By now you all know who Craig Ballanytne is. He’s the creator of the original high intensity home program – Turbulence Training.

Over the years, he’s come out with some great workouts. The most famous of which is his 6-month bodyweight training manual.

Using this program, he’s put together an incredible deluxe package using only his bodyweight workouts to help you get the most out of your bodyweight training.

I had a little chat with Craig about his bodyweight workouts:

Parth: Craig, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to me. Lets get right into this. Tell me, what exactly is the Turbulence Training Bodyweight Deluxe package?

Craig: The Bodyweight Deluxe program is my famous 6-Month Bodyweight Training manual showing you how to lose fat and gain muscle with only bodyweight exercises. It includes some of the most challenging workouts I’ve ever created. You’ll love it, it’s a lot of fun.

Parth: I’ve tried some of those workouts, and I must say they are tough. But with a new fitness product coming out everyday, people get confused on where to start. What is one tip you would give to people starting out?

Craig: If you are completely beginner with no current workout history – or interest in working out – then simply find something you like to do, and do that activity. Combined with eating less, you’ll lose fat.

But if you want a structured workout for maximum bodysculpting, then you need to get a professional program. If you want to workout for 6 days per week, I don’t recommend that and you won’t like my program.

But if you want to get results in just 3 short workouts per week, with exercises you can even do at home if you want, then Turbulence Training will work perfect. We have a beginners program for people who aren’t working out, and an intermediate program for people who are experienced – but I make even my advanced clients start here.

Parth: Nice. Love the variety. Like I said, there are lots of fitness products coming out every single day. But people still prefer Turbulence Training over all the others. What makes Turbulence Training so special?

Craig: It’s proven. A lot of new programs are copycats but don’t have all of the magical ingredients that Turbulence Training does…and the biggest thing all these copycats don’t have is massive, massive, massive proof like Turbulence Training.

There are very few programs that can say they’ve been used by millions of Men’s Health, Women’s Health, and Shape magazine readers, plus all of the folks online and the good people in the TT Transformation Contests.

It’s really just Body for Life or Turbulence Training, and Turbulence Training is based on the most recent science and gets updated all the time.

Parth: Well, I like Turbulence Training because I can do it at home without any equipment. Speaking of which, lets talk about bodyweight training. What are the benefits of bodyweight exercise?

Craig: Most bodyweight exercises are a combination of resistance training and interval training, so they work to burn calories and sculpt muscles. You won’t become a massive bodybuilder with bodyweight exercises, although if you’re a gymnast and you train hours per day, it’s obvious that you can gain a lot of muscle mass.

But most people are going to get lean, athletic, fit bodies with bodyweight exercises, and as much as I love weight training, I have to admit that bodyweight exercises are easier on the joints.

Parth: True. You have a lot of different bodyweight programs out there. Just curious to know. What’s the main difference between training a man and training a woman?

Craig: Most women can and will work as hard as a guy, but they are fearful of getting bigger.

This won’t happen unless they eat too many calories, but I make two small changes…

First, I have women use more bodyweight exercises. Whenever possible, we’ll choose an equally difficult bodyweight exercise rather than using the dumbbell or barbell version. Women prefer this, and it might be slightly better for bodysculpting.

Second, we could also use fewer sets. Remember, getting big is all about volume – eating more and doing more repetitons. So we’ll only do 1 set per exercise with some women rather than 3 sets. That cuts back volume, and eliminates any fear of getting bigger.

Parth: Ok. This actually leads to my next question – why is muscle building so important in your quest to drop fat?

Craig: It’s not mandatory. You can lose fat without gaining muscle, and most women just want the fat loss.

But most guys need to gain some muscle if they want to look amazing, so that’s why I use muscle-building programs so much.

Plus, it’s important for everyone’s health to be as strong as possible in their old age.

Parth: Ok, so what’s the difference between Turbulence Training for Fat Loss, and Turbulence Training for Mass Gain?

Craig: The fat loss program is more of a home workout program focused on metabolic resistance training to sculpt the muscles and burn calories, along with interval training to burn more fat.

The mass program is supersets of heavy lifting focused on building strength and mass.

Parth: Makes sense. Alright, so what’s your background Craig? What motivated you to create the Turbulence Training bodyweight workouts?

Craig: Like most folks in the fitness industry, I played a lot of sports when I was younger. That led to weight training. From there, I realized I wanted to be a strength coach in professional sports.

I went to school for Kinesiology, which then led to a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology. Along the way I studied what made a good NHL Strength Coach (they had Master’s Degrees and were Certified Strength And Conditioning Specialists – CSCS).

I also started training athletes, along with men and women for fat loss. Then I started working with Men’s Health in 2000. And I invented Turbulence Training in 1999, and finally put it online in 2001. The rest is history.

Parth: Yup, and it’s looks like it’s been a great run. Hopefully I’ll see some more great Turbulence Training workouts for many years to come.

So, as I stated in the interview, Craig has some great workouts. To learn more about each of his workouts, click on the links below to read their reviews:

• Turbulence Training Bodyweight Deluxe
• Turbulence Training for Abs
• Turbulence Training Bodyweight Workouts
• Original Turbulence Training Workouts
• Turbulence Training for Abs DVD
• Turbulence Training for Women
• Turbulence Training Bootcamp
• Turbulence Training for Muscle

Is it possible to build lean muscle mass without lifting weights? Yes! All it takes is the right exercises, the right program, and a lot of patience. I will introduce you to the right program in just a moment, but first, lets take a look at some of the best movements you can do for mass gain:

#1 – Standard Pushups

Yea yea yea. I know. You’re thinking “but I can do lots of pushups. I’m not big.” Well, there are lots of people out there who can’t do a basic pushups. The basic pushup is really the greatest exercise to pack on muscle mass on your front delts, triceps, and chest.

Oh, and don’t forget what a great abdominal movement pushups are!

There are hundreds of variations of this movement. And simple changes in the positions of your hands and speed of your movement will help you get a greater muscle building benefit out of this basic movement.

However, do not move onto any other variation until you can pump out 15 solid pushups.

#2 – Close-Grip Chinups

Chinups and pullups are a great muscle builder for the back, lats, biceps, forearms, abs, and…yes…chest! However, the close-grip variation does a greater job of targeting your biceps.

This movement is performed just like a chinup, where you grab the pullup bar with a “palms facing you” grip. However, take a grip where you hands are closer together.

The closer you move your hands, the more difficult the movement will become.

#3 -Tricep Blasters

This is a brand new movement I’ve been incorporating into my movements. It’s tough, so I’ll show you an easier variation of it. Place your feet on a bench, bed or an elevated object behind you.

Place your forearms on the floor, and prop up your body. You’ll be in pushup position, except that your forearms are resting on the floor. The idea is to press with your triceps so that you lift your elbows of the floor and straighten out your arms.

It’s a brutal movement. Advanced trainees – guys who are great at pushups – will be shocked they can only do 2-3 reps of this movement. However, here is an easier, variation (but still works great).

Basically, instead of pressing both the hands off the floor at the same time, lift one hand off the floor, using the other hand as support. Then quickly follow up with the other one.

So, you’re using each hand as support for bringing up the other hand. For example, lets say you start straightening out your right hand first. Straighten that out, and quickly follow up with your left arm.

Now, drop your right forearm back down to the ground, and follow up with the left hand. For the next rep, start by lifting your left arm off the floor first, and follow upwith right arm.

Repeat in this manner. Until you’ve performed an equal number of repetitions on each side. Work up to 10 repetitions in this manner before trying the original version of the movement.

#4 – Isolated Triceps Pushups

Here’s another great triceps pushups. Also known as the close grip pushups or diamond pushups. The idea is the same – move your hands close together and perform the pushup.

Just as in the close-grip chinup, the closer your hands are to each other, the more difficult the movement will become. Try the exercise with pushup handles and see if you feel a difference.

#5 – Compound Towel Pull-up

This is a cool movement, and really makes you feel as if you’re climbing a rope or wall. Hang two strong towels over a pullup bar. Grab each towel firmly, and pull your body towards the pullup bar.

The closer your grip to the pullup bar, the easier the movement. As you get stronger, grab the part of the towel that’s farther and farther away from the pullup bar.

This will almost feel like you’re doing pullups on gymnastics rings (hey, there’s another great muscle building movement!).

#6 – Inverted Rows

The inverted row is often used to teach beginners how to perform pullups. However, it’s an extremely tough movement that I’ve only been able to perform a few times.

You actually need a low, horizontal bar for this movement. Keep your body straight underneath the bar. You can keep your feet on the floor, or elevated on the surface.

The idea is to pull your body towards the bar. It’s almost like a reverse bench press. Instead of press the weight away from the bar, you’re pulling your body towards the bar.

#7 – Decline Russian Twists

I hate ab training, basically because most ab movements are too simplistic and easy. But this one I like. You can do this on a decline bar, on a regular bench, or on the floor.

If you’re doing it on the floor, tuck your feet under something firm. Lean back, and make sure you’re sitting on a cushion (a pillow?). Hold you hands out in front of you and twist your body completely to one side.

Use your abs to stabilize your body. Return to the middle and repeat on the other side.

#8 – Hanging Knee Raise

Here’s another great muscle builder for the abs. Hang on to a pullup bar. Hold on to it with a palms away from you grip. Relax your body. Now raise your legs up, and try to touch your knees to your chest.

To make this movement more difficult, straighten out your legs. The hardest version of this movement is when you keep your legs straight, and raise them above, past parallel, and try to touch the bar.

To improve strength and increase muscle mass, focus on increasing range of motion and difficulty as opposed to adding repetitions.

#9 – Abdominal Situps

When done properly, situps can be a great overal mass builder. The problem with situps is that most people do them the wrong way. They pull on their necks and use momentum.

If you do situps slow and steady, you’ll feel a great contraction in your abdominals and be able to steadily build up the muscles on your abs.

Now, it’s time to introduce to you a great bodyweight-only program for mass gain. It’s called The Muscle Experiment, developed by MikeThiga. He has a very compelling story.

I should have an interview up with him shortly, but until then, I urge you to check out my review of his program. It is the only bodyweight-only mass building program for hardgainers.

Many of the movements that I mentioned in this article, including the Triceps Blaster and Compound Towell Pull Ups, I learned from Mike. On top of that, he’s given me a lot of insights about mass building with bodyweight exercises that I did not know before.

Click here to learn more about Mike Thiga’s program

For those that are not familiar with Tabata training, it is simply a unique interval scheme that involves performing 20 seconds of exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest.

You are to perform this sequence 7 more times, for a total of 4 minutes of training. Over the years, the benefits of this technique have been completely blown out of proportion.

That is why I decided to write yet another article on this topic. I can, hopefully, present a more realistic picture of what Tabata exactly is and how it can help you in your fat loss goals.

Tabata Training Goals: Just Fat Loss?

A few months ago, I saw a disturbing article in Muscle & Fitness magazine which suggested using Tabata training for muscle mass. On some level, Tabata training can be used for muscle mass.

However, what was disturbing about it was that it basically took a typical bodybuilding program and plugged in the Tabata scheme. The problem with this is that some exercises are simply not effective with Tabata training.

Click here to Learn How You can Work Out using more High Intensity Techniques like Tabata

There are two questions that come to my mind after reading that article: 1) Can Tabata training be effectively used to acheive other goals such as strength and mass, and 2) can you use any exercise with Tabata training?

In one of my previous Tabata training articles, I mentioned that participants of the original Tabata experiment with Dr. Izumi Tabata reported some level of muscle mass.

This was probably due to the huge amount of growth hormone and testosterone which is usually released with such high intensity training. However, I also mentioned thatTabata should not be used primarily to put on muscle mass.

This is because, from experience, I have found that effective muscle mass actually requires a higher volume of training. You can achieve this level of volume by performing lots of volume in one session, or spreading out the volume over multiple sessions.

Tabata training is just too intense for you to use any substantial volume in order to ellicit gains in mass. So, the final verdict is that although you will look a little bigger after a tabata training program, this is due to the fact that you’ve actually lost more fat.

Now, as for strength, does Tabata training increase your level of strength? I’ve personally never experienced such gains in strength. Although, yesterday’s post on Bodyweight Training and Strength does suggest that interval training does improve strength.

I think the main problem here is the rest interval. If you wanted to transform Tabata workouts into strength workouts, you would need to at least double the amount of rest between each set.

But then that would change the nature of Tabata training itself. Then you would not be able to call it Tabata. It’s just interval training for strength. Hence, you can not gain strength with Tabata Training.

Gaining Mass and Strength with Tabata Training

Click here to Learn How You can Work Out using more High Intensity Techniques like Tabata

Wait a second, didn’t I just say that you can’t gain muscle and strength with Tabata training? I did, and I still stand by those conclusions. However, think about this: your body will be in such great condition after about a month ofTabata workouts, that the moment you switch to mass gain or strength workouts, your body will make drastic gains.

This is true for any sort of high intensity fat loss program. High intensity programs such as Tabata will improve your ability to recover, improve force production, and get you mentally prepared for heavy lifting.

Tabata Training Exercises

So the second question that came to my mind after reading the Muscle and Fitness article was – can you use any exercise for Tabata training? My belief has always been that high intensity ballistic exercises such as squat jumps, dumbbell snatches, and dumbbell swings work best forTabata.

However, exercises should not be too technical. For example, if you’re just learning to do cleans with a barbell, then don’t useTabata for it. Tabata will wear you out, and you will set yourself with injury if you use exercises you’re not very good at.

Looking back at the Muscle and Fitness article, should you use isolation bodybuilding exercises such as dumbbell curls and tricep extensions? Well, you can, but here’s the way I see it: Tabata training will push you.

You’ll be moving so fast, that your form will literally deteriorate. Hence, a bicep curl actually ends up being a “power shoulder get the dumbbell to your face as fast as possible” movement.

Do you see what I mean? Even a regular pushup ends up being ballistic at some point. If you perform movements slowly during a Tabata workout, then you’re wasting time and are not getting the most out of your 20 seconds.

Hence, stick to high intensity ballistic movements for Tabata training.

More Tabata Info

There is a lot to be written about Tabata and interval training. The following are a few articles I have written on the topic:

• Bodyweight Tabata Training for Beginner Athletes
• Tabata Training: The Complete Guide from Intensity to Insanity
• Interval Training with Burpees

Click here to Learn How You can Work Out using more High Intensity Techniques like Tabata

One of the best ways to help you with your intervals is to use the GymBoss Interval Timer. It costs just $19.95, and you can program it to help you keep track of any sort of intervals you may use. Click here to grab yours today.

Are you afraid of change? Change is such an interesting word. Change, variety, and “switch it up” are often popular buzz words thrown at people in the fitness industry. Many people talk about changing up their workouts, but few people do it. The perfect example is….me.

I mean, on one hand I do a lot of crazy intense things with my workouts. But, at the end of the day it’s all just high intensity bodyweight and free weights workouts thrown together in complex circuits. True change for me would be to go into my gym tomorrow and train like a power lifter. Continue reading

There are thousands of articles, books, videos, and eBooks developed which are devoted to using bodyweight exercises as a way to improve overall health, athletic conditioning, and to burn fat. However, not enough is being written about bodyweight training for mass gain.

This is because not enough people understand how exactly to put on muscle mass with bodyweight training. Well, frankly speaking, you will not become the next Mr. Olympia by using bodyweight training alone. However, you can get freakishly big and strong using very simple bodyweight training principles.

The muscle you place on your body with bodyweight exercises will be functional muscle, or muscle that actually enhances your health and daily function as opposed to countering against it. We’ve all seen bulky bodybuilders who look good on the outside, but there are a million things wrong with them on the inside.

Time Under Tension (TUT): The Forgotten Principle

Time Under Tension (TUT) refers to the amount of time that you place stress on your body with a particular movement. This training principle has been lost in popularity and abandoned for more exciting circuit type workouts which many individuals write about.

However, Circuit Training alone will not help you put on lean muscle mass throughout your body. You must use the principles of TUT if you ever want to succeed in your hypertrophy goals. It is generally accepted that you need to engage your muscles under stress for 30-70 seconds in order for substantial hypertrophy to occur.

Circuit Training is all about moving fast between a variety of exercises, and very rarely does an individual spend 30 seconds on a movement. Well, it’s time to give your circuit and interval workouts a rest and understand how to use TUT to increase muscle mass with bodyweight exercises.

TUT + Compound Exercises + Antagonistic Supersets = More Muscle

The first step in creating your TUT workouts is to stick to compound movements. With bodyweight training, this isn’t much of an issue, as 95% of all the movements are compound in nature. The second step is to organize your workouts into a superset fashion.

Supersets are where you perform two exercises back to back with little to no rest. The key, however, is to use antagonistic supersets. Antagonistic supersets refer to two movements that train opposing muscle groups. For example, you can perform a chest movement, followed by a back movement.

Click here for a Bodyweight Program to Help you Pack on the Mass

You can even alternate between an upper body and lower body  movement. But make sure that you are not working the same muscle groups back to back in a row. One of the primary reasons why I love supersets is because you can condense even your mass building workouts which require greater rest for recovery.

For example, lets assume you are doing a set of pushups followed by a set of pullups. Here’s what a traditional mass building workout would look like:

• Pushups, 3×10, 60 seconds rest between each set
• Pullups, 3×5, 60 seconds rest between each set

If each set takes you 60 seconds to complete, then the entire workout will last approximately 12 minutes. Now, if we alternate between each exercise, we can rest for a shorter time, while still getting the same or even better results.

For example, perform a set of pushups, then rest 30 seconds. Do a set of pullups. While you do the pullups, your chest muscles are still at rest. Rest after your pullups. Hence, your chest is getting 30 seconds of rest after the pushups. Then an additional 60 seconds rest while you perform the pullups (since we said earlier that each set takes 60 seconds to perform).

Finally, your chest is getting an additional 30 seconds rest after the pullups. So, you’re getting a total of 120 seconds rest per muscle group, which means you’ll be stronger and be able to perform more difficult movements. This, of course, means you’ll pack on even more muscle mass.

Here is what a superset mass building workout would look like:

3 rounds of:

• Pushups, 10 reps
• Rest 30 seconds
• Pullups, 5 reps
• Rest 30 seconds
• Go back to pushups.

Click here for a Bodyweight Program to Help you Pack on the Mass

The Final Piece to the Mass Puzzle: Tempo

Tempo refers to the speed at which you perform a movement. Since we’re trying to increase our TUT per movement, we will have to slow down the movements considerably. There are three areas where you can slow down a movement:

• Eccentric – Lowering portion of the movement (example: lowering yourself during a pushup)
• Concentric – Rising portion of the movement (example: pulling yourself during a pullup)
• Isometric – Position held for time (example: holding the bottom position of a squat)

Putting it all Together

This article had a lot of brand new concepts which were introduced. But to review, what we are simply doing here is using the superset method and increasing the TUT of a bodyweight movement by decreasing the tempo of a movement.

If you’re ready to incorporate bodyweight training as part of your fitness plan, then you should check out Bodyweight Exercise Revolution. Coach’s Adam Steer and Ryan Murdock show you how to use unique bodyweight movements to lose fat, build muscle, increase strength, improve athletic fitness, and enhance longevity.

Click here for more information.

According to some people, you can’t build muscle with bodyweight exercises. Well, you can, but it’s completely “inefficient.” Why? Well, they that you can not achieve progressive overload with bodyweight exercises. I completely disagree.

Progressive Overload means that you steadily add more and more stress upon a muscle to cause it adapt to increasing demands. These so called “experts” claim that progressive overload is not possible with bodyweight exercise since the only way you can increase overload is through adding endless sets and reps. Continue reading

Aright guys, so I know you’re tired of me talking about fat loss. The strange thing is that there is a rule floating out there which states that if you want to lose fat, don’t go to someone with a fast metabolism. Ask someone who’s lost fat in the past, and knows how it feels to struggle to lose fat.

That guy is me. I’m still struggling, and so, if your goal is fat loss, you’re in the perfect place. But what about people who are trying to put on muscle. With the exception of a few mass related articles, I don’t talk much about building muscle. How come? Continue reading

The reason you’re not ripped is because you don’t control your diet. Even I don’t really pay attention to my diet, I get compliments all the time about my physique. This is considering the fact that my goal is not fat loss or mass gain.

I workout for athletic and health purposes. The reason I’m able to control my weight is that I still eat rather healthy. My binging days are over, as are my trips to fast food restaurants. I rarely ever have soda and I stay away from sugary Starbucks drinks. Continue reading

The key to burning fat and building lean muscle mass is boosting human growth hormone (HGH) HGH is a hormone naturally produced by the pituitary gland. The primary role of hgh is the growth of bodily tissues. Surprisingly, females release more ghg than males.

Hgh is also involved with the recovery of muscle, bone, and collagen tissue. Additionally, the hormone aides in the regulation of our metabolisms. In other words, hgh is important!

As we get older, our production of natural hgh steadily decreases. This is where the physical symptoms of aging set in: weight gain, decrease in lean muscle mass, wrinkles, etc. Continue reading