Today’s 5-minute isometric workout is something you can do any time, any place! It’s a method used by old-time strongmen as a big part of their training programs, and it’s effective for building strength and muscle. Plus, there’s no equipment required.
It’s a great addition to your kettlebell training, too!
Click the link below to learn more, and to get the full 8 week plan:
PS – It’s no secret that isometric exercises are having a bit of a moment right now. Celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Uma Thurman, and Penelope Cruz have all been spotted using them, while athletes and trainers all around the world have been turning to them for greater strength and health.
It all started with a Buddhist monk in the 12th century, who developed a system of twelve basic isometric exercises. These exercises were later adopted by other martial arts, such as Kung Fu, Tai Chi, and Ki Gong.
These once forgotten isometric exercises are the perfect compliment to your kettlebell training.
Click the link below to learn more, and to get the full 8 week plan:
You see, buying kettlebells is not as simple as it may seem. There are a few things that you need to take into account before making your purchase.
Here are four things that you’re probably overlooking when buying kettlebells:
1 – Single Cast
Most kettlebells are made with welded handles, which makes them more prone to breakage. However, those made from a single piece of cast iron are more durable.
2 – Stamped in both pounds and kilograms
You want your kettlebells to be stamped with both kilograms and pounds so you can easily work with weights in either measurement.
3 – Colored bands for easy weight identification
Colored identification bands on the kettlebells are great for easily identifying the weight without having to pick it up or roll it over.
4 – Powder coated grip
Powder coating your kettlebell grip gives you a great grip even when your hands are sweaty. It also holds chalk better than other options like matte or e-coat, so you can keep your grip even during the most intense workouts.
If you’re looking for kettlebells, Kettlebell Kings is a great option. Their kettlebells are made with a powder coated grip, colored bands, and a single cast build. They also have a restock of most every size KB available. You can click this link for special pricing and to order now:
You’ve probably seen green juice all over Instagram and health blogs, but is it really worth the hype?
Here are three reasons why I think you should consider giving it a try:
First, you’re probably not getting enough veggies in your diet. And even if you are, there’s a good chance that you’re not getting all the nutrients your body needs from them.
Second, green juice is a great way to get a lot of nutrients in one drink. Green juice is packed with vitamins and minerals that can help boost your health.
And last, green juice just plain tastes good. Many people enjoy the taste of green juice, and it’s a great way to start your day or to refuel after a workout.
All this being said, green juice is not a substitute for a balanced diet. The best way to ensure you’re getting all the nutrients your body needs is to eat a variety of healthy foods.
However, if you know that you typically fall short on daily fruits and veggies… if you travel frequently and have a hard time eating healthy consistently… if you just like the idea of supplementing your diet and being sure that you’re covering all your bases… it’s something to consider giving a try!
I’ve tried a lot of different green juice brands, and my current favorite is Organify. It’s high quality, has a great track record, is backed by solid customer service, and tastes great too! Details and special pricing here: -> Organify Green Juice for Body Reset and Stress Support
First things first, it’s important to start with proper form. This means using a shoulder-width grip and keeping your elbows close to your sides. You should also keep your chin over the bar and focus on using your back and shoulder muscles to lift your body up.
Tip #2: Increase your reps gradually
There are a few different ways you can do this:
-Start by adding one additional pull up to your daily routine. After a week or two, add two more pull ups. Continue adding one pull up per week until you reach your goal.
-OR-
-Start by doing as many pull ups as you can for one set. Every week, try to add one more set.
Tip #3: Incorporate negative reps
If you’re looking to increase the number of pull-ups you can do, a great way to do that is by incorporating negative reps into your routine. Negative reps are when you lower yourself down from the top of the pull-up position, rather than pulling yourself up. This puts more emphasis on the lowering portion of the exercise, which can help you build more strength and do more pull-ups overall.
Here’s a quick rundown on how to do negative reps:
– Start at the top of the pull-up position with your chin over the bar – Slowly lower yourself down until your arms are fully extended – Once your arms are extended, pull yourself back up to the starting position
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If you’re looking to do more pull-ups, you’re in luck. This article provides three tips from a personal trainer that will help you improve your pull-up game. Follow these tips and you’ll be doing more pull-ups in no time. And, if you found this article helpful, be sure to check out my Bodyweight Beast Building program at the link below – it’s new and updated for 2022:
In this program, we’ll be using bodyweight exercises to help you get in shape and build muscle.
This is workout C from week 1:
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Bodyweight Beast: SHRED (week 1 / workout C)
1 – Do 10 sets of 2 lunge jumps on each leg, starting a new set every 20 seconds. Your rest period is the time between when you finish your set and the next 20 second interval starts.
2 – Do three rounds of the following sequence, taking as much rest as needed between sets:
Prisoners have come up with highly effective strength-building routines that they can do in the small space of their cell or with limited equipment in the yard.
These workouts are known to make prisoners look and feel really strong, even with the limited space and resources available to them.
One popular workout among prisoners is called the “Deck of Pain.”
This workout is so named because it can be done with a deck of cards, which prisoners typically have on hand.
You can use a standard deck of 52 cards to create a workout routine. Assign one of the exercises below (or a variation) to each of the four suits. For example:
Clubs – Squats Spades – Push Ups Hearts – Pull Ups or Inverted Rows Diamonds – Hanging or Lying Leg Raises
Then start drawing cards from the top. The suit tells you what exercise you’re doing, and the number tells you the reps. Face cards count as 10, and aces count as 11. Draw the cards and perform the corresponding movement until you get through the entire deck.
If you want to build muscle, shred fat, and build superhuman conditioning, give that workout a try. You can do it anytime, anywhere, with minimal-to-zero equipment.
Here’s to your continued success!
-Forest Vance KettlebellBasics.net
PS – If you liked today’s Deck of Pain workout, stay tuned. I have my top-selling bodyweight training plan – NEW and updated for 2022! – going on sale later this week.
I am starting prep to re-certify for my SFG certification later this year. There are multiple physical requirements one needs to meet to pass, but to start one needs to demonstrate safe and effective form on all the basic kettlebell moves, including the Turkish get up.
The Turkish get up is one of the most beneficial kettlebell exercises around, but it’s also one I find people tend to shy away from. Thing is, it’s amazing for building shoulder stability, strengthening the core, and improving posture… the technique can just be a bit tricky to master. But it’s well worth the time and effort!
What I do is have my online kettlebell clients shoot videos of a couple / few reps of them doing the move, then I give them feedback and have them shoot again for next time etc, until it’s perfected.
What I really helped me when I first learned the exercise was to break it down into these 7 basic steps:
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How To Do A Kettlebell Turkish Get Up: 7 Steps For Beginners
1 – Extend the arm 2 – Bend the knee 3 – Sit up! 4 – Extend the hips (optional) 5 – Sweep the foot 6 – Come to half keeling 7 – Stand up
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This article outlined the steps for doing a kettlebell Turkish Get Up. This is a great exercise for beginners, as it is a total-body workout that helps to improve strength, stability, and mobility. If you want to learn how to do this exercise correctly, apply for personalized one-to-one coaching at the link below:
The Tense-Relax Method is a technique that can help you gain muscle flexibility quickly. It involves alternating between tensing and relaxing muscles in a specific order. And it’s one of the big things that’s emphasized in the Hyperbolic Stretching program that will help you do the full splits in 28-30 days without a warm up.
Let me give you brief explanation of what is going to happen in your body as you go through the stretching exercises – then go check out the full routine here:
1 – First, you’re going to assume your stretching posture, and stretch as far as you can.
What happens in this moment is that the myotatic reflex takes over and tenses the stretched muscle, making it impossible for you to stretch further.
But with the Hyperbolic Stretching method, you consciously tense the already stretched muscle … and then something called reverse myotatic reflex takes place. This means your neuromuscular system will allow you to stretch a little more.
2 – After few seconds, release the conscious tension and move about half an inch more into the stretch.
3 – Then, tense the stretched muscle consciously again and another reversed myotatic reflex takes place.
4 – Again, release the tension and move a bit more into the stretch.
5 – Repeat one or two more times until you achieve your maximum stretch.
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What you are basically doing with the tense-relax protocol is that you’re influencing and reprogramming your neuromuscular memory system.
After few weeks your body we re-learn and replace the old tension reflex with reversed-tension reflex, making it possible to stretch all the way down to a full split.
The exact exercises you need to do and exactly how to do them and how often and much more is outlined in the full program.
But hopefully today’s article gives you a bit more of an idea on how the Tense-Relax Method method works, and why it’s so effective when it comes to creating rapid results.
