[sample 28 Day Challenge KB workout] EMOM + RAT Strength Day

Check out this sample workout from our upcoming 28-day Kettlebell EMOM Challenge!

[sample 28 Day Challenge KB workout] EMOM + RAT Strength Day

EMOM + RAT = Every Minute On the Minute + Remaining Amount of Time

EMOM = At the top of each minute you will complete the reps of the first exercise listed.
RAT = With whatever time is left in the minute you will perform the second exercise.

We give video demos and full explanations on all exercises and circuits when you sign up for the full program.

1 – KB Bottoms-up Goblet Squat – 8 + Pulse Squats, no KB

2 – KB Split Kneeling Clean – 5/ea + Kneeling KB French Press

3 – Push-ups – 10 (advanced do decline) + Push-up Hold

FINISHER – EMOM + RAT Circuit – You will complete 1 minute of each superset before starting over at #1.

1 – 1-Hand KB Swings – 10/ea + Jump Rope

2 – Kettlebell 1-arm High Pull – 8/ea + Stationary Sprints

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If you have never signed up for one of our 28 day kettlebell challenges, you are in for a real treat. Here is why.

We are taking one of the most popular CrossFit training protocols – called EMOM, or every minute on the minute – and building a full 28 day program around it.

Some benefits of using the EMOM method include:

1 – We have movements that end up hitting all of your major muscle groups, so you’re getting a total-body workout.

2 – We get a good strength training stimulus as we can use relatively heavy weights with the 7-15 rep range we are working in. And, the rest periods end up being just long enough to get recovered to be able to keep using those heavier weights with good form.

3 – Our heart rate also gets elevated quite a bit for the entirety of the workouts, and so as a result we get some stimulus to the cardiovascular system as well.

However, we are removing some of the obstacles that make the CrossFit programming not as ideal for some people.

We’re making all the workouts short – 20 to 30 minutes – and able to be done at home with just a couple of Kettlebells and your own bodyweight.

This also makes the workouts easy on the joints in the spine and a little lower impact as to take a special consideration of the challenges that face a lot of us who are in the 40 age range and above.

But if you want to get in on this one, we need to sign it ASAP, because we start this coming Monday.

Details and reserve your spot at the link below:

=> 28-day Kettlebell EMOM Challenge (starts Monday)

See you on the “inside”!

– Forest Vance
ForestVance.com

“Muscle Confusion” Doesn’t Work. Here’s What to Do Instead.

“Muscle Confusion” is the idea that you need to change up your workouts, to somehow confuse your muscles, and make sure your body doesn’t adapt to doing the same thing.

Newsflash: “Muscle Confusion” is not a scientific term. It’s a marketing ploy. Your muscles don’t get confused. And your body doesn’t adapt to doing the same workout nearly as quickly as you might think it does.

What you need to focus on instead is something called progressive overload.

This principle IS backed by LOADS of research, and is a GREAT way to ensure you are progressing over the long-term.

(Check out the article linked below.)

Progressive overload could look like:

– Increasing the amount of weight you lift
– Changing the number of sets you perform
– Increasing the number of repetitions you do each set

And for best results, you want to do this in a planned, specific, systematic way.

My Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle course is a six week training plan that is specifically designed to help you do just this.

You’ll see and feel the improvements in your strength, condition, and overall fitness in just 42 days, following the principle of progressive overload.

NOT muscle confusion 🙂

Details and order now at the link below:

=> Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle

And here’s to your continued success!

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Personal Trainer
ForestVance.com

PS – Here is the link to the research article I mentioned in today’s post:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4215195

Sample HKS (Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle) Workout

Let’s get you going today with a sample workout from my Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle program.

This program is specifically created for you if:

– You want to really focus on getting strong
– You want to learn how to properly incorporate serious strength work with kettlebell training
– You want to get muscular, lean, and athletic, all at the same time
– You want a done-for-you 6 week program that can check all of these boxes

Get the full Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle program here (discount for 1st 100 customers, ending soon).

Okay, let’s get this thing going:

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Sample HKS (Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle) Workout

PART 1

Perform five reps of the back squat. (You could alternatively do a double KB front squat if you do not have access to a barbell).

*Recommended weights and video breakdowns included in the full program

BEGINNER LIFTERS – work on your form first and formost, don’t worry too much about weight just yet. GENERAL guideline – we typically load two bars when we do this movement w folks just starting out in our group classes @ FVT with 65 to 95 pounds (women) and 95 to 115 pounds (men). If you have a decent fitness base but little lifting experience, this is a good place to start.

INTERMEDIATE / ADVANCED LIFTERS – work up your weight for each of the first two sets; last two sets should be performed at ~75% 1RM.

PART 2

Perform three rounds of the circuit below, moving quickly from one exercise to the next and resting as little as possible:

*Recommended weights and video breakdowns included in the full program

– One hand KB swing – 9 reps per side
– 11 walking goblet lunges (per leg)
– 7 plank-to-push up EACH SIDE

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Each exercise in every HKS workout is chosen for a very specific reason – to move you towards your goal of getting stronger, leaner, and into top physical shape six weeks from now.

And it follows a specific progression … so each week builds on the last, and you are hitting very specific targets every time you work out, based on a percentage of your training goals for the end of the six weeks.

Can you say the same about the training plan you are currently on?

Learn more and get the full program at the link below (special discounted pricing for 1st 100 customers):

=> Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle

And here’s to your continued success!

– Forest Vance, MS
Master Kettlebell Trainer
Certified Barbell Instructor
ForestVance.com

(pic) Meet Bob: the RIGHT Way to Gain Strength Over 40

Meet Bob.

Bob is 55 years old.

Bob has not only lost over 40 pounds, but he has made some tremendous strength gains. He went from doing 1 pull up to 12. He increased his deadlift from 185 to 325. And MUCH more.

He used a training program very similar to the one linked below, to make these gains:

Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle

But after training with me for a solid three years, he strayed a bit from my teachings.

He started to try to add in MORE volume, intensity, and frequency, by going out and doing additional workouts on TOP of the ones we were doing at my gym.

Bob was training 5-6x per week, and at a strenuous level at every session.

And Bob started to get little overuse injuries.

He’d tweak his elbow. And then his calf. And then his lower back.

He’d take it easy for a couple of weeks, but then be right back into it.

And eventually, after repeating this cycle multiple times, Bob herniated a disk in his lower back.

He was out for the count.

No surgery yet, and now six months in, we’re finally back to solid training intensity.

And making solid, steady gains again.

But now he’s listening more to what I have to say 🙂

So if you want to gain strength after 40, but you want to do it in a safe, effective, long-term way, here are 3 key things to pay attention to:

1 – Volume

Volume refers to the number of muscles worked, exercises, sets, and reps during a single session.

I know that when I was 18, I could train for 90 minutes, 5 days per week, and be fine. I’d recovery, stay injury-free, and make continued gains.

Now, if I attempted a program like that, I’d break myself in a matter of weeks 🙂

You might not be able to tolerate and recover from, and might do better on, less total training volume at a more advanced age.

2 – Intensity

Intensity refers to the amount of work required to achieve the activity, and is proportional to the mass of the weights being lifted.

This is expressed commonly as a percentage of 1 rep max (1RM).

So if you’re doing 3 sets of 5 reps at 75% of your one rep max on the deadlift, that would be an intensity prescription.

For older lifters, you need to make sure you’re not spending too much time at higher intensities.

You need more recovery, your body just can’t handle going in and trying to max out on the bench press every Monday.

You CAN get into that 85-90% intensity range for certain short bursts … you just have to be careful, and know what you are doing.

3 – Frequency

Frequency refers to how many training sessions are performed per week.

This is individualized, and a lot of it depends on your training background.

But one thing is for sure, if you are over the age of 40, you very likely will do better on a little less frequency than more – three times per week seems to be perfect for most men and women.

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You CAN still make strength gains in your 40’s and beyond.

You CAN still push yourself.

And you CAN still have fun with your training.

You probably just need to do it in a different, more sensible way than you did in your teens, 20’s, and 30’s.

For a program that fits all of these criteria, I recommend Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle.

We strength train, combining more “traditional” strength work with KBs, 3x per week.

The intensity prescriptions are smart, and gradually scaled.

We mix in the cardio you need for heart health and to burn fat, in the form of HIIT.

And we make sure to work your core and flexibility and other things that are so important for the over 40 athlete.

Check out Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle here:

=> Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle

And here’s to your continued success in strength training after the age of 40! –

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Kettlebell Instructor
ForestVance.com

PS – Bob is not my client’s real name. But this story is about an actual client of mine.

20 Minute Halloween Kettlebell Workout

How was your Halloween?

I went trick-or-treating with my wife, our two daughters, and a couple of other families in our neighborhood.

It was a lot of fun. And I got an extra cardio workout trying to keep up with them, lol!

I know it’s technically a day late, but check out this 20 Minute Halloween Kettlebell Workout. You’ll burn some extra calories after yesterday’s festivities, plus you’ll train your heart, burn fat, build strength, and have fun in the process 🙂

All you need is a single kettlebell and 20 minutes:

20 Minute Halloween Kettlebell Workout

Do as many rounds as you can in 15 minutes of:

– 10 push ups (Elevate your hands on a box or bench if 10 regular push ups are too hard. Elevate your feet on a box or bench if 10 regular push ups are too easy.)
– 31 jumping jacks
– 19 kettlebell swings (Recommended weight: 16k women / 24k men)

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This one’s so simple, yet it’s so powerful.

You get a full-body strength workout, working your pressing muscles and core with the push ups, then the entire back of the body with the swings.

You also train your cardiovascular system, and burn fat.

As always, focus on form, be safe, and be sure to use weight that is appropriate for you and your current fitness level.

And here’s to your continued success!

– Forest Vance
Kettlebell Specialist
ForestVance.com

PS – If you liked this 20 Minute Halloween Kettlebell Workout, you’ll LOVE the 28 Day Kettlebell Body Revival Challenge. Program access at the link below:

=> 28 Day Kettlebell Body Revival Challenge