Hugh Jack(ed)man

My body was tired today, so I took the day off. But I am always looking to for tips to help me get my 6 pack abs.

Sure there's Brad Pitt and Matthew Mcconaughey, but I really think Hugh Jackman gets totally overlooked.

The man is just Jacked!! (pun intended) For some reason he just looks more natural than Brad to me. It looks like he really put in the blood, sweat and tears to achieve his body. I found this article on Yahoo that barely goes into his diet and workout structure, but hey its something.

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/access-hollywood-hugh-jackman.html

If anyone had any specifics to Jackman's diet or exercise routine, please let me know.

Cheat Your Way Thin

I've seen a couple reviews of 'Cheat Your Way Thin' and have decided that I am not going to buy the program, at least for now. Let me state that the reviews have not tried the system yet, so I'm not saying it doesn't work, the system is just confusing. Being hectic with work and having a kid on the way is not ideal for me to take on a detailed and confusing diet.

Yes I want to get lean, lose my gut fat as soon as possible and finally achieve my 6 pack abs, but I also need a system that is easy to understand and follow.

I belong to the Turbulence Training Member forums and here is one review from another member:

"I'm so glad I'm not the only one here who bought the book!!!
Due to the time difference, I think I must be one of the first ones to buy the book...it was around 8.30AM locally when I received an e-mail that the book went live. Obviously with all the hype that he had created about eating junk food I was excited, I even signed up for the 50% discount. Needless to say I plunked down $47, read the book for 1 hour, ended up disappointed in myself for believing such hypes & then finally I sent an email requesting for a REFUND!I mean, why make dieting so difficult on yourself???

I even mentioned in my e-mail when requesting for the refund that his diet would be too difficult for me to follow. I also told him that I was doing Turbulence Training and the diet in this program was a lot easier to follow.

At least he confirmed the refund, it just hasn't shown up in my PayPal as yet. But yeah, this book is kind of pointless, it's just too difficult to follow and he is just saying stuff what I feel everyone here knows."

Again, I'm not saying the diet doesn't work, I'm just saying that it seems very complex and I don't see a lot of people sticking with a complex diet plan for long. If you can't make it a part of your lifestyle, than diets do exactly what they sound like, DIE!!

It was a Split Decision

And the journey to fat loss and 6 pack abs continues.

Yesterday I did a quick off-day workout with my new toy, the heavy bag. I did 5, 2 minute rounds with 1-2 minutes rest in between. I didn't have a set program, but worked on constantly punching, keeping my feet moving and always keeping my guard up.

Needless to say, the judges had the scorecard split and it was a split decision after 5 rounds. I've set up a rematch for Wed.

I plan to research any workout programs for the heavy bag. If I find something I will let you know about it. If you know of something, please let me know.

Today I started the new May Turbulence Training workout. Its called TT for Reformed Meatheads Fat Loss Program (long title, I know). Workout A was great. I was able to use heavy weights, it was only 3 super-sets with 1 body weight interval and I was in and out of the crowded gym in 30 minutes!

Has anyone gotten any emails on the Cheat Your Way Thin ebook by Joel Marion?? I got 6, lol! Since I haven't read it (I don't plan to buy it unless someone I know tries it) I'm not going to say its good or bad. From what I've read its about when you take in your carbs and timing your cheat meals, it just sounds too complex for me. Don't get me wrong, if it will help me get lean and get my 6 pack, I will try it, but until someone give me a great review I'm going to hold off on it. Please leave some comments if you have bought it.

Todays Workout and Secret Fat Loss Weapon!

Ok, I'm really pumped so here's my secret fat loss weapon!!

Yes its just a heavy bag (80lbs). But I'm pumped because its something new and its a great way to get a fat burning workout in, while killing A LOT of STRESS. Remember, if you're stressed out, your cortisol levels will be high and its a lot harder to burn fat and get lean. Plus its a full body workout and that means I can make my goal of 6 pack abs even faster!

I got to the gym again today and ate really well too! I think once you get on a role its easier to keep on going!

I did Turbulence Training AAA Abs workout B today. I did each super-set 3 times.

1A) DB 1 Arm Squat and Press 50lb DB 3 sets of 8

1B) Pullup + Kneeup 3 sets, 8,7,6

2A) Front Loaded Bulg Squat 60lb DB 3 sets of 8

2B) Stab Ball Plank Rollout 3 sets of 10

3A) 1 Leg Stab Ball Curl 3 sets of 10

3B) Side Plank DB Lat Raise 15lb DB 3 sets of 10

4A) Burpee x's 10

4B) Chin ups x's 10

4C) Jump Rope 30 sec

If you want to see the workout, you can check it out on YouTube:

AAA Abs Workout B

If you'd like to have the all 3 workouts, please go here:

AAA Abs Workout

Free Camera!

Hey Guys,

Just a quick update and I'll be back later tonight.

Craig Ballantyne from Turbulence Training (his programs are the ones I dropped the 25lbs with!) is offering a free flip phone camera. Remember, this is totally free, all you have to do is comment on his blog! You can't win if you don't try! Here's what to do:

Just for answer a quick question on Craig's blog.

So drop by his blog and tell us, "What would Transforming Your Body mean to you?"
Does it mean...
- Freedom from being overweight
- Confidence to do more with your life
- Relief from the depression that plagues you everyday
- Success in proving others that you CAN do whatever you set out to do
- Or something even more powerful?

Just let us know on Craig's blog...

Here's the link:

CRAIG's BLOG

Off Day Workout and Diet

After a long week, I'm starting to get back into the swing of things, both with eating right and exercise. Let's start with the food:

Breakfast/Pre-workout: 4 egg whites with 1 whole egg on a whole-wheat English Muffin (I normally would have thrown spinach in with the eggs, but I ran out)

Post-Workout - Fat-free plain yogurt with strawberries, blueberries and a scoop of whey mixed in.

Snack - 1 Apple and a handful of almonds

Dinner - Grilled Chicken breast on top of a salad with green bell pepper and broccoli. I used 2 tbsp of South Beach Diet Balsamic Vinegar.

Normally I would have a couple more meals/snacks but I did at least 5 hours of yard work and it was 90 degrees out so I drank a lot of water, which filled me up.

Since today was an off day from my TT routine, I decided to try some of the concepts from Jon Benson's Radical Fat Loss Program.

Basically it is suggest for whatever exercise you do, you pick a weight that you can do 10 reps. You do 1 set and then only take 30 seconds for rest. You keep on repeating this until you can only get 3 repetitions up. After I finished this workout I was drenched with sweat!!

Here's what I did:

Bench Press - 225lbs sets of 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, & 3
Squats - 225lbs sets of 10, 9, 7, 5, 4 & 3
Preacher Curls - 75 lbs sets of 10, 8, 6, 5 & 3
Triceps Push Downs- 90lbs, sets of 10, 9, 9, 7, 6, 5, 3

And again, I was able to get this work-out done very quickly. I was in and out of the gym in 45 minutes and that included the lengthy conversation I had AFTER my workout with someone regarding the NFL Draft (I am a fantasy football junky).

The exercise routine comes from Jon's 7 Minute Muscle Program. I think after TC5, that I am going to try this program. Turbulence Training works great, but I love switching things up and Jon's program seems pretty great too!

I'll post pictures of my new secret Fat Burning Weapon tomorrow!

Long Week and It's only Thursday!

Wow what a long week its been. Unfortunately that is a very bad when it comes to my quest for fat loss, getting lean and 6 pack abs. Work has been really hectic. So much so that I've only had about 20 minutes for meals (unplanned and not really too healthy) and literally no time to workout since Monday. I looked at the scale and I'm almost up 5 lbs since the end of the competition. I was expecting to gain a couple, but I'm really staring to push it now.

This weekend I am planning on getting plenty of exercise and eating right. I did manage to get a new 'secret fat loss' weapon last weekend! I'm pretty excited to use it but I have to set it up this weekend. I'll post some pictures once I have it up.

I was talking to my friend Russ and he was asking how to get shredded fast. Now Russ is already in pretty good shape so I knew what he wanted to do, but didn't know how to do it. By pure coincidence I got an email in my inbox that day from Jon Benson, another great on-line trainer.

Jon's email was promoting a new product. It's called the "Radical Fatloss Blueprint." And the best part about this product is that it will help Russ (and eventually me), but its FREE!! I took the course and got Jon's new ebook. This diet and exercise program look very serious and not for the weak of heart.

I am planning to do it the last 3 weeks of the TT Transformation Contest 5. I plan to follow Jon's diet for those 3 weeks and Craigs workouts.

If you're looking to lose that last 10-15 lbs fast, you should check it out. Remember you can get the Ebook for free, all you have to do is take Jon's course (Its a 7 day course that won't take more than 30 min each day).

Check it out here: "Radical Fatloss Blueprint"

Cheating and Golf

I know I've been saying that your eating habits (diet) are over 80% of the reason you will or will not obtain 6 pack abs. Well I'm guilty of not following my #1 rule for the last couple of days. Pizza, burgers, soda, etc. The last couple of days have not been good healthy eating. Am I worried, no, but I needed to do something about it and I did! My wife and I went out food shopping and loaded up on fruits, veggies, fish and chicken. I know what it takes to lose fat fast, it comes down to being prepared to do it. Loading up on food and preparing healthy food in advance is the best way not to cheat. I will usually cook 2 huge meals a week, on Sunday and Wed nights. This way I will always have healthy leftovers sitting around so there's no excuse to order a pizza or hit the drive through.

It was very busy this weekend and I did not prepare so I paid the price. Today I did housework and then went food shopping. Yesterday I had an 8 hour baby class (my wife and I are expecting our first) and by the time we got out, we were both physically and mentally drained. Friday I took the day off from work and went down to Pinehurst to play 36 holes of golf. I played great (well for me) and the weather was beautiful.

I have noticed that since I lost the 25lbs that my golf game has gotten a lot better. My stamina has gone through the roof and my flexibility has really improved. It's added to a little more yardage in my clubs, but I think the added flexibility has let me swing more under control. Again I can thank Turbulence Training for not only getting my closer to my six pack abs, but also improving my golf game.

For all of you golfers out there, Craig has actually worked with Susan Hill and created a workout specifically for golfers. You can check it out here: Golf Fitness Challenge.

Ab Exercises

I took today off from my workouts. I'm feeling a slight pain in my knee and don't want to make it any worse so I'm going to take a few days off. I'm not really too worried because like I said before, getting the 6 pack abs is more about the diet.

People have asked me what I do on my 'off days' when I am not doing my TT workouts. 30 minutes of activity is recommended. What is activity? Its up to you! In the beginning I was still sore from my TT workouts and didn't want to tire myself out for the next workout so I would just take my dog for long walks. As my fitness level grew I threw in different challenge workouts and tried different activities like yoga and pilates.

Here's a suggestion from Craig's Blog:

"- Do each exercise for 30 seconds.
- Do NOT rest between exercises.
- At the end of the circuit, rest 30 seconds before repeating one more time.
1A) Spiderman Climb or Spiderman Pushup
1B) Side Plank (30 seconds per side)
1C) Cross-Body Mountain Climber


Keep those abs "braced" and have FUN!"

I know you guys were asking me when I posted my pictures about at home workouts. Craig has just come out with TTBootCamp. Its different workouts using only bodyweight and all exercises are non-stop so its like a giant circuit. If you are looking for a program that is just body-weight and will get your heart rate up, then check out the TTBootCamp program.

Stares and Commitments

I was able to get in the Turbulence Training AAA Abs workout C in today during lunch in under 35 minutes! This workout was a circuit of about 10 exercises. I did each exercise back-to-back without rest and did 3 sets of the circuit. When I was done my core/abs really felt it!! The amount of stares I get when doing a workout like this is hilarious, but the results are well worth it. I just go into a corner of the gym with my exercise mat, a couple of dumbbells, a stability ball and a jump rope. Once I turn on the Ipod it doesn't matter who stares at me!

The one thing that it takes to get a 6 pack or to be successful in life is commitment. When you make an appointment (whether it be for business or with yourself to go to the gym) don't ditch out because you feel you have better things to do. I had a business appointment today that was scheduled last week. The person I was meeting with promised to email me directions to his office and when I had not heard from him by Monday, I decided to email him and request the directions. Nothing.....Since the appointment was for today and I still did not hear from him, I called him and left a voicemail. The appointment was for 4:30 and I never heard from him (yes I could have looked up directions on the internet, but its just principal). Want to guess who called at 4:40 hoping I was still coming?? I did not pick up the phone because I was so furious and instead sent him a polite email which also contained my original email from Monday and stated that I was a busy person and I had to remove him from my calendar when I did not hear from him. I told him if he'd like to reschedule he could give me a call.

Point being, if you are going to make an appointment or say your going to do something, whether is business, personal or fitness related, keep your word! For those that don't, I have them labeled at ATNA (All talk, No Action) and I hate dealing with these kinds of people.

Contest Results

The contest results are in!

Transformation Contest Results

First I'd like to say congratulations to the winners!

I am pretty upset that I didn't place. I worked very hard and if you told me before that losing 25 lbs and 5 inches off of my waist wouldn't get anything then I would have told you that you were crazy.

But its all about the pictures, not the numbers (the 2nd and 3rd place men only lost 13lbs each).

"But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that!"-Rocky

Cheesey quote, I know. But I just found my motivation for the next contest. With my first kid set to be born in May, I was wondering if I'd do TC5. I decided I would do it but not put in my all since the baby was going to be born and just work to my 6 pack on my time. Now, I plan to go even harder in TC5 (the wife isn't too happy about this but she understands my competitive nature) and give my baby and this contest my all.

Sign ups for the new contest starts May 4 and ends May 26 and from there you have 84 days to transform yourself. Want to join me? Click on one of the TT links around the blog, sign up for Craig's email and then get a TT package. You do not have to joing TTMembers to join the contest, you can send in your pictures via email.

Question Answered

"Your lips will turn blue, you may pass out, but you will not die!" - Jillian Michaels from the Biggest Loser......

In some sense she's right. Getting 6 pack abs, even just losing some weight requires that you CONFUSE your body in both exercise and diet. You need to push yourself! How did I know I had a good workout? If I felt any one or combination of the following A) I sweat through my shirt B) I felt light headed (Not passing out light headed, but a little woozy) C) I felt like I was going to puke.

I'm sorry, but if you go to they gym and are able to read a book/mag or able to hold a long conversation with a friend, you're not working hard enough. Your signs of a good workout may be different (and I'm not encouraging you to go pass out or puke), but your body should be telling you that its not used to the workout.

I posted my pictures and the link to the voting to the contest on Facebook in hopes my friends would vote for me. I got a lot of congrats and some questions. My good friend Steve sent me a this message which basically covers every ones questions:

"Hey looks like that program worked great. I need that! give me the skinny what are you actually doing? I saw the essay, all processed foods gone, but what else? what was the fitness aspect? It says train at home..." - Steve

Well first the obvious part, the program I used: Turbulence Training

I'd suggest signing up for Craig's emails and looking at his products. If you like what you see and hear and want to make a huge change to your body, then go for it.

I can honestly say that 80-90% of my results were from proper eating, while the other 30-40% were from the workouts.

I completely changed my eating habits. Please notice I am not using the word diet. Diets come to an end and people gain the weight back afterwards. What you really need is a lifestyle change! I think I managed to make that change. As I said in my essay, I switched to natural, unprocessed foods and tried to eat 5-6 times a day. When I didn't have time to prepare meals I'd have some fruit, almonds and a protein shake. Did I cheat or slip up? Hell Yes!! And don't worry if you do, if you get your eating habits right 90% of the time you will be fine.

I will go into more details on exactly how I ate in future posts, but I think that should answer the basic question for now.

The other half of the equation was the exercise. Craig does an awesome job at offering different workouts. When I first started I bought the TT basic edition which provides some great workouts. I also joined the TTMembers forum which gives me access to Craig's new monthly workouts.

All of the TT workouts can be done in 45 minutes (1 hour max) and are only scheduled for 3 days a week. This was very appealing to me since I am a pretty busy person and don't want to be in the gym 2 hours a day.

Craig uses 'supersets' to get your weight training and cardio in at the same time. Its very intense, but the results are amazing! Most workouts consist of 3-4 supersets containing 2 exercises in each superset.

The other great thing about TT is that there is no long cardio on the treadmill!! I hate long distance running and love this!! The longest you will be on a treadmill or bike is for 20 minutes! You get your cardio in by doing HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) after your weight workouts. As I stated above, you need to confuse your body and HIIT will accomplish that!

And for the final part of the question, working out at home. Yes TT lets you work out at home. The main workouts do not require a lot of equipment (dumbbells, stability ball, bench, pull-up bar) so they could be done at home with some substitutions of exercises. Craig has also put together workouts that specifically use body-weight exercises that people have used exclusively and seen great results. Again check out the differences in Craig's products to see which ones offer body weight workouts.

I will go into more detail in future posts and you can follow along in the next Transformation Contest as I blog my way through that too.

Any questions, just leave me a comment.

My Contest Essay

Hi all,

I forgot last night to post my essay for the contest, which should give you some more insight into my motivation to get lean, fit and of course 6 pack abs.

Just to summarize it quickly; I realized I couldn't take care of someone else unless I was acccountable for my own body first.

The Essay
Just in case my pictures do not do enough justice, let me put it into words how much Turbulence Training has changed my life.I’m 28 year old male who has always gone to the gym. When I say I went to the gym, I mean I worked out, but there was anywhere between 2-5 minutes between sets and no cardio whatsoever. There was no purpose to my workouts. As far as diet, well let’s just say that they knew me by name at the Wendy’s drive-through. Needless to say, I might have maintained my strength, but my physical appearance was heading downhill.

My motivation to change my body came in September when I received the best news of my life; my wife and I were having our first child! I took the great news in stride and started preparing for the baby.

Then around the 2008 holiday season, I looked in the mirror and stared at my gut. How was I supposed to care for this baby when I couldn’t take care of myself? I could barely make it up a flight of steps without being out of breath; imagine how fast I’d collapse trying to play with a small child?

My mind was made up and I decided that it was time to change what I saw in the mirror. I have been subscribing to Craig’s emails for a couple months and decided it was finally time to sign up and start his workouts. To make myself even more accountable to my goal I decided to post my pictures on the internet and join TC4.My workout programs consisted of the Original Turbulence Training Workout, Turbulence Training 2k9 and Turbulence Training for Buff Dudes and Hot Chicks.

I followed Craig’s instructions for the workouts very strictly and finally felt like my workouts had a purpose. The great part about these workouts is that I was in and out of the gym in 45 minutes or less, or I could even do some of them from home!

No long cardio is another great factor that swayed me to subscribing to TT. 20 minutes max on the bike or treadmill while doing HIIT cardio was great and effective!!

These workouts were only done 3 days a week, so on my ‘off-days’ I did any light activity from walking my dog, to body weight workouts or if I was feeling good, giving one of Craig’s challenge workouts a try.

Now for the hard part, the diet! Actually it wasn’t hard and I wouldn’t consider it a diet either! I plan to follow this for the rest of my life.

Basically, I stuck to natural, whole foods and tried to avoid anything out of a box or bag and processed sugars. My diet consists of plenty of fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. I also used Brad Pilon’s Eat-Stop-Eat for the second half of the contest and fasted 1 day per week.

If I had to sum up my success during this transformation in one word it would be ACCOUNTABILTY. You have to be accountable to yourself otherwise you will never see results! To help with that aspect, the Turbulence Training forums did a great job of social support. If I hit a bump in the road someone was always there to help guide me through it and put me back on track.

Now for my tangible results:

Day 1 – December 29, 2008
Height: 5’10’’
Weight 213
Waist 38''
Neck 16''
Chest 45''
Biceps 14''
Bi's Flexed 16''
Thighs 22.5''
Body Fat (caliphers) 21%

Day 84 - March 22, 2009
Weight 188lbs
Waist 33''
Neck 15.25''
Chest 40''
Biceps 13.75''
Bi's Flexed 16''
Thighs 21''
Body Fat (caliphers) 12.7%

Change
Weight minus 25lbs!!
Waist minus 5''
Neck minus .75''
Chest minus 5''
Biceps minus .25''
Bi's Flexed --
Thighs minus 1.5''
BF% minus 8.3%

I can now say that I feel great and I am always full of energy! I am now looking forward to running around and playing with my son! I will always follow the TT lifestyle!

Finalist in Turbulence Training Transformation Contest 4!!

Hey all,

Well I am very happy that my hard work has paid off so far. Out of all of the male competitors in TC4, Craig though that my results were in the top 5 of all the men. Now its up to the public to decide who has had the best body transformation. Please take a look at both the men and women here:

Female Voting

Male Voting

That's some pretty amazing results huh? This is just the beginning for me since I am after that 6 pack! In the final pictures for the contest, I had a body fat % of 12%. I need to get that to below 10% get the abs I want.

That is what I plan to use this blog for accountability and knowledge for those of you who'd also like to do it. I mean just look at the results of the men and women in the contest. Who wouldn't want to lose their gut and get six pack abs? I can let you in on one secret, then I'm going to bed.

IT WASN'T A DIET!! It was a lifestyle change, which I plan to continue going forward.

Everyone have a good night. I will be posting more this week on what helped me be so successful during this contest. I've posted my essay below:

Turbulence Training Contest

My 6 Pack Abs Journey - The Beginning

So a little about me and why I started this blog:

I am just your normal 28 yr old male who is married with a kid on the way. I work a normal job in corporate America and live a very average life. There's was also one other item that put me with a high percentage of Americans, I was overweight and sick of it!!

So on December 30, 2008 I decided to change that. I joined Turbulence Training which is run by Craig Ballantyne who also writes for Men's Health. By signing up for Turbulence Training, I had access to Craig's awesome workouts and within the workout package, Craig also gave me free gifts which helped improve my eating habits and provided me with a lot of useful information for fat loss.

I also joined Craig's web Fast-Loss community, TTMembers.com. This web forum provided me with great social support as I was able to communicate directly with Craig and other members going through the same problems I encountered. Through TTMembers.com I was also able to join Craig's 4th Transformation Contest (more about this in future posts). The Transformation Contests (TC4) is where I started my 12 week journey to 6 pack abs.

I will have my results and pictures posted this weekend. But just a little sneak peak, I lost a lot of fat (over 10% of my body fat) and 5 inches off of my waist. I'm don't have 6 pack abs yet, but I am much closer to my goals. This program has helped me burn fat and gain strength and muscle. I've also learned that I don't need to diet but make better lifestyle choices when eating. After all diet starts with DIE!!!