Today, I bring you part 2 of the interview between fat loss expert Craig Ballantyne (writer for Men’s Health) and myself…(Read to the bottom… Craig is giving away 5 NEW bonus gifts until tonight at midnight)

Vince: What are you thoughts on fat burners and ECA stacks?

Craig Ballantyne: If you only look at the theory, they are great. For example, one study found that the components of Green Tea can burn an extra 80 calories per day. Yet, you’ll rarely find long-term studies that show fat loss results when you cram Green Tea and all the other fat burning compounds into an actual product.

It’s my belief that your body gets used to the compounds and the effects don’t last. So that’s why the majority of people won’t see any benefit from using supplements. Not too mention product quality and meeting label specs…so I just don’t believe these products will have an impact.

Vince: I heard that you did the 300 workout in around 19 minutes?! That’s sick. I think it took me around 24 minutes the first time I did it (but I’m also bigger than you Are your workouts similar to these 300 style workouts? If not, could you give me a sample circuit or workout that my readers would find in Turbulence Training?

Craig Ballantyne: Kind of similar, but Turbulence Training workouts are done in supersets, rather than as one long circuit as the 300 was done. In fact, I “copied” the 300 workout model and put together my own Bodyweight 500 workout that is available through Turbulence Training.

What I did was I created two traditional superset TT workouts to be done during the week, and then on the
weekend a bodyweight challenge was performed. It was a 4-week program, and it worked up to the Bodyweight 500.

So at the end of week 1, a very easy Bodyweight 100 was done. After week 2, a Bodyweight 200 was done. After week 3, you were challenged to a Bodyweight 350, and then finally, after week 4, you did the 500.

The traditional TT workouts go like this…

Bodyweight Circuit- This takes about 3-5 minutes and replaces the traditional “5 minutes on the treadmill”
which I find inefficient and irrelevant. Then we move to…

Strength Training Supersets- This takes 20 minutes, and we’ll pair “non-competing” exercises together in the supersets. Often this means upper and lower body exercises, or pushing and pulling exercises. Non-competing supersets allow us to get more work done than traditional supersets.

Interval Training – Finally, we finish with 10-20 minutes of interval training. We use traditional cardio machines, kettlebells, and bodyweight circuits at this time. Fast, fun, and effective.

Vince: I understand you are 10x more “anti-supplement” than me. You don’t use ANY supplements?P

Craig Ballantyne: Fish oils. That’s it. I did use a Greens Plus drink, but I eat so many vegetables I found this to be redundant. Same with a multi-vitamin and mineral. I eat really well, so its a toss-up whether these would have added benefits. Sometimes I use them, sometimes I don’t.

I have no problem with creatine, but I’m experimenting to see the results I can get without it. Similar
thoughts about protein.

One gram of protein per pound of bodyweight in a lean person isn’t too hard to reach if you eat meat, dairy,
eggs, nuts, and peanut butter. And even then, I’ve cut my meat consumption lately without problems. I just
think protein supplements aren’t worth the taste.

Vince: What’s the worst fat loss workout you have ever done or seen?

Craig Ballantyne: I just think that anything requiring you to train for over an hour everyday is overkill. And I also dislike these fluffy workouts you see where people are told to lift soup cans and water bottles.

Listen, the models demonstrating triceps kickbacks with a water bottle in hand did not get those arms by doing tricep kickbacks with water bottles.

So I find this type of info to be shameful and misleading. I’m all for getting maximum results in as little time
as possible, but you have to tell people there is going to be some hard work involved.

Fortunately, I like to think that I’ve made the workouts as fun as possible because we have a lot of variety in
the Turbulence Training workouts.

Click here to get more information on Craig’s fat loss workout
– http://www.NoNonsenseFatLoss.com

Train hard,
Vince DelMonte

(Sent from my hotel in LA…)

After the last few weeks, even though I’m in a bulking phase, I felt obligated to hit the gym REALLY hard this am for a “fat loss” workout after the last few weeks of feasting.

Aside from the gym being dead (I guess alot of people are still “recovering” from last night), I only had about 30 minutes to blast my muscles and get a wicked sweat on…

I figured I would do one of Craig Ballantyne’s “fat loss” workouts which put me in the “hurt box!” I can make any workout painful but I was very impressed with how he combined certain exercises and rest periods to make for a very intense 30 minutes! I ended up tacking on an extra 30 minutes (12 x 1 minute sprints on treadmill) of interval cardio and walked out of the gym CHARGED and SATISFIED (especially knowing that half the world is still hung over right now and sleeping) Not me!

Click here to check out the site I got the fat loss workouts from, which I used this AM to kick off my 2008!   — http://www.NoNonsenseFatLoss.com

Another thing…

While texting Craig yesterday, he reminded me that he’s giving away strong$2000/strong just by losing body fat and changing your body (something you were going to do anyways, right?!)

Craig is running the 1st ever Turbulence Training 12-Week Transformation Contest. In my opinion, the TT contest is WAY better thane Body for Life for a few reasons:

1. Body for Life was only a 12 week program, but with the TT package, you get over 26 weeks of advanced workouts.

2. Craig’s Deluxe package, provides 1 year of fat blasting workouts!

But back to the TT Transformation contest… Craig has put together some incredible prizes…

Grand Prize – $2000 a 3-year Platinum TT Membership

Second Place – $1000 a 2-year Platinum TT Membership

Third Place – $500 a 1-Year Platinum TT Membership

Check out the fat loss workouts to transform your body and win $2000!!!

Here are the rules:

1) You must have purchased Turbulence Training and used the TT programs to achieve your results.

2) You must keep a training journal in the Turbulence Training Membership forum (don’t forget, you get 3 months free access to the Turbulence Training Membership site when you order Turbulence Training).

3) You must post before and after photos in your training journalin the TT Membership section.

4) The TT Transformation Contest runs from Nov. 26th to April 15th.

All transformations must start and finish during this time period. Therefore, you could start as soon as today (which I hope you do!) or as late as January 21st…but I know you won’t wait that long!

5) Each client has 12 weeks to complete their transformation. Photos must be taken on Day 1 and Day 84.

6) The Transformation Contest will be judged by a panel of experts, including but not restricted to: Craig Ballantyne, Brad Pilon, and Holly Rigsby.

7) In addition to providing Before After Photos, each contestant must write a 300 word essay on their before and after success story.

Photos must include a newspaper for Date Verification.

Click here to get started with Turbulence Training for fat loss and your chance to win $2000!

Live to love and love to live,
Vince DelMonte

Can you believe it? 24 hours to go in 2007…

I’ve got an AWESOME interview for you to kick off 2008 (especially if you’re goal is to get LEAN and APPEAR more muscular)…

Being on the net, I’ve heard A LOT about this guy named Craig Ballantyne… you may have heard of him?

He writes for Men’s Health and Oxygen regularly and he’s famous for his fat-burning workouts (known as Turbulence Training) He has this new 500 workout out that’s supposed to be tougher than the 300 workout.

Anyways, I always wondered if he was the real deal, till I had an opportunity to meet him in Florida a few weekends ago…

… I figured, I would try some of his fat loss workouts on myself (the first test) and then on my clients (the 2nd test).

I also tracked down his cell phone (he lives 45 minutes from me) and called him and texted him with no response until he FINALLY answered on a Sunday morning (I think he answered because he knew he was going to have to meet me face to face in a few weeks after that

Both Craig and I would tell you that based on “the lean threshold” you will create the *illusion* that you are MORE muscular by stripping off the fat before building any NEW muscle !

… so the question is, “How are you going to strip the FAT in 2008?

This is only PART 1 of our phone conversation (make sure to read to the bottom to hear about some gifts Craig has for you)….

Vince: What’s the worst thing someone can do in 2008 if they want to lose stomach fat?

Craig Ballantyne: Eat crap and not exercise of course! Actually, just trying to “wing it” is going to leave most people frustrated. You have to put some work into preparing your plan, and if you do that, you’ll succeed.

If you lack education about nutrition and exercise, you’re going to run into a lot of problems. But the more you know, the better off you will be.

Vince: What is the best thing someone can do in 2008 if they want to lose stomach fat?

Craig Ballantyne: Plan. Get a good workout plan that suits your lifestyle, physical interests, time constraints, equipment availability, and training history.

Don’t do a heavy cardio program if you don’t have a lot of time and hate doing cardio. If you only have time for 3 short workouts per week, then grab something like Turbulence Training that you can do at home or the gym with minimal equipment.

At the same time, plan your nutrition. Figure out what eating schedule works for you. Address your weak points and work around them. Get rid of all the bad foods in your house and replace them with good, fat fighting foods.

Look at your schedule and determine the two best times each week to spend an hour or so preparing your meals for the next coming days (for example, an hour on Sunday and an hour on Wednesday). If you have your plan set out, all you have to do is follow it.

Once you commit, stick to it. Don’t bounce from program to program, or diet to diet. Also, plan in “mental breaks”, such as cheat meals (once per week), and fun workouts – such as taking a long hike on the weekend or replacing one workout every month with a sport or workout with a friend. This plan will be your guide to success. Do it once and you don’t have to spend mental energy on it every week.

Vince: A lot of readers ask me, “Should I build muscle or lose stomach fat first?” When we were hanging out in West Palm together, you shared with me some interesting numbers on how to decide whether you should build muscle first or lose fat first. Can you provide my friends with those numbers and guidelines.

Craig Ballantyne: Here’s the range…if you are at this height and below the corresponding weight, my rule is you MUST gain MUSCLE…

5’4″ – 130 lbs
5’6″ – 140 lbs
5’8″ – 150 lbs
5’10 – 160 lbs
6’0′ – 170 lbs

And so on…5 lbs per inch in either direction.

Vince: I agree. So you don’t think you can build muscle and lose fat a  the same time?

Craig Ballantyne: No, I do believe you can. Of course, the worse off you are, the easier it is. In fact, over fat beginners with poor exercise and diet habits can make dramatic gains in muscle while losing fat. In fact, I also found a research study last year that shows it is possible in men and women over the age of 50.

Vince: So this is where you and I would slightly disagree. I’ve seen it happen too but I teach my clients to chase one goal at once. Put ALL your efforts into LOSING fat or GAINING muscle.

Interestingly, most people would *appear* more muscular IF they dialed down to 10% fat (for males) and 16% fat (for females).

I know you teach short and intense weight training workouts for fat loss but you see bodybuilders and fitness models doing 2 hours a day of cardio plus 1 hour a day of weights to get lean. How is Turbulence Training so different?

Craig Ballantyne: I believe that resistance training and interval training are more efficient than most people give them credit for. So I think you can get the same results with 50% less volume.

Four chest exercises done for 3 sets each does NOT result in four times as much muscle growth as doing one chest exercise for 3 sets. At some point, you have to ask yourself, what is this set really doing? By the time most guys get to their chest flyes, haven’t they already stimulated the pecs to maximal growth?

I truly believe you can stimulate the muscle with much less volume than most people use. So focus on 1-2
exercises done hard, and then move on.

Same with interval training versus cardio. There is more going on here than just the numbers of calorie counter readout. Long, slow cardio is inefficient. And to keep things in perspective, my programs are designed for men and women that don’t have 2 hours per day to train anyway… so its not an option. These people are lucky to have 2 hours per week. So there is no option but to use total body workouts, supersets, and intervals. Nothing else will work in that short of a time frame.

Vince: I have an issue with interval training for fat loss. As a competitive endurance athlete with zero fat on my body we stayed lean by doing lots of long, steady cardio and you preach the opposite. Why is interval training more superior?

Craig Ballantyne: A couple of things make it better… First, it works in less time. We are getting great results with our three sessions of 20 minutes of intervals per week, sometimes even less time than that. It works, and it works in less time per week than most long endurance workouts require per session.

Second, we see less overuse injuries with shorter, less frequent workouts. As a young guy, you might not have had too many aches and pains from your training, but go into any physio office and its packed with runners and triathletes that have overuse injuries. If you do the same motion thousands of times per long workout, the stress adds up. Almost no one can avoid it.

Third, I’ve found that long cardio works best for young guys, and worse with age, and worse with women. We’ve all seen too many women on the same machine day after day for months with the same body, no changes. Now that’s also due to diet and often a lack of resistance training, but I’m just not convinced long cardio works for everyone.

Vince: Also, interval training is HARD and intense on your joints if you don’t have a conditioning foundation to build off of. How do you make interval training safe and effective for everyone?

Craig Ballantyne: Well, interval training is subjective, right? I mean, for a beginner that is 150 pounds overweight, no trainer in their right mind would ask them to sprint all out for 30 seconds. But, we can ask them to take their walking speed from 3.0 mph to 3.6 mph for 30 second intervals. And then they would go back down to 3.0 mph for recovery.

Now that is interval training, safe and effective for beginners. Alternatively, I use bodyweight circuit
training in “place” of interval training for both beginners and advanced fitness levels.

For a beginner, we could do a circuit of hip extensions, kneeling pushups, planks, side planks, and stability
ball leg curls and we’d burn just as much fat as slow cardio, but we’d also get the benefit of total body
strengthening at the same time. And this will prepare them for future, harder workouts.

Basically, I’m asking everyone to take a leap of faith and trust the latest research along with my years of
experience, and see that there is a better way to burn fat rather than 2 hour marathon workouts of long slow
cardio and light weight machines.

Train hard,
Vince DelMonte

P.S. Now check this out…

Craig’s put together the ultimate Turbulence Training package that contains not only 16-weeks of advanced fat loss workouts and 10 weeks of beginner programs, but he’s also added 5 new bonuses that are available only for the next three days.

1) Secrets of the Transformation Masters E-book

You’ll learn the insider fat burning secrets from 3 of the most experienced Transformation Trainers in North America.  We squeezed every last one of their fat burning secrets from them so YOU can achieve your ultimate body transformation.

It will help the absolute beginner and even the fitness competitor. The report contains detailed, step-by-step information for every fat loss level.

No fat burning stone was left unturned, diet plans were scrutinized and reviewed, and these experts share the exact details for looking your best on the big day (whether it is at a wedding, a physique contest, or simply to be ready for your transformation “after”photos).

2) Fit Yummy Mummy Fit-Fast 4-Week Workout

When you are pressed for time and have no access to equipment, the Fit Yummy Mummy Fit-Fast Workout is your rescue routine to keep your metabolism burning strong and fat loss efforts on track.

America’s #1 Fat Loss Expert for Moms, Holly Rigsby, has designed an exclusive 4-week workout plan you can do in the comfort of your own home.

3) Workouts for Busy Dad’s Bonus

The World’s Busiest Dad and personal trainer, Chris Lopez, shares with you his 20-minute workout secrets to get Dad’s back into fighting shape so they can keep up with their kids and outlast their wives.

4) The Revolutionary Eat-Stop-Eat Diet Book from Brad Pilon

Brad is a nutrition expert and his controversial fat loss eating guideline is making waves in the dieting community. People are busting through fat loss plateaus and loving the lifestyle that Brad’s approach allows. It’s a simple, anti-diet approach to fat loss.

5) Mastering the Fat Loss Mindset – A How-to Guide for Fat Loss Goal Setting that is Guaranteed to Help You Get Maximum Results

This is the year. How many times have we all said that? Well, this IS the year. Listen to the UK’s top fitness and motivational expert Dax Moy and learn how to set goals and live the lifestyle to reach those goals. No more dropping out, this is the year you will go all the way and finally succeed in changing your body!

But this entire package is only available for the next 72 hours. On Wednesday, January 2nd at midnight, all 5 of these bonuses will disappear from the bonus package and will never, EVER be offered again.

Click here to get more information
– http://www.NoNonsenseFatLoss.com

If you don’t pick-up this incredible collection of fat loss bonuses today, you might kick yourself for missing out. This is the kind of information that can take a fat loss program from zero to sixty in just days, snapping you out of even the deepest, darkest fat loss plateau you’ve ever experienced.

Remember, if I didn’t know Craig personally and if I hadn’t used Craig’s workouts personally, I would not be recommending his fat loss resource…

This is ONE fat loss package that EVERY committed person should take into 2008 if they are truly committed to losing fat!

So if you were in my office and asked, “Vince, what’s the number one thing I should do to build as much muscle possible for 2008?”

I would say three things:

PLAN PLAN PLAN

I would then quote the late Benjamin Franklin, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”

Training without a program is like building a house with out a blueprint.

(I’ll add, not just a “program” but a program specifically designed for YOU… not a body part bodybuilder program that only works if you’re using drugs and have great genetics… )

So what should a muscle building “plan” include?

– You need a specific weight training program. You need to know how to split up your muscle groups. You need to know how many reps and sets. How fast to lift the weights. How long to rest for. When to switch the program completely…

– You need a specific meal plan. You need to know EXACTLY what and how much food to put in your mouth every 3 hours.

– You need proper lifting technique. You need to train safely and effectively so you don’t hurt yourself and so that you isolate the targeted muscle group.

– You need to know EXACTLY which supplements to use and which ones to avoid.

– You need to know how much sleep you should be getting.

– You need to know how much cardio you should be doing on your workout days and non-workout days.

– You need to know how to stretch and when to stretch or else you will get injured (if not now… later).

– You need to know how to cut all the fat after you bulk up.

– You need to know when and for how long to take take recovery periods.

These details MUST be pre-planned before you start… before you start going to the gym!

Having this information is TRUE planning.

Once you have your plan… you have ONE job only …

… WORK IT and EXECUTE IT.

Click here to get your complete muscle building plan

Here’s what you get when you use my plan:

Two 29 week muscle building workouts (beginner and advanced included) are essentially your blueprints – they are very powerful and intense workouts I used to gain 41 pounds of muscle.

84 day meal plans that range from 2000 calories to 6000 calories in 500 calorie increments can be printed off and put in your kitchen so all you need to do is FOLLOW YOUR PLAN!

An exercise database that will teach you how to do EVERY single exercise with proper lifting technique (even if you workout at home).

The Supplement Watch Files will tell you exactly which supplements to buy and which ones to save your money on.

My private email. If you get stuck with your plan then you can contact me personally!

What else do you want?

Now man up and show me you’re truly committed to your goals in 2008!

Click here to get started with your 2008 muscle building workout:
– http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com

Train hard,
Vince DelMonte

Accept this skit and song as my little Christmas gift to you. It’s been downloaded by almost 3 million people. P It’s amazing how powerful a message can be sent with just song and drama! Hope this helps you remember the true reason for the season.

Enjoy!

Have a VERY Merry Christmas!

Vince