The first two days of every month, we do a Challenge Workout in all of our boot camp sessions at FVT.

These workouts are high intensity, strength-endurance style sessions that are scored in some way … and we repeat each Challenge several times throughout the year, so that folks can see how their fitness level is improving over time.

Check out this 20 minute circuit workout – it’s based off of this month’s FVT Boot Camp Challenge Workout, but tweaked slightly, so that you can do it in around 20 minutes, with just a single kettlebell.

Enjoy!

– Forest

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Single KB 20 Minute Circuit Workout

– 10 single arm KB swings / side
– 10 recline rows
– 5 KB presses / side
– 15 box jumps OR bench jumps OR squat jumps
– 12 walking lunges per side
– 7 burpees
– 15 push ups
– 7 hanging knee raises OR hollow rocks
– 30 jumping jacks

Do four rounds as fast as possible.

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If you liked this workout, you’ll LOVE my “Kettlebell Boot Camp Workouts Mega-Bundle” … you’ll find my top kettlebell training programs, full video footage from my kettlebell basics workshop, and MUCH more … all at a BIG time discounted price.

But, if you want to take advantage of this special deal, you’ll have to act quick – the offer comes down after this week. Check it out and snag your copy at the link below:

=> KB Boot Camp Workouts mega bundle

Kettlebell swings are AWESOME for fat loss.

They burn as many calories per minute as all-out sprinting, and they’ll boost your metabolism for hours after your workout.

I wanted to give you a sample “kettlebell swings for fat loss” workout to try, just to show you HOW powerful this exercise can be, WHEN you program it properly into your training.

And the best part is, you can do this one in about 20 minutes, with just one kettlebell.

Let’s rock!

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Kettlebell Swings for Fat Loss Workout

– Begin your workout with a 3-5 minute dynamic warm up.

– Do two :30 holds of HardStyle planks, resting about :15 sec. between sets.

– Swings – do 5 sets of 20. Rest about :30 between sets.

Mix up the type of swings you do. You can do two hand, one hand, hand to hand, or double swings. This is a great way to mix up the workout, hit slightly different muscle groups and give your body a slightly different stimulus throughout the session.

– Next, do a body weight circuit of Push Ups, Pull Ups or Inverted Rows, and Step Ups or Lunges – you’ll do 2-3 rounds of 10-15 reps of each exercise.

Modify the body weight exercises as needed to challenge yourself JUST enough. So … if you’re just starting out, you might do knee push ups and inverted rows. If you’re advanced, you might do feet elevated push ups and standard pull ups. You can really make this workout as hard or as easy as you like.

– Finish off with a 3-5 minute static stretch of tight muscle groups ONLY.

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And, there you have a very simple, but VERY effective, kettlebell swings for fat loss workout.

Enjoy! And talk soon –

Forest Vance, MS, RKC

PS – If you liked this workout, make sure to check out the Kettlebell Swings for Fat Loss special we have going this week – you’ll get the Kettlebell Basics Swing Manual, my Best Fat Loss Diet plan, the FVT Community Cookbook and more for one low price. Details here:

=> Kettlebell Swings for Fat Loss

Hey – hope your week is off to a great start!

I just finished up leading a couple of workouts at our gym this morning, and now I’m ready for an awesome, productive week.

To help you get the best possible start to YOUR week, I wanted to share a 20 Minute Kettlebell/Bodyweight Workout with you today.

You can do this one in about 20 minutes, and all you’ll need in terms of equipment is a couple of KBs and a pull up bar.

This training session also gives you an idea of what a single day workout from my coaching program might look like for someone who:

– wants to lose body fat and get into great condition
– wants to build some lean muscle
– has just a couple of kettlebells and a pull up bar available to train with
– has no major injuries or exercises they cannot do

Of course, I would include a full warm up with video demos … and each exercise would have video demos included … and you could ask me any questions you had about anything, or even send me a video of you doing an exercise to check your form …

And the whole point is that your workouts will be CUSTOMIZED … based YOUR goals, fitness level, physical condition, available equipment, etc … and it fits into an overall programming SCHEME to help you make continuous progress over time …

BUT the workout below is a basic sample.

If you’re interested in the FVT Online Coaching program, you can check out the details and submit your application here.

On to the workout – and have a great day!

– Forest

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20 Minute Kettlebell/Bodyweight Workout

(start with)

10 walking lunges per leg … 4 sets total, add resistance by holding a kettlebell in the “goblet” position … work to use a bit more weight on each set until you’re really pushing it hard and using the most weight you can with perfect form on the last set.

Alternately, if you only have one or two kettlebells to work with, you can work up the number of reps you do on each set, using the same weight as resistance.

(rest for a minute or two, then move to)

15 two hand KB swings
6 KB presses per arm

4 sets of each total; alternate back and forth between exercises; rest for about 30 seconds between sets

(finish with)

2 burpee pull ups
2 shuttle sprints (place 2 cones or other markers about 10 yds apart; sprint from one cone to the other and back, that’s one rep)

4 burpee pull ups
4 shuttle sprints

6 burpee pull ups
6 shuttle sprints

4 burpee pull ups
4 shuttle sprints

2 burpee pull ups
2 shuttle sprints

… go “up and down the ladder”, and complete the ENTIRE sequence above as fast as possible!

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Details on the FVT Elite Coaching program and submit your application here

Part of getting an “Invincible Body” is staying in top condition at all times, and being ready for any challenge that life throws at you.

The way we accomplish this goal in the Invincible Body program is through short, high-intensity, kettlebell and bodyweight circuits like this one:

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5 Minute Kettlebell Clean and Press / Double Burpee Challenge Workout

– Set your timer for 5 minutes
– Start by performing 1 KB clean and press on the left side, and KB one clean and press on the right side
– Follow this immediately with one double burpee (double burpee = burpee with TWO push ups)
– Without resting, go immediately into TWO clean and presses on each side, and TWO double burpees … followed by THREE clean and presses on each side, and THREE double burpees, etc …

– “Climb the ladder” and get as high as you can in 5 minutes!

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Now you can use 5 minute challenge as a killer “finisher” at the end of your workout to finish the day strong, like we do in the Invincible Body program …

Or, you can use it as a stand-along workout if you’re pinched for time, and all you have for available equipment is a single kettlebell.

We want to know – how many rounds can YOU do in 5 minutes?

Try the workout … and then check out the full 6 week Invincible Body program at the link below:

=> Invincible Body

Thanks, train hard, talk soon –

– Forest Vance, MS, RKC II
ForestVance.com
http://forestvancetraining.com/ib2

The classic 5×5 workout.

It’s simple, it’s to the point … and most importantly, it WORKS!

The idea is simple. Pick a weight you can do for 5 sets of 5. If you complete all the sets and reps, then next time bump the weight up 5 or 10 pounds. This is cycled in a progressive and organized fashion over time.

Now the “original” Bill Starr 5×5 routine is based around three lifts – the power clean, the bench press, and the squat. But that routine was designed for football players, and although you probably want to train and look like an athlete, your goals are likely a bit different …

You probably want to:

— Gain strength and lean muscle
— Lose body fat, stay slim and trim
— Feel great, and keep the aches and pains at bay
— Be ready at any given time to take on a variety of physical challenges – examples would be run a 5k, play pick-up basketball for 45 mins, do 10 pull ups, press a decently heavy KB, deadlift some respectable weight, etc

So that’s what I kept in mind when I put together the “hybrid” 5×5 BB/KB/BW workout I’m going to share with you today.

We’re going to start the workout with 5 sets of 5 on the deadlift … but we’re also going to include some kettlebell and bodyweight work to help you burn fat, and maintain / build a level of conditioning …

We’re also putting a priority on mobility and flexibility to keep you moving great and keep the aches and pains at bay …

And we’re doing some “off” day activities as well to keep your overall fitness level and “general preparedness” high.

Let’s hop right into it!

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5×5 BB/KB/BW Hybrid Workout
by Forest Vance, author, Invincible Body

1 – Before your workout, get ready to rock with with:

– foam rolling
– joint mobility
– a dynamic warm up

2 – Exercise pair #1 – alternate exercises back and forth and do five sets total of each; rest as needed between moves to get fully recovered:

– KB / barbell deadlifts – 5 reps
– bodyweight only / weight added Turkish get ups – 1 rep each side

2 – Exercise pair #2 – do four rounds of the following sequence, taking as little rest as possible:

– body weight squat / goblet squat with kettlebell – 10
– kneeling / standard / feet elevated push ups – 10
– hanging leg raises – 10

3 – To finish – run/bike/etc – 5 intervals of 30 seconds HARD, 30 seconds of recovery

4 – Finish with static stretch of tight muscle groups

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A simple way to set this up as a full program would be:

— Perform the above workout 2x per week – Mon – Weds for example
— For your third “strength training” day, you could do a total body workout of pretty much any kind … search my blog at http://forestvance.com for dozens and dozens of sample workouts
— An additional two or three days per week, simply do about 30 minutes of some kind of “fun” activity … go for a hike, ride your bike, play a game of pick-up basketball … get your heart rate up, but just as importantly, enjoy!

That about does it for your 5×5 BB/KB/BW Hybrid Workout. This is a simple – but POWERFUL – training program that you can use to gain strength, lose fat, perform better and feel great – in about 30 minutes per day.

And for video walk – throughs of everything outlined in today’s article, specifics and coaching points on each component of the workout, and a far more extensive and complete six week program, check out my full Invincible Body training course HERE.

Train hard, and talk soon –

– Forest Vance
Author, Invincible Body

I am giving away a free copy of my full “Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning” program today.

It includes 21 “extreme kettlebell cardio” workouts, like this one:

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Set your timer for sixty second intervals. Perform prescribed reps of exercise. Rest period is from the time the set is finished until timer goes off for the next 60 second period. Complete entire workout in this fashion.  

Do 4 rounds of the circuit below:

2 TGU’s/side
20 swings
4 windmills/side
6 rack squats/side
6 burpees

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With the full system, in 42 days, you’ll progressively and systematically build your strength and cardio endurance with kettlebell and body weight – based movements.

These workouts are short – under 30 minutes, some under 20 – and INTENSE.

In fact, I believe these are some of the TOUGHEST kettlebell workouts I’ve ever created.

That’s why I’m going to give it to you for FREE (and it sells every day for $24.95 here – http://kettlebell-circuits.com/) … when you order Mike Gillette’s Psycology of Strength program through THIS link – before tonight at 12 midnight EST.

The Psychology of Strength program will help you strengthen your mind against doubt, fear and worry so that circumstances never keep you from achieving the success you dream of.  It’s a high-quality 2 DVD set.  You can learn more about it by clicking the link below.

To get your free copy of my Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning program:

1 – Order Mike’s “Psychology of Strength” program through THIS LINK

2 – Email your Clickbank receipt to my assistant at fvtraininfo (at) gmail (dot) com

3 – She will check your receipt and make sure that you have indeed ordered it on MY recommendation (you must click MY link LAST before you order to give FVT proper credit, and for you to qualify for the bonus!) … and will send Extreme KB Cardio Conditioning your way.

Thanks!

– Forest Vance
Level 2 Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor
ForestVance.com

PS – Some great content on the “Psycology of Strength” stuff this week over on the blog – check out:

=> #1 Quality of Elite Athletes (NOT what you think)

=> I Must Be Hard to Kill

Got a TOUGH “extreme KB cardio conditioning” workout for you today.

This one is “beat the clock” – style … it’s tough but do-able at the beginning, but as things progress, it gets REALLY tough to keep up.

Give it a try, and let me know how it goes –

 

Extreme Kettlebell Cardio workout #14

(You can get my full Extreme KB Cardio Conditioning program free this week- read to the bottom of this message for details)

– 12 push ups
– 20 one arm KB swings (10 R / 10 L)
– 5 windmills/side
– 8 goblet lunges/side

This workout is done “beat-the-clock” style. So on the minute, every minute, you’ll start a set of a given exercise. Your rest period is the length of time between when you FINISH each exercise and the next 60 second interval starts.

For example – do 12 push ups. If it takes you 30 seconds, you get 30 seconds rest before you start the swings on the next 60 sec interval. If it takes you 10 seconds to do them, you get 50 seconds rest. If it takes you 45 seconds to do them, you get 15 seconds rest. Etc.

Do three to five rounds of the sequence total, using this same work-to-rest ratio.

Watch the video for this workout here:

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If you are looking to get tough as nails – so that you can not only get through brutal workouts like this one, but also so that you can conquer whatever obstacles life throws at you – I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Mike Gillette’s Psychology of Strength program, on sale this week.

I am going through Mike’s program right now, and am SO impressed … that I’m going to hook you up with a free copy of what I think is one of the toughest training programs I’ve created – “Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning” when you order Psychology of Strength on my recommendation.

With this program, in 42 days, you’ll progressively and systematically build your strength and cardio endurance with kettlebell and body weight – based movements.

These workouts are short – under 30 minutes, some under 20 – and INTENSE.

And you will get it FREE from me when you order Psychology of Strength on my recommendation before this Friday at 12 midnight EST.

To get your free copy of my Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning program:

1 – Order Mike’s “Psychology of Strength” program through THIS LINK (or any other one in this message)

2 – Email your Clickbank receipt to my assistant at fvtraininfo (at) gmail (dot) com

3 – She will check your receipt and make sure that you have indeed ordered it on MY recommendation (you must click MY link LAST before you order to give FVT proper credit, and for you to qualify for the bonus!) … and will send Extreme KB Cardio Conditioning your way!