A few people on this plan have told me they dropped a pound or two a week without changing what they eat:

Have you ever watched how people eat at an ultra-distance event? I ran a 25k a few years ago, right after I moved to the KC area. (25k isn’t really ultra distance, it’s a bit more than a half marathon, about 15.5 miles, but it was part of an event where some folks were doing two laps for a 50k.)

I couldn’t believe how people were eating. Oreos, soup, pasta, pizza, fries, mashed potatoes, all of it.

But it got me thinking.

To finish a 25k or 50k, you have to train a lot. There’s no way around it. Running 3-5 days a week, with long runs over 20 miles as race day gets closer, burns a serious amount of energy. That’s how these folks can eat like that and still cross the finish line lean. It’s not magic, it’s volume of work.

That’s where the Firebreather 4x HIIT Plan came from.

Now, I know most of you are kettlebell people, not runners. That’s the point. This isn’t about becoming a distance runner. It’s about borrowing the conditioning those athletes build, without the miles, so you can stack it on top of your kettlebell work.

Two sample workouts:

Hill Day

• Power walk/run/sprint up the hill, 60 seconds
• Walk back down to recover, 120 seconds
• Repeat for 10 rounds

Roadwork Day

Set your timer for 60 minutes. Walk, jog, or run, whatever intensity is right for you. The goal is to keep your heart rate between 130 and 150 bpm. Use a heart rate monitor, or count manually.

I’ve also had great success with the run-walk-run method for this one.

Every 5 minutes, stop and do:

• 30-second high plank hold (minute 5, 20, 35, 50)
• 10 burpees (minute 10, 25, 40, 55)
• 15 bodyweight squats (minute 15, 30, 45)

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Doing workouts like this (along with bodyweight circuits, “easy conditioning” days, and more) 3-4 times a week on top of your kettlebell training, and you’ll build real cardio conditioning while burning extra calories in the process.

The Firebreather 4x HIIT Plan comes as part of Mission Ready Conditioning. It isn’t sold on its own anywhere else. And it’s on special for the 4th of July weekend.

Grab it here:

-> Firebreather 4x HIIT Plan + Mission Ready Conditioning

Here’s to getting into great shape this summer!

— Forest

I was just chatting with a client on the phone the other day, and he asked if you can really get strong and lean with just bodyweight.

I said, think of boot camp. Guys get in amazing shape in like 8 weeks, and typically they are just doing bodyweight exercises: pull ups, push ups, calisthenics.

I have taken this concept and put together a full training system.

Here is a sample workout from it to give you a feel for one of the workouts that is a little more on the challenging side from my Tactical Bodyweight Conditioning System:

1 – Set your timer for seven minutes. Do as many rounds as you can of:

— 5 burpees (pick the version that works best for you)
— 5 pull-ups (can sub out 12 one-arm KB rows if no pull up bar)
— :20 handstand holds on the wall (can sub out pike push up/hold or L-handstand wall hold for a scaled-down alternative)

2 – Set your timer for seven minutes again. Start with four reps of each exercise. Without rest, do six reps of each exercise. Without rest, do eight reps of each exercise. Get as high as you can “climbing the ladder” WITH PERFECT FORM:

— walking prisoner lunges (each side) (can add KB in goblet position for added intensity)
— close grip push-ups

3 – Sprints, four times:

— Run approx. 200 yards
— start a new set every 90 seconds
— your rest is the time it takes between when you finish and the next set starts (ex: you run 200 yds in 45 secs, you get 45 secs rest. Run it in 60, you get 30 seconds rest, etc.)
— can’t run, but have a kettlebell? Try 45 on/45 off KB one-arm snatches instead

If you liked this workout, you’ll LOVE my Tactical BW Conditioning System.

You get the full “Field Ops Conditioning” program today’s sample is pulled from, plus:

— “No Kit Fat Loss Protocol” (Zero Equipment Fat Loss Plan): more zero-equipment workouts for the summer
— “Zero Kit Operator” (No Gym No Excuse, Updated Edition): bodyweight + (optional) single KB workout for fat loss + lean muscle
— “Operator Pull-Up Protocol” (Operation Pull-Up): your step-by-step system to go from 0 to 20 pull ups
— “Combat Core Conditioning” (5-Minute Abs): ab workouts that will have you feeling it for days
— “Tactical Firebreather” (Firebreather Conditioning): high-octane conditioning workouts to get into superhuman shape and burn more calories than last time
— “Operator 100” (Mission 100 Push-Ups): your step-by-step system to go from 0 to 100 push ups
— “Iron Operator Circuit” (KB + Bodyweight Beatdown): a second bodyweight + (optional) single KB workout for fat loss + lean muscle
— “Field Power Protocol” (KB + Bodyweight Power Circuit): a third(!) bodyweight + (optional) single KB workout for fat loss + lean muscle
— “Tactical Challenge Series” (Ultimate Kettlebell Challenge Workouts): Forest’s classic 8-week kettlebell challenge system

PLUS, you get a digital copy of my classic best-selling book, No Gym? No Excuse! (unannounced bonus, check the download page)

Click here to get it now on the 4th of July Sale (this weekend only):

-> Mission Ready Conditioning – Tactical Bodyweight System

Forest

Yesterday I told you a little about how my body took quite the beating after 15+ years of football, and how I’ve been focused in recent years on yoga, mobility training, and “pre-hab” – type corrective exercise.

Well, I’ve got a Disney trip coming up where I’ll be logging 15,000 to 20,000 steps a day for the better part of a week. My knees are already saying “oh boy.” So I’m being proactive.

Here’s what I’m doing: a daily 5 to 10 minute mobility and strengthening routine targeted specifically at the knees.

Now, quick disclaimer. If you’ve got a serious medical situation going on, that’s outside my scope. I’m not diagnosing or treating anything. What this kind of routine CAN help you with is:

• Reduce knee pain and stiffness
• Improve knee stability and tracking
• Restore squat, lunge, and step confidence
• Bulletproof your knees for long-term training
• Move better in everyday life (stairs, walking, getting off the floor)

And honestly, if someone tells me their only goal is to get stronger and lose body fat with kettlebells, I’d say kettlebells can absolutely form the foundation. Great for strength, great for conditioning. But the one thing that tends to be missing is mobility and flexibility work. And it doesn’t have to be a 45 or 60 minute yoga class. I’d actually argue that a focused 5 to 10 minutes daily on a targeted area is more effective than a long session once in a while.

So here’s an example 8-minute sequence you can add to your training today:

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5-10 Minute Knee Support Sequence

• Glute Bridge Hold (1 min) — Activates the glutes and takes load off the knee.
• 90/90 Hip Stretch (1 min) — Opens the hips, which directly reduces stress on the knee joint.
• Terminal Knee Extension (band or bodyweight) (1 min each leg) — Fires up the VMO, the quad muscle most responsible for knee tracking.
• Wall-Supported Calf Raises (1 min) — Strengthens the lower leg and improves ankle stability.
• Step-Back Lunge with Knee Drive (30 sec each side) — Low-impact strength and balance.

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Do that daily, layered on top of your kettlebell training, and your knees will thank you.

If you want the full 28-day version of this, the 8-Minute Knee Fix Challenge includes targeted work like this every single day for a month. You’ll start day one and finish day 28 in better shape than when you started, knees included.

It’s on a last-chance sale right now. Check it out here:

-> 8-Minute Knee Fix (last chance for original pricing)

— Forest

You may have seen people do the “Sally Up – Sally Down” Challenge before.

Sometimes they do it with push-ups. Sometimes with other exercises.

My version? Kettlebell goblet squats.

I actually filmed this back during the pandemic, of all times, when both of my gyms were shut down, and I was sitting in my garage all day filming content and leading Zoom workouts.

That’s where this one came from.

And I keep coming back to it. It’s a great finisher. I use it regularly in my kettlebell boot camp groups. I even programmed it as a finisher for an online coaching client just today, and we used a variation of it in our group workout this morning.

Here’s how it works:

1 – Grab your kettlebell and get into a goblet squat position. I used a 24kg. Scale up or down based on your level. Bodyweight works too if you’re just getting started.

2 – Hit play on “Flower” by Moby.

3 – Every time the song says “Sally Up” you stand up. Every time it says “Sally Down” you squat down. Hold the bottom position on every “down.”

The song is 3:27 long.

That’s your workout.

And here’s the thing.

This is just a tiny taste of the type of stuff inside the Ageless Warrior Kettlebell Boot Camp.

It’s not just about programming. It’s about doing stuff that’s fun, interesting, and keeps people engaged and coming back. That’s what this workout is all about.

-> Ageless Warrior Kettlebell Boot Camp

Talk soon,

– Forest

Here is a sample workout from the Kettlebell Boot Camp Workouts course, on sale now:

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Sample Kettlebell Boot Camp Workout

Warm Up

Start your boot camp with a kettlebell dynamic warm-up like this one:

8 KB halos (each way)
8 KB slingshots (each way)
8 KB figure eights (each way)

Part 1: Kettlebell/body weight strength circuit

15x two-hand KB swings
7x burpees

Get as many rounds of this circuit as you can in five minutes.

Part 2: Kettlebell cardio conditioning circuit

10 KB squat cleans
5 KB renegade rows (each arm)
10 walking overhead KB lunge

​​​​​​​Get as many rounds as you can of this circuit in ten minutes.

Part 3: Kettlebell abs circuit

1/4 Turkish get-ups
plank hold

Do as many reps as you can of each exercise in 30 seconds (per side on the get ups). Rest for 15 seconds between 
Do 3 rounds total.

Cooldown

Finish with about 5 minutes of corrective work (planks, hip bridges, etc.) and another 5 minutes of static stretching.

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Quick, efficient, and HIGHLY effective.

For 213+ more kettlebell workouts like this one, I recommend you check out:

=> Kettlebell Boot Camp Workouts

Train hard, talk soon! –

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Kettlebell Instructor
KettlebellBasics.net

For years, I’ve kept a personal go-to training notebook of my favorite kettlebell workouts.

Whenever I created a workout that clients loved…

Whenever I found a challenge that kept people coming back for more…

Whenever I built a program that helped people get stronger, leaner, fitter, and more athletic…

It went into the notebook.

After a while, I also noticed something interesting.

The workouts that worked best for my clients in their 40s, 50s, and beyond weren’t always the same workouts that worked best for younger athletes.

Don’t get me wrong.

They still wanted to build strength.

They still wanted to burn fat.

They still wanted to feel athletic and move well.

But they didn’t want endless burpees, endless jumping, and workouts that left their knees, hips, shoulders, and lower back feeling wrecked for three days afterward.

They wanted something different.

Challenging… but sustainable.

Fun… but effective.

Varied… but intelligently programmed.

Case in point:

300-Rep KB Bootcamp Workout (for the 40+ athlete)

Do as many reps of each exercise as possible in 60 seconds. No rest between moves. Running clock. Three rounds total. Think you can hit 300?

• Kettlebell Ballistic – SET 1 = clean; SET 2 = one hand swing; SET 3 = high pull / snatch
• Push-Ups – SET 1 = wide; SET 2 = narrow; SET 3 = regular
• Kettlebell Lunges – SET 1 = reverse goblet; SET 2 = walking goblet; SET 3 = lateral suitcase (switch sides halfway)
• 1-Arm Kettlebell Rows – SET 1 = regular; SET 2 = palm facing forward; SET 3 = palm facing back (switch sides halfway)
• Jumping Jacks – SET 1 = regular; SET 2 = X-jacks; SET 3 = seal jacks

Get full exercise breakdowns plus warm-up, cool-down, and finisher for the workout above, plus 213+ more kettlebell boot camp workouts for the ageless warrior, right HERE.

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That’s exactly what led me to build the new Ageless Warrior Kettlebell Boot Camp program.

It’s a complete collection of my best kettlebell boot camp workouts, challenges, and training systems, designed specifically for men and women over 40.

214+ workouts just like today’s free sample, across multiple training styles:

• OG KB Boot Camp Workouts
• Over 50 Kettlebell Workouts
• 300 Challenge Kettlebell Workouts
• EMOM Afterburn Kettlebell Workouts
• PHA Kettlebell Workouts
• Ageless Warrior Kettlebell Workouts
• Body Revival Kettlebell Workouts

…and a lot more.

20-30 minute sessions. 3-4 days per week. Enough variety to keep your training fresh for months.

Check it out here:

-> Ageless Warrior Kettlebell Boot Camp, Limited Time Launch Sale

— Forest

It’s Monday.

A fresh start, a new week — and you get to decide how it begins!

One thing you can do right now: save this 20-Minute Ageless Warrior Kettlebell Boot Camp Workout and give it a try.

Before I hand it over, two quick things:

1. Project Bodyweight was a huge success this weekend. The promo has ended but the program is still available, and the price has only gone up slightly. If you want a full library of bodyweight STRENGTH focused workouts for the summer (that are also a great change of pace and easy on the joints), it’s still a great deal. Grab it HERE.
2. I have a brand-new Ageless Warrior Kettlebell Boot Camp program dropping this week. This is a kettlebell boot camp system built specifically for people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s who want to gain lean muscle and torch calories in 20 to 30 minutes with one or two kettlebells. Your own kettlebellboot camp, anytime, any place. Stay tuned 😉

Now, the workout:

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WORKOUT 1: 20-MINUTE AGELESS WARRIOR KETTLEBELL BOOT CAMP

WARM UP

• Cat/cow
• Down dog to bear plank hover
• KB goat-bag swing to sumo deadlift
• Halo

PART 1: POWER

5 to 7 rounds, 12 to 15 reps per set, starting each set on the minute (EMOM style)

• Two-hand swings or 1-arm swings

Recommended weights:

• Beginner: 12 to 16 kg (men), 8 to 12 kg (women)
• Intermediate: 20 to 24 kg (men), 12 to 16 kg (women)
• Advanced: 24 to 32 kg (men), 16 to 20 kg (women)

PART 2: STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

3 rounds

• Split squats (30 sec/side) or Goblet squats (60 sec), progressing depth and/or weight

Recommended weights:

• Beginner: 8 to 12 kg
• Intermediate: 12 to 20 kg
• Advanced: 20 to 28 kg

Rest 15 seconds, then:

• Burpees (30 sec, modify as needed)

Modifications: box/bench burpee, step-back burpee, wall burpee

PART 3: CORE & STABILITY

3 rounds

• Rack march/carry (30 sec/side)

Rest 15 seconds, then:

• Supported side plank (30 sec/side)

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Save that one and give it a go.

And keep in mind, this is just one workout from a full system that’s coming out soon.

If that has your attention, stay tuned.

And if you really want the complete experience, and you haven’t already, grab Project Bodyweight. You’ll have a full library of strength-focused bodyweight workouts to build a foundation, and when you’re ready to load it up with a kettlebell, the boot camp workouts will be right there waiting for you.

Peace out. Talk soon.

— Forest Vance
Creator, Project Bodyweight
Creator, Ageless Warrior Kettlebell Boot Camp System (drops this week)

If you have been training hard for any length of time, you probably have a list.

Sore ankles. Stiff knees. Achy hips. A lower back that never fully feels right. A shoulder that is always one bad rep away from a real problem.

And at some point, you just accepted it. That is the cost of training hard. That is just how your body feels now.

I had that list for years.

Then, about a year ago, I went to a week-long bodyweight/movement certification. There were no barbells, no kettlebells, just bodyweight-based training, for the whole week.

By day three, I noticed something.

The list was, for the most part, gone.

My ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders — felt GREAT!

And it hit me that a lot of what I had accepted as normal was not just wear and tear from training hard. It was also likely something like chronic inflammation from constant heavy loading. And I had been living in it so long I forgot what it felt like without it.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying drop the kettlebells. There are unique benefits of training with them that you can’t easily replicate elsewhere.

The point is that your body sometimes needs a different stimulus. And when you give it that, things calm down in ways you did not even realize they needed to.

Here is a sample workout from the system I have been using with clients ever since:

Project Bodyweight SHRED: Week 2 / Workout A

Part 1: Do as many reps as you can of each exercise in 50 seconds. Rest 15 seconds between exercises. Rest 60 seconds between rounds. Do four rounds total.

• BW Bulgarian Split Squats (25 sec per side)
• Alternating Spider Climbs
• Single Leg Deadlift (alternating legs)
• Double Burpee (two push-ups on every rep; elevate hands / modify burpees as needed)

Part 2: Do as many reps as you can of each exercise in 20 seconds. Rest 10 seconds between exercises. Do six rounds of the pair.

• Sit Outs (start with lower body – only variation; progress to opp hand/leg)
• Hollow Holds (pick the version that’s right for you)

(Full video demos for every exercise are included in the complete program.)

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That is the training style in Project Bodyweight Cubed, on sale this week only.

You get a full 12-week, progressive bodyweight-based program, full follow-along videos, and more.

If your body has been running that same list, check it out:

-> Project Bodyweight Cubed

— Forest

Summer is here, and one of the most useful things you can have in your back pocket is an anywhere, anytime bodyweight workout. Whether you are traveling, working around a crazy schedule, or just want to get outside and move, bodyweight training is always there for you.

This week I have my Bodyweight Cubed course on sale. Tons of workouts, professionally filmed follow-along videos you almost certainly do not own, and a lot more:

-> Project Bodyweight³ (Cubed)

But first, try this one on for size:

The Deck of Pain

• Hearts: Push-Ups
• Spades: Air Squats
• Diamonds: Sit-Ups
• Clubs: Jumping Jacks
• Jokers: 15 Burpees

Flip a card, do that many reps. Face cards = 10. Aces = 15. Work through the whole deck.

Simple, brutal, and zero equipment.

If you like it, you are going to love the full course:

-> Check out Bodyweight Cubed here

— Forest

It’s June 7, and for all practical purposes, summer is here.

Vacations coming up, weekends at the lake or the beach or the pool, and suddenly you’re thinking a little more about how you look and feel with your shirt off or in your summer clothes.

If that’s you right now, here’s exactly what I’d do if I had 28 days and wanted sharper abs, a flatter stomach, and a midsection I actually felt good about:

Step 1: Lock in a consistent training routine built around your abs.

..like my 4-week Kettlebells for Abs program.

Here’s a sample (you can pull finishers like the one below to tack on to your existing training plan, OR you can use the full training plan focused 100% on KBs for Abs):

Do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds. Rest 15 seconds between moves. Rest 60 seconds between rounds. 4 rounds total.

— Single-arm KB swing (right side)

— Spider climbs

— Single-arm KB swing (left side)

— V-sits (hold for time OR slow controlled reps)

Power on the swings, rotational stability with the spider climbs, and ab endurance to finish each round.

(Strong abs improve your posture, and better posture automatically makes you look leaner and more defined!)

Step 2: Get your food dialed in.

Inside my 4-week Kettlebells for Abs program, you also get the full 20 Pounds in 6 Weeks Challenge nutrition course at no extra charge.

(People paid $99 to go through that program when we ran it live!)

It walks you through your protein targets, meal timing, calorie approach, and gives you a real plan based on where you are right now.

Whether you use my meal plan or your own, the main #1 key is – training alone won’t cut it, you need to have the food dailed in too.

Step 3 (bonus): “Little-known” hacks that will accelerate your results

Here are three tricks from my recent Mindful Eating series I wanted to share as a bonus – these can help you actually STICK to your meal plan (and get the results):

Trace the chain. There’s always a chain when it comes to eating choices: a trigger, a thought, a feeling, then the behavior. When you learn to identify what’s actually kicking it off, you can interrupt it before it ever gets to food.

Surf the urge. A craving is a wave. It peaks and it passes, usually within 10 to 20 minutes. Most people white-knuckle through it or cave. Urge surfing teaches you to ride it out without acting on it, and it gets easier every time you practice it.

Redesign your environment. Your surroundings are running your eating habits more than your decisions are. What’s visible on your counter, what you buy at the store, where food lives in your house. Change the environment and you change the behavior without needing more discipline.

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That’s exactly what I’d do if I had 28 days and wanted sharper abs, a flatter stomach, and a midsection I actually felt good about.

Simple, focused, and built for where most of us are right now: motivated, short on time, and wanting to show up looking and feeling our best this summer.

And if you want the complete blueprint, my Kettlebells for Abs course is on sale this weekend at the link below:

-> 28-day KBs for Abs “Summer Ready” Sale​

— Forest Vance | Kettlebell Expert | Over-40 Specialist

ForestVanceTraining.com | KettlebellBasics.net