Personal Bests from Pauses and Rests

LOL. Poetry!Do I ever take a week off from everything? A Facebook Fan asked that today.The answer is no. Not everything.But I think I had 7 days without weights in Europe, and 17 days without heavy weights.And boy, oh boy, am I feeling extra muscle soreness this week because of it. But I've also set a few interesting personal bests.Time away from regular training helps, but I'd never spend just

Truth About Weight Loss

It makes me so sad to hear from men and women around the world that are still doing hours and hours of cardio exercise for weight loss. "I'm not losing inches," they cry. "And my knees, back, and hips hurt from doing the same BORING thing over and over again." I feel your pain. I once ran too much. It left me skinny fat. It was only when I gave that up � in

True story of Bally the Dog

Oh dear, another Bally the Dog misadventure. There we were on our regular afternoon dog walk through the city cemetery, underneath the mature Canadian maple trees, all lush and green from a mid-summer's rainstorm. And then he had to go and spoil the mood�by pooping. Frantically I searched my pockets. Where were those bags? They must have fallen out on our walk�uh oh.

Classic Spaced Out Garage Workout

Let's start with diet. I'm pushing for as many CASS-Free days as possible as I warm-up for my personal diet transformation in the 24th TT Contest.Tomorrow, Thursday, will be CASS-Free. I don't have any training planned, so I'll avoid caffeine.Tuesday was a caffeinated day (Zevia cola + a small Green Tea) before a great upper body workout. That was a bit too much caffeine for ol' CB's low

Backyard Farmer Workout on the Farm

It's early October in terms of weather out here on the farm today. But it's perfect for taking today's garage workout into the open air. And it was a total Meathead session too, so plenty of fun and good times had by all.Here's how the workout went down:1A) Decline Pause Pushups - max reps at a 1-1-1-1 tempo1B) KB Snatch1C) Shrug1D) Ab Wheel2A) TRX Triceps Extension 2B) DB Incline Curl2C) Slam

Deadlifting Device-Free

Sunday was a fun-day. It involved deadlifts, a trip to the health store, a walk through the local market, and lots of reading. It was also a Device-FREE day, meaning NO electronics. No email. No phone. No laptop. Workout:1A) Hang Clean1B) mobility2A) Trap Bar Deadlift2B) mobility3A) Military Press3B) Full Squat 3C) Snatch Grip DLUpper back is celebrating muscle soreness today!Diet Update and

Dreaming and Pressing

True story. I have strange, vivid, and entertaining dreams every night. I always have, from the childhood right up to last night. They are as extensive and memorable as any Hollywood blockbuster you could find.Last night`s dream started with a keg party that I was hosting with an old high school friend that I haven`t heard from in a while. That morphed into me being momentarily caught on

Off Day Fitness QnA

Off day today. Just a long walk through the city cemetery with ol' Bally the Dog. There's a particular road lined by mature maple trees that makes for a picturesque archway to walk under each morning. I love it. The cemetery is so green (must have some good fertilizer, dark humor LOL). After the walk he ate and I did a 20-minute series of Missi Holt-inspired yoga stretches. I feel great, and

Arms Abs and Souvenirs

Uh-oh. It's been 48 hours since the 5x5 squats. The soreness seems to have peaked overnight, but I'm still stiff. Low back muscles (spinal erectors) are also a little sore. That means I need to push my deadlift workout back a day to Saturday...or maybe even Sunday when the gym will be completely dead. We'll see. I have to get a full 3-week cycle in before I head out on my next trip to

Dropping dead from jogging

Sad news. Just yesterday I read about a prominent Toronto lawyer and philanthropist that died of a heart attack while out jogging. He was 75 years old. That's too young these days. Even worse, last month the big news from Britain was the death of an otherwise-healthy 31-year old man named Miles Frost who died while out for a jog. Why are people dropping dead from

Benching in my Sleep

Tough sleep last night. Couldn't make it past 2am since I'm still on Europe time. Mind you, I couldn't keep my eyes open past 7:15pm last night, so I did get a decent nights sleep. Still, I needed some caffeine pre-workout, and I've had some Paleo Protein with stevia. Tomorrow should be CASS-Free.(CASS = Caffeine, alcohol, sweetener, soda)Today's Workout was good times. I was a little too

1 weird fat loss tip from Europe

You've probably heard "French women don't get fat." And if you've ever been to Europe it seems like all they do is eat chocolate, drink wine, party all night...and somehow stay slim. Well, I just spent 17 days across the pond visiting Russia, Lithuania, Turkey, and England and I have to say, there are definitely more slim folks on the streets compared to my beloved home bases of

Squats and CTT Success Stories

Back to squat rack, back to squat rack.(Sung to the tune of Back to School in Billy Madison...although with much more excitement!)1A) Speed Squat - 5x31B) Mobility Exercises2A) Squat - 5x52B) Upper Body Stretches3A) Front Squat - 4x103B) Leg Curl - 4x10Legs will probably be sore tomorrow. That's the first real squat session I've had in weeks. Combined with the fact that I didn't sleep well last

23rd TT Contest Winners Announced

Congrats to the winners of the 23rd TT Transformation Contest! => http://www.turbulencetrainingcontest.com/winners_0715.shtmlNew contest coming soon,Craig Ballantyne, CTT

CB at the EPL in CP

Finally...I made it to my first EPL game...Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace. Fun day in London. Decent weather. And a day full of polite British people. One of them even woke me up at the train station after I had fallen asleep on the way home. Brits get the Gold medal for politeness...nowhere else compares. Great visit...today I fly home to Toronto and get back to work creating new workouts for

Last Day in London

Last day in London town. Woke up early, did 90 minutes of writing TT articles, 21 minutes of meditation, and then a 75 minute sunrise walk from the Shard to St. Paul's to London bridge and back. Now for breakfast (walnuts, blueberries, peanut butter, and a banana), and then off to Heathrow to fly back to Toronto. Today's Kickbutt Mindset Tip:Whatever is in your way, you're stronger than it,

5-minute metabolic workout

If you need to reset your metabolism to kick-start your fat loss, here's the perfect way to start your morning. I did this circuit on the weekend here in my hotel room in London, England, where I was attending my first professional soccer game (Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace - amazing times!). 5-Minute Metabolic Kick-Starter Workout for Men and Women of All Ages

Tiny Gym Meathead Workout

Shockingly tough Meathead workout in a tiny hotel gym today...Rowing intervals, Pause Pushups, Chest Supported DB Rows, More rowing intervals, 1-Arm Standing Shoulder Presses, and some DB work for bi's and tri's. Bringing the gun show to London town...after all, I am going to an Arsenal game today, so I brought out the arsenal in the gym. Haha. Alright, off for a morning walk and maybe more

London Leg Day

Today I woke up in London. Early. Excited. It's going to be a fun weekend.It started with an hour of quality writing. I'm very happy with what I produced. I can use that piece for several purposes.Then it was on to meditation with the sunrise over the city. And then up to the gym on the 52nd floor. It's not a bad place to do intervals...if that was today's workout...but it wasn't...instead:1A)

Honey of a breakfast and workout

Wow. Another amazing start to the day here in Istanbul. Just wait till you see what I had for breakfast. It was the healthiest, most delicious cheat day meal I've ever had. But first, I woke up early, got to work, finished a major project, did 16 minutes of meditation to calm myself down, and then hit the gym. It was a Meathead Traveler workout and went like this.Today's Workout:1A)

Turbulence Tourism

Wow. What an incredible morning. I just returned from a tour of the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, and the Topkapi Palace here in Istanbul. These grounds are full of so much history and beauty. I'm really glad we hired a tour guide because she gave us the story behind the story, and helped us avoid the long lines in the hot Turkish sun. And she showed my friends how to properly drink the

The Morning is Magic

More structure in your day = More freedom in your life. Get up early and give your number one priority the focus it deserves for at least 15 minutes every single morning. My mornings, even when on "holiday" here in Istanbul go like this: Wake-up early, write for an hour, meditate for 20 minutes, exercise. Now I am FREE to do whatever I want all day long...and that will be to tour the

Day One in Istanbul with a Meathead Workout

Good morning, from Istanbul. As the sun rises in the Middle East while you might just be getting to bed, it reminds me that the world is always alive with opportunity. So...Don't stop. The more you move in the right direction towards success, the better you'll feel. Every day work on making new positive habits into automatic activities. Commit Fully. Get Started. Push Forward. Make Mistakes

Last Day in Lithuania

It's a been a low-volume exercise weekend. I've just done a couple of 4-minute workouts (including yesterday's BlackSmith Camp graduation punisher challenge). Today was an extended old-man warm-up. Later we fly to Istanbul, and tomorrow morning I'll take advantage of the hotel gym for a quick session before a big walk around the Grand Bazaar.Diet wise, I stocked up on almonds, walnuts,

Hot Bodyweight Bootcamp Workouts in Vilnius at BlackSmithCamp

Wow. Just got in from a sweaty BlackSmithCamp.com bodyweight bootcamp workout. It's 95 degrees (34 Celcius) here in Vilnius today. That's nearly 25 degrees (farenheit) above normal for August. Good times though, and here are the two workouts we've done so far. Jeff Schneider grabbed a photo of yesterday's session but I don't have a copy yet.Workout #1 - Total Body Training1A) Ballantyne's (

Check out this Turbulence Training before and after

Amazing TT success story!Rocco Taraborrelli?Turbulence TrainingI've been doing TT for over a year, lost 30 lbs, feel great, I got my son on it 1 year ago this Aug 5th (age 21)and he just totally crushed it, lost 50, check out the pics, Craig, your inspiration to him and me (bigtime)

you gotta see these pics of 40 pounds of fat loss

Today is the BIG day. You're about to meet the men and women who have lost over 228 pounds and nearly 68 inches from their waistlines. Talk about looking sexy. You gotta see these pics from the finalists of our 23rd Transformation Contest - and just wait till you hear their stories. They are better than the Biggest Loser. Click here to see how they lost up to 40 pounds.

Built to Endure Blog is Live

The book is getting nearer to completion so I am starting to move content over to the new blog. The book will be a free download and will consolidate many of the ideas from this blog.   Eventually all content from this blog will be shifted over.  Any new posts will be made at the new blog.  Please bookmark it for the future.  

www.built-to-endure.blogspot.com

Sunrise in Lithuania

Sunrise walk in Vilnius, Lithuania. And a pre-dinner photo with my fellow instructors of the BlackSmithCamp.com - now for 4 days of teaching young people...and crushing them in bodyweight bootcamp workouts. Ha!

The Most Important Forum Post Ever About Strength and Conditioning

Read the post and then read through the responses.  Consider the basic message.  This is a tremendous insight and virtually nobody was talking about this before Dan John.  You'll find it here.

Glucose Burning Hotel Gym Workout LOL

Did some fun hotel gym workouts in St. Petersburg. Mostly cable work, along with some smith machine RDLs and bodyweight lower body exercises. Just 20 minutes, because we walked about 6 miles a day covering the amazing city. It was so clean. It embarrasses every American city I've ever been too in terms of cleanliness. Funny stuff from Russia (the "disco chandelier gym at the Four Season"), a

Final Deadlift Day for the Summer

Yesterday was another CASS-Free day thanks to the support and accountability of the TT forum, but this morning there was pre-workout caffeine, and stevia in some protein shakes. That's because today was a deadlift day. It's my final workout before I hit the road for 17 days. There will