How To Stay Fit and Keep Healthy Physique By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS Turbulence Training Here's an interview between no-nonsense personal trainer and fitness model Vince DelMonte and Craig Ballantyne, Men's Health expert trainer and exercise video model. This interview discusses how Craig eats and trains to stay fit, while gaining muscle and losing fat to keep his Men's Health physique. Vince DelMonte: How do you personally maintain your "Mens Health" physique? Craig: I train very similar to my Turbulence Training Fusion Fat Loss and Hard-core TT programs, using a lot of classic barbell exercises, some olympic lifts, and then single-leg exercises and bodyweight exercises to finish it off. I train 3 days per week, but sometimes I go in for a 4th day just because, hey, I find training to be fun. But I have to hold back otherwise my joints get overworked from lifting and some other sports combined. Nutrition wise, I don't think I eat anything from a bag or a box, with the exception of the chocolate milk I drink after training. I eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, dry roasted almonds, pecans, walnuts, eggs, steak, chicken, sweet potatoes, and cheese. Even a couple of beers per week. But I try to eliminate all sugar - again, with the exception of the chocolate milk after training. Not only do I stay magazine-lean with this approach, but I don't get tired or mentally fatigued during my day of work. If I eat a lot of carbohydrates, such as pasta or oatmeal, I find I get sleepy. Vince DelMonte: Tell me about your own personal weight training program? Craig: This is my 3-day routine right now. Total body workouts, with a different main exercise each day, and then the rest of the exercises are superset's.
Workout A Squat (3x3, 1x15) BB Incline (3x5) Lunge (2x8) Snatch-grip BB Row (2x12) Cable Rot'l Ch Press (2x12) Workout B GM (3x6) Deadlift (3x6) DB Shoulder Press (2x8) Pullup (2x8) OH Squat (1x5) Ab Work Workout C Bench (3x5) Row (3x5) Leg Press (3x12) 1-Arm DB Press (3x8) EZ-Bar Tri Extension (1x8) Chinup (2x15) This is working out well. It changes every 4 weeks. My deadlift is about as strong as ever, but squat and bench are a little low...focus is on boosting my squat for the next 8 weeks.
How Do I Become A Great Personal Trainer? This is one of the most popular questions that I get. It's a great question, and an important question. With the loss of traditional jobs and a move to service-industry economy in North America, personal training is a way to earn a relatively good living while helping others. Plus, having read my newsletter, you know I give a lot of current trainers a hard time (and with good reason, most trainers lack a basic understanding of human physiology and human movement, and common sense - some trainers don't even understand the law of gravity). In my opinion, there is a huge shortage of good trainers in the workforce.
Now it's relatively EASY to become a certified personal trainer. Simply look up one of the popular certifications (ACE, NSCA-CPT, or whatever certification the gym you want to work at requires), get their study materials, and then pass their test. BAM. Now you are a certified personal trainer. That's it. (So it's easy to see why there are so many bad trainers out there. Remember that the more people the organizations certify, the more $$$ they make...) However, to become a GREAT trainer, you will need to learn much, much more and invest far more time and education than you need to just get a quick certification. You will need to start by mastering the basics such as anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, and an introduction to sports medicine. WITHOUT a foundation in anatomy and physiology, it is easy for a trainer to fall for the latest gimmicks and fads. Ironically, I often find many trainers "forget" about the laws of science with each additional "specialization certification" they get... If you don't know how the central nervous system controls the muscles, then standing on a wobbling board while doing biceps curls with a rubber band while reciting your ABC's backwards seems like a good idea. It's "soooo hard" you'll hear that trainer say. Of course, you'll never see them straining with a bar on their back. Now THAT is hard. But if you have a strong education in the foundations of anatomy and physiology, then you'll take one look at that standing on a muffin-top ball stuff and realize its "Limited in value" to say the least. Fortunately, you can learn as much studying on your own as you could by being enrolled in a University Kinesiology program. The plus side of going to University is that you will get a recognized degree and it also happens that a University or College degree (any subject however) is a pre-requisite for possibly the most recognized certification, that of the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). However, the obvious downsides of University are the required investments in time and money. You must study on the University schedule and the fees are
substantial. One additional downside to a University education is the heavy emphasis placed on aerobic exercise science. Not only has this lead to the "You must do aerobics for fat loss" mentality, but also to the ill-advised "highcarbohydrate, low-fat diets are best for fat loss and health" nutrition recommendations. While some coaches regard the formal education process as un-necessary, and feel that all the requisite knowledge can be gained on their own and in the trenches, I am a STRONG supporter of a formal education - provided the quality of education is high. Perhaps these coaches attended less than stellar Kinesiology programs (which I know are more abundant than good programs). However, the education that I attained from McMaster University is without a doubt the reason for the quality of my programs and the level of my knowledge. Most influential was the neuromuscular physiology course taught to me by Dr. Digby Sale at McMaster University. But since you will never have the opportunity to attend his classes, I recommend in his place you read, "The Science and Practice of Strength Training", by Dr. Vladimir Zatsiorsky. Either way, as Michael Masterson of EarlytoRise.com has said, "Expect to spend 1000 hours of study to become competent in any discipline". Of course, having a good mentor can significantly decrease the amount of time you will need to study (perhaps by 50%). There are many "in the trenches" mentors that I can recommend, including: Alwyn Cosgrove - Alwyn has just released a manual called, "The Professional Fitness Coach Program Design Bible". So those are a couple of roads on how you become a GREAT personal trainer. Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS PS - It is no surprise that a lot of trainers use Turbulence Training with their clients. When I designed the Turbulence Training program, I grabbed the best of athlete-training, bodybuilder-training, bodyweight-training, fitnesstraining, and yes, even Stability-ball training, and I put them all in my "mental blender", and designed the best workout possible for busy men and
women to lose fat. If you are still skeptical about the TT program, I recommend you visit: www.TransformationContest.com to see the REAL results achieved by Real People using the TT program. Or simply => Turbulence Training
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 Turbulence Training
Boost Your Fat Burning Program Immediately with the Research-Proven, Time-Tested Turbulence Training Workouts You can download the program within minutes and get started today with a better way to workout for fat loss. No more slow boring cardio, no more long trips to the gym. Check out the this jam-packed, downloadable Turbulence Training package: • •
A 76-page e-book crammed with beginner through advanced workouts, giving you up to 26 weeks worth of fat-blasting workouts - VALUE of over $397 An exclusive one hour MP3 audio going over every detail of the Turbulence Training workouts and fat loss philosophy - VALUE $165
When I write montly workouts for clients, each 4-week program costs $100. But in the Turbulence Training E-book, you get access to four Advanced Fat Loss Workouts, and
three introductory workouts that progress you from Beginner to Advanced. That 26 week package would easily be worth more than $397 if you were a private client of mine. Plus, if you trained with me one-on-one, you would have to schedule your appointment 3months in advance (my training schedule is booked solid~) at $150 per session. And if you had questions about Turbulence Training (like the ones I answer in the one hour MP3 audio program), an hour phone consultation would cost you $165. But instead, you get this in-depth audio interrogation for FREE as part of the Turbulence Training package. •
Total Value of the Package is over $550. But you'll pay only $39.95. BUT WAIT, THERE’S EVEN MORE!
1) Turbulence Training Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines, by Dr. Chris Mohr, Ph.D. (Retail Value = $24.99) You need to eat right to lose fat, and this nutrition guideline shows men and women exactly which foods to choose, how often to eat, how much protein to get, and a shocking list of foods you MUST avoid to lose fat and improve your health. Dr. Chris Mohr, Ph.D., R.D., is one of the most respected Registered Dieticians in America, appearing on the Montel Williams Show, writing for Men's Health, Weight Watchers, and Prevention magazines. 2) Turbulence Training DB-BW Fustion Fat Loss 8-Week Program (Retail Value = $24.99) By combining a dumbbell exercise and a bodyweight exercise, you'll be able to do these Turbulence Training workouts even faster than ever before. Just wait till you try these workouts. You'll be blown away by the effectiveness of the dumbbell-bodyweight superset combinations. So fast, so simple, yet so efficient at burning fat. 3) Turbulence Training for Women 4-Week Program (Retail Value = $29.99) With both beginner and advanced versions, this program serves as a great add-on to the regular Turbulence Training program that hundreds of women have already used to lose fat and sculpt their bodies. All of these workouts can be done at home with a bench, a ball, dumbbells, and your own bodyweight. 4) Turbulence Training for Muscle 8-Week Program (Retail Value = $24.99) Burn fat, then build the muscle. Don't get caught without having a beach body. Once you lose all the fat you need, switch to this advanced muscle-building program to get the biceps, chest, and calves that will give you a "stand-out in the crowd" physique.
5) Turbulence Training Original 4-Week Bodyweight Program (Retail Value = $19.99) Sculpt your body without the need for any fancy equipment or even a set of dumbbells. This 4-week program contains beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels so that no matter what your fitness level, you can get a complete Turbulence Training work anytime, anyplace. Take this one when you travel for work or holidays, and you won't come home with any extra "baggage". 6) Turbulence Training 30-Days to Advanced Fat Loss Program (Retail Value = $19.99) Just what the title says. I designed this program for a personal trainer that I was training (Yep, I'm considered a trainer to the trainers) and we needed to get maximum results in only 30 days. By choosing the exercises that gave him the most results in the least amount of time, he was able to impress his clients (and get more clients) thanks to his TT fat loss. 7) Turbulence Training Advanced Fusion Fat Loss 4-Week Program (Retail Value = $24.99) The most challenging TT workout to date. This 4-week program combines advanced athletic moves with dumbbell exercises AND bodyweight exercises into one of the most intense bodysculpting workouts I've ever designed. Once you are finished with all of the Turbulence Training workouts, use this workout to build the body of your dreams in as little time as possible.