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