Streaking and Deadlifting

Yesterday I trained at the Senior's Center in Seminole, Florida. It was actually an LA Fitness, but 80% of the people in the gym were over 55. It was kind of cute, slightly funny, and very inspiring. There were some great mature folks working hard. One gentleman banged out 15 chinups. I was impressed. It's great to see folks taking up exercise at every age.The facilities were dirty, and I

11-Minute Workout Burns Fat While You Sleep

According to researchers from Southern Illinois University, you CAN burn fat while you sleep. And it only takes an "11 minute workout done three times per week". Today, you'll get a super-fast, super-effective TT workout to help you burn fat all day long - while getting your results in FIVE times less than the average cardio session or bootcamp class. The TT 11-Minute "Burn Fat While You

10 foods never to eat

If you want to lose weight from your thighs, hips, love handles, or belly fat, you MUST avoid these foods. You see, 13 years ago, while attending a small science conference at the Holiday Inn in Barrie, Ontario (where I ran last summer's Toronto Tough Mudder), I discovered one ingredient NEVER to eat. Literally, NEVER. (Even though it's in 10 common foods - see below!) It is one of the

The Best Way to Lose Weight According to Famous New York Doctor

Here's the BEST way to lose weight, according to a famous doctor from New York City: "If someone is going to lose weight, they need to take it off as quickly as possible", says Dr. Sue Decotiis, a board-certified doctor based in New York City with a specialty in medical weight loss and hormone replacement therapy. That's why I've always disliked the advice that you should slowly lose 1-2

Monday Maximus

Today's a travel day from the farm to Toronto. I'll stay overnight there and then catch a morning a flight to Tampa. After a trip to Whole Foods and the mall (to get some new trainers), I'll head to the Gulf Coast for some Joel Marion-family hospitality. There will be a huge group of us fitness experts getting together this weekend for Joel's annual Superbowl party. Vinny D, Flavia, Mike

How to lose 0.71 pounds per day

I've got an amazing insider tip for you today about how to work with your body when it comes to weight loss, fat burning, and healthy living. When you with (and not against) your body, it's much easier to get fast & long-lasting results. But you must read every word that my friend Dr. K shares below to get his insider secrets on how to change your body in days. Success is simple, Craig

Maximizing Pushups and Bench Press for Selection Training Without Wrecking Your Shoulders

First of all, most people should not attempt to do this.  Pulling this off takes patience and involves a delicate balance between fatigue and recovery.  If this is not done right, most will end up with a shoulder overuse injury.  However, for the tactical athlete preparing for selection, who needs bench press strength, and who will be exposed to hundreds of pushups per day during training, it is a necessity.  It can be done effectively.  At the US Naval Academy we experimented with different plans for Midshipmen preparing for the SEAL screener, BUD/S and other programs.  Our previous experience in building up pushup numbers using daily (or near daily) sub-maximal volume (several sets, none taken to failure, in an attempt to do lots of volume) proved to be very effective at building up pushup numbers.  However, throwing in heavy bench presses became problematic.  The fatigue load was too much.  The solution we employed was simple and effective.  There are many ways  to do this and below is just one example.  Focus on the overall principles and apply them to your situation.

Example:  Athlete looking to improve bench press and pushups and currently at 45 strict pushups for a max.  The starting pushup volume was 100 pushups per day.  Over time this would be increased to several hundred per day as tolerance improves. The pushups can be done together as several sets with plenty of rest in between, or can be done "grease the groove" (google it) style.

Monday:

• Heavy bench press workout; 
• push-ups, 100 total, as many sets as necessary, stopping 1-2 reps shy of failure on each set.

Tues: 100 pushups, done as sets of 10 reps, keep it easy with no fatigue build up

Wed: 100 pushups, done as 4 sets of 25

Thurs:

• Heavy bench press workout; 
• pushups, 100 total, as many sets as necessary, stopping 1-2 reps shy of failure on each set.

Fri: 100 pushups, done as sets of 10 reps, keep it easy with no fatigue build up

Sat: 100 pushups, done as 5 sets of 20

Sun: 100 pushups, done as 4 sets of 25 (or test max pushups, then finish the 100 stopping 2-3 reps shy of failure) or skip this pushup workout if you are fatigued

These pushup numbers apply to our example above.  You will need to adjust based on your capability.  The pattern is what is important.  We found that bench press strength was not negatively impacted as long as the pushups sets were not done to failure (except for an occasional Sunday).  The "easy" day following the bench press workout was enough to freshen up prior to the next workout.  This was a manageable workload that could be sustained long term as long as we did not get greedy on the pushups.  The key is to let the pushup numbers improve gradually and never go to failure.  Also, pushing should be balanced with pulling.  This was never a problem for us as we were simultaneously increasing pull-up numbers.  You should consider doing as much pulling as pushing.  Obviously you will not be doing as many reps of pulling as pushups, but keep the number of set about the same.  Frequently we did our pulling in between sets of pushups.

If you are going to do this, you must have near perfect pushup form!  Keep your shoulders packed and your core engaged.  No sagging hips and flared elbows!  Poor form will destroy your shoulders if you are pushing out lots of reps daily.

In summary, training pushup volume and bench press strength can be done simultaneously.  However, you must manage fatigue by "freshening up" the day after a heavy bench press workout.  You still get in the volume, but do so with low rep sets and plenty of recovery between sets.  No sets of pushups should be taken to failure.  Be sure to do plenty of pulling.  Back off at the first sign of shoulder pain. Remember, it is easy to be hard, but it's hard to be smart.  Be smart.

Saturday Morning Special is Circuits and Omelets

Today's workout in the garage was followed with a cooking lesson from my old high school buddy (he's a chef, trained in France, and works on private yachts). He made a great omelet for breakfast - and one for my mom, too, since we borrowed her kitchen as mine is not as nice - and then I fried up some plantains. Today's TT Meathead workout was 5 rounds of: DB Rows, KB Overhead Press, DB

How to get results in 14 days

10 pounds in 14 days sounds like a BIG goal, but it's not unrealistic. In fact, research shows that the FASTER you lose, the better your chance of success. I encourage you to set the bar high, but it's essential that you follow a proven rapid fat loss plan with sustainable and healthy living habits. That way you'll avoid rebound weight gain. 10 POUNDS in 14 Days <--- (Read this article

When to do cardio (surprising)

Three years ago I was doing a LOT of cardio. Wait. What? Why Craig, 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

25 videos and 10x10 workout

On Monday we finished 25 new workout videos (+ 10 bonus 1-minute workouts) and you won't believe the quality of the production. It's simply amazing. It was filmed in an NBC TV studio, so it will be like watching the REAL thing...real TV. I was impressed. Almost as good as: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0_aBMgBo_k The new videos will be available just before Ballantyne's Day...another

45 second exercise

Most people, especially as they age, have lost faith in their ability to burn off fat and get in shape. They've given in to the idea that an unattractive body shape, poor muscle tone and a sluggish metabolism are inevitable... that their best days are behind them. But NOTHING could be further from the truth -- your body has simply changed. And doing what MAY have worked for you 10, 20, 30 years

Night Time Struggle Solution

Nights can be a real diet struggle. You've worked hard all day and earned a reward. And that's fair. You can have one. But the problem is we often have too many treats and set ourselves back. I know how you feel. I've been there. So what's the BEST decision you can make for weight loss tonight? The best action to take is to find out how to eat WHATEVER you want every five days while still

Benching and Swimming in Denver

Another great day in Denver yesterday, and so far today. Today's workout:1A) Bench Press1B) Barbell Row2A) Military Press2B) Machine Chest-Supported Row 3A) Dips3B) PullupsGreat times.Followed that with a 4-lap indoor/outdoor swim at the hotel. Who knew swimming in Denver in January would be warmer than swimming in Miami. And cool to have the downtown Denver Clock Tower in my view from the (

CB vs Peanut Butter Pie and Squats and Todd Durkin

I've jam packed my schedule today in Denver. After a great dinner of sea bass, a little bit of a friend's ribeye steak, a baked potato, and spinach last night at Ocean Prime (and no drinks despite much drinking going on around me), I woke up at 4am to write.I was tired. But I did 1,000 words and then meditated. That actually wakes me up, because meditation is like taking a nap. Then I went

Stopping and Streaking

It's been a very good two days for the streaks. Yesterday, after a slight delay, I had a pleasant flight from Miami to Denver. My seatmate was great, a cross between Larry David and Dan Kennedy. When the plane landed, the flight attendants asked everyone without a connection to stay seated while those pressed for time got off first.I have never witnessed such a civil and fast deplaning.

7 day fat loss guide

Have you heard this weight loss LIE? "If you cut 500 calories per day, you'll lose a pound per week, because a pound of fat is 3500 calories." Recent research proved this is not true. As my friend Shaun Hadsall says, "Drastic reductions in calorie intake only cause the body fight back against your dieting, causing your body to hold on to fat." If you want to lose fat fast, you must use

250,000 Fans!

Deadlift yesterday, travel day today, and we hit 250,000 Facebook Fans over the weekend. Very cool. Here's just some of the great feedback: "This does work...getting up at 4:30 am now so that I have time to read, meditate, do my 4 min workout and drink my green tea, honey and cinnamon. I have lost weight...have more energy during the day and I stay focused at work better than I did before.

Drink this on Monday morning

If I could show you a simple drink (that you can make in about 20 seconds each morning upon waking), and this drink can help you to improve your digestion, detoxify your body, BOOST your energy for the day, and even possibly help you lose fat, would you try it? Of course you would! Check it out at today's article: => Drink THIS first thing in the morning (detoxify, improve digestion, boost

Swimming and Lifting and Eating in Miami

My Florida Morning Swim in the Pool streak ended today. It was just too cold for a swim as downtown Miami is cool, damp, and overcast this morning. Hopefully the sun peaks out later. Yesterday shocked my body too much when I jumped in for my two laps, and so we say goodbye to 10 straight days of 5 minute swims.The big Miami Mastermind also ends today. Many lessons learned. Great time with

Best Quote and Watch this Video

Today you're getting perhaps my BEST quote ever...but first, here's some harsh truth... Look, fact is women are hardwired to have much more difficult time losing weight and keeping it off than Men. You can thank evolution for that one. Now, today's video shows you exactly what's happening in a woman's body that's making it harder to lose weight. And more importantly, you'll see a

Getting Back on Track

Today's workout brought me back to LA Fitness. Time for some Meathead Upper Body pressing and pulls. I was well fueled after the last couple of days (see below) and despite a bit of tightness in my right pec, I had a great workout. Lots of WYLIT, pushups, band pulls, etc to warm-up.1A

Skinny Guys, METCON is Probably Ruining Your Training

Skinny guys, you probably like doing METCON workouts because you are good at them, especially bodyweight METCONs.  METCON fitness improves rapidly.  It does not take long to get good at METCONs.  They are hard and make you feel like you accomplished something.  They develop mental toughness and great cardio capacity.  I get all of that.  Here is the problem.  If you are trying to get big and strong, you are working against yourself.  I'll keep it simple:

1. METCON reduces the amount of weight you can lift during a session.  Running sprints between sets of squats will keep you from going as heavy as you could.
2.  METCON workouts interfere with muscle recovery between heavy workouts.
3.  METCON workouts burn lots of calories (great for weight loss) that could be diverted to getting bigger.
4.  METCON workouts can produce a catabolic response (through cortisol) that can result in losing muscle.
5.  Most METCON workouts are not loaded heavy enough to stimulate muscle growth or strength in all but novice and untrained individuals.
6.  Excessive METCON contributes to systemic fatige.  Rest and recovery is vital when striving for strength/hypertrophy gains.

Sure, there are plenty of big guys who do METCON frequently.  They are either much more physically gifted than you, or they were already big and strong when they started doing METCON.  If you are a skinny guy who wants to get big and strong, focus on what has worked for the last 50 years or more.  Move progressively heavier weights with good form, consistently, week in and week out, for years.   Doing something just because it is hard or because you are good at it does not guarantee that it will produce the results you want.  It is easy to be "hard" but it is hard to be "smart." 

Craig vs Cacao and In Womens Health mag

Ha, handsome devil and great advice...from the January issue of Women's Health magazine. On the same page as Al Roker!Ha, handsome devil and great advice...from the January issue of Women's Health magazine. On the same page as Al Roker!Wednesday, January 7th Streaking update 1) 3000 words per day - On pace Hit 3000 yesterday and am at 2250 so far...this one will be close. Very busy afternoon

Challenge on my coaching

Todays' pext was: The key to having the freedom to do what you want at night is to win your day through structure in the morning. Plan your days so that you can get up early and attack your #1 project before chaos sets in. And when it does, be prepared with 2 solutions for every obstacle. Win your morning. Own your day. Control your life. Minutes later I received a reply from my

Squats in Miami

Good start to the day. I explored a bit and found an LA Fitness in downtown Miami. The Google reviews were not promising, but then I realized they were from people looking for something much different in a gym than I was.The hotel concierge said it was a big gym, so I walked over. The walk alone was nice, and the gym was massive, and most important, had an empty squat rack when I

#1 worst fat burning mistake

What's the first thing that comes to YOUR mind when you think about how to lose weight and burn fat? If you said "cardio", you're not alone. Hopping on the elliptical at a steady pace for 45-60 minutes is the go-to workout for most people trying to shed those extra pounds. Sounds good, right? It's NOT. (Research from Harvard now proves this, too.) The GOOD news is that there is a NEW way

Moon over Miami

Not the worst view I've ever had from a hotel room...although I had to change my rooms because the music was too loud for this grumpy ol' man ... next a picture of the Moon just beginning to rise over Miami...and then this morning's Miami Meditation image. Great to look at when my 25 minute meditation session was over. Followed that with a run through of some of the NEW Home Workout

My Streaking Transformation Update

On Sunday I moved the South Florida party from the West Coast over to Miami. I woke up early and did some writing in the office at Joel Marion's house where I was staying. Joel was still up, and he remained hard at work on some important BioTrust issues until 7am. He's a machine. The

How to burn stubborn ab flab

Ever wonder why no matter how many sit-ups or crunches you do, your abs NEVER get any more lean or defined? In today's new article, my friend and "abs" expert Shin Ohtake is going to reveal why "ab-targeted" exercises don't work (no matter how many reps you do!) -- plus, he'll show you how tightening up your mid-section is MUCH easier than you might think, once you know what (and what not)

Fix your metabolism

Are you exercising, but your body just isn't getting as tight and toned as it should be? It seems no matter how much you workout or how healthy you eat, your metabolism is still running slower than a herd of turtles. In today's new article, my friend and world-famous fat-loss expert Shin Ohtake (he and I even went to the same college) is going to tell you what you're doing wrong (prepare

Bally the Dog Cardio Update

This is not fair! Hey, it's ol' Bally the Dog here and I'm stuck up in the terrible weather of Canada while my owner, world-famous fat loss trainer Craig Ballantyne, is enjoying the beautiful Florida sunshine. He's taking the day off and ordered me (!) to sit, stay, and remind you that... The Turbulence Training New Year's Sale ends today <= Save over 51% Here's another happy user that

The Tactical Athlete: Balancing Risks in the Gym and on the Job

There are three traits that are common among tactical athletes that can be disastrous in the gym.  People with an affinity for taking risks are often drawn to tactical professions.  Tactical athletes also like to test themselves to ensure that they are keeping their edge.  Finally, tactical athletes are predominantly type A personalities (overachievers).  These personality traits are a mixed blessing of course.  Combined with a high level of motivation, they lead to high levels of success.  However, in the gym, these traits have to be restrained in order to avoid disaster.

Tactical athletes would be well served by learning the lessons that have been learned the hard way by countless strength and conditioning coaches.  Strength coaches who work with athletes are very risk averse.  If you start injuring athletes as a strength coach, you get fired, quickly.  The world of training athletes for sport is a world of minimizing risk.  But��you might say�..�Athletes play injured all the time.�  Yes, that is true.  But the injures are primarily sustained while playing and practicing the sport, not in the weight room.  For the sports athlete, just like the tactical athlete, the job is risky enough without introducing more risk in the conditioning program.  Strength and conditioning training for the job should not increase the risk of injury significantly.   Successful strength and conditioning coaches are always looking for lower risk alternatives for training.   If jump squats will do the job, why risk doing snatches?  Do I want to risk an athlete�s shoulder doing muscle ups?  Do I really want this group doing handstand pushups or can I get the job done with the press instead? These are the kinds of questions that good strength and conditioning coaches wrestle with, and the successful ones always fall on the side of caution, within reason.   Like Dan John says, �Remember to keep the goal the goal.�

Strength and conditioning coaches also understand that performance on the field of play is all that matters.   There is a football saying that expresses this idea well, �Built like Tarzan, but plays like Jane.�  Everything they do is measured against improving performance and reducing the risk of injury.  They understand that the true test of the athlete is on the field of play, and not in the gym.  They also understand that if the athlete is too tired or too sore to perform on the field, the strength and conditioning program is excessive.   I know several high level triathlon coaches.  They all agree that the biggest problem they face in dealing with motivated, type A personality clients is keeping them from doing too much.  The personality traits listed above is going to always make that a challenge.   Testing yourself daily in the gym is a mistake.  Coach Pavel has likes to say that a typical periodized intensity program looks like, �heavy, heavier, even heavier, injured, light�.repeat.�  The real answer for those who need to perform outside of the gym is moderate, moderate, moderate and occasionally heavy. 

There is an old Marine Corps saying, � It�s easy to be hard, but it�s hard to be smart.�  Training smart involves keeping the big picture (Keep the goal the goal!) and not making the obvious mistakes.  Here are some of the most obvious:

1.       Testing yourself too often in the gym.  You are going to test yourself more often than is productive.  As a tactical athlete it is in your DNA.  However, you don�t have to prove anything.  You have already made the selection, passed the school, passed the real test.  You belong.  Testing yourself occasionally is OK, just don�t do it daily, or even weekly.

2.      Picking risky exercises when safer versions will work.  There are lots of Youtube sensations who are known for performing some impressive looking feats in the gym.  Be aware that there is a difference between demonstrations and training.  Your job is dangerous enough.  Keep the training low risk.  Demonstrate your worth on the job, not in the gym. 

3.       Pursuing heavier weights too aggressively.   Strength happens slowly.  Rushing the issue most often results in compromised form.  Moderate loading is the key.  Moderate loading ensures that you are able to execute each rep correctly.  Strength training is loaded movement.  Never sacrifice movement to add load.  Also consider, is adding 100lbs to your deadlift going to make you better at your job?  Maybe, but maybe not.  This is a risk management decision. 

4.       Confusing the means with the end.  If the goal is better tactical performance, then performance in the weight room is a means, not an end.   Like coach Dan John says, �Remember to keep the goal the goal.�   Don�t compromise tactical performance for better gym performance and don't take excessive risks in training.

Deadlifts in the Garage

It was supposed to be a Deadlift workout at Powerhouse Gym today, but my schedule was changed at the last minute. I decided to replicate the workout in Joel Marion's garage gym the best I could, and it was a great session. Of course, I won't end up deadlifting 500 pounds if I train like this all the time, but it was a decent challenge.1A) Powerblock Deadlift - 4x12 (plus two warmup sets)1B)