The “Deck of Pain” is a tough and fun way to build muscle, burn fat, and develop superhuman conditioning.

Plus, you can do it anytime, anywhere, with minimal-to-zero equipment.

(A lot like the Physique Zero – 12-week Bodyweight Strength Plan for 40s/50s/60s+ we’ve been talking about this week!)

If you’re up for the challenge, here’s how it works:

1 – Grab a standard deck of 52 cards and assign one of the exercises below (or a variation) to each suit:

— Clubs – Squats

— Spades – Push Ups

— Hearts – Pull Ups or Inverted Rows

— Diamonds – Hanging or Lying Leg Raises

2 – Start drawing cards from the top and let the fun begin. The suit on the card determines the exercise, while the number tells you the number of reps to perform. Face cards count as 10, and aces count as 11.

3 – Keep drawing cards and performing the corresponding movements until you’ve completed the entire deck.

Give it a go, let me know how you do.

And if you like this workout, you’ll LOVE Physique Zero – 12-week Bodyweight Strength Plan for 40s/50s/60s+.

Keep up the great work –

— Forest Vance, KettlebellBasics.net

In today’s message, I am going to provide you with a quick outline of how to create a custom meal plan to help you reach your goals!

*If you have any questions, find this process a bit too complex, or simply prefer us to handle it for you, the next 7 people to sign up for the 20 in 6 Kettlebell Challenge will receive a custom meal plan FREE of charge – learn more and sign up here.

STEP 1 – Determine Your Goals

What is your #1 goal for the next 30/60/90 days? This initial step is crucial as it helps us understand if you aim to lose fat and at what rate, which will determine the necessary daily calorie deficit.

There’s a bit of an art to this step because if we set the bar too low initially, you WILL lose weight rapidly – but you’ll feel miserable and likely struggle to adhere to the plan. Conversely, if we don’t cut enough, you won’t see significant weight loss. Thus, precision is key.

STEP 2 – Utilize a Calculator to Determine Your Starting Calorie and Macro Targets

Numerous online calculators take into account factors such as your age, weight, body composition, activity level, and weight loss goals.

STEP 3 – Build a Meal Plan Based on Your Calorie and Macro Goals

Craft a meal plan tailored to your specific preferences and meal timings, also taking into account your specific calorie and macro targets from the last step. I recommend a moderate amount of variation – three options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks per day strike a balance between variety and simplicity. This approach ensures you experience some diversity without overwhelming yourself with numerous meal and snack types.

That’s how we create your custom meal plan in a nutshell! Follow these steps, and you’re well on your way to success!

If you have any questions, find this process a bit too complex, or prefer us to handle it for you, remember that the next 7 people to sign up for the 20 in 6 Kettlebell Challenge will receive a custom meal plan FREE of charge – learn more and sign up here.

-Forest Vance KettlebellBasics.net – ForestVanceTraining.com

loll!!

In seriousness – I was just reading an article a guy wrote that did squats EVERY DAY for six weeks (!).

To sum it up:

• The guy got way stronger in record time, and was finally able to squat 600 pounds
• In the process, his hips got WAY tighter, his upper back was more sore than ever, his knees were sore to the touch, and he couldn’t sleep

For a tiny percentage of people chasing high performance goals, sometimes excelling at certain qualities – like gaining squat strength, fast – can come at the fully known expense of other problems.

For 99% of people like you and me who want to look and perform well, but also feel great and pain free at the same time, we need to listen closely to our bodies, pay attention to recovery, and ideally follow a program that is specifically designed for our goals.

Stay tuned, registration for our 28-day KB/BW Hybrid Strength Challenge (geared towards helping you get strong, lean, AND stay pain-free, all at the same time) opens later this week!

-Forest Vance @ KettlebellBasics.net

Been hitting the road a lot lately.

Sitting for just a few hours on an airplane can make your lower back, hips, shoulders and more feel like they’re petrified. ‘Tight’ doesn’t even begin to describe it!

Thankfully, I have the Metabolic Stretching System ready for any time I need it.

Here’s a small taste of their workout. Give it a whirl to then head over to the link below for the full shebang:

Check out -> Metabolic Stretching

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“Metabolic Stretching” sample workout

Do each movement for 15-seconds; no rest between moves; modify for your fitness level but try to move at a brisk pace:

– Arm Swings

– Arm Circles

– “Low/High” Swings

– Body Rotations

– “Cherry Pickers”

– Reverse Windmills

– “Field Goal Kicks”

– Butt Kickers

– 3-Way Lunge

Watch the video where I run you through this workout here -> https://youtu.be/8kBqMccLfWU?si=nKHU53EP_yYgc9Lm

Learn more and get the full Metabolic Stretching program here -> Metabolic Stretching

– Forest Vance – KettlebellBasics.net

In my years of athletics, including playing football at the college and NFL levels, I’ve had the opportunity to take advantage of some of the world’s finest strength and conditioning equipment.

And even though it CAN help – there is no doubt about that! – you can still get a LOT done with just your own bodyweight.

Check out this “Bodyweight Beast” At-Home / No-Equipment Workout to start getting stronger, improving performance, and shedding bodyfat today… any time, any place, ZERO equipment required, and in about 20 minutes!

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“Bodyweight Beast” At-Home / No-Equipment Workout

sample from Bodyweight Beast Building – 6-week zero equipment training plan for strength and muscle

PART 1 – Bodyweight upper body “complex” – complete all exercises consecutively without resting; rest as needed and complete three rounds total:

– 25 mountain climbers (per side)
– 15 push ups
– 8 spiderman climbs (per side)
– 5 burpees

PART 2 – Bodyweight lower body “complex” – complete all exercises consecutively without resting; rest as needed and complete three routines total:

– 8 squat jumps
– 8 reverse lunges / leg
– 8 step ups / leg
– 15 bodyweight squats

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Check out my complete Bodyweight Beast Building 6-week zero equipment training plan HERE – on sale for President’s Day!…

…and here’s to your continued success!

-Forest Vance
Certified Personal Trainer
Master of Science, Human Movement
KettlebellBasics.net

I was just reading through some old fitness-related emails from a colleague of mine, Ryan Murdock.. and I found one on this idea of a Royal Marines Fitness Test Challenge.

From the further research I did, it looks like this is called the PJFT+ test. Here’s what it consists of:

• 20 burpees
• rest for 10 seconds
• 20 sit ups
• 20 push ups
• 60 second plank

Potential recruits are expected to complete the circuit three times.

The Challenge is supposed to test your functional fitness.

As the email I got this idea from mentioned, it actually doesn’t seem all that functional.

It’s okay, but honestly it could be improved.

A better option might be something like the Warrior Zero Bodyweight Challenge, where you do a series of three “functional fitness” Challenges, each progressively harder than the next… and it much more dials in on things like bodyweight strength, endurance, core, proper movement, etc.

If you are interested in taking the full Challenge, check out Warrior Zero Bodyweight at the link below:

–>> Warrior Zero Bodyweight Challenge

…and let me know how you do, okay?

-Forest Vance
KettlebellBasics.net
ForestVanceTraining.com

I have a stretch of some travel over these next couple / few months, for both work and fun.

One thing that can be a little tricky while on vacation is figuring out how to stay active and workout.

Bringing kettlebells on an airplane doesn’t sound like the best idea, especially with my wife who always packs way too much stuff and our two little ones in tow!

And sometimes the gyms at hotels or resorts aren’t as great as we hope they’ll be.

So, for the coming weeks and months, I’ll be sure to have some great bodyweight workouts ready. It’s a good change for my body every now and then and it feels really nice on my joints.

There’s this program called the Warrior Zero Bodyweight Challenge that I really like. I’m planning on doing some of their workouts while I’m on the road, like the one below:

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No-Equipment Bodyweight Workout from – Warrior Zero Bodyweight Challenge

PROTOCOL: 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 13, 8…

Set your timer for 15 minutes. Begin with 2 reps of exercise #1, then 2 reps of exercise #2, and so on. Gradually increase the reps, moving up and down the ladder. Focus on perfect form, not speed.

EXERCISES:

• Hip Bridge
• Shinbox Switch
• Front Squat
• Tactical Push Up
• Spinal Rock
• Sit Thru
• Front Lunge
• Pull Press

*Detailed demos and explanations for each exercise can be found in the Warrior Zero Bodyweight Challenge course here.

What’s great about this workout is that you don’t need ANY equipment! No lugging around kettlebells or bands or any other gear… and not to mention, it’s totally different and one-of-a-kind.

If you’re interested in checking out the complete Warrior Zero course, you can do so by clicking on THIS LINK.

Have a great day, and talk soon! –

–Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Kettlebell Expert
Over 40 Specialist
KettlebellBasics.net