I've had a very special request to re-post this article that I wrote a few months back from another BLOG...so here ya go. Enjoy.

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The interaction of hormones in the human body is an extremely complicated subject. Controlling every aspect of daily physical existence, it would be impossible to quickly summarize all their extensive relationships. There are, however, a handful of hormones which respond quite readily to exercise (in all its various forms) and, in turn, provide generous benefits to the body such as gaining muscle size and strength and eliminating unwanted body fat.

That subject, exercise and hormones, is also a very deep well of research, so I've decided to focus this somewhat quick review purely on the diet and explore how carefully structured and timed food choices can be used to substantially "increase" specific hormonal benefits. Imagine if you will, the perfect double-edged sword to battle flab, increase lean muscle and all but wipe out the influences of poor diet and age related illnesses.

...at least that's what we want...so let's get started...

If you're following some kind of structured exercise and eating plan, you may find some helpful information here. If you've been wanting to find a body management plan that works with you and doesn't take hours upon endless hours each week, then look no further than Turbulence Training. Complete, focused and results oriented. Don't let another day go by.

Quick Disclaimer: ...I am ~NOT~ a medical professional...and I don't play one on TV. I am also not a registered dietitian and/or nutritionist and ....no, I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. Everything you read here is from personal notes and reading. You should take time to review all physical and/or dietary changes with your preferred health care professional to make sure it is right for you.

The other thing is this...none of the ideas presented here are new. I didn't make them up and I definitely don't want to take credit for them. Instead, I wanted to summarize these few ideas here for quick reference with the goal to provide a series of points regarding how we can eat on a daily basis in order to maximize some specific hormonal benefits of exercise.

This is also ~NOT~ a complete guide to nutrition or some kind of eating plan. Everyone has their goals....so your mileage may vary. I hope you enjoy the read. More importantly, I hope it provokes you to perform your own research and come to your own conclusions. Links to all references (and many more) are included at the bottom.

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Hormones and Exercise...
Wow! That's a mind boggling, huge idea. So let's just focus down a bit on a handful of hormones that we can influence directly via a good exercise program and diet. Let's introduce the players in this little chemistry game:

The Hormones:
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) : Globally responsible for all cellular production, building and repairing. HGH is very shy...making a few standard appearances (in the blood stream) throughout a regular day ...But it makes it's big appearance at night...!!! (That's a very, very important thing to remember)

Testosterone (T) : Principle focus on muscle growth; size and strength; libido. This guy can be triggered through various activities; generally likes to hang out with HGH specifically when exercise is involved. Also a night owl...

* Tag Team Bonus *
Besides building bigger and stronger musles and other lean body tissues; Both HGH and T carry one thing in common: They both heavily influence a process called lipolysis which is a fancy term for making your body burn it's own fat for fuel. So promoting anything and everything to keep these two guys elevated and prominent in the bloodstream is a good thing!!!

Insulin - The principle focus of insulin is storage. Insulin likes to hang out when there's sugar in the blood. Since our bodies are programmed to burn sugar (glucose)...Insulin's job is to work along with the liver to shuttle that glucose around to where it's needed. We won't talk about what happens with unused glucose...

Insulin has gotten a very, very bad rap...after all, he's not necessarily a bad guy. His job is very important. But for the most part we'd like him to keep clean, low profile and only come out when we choose. Which is exactly what we'll do in selecting when to consume our carbohydrates in their various forms.

...And then there's...
Cortisol - Special forces ...Of it's various duties, Cortisol has one special mission...to make sure the liver doesn't run out of "stuff" to make fuel (glucose). He will do his job at all costs...sometimes with nasty side effects. He is called out when we're stressed and when we're really, really low on blood sugar...He likes to stay in crisis mode...if the adrenal gland senses a fuel shortage ...cortisol kicks in and starts breaking down things to burn for fuel. He especially likes to target lean muscle tissue because it takes less work to break it down. (That's another very, very important thing to remember)

Not reviewed here...
...but equally important in all this is a hormone called Leptin. Leptin is the grand orchestrator of energy flow (Metabolism) throughout the day. Dr. John Berardi has provided an intensely detailed review (3 articles) on how Leptin works to regulate our energy systems. The links to his work are included below.

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And now, here's our food...more specifically the macro nutrients in our food.

Protein, Carbohydrates, Fats and Alcohol. * Yes, Alcohol is a food player in this game for reasons that will be demonstrated below.

Quick Note: Reviewing food in general, calories, what's a carb, etc, is far beyond our scope here. I will also not attempt to review the grand idea of "metabolism", energy production, etc. There is allot of information freely available on the internet. If you need help understanding principle food choices, nutrition, etc, I recommend you do some reading here. If you want to know how our body uses food to produce energy, here's a very high level article on how our energy systems work.

Now let's focus on a few important ideas regarding how the macro nutrients affect our key exercise related hormones mentioned above

... rules to the eating game:

Protein: Eating protein promotes both HGH and T...but leans slightly in favor of HGH. Testosterone is a little shy around high amounts of protein...so don't go overboard. The overall influence is still a good 1+2 punch.

Carbohydrates (carbs): Eating Carbs (sugars in various forms) ... causes an Insulin response. Our body likes to burn sugar, so the insulin is produced to start taking the sugar around to where it's needed. If it's not going to be used now, it likes to store some away for later ...which makes us fat! (lipogenesis). The insulin release caused by carbs is due to something called the Glycemic Index (GI) and something else known as the Glycemic Load (GL). Basically...a very sugary "sweet" snack or meal will have a high GI and GL...which is a very bad thing! Complex carbs, on the other hand, are known for their relatively low GI and GL. But...carbs will always release insulin to ~some~ degree.

And there is a hidden consequence of insulin in the bloodstream...our building hormones, HGH and T do not like Insulin! As a matter a fact, secretion of HGH and T are drastically reduced with increased insulin in the bloodstream.

So, remember what I said about HGH and T being mostly released at night? hmmmmm...think about that.

Fats: Eating fats promote both HGH and T ....but slightly favors increased T. This combo is another 1+2 punch.

But...wait! There is some caution here. Remember our friend insulin ...the storage guy. He will want to store fats that are available and not being allocated or used for other purposes. ...So a sugary, high fat meal is a 1+2 death punch! Make that at night...and it's a TKO!

Alcohol: Here's the "buzz killer" on alcohol. Alcohol causes your body to stop release of ~both~ HGH and T. It also causes the body to stop burning fat. I didn't say ...slow down....I said it ~STOPS~ all together ...at least until the liver has had time to remove it all. Because alcohol is a readily burnable source of fuel (it's a modified sugar molecule) the body chooses it, just like a carb when it's available. So...keep that in mind.

Ever wonder why it has it's own seperate section on fitday....now you know...

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So....If we're exercising regularly, how can we put our meals together to support the beneficial hormonal effects while minimizing the bad?

Glad you asked, here's how we score bigger, fat burning, muscle building points with our diet:

1.) Diet focused on lean proteins. If you're already on a good eating plan...that's a big "DUH"... This will help maximize the HGH and T. Lean meats, dairy, chicken, turkey. Mix it up! Remember, variety is the spice...

2.) Eat good fats; the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated varieties available in lean read meats, nuts, avocados, fatty cold-water fish, etc. Again, variety is good. keep it measured as strict portion of your daily eating and it will help maximize HGH and T.

3.) We must eat carbs because we need the fuel they provide, so concentrate on natural carb sources; fruits and vegetables.

Stay away from cookies, cakes, ice cream, candy, etc. Especially at night!!! Remember, HGH and T do not get along with insulin. Make sure to have a good cutoff hour for any carbohydrates long before you go to bed. We want to maximize that overnight HGH and T release. If you must have a night time snack, make it a protein/fat based snack instead.

Triggering an Insulin response following a good workout is beneficial. That's how the cells get fed. So time your carbs around your workouts, when they will be preferentially used to replace muscle fuel and/or burned for immediate needs.

Again, keep the carbs before bed on the down low...low...low.

4.) Keep alcohol consumption under wraps. Don't consume any on hard workout days. Remember that fat burning and beneficial hormone secretion are on pause while you're throwing back a few...and the meter is running. Keep it to your off (rest) days and keep it honest. ...and for heaven's sake...Don't drink and drive!!!

5.) Controlling cortisol is a bit of walking a tight rope. I need to do more research on this one. Sometimes you want to provoke it ...most of the time not so much. Eating primarily complex carbs should keep cortisol in check by keeping a relatively stable, managed blood sugar. Since stress causes cortisol to rise, including a Vitamin C immediately after a workout should help to keep it under control. I'll have to read more about this one.

There you go.

The clean eating Turbulence Training lifestyle supports each and every one of these points perfectly. If you've been wanting to find a body management plan that works with you and doesn't take hours upon endless hours each week, then look no further than Turbulence Training. Complete, focused and results oriented. It's proven. It works. 'Nuff said.

I hope you found something useful here. Use this as a series of things to remember...when planning your daily meals and calculating your attack on fat!


Internet References:
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Hormone Articles (sorry no links, please cut and paste into another browser window)

http://www.fitnessforoneandall.com/nutrition/article/hormones/part_one.htm
http://www.fitnessforoneandall.com/nutrition/article/hormones/part_two.htm
http://www.fitnessforoneandall.com/nutrition/article/hormones/part_three.htm
http://www.fitnessforoneandall.com/powerlifting/article/diet/post-workout/part_one.htm
http://www.fitnessforoneandall.com/powerlifting/article/diet/post-workout/part_two.htm


http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/hormones/
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/hormones/hungry.htm
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/hormones/gh.htm
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/hormones/bigt_1.htm
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/hormones/bigt_2.htm

http://www.alwyncosgrove.com/ModShow/ShowPage/90417

http://alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com/2008/08/eat-more-food-lose-more-fat.html

http://www.hussmanfitness.com/html/TLRagingMetab.html
http://www.hussmanfitness.com/html/TFNutritionKeys.html

Congratulations to my winner!!!

Well, the Turbulence Training 3rd transformation contest is in the books, and I gave it my best shot.

Unfortunately for me there were a couple of guys that came along and just blew me out of the water! That's OK, I don't feel bad about that because they did a lot of very hard work and had some fantastic transformations. That just proves the power of the Turbulence Training program overall. So many people, so many positive changes in the their lives...that's the real prize! Check here for their stories.

I do however want to focus on (and steal a little credit) for one of the contestants individually...my beautiful wife! Yes, she participated in the contest with me...and not only made a fantastic personal transformation...she won 3rd place overall! Yes, that's right, 3rd place overall in a contest that turned out to be very, very competitive.

You can see above just how dramatic her changes were..all accomplished in just 12 weeks. Her official contest entry page is here. You can read her full story.

I'm very, very proud of her hard work...she really deserves it.

Just for the record, below were my official entry photos. Like I said before...I got bumped from the finals...but that's OK. I got bumped by some guys that experienced their own fantastic personal transformations using Turbulence Training.



Until next time...work hard.

Is that really me in that before Picture?

Building a better life through choice and Turbulence Training.

Man, I tell you the years can be cruel...and the camera is an impartial judge.

The photo you see is a shot of me at Christmas 2002 with my two beautiful daughters. I was 33 at the time. Wow, can you believe those cheeks?

Based on my height (5'9"), I was already clinically obese. I don't remember right off hand, but I will hazard a guess I was packing around between 225 - 230 pounds, although I would actually get up to 240 before too much longer.

Healthy? Well, lets just say that I didn't have any diagnosed medical conditions. But come on, who am I trying to kid? No I wasn't. Not by any means. I was, quite literally, "fat, dumb and happy".

So what takes a relatively young person by the perverbial "scruff" and shakes some sense into them? It was as simple as it was shocking.

The company where I was working at the time also employed a great gentleman who happened to be a retired Medical Doctor. For someone like him, working with and meeting new people all the time was a necessity so outside sales filled the bill very well. He was a wonderful guy to spend time with and always, upon always had something to share with you regarding all aspects of life. He was quick with a joke and kept a smile on everyone's face. A true joy to be around.

One day, however, he walked in my office with a very serious look on his face. Without a smile...without so much as a grin, he pointed at my gut and told me point blank, "Tom...that is going to kill you!" I tried to laugh it off and make light of the situation. But he wasn't buying what I was selling. No jokes, no smiles, no pats on the back. He was dead serious.

That particular "session" lasted about 30 minutes. And others, just a serious, would follow over the course of the next few days/weeks forcing me to really put things into perspective. This wasn't some made up stuff off the internet. These were cold, hard facts. Obesity goes hand in hand with heart disease, cancers of several types, impotence, diabetes...the list goes on and on. Not to mention the general the lack of energy...feeling tired all the time.

When a medical doctor sits down in front of you and tells you that you've set yourself up for a very short trip...you pay attention. My "choices" were leading me to destruction. Notice how I phrased that...."My Choices". Nobody held a gun to my head and made me eat the way I did, or stay on the couch when I could be moving around. No one to blame but me.

And what about my family? Who was going to play with these kids? Who was going to be there for them, strong, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound? Living this way is selfish.

At 33 years old life was just really beginning; a young family at home depending on me and I was very quickly "killing" myself.

Man what a wakeup call.

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"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do."
- Leonardo da Vinci

Until next time...Work Hard.

The 6 Steps to Fat Loss Success for Beginners

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Turbulence Training

For beginners, getting into fitness can be intimidating and confusing. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, getting fit is one of the most straightforward tasks you’ll attempt in the New Year. Fortunately, reaching your fitness goals requires only two things; discipline (that’s up to you) and a set of simple guidelines (which I’m happy to provide).

First, you should arrange for a full physical examination from your physician. This is mandatory for people that have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, or are obese. Once you have your doctor’s approval to begin a fitness program, you should schedule a fitness assessment with a health professional at your gym.

While both of these are incredibly annoying, they are essential to your success and well-being. The benefits of a doctor’s visit are obvious, particularly if you have one or more of the previously mentioned conditions but it also allows you and your doctor to discuss your lifestyle. Preventative medicine is far better than reactive medicine. Make your doctor part of your fat loss and health-building team along with the health professionals at your gym.

The real benefits of the fitness assessment aren’t finding out how much body fat you have or how many minutes you can last on the treadmill, but rather getting a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. If you want to avoid injury and actually achieve your goals this year, get to know your strengths and weaknesses.

The next secret is to walk, don’t run, to fitness success. If you want to pick up your University running workouts where you left them 10 years ago, that’s fine. But I guarantee you won’t last 10 days. And then it’ll be a dreary 355 days until you’re ready to try exercise again.

The hidden benefit of a good fitness assessment is that it will actually serve as a nice introductory workout to your return to fitness. It will buffer your delusions of fitness grandeur from the reality of what your body actually can do. After the fitness assessment teaches your body a lesson and awakens your muscles from their winter slumber, only then will you realize your limits that you must respect in subsequent workouts.

Goal-setting is the fourth secret to success (and not just in fitness, but in any area of life). It is much more effective to commit to a set of specific short-term and long-term goals than it is to routinely hope for weight loss each year.

Set realistic goals and remember to train within your limits. If you are currently sedentary and haven’t exercised in months (or years), don’t begin an advanced training program. Start with a conservative beginner program. Your belly wasn’t built in a day, and neither will be lost overnight.

Limit your initial workouts to 1 set per muscle group. In week 2, you should be ready to add another set. And if you want to build up to 3 sets, then do so in week 3. Slowly increase the weight and stay within your desired repetition range. At no time should you be too sore to function. And runners should also heed this advice. Too much running will guarantee shin splints in the early going. Avoid running on back to back days for the first two weeks and keep the distance short. Sore muscles are guaranteed when you lift. So keep the volume low.

And now for 2 super secrets that will help keep you committed and consistent with your workouts and will finally help you lose fat for good.

First, build your social support team. Social support is the #1 factor for success for women in fitness programs, and is important for men as well. Support can come from your spouse, brother or sister, child, mom or dad, friend, neighbor, co-worker, personal trainer, or lifestyle coach. Don’t try to go it alone. People respond better when they report to a person instead of a machine.

You also need to know that nutrition is the second most important factor for success in fat loss programs. That’s why you don’t need to train like a world-class athlete when you are starting to lose fat. Most of the fat you’ll lose in the early going is because you have chosen to make better nutritional choices. And if you don’t make better nutritional choices, even the best exercise program in the world isn’t going to help you achieve your fat loss goals.

Nutrition is a lot simpler than you think. Don't over think things. See a nutritionist or listen to what your mother told you as a kid. Food choices should contain a large nutrient-to-calorie ratio. Dr. Phil (yes that Dr. Phil) calls this “High-Response Cost, High-Yield Nutrition”. And follow this rule: Don't eat foods with added sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, but make sure to log your nutritional intake. This is a free website that allows you to track your calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

The consistent use of these 6 secrets will help you achieve your fat loss goals this year. Make this year’s fitness plan a strategic investment in your future health. The most efficient and effective way to lose fat in 2005 is with my Turbulence Training workouts - the choice of fitness professionals.

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 all over the Internet, 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

Don't be fooled...you can succeed!!!

I am absolute proof that you can succeed with changing your life and getting back into good physical condition...even ~BETTER~ than in your entire life with a few simple tools:

• A desire to change
• Focus and Determination: to make your goals a reality
• Social support (family, friends, co-workers)
• Good nutrition
• A well balanced exercise program tailored to the needs of a busy world

All of that in one simple package? Nah, that can't be...it's impossible.

But it's true. Nope, it's not a pill...and it's not sold on late night or weekend infomercials.

It's you. Yes, you! ~All you need is the motivation.

Over the last two years, I have completely...and I mean ~COMPLETELY~ transformed myself from a soft, quickly approaching middle aged man ... with graying hair and all. To a fit, rock hard, energetic busy husband and father of 3 girls....who is quickly running away from middle age doing things I have never done before.

Things like running in local 5k events, lifting weights regularly, even riding in mountain bike races! Wow! A complete change for the absolute better. Sure, I can't stop the hands of time...but they will have to catch me.

Anyone can do it, all you need is desire to take that step....I hope I can inspire you do that.

Workout blog Wednesday, 10/15/08

Another hump day in the books.

Today's workout was the Turbulence Training Big 5 Workout "B". As far as a work day was concerned, it was good overall, no allergy problems, had enough food. But I wasn't quite tuned in for the workout. Not in the mood, possibly. Perhaps I wasn't quite recovered from pushing it a littler harder on Monday...I dunno. But I got through it. And I felt much better afterward.

Remember, this is a full circuit routine..including these exercises:

• 1 Leg Squat
• DB Chest Press
• DB Row
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• Stability Ball Rollout
  

Notes * Observations
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A.) 1 Leg squats were tougher tonight. Did them holding a couple of 10# DBs. The extra 20 pounds through off my balance a little, and I was still feeling Monday's hard work.

B.) DB Chest Press...again with a pair of 75# Dbs. Solid.

C.) DB Row...I bumped it from 65# up to 70#. Felt good, although I was still feeling the pullups from Monday.

D.) Bulgarian Split Squat...considering the 1 leg squat wasn't quite there...I ended up using a pair of 25# DBs.

E.) Stab. Ball Rollout ... kept the reps at 20 for all sets. A classic movement...gotta love it.

Overall worktime: 26:30 ...not good compared to 4 full circuits from last week.

Intervals: 6 rounds; 60 x 90 secs; 8/3 intensity. Felt good. Helped clear my head.

Cramps: Where did the cramping go? Thankfully, I seemed to have found a winning combination to combat the problems I was having with my cramping calves:

• Post workout...I've been supplementing with potassium at night (90 mg).
• Stretching periodically throughout the day. Specific calf stretching
• Making sure to stay well hydrated

Did that do it? Maybe. All I know is that I don't have the problems I was having just 2 weeks ago. I'll take it.

If you've been wanting to find a body management plan that works with you and doesn't take hours upon endless hours each week, then look no further than Turbulence Training. Complete, focused and results oriented. It's proven. It works. 'Nuff said.

Workout blog Monday, 10/13/08

Monday was a day off of work for me and I had a great afternoon with the kids. I took my oldest daughters MTB riding and then we met up with the wife and little one for some time at the park playing and feeding the ducks. When we got home, I did TT Big 5 workout A.

I performed 4 total circiuts including the following exercises:

• DB Squats
• Decline Pushups
• PullUps
• DB Reverse Lunge
• Stablility Ball Jacknife
  

Notes * Observations
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I did the DB Squats with 55# DBs held up in front where the bar for a front squat would be loaded. Felt Good.
I had to increase the reps for the decline pushups. In retrospect, I should have actually gone higher.
The Pullups were solid. I had to work really hard for those last 3 reps in the last set.
I did DB Reverse lunge with a pair of 30# dbs. Need to increase next go around.
Stability ball Jacknife was solid.

Total work time: 21:46. Slightly off my last mark, but more work overall.

Followed primary workout with 3 minute arms, 5x5x4.

Intervals: 6 rounds, 45/90 secs @ 9/3 intensity.

Overall, a nice and solid workout.