Month: June 2020

Command Presence Posture Checklist

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*Below is an excerpt from the “Command Presence” whitepaper – a free bonus with purchase of the First Strike program I mentioned in yesterday’s email: https://bit.ly/firststrike61220

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Although most people don’t realize it, posture also provides a way to instantly improve the body by 15 percent or more.

It’s true!

Forget all those hyped diets or exotic supplements or secret training routines, posture is the quickest way to change the body.

The confident person seems to know this. He or she has almost perfect posture. In fact the stronger the confidence in a person, the stouter their posture seems to be.

And the opposite is obvious as well. Have you seen the people who are slumped over all the time? It conveys a message of weakness and fragility. It may or may not be true individually, but that is the picture that gets painted right up front.

Now go too far on the posture front and you end up looking like a cartoon character, and somewhat foolish. You look like a balloon ready to be popped. So you want to have a strong posture, but you don’t want to over-exaggerate it.

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HOW TO

A big part of excellent posture comes simply. Get your chest up and your shoulders back instead of slumped.

A mirror helps a lot, particularly if you can see yourself from several angles.

Another way to simply recognize how far you have to go is to stand with your back against the wall, chin up, and put a book on your head. Step out and keep your body upright enough to keep the book where it is.

It will take some practice if you have had poor posture or haven’t built up strong posture habitually, but it is a habit you can change and the sooner the better.

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COMMAND PRESENCE POSTURE CHECKLIST

— Head up, shoulders back and your neck should be touching the back collar of your shirt
— Your feet should be shoulder width or slightly wider apart
— Stay relaxed, if you look stiff and tense it becomes apparent
— Hold your head high and chin level
— Stand firm, don’t sway
— Arms are never crossed and your hands are not in your pockets

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Again, today’s article was an excerpt from the “Command Presence” whitepaper.

It talks about five factors (posture is one of them) that you can learn and develop to improve your “Command Presence” and how you present yourself to the world. It is a free bonus with purchase of the First Strike program I mentioned in yesterday’s email. I highly recommend that you check it out at the link below:

=> First Strike + “Command Presence” bonus

And here’s to your continued success!

-Forest Vance
KettlebellBasics.net

STOP measuring your heart rate…

On By adminIn General, Tips and TricksLeave a comment

…and start measuring this instead:

=> HRV (heart rate variability)

See, I recently came across an article on health.harvard.edu on that is SUPER cool and useful when it comes to:

  • Improving performance
  • Boosting testosterone
  • Improving recovery time
  • Curing performance anxiety
  • Decreasing fatigue
  • Helping sleep problems

…and more.

HRV is simply a measure of the variation in time between each heartbeat.

It is the best non-invasive measure of ANS (autonomic nervous system) activity and balance.

From the article (I’ll post the link below):

“If a person’s system is in more of a fight-or-flight mode, the variation between subsequent heartbeats is low. If one is in a more relaxed state, the variation between beats is high. In other words, the healthier the ANS the faster you are able to switch gears, showing more resilience and flexibility. Over the past few decades, research has shown a relationship between low HRV and worsening depression or anxiety. A low HRV is even associated with an increased risk of death and cardiovascular disease.”

So monitoring and working with HRV is something top performers in many fields do, because as you can see, it’s a key metric.

However, it can be tricky to track. The gold standard is to analyze a long strip of an electrocardiogram, the test we frequently do in the medical office where we attach wires to the chest. There are apps and heart rate monitors that do it too.

But the method, and entire method outlined in this course:

=> “Heart of Flow”

Is super simple and effective.

I recommend you check it out!

Let me know how it works for you.

And have a great day!

-Forest Vance
KettlebellBasics.net

PS – This is your natural protocol for health and performance:

=> “Heart of Flow”

PPS – Here’s the link to the article I referenced above: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/heart-rate-variability-new-way-track-well-2017112212789

Extra 5 Minute Core Workout (no equipment required)

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One thing that seems to be a HUGE help to the 40+ crowd that we specialize in working with are these “extra” 5 minute core workouts.

What we do is give our personal training clients these mini workouts to do on their own. The goal is to get three of these sessions in per week. They take about five minutes, and they don’t require any equipment.

(FYI – you can get a booklet with several of these workouts in it FREE – it’s called “Kettlebells for Abs – Advanced Results” – when you sign up for our 28-day “Dirty 30” KB Challenge that starts today: https://bit.ly/dirty30skb)

If you are in this 40+ age group, and you want to:

  • Get stronger in every move you do
  • Improve balance and stability
  • Make it easier to do everyday activities
  • Reach your overall fitness goals faster

I recommend you give this strategy a try.

Here is a sample one to start:

Extra 5 Minute Core Workout (no equipment required)

:30 plank hold
(no rest)
:15 side plank hold – left side
(no rest)
:15 side plank hold – right side
(no rest)
:30 V-sit hold
(no rest)
:30 glute bridge
(no rest)

Repeat one to two more time for a total of two to three times through the circuit.

#

You can get a booklet with several of these workouts in it FREE… it’s called “Kettlebells for Abs – Advanced Results”… but you have to sign up for our 28-day “Dirty 30” KB Challenge. It starts today. Details and last chance to grab your spot here => 28-Day “Dirty 30’s” KB Challenge

…and here’s to your continued success!

-Forest Vance
KettlebellBasics.net

(new video) 3 Tips to Properly Rack a Kettlebell

On By adminIn Basic Kettlebell Drills, VideosLeave a comment

3 Tips to Properly Rack a Kettlebell

When you are training with kettlebells, a lot of the moves require that you start from what we call a rack position.

Here are three tips to make sure you’re doing it right:

1 – WRIST STRAIGHT

Common mistake is to hold the KB with a bent wrist.

It’s weaker and puts added stress.

Keep it straight.

2 – HAND BELOW THE CHIN

Your hand should be below chin level.

You should also be able to touch your thumb to your collar bone.

3 – FOREARM VERTICAL

The forearm should be straight up and down when the KB is racked.

If I’m going to press the KB or whatever else, this gives me the best leverage and strength to be able to do that.

#

If you like today’s video, be sure to grab the full CORE Kettlebell Beginner’s Guide (FREE for a limited time) at this link: http://bit.ly/corekbbeginner

…and stay tuned for more kettlebell exercise videos like this one!

-Forest Vance

Master Trainer

Kettlebell Expert

KettlebellBasics.net

Kettlebell “Dirty 30” 2.0

On By adminIn Basic Kettlebell Drills, Kettlebell Workouts, Tips and TricksLeave a comment

Check out this sample workout from our upcoming 28-day Kettlebell “Dirty 30’s” Challenge:

https://bit.ly/dirty30skb

Kettlebell “Dirty 30” 2.0

For time:

— 30 KB Snatch (15 per side) (16k women / 24k men)
— 30 Push-Ups
— 30 Walking Lunge (15 per leg)
— 30 Ring Rows
— 30 Burpees
— 30 one arm KB Swings (15 per side) (16k women / 24k men)
— 30 Mountain Climbers
— 30 KB Rack Squats (15 per side) (16k women / 24k men)
— 30 Lying V-Ups
— 30 Lateral Hops (15 per side)

#

If you are ready to finally start getting serious results from your home KB workouts, sign up for our upcoming our 28 Day “Dirty 30’s” Kettlebell Challenge at the link below:

https://bit.ly/dirty30skb

You’ll get a full 28-day training plan, a free copy of both my Kettlebells for Abs – Advanced Results course and Extreme KB Cardio Conditioning, plus coaching and motivation from me, my team, and the rest of your fellow 28-day Challengers.

But we kick off in just a few short days, so sign up and start getting ready now.

– Forest and the FVT Team
KettlebellBasics.net

28-Day “Dirty 30’s” KB Challenge

On By adminIn Basic Kettlebell Drills, Kettlebell WorkoutsLeave a comment

Okay, we have the 28-day “Dirty 30’s” KB Challenge ready for sign up!

Would you like to join us?

Info and sign up for a spot using this link: https://bit.ly/dirty30skb

In this new 28 day program, we help you get into top shape or just a couple of Kettlebells, 20 or 30 minutes, and three or four times per week.

It’s called the Dirty 30’s Challenge, because we’re going to use this unique 30 rep / chipper-style workout format – popularized by CrossFit – for the workouts.

Some benefits of using the chipper method include:

1 – They are an all-in-one workout. So instead of doing your weights for 45 or 60 minutes, then hitting the treadmill or eliptical or stationary bike, you can get all the cardiovascular training AND strength you need, in one highly efficient session.

2 – You end up doing a lot of work. So you typically burn more calories and can get a greater fat-burning benefit from this type of method than a shorter, lower-volume, extreme-minimalist type approach.

3 – They are a lot of fun! Let’s be honest – keeping your workouts interesting can be a great motivator to keep going! And that’s what you’ll get with the Dirty 30’s Kettlebell Challenge.

Plus, we include my Kettltbells for Abs – Advanced Results program, as well as my Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning course, both free when you sign up.

Register now at this link, and we look forward to working with you! => https://bit.ly/dirty30skb

-Forest and the FVT Team

Kettlebell “Dirty 30” Workout

On By adminIn Kettlebell WorkoutsLeave a comment

The original “Dirty 30” workout comes from the CrossFit world.

It’s a “chipper” workout is where you link a series of exercises together, performing one after the other in succession (hence the name – you’re “chipping away” reps of a given exercise before you move on to the next.)

The idea is to:

  • Push the metabolic conditioning element
  • Burn a ton of calories
  • Physically and mentally challenge yourself

All in one training session.

What could be better?!? 🙂

So check out this “dirty 30 – inspired” kettlebell workout, that you can do with just a single kettlebell and your own bodyweight, any time, any place:

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the Kettlebell Dirty 30

For time:

  • 30 KB snatches (15 reps per side) (men – 24k / women – 16k)
  • 30 shoulder tap push ups (15 reps per side)
  • 30 walking KB goblet lunges (15 reps per side)
  • 30 pull ups OR 90 recline rows
  • 30 one arm KB swings (men – 24k / women – 16k)
  • 30 burpees
  • 30 alternating KB suitcase reverse lunges (15 reps per side)
  • 30 hanging leg raise OR 90 lying leg raises
  • 30 close (diamond) push ups
  • 30 tuck jumps

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If you are ready to finally start getting serious results from your home KB workouts, STAY TUNED – registration for our 28 Day “Dirty 30’s” Kettlebell Challenge opens tomorrow!

– Forest and the FVT Team
KettlebellBasics.net