Howdy,

As I mentioned in my last video I was recently down at the Ryan Lee Bootcamp (an awesome seminar for fitness professionals) and I spent some time hanging out with my buddy Josh Henkin, creator of the Ultimate Sandbag. 

Sandbags are one of my favorite Odd Objects to train with so it was really cool to grab Josh and pick his brain about Sandbag training. 

While I was hanging out with Josh I grabbed him in the hallways and forced him to share some awesome fat burning Sandbag Training tips for you! 

Just click on the Play Button below to see Josh’s Fat Burning Sandbag tips…

 I have two of Josh Henkin’s Ultimate Sandbags in my basement and I use them often in my home gym and outdoor training. 

Training with sandbags is challenging on the abs, core, grip, and EVERYTHING for that matter and doing these Sandbag Complexes that Josh mentioned in the video are great for fat loss!

Performing a series of multi-joint, sandbag exercises like cleans, snatches, squats, lunges, presses, zercher goodmornings, etc will activate muscles all over your body and burn a lot of calories in a short period of time. 

That’s why I love short, intense Sandbag Complexes for for fat loss.   

No one needs a Sandbag to do these complexes, you can certainly do these complexes with Dumbbells and even a barbell but a great way to keep your muscles guessing is to work Sanbags into the your training arsenal! 

I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU:  Have you ever trained with Sandbags?  Ever trained with any other Odd Objects?  Drop me a line and let me know if you like this training tool!

Train with purpose,

Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
http://www.BurnTheFat-InnerCircle.com

Hey there,

Phew…

What a day…

I am chilling in my hotel room, shoes off, after a long day at Ryan Lee’s Bootcamp. It’s been awesome shooting video and masterminding with some of the top fitness professionals in the world (trainers flew in from ALL OVER THE WORLD to be at this event!).

Good news for you…

I’ll be sharing some great video interviews and fat loss tips in the very near future that I recorded with various fitness professionals while I was here.

In the meantime, check out this video I shot with John Sifferman this morning in the Stamford Conneticut Hilton.

Just hit the play button to watch this video…

Train with purpose,

Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
http://www.BurnTheFat-InnerCircle.com

P.S. - If you’re looking for more Home Gym Training ideas Click Here…

P.P.S. - What other ways can you think of to incorporate this Med Ball Burpee exercise into your fat burning workouts?  Share your thoughts below…

 Other Media: Download

Hey there,

I am sitting in the conference right now at “Ryan Lee’s Bootcamp” for fitness professionals.

I just saw one of the preseneters Andrew Lock share this HILLARIOUS video about the Nintendo WII Fit.

I have been asked a few times if the Nintendo “Wii” is good for weight loss and/or fat loss.

Well…

This video basically says my opinion on the subject:

Now don’t get me wrong…

The WII is fun - a couple of my buddies have them and it is fun but don’t dissillusion yourself thinking that it is enough to lose fat and create the physique that you really are aiming for…

Have a great day and get outside - make the world your gym…

Train with purpose,

Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
http://www.BurnTheFat-InnerCircle.com

Hey there,

I have a great fat loss audio tip for you today that will help you ’stoke your fat burning furnace!”

This tip comes from my buddy and fat loss expert Rob Poulos, who created the ‘Fat Burning Furnace.’

Hit the play button below to listen how you can use a simple water bottle to boost your fat burning potential and make more progress towards your dream physique.

WARNING!! This idea is SIMPLE but don’t dismiss it because it can help you out with your fat loss efforts.

To check out the Fat Burning Furnace Package Click Here.

Train with purpose,

Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
http://www.BurnTheFat-InnerCircle.com

Play Now:

 Stoke Your Fat Burning Furnace [6:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

My coach, Scott Sonnon, posted a very cool video on youtube that I would like to share with you today. It’s just a quick demonstration of him performing his daily personal practice. Most of the movements are considered joint mobility exercises.

(*Note: If you haven’t caught all of the posts in the joint mobility series here at FatBurningBlog, click on the title of this post and scroll down to see a list of the other posts we have put up - but make sure to watch the video in this post first!)

One philosophy that Sonnon and I share is that a beautiful physique comes as a by-product of abundant health. Sonnon seeks health first, and you can tell in this video that this route naturally produces a lean, powerful body that reminds me of a Greek sculpture.

Let me tell you up front that the bottom line when it comes to joint mobility and fat loss is that having a full range of motion at each joint is paramount to fat loss success. I can’t say enough about the benefits I have experienced using this type of training, and I sincerely hope that you are inspired to try it out and realize first-hand how powerful joint mobility truly is.

Along with the joint mobility exercises, you’ll also see Sonnon performing some vibration techniques, some of which I use in my own training. I do get a lot of funny looks when doing these in my yard or at the local YMCA, but the benefits are unquestionable - and I’ll take better health if it only costs some smirks and chuckles from my wife and strangers. I just mention it so that you don’t confuse them with some third-world Shaman ritual - these vibration techniques are not religious by nature, only scientifically-based strategies for relieving tension and stress. Sure, they look a little funny, but they are super effective!

Sonnon FREE TO MOVE Joint Mobility

I wanted to post this because I’d like you to see how truly amazing a daily personal practice can become with consistency. Scott is the creator of this program, and has been using it daily for over a decade himself - so it makes sense that he is a master of his own movement. He is one of my greatest inspirations, and I hope that his movement mastery grabs your attention as it does mine.

I want to encourage you that you can achieve any manner of mastery if you put your mind and effort into it daily. The last thing I want is for you to assume that these movements are unreachable for you. You can move with grace and fluidity, flow! But it must start with a daily personal practice. The exercises in the video are considered advanced versions of the beginner levels. There is nothing outlandish about these movements when you understand that they are just the next level of sophistication - just the next logical step that anyone will reach with practice. Almost all of the exercises in this video are taught extensively in Scott’s joint mobility DVD program Intu-Flow.

You can read my review of Intu-Flow by clicking here.

Or visit Scott’s site directly at http://www.rmaxi.com/products/ifcomplete.htm

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. If you have ANY questions about joint mobility, Intu-Flow, or Sonnon, please let me know using the comment feature below. I would be happy to help!

If I only had one dumbbell and needed to lose weight, the dumbbell swing would be one of my exercises of choice. This exercise is very simple and yet powerfully effective at eliciting a positive training effect. I like this exercise mostly because it is easy to learn, requires minimal equipment, and works great for burning fat, building lean muscle tissue, and generating strength and power.

While the dumbbell swing may look like an arm exercise, the motion is actually generated in the legs with the extension of the knees and hips pressing into the ground. The core muscles will then channel that energy into the arm which is locked down in order to prevent it from “lifting” the dumbbell. Don’t let the way this exercise looks fool you, this is a full-body exercise that is challenging both to local musculature and to the cardiovascular system.

Programmed correctly into a fat loss program, this exercise can create a large metabolic disturbance, resulting in more total calories burned.

Single-arm Dumbbell Swing

There are a few technique tips to keep in mind when performing this exercise.

1) Maintain good posture - this includes a flat back and a relaxed neck and spine, but also a locked down core. Your abdominal muscles should be actively contracted during the explosive, swinging phase of the movement.
2) Maintain shoulder pack position - actively packing your shoulder directly downwards onto your ribcage. This creates a structure that allows the dumbbell to travel smoothly with no excess movement.
3) Maintain elbow lock - bending your elbow will allow energy to “leak out” at that joint. Keeping your elbow locked will ensure that you get the most benefit from the exercise.
4) Use an intelligent grip - using the popular “death grip” with high intensity dumbbell swings isn’t a smart idea because you’re grip muscles will fatigue quickly. Since we want a full body training effect, we must use the intelligent grip protocol. This entails gripping just enough to maintain control of the dumbbell, and even lessening your grip while the DB is in freefall at the top of the motion (the moment when it stops ascending upwards, and begins to descend downwards). This gives your grip muscles a break and allows you to train more.
5) Allow your leg drive to do the swing work - pressing your feet into the ground while you explosively extend your hips forward and straighten your legs is the driving force of this exercise.
6) Exhale forcefully on effort - this is when the dumbbell is in back position (between your legs) and the body is literally coiled down to extend the hips and legs. When you release that elastic energy, effectively swinging the dumbbell upwards, that is when to forcefully exhale through your mouth.

Plugging this into a strength training program is really simple, but there are a lot of different ways to do it. You could do DB swings for time - doing rounds of one minute/arm. You could try doing heavier swings for reps, doing sets of 10, 20, 50, etc. This could also just be a supplementary exercise that you do at the beginning or end of your sessions. It all depends on your goals. If you have a question about how to include the DB swing into your training program, leave a comment with some basic information about your goals and training background, and I would be happy to help.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

One of the most important factors for fat loss success is making training enjoyable. Losing fat is hard work and can seem daunting at first, but having a little bit of fun will encourage you to stick with it. Using new training tools is always a great way to have fun, and I have recently fallen in love with my 15lb clubbells. Here is a video of me doing some exercises for a warmup…

Outdoor Clubbell Training - swipe and mill warmup

The exercises are: rock-its, swings, cleans to order, arm casts, swipes, inside/outside pendulums, shield casts, and one-arm mills.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

For more information about clubbell training, visit www.rmaxinternational.com

Howdy,

Road Warrior ‘Battis’ writing to you from sunny San Diego again.

I am on break from the seminar I am attending and wanted to share a couple traveling workout tips for staying on your fat loss program.

Fat Loss Tip #1: “Morning Front Loading”

This one is simple but very powerful.

Wake up 20-60 minutes early, well before you start your day of vacationing or business, and do your workout first thing.

Simple but effective.

Let’s be honest.

When you are traveling, things come up, fun distractions emerge, and even if you have the best of intentions of working out later in the day in my experience that very rarely ever happens.

That’s why fitting in a workout first thing in the morning is so powerful.

Get it in, get it done, and get on with your day. Doing so will keep you on track with your fat loss plans.

Fat Loss Tip #2: “Pack a follow along workout DVD”

I often do this when traveling for extended periods and want to keep on track with things.

Just simply throw in your favorite DVD and combine it with the “Morning Front Loading” tip I shared above.

I really like packing my 4-Minute workouts because they are easy to fit in.

What I did for this morning’s workout was a little different.

My buddy John Sifferman lent me a really cool Yoga program called Ageless Mobility made by Scott Sonnon. It was an awesome way to start my day.

I just threw the DVD into my laptop computer in my hotel room and followed along.

45 minutes later I had a great little session in and I felt great because I started my day with some physical activity.

The cool thing about Yoga is that you don’t need any special equipment and you need hardly any space.

There are a lot of benefits to doing Yoga. It is very calming, it is great at building muscular endurance for the postural muscles while improving overall static flexibility.

I highly recommend Scott’s follow-along Ageless Mobility DVD because he incorporates a nice mix of dynamic joint mobility along with the static poses that improve muscular endurance.

That was my traveling workout for this morning my friend.

If you have some cool traveling fitness ideas I would love to hear them.

Just share em below…

Train with purpose,

Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
http://www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
www.FatBurningInnerCircle.com

For more information about Scott Sonnon’s amazing Ageless Mobility program, check it out here: http://www.rmaxi.com/products/dvdagelessmobility.html

Question: “If I have to leave town for an extended period, I need portable, light-weight equipment I can take with me. For example, resistance exercise bands, jump ropes (on the heavy side, nothing that I can get tangled in), etc. What should I look for: a brand name, specs, etc. Cost does not always match quality. It should be easy to assemble and disassemble, portable and lightweight (do not want to go over a weight limit at the airport).”

Answer: Great question. As I type this message I am actually sitting in a hotel out of town on business.

On to your question…

I recommend using a lot of bodyweight exercises and workout routines but I do have an equipment recommendation for you that fits all of your criteria for staying fit and keeping up with your fat loss plan while travelling.

If you want a great piece of light weight and versatile equipment to travel with I recommend getting a set of Iron Woody Mini bands. These bands are very affordable and I use them with my training programs at home and on the road all the time.

They come in a couple different Resistance Levels and I recommend starting with the easier versions of the Mini-Bands at first.

The bands can be handy for all kinds of different exercises, they don’t weigh anything so you won’t get nailed with a luggage overweight fee, and in combination with some bodyweight exercises you can get a great fat loss workout anytime anyplace.

You should be able to find them here: http://www.ironwoodyfitness.com/fitness-bands.php

Also, you might want to check out www.TravelersTraining.com/now.html for some more travelling fitness ideas.

Hope that helps!

Train with purpose,

Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
http://www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
www.FatBurningInnerCircle.com

Some time ago I bought this nifty little gadget made by ‘Nike’ that plugs into the bottom of my IPOD Nano. The device recieves information sent to it from a little sensor that I stick into my running shoes.

It tells me how fast I am running, how far I run, it compares my workout to previous workouts, and much more all while listening to my workout mix or an inspirational audio.

One of the things I love about the Nike IPOD attachment is that it tells me when I have beat a personal record.

Lance Armstrong’s voice pops in over whatever I am listening to and says:

“Congratualtions! You have just set a new personal record in the 1 mile run!”

How cool is that?

I get a little rush everytime I improve on one of my personal records.

I have always believed that if you approach your workouts with a mindset of trying to improve on previous performances (do more reps, lift more weight, run a specific distance faster) that you will achievebetter fitness results as a nice little side effect.

I find this little piece of technology to help me keep improving from workout to workout and to keep the results coming.

If you have an IPOD NANO (Sorry, it does not work with other IPOD models yet) and this sounds cool to you go check it out. It cost me about $29.95 I think and I bought mine at a local athletic shoe store at the Mall.

Here is a link to lear more about the Nike IPOD attachment: http://www.apple.com/ipod/nike/

Check out this video that I just found on You Tube that explains it well:

Train with purpose,

Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
http://www.SecretsOfBurningFat.com
www.FatBurningInnerCircle.com