5-Minute Morning TGU Routine

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One of the best ways to boost your mobility, flexibility, overall strength, and even mental clarity is by starting your day with five minutes of Turkish Get-Ups. This simple routine is something I often recommend to my private kettlebell coaching clients when it aligns with their goals and schedules.

*I’m going to be taking on a few more clients for my private, 1-to-1 “Fit Over 40” online/distance kettlebell program. Clients I’ve worked with over the years have loved the tailored workouts, customized nutrition, and individual attention. If you are interested, reply back with “I am,” and I will get you all the details. 

Now, here’s how the routine works:

Set your timer for five minutes.

Start with one Turkish Get-Up per side with no weight. Focus on going slowly, hitting each step of the movement with precision. After doing the right side, switch to the left, then go back to the right side.

Now, pick up a light kettlebell for your next round. For men, this could be 8 kg, and for women, it could be 4 kg. Repeat the same process—moving slowly and hitting each position with perfect form.

Next, increase the weight slightly. Maybe 12 kg or 16 kg for men, and 8 kg or 12 kg for women. Do one rep on each side, maintaining slow, controlled movement and focusing on perfect form.

Continue alternating sides, increasing the weight if possible, for the full five minutes.

By the end of this short routine, you’ll feel refreshed and activated. Your hips and shoulders will be mobilized, and you’ll have strengthened your body to start the day feeling ready to tackle whatever comes next!

If you’d like a customized program tailored specifically to your goals, equipment, schedule, and needs, reply back with “I am,” and I will get you all the details. 

-Forest @ KettlebellBasics

24-hour “Metabolism Surge” + 300-KB Challenge Workout

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The 24-hour “Metabolism Surge Guide” from my friend and colleague Mike Whitfield (pictured above) is perfect for anyone looking to maximize fat loss and metabolic efficiency. Whether you’re hitting a plateau or need a post-weekend reset, this guide will accelerate your results especially when combined with kettlebell routines:

-> 24-hour Metabolism Surge Guide

The program’s fasting and high-protein, high-fiber meals align with the metabolic demands of kettlebell training. Fasting has been shown to increase fat burning and adding a kettlebell workout—like swings or goblet squats—during the surge period will take your results to the next level. Kettlebell exercises are great for spiking the metabolism as they work multiple muscle groups, build strength and burn calories at the same time. The 24-hour guide’s workout component which includes Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT) and Metabolic Conditioning (MC) is perfect for kettlebell users since exercises like kettlebell swings, clean and presses and snatches fit perfectly into the AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) and density training format.

Since kettlebell training already focuses on full-body, high-intensity movements, adding Whitfield’s method will extend the fat burning benefits of your regular routine. For example by adding metabolic finishers like kettlebell swings or total-body extensions you’ll continue to burn fat long after your workout is over—potentially for up to 30 hours.

Using Whitfield’s guide once a week will help you reset your metabolism after any dietary slip ups and reinforce the benefits of your kettlebell practice. By combining both systems you’ll see faster fat loss, more metabolic efficiency and a more structured approach to nutrition and exercise.

Perfect for kettlebell users who want to increase fat burning without restricting their diet and exercise. Low impact, joint friendly kettlebell workouts fit perfectly with the guide. Get it now at the link below:

-> 24-hour Metabolism Surge Guide

-Forest Vance – MS in Human Movement – Certified Kettlebell Instructor – Certified Nutrition Coach – ForestVanceTraining.com

PS – Here’s a sample kettlebell workout to pair with the 24-hour Metabolism Surge Guide:

300 Kettlebell Challenge:

  • Kettlebell Swings – 60 reps
  • Push-ups – 60 reps
  • Goblet Lunges – 60 reps (30 per leg)
  • 1-Arm Rows – 60 reps (30 per arm)
  • Jumping Jacks – 60 reps

Complete 1-3 rounds as fast as possible. This circuit will spike your metabolism and keep you burning fat long after your workout. Perfect to enhance the guide’s metabolic benefits!

“Thread the Needle” drill [PIC]

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You know how much your shoulders, upper back and spine work when you’re throwing around those kettlebells.

From snatches to presses, if your mobility is limited you’re playing with fire—tight muscles, poor range of motion and eventually injury.

That’s where the “Thread the Needle” drill comes in:

This stretch targets all the muscles that get worked when you’re working with kettlebells, especially if you’re over 40 and starting to feel those little aches and pains.

How to Thread the Needle:

— Get on all fours (hands under shoulders, knees under hips)
— Take your right arm and thread it underneath your left arm, reaching through until your right shoulder and ear come down to the floor.
— Keep your hips square and let your head relax on the ground.
— Hold for 30-60 seconds, then switch sides.

This opens up the upper back, releases the shoulders and helps with spinal mobility—all important for nailing those explosive kettlebell moves and staying injury free.

But here’s the thing: This stretch is just one piece of the puzzle…

What if you had a daily routine that took just 3-6 minutes but made a big difference in how you move and feel?

That’s what the REGENERATE challenge is all about.

It’s for people like us—lifters, movers and kettlebell enthusiasts over 40—who need quick and effective solutions to stay on top of our game.

In the REGENERATE challenge you’ll get a series of short, focused sequences for:

— Hips (to keep those swings strong)
— Shoulders (to maintain range for presses and snatches)
— Lower back (to prevent stiffness after heavy lifting)

In just a few minutes a day you’ll see a big difference in your flexibility, recovery time and overall performance.

Learn more and sign up at the link below:

-> REGENERATE – daily 3-6 minute mobility/flexibility Challenge

— Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
RKC
RYT-200

PS – Thread the Needle is just one stretch. The real magic happens when you combine it with the full REGENERATE program. Sign up now and unleash your body!

30-sec Shoulder Flexibility / Health Test

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Flexible, mobile shoulders are KEY to performance, and a functional, pain-free life.

Today, I’ve got a quick and simple shoulder flexibility test for you. This isn’t going to cover everything, but it’s a solid starting point, and it’s super easy to do.

THE TEST

Try this: Reach one hand over your shoulder and the other hand up your back, aiming to touch them together.

Refer to the picture below for a visual guide:

How to score yourself:

  • EXCELLENT = fingers overlap
  • GOOD = fingers touch
  • AVERAGE = fingers are less than two inches apart
  • POOR = fingers are more than two inches apart

WHAT YOUR SCORE MEANS

This quick test can tell you a lot about your shoulder health and flexibility, which directly impacts your performance.

TOP ARM = Shoulder flexion + tricep flexibility

If your TOP arm feels tight, it can lead to: – Shoulder pain – Rotator cuff issues – Wrist and low back pain

BOTTOM ARM = Shoulder extension + internal rotation

If your BOTTOM arm feels tight, you’re more likely to face: – Shoulder pain – Shoulder impingement – Shoulder instability or even dislocation

WHAT TO DO NEXT

If you scored excellent—nice work! (Just remember, this test doesn’t address shoulder strength and stability, which are also key for overall shoulder health. But we’ll save that for another time.)

If you scored average or poor, this is definitely something to work on. Everyone’s body is a bit different, and the ideal approach would involve a personalized evaluation to build a specific plan for you.

But if you’re tackling this on your own and haven’t started yet, a great place to begin is with short add-on sequences like the ones linked below:

–>> REGENERATE 2.0

With just 3 to 6 minutes a day, you can reduce pain, improve performance, and potentially change your life.

Here’s to improved shoulder health!

– Forest Vance – creator, REGENERATE 2.0

couch stretch

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Right around the time I hit 40, I started making flexibility and mobility a priority—and it’s made a huge difference in my overall fitness.

When I wake up now, I feel better and move with less pain, which makes me more active throughout the day. It’s also improved my strength by allowing me to get a better range of motion in key lifts, which has made me even stronger. Plus, feeling good physically helps keep a more positive mindset all day long.

One of the tightest areas for me has always been the hips. If you spend a lot of time sitting, you might feel the same way.

Sitting leads to tight hips, which messes up hip extension mechanics—this impacts so many athletic movements and can even cause back and knee pain.

One of the best stretches to open up your hips is the couch stretch:

THE COUCH STRETCH

  1. Stand in front of a couch or chair.
  2. Place your back knee on the couch/chair and your front foot on the ground.
  3. Press your back foot up against the couch/chair.
  4. Point your back toe.
  5. Squeeze your glutes—especially the one of the back leg—to stabilize your lower back and position the hip correctly.
  6. With the glutes squeezed, press the front of the hip toward the ground.
  7. Hold for at least 60 seconds per side and aim to do it daily.

Give the Couch Stretch a try for just one week—60 seconds per leg, each day—and see how much better your hips feel.

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
RYT 200

PS – If tight hips are an issue for you, be sure to check out my upcoming 28-day REGENERATE Challenge. Registration opens tomorrow—stay tuned!

(new 20-min KB workout) “Fenrir’s EMOM Endurance Challenge”

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Viking warriors were known for their incredible strength, relentless endurance, and indomitable spirit. They pushed themselves beyond their limits, embodying the true essence of a warrior. Now, it’s your chance to tap into that same mindset and physical power with the Viking Valor Kettlebell program. This program uses kettlebell movements designed to build brute strength, agility, and the kind of endurance that defined the legendary Vikings—all without spending hours at the gym.

Fenrir’s EMOM Endurance Challenge

Here’s a sample workout from the program: Fenrir’s EMOM Endurance Challenge. This workout is designed to test both your physical endurance and mental grit.

How it works:

  1. Set a timer to go off every 60 seconds.
  2. At the start of each minute, begin performing the exercise listed.
  3. Complete the prescribed number of reps or perform the exercise for the set amount of time.
  4. Once finished, rest for the remainder of the minute. The faster you finish, the more time you have to recover.
  5. When the next minute begins, start the next exercise in the sequence.
  6. After completing all the exercises, rest for 60 seconds, then repeat the entire sequence for a total of four rounds.

The sequence:

  • Two-hand Kettlebell Swings – 20 reps (24k men / 16k women)
    Option: Progress to one-hand swings for the last two rounds.
  • Bear Plank March – 12 reps per leg
  • Kettlebell Rack Reverse Lunges – 8 reps per leg (20k men / 12k women)
  • Single-Arm Kettlebell Rows – 12 reps per side (20k men / 12k women)
  • Burpees – 10 reps

This challenge will push you to your limits, testing both strength and endurance—just like the Viking warriors of old.

Try it out and then unlock 10 more kettlebell and bodyweight-based workouts when you grab the full Viking Valor Kettlebell Bundle at the link below. Embrace your inner warrior and take on the challenge!

-> Viking Valor Kettlebell

-Forest @ KettlebellBasics

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Viking Valor Kettlebell – Last Call

With Viking Valor KB, you’re going to build the brute strength, agility, and endurance of the legendary Vikings—in just 20-30 minutes per day, 3-4 days per week.

You’ll get strength-focused “Might Thor’s Forge” workouts, conditioning-focused “Berserker Endurance Trials” workouts, bodyweight-focused “Shieldmaiden’s Mobility Quest” workouts, recovery-focused “Odin’s Path to Rebirth” workouts, and more!

But the sale is ending.

So don’t miss out.

GO HERE NOW.

17-Minute Thor’s Hammer Workout

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Skeletons found in Viking burials suggest the Norsemen were muscular.

This makes perfect sense considering their daily lives involved farming, hard labor, and brutal raids.

But they didn’t have the physique of today’s Hollywood action stars on steroids. Instead, think of a drug-free powerlifter, swimmer, or thrower, weighing in at around 175 pounds—that’s likely what a real Viking looked like. They were strong, functional, and built for battle.

Today, I’ve got a killer Viking-inspired workout for you. The Thor’s Hammer Workout mimics the kind of functional, intense training Vikings needed for their raids. It’s fast, brutal, and built to hit hard and move on—just like they did.

Try the workout below, and if you’re ready for more, check out my full Viking Valor Kettlebell Program—with over 100 more workouts like this one. It’s on sale this week for 90% off. Don’t miss out—grab it before the deal ends!

–>> Viking Valor Kettlebell

17-Minute Thor’s Hammer Workout

Instructions:
Complete as many reps as possible of each exercise in 60 seconds. Count one point for each rep completed. Move from one exercise to the next without resting. Take a 60-second break after each round. Complete three rounds total.

  1. Kettlebell Snatch
    (Men: 20k-24k / Women: 12k-16k)
    (Count any combination of reps per side)
  2. Push-Ups
    (Men: on toes / Women: on knees)
  3. Walking Bodyweight Lunges
    (Each step counts as one rep)
  4. Pull-Ups / Inverted Rows / 1-Arm Kettlebell Rows
    (Men: 20k-24k / Women: 12k-16k)
  5. Burpees
    (Touch the ground at the bottom of each rep and jump with full body extension at the top)

If you loved the Thor’s Hammer Workout, you’re going to love the full Viking Valor Kettlebell Program. This week only, you can get access to over 100 more brutal, Viking-inspired workouts—90% off! Don’t wait—click the link below and get started today.

–>> Viking Valor Kettlebell

-Forest @ ForestVanceTraining.com – KettlebellBasics.net

21-min “Viking Core Forge” KB Challenge Workout

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Today’s sample workout from Viking Valor Kettlebell is the “Viking Core Forge” KB Challenge.

In the days of old, Viking warriors were known for their unmatched strength, relentless stamina, and unbreakable spirit. They thrived under pressure, pushing their bodies to the limit and embodying the true spirit of a warrior.

Now, it’s your turn to tap into that same energy. Viking Valor Kettlebell is designed to help you build strength, agility, and endurance with powerful kettlebell movements—without spending hours at the gym. This collection of 10 of my best kettlebell and bodyweight workouts is built to push your limits and transform your physique.

Give the workout a shot, and if you enjoy it, grab over 100 more like it with Viking Valor Kettlebell—on sale at 90% off this week only:

-> Viking Valor Kettlebell

21-min “Viking Core Forge” KB Challenge Workout – from Viking Valor Kettlebell

Complete 3 rounds of the following circuit. Rest as needed between exercises. Rest 60 seconds between rounds.

1 – Turkish Get Up to half rack Carry – 1/ea. Carry 10 yards (30ft) if space available. If not, walk out and back before completing the Get Up. (Women:12k+, Men: 20k+)

2 – Bottoms Up Kettlebell Squat – 5/ea (Women:12k+, Men: 20k+)

3 – Kettlebell Figure 8 To Lunge – 8/ea (Women:12k+, Men: 20k+)

4 – Uneven Plyo Push-ups – 5/ea

Finisher – Complete 3 rounds of the following circuit. Rest as needed between exercises. Rest 60 seconds between rounds.

1 – Bear Plank Drag Through – 7/ea (Women:12k+, Men: 20k+)

2 – Skater Hops – 15/ea 3 – Side Plank w/leg raise – 7/ea

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Try the workout, and if you like it, get over 100 more of the same with Viking Valor Kettlebell, on 90% off sale this week only:

-> Viking Valor Kettlebell

–Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Kettlebell Specialist
ForestVanceTraining.com
KettlebellBasics.net

Ageless Warrior KB 2.0 – Week 1 / Workout 2 (Free Sample)

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The Ageless Warrior Kettlebell Challenge 2.0 kicks off today, September 23rd!

If you’re still undecided about joining, here’s a free sample workout straight from the program:

Ageless Warrior KB – Week 1 / Workout 2 (Free Sample)

Part 1
Perform as many reps as possible for each exercise in 40 seconds. Rest for 20 seconds between exercises and 60 seconds between rounds. Complete 3 rounds total:

  • KB Goat Bag Swing -> 2-Hand KB Swing -> Single-Arm KB Swing (20 seconds per side)
  • Plank Hold -> add march
  • Alternating Bodyweight Lunge -> KB Tactical Lunge (alternate legs each rep)
  • Single-Arm KB Row (20 seconds per side)
  • Modified Up-Downs -> Regular Up-Downs

Part 2
Perform as many reps as possible for each exercise in 30 seconds. Rest for 15 seconds between exercises. Complete 3 rounds total:

  • Inchworms
  • Cross-Body Mountain Climbers
  • Side Plank Hold with Leg Raise (15 seconds per side)

With just three 20-30 minute home-based kettlebell workouts each week, you will:

  • Build functional strength
  • Improve flexibility
  • Boost energy levels
  • Lose 8-10 pounds of body fat

… all in just 28 days!

For more details and to sign up, click the link below:

👉 28-Day Ageless Warrior KB Challenge 2.0 – Starts Monday, September 22nd

When you sign up, you’ll also get free access to:

  • My 30-Day Flexibility Challenge, which includes daily 10-15 minute sessions combining yoga poses, static stretching, dynamic stretching, and core work.
  • My 30-Day Performance Nutrition Plan, designed to help you lose up to 8-10 pounds over the next 28 days.
  • My 28-Day “Filthy 50’s” KB Challenge – another full 28-day kettlebell program that you’ll receive FREE when you join Ageless Warrior 2.0!

For full details and to sign up, click the link below:

👉 28-Day Ageless Warrior KB Challenge 2.0 – Starts Monday, September 22nd

Have questions? Reply directly to this email, and I’ll be happy to help.

We start today, Monday, September 23rd.

I look forward to working with you!

Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Kettlebell Expert
Over 40 Specialist
ForestVanceTraining.com
KettlebellBasics.net

23-min “Strength-Plyo-Iso” KB Circuit

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Ready to get strong, flexible, energetic and lean – all in one workout and with minimal complexity? I’ve got you covered.

Introducing the 23-min “Strength-Plyo-Iso” KB Circuit. This workout hits everything: strength, endurance, power and stability.

Here’s the breakdown:

You’ll do each exercise in a circuit. Do as many reps as you can for 30 seconds on each exercise, then rest for 15 seconds before moving on to the next. After you’ve done all three, rest for 60 seconds and repeat the entire circuit for 3 rounds.

Round 1:

  1. Goblet Squats
  2. Total Body Extensions or Squat Jumps
  3. Squat Holds (Bottom of Squat Position)

Round 2:

  1. Kettlebell Floor Press
  2. Modified Burpees or Standard Burpees (Add Push-up If Possible!)
  3. Plank Hold

Round 3:

  1. Kettlebell Bent Over Row (30 seconds per side)
  2. Kettlebell Toss-and-Catch Row (30 seconds total)
  3. Kettlebell Row Hold (15 seconds per side)

Why This Works:

  • Strength: Exercises build muscle and strength throughout your body.
  • Plyometrics: Squat Jumps and Burpees are explosive and burn calories.
  • Isometrics: Plank and Squat Holds are endurance and joint strengthening.

You get everything in this workout: strength, cardio and flexibility – all in one quick and effective circuit. And it can be done anywhere with just a kettlebell or two.

Whether you’re new to kettlebell training or a seasoned pro, this will challenge you and give you results fast. If you’ve been looking for a routine to get functional strength, energy and body fat shredding – this is it.

What’s Next?

Ready to take the next step and go deeper into kettlebell training? I’m here to help. This is just a taste of what’s to come in the Ageless Warrior Kettlebell Challenge starting September 23rd.

But regardless of whether you’re in the challenge or not, get to work with your kettlebells!

Cheers,

– Forest Vance
MS, Human Movement
Kettlebell Expert, Over-40 Specialist

P.S. Want to see how this workout fits into a full training plan? Check out the Ageless Warrior Kettlebell Challenge. Details here if you’re interested!