's a big burn, but of course only advanced fitness levels can achieve that - but hopefully you fit that category now or you will someday with consistent training and nutrition.

Some tips: Don't go crazy with the incline (as that can lead to
tight calves), but if you are able to run at more than 10mph, use a 1% incline to help offset the need for speed. The last thing
you want to do is end up in a crazy video on YouTube flying off the end of a treadmill into an elliptical machine.

So as with all types of sprinting, be careful.

Honorable mentions go to...The Rowing Machine and
Stairmaster...these can be used in place of other machines for
variety and are still effective.

Better yet, if you are able, use your body as the best fat burning
machine. I highly recommend bodyweight circuits for interval
training. These are fun, effective, and perhaps even better at
sculpting your body.

I really like bodyweight interval circuits for advanced
fat-burning, plateau-busting workouts. If you're stuck, you'll
benefit from bodyweight circuits.

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, visitwww.TurbulenceTraining.com

Cardio Weight Loss Mythbuster

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

Here is the Myth:

You have to do cardio after lifting for fat loss because your glycogen is low from the lifting, and that way you will burn more fat.

And now, the Truth:

First off, this quote, "glycogen is low right after lifting" isn't always true. If you just did an upper body workout, your legs are still full of glycogen.

Glycogen is the stored form of carbohydrates in our body (found in the muscles and liver). It is one source of energy when you are doing strength training, interval training, and aerobic training. Your glycogen levels go down after exercise, but increase after you eat carbohydrates.

It's incorrectly believed by many that strength training will use up all of your glycogen and then you will only have fat to burn during slow, steady, monotonous (& useless?) cardio. Well, there are a lot of problems with that assumption as well.

First, you'd have to exercise for at least 90 minutes at a slow, steady pace to fully deplete your muscle glycogen. And even an advanced, higher-volume strength training workout will only deplete your muscle glycogen by about 50-70% (and that is only if you perform multiple exercises and sets for one muscle group).

Second, muscle glycogen only goes down in the muscles that are worked. Therefore, if you only do upper body exercises, your leg muscles will remain nearly full of glycogen.

Third, you require glycogen in order to perform a hard interval or cardio training session. If you truly were glycogen depleted, your workouts would suffer.

The bottom line is that you are better off performing strength training and interval training to lose fat, and not worrying about being glycogen depleted.

Don't get suckered into thinking that you have to worry about scientific details. Unless you are a trainer, you have better things to occupy your mind, I'm sure. Just stick with an efficient, effective workout that gets you in and out of the gym in less than an hour.

No need to stick around longer than that. Do your weights and then your intervals. Or feel free to do your intervals on your off-day. It's consistency, not timing, that matters.

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, visitwww.TurbulenceTraining.com

Why Calories Don't Matter

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

Myth: I need to burn 300 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 burn fewer calories in less exercise time, but with a more intense form of exercise.

And the trick to getting better results in this backwards approach? 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 disturbance). 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.  www.TurbulenceTraining.com