Get STRONG With Kettlebells (part 2)

Last post, I gave you the first half of this “kettlebells for strength” workout. If you missed it, check it out here:

=> Get STRONG With Kettlebells (part 1)

Today, I got part two for ‘ya!

 

KB’s for Muscle – Workout B

 

Snatches
Do 50 total, switching hands every 5-10 reps. Men should use a 24k ‘bell, women 16k. Time yourself and do all 50 reps as fast as you can. As your conditioning level improves, strive to improve your time. You can also start with a lighter weight or less reps and work your way up if you’re out of shape.

*Check out this article and video series on how to learn and refine the kettlebell snatch (it’s a three part series):

=> Mastering the Kettlebell Snatch

 

Goblet Squat/ Pull Up Superset
Start by doing 15 Goblet Squats.
Follow the KB Squats with a Pull Up ladder – do 1 rep, rest :30, do 2 reps, rest :45, do 3 reps.

After completing the Pull Up ladder, rest about :60 seconds and repeat this superset two more times.

*Check out these articles and videos for some tips on how to do more pull ups:

=> 2 Tips to Improve Your Pull Ups Fast
=> Controlled Cheating For More Pull Ups?

 

Rengade Rows


Finish the workout off with 3 sets of 10 reps here.

*Here’s an article and video on how to do the Renegade Row:

=> Kettlebell Exercises for Abs – The Renegade Row

NOW the question is – how do you put these kettlebell workouts together into a routine that makes sense, gives you the right amount of recovery, etc.?

Simple – do workout A on Monday. Rest or do some light recovery work (walk, ride your bike, swim, etc.) on Tuesday. Do the workout B on Wednesday. Again, do some light recovery work, flexibility/mobility, etc. on Thursday. Do workout A again on Friday. Take the weekend off.

The next week, you’ll follow the same schedule, except you’ll do workout B on Monday, workout A on Wednesday, and workout B on Friday. Rest for the weekend and start all over again the next Monday. You can do this routine for 4-6 weeks until you’ll need to change it up.

 

And that about sums things up.  You now have one of my all-time favorite kettlebell and body weight – based strength workouts … as I mentioned in part one of this post series, I just finished a six week cycle of it myself, and was able to get stronger in every lift in the program, in addition to putting on some new muscle mass in the process.

Thanks again for reading, and talk soon –

Forest Vance, MS, RKC II

PS – If you liked this article, be sure to sign up for my kettlebell training email newsletter … you’ll get tips and tricks like the ones in this article sent to you several times each week when you do … PLUS a free copy of my Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training!  Just drop your best email address into the box at the upper right of the page to get signed up now.

AND – if you know anyone else who might benefit from this info, feel free to pass it on :)

Get STRONG With Kettlebells (part 1)

The best way to reach any training goal is to focus on it, and it alone, for a period of time.  Until you reach it.

Put another way, trying to lose fat, AND gain strength, AND get your first pistol squat, AND do more pull ups, etc. – all at the same time – is NOT the most efficient way to do things.  It’s also a mistake that, unfortunately, I see a lot of folks make with their training.

For example – let’s say you want to get stronger.  Focus on that.  Make sure the program you’re doing is oriented towards this goal.  Make sure you’re eating adequate kcals/protein/etc. to support your training goal.  Stay for a while.  Don’t bounce around from workout to workout.  THEN – once you have reached your strength goal – can you move on to fat loss, or running faster, or doing more pull ups, or whatever.

Make sense?

Okay … now that we have that part out of the way 😉 … I have a new “kettlebells for strength” workout for you today.  This one of my favorite kettlebell and body weight – based strength workouts … I just finished a six week cycle on it myself, and was able to get stronger in every lift in the program, and put on some new muscle mass in the process.

It is a little different that many KB workouts that I post here, in that it is a body part split … you’ll focus on all your “pushing” muscles in the “A” workout, and all of your “pulling” muscles in the “B” session.  If you’re trying to get stronger – and add some muscle mass in the process – it’s a great way to train. 

Today, I will post up the first half of the workout. Then, I will post up the second half in a follow up article – along with a more detailed explaination of how to put the whole thing together.

 

KB’s for Muscle – Workout A

 

1) TGU’s
Do one ‘naked’ on each side (no added weight) and then three more on each side, switching sides each rep.

*Here is an article and video with a few tips on how to improve your Turkish get up technique:

=> The Turkish Get Up Broken Down Into Steps

 

2) Push Ups
Do three sets of max reps with 30 seconds of rest between sets. Pick a Push Up variation that’s challenging for you – you shouldn’t be able to complete more than 20 reps on the first set.

 

3) KB Presses
Do three ladders up to 5 reps each. The pressing ladders will look like this:

Clean and Press Right
Clean and Press Left
Clean, 2 Presses Right
Clean, 2 Presses Left
Clean, 3 Presses Right
Etc.

* Here are some tips to help you boost your pressing strength:

=> Instantly Boost Your KB Pressing Power

 

4) Bar Dips
Do three sets of max reps just like you did with the Push Ups.

 

Okay! That’s it for today. Hope you enjoy the workout – talk soon, and be back with part “B” very soon –

Forest

Kettlebell Swing Modifications

Recently, I met a doctor here in the Sacramento area who, in addition to his medical practice, owns a weight loss clinic.  He has two BodPods at his clinic – a pretty rare, and super expensive body composition measurement device.

We got to talking, and when I mentioned how I had always wanted to get my BF% measured with one of these devices, he offered to do a test for me.  It was a great experience – and very helpful in the big picture of reaching my ultimate fitness goal(s).

(If you are in the Sac area, I would highly recommend hopping over to his clinic and getting this test done.  I’ll send out more details about exactly how you can set this up, in the next week or so.)

Good news is, I have lost some body fat since the beginning of the year. But I am still about two or three pounds away from my “fighting weight”. So, I need to keep focusing on fat loss … which in my world, means I need to keep doing lots of kettlebell swings 🙂

High volume swing workouts – like the ones in this program – are typically the approach I take to using kettlebells for fat loss.  But when you’re doing hundreds of swings in a single workout, you need to know how to “manage fatigue”.  Which is what today’s video is all about.

Check out the video below, then read the recap below it:

Video Recap

Hey guys, Forest Vance here from FVT Boot Camp in Sacramento, CA. One of the staple exercises in our boot camp program is the kettlebell swing. What we do many times, for a variety of different reasons, if we have people that are just starting off and getting going … if it’s towards the end of a workout we always value safety and want to make sure that people are using good form through the end so we use this when you’re getting smoked out and your form starts to deteriorate. We have a couple different modifications on the kettlebell swing that I want to share with you and break down in this video.

Two very basic ones. The standard two hand kettlebell swing. The kettlebell is coming to about shoulder level and that is what our standard swing looks like. Now if you start to fatigue and get smoked out, let’s say you are doing 100 reps, let’s say your form is not quite on point yet and you’re just getting tired and you know you are breaking down … instead of trying to keep going and getting sloppy go to a half swing. You’re just going to think, snap the hips and let the ‘bell swing up about halfway. That’s your variation number one.

Variation number two is you can switch to a sumo dead lift and you can practice a hip hinge. So you’re swinging away and you get to rep 30 and start getting smoked out I can switch to your half swing … now I’m getting smoked … now I switch to my dead lift. Then I can keep going, I can finish my set and keep getting a workout and I can continue on and practice my skills and drills and get into great shape and keep doing the workout you want to do.

In summary – if you’re just getting started with the kettlebell swing, or if you’re doing high rep/volume swing workouts and need to “manage” your fatigue, this video will help you.  Incorporate these techniques into your training today for better results!

That’s it for now – train hard, and talk soon –

Forest Vance, MS, RKC II

PS – If you liked this article, be sure to sign up for my kettlebell training email newsletter … you’ll get tips and tricks like the ones in this article sent to you several times each week when you do … PLUS a free copy of my Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training!  Just drop your best email address into the box at the upper right of the page to get signed up now.

AND – if you know anyone else who might benefit from this info, feel free to pass it on 🙂

KB/BW Boot Camp Workout (follow up video)

Today’s video is a follow-up on the kettlebell boot camp workout I posted here … it goes through in detail how you would set things up – in a boot camp setting – to make the session as TOUGH as possible, but also flow smoothly from segment to segment, etc.

Whether you are a boot camp instructor yourself, or you just enjoy doing this style of workout, I think this video will really help you get the most out of this routine.  Check it out:

Grab the Kettlebell Boot Camp Workouts Mega-Bundle at over 50% off (this weekend only!) by clicking here

Kettlebell/Body Weight ‘Heavy Day’ Mud Run Workout

Last year, we put together a training group at my fitness center for one of the biggest mud run events in the U.S.

(I would share the exact name with you, but they actually contacted us and threatened legal action for using their name on our website.  Ha!  So I’ll leave it out this time 😉 )

The workouts were super intense, and a lot of fun.  So as springtime rolls in and the weather gets better here in Northern California, we are going to start up another outdoor training/mud run prep program.

I am currently in the process of getting things organized for the coming program, and have been going through the workouts that we did.  So I thought it would be cool to share one with you (it was one of my personal favorites!) to try over the weekend …

(BTW, you’ll get this workout – and over 50 more – when you grab a copy of the Kettlebell Boot Camp Workouts Mega – Pack I have on sale for the next few days.)

 

Kettlebell/Body Weight ‘Heavy Day’ Mud Run Workout

 

Warm Up

 

For each move, I’ve put a “general” movement pattern to choose from … I’ve also included a couple of example exercises you could do if you can’t think of any off the top of your head.

1. Cardio (run in place, jumping jack, etc.)
2. Lower body move (lunge, squat)
3. Upper body pressing move (push up, mountain climber)
4. Upper body pull (body row, pull up)
5. Total body ab exercise (plank, side plank)

Perform each exercise for ~:30 each, take no rest between exercises, and complete two to three rounds of the sequence total.

 

Workout

 

Pair 1

kettlebell swing – 15 reps
see saw press – 8 reps each

Do three sets of each exercise, resting minimally between sets. Make sure to use a challenging weight for both the swings and the see saw presses. If you only have one KB, you can do 5-8 straight reps on each side for the presses.

 

Pair 2

pull up – max reps minus one
walking lunge – 12 each leg

Set a timer for five minutes. Do as many rounds as you can of the above pair of movements. You should be able to get at LEAST four rounds in the alloted time.

 

Pair 3

push up – 15
bicep curl – 15

Perform three sets of each exercise, as fast and with as little rest as possible. Use a kettlebell, a pair of dumbbells, or resistance bands to do the curls.

We are putting together a training group for the mud run season at my fitness center as the weather gets better here in Northern California.  In the process of getting things organized, I stumbled across one of my favorite workouts from last year’s program – and thought it would be cool to share it with you here, to try over the weekend!

Enjoy, and talk soon –

Forest Vance, CPT, RKC II

 

PS – I am shooting a video of this workout, with exercise demos, etc., and will have it ready for you by tomorrow. Stay tuned.

PPS – If you liked this workout, be sure to check out the Kettlebell Boot Camp Workouts 50% off special we have going this weekend … you’ll get the full program I pulled it from, plus dozens more just like it. Find out more by clicking here.

53 Kettlebell Boot Camp Workouts

I have a “little black book” of my favorite kettlebell boot camp workouts – which I’m always adding to, tweaking, etc. – and 90% of the time, that’s where I pull my daily boot camp workouts from.  This way, I don’t have to spend hours a day racking my brain for fresh  and fun training ideas.

Of course, I have a plan and progression for my programming over time – but this method makes my life SO much easier.

Now, if you are a boot camp instructor – or, if you are just a boot camp workout enthusiast – you should be doing the same.  It’s the only way to go!

Interestingly though, based on talks with dozens of friends and associates in the business – most people KNOW they should be keeping their own version of a “little black book” – but for whatever reason, DON’T.

So I’ve come up with a solution to this problem.  I’ve put together dozens of my favorite kettlebell boot camp resources, for you to “steal” and use with your campers (and yourself!)

Click here to check it out now:

=> Over 53 Kettlebell Boot Camp Workouts

Thanks, and talk soon –

Forest Vance, MS, RKC II