Turbulence Training FAQ
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CB
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, M.Sc., is a sought after fitness expert and consultant to Men's Fitness magazine - one of the most popular fitness publications in the world, and Maximum Fitness. Craig's fat loss and workout tips are featured every month in Men's Fitness and his sports training articles and workouts can be found on a number of websites. His trademarked Turbulence Training™ workouts and his comprehensive Workout Manuals (including The Executive Lifestyle Manual) are featured on his new website www.TurbulenceTraining.com.
Craig’s areas of expertise include helping busy executives lose fat and gain muscle and training young athletes to improve performance in all sports. Craig also has an extensive research background and keeps up to date on the latest scientific findings that will help improve your health and wellness and your physical and mental performance.
You can read Craig’s articles on fat loss and training at www.CBAthletics.com and www.TurbulenceTraining.com. Females and parents and coaches of female athletes should visit www.grrlAthlete.com for another of Craig's newsletters.
Q: Which Turbulence Training Special Report do I want?
Answer:
Before I get to that, I want everyone to know that I’ll soon have a new site featuring all of my Turbulence Training articles and special reports. Not surprisingly, it’ll be named TurbulenceTraining.com.
Now, to get back to your question, if you want to get lean and focus on fat loss, go for my first report – The Turbulence Training Special Report on Fat Loss.
My second Special Report is called “Turbulence Training for Mass”. I created this report due to the huge demand for a maximum muscle-building workout. The scientific principles behind Turbulence Training (TT) work as well for gaining muscle as they do for losing fat.
TT For Fat Loss Q'n'A
Q: How much fat can I lose with Turbulence Training?
Answer:
The short answer is, “a lot”. To be more specific, you should be able to lose one pound of body fat each week (in addition to following sound fat loss nutritional practices). At the same time, you should expect to gain or maintain muscle. Overall, total weight loss will be about a pound per week. This special report gives you at least 12 weeks of workouts, so expect a two-digit fat loss by the time you get through all 4 programs.
Q: Why should I only use each version of Turbulence Training for 3 weeks?
Answer:
We want to keep the element of variety in the training program to achieve consistent fat loss (see the above article). Nothing, except poor eating, halts fat loss like staying on a training program for too long. By switching it up on a frequent basis, you’ll avoid fat loss plateaus and keep making gains in strength and fitness at the same time.
Q: What do I do for the intervals on a bike? Would I keep the resistance the same and go faster or increase the resistance?
Answer:
Increasing the resistance is the only way to go – it gets better results. It may also be easier on the knees. We aren’t big fans of spinning at very high pedal rates and I hypothesize it may contribute to cycling related overuse injuries.
Q: What is more effective: bike, run, or elliptical?
Answer:
On paper, sprinting on a track would be most effective, followed by the cycle, then the elliptical. That being said, you might not see any differences if you did a study and had 10 guys use each piece of equipment, and then compared the groups at the end of 8 weeks.
The bike is preferred for several logistical reasons including that we find it more effective than the elliptical, but with less chance of injury compared to sprinting.
Q: What about using the jump rope for intervals?
Answer:
It's not the best method, but you can use bodyweight movements in a circuit as a method of interval training. For example, expert Strength Coach Bill Hartman reveals the following circuit in a case study that women won’t want to miss in the book ShapeShift.
Body weight circuits
• Squat Thrust x 30 seconds
• Jumping Jacks x 30 seconds
• Mountain Climbers x 30 seconds
• Jump Squats x 20 seconds
• Repeat the circuit 3 times with 1-minute rest between circuits
Q: So women can use Turbulence Training?
Answer:
They sure can. In fact, I modified Turbulence Training for a workout I designed for the female specific site called www.grrlAthlete.com. The workout is featured in grrlAthlete’s new female fat loss book called ShapeShift. The book also features workouts from some of
The basic premise of the workout is the same, but there is an emphasis on exercises for the glutes (butt) and hamstrings. The intervals and strength training supersets are similar to the Turbulence Training workouts in the Fat Loss report and in my Workout Manuals. Women will definitely want to check out grrlAthlete.com and ShapeShift for the great workouts and nutrition chapters.
Q: Can Athletes use Turbulence Training?
Answer:
Yes, athletes can get great results from Turbulence Training in body composition, fitness, and strength. I'll soon have a special report that will contain a series of Turbulence Training workouts modified for athletes including how to incorporate Athletic Movement Training™, a main strength exercise, and speed-agility drills into the context of a Turbulence Training routine.
TT For Mass Q'n'A
Q: Who should use the Mass program?
Answer:
This routine is for serious muscle-building lifters. You must have a solid foundation of hard training and be competent in the technique for all exercises. Please have a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist analyze your exercise technique. Don't ever sacrifice proper exercise form in order to lift more weight or to do another repetition.
This report and the workouts within aren’t for beginners, teenagers, guys that don’t like to train legs, or guys that have been out of the gym for more than one week. If you’ve been out of the gym for a couple of days or generally “been slacking it” with your workouts you may use a modified version of the program.
The modified version of the workout requires you to use only 1 set per exercise for the first week. In week 2 you may use 2 sets per exercise. Finally, in week 3 you may use the full number of sets per exercise. Also be extra cautious with the weights used in each set. Don’t go to failure until the third week. By then you’ll have a good idea of the correct weight you should be using for each exercise.
Q: How much weight will I gain on this program?
Answer:
There’s no reason why you can’t add one pound of muscle every week. Some guys might even be able to gain 2 pounds of muscle per week. On the other hand, if you neglect proper nutrition and proper post-workout drinks, your results will be compromised.
Q: What repetition range is best for causing muscle growth?
Answer:
Performing multiple sets of lower reps is also effective for building muscle. In the TT workouts, one exercise uses low reps (6 reps to failure), a second exercise uses more sets and moderate reps (8 reps per set), and a third exercise uses 12 reps per set. And sometimes the workout will even call for 20 reps per set. Using a variety of repetitions trains the muscle through the full range of muscle-building stimuli. If combined with proper nutrition, this approach offers the greatest opportunity for growth.
Q: What is a “non-competing” superset?
Answer:
A non-competing superset pairs 2 exercises that don’t impact one another. For example, a bench and a row or a bench and a leg exercise. With the exception of the muscles involved with gripping the bar, you won’t work the same muscles in both exercises. You can make a non-competing superset out of opposing muscle groups such as the chest and the upper back, or from completely unrelated muscles such as the chest and quadriceps. An example of a competing superset would be a chest press and a shoulder press. Unfortunately, sometimes these are inevitable when designing the workouts with the big picture in mind.
Q: How much rest do I take between sets?
Answer:
Take 1 minute rest between exercises within the superset. For example, rest 1 minute between the front squat and the bench press of the first superset in the first workout. Take 2 minutes rest when you are done each superset. Take another 2 minute rest when you’re ready to move to the next superset. The program’s rest time structure works well for people training with a partner, provided there isn’t any unnecessary chit-chat between sets.
Q: When is the best time to workout?
Answer:
In general, there is no best time to workout. A guy that trains in the afternoon should get the same results as a guy that trains in the morning, all other things being equal (i.e. nutrition, workout intensity, etc.). The two most important considerations for determining your workout time are that:
a) You are able to train with sufficient intensity
b) You are able to eat a sufficient pre- and post-workout meal
I can also make an argument that the morning isn’t the best time to workout and that you should only workout when you’ve been awake for a couple of hours. There are two reasons for this. First, you’ll be able to eat more food prior to training if you delay your training till later in the day. Second, Dr. Stuart McGill, a world-expert in low-back disorders, recommends waiting a couple of hours after waking up before engaging in any exercise that includes trunk flexion (i.e. a movement that can occur during squatting with improper form). Even though you’ll always be using proper form, it might still be a good conservative idea to train later in the day.
Q: What about abdominal training?
Answer:
Abdominal exercises have been included in the workouts. However, many of the exercises are non-traditional – there are no crunches or sit-ups. Most of the exercises focus on static endurance of the abdominal wall to build endurance and stability in the core. The reason for removing crunches and sit-ups and replacing them with static exercises is to reduce the risk of low back pain.
Every exercise in the workouts should be treated as an abdominal exercise and performed with braced abdominals (contract your abdominals as if to prepare for someone punching you in the stomach).
Turbulence Training uses scientific-based core training principles to build endurance and stability in the abdominal muscles. These exercises and this philosophy are based on research by Dr. Stuart McGill and you can read more about him and his work at: www.backfitpro.com.
Q: How important are the rest days? Can I do extra workouts on those days?
Answer:
You won’t get any further ahead if you do more workouts on the recovery days. The program is designed to accomplish everything in only four days. If you do extra workouts or cardio you risk burning calories that could be used for growth. It also might negatively impact your 4 main sessions. Turbulence Training is about efficiency. Let the 4 workouts do the job and enjoy your rest days.
Q: What lifting tempo should I use for all of the exercises?
Answer:
Tempo refers to the speed of the lift. A moderate and controlled tempo is recommended for all exercises. Use a 2-0-1 tempo. That means taking 2 seconds to lower the weight, pause very briefly, and then take 1 second to raise the weight. In the squat for example, take 2 seconds to lower to the bottom position and then take 1 second to return to the start position.
Q: I don’t have a full hour to workout. Can I still use the program?
Answer:
To save some time, you can reduce the number of sets you do in the second, third and fourth pairings (if there is a fourth pairing). You'll already have made significant progress with the first pairing and only 2-3 sets of each other pairings in the workout.
If you have any questions on Turbulence Training for muscle growth or fat loss, please send them to cb@cbathletics.com.
Sincerely,
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, M.Sc.
Men's Fitness Training Adviser
President
CB Athletic Consulting, Inc.
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The information on TurbulenceTraining.com is for education purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to replace the advice or attention of health-care professionals. Consult your physician before beginning or making changes in your diet or exercise program, for diagnosis and treatment of illness and injuries, and for advice regarding medications.
