First I'd like to mention Pavel Tsatsouline (on the left of the picture above). Who is this Russian man? Well he used be an instructor for the Soviet Special Forces, but more currently he instructs US Military, Special Ops, Police, SWAT, Elite Fitness Instructors and is a Kettlebell RKC Chief Instructor. He's also a subject matter expert to the US Marine Corps, the National Nuclear Security Administration/US Department of Energy and the US Secret Service. He's involved in a lot of martial arts fitness training and the use of kettlebells. He was voted "Hot Trainer" by Rolling Stone in 2001. And He's published a number of books, and articles in Milo magazine and Performance Press. Alright I think that's about enough don't you? The man's done a lot.

So what's he physically capable of? He was once a nationally ranked kettlebell lifter in the USSR. You can watch him in his videos do some single-arm lifts with a 97lb Kettlebell, and he seems to do it with ease. He can do single-arm/single-leg pushups. He can do single-leg squats, called pistols, while holding a 72lb kettlebell. So he's pretty much one tough Russian; all that strength packed onto a slender frame.

So what's he done for me? Well besides the fact that I plan on getting my own kettlebells and seeing what I'm capable of. I gain new ideas from his newsletter and I just recently finished one of his books, The Naked Warrior. I recommend you check this one out if you're interested in some bodyweight exercises that will help you gain true strength and also to learn a lot of techniques that powerlifters use to improve their lifts. He teaches you different variations of the one-arm pushup and the single-leg squat (pistol) along with a number of great lifting techniques that can help you excell in all your normal lifts. I use a lot of those techniques when I want to lift heavy on my everyday lifts in the gym. I also plan on practicing my one-arm pushups and pistols all summer.

Let's move on to Charles Staley. You're probably saying, "Who's this old guy?" (center of pic above) Well, I'll tell you. He's a sports conditioning specialist and the Vice President of Program Development for the International Sports Sciences Association. He used to compete in and train martial arts. He's also an Olympic weightlifting coach. He's written a number of articles, published a few books and gives fitness lectures. And he's the creator of a lifting program called Escalating Density Training (EDT).

He may not look like much but he's a master's level track and field competitor (discus event).

So what's he done for me? Well other than the great information I've attained from his newsletters and his site, I have one of his books sitting right in front of me. It's called Muscle Logic and it's his EDT book for your whole body. Originally he had authored a book that soley focuses on getting massive biceps. I haven't started reading this one yet, but I plan on designing a workout, around his ideas, that I'll start this fall. Ha! Imagine that, I just flipped over the book and who do you think is giving praise to Coach Staley? Pavel Tsatsouline! Honestly, I didn't know it was there. But here's his quote:

"Charles Staley's EDT is the most foolproof method of building muscle I have ever come across. And it is not the fake muscles of a pump artist; EDT muscles are as strong as they look!"

Odd coincidence. But, if you're looking for an "outside of the box" workout that has been proven to pack on the muscle, then maybe you ought to be reading up on EDT too.

And lastly, we come to Craig Ballantyne (on the right in the pic above). So who's this guy that's in need of a haircut? He's a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a Strength & Conditioning coach in Toronto and is a member of the Training Advisory Board for Inside Fitness & Oxygen magazine. He's the President of CB Athletic Consulting, Inc. Plus, you may have already read one of his articles and not known it. He's written a ton of articles in magazines like: Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Oxygen, Maximum Fitness, and Muscle and Fitness Hers. He's also currently a consultant to Rugby Canada helping the National Team prepare for the 2007 World Cup. If you've ever heard of Turbulence Training, this is the guy who created it. He's all about using intervals for fat loss and muscles gains.

I get information daily from his newsletter and I've already, in the past, had success with interval workouts. They're great for fat loss and you won't run the risk of burning up all your muscle. You can check out his programs in the link above. You can also sign up for his free newsletter if you like or join his membership site.

Alright, there's some of my favorites, where are yours? Let me know in a comment who your favorites are, if you've heard of these guys or if you put your trust in these guys yourself.