Do This (sample BB/KB/BW workout inside)

One of the most common things I hear from people is that they want to “mix their workouts up”, and “keep them interesting”.

I totally get it. This is an awesome way to keep yourself motivated and engaged in your training program.

But you have to be very careful. Because if you just choose any old random workout each day, you are not going to make progress in the long run.

Certain muscles can get overworked and other underworked if you do this – which can lead to imbalances and injuries.

If you are random and not planned with your workout selection, you will not have the chance to work on specific movements and training techniques and make improvements on specific skills.

The best way to mix it up, while at the same time having some planning and continuity in your workouts, is by doing this:

1 – Keep your MAIN workouts the same, and follow a program that’s designed by a professional (unless you are one yourself … and even if you are, it’s still a good idea)
2 – Change up the “finishers” at the end of your training sessions, to give yourself a unique stimulus, and add variety

Here is an example. I led a small group workout at our facility yesterday. The main, “meat and potatoes” part of the workout looked like:

— Bench Press – 4 sets of 5, working up to approx 75-80% of 1RM
— 1 TGU + 5 C+P per side, 10 burpees, AMRAP in 10 mins

We will repeat this weekly for the next 4 weeks.

For a FINISHER, we could do a variety of things. We could choose from one of the routines below – included in the Funk Roberts Finishers bundle I mentioned yesterday:

— the Bodyweight Core Blaster #1 – (30 sec ea / 10 sec rest / 3 rounds) plank + side plank + reverse plank elbows

or

— the Commit to Submit BJJ Finisher (30 sec work / 10 sec rest / 3 rounds) – dive bomber + kick outs + bear crawls + hop overs + bunny hop sprawls

or so many other possible options.

Do you see how this all fits together?

Well I hope today’s short article has been helpful for you.

There are over three HUNDRED more finisher ideas like the two above in Funk’s Fitness Finisher Bundle package .. an incredible resource for both serious trainees and fitness professionals:

300+ Funk Roberts Fitness Finshers

Stick to the training format I outlined today for best results in the long run.

Train hard, talk soon –

– Forest

Press / Leg Raise Ladder Workout + Last Call for KB Strong

Imagine yourself, six weeks from today.

You’re feeling stronger, and looking great.

It’s March 5th – spring is almost here – and your winter layer is gone.

You’re ready for swimsuit season a couple of months early! lol

All of your friends will be asking how you did it?

You’ll reply – Kettlebell Strong!

You’ll have done it using workouts like the one below – AND just as importantly, with the coaching and support of the rest of the group.

Info and sign up for the Kettlebell Strong – 6 Week Intensive here => Kettlebell Strong – 6 Week Coaching Program

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KB Press / Leg Raise Ladder Workout

Ladder sets are a great way to vary your rep schemes while making your kettlebell workout more interesting and challenging.

(That’s why we’re using them heavily in the upcoming Kettlebell Strong 6 Week Intensive.)

Here is an example from Workout B, Week 1 of the program:

1 – KB Presses (M suggested weight = 35 to 53 pounds; W suggested weight 18 to 35 pounds)

Do four ladders up to 3 reps each. The pressing ladders will look like this:

C+P right
C+P left
clean, 2 presses right
clean, 2 presses left
clean, 3 presses right
clean, 3 presses left

2 – BETWEEN sets of KB presses – do (5) hanging leg raises – to the level of progression you feel comfortable with shown in the video below.

(kb press) https://youtu.be/B4sMPQ76H6o
(hanging leg raise progression) https://youtu.be/en5JyPNJPhY

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KB Strong is NOT just a bunch of workouts you’re given and wished the best of luck to complete on your own.

We’ll be there to help you and coach you and motivate you every step of the way.

So if you’re ready to rock – sign up using the link below:

=> Kettlebell Strong – 6 Week Coaching Program

And we look forward to working with you!

– Forest and the FVT Team

PS – Did you see the health and fitness giveaway event we have going this weekend? Some awesome and 100% FREE downloadable training courses are available for the next couple of days on the page linked to below:

=> Health and Fitness Gifts (limited time)

Kettlebell Success Story – Meet Mark!

Today, I want to introduce you to Mark.

Mark is a successful kettlebell student of mine, and completed a six training program similar to Kettlebell Strong.

He was training on his own prior to us working together, with some success …

But as you’ll see in his success story below, it was the kettlebell training that took off the last 25 pounds, has helped him KEEP the weight off, as well as helping him to increase strength, overall fitness, and truly change his life!

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Mark Blasted His Fat Loss Plateau with Kettlebells

“I started doing some bodybuilding type exercises in my garage. I tried to set up a little garage gym with some dumbbells and a weight bench. I got myself down to about 190 and kind of getting back into shape and started to do a little bit of running. But then I started to get bored and I had kind of hit the wall and I wasn’t saying any more progress.

A friend of mine had been working out with Forest and seeing some results and mentioned that Forest had a kettlebell class.

So I said, ‘okay, that sounds interesting. I’ve never seen these kettlebells before but anything that can be described as a cannonball with a handle, I’m going to check that out.’

So I signed up for the kettlebell class. It was a six week class and it kicked my butt every class but I loved it. It burned me out, I was tired but I felt great and I was excited about my workouts again. The other things about the kettlebells is that I ordered a couple and it was a workout that I could do at home. So it was easy. No excuse to not work out.

So I’m working out with kettlebells at home, getting the strength but also getting the endurance. Getting blasted and I started seeing myself losing weight again. I’ve been working out with the kettlebells, doing a little more running. I’ve actually signed up with Forest and we did some one-on-one training for awhile and Forest helped me get my strength up a little bit and showed me some more workouts that I could do at home. Also some variations on the workouts with the kettlebells at home, integrating some of the things that I had been doing.

Here I am today down between 165 and 170. I’m never bored with my workouts because I can always switch it up. I know that I have a wide variety of things that I can do at home if I can’t make it to the gym. I’m always able to mix it up and keep it fresh.”

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YOU can get these kind of results with kettlebell training too!

The place to start with 100% FREE kettlebell workouts and training tips, is in my email newsletter and/or blog at http://forestvance.com.

The next place to go – if you want the workouts, but want to give it a go on your own – would be with either http://kettlebellchallengeworkouts.com (entry – level KB program) OR http://forestvance.com/core-kettlebell-system (for fit pros and serious lifters).

And finally, if you want my PERSONAL help in reaching your training goals as FAST as possible, would be to get involved in one of my higher-level coaching programs.

*KB STRONG kicks off Monday. We still have a few spots open, but they are going fast. All info on the program and sign up link here => “Kettlebell Strong” 6 Week Intensive

Go grab your kettlebell and start working! –

– Forest Vance
Owner, Head Trainer, Forest Vance Training, Inc.
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Kettlebell Instructor
Certified Calisthenics Instructor
Certified Barbell Instructor
Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach
ForestVanceTraining.com
ForestVance.com

KB STRONG – Week 1 (1.23.17)

The “Kettlebell Strong” 6 week Intensive starts Monday!

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Your first task is to do the baseline fitness testing and report your results. We want to see where you are at – as well as give you a benchmark for improvement when we test at the end of the program!

This is the standard fitness testing we do at our facility. If you qualify for the grey or black band standard AND get it on video, we will send you a band in the mail.

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Here is an overview what your kettlebell workouts will look like for the first week:

1 – 5 minute movement / mobility flow – daily – first thing in the morning OR whenever is most convenient for you

2 – KB STRONG workouts – 3 days – Mon / Weds / Fri OR days that are most convenient for you – upper body focus (day 1); lower body focus (day 2); total body / metcon focus (day 3) – approx 30-40 mins each

3 – HIIT workouts – 2 days – Tues / Thurs OR days that are most convenient for you – sprint / bike / jump rope / YOUR CHOICE of modality – approx 15-20 mins each

4 – (optional but encouraged) – MOVEMENT – walk / bike / hike / swim / etc – EVERY day for 30 mins +

TOTAL TIME REQUIRED PER WEEK = 2-3 hours (plus optional daily movement)

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Equipment needs are:

— 2 KBs (1 light, 1 heavy)
— access to pull up bar OR suspension trainer

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We will be there in your corner every step of the way! After every workout, we ask that you post in the FB group.

At minimum, simply report “Week 1 – Workout A Complete” –

Additional comments / questions / etc are also encouraged!

Any time you’d like to post a video for critique / form correction, PLEASE do – we are happy to help.

You’ll also do your more extensive check in at the end of each week in the group.

And your baseline fitness testing at the beginning and end of the program will be the true gauge of progress.

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You’ll also get a copy of my “Kettlebell Training Basics” package – 12 to 18 additional weeks of kettlebell workouts – so that you will have workouts to use moving forward after the initial six week training is over (these will be delivered on completion of the program).

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We look forward to working with you.

Please complete the personal info / medical history form below:

=> “Kettlebell Strong” 6 Week Intensive – Info / Medical History / Payment form

(By signing up for the program we assume that you are cleared to exercise and ready to rock. If you have any issues you are working with or have questions of any kind, shoot me an email and let me know and I am happy to help.)

Complete payment on the next page …

And check your email for further instructions on what to do next.

Thanks! –

– Forest Vance and the FVT Team

Hybrid Kettlebell Cardio Workout

Happy New Year!

Hope your 2017 is off to an amazing start 🙂

I am getting ready to head to the gym this morning to lead a BIG group as we roll into our busiest time of the year –

So thought it would be a good time to share another workout from the CORE Kettlebell System.

This is the workout we’ll be doing today, and we’ll have 25-30 folks – so this is what the set up will look like:

– Bodyweight – based warm up – all together
– Main workout – we’ll have a station set up for each exercise, set up 3-4 people at each station, and then start the clock and let them work and rotate around the room for the 20 minutes of the main workout, getting as many rounds as possible.
– Finisher – we’ll get with a partner and swap back and forth between exercises so that we can be sure to have enough kettlebells to go around
– Cool down – all together.

This is a great way to set up a workout if YOU are leading a big group.

It’s also a great way to do it if you’re just training on your own, or in a small group too!

Either way it makes for a unique, fun, and effective workout.

Also keep in mind – this workout is part of a greater SYSTEM. The workout done the day before and the day after is balanced in terms of muscle groups / movement patterns trained. This is more of a “strength” – oriented day, whereas other workouts from the program are more of a “conditioning” focus.

But this should give you a feel for CKS, and what the workouts in it are like.

Let’s do this –

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Hybrid Kettlebell Cardio Workout
from the CORE Kettlebell System

*It is possible that there are some moves / exercise names in this workout that you may not be familiar with. Don’t worry – all the moves in the program are either shown in the Kettlebell Hacks series included with the CORE Kettlebell System, or a link is provided to a video that shows how to do them safely and effectively.

WARM UP –

Perform each exercise for 20 seconds at an easy pace. No rest between moves; transition from one to the next. Do two rounds total.

run in Place
bodyweight Squat
plank Hold
leg Swings

WORKOUT –

Do as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:

12 box jumps
12 push ups
7 burpees
12 inverted rows
10 1 arm KB swing (per side)
12 x body mountain climb
8 KB goblet squat

FINISHER –

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds. No rest between moves; transition from one to the next. Do three rounds total:

KB rack carry (30 seconds per side)
bear crawl
shuttle sprint OR jumping jacks OR bike sprint

COOL DOWN –

Hold each stretch / pose for 45-60 seconds:

modified downward dog
couch stretch variation
dynamic pigeon

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There you have a sample workout from the CORE Kettlebell System.

I am off to lead this morning’s kettlebell boot camp, so gotta run.

But if you are SERIOUS about results …

If you’re looking for a complete plug-and-play training system that you can get started with TODAY …

If you just want to have solid base of effective and fun kettlebell workouts that you can refer back to for years to come …

Check out the CORE Kettlebell System at the link below:

=> CORE Kettlebell System

And here’s to your kettlebell training success!

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Kettlebell Instructor
Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training
Owner, FVT Publishing and Consulting
ForestVance.com

PS – This is your early bird access to the program, because it’s at special discounted pricing for the first 100 customers.

=> CORE Kettlebell System