Truth About Complex Diets & Calories
We’re gonna have a little fun in this week’s fat loss guide.
I’m in Miami this weekend at a trainer’s seminar, but I’ll be back in time to watch Canada vs USA in hockey…and in the spirit of the Olympics, I’m giving you the Winter Olympics workout. You’ll love it…lots of fun.
Also, the countdown to TT for Abs DVDs is on…my first ever “Follow Along Workout DVD” program will be released on March 1st…coming soon!
=> Click here to listen to this week’s podcast
And now for your fat loss guide…
Monday – Feb 22nd
Transformation Tip of the Week:
You are where you are right now because of your past choices, and there are only two options: Accept it or Change it. Your choice. There are things we can do TODAY that will make us leaner, fitter, happier, sexier, healthier and wealthier. Let’s TAKE ACTION and do them.
And now for…The Winter Olympics Workout
The Winter Olympics are the hottest event in the world right now, and this is a special workout for you so that you can join in the excitement.
We’ll start with the Moguls Warmup.
I chose the moguls for warm-up, because that’s where the skiers do all those crazy moves and look really mobile. One of the coolest events, for sure.
1. Jumping Jacks – 20 reps
2. Duck Unders – 6 reps per side
(You’ll step to the side squat down and duck under as you move)
3. Stickups – 10 reps
4. Seal Jumps – 20 reps
(These are like jumping jacks, but cross your arms in front of you)
5. Pushups -10 reps
(Let’s pretend you wiped out so you have to do pushups to get back up)
Next, we move into the first event…
The Ski Jump
Do a 10 second hold in the bottom of squat and then do a vertical jump.
Repeat 3 times, then move to…
The Downhill Ski Race
1 Long Jump
10 Bodyweight Squats
1 Long Jump
6 Walking Diagonal Lunges per side
1 Long Jump
20-30 second squat hold in bottom position
Repeat 3 times.
Next up, we move to Speed Skating Strength Training
1. Skater Jumps or Lateral Lunges – 8 reps per side
(Beginners must do the lateral lunges)
2. Spiderman Pushups or Elevated Pushups – 8 reps per side
(Let’s pretend we’ve had another wipe-out…so we need to do some pushups to practice getting up)
3. 1-leg Squats or Reverse Lunges – 12 reps per side
(Beginners must do the reverse lunges)
Take a water break here, and then move to more strength training, this time courtesy of a weird sport…Curling.
The Curling Strength Circuit
1. Lunges – 15 reps per side (you can use weights if you want)
2. Spiderman Climbs – 10 reps per side
3. Close-grip Pushups – 20 reps
4. Biceps Curls – 10 reps per side
(Why curls? Because curlers love to drink beer, so you can do
dumbbell curls to practice for post-game beverages)
Take another water break.
Optional: Hockey Strength Circuit (Use dumbbells or kettlebells)
1. Split squat – 8 reps per side
(to build strong skating muscles)
2. 1-Arm Standing Shoulder Press – 8 reps per side
(to practice raising your stick in the air after you score a goal)
3. DB Row – 8 reps per side
(to strengthen your upper body & grip for hockey fights)
Figure Skating Bodyweight Strength Circuit
Now we combine bodyweight exercises for strength and finesse…
1. Reaching Lunge – 10 reps per side
2. 1-Leg RDL – 8 reps per side
3. Pushup or Dip or Overhead Press – 8 reps
Take another water break.
Sliding Sports Circuit (bobsled & luge)
1. Bobsled Push – 20 seconds
(For this, you’ll need a “prowler sled” or a punching bag or weight plate that can be pushed across the floor to simulate the start of the bobsled race…or you could just do a 20 second sprint)
2. Stability Ball Plank or Plank – 45 seconds
(to simulate holding your body in the luge position)
3. Side Planks – 25 seconds per side
Next up, the plain ol’ weird Biathlon (a combination of cross-country skiing and shooting). We’ll modify it so that we do:
1. Shuttle Sprints – 15 seconds
2. Plank – 60 seconds
(to simulate the shooting position)
And if possible, add in some type of skill component to simulate the shooting…maybe shoot some basketball free throws…or shoot a Supersoaker at a target on the wall…no wait, bad idea.
But I’m sure you can come up with something. (Safety first!)
And that’s it.
Finish with a water break, cool down, awarding of some gold medals, and closing ceremonies.
If you liked that workout and want more bootcamp workout ideas, check out:
=> Turbulence Training Bootcamps
Enjoy the games!
Tuesday
Get 30 minutes of fun activity – now grab a Green Tea and let’s do this week’s research review…
Let’s take a look at the truth about calorie counting.
Researchers looked at 524 men and women in a 2-week study. All they had to do was estimate how many calories they ate each day. This number was compared to their actual calorie intake, as determined by a proven scientific method.
The results were shocking. On average, the subjects underreported calorie intake by 11% each day.
So if you think that you eat 2000 calories per day, you probably eat 2200 calories per day. That will slow your weight loss fast.
Reference:
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 88, No. 2, 324-332, August 2008. The US Department of Agriculture Automated Multiple-Pass Method reduces bias in the collection of energy intakes.
That’s just one reason you need to keep a food journal, and that’s one of the simple nutrition rules from my upcoming “Simple Nutrition” program (you’ll get Simple Nutrition as a bonus with the TT for Abs DVDs).
Finally, after years of requests, I’ve decided to put down my nutrition plan on paper…and I even filmed a DVD in my kitchen of all the food and meals that I make.
You’ll get this as a bonus with TT for Abs.
Why is it called Simple Nutrition?
Because complex programs do NOT work!
Take a look at this study…
Researchers studied how long people were able to stick to a “complex” diet.
They wanted to know if weight loss diet programs fail because they are too complex and dieters forget the rules.
One of the programs studied was Weight Watchers and the researchers found that “perceived rule complexity” was the strongest factor associated with increased risk of quitting.
Reference:
Appetite. Volume 54, Issue 1, February 2010, Pages 37-43.
Bottom line:
Weight Watchers doesn’t work because there are too many rules. It needs to be simple!
All that points counting and substitutions cause people to quit.
Instead, you need a simple diet.
You need, “Simple Nutrition for Fat Loss”. Coming soon.
Wednesday
In the March 2010 issue of Men’s Health, I found these two important workout tips.
1) The pre-exhaustion bodybuilding technique increases injury risk (p. 42)
That means if you do chest flies before chest presses, you could hurt your shoulder because of a negative change in technique of your chest presses. So forgot that, and stick to TT non-competing supersets.
2) Front pulldowns work your lats the best – so there is no need for behind the neck pulldowns – as the behind the neck version is more strenuous on your rotator cuff muscles.
Of course, ultimately you should be working up to doing chin-ups and pullups, rather than sitting and pulling down.
Thursday
Do 30 minutes of fun activity…if you want to do some bodyweight exercises, you could use the warm-up circuit from next month’s, “TT Big6 Circuit”.
Cross Crawl – 8 reps per side
Duck Unders – 6 reps per side ==>
Waiter’s Bow – 12 reps
Plank – 30 second hold
Side Plank – 20 second hold per side
Leg Swings – 15 reps per side
Arm Crosses – 10 reps per side
Friday
And now for the…
…#1 RULE for MEN…
If you are undecided between muscle building or fat loss: When in doubt, ALWAYS gain muscle. You’ll always look better with more muscle.
And for skinny guys, here’s another rule…
You will need to commit to eating properly and it will be harder work than the workouts. Do not underestimate how hard it will be to eat for muscle building.
But if you do it right, you should be able to gain 4 pounds per month on TT2K3, TT2K4, and TT2k5 – or you can move to the TT Meatheads program.
You can easily gain 12 pounds in 3 months but you will have to eat like a maniac. The eating will be harder than the workouts for hardgainer types.
I also recommend reading Jason Ferruggia’s blog for muscle building tips.
Social Support Saturday!
Get 30 minutes of fun activity…and then think about getting more social support.
Remember: You don’t always need to ask the buff person in the gym. Sometimes someone who is simply 10 pounds lighter than you will have the best tips. Social support from someone who has succeeded after being in your shoes is critical. Stay strong and get stronger from others.
Sunday – Plan, Shop & Prepare
30 minutes activity and plan, shop, & prepare.
When making your list, remember these two interesting findings published in the highly recommended book, “Food Rules”:
A) Eating one pound of Fruits and Vegetables per day reduces your cancer risk by 50%.
B) People who eat meat a few times per week are just as healthy and live just as long as vegetarians. So you don’t have to give up meat, but I wouldn’t recommend eating it 2-3 times per day (of 5 times per day like folks in Chicago).
And remember – if you do eat a lot of meat, insist on top quality.
Next week! 
- TT Workout – TT 2K5 – An update on a classic
- Weekly Research Review – Amazing intervals vs cardio studio…where you never would think to see intervals used
- Some new foods in my diet & blender drink tips
To your success,
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Creator, Turbulence Training