3 Reasons I Skip Caffeine

This week’s research study talks about caffeine and exercise and I explain the 3 reasons why I skip caffeine…but first, is your gym emptied out yet?

My gym was a lot quieter this week than 2 weeks ago…have that many people dropped out already? It felt like November in there this week.

One of the reasons I think people drop out so fast is from the muscle soreness they get by trying out high volume programs in magazines…the big mistake most people make is doing too much volume.

Even YOU are probably doing too much volume. In our tip of the week, I’ll show you what you need to do right now…

Click here to listen to all of this info on the TT Podcast

Monday – Jan 25th

Transformation Tip of the Week:

Take a look at every exercise, set, & rep in your workout program.

Is it there just to add volume & time to your workout or is it there with purpose, actually getting you closer to your goals?

Remember that:

“Training is simply a stimulus being applied to the body with the purpose of getting a specific adaptation.”

In other words, you should train to get results, not just to do more exercises and spend a lot of time working out. If you do that, you’ll save time, have less soreness, and maybe even get MORE results by doing less.

Alright, now let’s hit a structured workout…here is the updated version of the:

Turbulence Training for Abs Phase 2 – Advanced Workout A

1A) DB Bulgarian Split Squat – 8 reps per side
No rest.
1B) Spiderman Pushup or Pushup – 10 reps per side or 15 reps
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Superset #2
2A) Inverted Row or Beginner Inverted Row – 12 reps
No rest.
2B) 1-Leg Deadlift – 12 reps ====>>>> (see photo)
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Triset #3
3A) Stability Ball Rollout – 10 reps
No rest.
3B) Cross-Body Mountain Climber – 10 reps per side
No rest.
3C) Side Plank – 30 second hold per side
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 trisets.

Advanced Interval Training Workout A

Tuesday – CAFFEINE RESEARCH!
Get 30 minutes of fun activity – and let’s do this week’s research review and talk about 3 reasons I don’t like to use caffeine.

Reference:
J Strength Cond Res. 2009. Efficacy of Acute Caffeine Ingestion for Short-term High-Intensity Exercise Performance: A Systematic Review. Astorino TA, Roberson DW. Department of Kinesiology, CSU-San Marcos, San Marcos, California.

• The researchers did this review because past research has shown that, “caffeine typically increases endurance performance; however, efficacy of caffeine ingestion for short-term high-intensity exercise is equivocal.”
• They found that, “11 out of 17 studies revealed significant improvements in team sports exercise and power-based sports with caffeine ingestion, yet these effects were more common in elite athletes who do not regularly ingest caffeine.”
• “Six of 11 studies revealed significant benefits of caffeine for resistance training.”
• AND…”Some studies show decreased performance with caffeine ingestion when repeated”

So…how you and your workouts respond to  caffeine is all individual…I’ve had great workouts with and without it…felt great and felt like crap with it and without it…It’s really up to you

BTW – I don’t have any faith in the claim that caffeine helps you lose fat.

So what are my 3 reasons not to use it?

1) I get pretty jittery and even have some anxiety with it. For example, its not a good idea for me to drink a giant Monster Energy drink…like I did before I went to UFC 96 in Montreal last April…I was up pretty late that night!

2) Dependency – Listen, you can almost “mentally cripple” a caffeine addict by taking away their caffeine…they get massive headaches, no energy, irritable, etc. I was talking to a friend who did a caffeine detox recently, and for 2-3 days she spent the entire afternoon in bed unable to do anything.

I don’t need that. No thanks.

3) I simply don’t need it. I have a lot of energy right now…I have really good workouts, great nutrition, and excellent sleep patterns.

Sure I might have some Green Tea once in a while, or – shocker – even a Coke or Mountain Dew or Monster (shhh, don’t tell anyone!) once every month or so – but I don’t need caffeine every day.

Wednesday

Turbulence Training for Abs Phase 2 – Advanced Workout B

Superset #1
1A) DB Split Squat – 8 reps per side
No rest.
1B) T-Pushup – 8 reps per side ===> (see photo)
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Superset #2
2A) Chin-up with Knee-up or Assisted Chin-up – 8 reps
No rest.
2B) Reaching Lunge – 10 reps per side
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Triset #3
3A) Stability Ball Jackknife – 15 reps
No rest.
3B) Stability Ball Mountain Climber – 10 reps per side
No rest.
3C) Side Plank with Leg Raise – 8 reps per side
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 trisets.

Thursday
Do 30 minutes of fun activity and now speaking of abs…

Can you do a plank for 2 minutes straight?

That is Dr. Stuart McGill’s recommendation for healthy people.

Dr. McGill, a low back pain expert, has found that abdominal endurance corresponds with less back pain, so he recommends you build up your plank endurance to 2 minutes.

If you can NOT do that, you could be at greater risk of low back issues.

Friday

Turbulence Training for Abs Phase 2 – Advanced Workout C

Superset #1
1A) DB Step-ups – 8 reps per side
No rest.
1B) Grasshopper Pushup – 10 reps per side
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Triset #2
2A) DB Renegade Row – 8 reps per side
No rest.
2B) Stability Ball Leg Curl– 20 reps
No rest.
2C) Stability Ball X-Body Mountain Climber (Feet on Ball) – 8 reps per side
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 trisets.

Triset #3
3A) Hanging Knee-up – 8 reps
No rest.
3B) Stability Ball Plank – 30 second hold
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Interval training – shuttles!

Social Support Saturday!
30 minutes of fun activity…and then let’s talk about a new competition – which is one way to get social support.

Coming soon is the TT Adrenaline Circuit Challenge.

It’s actually workout C of next month’s program…and I just finished this workout – it’s crazy. Shuttle sprints plus bodyweight exercises…with a challenge component so we can compete against each other.

You do 2 circuits, but 3 rounds of pushups and pullups.

Here’s how you score the TT Adrenaline Circuit Challenge:

Total Pushups + Pullups (from 3 rounds) minus two times the number of minutes it takes you to finish the workout.

My score was 98+26-52 = 72.

Curious about the TT Adrenaline circuit?

It comes out February 1st.

Sunday – Plan, Shop & Prepare
30 minutes activity and plan, shop, & prepare.

Here’s something to pick up this week…a simple water bottle. Here’s a great reason why from my buddy Rob Poulos, the author of “Fat Burning Furnace“.

“Drink water from a water bottle, not from a glass. It may seem like a little thing, but simply switching to a 32oz. water bottle and refilling it 3 times (rather than having to refill an 8 oz. glass 10 times a day) can make a HUGE difference in how much water you drink.”

Oh, and it’s much better for you than a can of Monster Energy drink – even if it’s the Blue flavor!

Next week!
TT Workout – Advanced Bodyweight
Weekly Research Review – 1 weird thing women should do to lose weight!

You’ll find that info very interesting.

Stay strong and lean,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training for Abs