Toronto trip

Weekend in Toronto, day 1, paella at Carmen's, the ol CN Tower (worth a climb!), and a big thumbs up from Lilly Marionz down in Florida. She liked the steaks that I sent to her sister Gabby for her 1st birthday. Day 2 of weekend in Toronto. No workout. Walked around the beautiful Annex neighborhood and Yorkville. Great view of Hogwarts from the Park Hyatt.

Free Tactical Fitness Training PDFs

No gimmick or sales pitches.  These are just programs that I developed and tested at the US Naval Academy with lots of Midshipmen training for various schools, professions and PT tests.  I am making them available and just ask that if you find them useful that you might consider donation to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation at: 

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/prevosttraining/prevosttrainingfundraisingpage

 I hope you find them useful.  Go to my blog and click the links to the right to find these programs and more.

Tactical Grip Training

SEAL Screener or BUD/S Prep PT Program (version 3.0)

SEAL Screener or BUD/S Prep PT Program (version 2.0)

Original 12 Week SEAL Screener Program  

USNA 100 Pushups

3 Day / Week Novice Barbell Training

Periodization for the Tactical Athlete

USNA 25 Pull-Up Program

Ruck Training Program

Tactical Training Template

6 Week PRT

14 Week USMC PFT Training Program

Training for Your First Pull-Up

Endurance Training Programming

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Tactical Grip Training

A tactical athlete needs both excellent grip strength and grip endurance.  Whether you are training for a selection course or doing the job day to day, grip strength/endurance is going to be one of the most important qualities you can develop.  People are routinely limited by grip strength on obstacle courses and tactical challenges.  There is a physiological reflex that shuts down your pulling muscles when your grip is about to go.  It takes considerable concentration to overcome this reflex, so most people never notice it.  As a result, in many lifts (like pull ups) people are limited by grip strength, even though it feels like the pulling muscles are giving out.  Don�t believe me?  Try doing pull-ups with wrist straps and see what happens.  Did you do better than usual?  I thought so.  Increasing grip strength makes you stronger overall, in a very real world, tactical sense.  This is usable strength.  "But I train with barbells and have a double bodyweight deadlift.  I should have enough grip strength/endurance, right?"  No, not really.  Barbells and dumbbells (and most other strength equipment) is designed to be as easy on your grip as possible.  Consider the diameter of the bars, the knurling, the balance.  They are designed  NOT to challenge your grip, so that you can lift more weight.  Nothing in real life is that easy on your grip.  In real life your are pulling and dragging odd shaped objects like the collar of somebody's shirt, a rope or some odd shaped piece of gear.  You are pulling up on tree branches, ropes, fences, walls, windows etc.  If you can't hold on to it, you can't lift it, drag it or climb it.  Because this could be a life or death situation for a tactical athlete, dedicated grip strength/endurance training is important.   One could argue that it is the most important strength/muscular endurance quality for a tactical athlete. 

Kettlebell 5 Pillars Workout

If you are looking to get in shape, there are many tools available, including the option of using no tools at all (i.e., bodyweight exercises).  If you want OPTIMAL training, you should choose the best tool for the job.  Nothing beats a fully equipped gym, with access to a large variety of tools.  However, you may not have access to a gym, or you may choose to do something less optimal (but still effective) because it is more fun or convenient.  The best program is the one you will actually do, consistently, week in and week out.  If you like training with kettlebells, you can get an effective whole body workout if you train the 5 pillars.  Depending on the tools you have available and your goals, you could turn this into a strength program, a conditioning program, a high calorie burn program or a hybrid program.   Even with this single tool you have lots of flexibility.  This simple program framework will help you to get started and give you a framework to build from. 

5 trouble spots you can fix thanks to Bruce

I know it may sound a tad bit crazy, but inside today's brand new article from my Toronto's Trouble Spot Training Expert, Bruce Krahn, you'll discover how you can fix your trouble spots: => 5 Trouble Spot Workout Cures Oddly enough I had to go all the way to Miami last year to meet Bruce at a small, closed-doors meeting of 15 elite fitness experts. The seminar was arranged by world-famous

Plan B for Trainers

The journey begins...it's 2,167 miles, and according to Google, will take 37 hours with no traffic. Ha. I think I'll fly, thanks. And actually, it's going to take me a lot longer. But it will be worth it. Today I leave the farm for the big city of Toronto. I'll be there for a couple of days and then flying out to Denver to visit my other business, the HQ of EarlyToRise.com. From there, I

Why and When to Do Cardio

Two years ago I was doing a LOT of cardio. What? Why? Because I needed to be tough. Tough Mudder, tough. I needed to be ready for the 12-mile Tough Mudder race I did in Beaver Creek, Colorado, back in 2012. And I was. The course was brutal, starting at 8,500 feet in elevation and going up to 11,000 feet, but I finished in 2 hours and 45 minutes. A few months later my best friend and I did

Best oblique exercise and rapid fat loss program

Here are three more great questions I answered on Facebook: Q: What are the best exercises for oblique muscles? - Ben Wedighezai Answer: Cross-Body Mountain Climbers, Side Planks, Diagonal Ab Wheel Rollout, Cable Chops. Forget about silly moves like bicycle crunches. Q: I'm 55 yrs old and doing a combination of weight resistance and interval training. How many 30 minute workouts per

Warning From Bedros and Update on Jay

You might have missed this because of the holiday yesterday...so here it is again, a big WARNING from Bedros. (And below that, an important update on my friend, Jason Ferruggia.) #1 reason most personal trainers FAIL - By Bedros Keuilian The #1 reason why fitness businesses fail is because the owner spent too much time & money on the little trivial things that don't matter... ...and not

If You Could Do Just One Workout

This is one of the most common questions I get..and today, Michael Obermeyer of Wichita, Kansas asked me this on our TT Facebook Memorial Day Fitness QnA session: "If you had to pick just one workout to do, which one would it be?" The answer is, without a doubt, my Turbulence Training program. It covers it all: Extreme fat loss, metabolism boosting, and at-home convenience. But I

Squats and Sunshine

Today and Sunday have been the most beautiful days of the year here out on the farm. It's too hot for ol' Bally the Dog today. But we'll get him down to the river for a swim. Until then, it was me and the barbell in an air conditioned gym.1A) Squats1B) Box Jumps2A) Front Squats2B) Good MorningsAnd that's it for 14 days. No more heavy squats. I get a deload week starting on Friday. This program

Brothers Forever: How Two Friends Came to Rest Side by Side at Arlington National Cemetery

Brothers Forever: How Two Friends Came to Rest Side by Side at Arlington National Cemetery



Ladies and Gentlemen: I appear to say but a word. This extraordinary war in which we are engaged falls heavily upon all classes of people, but the most heavily upon the soldier. For it has been said, all that a man hath will he give for his life; and while all contribute of their substance the soldier puts his life at stake, and often yields it up in his country's cause. The highest merit, then is due to the soldier. 



 President Abraham Lincoln
--March 18, 1864 Remarks at Sanitary Fair, Washington, D.C.

Best chest workout

Ready for my best chest workout formula to pump your pecs? I created this for Men's Health magazine because they demanded my perfect dumbbell chest building routine. It started with this MH reader question: "What exercise can I do to build a bigger chest?" - Steve, Gallup, NM Answer: Hey Steve, there's no one magic exercise that'll give you the perfect pecs on its own. The secret is to use a

Grocery store nightmares

It's crazy how many foods have added sugar.Every single deli meat I wanted to buy has sugar, corn syrup, cane juice, dextrose, or some other version of sugar added to the ingredient list. Same with every packaged beef jerky and pepperoni stick. Even most of the salmon fillets and chunks of pre-cooked chicken came with added sugar and fillers. NOTE: I'm lazy and was hoping for an easy way out

Deadlifting Groceries

Deadlift and Grocery Friday morning. Does it get any better than that? I just don't think so. Big Warmup followed by... 1A) Hang Clean (light) 1B) Broad Jump 2) Deadlift 3A) Hang Clean (heavy) 3B) Pull-up 3C) Leg Curl 3D) Side Plank 4) Shrug Too much meathead? Not to your liking? Try this 15-Minute minimal equipment Turbulence Training workout modeled after the new TT Metabolic

#1 Workout of 2014

This might be the #1 workout of 2014...it could be even better than the Guru Fat Loss program from January, or TT Thermo 30 Fat Burning Gauntlets from February, or April's "for Women" Carve-Your-Curve Circuits, and maybe even better than May's TT Metabolic Resistance Training 3.0. Yes, the June TT Workout of the Month may be even better than all of them. It's call "TT Bodyweight Max

Upper Body Pushing in the Garage

Well, I'm shocked.It turns out that ol' TTGPC, from yesterday's brutal leg workout, has almost no muscle soreness. That's great news, because he did over 160 reps - per leg! - of Bulgarian Split Squats in 45 minutes (plus a few other moves, of course). You'll get your chance to do a similar workout on June 2nd or 3rd, when you do workout B from the Max Reps program.I'm really encouraged by

Blue Angels Testing This Week

A @BlueAngels pilot undergoes fitness testing in the USNA Human Performance Lab. How would you measure up? http://t.co/roi951MhvK
� Naval Academy (@NavalAcademy) May 21, 2014

I had the Blue Angels pilots in the lab for testing this week. They are a very fit crew! It was an honor to work with such a group of professionals. Watching them do their thing right now.

World of Hurt Leg Workout Coming Soon

A World Of Hurt.Great name for a soap opera, don't you think?It's also where my TTGPC is going to be waking up tomorrow after doing workout B from the June 2014 TT WOM.In the Max Reps program, I'm giving you a unique way to boost your muscle endurance, and hopefully double your pushups, pullups, and single leg performance.Workout B is the single leg workout...about 45 minutes long, and half

How to Sell Fitness

You probably know all about the following trainers: - Mikey Whitfield (see his amazing results below) - Kate Vidulich (up-and-coming superstar) - Shawna Kaminski (breakthrough trainer of the year) What do they all have in common? They learned how to sell fitness from this ONE expert. And now he's ready to help YOU. Yes, my best Armenian friend, and master of selling

Squats and Nutrition Tips You Will Not hear Anywhere Else

Today has been fantastic, and it's only 11:05am. First up was a great dog walk with ol' Bally the Dog. We also goofed around inside and I snapped a few dolfies (Dog selfies) of him. I'll post tomorrow.After that it was my squat workout. 1A) Squats1B) Box Jumps2A) Good Mornings2B) Front Squats3A) Lunges3B) Leg CurlsIt was a good 1 hour session, followed by some healthy food shopping at The Gentle

Experimental and short workouts

Experiment morning in the lab...working on new TT Bodyweight Max Reps for the June Workout of the month...if you want to double your pushups and increase your pullups, you'll love it. Will be ready by June 1st! Want shorter workouts?11-minute workout gets it 70-90% done (depends on goals) => http://www.earlytorise.com/new-11-minute-workout-burns-your-fat-while-you-sleep-free/Forget the

CarTire Workout

This is a very creative and effective use of a simple car tire.  Realistically, if you did this workout 3 X week do you really think you would need anything else?  No gym, no problem.

What the heck is this machine?

I've had a nice short stay at the beautiful new Four Seasons in mid-town Toronto...working on ETR essays with this great view. I have one last appointment this morning here in Toronto and then heading back to the farm... This nice view almost tempts you into doing cardio...but much better to do bodyweight exercises in the yoga room... There are lots of interesting 'toys' in the Toronto

Why Westside is a good strength template for tactical athletes

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan - Abe Roman, 165-pound male division first place winner and overall male Far East Powerlifting champion, deadlifts 474 pounds.  Photo Lance Cpl. Cayce Nevers

Last month I attended the National Strength and Conditioning Association's (NSCA)Tactical Strength and Conditioning (TSAC) Conference as an invited speaker.  The TSAC is a great conference with world class athletes and speakers.  If you ever have the opportunity to go, do it.  One of the speakers was Matt Wenning.  Matt is a beast with a 600lb raw bench press!  He is also very intelligent and a very articulate speaker.  Matt made a strong case for using the Westside strength template for tactical athletes.  His main point was that:

1. Westside works for producing strength.
2.  The high level of variety with the Westside system ensures that it has more transfer to the highly varied strength challenges of tactical athletes.

 I agree with that assessment on both counts.  Point # 2 is especially important and should not be overlooked.  However, for novice lifters, Westside is going to be a bit complex.  Also, novice lifters often do not have the experience, or lifting technique in the basic lifts in order to benefit from a Westside type of template.  For those reasons, I often recommend a simple Starting Strength type of program for novice tactical athletes.  This gives them plenty of experience with the basic lifts (i.e., bench press, deadlift, back squat, powerclean, press).  These are the fundamentals.  Remember your old football coach used to always preach, "fundamentals before fancy stuff."  Six to 10 months of Starting Strength is a good foundation in the fundamentals.  Some are going to need more than that.  After building some proficiency with the fundamentals, the Westside template makes sense for a tactical athlete. 

However, Matt applied the Westside template to hundreds of US Army Rangers with great success.  In this case they had excellent coaching.  With good coaching, tactical athletes can jump into a Westside type of program much sooner.  Those tactical athletes who are doing this on their own would be better served with a simpler approach like Starting Strength first.

Matt has an excellent guide to applying these principles to tactical athletes.  You can find it here.

Deadlift vs Madonna

It's been a fun few days here in Toronto.On Wednesday night I met up with a couple of doctors for a seafood paella dinner at Patria restaurant in Toronto. Turns out an old friend of mine is the General Manager there. The paella was good, but not as good as the one I had in Barcelona last year. Next time I'm in Toronto I'll try another popular Spanish restaurant, Bar Isabella.On Thursday, I

Burning belly fat in Toronto

Research and personal experience shows that there are three "magical" exercises that can burn up to 20 calories per minute. The first two are awesome, but not practical for everyone because they require equipment and PERFECT technique. The third is one you can do anytime, anywhere, no equipment required. The 3 exercises that burn 20 calories per minute are: 1) Kettlebell Swings <= Do NOT

28 Minute 500-rep Circuit

28 minute 500 rep circuit for a TTGPC (TT Guinea Pig Client)1A) Box Jumps - 10 reps1B) Overhead Squat - 20 reps, no weight, just a broomstick1C) TBX - 20 reps1D) TRX Triceps Extension - 10 reps 1E) Slam Ball Slammingz - 20 reps 1F) Power Wheel Rollout - 20 reps5 rounds. Minimal rest. Not too crazy on the conditioning, but a good sweat, and lots of movement patterns. Feedback was that it was

Rainy Day Home Gym Meathead Workout

The day started a little wet. But that gave me, I mean Bally, an idea for a great article.http://www.earlytorise.com/the-sad-tail-of-the-jogger-by-bally-the-dog/But after that the day has turned amazing...it's warm and humid, like the final day of school in late June, and has been a pleasure to sit outside and do my morning readings.I also hit a sweat home gym upper body meathead workout of

Squat and Strength in the Spring Heat

Interesting workout day today. First, I don't know why, but I had more strength and mental alertness than I can recall in a long, long time. But I didn't do anything special today, and I slept very poorly last night due to shifting time zones and a warm bedroom. I had 2 spoonfuls of cacao nibs, but that's still slightly less than normal. Still, dang, the squatting was good today. And

Using Heart Rate and Pace During the Summer Transition

I have been training in zone 1 and 2 for a couple of months now.  For me, that involves keeping my heart rate below 130 BPM.  I have no particular run goals in mind right now other than building some leg durability and "keeping in touch" with decent run fitness so that if I decide to do an event, I can train up quickly.  Today was the first hot run of the year.  Last week I was wearing long sleeved shirts for my morning runs and today I probably lost a gallon of sweat.  This is the "transition" season between spring and summer.  During this time of the year, many of us have not heat acclimatized yet.  What it meant for me this morning was that I simply could not keep my heart rate below 130 on the second half of the run.  I was closer to 145 at an easy pace.  Why?  Because heart rate is an output and not an input.  Heart rate responds to work rate (pace), which is why it is used as a gauge of exercise intensity.  However, heart rate responds to other factors as well.  Heat is one of them.  In hot weather, the body shunts some blood away from working muscles and to the surface of the skin for cooling.  Also, as you sweat, blood volume is reduced, so the heart has to pump more often to pump the same amount of blood.  Both of these factors result in an increased heart rate for the same work rate (pace).  If you have the ability to track pace and heart rate, you can manage this transition period effectively and ensure that you get quality sessions, despite the changes in heart rate response.

1.  Should I simply maintain a pace that keeps me in my heart rate zone during this time of the year?  No.  If I did that this morning, I would have had to run too slowly.  In that case, my leg muscles would not have received an adequate training stimulus.  Aerobic fitness is primarily in the muscles.

2.  If I train at an elevated heart rate in this case am I overworking the heart?  No.  You don't slow down because your heart is tired.  Except for cases of clinical heart disease, cardiac fatigue is not the reason you cannot go a faster pace.  Fatigue is due to biochemical fatigue in the muscles, not the heart.

3.  So, should I train at an elevated heart rate all summer then?  No, not exactly.  Over time (approximately 2 weeks, with most adaptation happening in the first week) your heart rate will settle back down.  This happens due to heat acclimatization.  The primary response is that your body increases blood volume. However, if you train in the heat, you will probably have to accept a slightly higher heart rate (approx. 5 BPM).

4.  So, how should I manage this until I heat acclimatize? 

• The first thing you should do is pay extra attention to hydrating before you start your runs.  Then, hydrate during the run.  Both of these will help to preserve blood volume and result in keeping your heart rate closer to where it should be. 
• Second, if you can monitor pace, as well as heart rate, try to keep your pace close to where it was before the hot weather hit.  If you slow down too much in order to maintain your target heart rate range, you will not adequately train the muscles, which are the primary target for training.  However, there is a cost to training at the same pace, but a higher heart rate.  The higher heart rate is driven primarily by a higher central nervous system (CNS) sympathetic drive.  Over time this can result in a bit more CNS fatigue.  As a result, you will probably need to dial back pace just a little bit.  I would accept a slightly higher heart rate, by about up to 10 BPM higher by the end of the run.  More than that would be excessive and might be a sign that you need to be more aggressive with hydration.
• Third, acclimatization is going to happen fast.  If you pay attention to hydration, you should be back to within 5-8 BPM of normal within 2 weeks.  Because of the heat though, you are probably going to have to adjust your HR zones up by just a bit.  5 BPM is probably about right.
• Fourth, if you are using a software analysis tool like Training Peaks or others to compute training load and training stress balance, the higher heart rate for a given pace is going to lead to inaccuracies.  It will overestimate training stress.  Training stress is determined primarily by work accumulation.  HR is not a great estimate of work rate if it is elevated due to heat stress and lack of heat acclimatization.  Remember, HR is an output, not an input.

In summary, keep your pace close to where it was in cooler weather.  Dial it back just a little and temporarily accept a higher heart rate.  You should see your heart rate come down to within 5 BPM or so of normal in about 2 weeks.   This is an indication that you have heat acclimatized.  During the summer, adjust your HR zones up by about 5 BPM if training in the heat.  Ensure that you have a good hydration strategy to include hydration during a run.  Monitor pace and heart rate to ensure that you are getting it right.

Slay the Stairs 355 Workout

355 "Slay the Stairs" Workout Part 2 - This is ADVANCED...not for Beginners...Intermediate would do 3 rounds and cut back on reps and intensity: 1A) San Diego Convention Stairs - 1 rep bottom to top 1B) Decline Pushups (walk hands down stairs) - 10 reps 1C) Narrow Stance BW "Air Squats" - 20 reps 1D) Close-Grip Pushups - 10 reps - 5 rounds, no rest 2A) Jumps (jump and SOFTLY land 2-3 steps

Trainer of the Year

"Dave is the richest personal trainer on the face of the earth," my friend Bedros Keuilian told me. "Wow," I replied. "Sounds like Dave would be Trainer of the Year at the TT Summit. Can you tell me more about him?" I said to Bedros. Here was Bedros' reply...and you can learn more from Bedros here. "You see Craig," Bedros started, "Here's the TRUTH about Dave..." "Dave, is known around

Deadlift in the Secret Room

Very cool "hidden room" at Fit Athletic in San Diego. Awesome deadlift workout for me today, ran into a long-time TT reader that recognized me (great to meet you, Toby!), and then did a meditation session looking out into PetCo stadium. Great start to the day. What's your plan? (4 photos) -- Craig Ballantyne, CTTCertified Turbulence Trainerwww.TurbulenceTrainingFanpage.com

Cardio or Meathead Meditation in San Diego

Amazing view at Fit Athletic in San Diego...almost, ALMOST makes me interested in cardio. Almost. Ha! But instead of cardio, I did a meathead workout and then sat down out here for 20 minutes of "Meathead Meditation". Now for a great day working with CTT's, Mike Whitfield, Shawna Kaminski, Kate Vidulich, and many others. My Meathead workout was:Warm-up- Shoulder mobility exercises:

San Diego Stairs Workout

San Diego "Stay Classy Stair Nemesis '358' Workout" 1A) Stair Sprints x 1 rep (bottom to top) 1B) Pushups x 20 reps 1C) Total Body Extension (TBX) - 20 reps 1D) Cross-Body Mountain Climbers - 10/side (count as 20) - 5 rounds, rest is only when you 'jog' back down 2A) Stair Sprints x 1 rep (bottom to top) 2B) TBX - 20 reps in first two rounds, 10 reps on last round - 3 rounds, rest is only when

Shawna's Sick Circuit Workout

Put a client through "Sick Shawna's Sick Workout" today. Sick arm shake at end...LOL!1A) Burpees - 20 on, 10 off1B) Jump Rope/Jumping Jacks - 40 on, 20 off- 6 rounds- no rest between rope/jacks and back to burpees 2A) Kettlebell Swing - 25 reps (53 pounder) 2B) Total Body Extension - 25 reps 2C) Stability Ball or Power Wheel Rollout - 25 reps 2D) Side Plank - 30 seconds per sideIf you are

Super Tough Burpee Workout

It was easily the toughest workout I've done all year. And I blame one woman. (Actually, I thank her for it.) You see, this workout used something sneaky that shocked my metabolism sky-high for the rest of the day. I've tried over and over and over again to replicate the exact feeling that I got from this simple circuit. The metabolic SHOCKER was six rounds of burpees paired with jump

Squats and Sparks

Today was barbell workout #1 of my new personal 4-week program. Frankly, I wanted to start the week with deadlifts, but my grip strength is weak and biceps are a little sore from Saturday's intervals. Weird. I don't run that much anymore, and I think pumping my arms while sprinting left them sore.Anyways, so I squatted. And it was really, really great. I also ate about 6,000 calories on

Saturday in NYC

My friend got a free random upgrade to the $22,000 a night Presidential Suite here at the St. Regis in NYC...here I am doing some "Presiner" squats (prisoner squats in the Presidential suite) and "working" at the Presidential office desk. Great times. Big NYC workout summary coming in Monday's TT email with a surprise guest workout from one of the most famous romance authors in the

TT vs. Spiderman

Holy cow, Workout Man! This is BIFF! POW! BOOM! big news! Friday is the FINAL day, I'm GIVING away four awesome and advanced fat loss programs when you get Roman's SuperHero program. Get a Hollywood SuperHero body with Roman and my bonus workouts But hurry, this special offer ends Friday night. When you get Roman's program at the link above, just email Lesa at

20th TT Transformation Contest Starts NOW

Happy May 1st. You could just as easily change your life today as on New Years. "New opportunity is matter of choice not calendar." � Dan Kennedy Stay strong. Keep on pushing on. Never give up on what is important to you. And the KEY is to know what is REALLY important to you.Listen, this might be tough to hear...but I've got to get this off my chest. You were put here on this earth