Turbulence Training for Abs

Happy post-Halloween! Now it’s time for you to keep that candy out of site…a trick on that in a second…but first, a vegetarian diet update.

I spent last week traveling around Florida and eating at steakhouses – yet I managed to stick to the vegetarian lifestyle. You can read about all of my meals, including the night at Benihana’s and the other dinner at Shula’s steakhouse in my vegetarian eating article here.

Now it turns out that as World Vegetarian Month (October) ends, it just happens that World Vegan Month (November) starts…with November 1st as World Vegan Day. And so I’m going to give it a try, and avoid animal products for an entire month. We’ll see how it goes, since I still have 8 days of travel to go (Atlanta and Orlando).

By the way, did you know that – according to Canadian Business magazine – that the food eaten in a daily vegetarian diet needs only 2600 liters of water to produce while a diet high in animal protein requires 5000 liters of water? Interesting…anyways:

Click here to hear more about the vegan diet and abs workout details

Now let’s transform your body…

Monday – Nov 2

Transformation Tip of the Week:
Just a simple, but timely tip today…Make sure you remove excess sugar from your diet if you want maximum mental energy and fat burning.  There are many hidden sources of sugar…how many can you cut out of your diet?

Now here’s a radical tip for helping you cut out chocolate Halloween candy from your diet…Just go vegan for a week, and you won’t be able to eat the chocolate. Or just commit to not eating dairy for a week. You can do it.

Day 1 – Workout A – Turbulence Training for Abs

Superset #1
1A) DB Squat – 8 reps
No rest.
1B) Plank to Pushup + Pushup – 8 reps
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Triset #2
2A) 1-Leg Hip Extension – 12 reps per side
No rest.
2B) Prone Stick-up – 10 reps
No rest.
2C) Bird Dog – 8 reps per side
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more time for a total of 3 trisets.

Triset #3
3A) Stability Ball Rollout – 8 reps
No rest.
3B) Pushup Hold – 10 second hold in mid-position
No rest.
3C) Side Plank – 20 second hold per side
Rest 1 minute & repeat 1 more time for a total of 2 trisets.

Tuesday
30 minutes of fun activity and then celebrate “World Sandwich Day” with a sandwich of your choice – make sure it has lots of fiber in it, too. And do your best to avoid celebrating the 251st birthday of Tequila, which will be celebrated on Monday, November 2nd.

Now for our soccer vs. running research study review…from those crazy scientists in Copenhagen, Denmark…

Reference:
British Journal of Sports Medicine 2009;43:825-831. “Recreational soccer is an effective health-promoting activity for untrained men”

36 healthy untrained Danish men aged 20–43 years were randomised into a soccer group (SO; n = 13), a running group (RU; n = 12) and a control group (CO; n = 11).

Training was performed for 1 h two or three times per week for 12 weeks; at an average heart rate of 82% (SEM 2%) and 82% (1%) of HRmax for SO and RU, respectively.

During the 12 week period, maximal oxygen uptake increased (p<0.05) by 13% (3%) and 8% (3%) in SO and RU, respectively. So both groups increased their VO2max. And both groups reduced their blood pressure.

The soccer group lost slightly more fat, but this was not significantly different between groups (2.7 kg for soccer vs. 1.8 kg for the runners).

HOWEVER…

Only the soccer players had…

– an increase in lean body mass (1.7 kg)
– an increase in lower extremity bone mass
– a decrease in LDL-cholesterol
– an increase (p<0.05) in fat oxidation during running at 9.5 km/h

The scientists conclude…”participation in regular recreational soccer training, organised as small-sided drills, has significant beneficial effects on health profile and physical capacity for untrained men, and in some aspects it is superior to frequent moderate-intensity running.”

So again, science suggests intense exercise beats traditional boring cardio.

But REMEMBER – if you eat “recreationally” (i.e. 1500 calories of wings, pizza, and beer) after you play soccer or hockey, you won’t lose fat. So don’t ignore your diet…see the tips below to lose fat with nutrition.

Wednesday

Day 3 – Workout B – Turbulence Training for Abs

Superset #1
1A) DB Step-up – 8 reps per side
No rest.
1B) [Kneeling] Elevated Pushup – 8 reps per side
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

Triset #2
2A) Stability Ball Leg Curl – 15 reps
No rest.
2B) DB Row – 8 reps per side
No rest.
2C) Mountain Climber – 8 reps per side
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 trisets.

Triset #3
3A) Plank with Arms on Ball – 15 second hold
No rest.
3B) Side Plank Leg Raise – 5 reps per side
No rest.
3C) Side Plank – 20 second hold per side
Rest 1 minute & repeat 1 more time for a total of 2 trisets.

Thursday
30 minutes of fun activity – and for more fun activity, why not watch one of the over 200 workout and nutrition videos I have posted on youtube.

Click here for my Youtube workout videos

Or watch one of my favorites below…

Did ya expect that?

Friday

Now for one more TT for Abs workout…(it also has a cool nutrition bonus)

Day 5 – Workout C

Superset #1
1A) DB Split Squat – 8 reps per side
No rest.
1B) Legs on Ball Pushup or Decline Pushup – 12 reps
Rest 1 minute & repeat 1 more time for a total of 2 supersets.

Triset #2
2A) Stability Ball Hip Extension – 15 reps
No rest.
2B) Beginner or Regular Inverted Row – 8 reps**
No rest.
2C) Bird Dog – 10 reps per side
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 trisets.

Triset #3
3A) Stability Ball Jackknife Plank – 30 second hold
No rest.
3B) Spiderman Climb – 5 reps per side
No rest.
3C) Reverse Bridge – 8 reps per side or 30 second hold
Rest 1 minute & repeat 1 more time for a total of 2 trisets.

Social Support Saturday!
30 minutes of fun activity…and here’s a “self support tip” for you…

According to the November 2009 issue of Men’s Health, you are 6 times more likely to lose weight if you weigh yourself at least once per week (from the American Journal of Preventative Medicine).

Sunday – Plan, Shop & Prepare
30 minutes activity and make sure to add lots of high-fiber foods to your diet. Fiber fills you up, and great sources include soups, fruits, vegetables, and raw nuts. It keeps you lean and full so you don’t overeat.

By the way, I think a great general plan to lose weight is to cut back on high-calorie animal products and foods with sugar in them, and eat more fruits and vegetables and raw nuts. Very simple and effective.

Next week!
Booty for Life Workout
More fat loss research that no other trainer is talking about…

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, The Lazy Man’s Guide to Vegetarian Eating