Today I’m going to give you a sample sequence from my 8-Minute Lower Back Fix program. This is Week One, Day Three.
This one is surprising because it’s one of those routines where, if you do it in the right order with the right muscle activation, it can instantly reduce tension and make your lower back feel a little better.
Whether your back pain is coming from tight hips, posture/anterior pelvic tilt, stiffness, old injuries, disc issues, or a little combination of everything (which is very common), this can be helpful.
As always, use caution. If any of these are contraindicated for you, don’t do them. This is not medical advice.
That said, for a lot of people looking for some relief, it can be a great way to build your core and alleviate lower back discomfort in a safe, effective way.
Here’s the routine:
1. Bridge Hold – 20–30 seconds — Lie on your back, lift your hips, and squeeze your glutes. — Bonus: Wrap a mini loop band around your knees and press outward for extra glute activation if you have one available.
2. Modified Side Plank — Roll to your side. Knees bent, elbow under your shoulder. — Lift your hips off the floor. Brace your core. — Knees, hips, and shoulders should form a straight line. — Great anti-rotation drill that strengthens the deep core.
3. Seated External Hip Rotation Stretch — Sit on the floor if you’re flexible, or on a chair if your hips are tighter. — Cross one ankle over the opposite knee. — You can pull the knee up or gently press it down to feel the stretch in different areas. — You can also lean forward slightly.
4. Modified Standing Pallof Press (at-home version) — Use a small household object—like a gallon of milk, backpack, or light kettlebell. — Hold it at chest height. Stand tall, bend your knees slightly, and brace your core. — Slowly press your hands straight out in front of you. — Keep your core tight and don’t let your body rotate or sway. — Bring the object back to your chest with control and repeat.
This is the type of stuff you’ll find in 8-Minute Lower Back Fix — simple, intelligent progressions that take just a few minutes a day. You can do them at home, before you lift, at the gym, or wherever you train.
If you want the full course with follow-along videos, daily routines, and the structured 28-day progression, click the link below and grab it now:
Let’s talk about something you’ve probably heard a million times:
“If your lower back hurts, you need to strengthen your core.”
That advice is 100% true… but most people interpret it completely wrong.
They hear “core” and think crunch machines, sit-ups, planks for 2 minutes, hanging leg raises, ab wheels, or “burn the abs!”- type stuff.
Now — before I go any further — there’s nothing wrong with those movements if your goal is visible abs. If you’re bodybuilding or trying to look like a cover model, those exercises can absolutely help you build the muscles that show.
But here’s the mistake:
“Show core” (your six-pack) is NOT the same thing as your “go core” (your deep stabilizers).
Your six-pack muscles flex your spine, making your abs look good.
This is where people get tripped up. They hear “strengthen your core for lower back health,” then go hammer a bunch of crunches or sit-ups, never touch the deep stabilizers, and wonder why their back still feels stiff, cranky, or vulnerable.
Here’s the truth: if you want to fix or prevent lower back pain, you need a stable spine, not a flexed one.
This is exactly what world-renowned spine researcher Dr. Stuart McGill teaches. His focus is on anti-movement: anti-extension, anti-rotation, anti-lateral flexion.
Meaning: your core’s job isn’t to curl forward (like a crunch). It’s to resist movement so your spine stays safe under load.
And one of McGill’s most effective neutral-spine exercises is the McGill Curl-Up.
Most people know the basic curl-up, but the McGill version is completely different. It’s not a flexion exercise at all — it’s a neutral-spine stability drill designed to keep the lower back from bending.
Key aspects of the McGill Curl-Up:
It maintains lumbar neutrality: the goal is to keep the spine in its natural neutral curve and avoid bending or flattening the lower back.
Hands under the low back provide feedback so you can feel if the spine is trying to move.
You lift your head and shoulders only slightly by engaging the core — not by curling the torso forward.
It focuses on spinal stability and stiffness, strengthening the core in a way that protects the spine instead of bending it.
How to perform it:
— One leg straight, one knee bent — Hands under the small of your back — Lift only your head and shoulders slightly off the ground — Hold for 10 seconds
You’ll feel this in the deep stabilizers that actually protect your spine—not your six-pack.
This is the kind of “go core” work that actually fixes lower-back tightness and makes you more resilient during deadlifts, swings, squats, rows, runs, and even just bending over to pick up a sock.
It’s the difference between having a body that looks strong… and a spine that moves strong.
The program blends McGill-style core stability, hip mobility, controlled movement, activation drills, breath mechanics, and yoga-based resets into a routine that takes less than 10 minutes a day.
If you want the follow-along videos, daily sequences, and the whole 28-day progression, you can grab it here:
The Ageless Warrior Kettlebell Challenge 2.0 is free right now when you pick up a copy of Lifetime Kettlebell Evolution.
*Lifetime Kettlebell Evolution is no longer on super-mega-launch sale, but it’s still a great deal — and you get three full months of programming for less than the cost of a single personal training session with an average trainer.
Bob has trained hard for decades. Former athlete. Strong as an ox. Still has the mindset of a guy in his 20s.
But his body? It’s not 20 anymore.
His shoulders bug him. His back tightens up. He still wants to train hard and be strong, but grinding through everything like he used to just… doesn’t work now.
I get it, because I used to do the same thing. Back pain? Ignore it and load up the bar anyway. Shoulder pain? Ignore it and keep pushing. And sure, you can get away with it for a while.
But eventually, the time runs out. You can’t out-tough biology.
One thing that has been a total gift from heaven for guys like Bob (and, honestly, for me too) is kettlebell training. You can still train hard, still build muscle, still feel like an athlete — but it’s easier on the joints and way more sustainable.
That said, even kettlebell moves can wreak havoc if you don’t know how to adjust them for your body.
Let’s take shoulders, for example.
Turkish get-ups are fantastic for shoulder strength and stability. But if you’ve got cranky shoulders, that full range can irritate things.
— Quarter get-up — Half get-up — Three-quarter get-up — From-the-knee get-up — Foot sweep variations — Kneeling windmill — No-weight practice — Balance a water bottle on your hand to groove the pattern
And that’s just one movement. Every kettlebell exercise has smart regressions, progressions, and tweaks that allow you to train hard without straining your joints.
That’s exactly what I teach in my Lifetime Kettlebell Evolution course — how to train for strength, mobility, and muscle after 50, stay pain-free, and keep making progress without having to pretend you’re still 25.
If you want to train hard and smart for the next 10, 20, 30 years… this is for you.
PART 1 — Power 3–6 rounds Two-hand swings or 1-arm swings Recommended weights: Beginner: 12–16 kg (men), 8–12 kg (women) Intermediate: 20–24 kg (men), 12–16 kg (women) Advanced: 24–32 kg (men), 16–20 kg (women) 10–15 reps (Choose what feels best for your back + hips.)
PART 2 — Strength & Conditioning 3 rounds
Split squats (:30/side) or Goblet squats (:60) Recommended weights: Beginner: 8–12 kg Intermediate: 12–20 kg Advanced: 20–28 kg (If lunges bother your knees — goblet squats are perfect.)
Talk soon, Forest Vance, MS, RYT-200 Former Pro Athlete • Kettlebell Coach • Creator of the Ageless Warrior Programs
P.S. Do you notice all the little details I added to this workout? This is exactly the kind of thing I cover in the full program — both in the workouts and the walk-through videos.
The reality is, 95%+ of programs out there aren’t built with this demographic in mind, and most coaches don’t work with 50+ clients in person every day like I do. That’s why this program is different.
I’ve worked with thousands of clients in person, and I already know what tends to go wrong… what movements usually flare up injuries… what to modify… and how to build joint-friendly progressions that still get results.
I put all of that into my programs — and that’s why they’ve been so popular (I’ve sold tens of thousands of workout plans over the last 15 years).
I was doing a little research on how Vikings trained.
From what I found, their training came from a combination of:
Daily physical labor
Combat sports and wrestling
Lifting and throwing heavy objects like stones and logs
Building and rowing boats for strength and endurance
Carrying heavy materials
Practicing with weapons such as spears, axes, swords, and bows
Balance and coordination training to stay steady in battle or at sea
Developing a warrior mindset—training both body and mind for confidence and resilience
There’s a lot we can take away from this!
Just imagine if you incorporated some of these principles into your own training—the kind of physical and mental strength (and the physique to go with it) you could build.
Note: Record the weight used for each move and the total time it takes you to complete this workout with proper form. You’ll retest it at the end of the challenge.
TIER 1 (Beginners or those getting back into it) Complex-style kettlebell work — complete all moves on one side without setting the kettlebell down, then repeat on the other side. (Suggested weight: Women 12kg+, Men 20kg+)
2-Hand Kettlebell Dead Clean – 10 reps
2-Hand Kettlebell Swing – 10 reps
2-Hand Overhead Press – 10 reps
Kettlebell Goblet Squat – 10 reps
Goblet Reverse Lunge (Left) – 5 reps
Goblet Reverse Lunge (Right) – 5 reps
1-Arm Kettlebell Row (Right) – 10 reps
1-Arm Kettlebell Row (Left) – 10 reps
Then finish with:
Push-Ups (hands elevated on a waist-level box or bench) – 10 reps
Elevated Burpees – 10 reps
Jumping Jacks – 10 reps
Complete 5 rounds for time.
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This is just one sample workout from one 28-day program (Thor’s Hammer Strength Challenge).
When you grab the Viking Valor Kettlebell Bundle, you’ll get 10 complete 28-day programs like this one—but this is your last chance. The bundle is being retired for good after this final sale.
Try this sample workout—then grab the full course before it’s gone:
I was chatting with a client at our studio workouts this morning who mentioned their favorite candy — the good ‘ol Hershey bar.
At around 210 calories each, that adds up fast if you’ve been dipping into the leftover Halloween stash, lol!!
So, here’s a way to balance things out: a kettlebell workout that burns approximately 630 calories for an 180-pound person — the equivalent of three Hershey bars.
Estimated calorie burn based on moderate to high-intensity effort for an 180-pound individual. Actual results will vary depending on effort level, conditioning, and rest periods.
BTW – this one comes straight from the Viking Valor Kettlebell program — a full training system built to unleash your inner Viking, build real-world strength and endurance, and do it all in 20–30 minutes per day, 3–4 days per week.
We’re taking this offer off the market completely, but before it retires for good, we’re doing one final last-chance promo.
We’ve recently done this with our Gladiator and Hero Mode KB Bundles — both are now off the market.
As with those, this is your final opportunity to grab it before it’s gone for good.
The bundle includes everything you need to reclaim your strength and build the power of a Viking — using kettlebells in just 20–30 minutes per day, 3–4 days per week.
(We’ve recently done this with our Gladiator and Hero Mode KB Bundles—both are now off the market.)
As with those, we’re offering one last chance promo before this one retires for good.
This bundle includes everything you need to reclaim your strength and build the power of a Viking using kettlebells in just 20–30 minutes per day, 3–4 days per week.
I was just looking at Week 2 / Workout 2 of the OG KB-Tabata Challenge.
The workout is a doozy!
(It’s included in the “Kettlebell Tabata Trifecta” deal we have going right now — I’ll also put the sample workout at the bottom of today’s email for you to try.)
…It only takes about 18 minutes, and it hits all your major muscle groups from a strength perspective AND gets you killer cardio-conditioning work at the same time.
If you signed up for my kettlebell newsletter and you are reading this email, this full course is going to be right up your alley. You will love it. Check it out at the link below:
And I will say, this Halloween, the Kettlebell Tabata 3-for-1 is flying off the digital shelves.
And for good reason. It uses the Tabata Protocol, which you’re probably familiar with…
…in a unique and optimized way, with kettlebells.
If you’re not familiar, let me give you a quick introduction:
In the original study done by Izumi Tabata, Tabata training was defined as “training at the intensity that exhausts subjects during the 7th or 8th sets of 20-s bicycle exercise bouts with a 10-s rest between the exercise bouts.”
Put simply, you do eight rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest.
The groundbreaking part of this study is that the group that ONLY performed the 20 seconds of work / 10 seconds of rest protocol (do the math, that’s just a four-minute workout!) got as good, or BETTER, improvements in several fitness markers like VO2 max increase, as the group that did a full HOUR of exercise, five days per week!
HOWEVER
This is quoted from a later meta-analysis study of the Tabata protocol:
“At more than 20 years after the publication of the original study [12, 13], the exercise intensity has not been emphasized; only the procedure of the training has been featured, especially among general exercisers.”
TRANSLATION – you need to work at the proper intensity for Tabata training to work.
KETTLEBELLS happen to be a perfect fit!…
The great thing about kettlebell training is that, IF you do it right, you can get your heart rate up FAST, exert a ton of energy, and use every muscle in your body.
So if we’re looking for a type of exercise that is best suited to Tabata training, kettlebells are hard to beat.
Combining kettlebells plus Tabata training, you will get next-level fat loss and total-body conditioning results in a fraction of the time!
This is great for you if you want new, innovative ideas for cardio in the winter months.
This is great for you if you are a trainer and want to use these workouts with your clients.
This is great for you if you just want a new training plan to follow that you can do anywhere and work your full body in 3–4, 20-minute-ish sessions per week.
I have been training myself and others with kettlebells since 2008, so I have learned a thing or two about how to get the most done in the shortest amount of time…
…AND, as the years have gone by, I have also learned how to do that WITHOUT destroying your body or joints in the process.
These are three of my most popular kettlebell challenge plans, all around the Tabata concept.
You will be able to avoid the holiday weight gain with these workouts, just doing them at home or anywhere else with a kettlebell or two.
HOWEVER – this deal is only on for a very limited time, so learn more and grab your copy at the link below:
Forest Vance MS, Human Movement Certified Kettlebell Instructor Certified Nutrition Coach KettlebellBasics.net ForestVanceTraining.com
PS – Here is the sample workout I promised:
18-Min KB Tabata Challenge
PART 1 – TABATA – Do as many reps as you can of the first exercise in 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds. Do as many reps as you can of the second exercise in 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds. Repeat three more times for a total of four sets of each move. Rest for 1–2 minutes and repeat for a total of two Tabata rotations. GOAL: Do more reps than last time!
Regular OR “Explosive” push-ups – hands elevated, knees, or toes 1-arm KB rows (switch sides each round, do two sets total for each arm) (recommended weight = 12–16k women / 20–24k men)
PART 2 – TABATA – Do as many reps as you can of the first exercise in 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds. Do as many reps as you can of the second exercise in 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds. Repeat three more times for a total of four sets of each move. Rest for 1–2 minutes and repeat for a total of two Tabata rotations. GOAL: Better form and rep quality than last time!
One-hand KB swings (recommended weight = 16–20k women / 24–32k men) (switch sides each round, do two sets total for each arm) “Fast feet”
PART 3 – COMPLEX – Get four rounds for time of:
6 KB press – right side (recommended weight = 8/12k women / 16–20k men) 6 KB rack squats – right side (recommended weight = 8/12k women / 16–20k men) 6 KB reverse rack lunges – right side (recommended weight = 8/12k women / 16–20k men) Repeat on other side 6 burpees
Because it combines the science-backed tabata training method with the muscle-and-fat-loss-burning power of complex training.
Whether you want to drop stubborn weight, perform better in your workouts, or just feel strong and athletic again, this approach gets you there—fast.
**For a limited time only, when you grab the new Kettlebell Tabata Trifecta bundle, you’ll get all three programs (1.0, 2.0, and 3.0)—plus my 16/8 Intermittent Fasting Workshop –>> Learn more here
This kettlebell protocol delivers massive results in minimal time—helping you build muscle, shred fat, and level up your conditioning in as little as 20 minutes a day.
5 snatches (same side, “flow” directly from get-up) OR 5 one-arm KB swings
Turkish Get-Down (return to the ground)
Repeat on the other side.
Complete 4 rounds for time.
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This workout is just the beginning. Inside the Kettlebell Tabata Trifecta, you’ll unlock:
— Kettlebell Tabata 1.0 – Build your base and master the Tabata method — Kettlebell Tabata 2.0 – Increase intensity and conditioning — Kettlebell Tabata 3.0 – Peak performance-level programming — BONUS: 16/8 Intermittent Fasting Workshop – Learn how to combine smart nutrition with your training for faster results
With these programs, you’ll:
Burn fat up to 38% faster than traditional workouts
Train anywhere with just two kettlebells
Get lean, strong, and conditioned—without long gym sessions
Click here to grab your Kettlebell Tabata Trifecta now → [Next Page]
Here’s to finishing the year strong—and training smarter in 2025.
