I’ve got something new I’m working on right now, and I’m probably as excited about this as anything I’ve put together in a long time.
If you ever played any of the fighting games back in the 90s- Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, whatever your game was- you’re going to love this.
Here’s the idea: I took 10 of my best kettlebell training programs and repackaged them into a “choose your fighter” style bundle. Each program is a different fighter, built around a different training style, strength, power, conditioning, mobility, and core. You get all 10 programs, over 100 workouts total, and you can rotate through however many fighters you want.
Here’s the full roster:
The Bear
The Brawler
The Sergeant
Voltage
Blitz
Serpent Flow
Iron Monk
Iron Vise
Razor
The Warden
Today I want to give you a real taste of what’s inside. Below is an actual workout from The Bear, my grinding-strength fighter. Give it a shot and see how you feel:
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“The Bear” 20-min KB Snatch Challenge
PART 1 – Strength/Core Superset
4 rounds of:
— KB snatch, 30 seconds per side (recommended weight: 8-12k for women, 16-20k for men) Rest 15 seconds — Plank hold, 30 seconds Rest 15 seconds, then repeat
PART 2 – Descending Ladder
Complete all reps of all exercises below as fast as possible:
Then 8 reps of all exercises Then 6 reps of all exercises Then 4 reps of all exercises Then 2 reps of all exercises
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That’s just one workout from one fighter. The full bundle, all 10 fighters, all 10 programs, is launching later this weekend at launch pricing. Keep an eye on your inbox.
Unfortunately, it’s a very common problem among kettlebell enthusiasts.
They get a great start with their kettlebell training. They get so excited about the power of their newly discovered training tool that they pick up and train with a KB almost every day.
And then the forearm, elbow, and/or wrist pain hits. It’s debilitating. They actually have to stop training with kettlebells completely for a time. And the excitement of this newly discovered training tool quickly turns to frustration.
*These tips come straight out of my new 8-Minute Elbow Fix program, and you can get it for a special launch week price when you order in the next few days. For more info and to take advantage of this limited-time offer, click here: -> 8-Minute Elbow Fix
Kettlebell lifting can without a doubt cause elbow pain. But the good news is that it can be prevented, reduced, and even eliminated with a routine of simple exercises and a few key habits.
(FYI, these tips will help anyone who uses their hands and forearms with high frequency, whether you lift kettlebells, do intense bodyweight training, play tennis, golf, or anything else that loads the elbow repeatedly.)
Address the joint above and below, not just the elbow
Here’s the mistake almost everyone makes. They feel elbow pain, so they focus every fix on the elbow. But the elbow is a simple hinge joint; it just bends and straightens. Most of the time, the real issue is coming from the shoulder or the wrist.
A simple bicep stretch (shoulder extended, elbow straight, palm down) does more for a lot of people’s elbow pain than any elbow-specific exercise ever will. Same goes for basic wrist mobility work. If you’re only addressing the joint that hurts, you’re missing where the problem actually started.
This is exactly why my program starts every single day with shoulder and wrist work before it ever directly touches the elbow. Check out the full plan here: -> 8-Minute Elbow Fix
Rest has a ceiling; don’t overdo it
If you’re constantly reaching for pain meds, wrapping up, or icing your way through workouts, that’s a sign of an inflamed joint. The instinct is to rest it completely. But here’s the catch: rest longer than a week or two, and you start losing strength and muscle, which sets you up for the same problem down the road.
The better approach is short-term rest paired with pain-free motion. Cat-camels, nerve glides, light isometric holds. Keep the area moving without loading it.
Rebuild the cuff and grip before you rebuild the press
Once the pain calms down, the temptation is to jump straight back into heavy pressing and gripping. Don’t. The joints above and below the elbow, your rotator cuff, and your grip need to be strong again before you load the elbow like normal.
Face pulls, banded external rotation, and loaded carries are the three exercises doing the most work here. They rebuild the stability that was probably missing in the first place, which is usually what led to the elbow taking on more than its share of the load.
To sum up, elbow, forearm, and wrist pain sucks. It’s an all-too-common problem that can stop your kettlebell training in its tracks. But these three tips are a great starting point for beating it.
If you want the exact day-by-day plan, all 28 days mapped out, 8 minutes a day, plus a free bonus isometrics program to keep training while your elbow settles, click below to check it out. Launch week pricing ends soon:
Forest Vance, M.S. Master of Science – Human Movement Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist | RYT-200 (Yoga Alliance) Former NFL Athlete | Founder, FVT Warrior Wellness
This program is educational in nature and isn’t a substitute for medical advice, so check with your doctor if you’re dealing with anything severe or ongoing.
Today I want to talk about something I’ve dealt with at various points in my kettlebell training career: elbow pain.
Here’s one big thing most people get wrong about elbow pain. They treat it like the elbow itself is the problem. Ice it, wrap it, pop some Advil, throw on a sleeve. But your elbow is a simple joint; it just bends and straightens, and a lot of the time the real cause is coming from somewhere else, usually the shoulder or the wrist. Get those working the way they’re supposed to and the elbow pain often clears up without you ever directly treating the elbow.
That’s exactly what I dig into in my 8-minute Elbow Pain Fix course, dropping very soon. Stay tuned! But here are a couple quick things you can try today:
1 – Don’t just shut everything down and wait it out.
A short break, a week or two, away from the moves that are bothering it the most, is a smart move. Rest, but then get back to it, with an intelligent approach. Going months without training that area tends to leave you weaker, and the pain often shows back up once you start again anyway.
2 – Work on strengthening your rotator cuff.
Your triceps help stabilize your shoulder. If your rotator cuff is weak, your body starts leaning on the triceps to do that stabilizing job too, on top of everything else they’re already doing. That’s extra work the triceps weren’t built to handle, and often that overload shows up as elbow pain. Band pull-aparts and face pulls are a simple way to start building that strength back up. (I’ll get into exact routines later this week!)
There are many other considerations that go into a complete program to address elbow pain. These are just two to start. The full routine walks you through the whole thing step by step. Stay tuned; the full 8-minute Elbow Pain Fix is coming soon.
— Forest
PS – Lifetime Kettlebell Fitness was on flash sale over the weekend, and it sold way more than I expected! I honestly didn’t realize how many of you would want the 2026 edition. It’s no longer at the flash-sale price, but it’s still available at a great price if you’re interested. Go check it out HERE.
*Just a heads up, we are doing a flash sale on the program this weekend – so check out the sample workout, and if it seems like a program that would be a fit for you and your goals at this time, you can see the full course at the link below:
I’m getting ready for a 10k this fall, and I’m pretty excited about it.
I got away from running for a while, honestly because my joints are beat up.
Maybe you can relate?
I played football in high school and college, a couple of years in the pros on the offensive line, and I was over 300 pounds for a long stretch of that.
Over the last 20-ish years since my competitive sports career ended, I have done triathlons. Spartan races. Boot camp and CrossFit-style workouts. Powerlifting meets. Kettlebell certifications.
All of it adds up!
That’s why I’m coming back to this 10k the smart way. It’s not going to be about blazing speed. It’s a trail run; I’ll probably walk some of it, and it’s tied to a charity race here locally, so I’m just excited to be part of it.
Here’s what I’m actually doing to prep:
1 – Running, run/walking, and hiking – this is a progressive program, working towards the date of the event, that’s specific to what I am trying to do.
2 – Consistent strength work – kettlebells are my base; I mix in barbells, bodyweight, steel mace, and other training tools too. The goal is an intelligently-designed, goal-appropriate program to stay strong, stay powerful, and feel good.
3 – Stretching, mobility, and increasingly, mobility that’s targeted at what I’m actually trying to do.
Here’s an example. This is a version of my own off-day sequence, aimed at keeping my hips, knees, and ankles as bulletproof as possible.
Knee circles (standing) — 10 each direction, each leg.
Wall-assisted deep squat hold — 60 seconds.
That sequence is a small piece of something bigger I put together called Regenerate. It’s built from short 3- to 6-minute sequences, each focused on a different trouble spot. Knees and ankles acting up, there’s a sequence for that. Shoulders bothering you, there’s a sequence for that. Lower back tight? There’s a sequence for that, too.
One-hand Kettlebell Swings 4 sets of 8 per side; do 8 reps starting every 30 seconds; rest is from the time you are done until the next interval starts
Part 2
Complete 4 rounds of the circuit below as fast as possible:
Around-the-World + Kettlebell Lunge – 6 per side
Burpee + 3 Foot Kicks – 5 reps
Part 3
Get as many reps as you can of each move in :30. Rest for 15 between moves. Complete 3 rounds total:
Got a message from a reader this week that pretty much sums up what most people want out of their workouts. Here’s what he said:
“I just want to take the thought process out of this. I want to open up something, and it tells me what I need to do for that day. I want something simple. Lay it out to me, and I follow along. I don’t want to have to reinvent the wheel just to work out.”
If that’s you, here’s what I’d recommend.
My next 28-day kettlebell challenge is called the 100/5 Challenge. It’s a progressive, plan-specific program built around getting you to 100 kettlebell swings in 5 minutes, at a weight based on your level- beginner, intermediate, or advanced- by the end of the 28 days.
It’s progressive and systematic; one workout builds on the next. That’s how I build all my kettlebell challenge programs. That’s what makes it different from just a one-off program for a single goal. It’s a continuous system.
You can do just this one month, or stay on for the ongoing program; you’ll see that option on the page below:
(I know some people are hesitant to commit to something ongoing, even though that’s honestly the best thing for their results. Either way, up to you.)
So many people tell me they don’t know what to do, or they can’t make time, or whatever they’re trying just isn’t working. This knocks out both of those. You get a very specific plan, and it’s time-efficient. A couple of kettlebells, 20 to 30 minutes a day, 3 to 4 days a week.
Here’s a sample of what a workout looks like in this challenge. We’re focusing on swings, doing some version of them every day, but we’re not just doing swings. You’ve gotta work all the muscle groups in your body for balanced development.
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100/5 Kettlebell Workout – Free Sample
Superset A (4 rounds, rest :60 between each)
A1: Two-arm swings, 5 to 10 reps A2: Quarter get-up with floor press, 3 right/3 left
Superset B (descending ladder, rest :60 between rounds)
B1: One-arm swings, 20 right/20 left, then 15 right/15 left, then 10 right/10 left B2: Get-ups, 3 per side, then 2 per side, then 1 per side
Now, if you are coming back after a layoff, injury, etc., should you start here?
No!
For beginners, I would recommend:
8k-10k for women (18-22 pounds)
12k-16k for men (26-35 pounds)
The weights above are challenging but realistic, and I have worked with hundreds and hundreds of people to these weights over the years.
Remember the Challenge we are working towards:
Set your timer for :30 intervals. Do 10 one-hand KB swings at the top of each work period. Pick a weight that challenges you, but one that you can keep perfect form with. Alternate hands each set. Your rest is from the time you finish your 10 reps of swings until the next :30 interval starts.
One more thing to keep in mind:
For lower body and ballistic movements, like kettlebell swings and goblet squats, most people can handle a heavier bell. For overhead and technical movements, like presses and Turkish get-ups, you’ll want to go lighter.
Long-term, the ideal setup is to have three or more bells:
One or more lighter bells for technique work and upper body movements
One or more medium bells for your regular training sessions
One or more heavier bells for strength-focused work
Doubles of the same weight, if you want to get into double bell work
For right now, though, one good bell at the right weight is all you need to get started.
I hope this helps. If you want to join the 100/5 Kettlebell Challenge starting Monday, click the link below:
I’ve been in the kettlebell game for almost 20 years now. I did my first RKC certification back in 2009 in Minnesota, with Pavel as the lead instructor. Since then, I’ve attended dozens of certifications, as a participant and as an assistant, on both the RKC and SFG sides. I think they’re both great, and I’ve learned a ton from each.
One of the more curious things is the new RKC testing standards. The 100 swing test: 10 sets of 10 hardstyle one-hand swings in 5 minutes, 24kg for men, 16kg for women, good form throughout. Back stays neutral, shoulders packed, full hip and knee extension at the top, heels weightless for a moment at the apex of each rep.
Funny enough, we already have something almost identical as one of our kettlebell challenge tests at the FVT Warrior Wellness studio.
If you’re already fit and have been training consistently, this is a great test of what kettlebells can really do for you. Here’s how you could use it as a full workout:
Today’s workout (if you’re short on time and already trained):
WARM UP – 2 rounds of:30 each: face-away from wall KB deadlifts; KB halos; down dog w heel pedals
MAIN WORKOUT – Set your timer for:30 intervals. Do 10 one-hand KB swings at the top of each work period. Pick a weight that challenges you but one that you can keep perfect form with. Alternate hands each set. Your rest is from the time you finish your 10 reps of swings until the next:30 interval starts.
COOL DOWN – :30 each of – kneeling hip flexor stretch; sphinx pose; child’s pose
That’s 15-ish minutes total, 5 minutes of real intensity plus a solid warm up and cool down, and that can be your whole session for the day.
This is not a beginner workout; I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re just getting started. But once you’ve built up some training experience, it’s a great option for a short, high-intensity day.
Speaking of which, stay tuned, because a lot of what we’ll be building the foundation around in our July / August KB Challenge is exactly this: swings, fat loss, and short workouts like this one, building you up toward being able to hit a test like this by the end. I’ve also got a new app launching for the next challenge, so this next round should be pretty cool.
That’s it for today.
Have a great week!
— Forest
P.S. Quick note on Warrior Flow Isometrics: the price did go up slightly, but it’s still available if you haven’t grabbed a copy yet. Still a highly valuable program, especially if you’re looking for an alternative to kettlebells, want something easier on your joints, want to ease back into a routine, or want some injury prevention work. Check it out at the link below:
