No-Equipment Cardio Workouts For Weight Loss

Here is an article from Craig Ballantyne of Home Turbulence Training about cardio workouts for weight loss without using any fancy equipment. These workouts will be very handy during the days when you don't feel like travelling to the gym or jogging on the street because of bad weather.

You don't need fancy machines to do cardio circuits for weight loss. You can do cardio without equipment, at home! And you'll burn fat. Here in Toronto, it rained non-stop on Sunday. So I skipped the walk to the gym (where I was going to do intervals), and did a bodyweight workout at home.

This is a great routine that you can save for any rainy day, or even better - challenge some of your buddies prior to next week's super bowl party at your house. The workout will take away some of the guilt while you pound nachos and wings, like I know some people tend to do when they watch football.

For my bodyweight workout, I decided to make one up from the exercises in the 6-month manual, rather than following one of the pre-made routines. Plus, I didn't want to do a lot of upper body stuff, because my Monday workout is heavy pressing and rowing. So I ended up creating a huge circuit, as there were just too many exercises in the manual that I wanted to do.

If you have the manual and exercise descriptions, you can do this workout the next time you feel like a change. If you don't have the manual, you'll probably have no idea what some of these exercises are...but at least now you know what you are missing.

And as I went through this workout, a workout I called "Ghetto Cardio", I got to thinking about some of the home gym setups that clients tell me they have.

You know, the more money people spend on exercise machines (like those elliptical machines), the easier and less effective their workouts become. Here I am doing the Ghetto Cardio workout, one that didn't cost me a cent, and some people have thousands of dollars worth of cardio equipment in their basements that won't give them the same "functional strength and endurance" results as bodyweight training.

And those aren't the only benefits you can get from a mid-day bodyweight circuit workout. In fact, during this workout, I relieved my computer-related upper body stress and tension, and the exercise stimulated my thought process, allowing me to plan 4 workouts for Monday's clients, and 4 newsletters this week. All in 20 minutes.

So here's the workout, and I did this circuit twice, and then some of the exercises I did a third time:

Prisoner Squat x 15
Sumo squat x 15
T-Squat x 20
Siff Squat x 20
Walking lunge x 20
Spiderman pushup x 16
Stickup x 12
Cross Crawl x 30
Inverted Rows x 12
Spiderman climbs x 24
Plank x 60 seconds
Side plank x 30 seconds
Y-squat x 20
Close grip Pushups x 20

These are all bodyweight exercises that can be done at home. You don't need to spend money or time going to the gym.

About the author: Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Weight Loss Workout Tips for Busy People

You can get an incredible weight loss workout at home without any equipment. That's right, you can burn fat and lose fat in the comfort of your own home. You don't need fancy machines or expensive mega-gym memberships, and you don't have to deal with line-ups or sweaty, stinky fellow gym-members. Ewww!

Okay, here's the first thing you need. About a 8x8 open area. And your bodyweight. That's it. Don't rest between any of these exercises.

First exercise: Prisoner Squat

Place your hands behind your head, keep your elbows back, and squat down halfway to the ground. Keep your shoulder blades together to work your upper back and push your hips back as you squat to work your back of your legs.

Do that 10-20 times depending on your strength levels.

Second exercise: Push-up Plus

Do a regular pushup, but at the top, add a little extra push to round your upper back and make your shoulder blades move away from one another. Do 4-12 reps depending on your strength.

Third exercise: Plank

Support yourself on your forearms and toes and keep your body in a straight line from ankles to shoulders. You'll be "hovering" just above the ground. Keep your abs braced and hold for 10-60 seconds depending on your endurance.

Fourth exercise: Split squat

Stand with one foot 2 feet in front of your body and the other foot 1 foot behind your body. This is a stationary lunge position. Bend your back knee and drop your hips to the floor. Then push up using the muscles of the lead leg. Use a wall for balance or support if needed. Do 5-12 reps per side depending on strength.

Rest 1 minute then repeat the circuit up to 4 times. Have fun.

More weight loss workout tips can be found at "Turbulence Training in the Comfort of Your Home".

The Best Ways to Burn Belly Fat

I often get asked, “What’s the best way to burn fat and lose my belly?” People want to know if aerobics is better than strength training, or if traditional cardio exercise is better than intervals.

Well, to say I've done them all would be an understatement.

With over 15 years experience helping others, training myself, training for sports, spending countless hours in the gym, AND actually conducting laboratory research studies on different exercise methods, I'm pretty confident in knowing what works and what does not.

But first of all, I want to frame my responses. I'm going to talk about what works for people that have a limited amount of time to exercise, mostly because I expect your readers don't have 90 minutes per day to devote to a workout, unlike the typical audience of a fitness magazine.

That's why there is a huge disconnect between some of the information found in magazines and the ability of the reader to apply it to their lives.

We just don't have 6-8 hours per week for exercise, nor do we need it. If you're a triathlete, you might need that, but not someone that just wants to lose fat and gain muscle.

Having said all that, the bottom line for getting a better body is...

Use bodyweight exercises to warm-up, strength training supersets to build muscle, and then finish your workout with interval training to burn fat in a short amount of time. I've structured my system so that you are in and out of the gym in 45 minutes, three times per week.

You'll do 5 minutes of bodyweight exercises to warm-up. This is a much more efficient approach than spending 5 minutes walking on a treadmill, which really doesn't prepare you for anything except more walking on a treadmill.

Then we move into the strength training supersets, where we use two exercises performed back to back with minimum rest between each. This cuts our workout time, while still giving us maximum results. We only need 20 minutes for this, and we'll use basic exercises, and sometimes even more bodyweight exercises, depending on the client's goal for muscle building.

And finally, we'll do 18 minutes of interval training. A warm-up, followed by six short intervals at the appropriate fitness level for the client, interspersed with short periods of low-intensity recovery. Finish with a cool-down. And that's the workout. Again, about 45 minutes total.

Compare that to what most people do, which is run, jog, cycle or use the cardio machines for 45 minutes straight. Sure, that will burn calories, but it doesn't build a better body.

In fact, there are a few "dark sides" to long slow cardio, including less-than-optimal results, the potential for overuse injuries, and it is an inefficient form of exercise. If you only have 30-45 minutes for your workout and you spend it all on a cardio machine, when are you going to train the rest of your muscles and sculpt a better body?

So the best way to burn belly fat is with a combination of strength training and interval training. It’s fast, it works, and it’s fun!

About the Author:

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit Turbulence Training for Fat Loss.

Inexpensive Home Exercise Equipment

There are so many ads on television promoting home exercise equipments these days but most of them forget to tell you the cost. Moreover, many of these indoor exercise equipments can occupy an entire room in your house.

If you have a plan to set up a workout regimen at home, here are some suggestions to help you purchase inexpensive home exercise equipment and save you some money.

Get exercise bands. If you want to sculpt your body fast, exercise bands are a great choice. They are inexpensive, lightweight, packable and easy to use at home or on the road.

The exercise ball is another inexpensive item that can help with strengthening the back and work out the abs.

Five and ten-pound weights are great to tone both your arms and legs and they don't cost an arm and a leg.

Purchase the step, which is great for cardiovascular workouts. It's easy to do, compact and inexpensive.

While the new stationary bike is quite expensive, you may be able to find one with a good deal on eBay or through an ad in your local paper. The stationary bike is great for exercising the legs, thighs and upper body. 20 minutes every other night will yield weight loss as well.

While a treadmill would be great for the home, it is quite expensive and will take up a fair bit of space in your house. If you can't afford it, you can do just as well by walking for 20 or 30 minutes every day. But of course you need to do this outdoor.

Exercise is important, and it can be achieved with inexpensive equipments that are affordable and easy to store. If you would rather perform your exercise routines without any equipment, check out the "Turbulence Training".

Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle Review - The Total Wellness Solution

If you want to get fit, burn fat, lose weight or be healthy for the rest of your life, check out the book "Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle" or BFFM. This is not another diet program that doesn't work. In fact, BFFM doesn't propose any diet program. Its fat burning methods are aimed at teaching you to cultivate a long-lasting well-being for the rest of your life.

Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle ebook has over 300 pages and 17 chapters. You can view all the topics in the chapters here. As mentioned, this book is more than a diet or weight loss program, it teaches you how to obtain a total health forever. After reading this book, I feel like I have just graduated from a health and nutrition college. Despite its huge volume, BFFM contains no "fluff", all the information in this book are essential to your well-being.

You will learn how to set goal, understand why most conventional diet methods fail, understand your body's composition and needs, how to get an optimal combination of protein, carbohydrates and fats for improving your muscle, the best training secrets for maximum fat loss, and much much more.

I have written a review and submitted to Ezinearticles directory. You can read the review by clicking here.

Fat Burning Exercise Tips for Busy Parents & Professionals

Fat Burning Exercise Tips for Busy Parents & Professionals

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Turbulence Training for Fat Loss

The great thing about strength training and intervals for fat burning is "efficiency". Because you are working harder, the signal to your body to change is stronger. You cut time when you increase intensity and you burn fat faster.

Now don't worry, I won't be asking you to do hill sprints tomorrow if you aren't exercising today. For a beginner, we just do some slightly faster than normal walking intervals. For intermediate fitness levels, we'll pick up the pace about 20% compared to their normal cardio levels, but again, the work periods are much shorter.

The key is, you must shift to a slightly higher intensity in order to cut time from your workout. But the workout also goes faster, and much more importantly, you will get more results and better fitness from these methods.

It's easy to do these workouts first thing in the AM, at lunch, or after the kids go to bed. Plus, you can get a great workout at home with only a bench, dumbells, and an exercise ball. You don't need fancy machines or an expensive gym membership.

And another bonus, you only need three hard fat burning workouts per week. You don't have to be in the gym six days per week.

On your off days, it's important to stay active for at least 30 minutes, but these days should be unstructured and revolve around being active with your family or hobbies. Don't think of them as workout days, think of them as fat burning, stress reducing activity days.

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit Turbulence Training for Fat Loss.

Ten Exercises You Can Do At Home

Here are 10 exercises that you can do at home to keep your body active and nimble. The exercises focus on specific muscle groups that will help to tone your body more than the general house chores exercises such as cleaning, lifting or climbing up and down the stair. They are:

1. Abs workout. Watch this great video for a 8-minute abs workout you can do at home. More information on abs workout can also be found at "Firm & Flatten Your Abs".
   
   
2. Curl can be done by lying on your back, putting hands behind your head, and raising the upper body.
   
   
3. Leg exercises can be achieved by standing while holding on to the back of a chair or lying down on your side and lifting each leg repeatedly for 15-20 times.
   
   
4. Work-at-home people who sit for hours at the computer desk can perform this simple exercise to keep the circulation flowing in their legs. Simply press down on your toes in an up and down motion. Any activity that can be accomplished while sitting down will prevent muscular pain later.
   
   
5. Stretching exercises. Stand with both hands against a wall and move your right leg back so that your foot is flat against the floor. Hold for a few seconds; then repeat with the left leg.
   
   
6. Arm exercises. This is important to improve muscle tone. Use an exercise band and place both feet on one end and with each hand raise and lower the band; first with your palms up then down.
   
   
7. Put on a CD and dance for about 20-30 minutes. This is a great cardiovascular workout.
   
   
8. Use 5 or 10 lbs. weights to exercise your arms. You can even do this exercise sitting in a chair.
   
   
9. Incorporate sit-ups, jumping rope and push-ups into that daily routine.
   
   
10. Another great stretching exercise to perform is to lie on your back, bring up your right knee to your chest with your right hand and roll the knee to your left side so that it touches the floor. Keep it in place with your left hand.

NOTE: Always stretch before starting any exercise routine to prevent injury.

For more great tips on exercise at home, check out "home Turbulence Training".